Postmortem 2014: The Nebraska Cornhuskers

[Saunders]

I was recently sitting in my seat in section 312 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, taking in all the sites and sounds of Nebrasketball. The Michigan State Spartans happened to be in town, and Tim Miles and the gang had taken it to them for a half - despite being down pretty much any actual starting big men. However, that wasn't why there was a bit of a buzz in the arena. No, there was a considerable buildup for what would be the official introduction of the Mike Riley coaching staff, and despite the basketball team being the main event, it was the #AveryStrong clad coaches that brought the most applause that afternoon. Hearing people screaming all around me, all I could think about was how we got to that exact moment. The answers aren't exactly all that easy.

 

http://www.offtackleempire.com/2015/1/30/7949161/postmortem-2014-the-nebraska-cornhuskers

 

 

[Count 'Bility]

I think he's wrong wen saying no one saw the decision coming. I remember sitting on my freinds couch towards the end of the Wisconsin game saying exactly "this is it. This is Bo's last blunder. This sh#t cant fly no more". He (my friend) said no way in hell. I said "well, next week when Minnesota comes to Lincoln and wins, will you change your tune". I thought the firing was inevitable regardless what was to happen them last two games.

[sd'sker]

I think he's wrong wen saying no one saw the decision coming. I remember sitting on my freinds couch towards the end of the Wisconsin game saying exactly "this is it. This is Bo's last blunder. This sh#t cant fly no more". He (my friend) said no way in hell. I said "well, next week when Minnesota comes to Lincoln and wins, will you change your tune". I thought the firing was inevitable regardless what was to happen them last two games.

i think a lot of people knew it was an indy or bust kind of year. and then they way we lost to wiscy? yeah, that was it to anyone not suffering from extreme myopia and a obsequious love of bo. we all knew that the already tired 70%+ win percentage and 9 wins arguments no longer had a leg to stand on. no matter what urb may have said before about firing 9 win coaches.

[Saunders]

 

I think he's wrong wen saying no one saw the decision coming. I remember sitting on my freinds couch towards the end of the Wisconsin game saying exactly "this is it. This is Bo's last blunder. This sh#t cant fly no more". He (my friend) said no way in hell. I said "well, next week when Minnesota comes to Lincoln and wins, will you change your tune". I thought the firing was inevitable regardless what was to happen them last two games.

i think a lot of people knew it was an indy or bust kind of year. and then they way we lost to wiscy? yeah, that was it to anyone not suffering from extreme myopia and a obsequious love of bo. we all knew that the already tired 70%+ win percentage and 9 wins arguments no longer had a leg to stand on. no matter what urb may have said before about firing 9 win coaches.

 

I think alot of folks wanted him fired after the Wisconsin loss, but weren't sure if it would actually happen, especially after him daring the admin in 2013.

[sd'sker]

I think alot of folks wanted him fired after the Wisconsin loss, but weren't sure if it would actually happen, especially after him daring the admin in 2013.

true, but after that dare, i think things were different. would you agree it all felt more tenuous at that point? everything just seemed on edge. and he was putting together a respectable season, at least on paper. then wiscy happened and i just got the impression that that was it.

[Saunders]

 

I think alot of folks wanted him fired after the Wisconsin loss, but weren't sure if it would actually happen, especially after him daring the admin in 2013.

true, but after that dare, i think things were different. would you agree it all felt more tenuous at that point? everything just seemed on edge. and he was putting together a respectable season, at least on paper. then wiscy happened and i just got the impression that that was it.

 

Completely agree. I wanted it to happen, but was still in disbelief when it did. I think alot of it had to do with the national media being split on doing it, vs when Bill was fired.

[sd'sker]

 

 

I think alot of folks wanted him fired after the Wisconsin loss, but weren't sure if it would actually happen, especially after him daring the admin in 2013.

true, but after that dare, i think things were different. would you agree it all felt more tenuous at that point? everything just seemed on edge. and he was putting together a respectable season, at least on paper. then wiscy happened and i just got the impression that that was it.

 

Completely agree. I wanted it to happen, but was still in disbelief when it did. I think alot of it had to do with the national media being split on doing it, vs when Bill was fired.

 

it was a weird time. i was expecting it, but still shocked when it happened. eichorst showed a lot of moxie in his actions.

[Guy Chamberlin]

No question Bo was on the hot seat, but I don't think Eichorst had a magic number of wins Bo needed to achieve to avoid being fired 2014.

 

After the fact Bo complained that he WANTED that number as a benchmark for keeping his job. In Bo's rant, he could be excused for thinking the administration secretly wanted a loss to Iowa in the final game, just to make their decision more defensible.

 

But Wisconsin was the dagger and everyone knew it. Bo could have stopped the bleeding with an inspired victory against Minnesota, but that loss merely confirmed his ceiling as the coach of a mid-pack Big 10 team. That we needed overtime to beat an unranked Iowa changed nobody's mind about anything.

 

Bo had a fair chance to prove himself on the field in his 7th season. It was startling how little he changed.

 

There were plenty of outside analysts who totally understood our frustration with Bo Pelini. But there appeared to be just as many who accepted the math: you don't fire a consistent 9 game winner.

[Count 'Bility]

All the talk between the Wiscy and Minnesota game was in regards to that Wisconsin game being the last straw. Conversations of "would winning out and a 10-2 regular season save Bo...." quickly transpired into "well, if that's the case, I'm not sure I want that to happen". The most hard-pressed Bo backers-myself included-COMPLETELY jumped ship after that game. Even Sipple jumped, then was back on, then was waivering, then was back on, then jumped again, then was................ all in the same night after I believe, which said all we needed to know. The most repable Husker writers in this state-the Shatels and Babcocks and so on-were openly calling for the axe. The Minnesota and Iowa games quickly became the most irrelevant, "meh" games ever, did they not? The cake was frosted. All the Minnesota game did was put the cherry on top.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I wasn't an Indy or Bust guy myself.

 

The team showed some moxie, coming inches away from beating a clearly better Michigan State team. I could live with that. Didn't have a choice, really.

 

If we had played Wisconsin tough, both sides of the ball, but lost a close one to a very good team at Camp Randall, I would have said "when are we going to win one of these?" but I would have lived with it.

 

That alone could have eliminated us from the Indy title game. But had the team dusted itself off, regrouped under an inspirational coach and finished strong against Minnesota, Iowa and our quality bowl opponent, that would qualify a significant improvement and we would have been crazy to fire Pelini.

 

The irony is that in virtually every game where it seemed Bo Pelini's job was on the line, the team that loved him so much came out and played worse.

[Count 'Bility]

i agree Guy. Im one that always say you cant put championships on a guy's head under any circumstances whatsoever.

 

Here's the deal with me. We all talked about this season going in seemed "different". Looking back, did we really know what that meant? Then the Miami game happened. All the fighting and such and the emotions exploding. It was a perfect tailor-made opportunity for the typical BO-Braska meltdown. Yet, the team channeled the emotions. Gregory and Collins made a couple of huge plays, and the Oline and Ameer proceeded to put the hammer down. THAT'S when I think we all realize that maybe it was different, and excitement levels started to climb to heights not seen in a few year.....

 

Then we went to East Lansing. And despite the comeback, I've never up until that point been so disappointed. Like we came out not expecting a street fight. Oh yeah. We showed heart and all in coming back. That was the rally cry. Great. where was it the previous 3 1/2 quarters. Me? I left that game with a mindset that actually, this team isnt different. The same mentally soft, crumbles in the spotlight, team.

 

Then next 3 games happen. substantial wins by points on a scoreboard that looked solid but were again riddled with mistakes and indecisions in all phases. Yet heading to Wisconsin, I was still feeling uneasy. Still waiting for the other foot to drop. We get up 17-3, and I'm a nervous nelly. Not THINKING that this was it. We are finally gonna get over the hump and so on. I thought that first quarter was the most physical quarter we'd seen a Nebraska defense play in Bo's time here. But I was still nervous as hell. Like I said, not becuase I was THINKING it was it. but becuase I was HOPING. Then, in typical and repetitive fashion, it crumbled right before our eyes. In in the blink of an eye, in one play, the angst was gone. The hope vanished. And I relenquished to the couch for a 2 hour stretch of giggles and facepalms. And THAT was the last straw. Wasnt now way in hell I could endorse that kind of dissappointment any longer..

[knapplc]

The irony is that in virtually every game where it seemed Bo Pelini's job was on the line, the team that loved him so much came out and played worse.

 

That is perfectly stated. And it will probably go down as one of the great mysteries of the Pelini Era. Why would the team that would "fight at the gates of hell" for Pelini crumble in those games? Where was that fight?

[Count 'Bility]

 

The irony is that in virtually every game where it seemed Bo Pelini's job was on the line, the team that loved him so much came out and played worse.

 

That is perfectly stated. And it will probably go down as one of the great mysteries of the Pelini Era. Why would the team that would "fight at the gates of hell" for Pelini crumble in those games? Where was that fight?

 

That's what I said about those that would "run through a wall" for him. Dont need to run through a wall. Just run throught a ball carrier.

[ColoNoCoHusker]

 

The irony is that in virtually every game where it seemed Bo Pelini's job was on the line, the team that loved him so much came out and played worse.

 

That is perfectly stated. And it will probably go down as one of the great mysteries of the Pelini Era. Why would the team that would "fight at the gates of hell" for Pelini crumble in those games? Where was that fight?

 

 

The fight was at the gates of hell. Players can't be in two places at once. Thus #408...

 

Agree, Guy is spot on

[roadrat]

I think when your head coaches only rallying cry is us against the world, us against the administration, us against the fans, from week to week that's not enough to keep a team motivated for an entire season. Bo really didn't know how to get his team to prepare for the mental part of the game because he had no grasp of it himself.