Rhule finally feels like the "right coach" for Nebraska

Mavric said:
An underrated part of the Solich discussion is how he turned the talent TO has already recruited into a mediocre team.
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I'm on both sides regarding Solich, as those 1999, 2000 and 2001 teams ranked among the best in Nebraska history, more than meeting the Osborne standard. That 2001 team he somehow got to the National Championship game didn't seem up to past Nebraska standards despite the 11-2 record. By 2003 it felt like a lot of teams were getting better faster, and Solich wasn't the guy to keep up the pace.
 
Guy Chamberlin said:
I'm on both sides regarding Solich, as those 1999, 2000 and 2001 teams ranked among the best in Nebraska history, more than meeting the Osborne standard. That 2001 team he somehow got to the National Championship game didn't seem up to past Nebraska standards despite the 11-2 record. By 2003 it felt like a lot of teams were getting better faster, and Solich wasn't the guy to keep up the pace.
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The 1999 team with the 82 & 83 teams are probably the top 3 NU teams to not win the NC . Outside of a fumble & the 4 pt lost to texas- no doubt they would have been NC. The defense was McBride's last & one of his best.
 
BigRedBuster said:
TO retired after the 97 season. The 1999, 2000 and 2001 teams were very good. How many of TO's recruits were still on the team by 2002?
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I agree the mediocre isn't the right term for the 2000 team but they weren't really good by Nebraska standards at the time. The 2001 team getting destroyed 62-36 at Colorado and then embarrassed by Miami 37-14 in the final 2 games firmly placed that as a mediocre performance, especially with a Heisman QB on the team.
 
NU should be a 9 win team during the "bad years" The big ten is lame.

With the exception of OSU, and even last year shows that NU can hang with them just fine, the other teams in conference are lame.

NU just needs to stop losing to the super crap in this conference. Minny, NW, Iowa, MD, Wisconsin (who a lot of NU fans loved for some reason), these teams are not good and will never be good.

That is the good news, NU doesn't need to worry about those teams once NU just fixes themselves.
 
Hilltop said:
I agree the mediocre isn't the right term for the 2000 team but they weren't really good by Nebraska standards at the time. The 2001 team getting destroyed 62-36 at Colorado and then embarrassed by Miami 37-14 in the final 2 games firmly placed that as a mediocre performance, especially with a Heisman QB on the team.
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What is the standard though? 1993 to 2001 is probably one of the greatest runs of all time by any program especially considering it happened under different head coaches. Yes the end of 2001 was bad, but it was still in the National Title game. 1999 team very well may have been the best in the nation that year after getting revenge in the B12 title game, but didn't get a shot because there were two undefeated teams. Even in the midst of the greatest 5 year run from 1993 to 1997, there is a 16-0 rage bait game against ASU. That game is bafflingly bad wedged right between two of the best seasons we had in the run. 2001 was closer to what the national media thought we were in 1990 when we bombed out at the end of the year to Oklahoma and Georgia Tech. We consistently struggled to completely get through the Big 8 and Oklahoma usually had our number. When we would finally get past Oklahoma we would go to the Orange Bowl and get smacked by Miami or FSU. That is what most of the Osborne years were not the cherry on top of 1994-1997. Even 1993, with all the questionable calls, was another add it to the list of who Nebraska is. 2001 Nebraska was closer to most Osborne years, but we were coming off one of the greatest runs ever and the punchline at the end is highlighted by what was to come after it, 2002.

I don't think Frank would have done better if he was able to stick around beyond 2003, but it isn't like he should have been taken out after 2003. Fire him after 2002 and everybody gets it. Since he got 2003 and went 9-3, we should have found a way to let changes play out and see if the program would maintain or continue to go off the rails.
 
deedsker said:
What is the standard though? 1993 to 2001 is probably one of the greatest runs of all time by any program especially considering it happened under different head coaches. Yes the end of 2001 was bad, but it was still in the National Title game. 1999 team very well may have been the best in the nation that year after getting revenge in the B12 title game, but didn't get a shot because there were two undefeated teams. Even in the midst of the greatest 5 year run from 1993 to 1997, there is a 16-0 rage bait game against ASU. That game is bafflingly bad wedged right between two of the best seasons we had in the run. 2001 was closer to what the national media thought we were in 1990 when we bombed out at the end of the year to Oklahoma and Georgia Tech. We consistently struggled to completely get through the Big 8 and Oklahoma usually had our number. When we would finally get past Oklahoma we would go to the Orange Bowl and get smacked by Miami or FSU. That is what most of the Osborne years were not the cherry on top of 1994-1997. Even 1993, with all the questionable calls, was another add it to the list of who Nebraska is. 2001 Nebraska was closer to most Osborne years, but we were coming off one of the greatest runs ever and the punchline at the end is highlighted by what was to come after it, 2002.

I don't think Frank would have done better if he was able to stick around beyond 2003, but it isn't like he should have been taken out after 2003. Fire him after 2002 and everybody gets it. Since he got 2003 and went 9-3, we should have found a way to let changes play out and see if the program would maintain or continue to go off the rails.
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See, that amazing run is also what did in Bo.

Fan expectations should be crazy high, that is a good thing, but it should not totally dictate what you do with your coaches when they are winning a lot games.
 
deedsker said:
What is the standard though? 1993 to 2001 is probably one of the greatest runs of all time by any program especially considering it happened under different head coaches. Yes the end of 2001 was bad, but it was still in the National Title game. 1999 team very well may have been the best in the nation that year after getting revenge in the B12 title game, but didn't get a shot because there were two undefeated teams. Even in the midst of the greatest 5 year run from 1993 to 1997, there is a 16-0 rage bait game against ASU. That game is bafflingly bad wedged right between two of the best seasons we had in the run. 2001 was closer to what the national media thought we were in 1990 when we bombed out at the end of the year to Oklahoma and Georgia Tech. We consistently struggled to completely get through the Big 8 and Oklahoma usually had our number. When we would finally get past Oklahoma we would go to the Orange Bowl and get smacked by Miami or FSU. That is what most of the Osborne years were not the cherry on top of 1994-1997. Even 1993, with all the questionable calls, was another add it to the list of who Nebraska is. 2001 Nebraska was closer to most Osborne years, but we were coming off one of the greatest runs ever and the punchline at the end is highlighted by what was to come after it, 2002.

I don't think Frank would have done better if he was able to stick around beyond 2003, but it isn't like he should have been taken out after 2003. Fire him after 2002 and everybody gets it. Since he got 2003 and went 9-3, we should have found a way to let changes play out and see if the program would maintain or continue to go off the rails.
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The standard was to win a lot of games and not ger embarrassed. 62-36 against Colorado was still in people's mind in 2003. Losing to unranked Missouri 41-24, at #16 Texas 31-7, and at home against unranked K-State 38-9 were all embarrassing. We were a declining team so it isn't hard to see why he was let go imo.
 
Hilltop said:
The standard was to win a lot of games and not ger embarrassed. 62-36 against Colorado was still in people's mind in 2003. Losing to unranked Missouri 41-24, at #16 Texas 31-7, and at home against unranked K-State 38-9 were all embarrassing. We were a declining team so it isn't hard to see why he was let go imo.
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Missouri was a second half meltdown against a mobile QB who showed the world what would become Pelini defensive hallmarks a decade later. Texas was a good team and we couldn't hang. They were building the foundation of one of the greatest teams in 2005 with Vince Young. Texas beat K-State, but K-State went on to embarrass national title game participant Oklahoma as well. Oklahoma embarrassed Texas in the Red River Shootout 65-13. Everybody was starting to have these meltdowns even in good years, as scholarship limits started rearing its' ugly head.

Not saying those games didn't suck but we beat Oklahoma State to open the year in good fashion and CUSA champion Southern Miss. We weren't in the top tier, but we weren't that far on the outside looking in. Also, for how bad the B12 North would be in 2004, I wouldn't be surprised if Frank would have won it if he was retained. Callahan got his first three seasons at Nebraska with the worst era of the B12 north. Frank could have easily landed us in a couple more B12 title games had he been around from 04-07.

Once again, not saying Frank would have won any conference titles or made Nebraska into a contender, but it also was not the appropriate route to get rid of him in the way that we did. The rational given at the time and the fallout that ensued point to this. Frank probably should have meandered with Nebraska another couple years since he did get 2003 and we did bounce back.
 
deedsker said:
Missouri was a second half meltdown against a mobile QB who showed the world what would become Pelini defensive hallmarks a decade later. Texas was a good team and we couldn't hang. They were building the foundation of one of the greatest teams in 2005 with Vince Young. Texas beat K-State, but K-State went on to embarrass national title game participant Oklahoma as well. Oklahoma embarrassed Texas in the Red River Shootout 65-13. Everybody was starting to have these meltdowns even in good years, as scholarship limits started rearing its' ugly head.

Not saying those games didn't suck but we beat Oklahoma State to open the year in good fashion and CUSA champion Southern Miss. We weren't in the top tier, but we weren't that far on the outside looking in. Also, for how bad the B12 North would be in 2004, I wouldn't be surprised if Frank would have won it if he was retained. Callahan got his first three seasons at Nebraska with the worst era of the B12 north. Frank could have easily landed us in a couple more B12 title games had he been around from 04-07.

Once again, not saying Frank would have won any conference titles or made Nebraska into a contender, but it also was not the appropriate route to get rid of him in the way that we did. The rational given at the time and the fallout that ensued point to this. Frank probably should have meandered with Nebraska another couple years since he did get 2003 and we did bounce back.
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I definitely see your point but I agreed with the decision at the time. It's hard to remember what it felt like being fan back then but those bad losses really were depressing- it felt like we were terrible. This article from back then encompasses some of the feeling. https://www.deseret.com/2003/12/1/19798772/solich-fired-because-ad-feared-mediocrity/

In hindsight, it was really bad timing. After 2002 season it would have made a lot more sense but I'm guessing Tom still had a say in things. The decision was made then, it just took them time to pull it off.
 
When Nebraska hired Solich the program had had only two coaches in 35 years, and had rung up 5 national championships. Continuity with Solich, or even Turner Gill, made sense. But that's what made Solich's 9-4 first season and 7-7 fifth season feel so ominous. We hadn't lost that many games in 35 years. So yeah, expectations were a thing and maybe unfair. But it's definitely not a Nebraska thing. Our peers in the Solich era and the programs we want to be today put coaches on a much shorter leash than in the past. Youngstown State and LSU were less patient with Bo Pelini than we were.

The 40 years of continuous excellence and relevance isn't likely to be replicated. Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas and Michigan went through major troughs. Ohio State probably comes closest to continuous success. Even with Pelini's run of 9 and 10 win seasons, most fans I know lump it into the same 25 years of program decline.
 
I wonder if Turner was ever a serious choice to be the HC at NU or if it was Frank all along.

I remember some talk about Gill maybe getting the job.
 
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Guy Chamberlin said:
Even with Pelini's run of 9 and 10 win seasons, most fans I know lump it into the same 25 years of program decline.
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And 8 out of 10 colleges would die for this stat. 9-10 wins would be considered a great year. We were probably above average during the Bo years but it felt like a bust because he couldn't win the big one and he had to many big losses. Who else couldn't win the big one until he finally did? Tom. No Bo would never have come close to TO's success but I could see him wining 1 conference championship in the Big 12 if we had remained. Coming to the Big 10 - Bo found himself out of his pay grade
 
TGHusker said:
And 8 out of 10 colleges would die for this stat. 9-10 wins would be considered a great year. We were probably above average during the Bo years but it felt like a bust because he couldn't win the big one and he had to many big losses. Who else couldn't win the big one until he finally did? Tom. No Bo would never have come close to TO's success but I could see him wining 1 conference championship in the Big 12 if we had remained. Coming to the Big 10 - Bo found himself out of his pay grade
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Bo finished 3rd, 1st, 2nd and 2nd in the Big Ten. I don't know if that is really out of his pay grade.
 
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