Analysis: For Nebraska, Bo Pelini, is good good enough? - USA Today

[admo]

after 6 years of Bo Ball why do we dwell on sh#t from long ago, that doesn't matter now?

 

Some losses sting more than others that is why. If you think football fans have short term memory then... They don't forget anything especially those embarrassing losses. It took people years to stop talking about the 09 Texas loss alone and that wasn't even embarrassing.

 

True. Although we don't bring up last year's 63-38 blowout against Ohio State very often. Not as often as the 70-31 game to Wisconsin. Well that is until Minnesota copied the Badgers simple game plan and shocked the world.

[carlfense]

after 6 years of Bo Ball why do we dwell on sh#t from long ago, that doesn't matter now?

 

Some losses sting more than others that is why. If you think football fans have short term memory then... They don't forget anything especially those embarrassing losses. It took people years to stop talking about the 09 Texas loss alone and that wasn't even embarrassing.

True. Although we don't bring up last year's 63-38 blowout against Ohio State very often. Not as often as the 70-31 game to Wisconsin. Well that is until Minnesota copied the Badgers simple game plan and shocked the world.

Probably because the loss to Ohio State was ugly . . . but not as ugly as the loss to Wisconsin.

Also, because Wisconsin had 5 losses (including a loss to Nebraska!) before they kicked the @$@#% out of us. At least OSU was undefeated and a legitimately good team.

[NUpolo8]

we better lock this thread before we are all in agreement that bo needs to go. goodness gracious.

 

I still want him here but we need 11-3 or 12-2 next year.

 

I think that was said roughly 26,781 times last year on the board. Few times by me too, I'm betting.

[B.B. Hemingway]

There are faults in this program, but a level-headed, professional, highly intelligent individual (which Eichorst seems to be) should see that this program doesn't need a new head coach at this point.

 

1 of 4 schools to win 9 games in the last 5 years.... You can't fire a guy for that! You just can't.....

I wouldn't worry about that. He wouldn't/won't be fired because he won 9 games.

As Damon Benning has said multiple times, Nebraska fans should be careful what they wish for....

[admo]

There are faults in this program, but a level-headed, professional, highly intelligent individual (which Eichorst seems to be) should see that this program doesn't need a new head coach at this point.

 

1 of 4 schools to win 9 games in the last 5 years.... You can't fire a guy for that! You just can't.....

I wouldn't worry about that. He wouldn't/won't be fired because he won 9 games.

As Damon Benning has said multiple times, Nebraska fans should be careful what they wish for....

 

Because some fans wish Bo gets another year?

[admo]

after 6 years of Bo Ball why do we dwell on sh#t from long ago, that doesn't matter now?

 

Some losses sting more than others that is why. If you think football fans have short term memory then... They don't forget anything especially those embarrassing losses. It took people years to stop talking about the 09 Texas loss alone and that wasn't even embarrassing.

True. Although we don't bring up last year's 63-38 blowout against Ohio State very often. Not as often as the 70-31 game to Wisconsin. Well that is until Minnesota copied the Badgers simple game plan and shocked the world.

Probably because the loss to Ohio State was ugly . . . but not as ugly as the loss to Wisconsin.

Also, because Wisconsin had 5 losses (including a loss to Nebraska!) before they kicked the @$@#% out of us. At least OSU was undefeated and a legitimately good team.

Wow. Just looking at those two games next to each other like that is appalling. Good thing we did not have both or either on our schedule this year. Glad we dodged that bullet.

[NUpolo8]

God there's a -6 turnover ratio in those two games.

[B.B. Hemingway]

There are faults in this program, but a level-headed, professional, highly intelligent individual (which Eichorst seems to be) should see that this program doesn't need a new head coach at this point.

 

1 of 4 schools to win 9 games in the last 5 years.... You can't fire a guy for that! You just can't.....

I wouldn't worry about that. He wouldn't/won't be fired because he won 9 games.

As Damon Benning has said multiple times, Nebraska fans should be careful what they wish for....

 

Because some fans wish Bo gets another year?

Damon is clealy pro-Pelini. I just don't understand people calling for Bo's job as this point. Has Bo met this program's expectations? Absolutely not, but I wouldn't be so sure that Bo isn't going to get this thing figured out. The talent is there, I would like to see what he can do with it at least one more year. Calling for Bo's job is ridiculous at this point..... Those fans who are lack reason, and perspective...

[kchusker_chris]

we better lock this thread before we are all in agreement that bo needs to go. goodness gracious.

 

I still want him here but we need 11-3 or 12-2 next year.

 

I think that was said roughly 26,781 times last year on the board. Few times by me too, I'm betting.

yes, that's the thing w/ Bo...each year it's rinse, repeat. Next year will be a loss to Fresno (UCLA) which brings the fan base to it's knees, then a rally against Miami at home, and a beatdown of Illinois that has us all drinking koolaid again (sound familiar?). Then we quietly lose to MSU (Minnesota) in E. Lansing before hearing about how we had just as many losses in 2012 and still made the championship game, so no worries - goals all still in tact (though Bo set that bar higher this week when he stated the goal is a national championship not a conference championship). Back-to-back road games to MSU and NW...could be tough, but I'll say we get an "us against the world" win against a 4-2 underwhelming Northwestern team (Michigan) before finding our 3rd loss against Wisconsin (MSU) in Madison.

 

Sitting at 7-3, dispatching the daunting opponents that were FAU, McNeese St, Illinois, Northwestern, Rutgers & Purdue...we'll be faced with a win-out scenario so Bo can get his 9th win, and locate his 4th loss to the 4th or 5th best team in the SEC yet again.

 

Throughout, we'll be having the identical conversations all anchored by the common belief that you can't fire a 9 win coach, no coach will come here, recruiting is hard, and TO did the same thing his first seasons at Nebraska. Throw in some injury and officiating excuses, the "they're only freshman/sophomore/juniors" fall back, and we'll be ready for the next season against equally underwhelming competition so we can do it all over again.

[admo]

God there's a -6 turnover ratio in those two games.

 

Saw that too and cringed.

[NUpolo8]

Boy.

 

IF Pelini stays and IF they drop one to Fresno next year, who loses a ton of people.....there could be another airport episode next college football season

[kchusker_chris]

Boy.

 

IF Pelini stays and IF they drop one to Fresno next year, who loses a ton of people.....there could be another airport episode next college football season

It's away. I'd put money on them dropping either Miami or Fresno based on past results if Pelini is still around. I picked Fresno because we probably should beat them, but it's on the road early. We should have beat UCLA w/ a freshman QB last year, but it was away. See the game being identical, and Bo getting outcoached. If the Fresno coach leaves, that will change my opinion some.

[JTrain]

I see two positives that could potentially help us next year, if Bo keeps his job.

 

First, it really does seem that Bo has become less stubborn towards his defensive philosophy. When he had great defensive lines, the defense was incredible. When we had less than great defensive lines, the defense was average. Something like this:

 

 

Perhaps as an act of desperation (the catalyst doesn't much matter), Bo has loosened his stance since the second quarter of the Northwestern game. No more square peg stuff. And the results have been impressive.

 

The second thing is, for the first time in a while, we might have a legitimate quarterback playing quarterback. I love what Taylor could do with his legs, but when he was banged up (which he was a lot) or up against a great defense that could force him to pass, we were in trouble. And I'm certainly not gonna go all crazy and say there's a 95% chance that Armstrong is a Heisman finalist next year, but I think there's reason for cautious optimism that he'll turn out a pretty good quarterback and leader.

 

I think, assuming Bo can hold on in the next two games, there will be the expectation from Eichorst (whether explicitly stated or not) that the team needs to be great next year. By great I mean something like 11-1 and then fighting tooth and nail with Ohio State in the title game. The schedule is favorable once again. Miami will be tough and I think @ Wisconsin is our toughest game. But they lose a ton of guys on their 15th ranked defense.

 

So the question is, what about the assistants? Since I have no idea what role Pap actually plays, I can't say much about him. But what about Beck? I know there were injuries, but he still managed to turn this...

 

 

...into this...

 

 

...and even at times this...

 

 

I'll give Bo the benefit of the doubt that he knows where Beck is at mentally better than us. And maybe he believes Beck is close to turning the corner. If so, then let him come along for the ride. Otherwise, take a chance with someone else. But if he retains him, he knows that his ship may very well sink or sail in Beck's hands. And that metaphor may at some point lead to this being photoshopped:

 

 

Aye aye, Captain Beck. Let's go get our Moby Dick.

 

[Hujan]

This stuff goes both ways.

 

Yes, Pelini was one second from a conference championship in 2009.

 

But he also was several fortuitous plays from four losses in 2012 and a couple of losses in 2013 so far. Just as Bo was jobbed in 2009, he also got incredibly lucky with that Hail Mary against Northwestern. And what happens in 2011 if Braxton Miller isn't injured during the Ohio State game? Or what happens last year against Michigan if we don't knock Denard Robinson out of the game?

 

You could take a broader view and say that Bo got lucky we moved to the Big Ten when we did. Can you imagine the 2011-2013 defenses against the likes of those Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and even Texas teams? We would have been destroyed and the Bo Loyalists wouldn't have the ole' "9 wins!" argument to keep falling back on.

 

Point is, the ball has bounced both ways for Bo during his tenure as Nebraska's coach. If anything, the dude has had luck on his side more often than not.

[NUance]

Point is, the ball has bounced both ways for Bo during his tenure as Nebraska's coach.

Isn't that the point of the article?