If you could surgically remove one thing from Nebraska history, what would it be?

[REDSTEEL]

Surgically remove Steve Pederson from being hired. His absence would have eliminated Callahan and his era of Husker tradition destruction. Don't know if Solich would have been fired or what another coach might have done. For sure, Husker history would have been gone down a different path.

I agree, though here are few minor things I wish wouldn't have happened or would have

 

Scott Baldwin - mental illness

 

Mike grant injury - before he got hurt he was one of the best option QB'S I've seen up to that point in Osborne offense. After his injury he played timid.

 

Not getting O'Dell James and losing him to Baylor. WTH?

 

Terrel Farley - Drunk driving problems

[Count 'Bility]

Surgically remove Steve Pederson from being hired. His absence would have eliminated Callahan and his era of Husker tradition destruction. Don't know if Solich would have been fired or what another coach might have done. For sure, Husker history would have been gone down a different path.

I agree, though here are few minor things I wish wouldn't have happened or would have

 

Scott Baldwin - mental illness

 

Mike grant injury - before he got hurt he was one of the best option QB'S I've seen up to that point in Osborne offense. After his injury he played timid.

 

Not getting O'Dell James and losing him to Baylor. WTH?

 

Terrel Farley - Drunk driving problems

Now this the time period when I really started paying serious attention to Nebraska football, about the '90 or time. Did Mike Grant suffer an injury before 1992? Because wasnt it an injury against Ok St in 1992 that gave way to Frazier and never looking back?

[Abdullah the Butcher]

If you remove Taylor's injury against Missouri in 2010, where do you think we'd be now? I'm guessing two conference titles and one BCS win.

[QMany]

If you remove Taylor's injury against Missouri in 2010, where do you think we'd be now? I'm guessing two conference titles and one BCS win.

I'd say at least one conference title and BCS win. In 2010, we go 11-1 in regular season, beat OU and curbstomp UCONN.

 

Where is the other conference title? This year? Possibility.

[suh_fan93]

[NUinID]

Callahan, hands down. And not just because it made 2004-2007 blow chunks, but also because it made half our fan base so insecure and lowered standards so much that we're content with 6 wins over terrible teams, 3 lucky wins over decent teams, 2 blow out losses, and a couple more close loses to teams we should have beat. Ad infinitum.

 

I think you are still blaming Bill for Frank's shortcomings. The majority of those players were recruited by Frank that Bill had to work with.

That's not even the half of it.

 

Callahan was trying to use french to teach portuguese to a bunch of spanish kids. They may have been Frank's guys, but they were not totally incompetent. Had Callahan has the brains to pare down, or tailor, his system to the skillset his guys had and gradually instituted the transition, instead of coming in shock and awe and blowing the house up, he woulda had lots more success them first couple years, and probably wouldnt have lost the team by the end of 2004. Frank left Callahan no talent. Funny, they won 10 frickin games the year earlier.

 

I agree to a point with tailoring the offensive system down, but with Joe freaking Daily who is unquestionably the worst QB in recent NU history as your only scholarship QB that shows what he had to work with. Herrian was the only true playmaker on offense and he got hurt midway through the season. On the defensive side the DL talent/depth was laughable. I am not saying that Callahan was even close to a good coach, he was a bad fit here, but he had by far the worst situation talent wise to deal with than Frank (who turned this program into a beat up pinto) and Bo who was given several NFL quality guys by Bill and has yet to show that he can recruit those calibur players.

 

As for that 10 win season, that was a mirage as that schedule was just as easy as this year. They didn't beat a ranked team all year (unless you count oSu the opening game of the year at #24 who ended up unranked) and were blown out by the only two ranked teams that they played (KSU, UT) and one that ended up not ranked Missouri. So I would say that winning 10 games that year, is the equivalent of winning 9 games last year, beat a bunch of schools of the blind deaf and dumb with the usual blowouts against the better teams on the schedule.

 

I have it on good information that about half-way through the 2004 season Callahan wanted to add in option into the playbook. Turner Gill told him that you just don't do that. It takes a lot more work than the 15-20 minutes of practice time a couple times a week you want to put into it. So it was never added into the offense.

 

Callahan was stubborn to a fault with his offense. He treated the team like a pro team except he couldn't pick up a QB and 2 WR off of waivers. He ran his practices exactly like a pro practice with only the #1 getting any reps. To him 2004 was just a throw away year a building year just like it would be in the NFL. He could have and should have won the S. Miss game and ISU that year.

 

For 2003 10 wins is 10 wins. I don't care if they didn't beat any ranked teams. I personally would have loved to have seen Solich and his new staff get 2-3 years to build something. I loved the staff he put together. Especially his defensive staff.

[Guy Chamberlin]

That fateful day in 1861 when the Dakota Territory took all the portions of Nebraska north of 43 degrees N.

[TGHusker]

That fateful day in 1861 when the Dakota Territory took all the portions of Nebraska north of 43 degrees N.

Then I would have been born in Nebraska instead of S.D - ok wt me. There would also not be any SD vs ND jokes and Neb would be a much colder state - but wt the ND oil - much richer.

[BigRedPowerWagon]

Wow, guys im sorry my post got taken out of context. Sorry.

[1 nu rugby]

The ref screw jobs that cost NC's @ Penn State in about 82 and Orange Bowl vs Free Shoes U in 93 with all the love fest for Bobby B and Charlie Hoops Ward, flag on the punt return cost a NC forget the make up at the end, FSU wasn't within 8 of Nebraska at the end if that return is called properly at TD and NU was a 17 point underdog......NC's build the brand and are forever, players and administrators come and go - of course Steve P as AD was a train wreck we could have done without, just like Big 8 taking in the 4 from the Southwest Conference, we needed Arkansas not Texas if you make that deal stick for more than 12 years or so. Oh and speaking of Arkansas, Bootleggers boy and Sooner Magic......whatever, did you say one thing? Sorry the nightmares just come rolling in so fast, perhaps we take away the pads and the forward pass and just get back to rugby please!

[Blackshirt96]

The loss to Texas in 1996. We go on to win a 3rd straight National Title, and hence, a 4th, becoming the grandest run not only in College football, but probably all sports.

 

I know. I'm a greedy pile of crap. Screw Bama.

I would like to add a made field goal in the 1994 Orange Bowl. It would have given TO his first NC & with your tweak 5 NC's in a row. FYI that game made Tommie Frazier the first and only player to win the Bowl MVP for a NC on the losing team.

[papersun87]

Hmm, I'll stir the pot a bit and say Solich's promotion to head coach. His lax recruiting and inability to compete in big games later in his career got Nebraska into the funk they're in now. If Osborne doesn't insist on passing the reins to Solich I bet A-list head coaches are climbing over each other to coach at Nebraska, winner of three of the last four NCs.

[Count 'Bility]

Hmm, I'll stir the pot a bit and say Solich's promotion to head coach. His lax recruiting and inability to compete in big games later in his career got Nebraska into the funk they're in now. If Osborne doesn't insist on passing the reins to Solich I bet A-list head coaches are climbing over each other to coach at Nebraska, winner of three of the last four NCs.

Pedersen and Callahan got in the funk we are in now. Solich's "struggles" were just a minor blip for all we know, from which he was already making some pretty drastic changes. We'll never know, and it's legit to think it both ways, but he appeared to be on the right track to correct it. Bottom line, Solich was still retainging the important identities of the program. Pedersen and Callahah pretty much burned the whole house to the ground and tried to rebuild it out of a 52-card pickup. I dont blame today's struggles on anyone really except Bo at this point. It was easy to blame it on previous regimes in years 1,2 and even 3, and then a conference change and so on. But we're headed into year 7, and year 4 of the Big 10. The funk we're in now and the future is solely on Bo's shoulders at this point. Sorry of this is nitpicking your post.

[papersun87]

I'm with you there, Pelini has all the tools he needs and better start succeeding soon (e.g., in 2010).

[ADS]

Hmm, I'll stir the pot a bit and say Solich's promotion to head coach. His lax recruiting and inability to compete in big games later in his career got Nebraska into the funk they're in now. If Osborne doesn't insist on passing the reins to Solich I bet A-list head coaches are climbing over each other to coach at Nebraska, winner of three of the last four NCs.

Pedersen and Callahan got in the funk we are in now. Solich's "struggles" were just a minor blip for all we know, from which he was already making some pretty drastic changes. We'll never know, and it's legit to think it both ways, but he appeared to be on the right track to correct it. Bottom line, Solich was still retainging the important identities of the program. Pedersen and Callahah pretty much burned the whole house to the ground and tried to rebuild it out of a 52-card pickup. I dont blame today's struggles on anyone really except Bo at this point. It was easy to blame it on previous regimes in years 1,2 and even 3, and then a conference change and so on. But we're headed into year 7, and year 4 of the Big 10. The funk we're in now and the future is solely on Bo's shoulders at this point. Sorry of this is nitpicking your post.

It was a huge mistake not giving Frank another year or two with the staff he brought in for the 2003 season.