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Heisman Trophy Winner
Star Telegram
Bo Pelini concentrates on improving Nebraska’s defense
By JIMMY BURCHjburch@star-telegram.com
A former defensive coordinator with a long history of success, first-year Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is confident he soon will oversee a unit that does not rank last among Big 12 teams in yards and points allowed.
But he’s not prepared to predict when that will happen.
“I don’t know that yet,” Pelini said. “Our kids, right now, are at the stage of just learning. We’re nowhere near where we want to be. But we’ll get there.”
For the short-term, Pelini simply envisions improvement in a unit that allowed a league-worst 476.8 yards and 37.9 points per game last season while finishing 5-7 under predecessor Bill Callahan. Both defensive numbers represent historic, low-water marks at a school where the Blackshirts defensive tradition has been a source of pride since 1964.
Pelini, 40, oversaw the last Nebraska defense that contributed to a 10-win season (2003). He returned in January after three seasons at LSU, where Pelini ran the defense that helped win last year’s national championship.
Thus far, he’s adopted a hands-on approach in turning around a Nebraska program that has failed to qualify for a bowl in two of the last four years after being postseason participants for 35 consecutive seasons. The change has inspired players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Joe Ganz.
“The third or fourth practice [in spring drills], there was a big play on defense and he was out there head-butting people.....like he was still one of us, out there playing,” Ganz said. “He’s exactly what we needed.”
Offensive guard Matt Slauson said Pelini, who led the Huskers to a 17-3 victory as an interim coach at the 2003 Alamo Bowl, brings an infectious enthusiasm to practices that did not exist under Callahan, a more analytical type.
“He’s so young at heart, it inspires us,” Slauson said. “Plus, it was crucial for us to have a coach that knows something about the Nebraska tradition..... The last couple of years, it kind of got lost. You saw the continuity between the old players and the new staff just wasn’t there.”
Pelini seeks to change that, starting with restoring pride to the Blackshirts — the nickname for Nebraska’s first-team defenders, who wear black shirts during workouts. After being part of a unit that ranked 116th among the nation’s 119 teams in rushing defense last year, defensive end Barry Turner said he welcomes Pelini’s insights. And his occasional head-butts.
“It’s easy to listen to someone who just won a national championship,” said Turner, who dropped 11 pounds during the off-season to become a better fit in Pelini’s speed-oriented defense. “We’re excited about everything coach Pelini brings to the table, because he’s a very inspiring guy. It was hard to accept last year. Nebraska’s winning tradition is based on the Blackshirts. Losing and giving up that many yards.… just leaves you with a sick feeling inside.”
Pelini seeks to change that by installing a pressure-first scheme that will blitz more frequently than Callahan’s teams.
“If you’re always in a reactive mode, you’re going to get beat,” Pelini said. “We have to be on the cutting edge. We want to have an offensive mentality on defense. We want to attack.”
Bo Pelini concentrates on improving Nebraska’s defense
By JIMMY BURCHjburch@star-telegram.com
A former defensive coordinator with a long history of success, first-year Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is confident he soon will oversee a unit that does not rank last among Big 12 teams in yards and points allowed.
But he’s not prepared to predict when that will happen.
“I don’t know that yet,” Pelini said. “Our kids, right now, are at the stage of just learning. We’re nowhere near where we want to be. But we’ll get there.”
For the short-term, Pelini simply envisions improvement in a unit that allowed a league-worst 476.8 yards and 37.9 points per game last season while finishing 5-7 under predecessor Bill Callahan. Both defensive numbers represent historic, low-water marks at a school where the Blackshirts defensive tradition has been a source of pride since 1964.
Pelini, 40, oversaw the last Nebraska defense that contributed to a 10-win season (2003). He returned in January after three seasons at LSU, where Pelini ran the defense that helped win last year’s national championship.
Thus far, he’s adopted a hands-on approach in turning around a Nebraska program that has failed to qualify for a bowl in two of the last four years after being postseason participants for 35 consecutive seasons. The change has inspired players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Joe Ganz.
“The third or fourth practice [in spring drills], there was a big play on defense and he was out there head-butting people.....like he was still one of us, out there playing,” Ganz said. “He’s exactly what we needed.”
Offensive guard Matt Slauson said Pelini, who led the Huskers to a 17-3 victory as an interim coach at the 2003 Alamo Bowl, brings an infectious enthusiasm to practices that did not exist under Callahan, a more analytical type.
“He’s so young at heart, it inspires us,” Slauson said. “Plus, it was crucial for us to have a coach that knows something about the Nebraska tradition..... The last couple of years, it kind of got lost. You saw the continuity between the old players and the new staff just wasn’t there.”
Pelini seeks to change that, starting with restoring pride to the Blackshirts — the nickname for Nebraska’s first-team defenders, who wear black shirts during workouts. After being part of a unit that ranked 116th among the nation’s 119 teams in rushing defense last year, defensive end Barry Turner said he welcomes Pelini’s insights. And his occasional head-butts.
“It’s easy to listen to someone who just won a national championship,” said Turner, who dropped 11 pounds during the off-season to become a better fit in Pelini’s speed-oriented defense. “We’re excited about everything coach Pelini brings to the table, because he’s a very inspiring guy. It was hard to accept last year. Nebraska’s winning tradition is based on the Blackshirts. Losing and giving up that many yards.… just leaves you with a sick feeling inside.”
Pelini seeks to change that by installing a pressure-first scheme that will blitz more frequently than Callahan’s teams.
“If you’re always in a reactive mode, you’re going to get beat,” Pelini said. “We have to be on the cutting edge. We want to have an offensive mentality on defense. We want to attack.”
