In the Deed the Glory
All-Conference
Taylor: Bo Pelini's Big Red Weenies shouldn't back down from bold talk
10:14 PM CDT on Monday, July 26, 2010
Jean-Jacques Taylor
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IRVING – For now, let's refer to Nebraska's football program as the red-clad Weenies.
That's how Bo Pelini's crew is acting.
There's nothing wrong with having the courage and conviction to call out an opponent such as Texas, especially since the Children of the Corn feel they were robbed and jobbed in the Big 12 championship game.
Remember, officials added a second to the end of the game, and Hunter Lawrence kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired, sending UT to the BCS championship game.
Nebraska's marketing department had the right idea when it created a wonderful one-minute video extolling the virtues of Nebraska football and urging Huskers around the world to unite with a "Red Out" on Oct. 16.
The video ended with the words: Wear red. Be loud. Beat Texas.
It was superb.
It was clever. And classy.
And it left no doubt the Huskers and their proud blue-collar fans, among the most civil in college football, would be primed and ready when the Longhorns arrive in Lincoln.
A few days later, though, the video was altered and the phrase "Beat Texas" was removed because the powers that be decided they wanted to be more politically correct.
This from the school that essentially blew up the Big 12 by leaving for the Big Ten because athletic director Tom Osborne has never come to grips with UT being the epicenter of the conference in every way that matters.
"I didn't like the message it sent to our football team. That's way down the road and we have a lot of things to do before we worry about that football game," Pelini said at the Big 12 media days. "It was regrettable. It came as surprise to me. I didn't know much about it because it came from the marketing department."
For four decades under Bob Devaney and Osborne, Nebraska was among college football's finest programs, winning five national championships from 1970 through 1997.
Any football fan had to love the Huskers' physical approach because they dominated without much pomp and circumstance.
Those teams never backed down. We can't say the same about these Huskers.
Pelini doesn't want it to seem like the Huskers are calling out UT. Or Nebraska isn't taking its non-conference games against powerhouses such as Western Kentucky, Idaho and South Dakota State seriously.
Whatever.
Besides, it's too late. The Longhorns have surely already seen the video, and will use it as part of some motivational ploy during the week leading up to the game.
So what?
It's not like bulletin board really matters. Ask any coach or player and he'll tell you the first time you get cracked upside the head anything said before the game no longer matters.
Frankly, all it does is give players the opportunity to talk trash after the game, depending on whether they won or lost.
That said, Pelini's team leaders have bought into his passive-aggressive approach when it comes to UT.
Niles Paul, a receiver, said he hadn't seen the "Red Out" video, and didn't know much about it. Of course, he wore a red wristband that read "0:01" and "Finish."
And he's quoted in The Sporting News' college football preview as saying players found fliers reading ":01" in their lockers during spring practice.
Defensive tackle Jared Crick said he hadn't heard about the video until someone mentioned it on the flight to Dallas. When asked about the fliers, defensive end Pierre Allen said with a smile, "I can't really remember back that that far."
More than 40,000 folks have viewed the video without "Beat Texas," but no one on the Nebraska football team knows anything about it.
Surely, Lincoln isn't that exciting.
There's no use in the players giving their real opinion about getting jobbed and robbed against the Longhorns because that would result in running gassers or the stands at Memorial Stadium for defying Pelini.
But it's silly for Pelini to act like the Huskers aren't looking for redemption or revenge or whatever they want to call it on Oct. 16.
It's human natuire – even for red-clad Weenies.
Man these writers in Texas sure are pissy with us little ol' Nebraskans. If one didn't know better, you'd think they cared about us down there. Hmmm, oh well.
10:14 PM CDT on Monday, July 26, 2010
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Archive | Bio | E-mail
IRVING – For now, let's refer to Nebraska's football program as the red-clad Weenies.
That's how Bo Pelini's crew is acting.
There's nothing wrong with having the courage and conviction to call out an opponent such as Texas, especially since the Children of the Corn feel they were robbed and jobbed in the Big 12 championship game.
Remember, officials added a second to the end of the game, and Hunter Lawrence kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired, sending UT to the BCS championship game.
Nebraska's marketing department had the right idea when it created a wonderful one-minute video extolling the virtues of Nebraska football and urging Huskers around the world to unite with a "Red Out" on Oct. 16.
The video ended with the words: Wear red. Be loud. Beat Texas.
It was superb.
It was clever. And classy.
And it left no doubt the Huskers and their proud blue-collar fans, among the most civil in college football, would be primed and ready when the Longhorns arrive in Lincoln.
A few days later, though, the video was altered and the phrase "Beat Texas" was removed because the powers that be decided they wanted to be more politically correct.
This from the school that essentially blew up the Big 12 by leaving for the Big Ten because athletic director Tom Osborne has never come to grips with UT being the epicenter of the conference in every way that matters.
"I didn't like the message it sent to our football team. That's way down the road and we have a lot of things to do before we worry about that football game," Pelini said at the Big 12 media days. "It was regrettable. It came as surprise to me. I didn't know much about it because it came from the marketing department."
For four decades under Bob Devaney and Osborne, Nebraska was among college football's finest programs, winning five national championships from 1970 through 1997.
Any football fan had to love the Huskers' physical approach because they dominated without much pomp and circumstance.
Those teams never backed down. We can't say the same about these Huskers.
Pelini doesn't want it to seem like the Huskers are calling out UT. Or Nebraska isn't taking its non-conference games against powerhouses such as Western Kentucky, Idaho and South Dakota State seriously.
Whatever.
Besides, it's too late. The Longhorns have surely already seen the video, and will use it as part of some motivational ploy during the week leading up to the game.
So what?
It's not like bulletin board really matters. Ask any coach or player and he'll tell you the first time you get cracked upside the head anything said before the game no longer matters.
Frankly, all it does is give players the opportunity to talk trash after the game, depending on whether they won or lost.
That said, Pelini's team leaders have bought into his passive-aggressive approach when it comes to UT.
Niles Paul, a receiver, said he hadn't seen the "Red Out" video, and didn't know much about it. Of course, he wore a red wristband that read "0:01" and "Finish."
And he's quoted in The Sporting News' college football preview as saying players found fliers reading ":01" in their lockers during spring practice.
Defensive tackle Jared Crick said he hadn't heard about the video until someone mentioned it on the flight to Dallas. When asked about the fliers, defensive end Pierre Allen said with a smile, "I can't really remember back that that far."
More than 40,000 folks have viewed the video without "Beat Texas," but no one on the Nebraska football team knows anything about it.
Surely, Lincoln isn't that exciting.
There's no use in the players giving their real opinion about getting jobbed and robbed against the Longhorns because that would result in running gassers or the stands at Memorial Stadium for defying Pelini.
But it's silly for Pelini to act like the Huskers aren't looking for redemption or revenge or whatever they want to call it on Oct. 16.
It's human natuire – even for red-clad Weenies.
Man these writers in Texas sure are pissy with us little ol' Nebraskans. If one didn't know better, you'd think they cared about us down there. Hmmm, oh well.
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