Huskers focused on postseason competition
By JOE BONGE
December 08, 2005
For the first time since 2002, Bill Callahan is going bowling.
This time, it’s not quite as super.
Nebraska second-year head coach and his team returned to practice Wednesday after taking last week off in preparation for the MasterCard Alamo Bowl against Michigan in San Antonio on Dec. 28.
The Cornhuskers’ bowl berth marked Callahan’s return to postseason preparation since he led the Oakland Raiders to the 2002 Super Bowl.
“It’s good to get the team back on schedule,” Callahan said. “Our format has been laid out for the duration of the month.”
Callahan is returning to the collegiate postseason for the first time since he was the offensive line coach at Wisconsin in 1994. His time away from the college game isn’t something that has him worried, though.
Callahan said the experience of his assistant coaches would be huge in preparing the team.
“These guys have been in bowls,” Callahan said of his staff. “And they’ve got a winning formula that they’ve utilized. It’s pretty simple.”
The fact that the Huskers are going up against Michigan – a member of the Big Ten Conference – will be a key factor as well.
Seven coaches on NU’s coaching staff, including Callahan, have coached in the Big Ten.
Callahan said Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove would draw on his experience from his time running the defense at Wisconsin.
“I think there’s familiarity in that respect,” Callahan said. “It gives you a little bit more insight, and we have a little bit more meaning with the opponent we are playing. They’re a quality football team, they always have been.”
Senior free safety Blake Tiedtke said preparation for the Alamo Bowl under Callahan has been no different than the practice leading up to the 2003 Alamo Bowl – the Huskers’ most recent bowl appearance.
Tiedtke said it’s all about focusing on the opponent.
“It’s really not that much different,” Tiedtke said. “It’s not the first time Coach Callahan has prepared for a bowl game. It’s very similar to what we’ve done before. Right now, it’s just important to kind of recover from the season.”
So far this season, Callahan has produced when given extra time to prepare for games.
The Huskers beat Iowa State 27-20 on Oct. 1 following their first bye week of the season. Junior quarterback Zac Taylor threw for 431 yards against the Cyclones as Nebraska pulled off the upset.
Following an extra week of preparation before its regular-season finale against Colorado, Nebraska blasted the Buffaloes for 497 yards of total offense in a 30-3 win.
Although the extra time helped, the victories came against teams the Huskers knew they could handle, Taylor said.
“Those were two teams that we really thought we could throw the ball against,” Taylor said. “It just so happened that those came after bye weeks, but I think we’ve had some similar games that haven’t been off of a bye week. Those were two teams we just really went after in the passing game.”
The Huskers, who will leave for San Antonio on Dec. 23, are now adjusting to getting back on the practice field after the week off.
Nebraska sophomore middle linebacker Corey McKeon said Callahan has been all business since the season ended.
“He’s just been saying, ‘You have to stay on the screws, you can’t take time off,’ ” McKeon said. “Other teams take time off between now and going down to the bowl. He wants to keep us going and keep getting better.”
With three weeks of practice left before the Huskers battle with Michigan, Callahan said he would keep the players focused on the task at hand.
“In all fairness to the players, they deserve this opportunity,” Callahan said. “So we want to be smart and intelligent about how we utilize our practices so that we don’t burn them out.”
