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Texas Can Wait
Pelini: Don't even mention UT around me this week
by Samuel McKewon
November 23, 2009
In the offices, on the practice field, in front of the media – probably even out in the parking lot, where students scuttle around in sweats and cheaply-made puffy coats – Bo Pelini's put out the word: No talk about the Big 12 Championship game.
“Everywhere I go, I keep hearing people talk about Texas, Texas, Texas,” Pelini said at Monday's press conference.
So he's instructed Nebraska's players and support personnel to “don't even mention around me” the Dec. 5 game vs the Longhorns in Arlington. Not even reasonably essential stuff, like travel plans. NU, Pelini said, has plenty to worry about in a short week with “very capable” Colorado, which tends to play its best game of the season the day after Thanksgiving against the Cornhuskers.
“We do need to win this game,” Pelini said. “...The toughest thing as a coach is to keep a team focused on a day-to-day manner.”
The Huskers are on fully on board, tight end Mike McNeill said.
“We can't get ahead of ourselves,” McNeill said. “We don't want to go out there and lay a goose egg.”
Pelini said Texas coach Mack Brown, Florida coach Urban Meyer and Alabama coach Nick Saban were struggling with similar problems this week. All of them have earned spots in conference title tilts; All, too, have rivalry games to win before engaging in that mini-playoff that may determine who, if any of them, play for the BCS National Championship.
Nebraska, 8-3 overall, probably has the weakest opponent of the bunch in the 3-8 Buffaloes, whom Pelini called “athletic” but “inconsistent.” CU coach Dan Hawkins is on a flaming hot seat for his job, although his retention seems less contingent on whether Colorado beats Nebraska than if black-and-gold alumni can pony up their ski bunny bucks to buy out his contract.
Nevertheless, looking beyond Friday's 2:30 p.m. game is not an option for three reasons:
*The ABC national audience, which Pelini said always provides the Huskers a nice recruiting audition - and more attention for awards-candidate Ndamukong Suh.
*Pelini clearly sees Colorado as a rivalry game, especially for Nebraska fans in the Panhandle, who “make a big sacrifice” driving several hours to NU home games.
“They want bragging rights,” Pelini said.
*The sheer embarrassment of losing. Pelini wouldn't even entertain the notion.
“I fully expect to win the game,” he said.
Texas Can Wait
Pelini: Don't even mention UT around me this week
by Samuel McKewon
November 23, 2009
In the offices, on the practice field, in front of the media – probably even out in the parking lot, where students scuttle around in sweats and cheaply-made puffy coats – Bo Pelini's put out the word: No talk about the Big 12 Championship game.
“Everywhere I go, I keep hearing people talk about Texas, Texas, Texas,” Pelini said at Monday's press conference.
So he's instructed Nebraska's players and support personnel to “don't even mention around me” the Dec. 5 game vs the Longhorns in Arlington. Not even reasonably essential stuff, like travel plans. NU, Pelini said, has plenty to worry about in a short week with “very capable” Colorado, which tends to play its best game of the season the day after Thanksgiving against the Cornhuskers.
“We do need to win this game,” Pelini said. “...The toughest thing as a coach is to keep a team focused on a day-to-day manner.”
The Huskers are on fully on board, tight end Mike McNeill said.
“We can't get ahead of ourselves,” McNeill said. “We don't want to go out there and lay a goose egg.”
Pelini said Texas coach Mack Brown, Florida coach Urban Meyer and Alabama coach Nick Saban were struggling with similar problems this week. All of them have earned spots in conference title tilts; All, too, have rivalry games to win before engaging in that mini-playoff that may determine who, if any of them, play for the BCS National Championship.
Nebraska, 8-3 overall, probably has the weakest opponent of the bunch in the 3-8 Buffaloes, whom Pelini called “athletic” but “inconsistent.” CU coach Dan Hawkins is on a flaming hot seat for his job, although his retention seems less contingent on whether Colorado beats Nebraska than if black-and-gold alumni can pony up their ski bunny bucks to buy out his contract.
Nevertheless, looking beyond Friday's 2:30 p.m. game is not an option for three reasons:
*The ABC national audience, which Pelini said always provides the Huskers a nice recruiting audition - and more attention for awards-candidate Ndamukong Suh.
*Pelini clearly sees Colorado as a rivalry game, especially for Nebraska fans in the Panhandle, who “make a big sacrifice” driving several hours to NU home games.
“They want bragging rights,” Pelini said.
*The sheer embarrassment of losing. Pelini wouldn't even entertain the notion.
“I fully expect to win the game,” he said.
And it doesnt exactly suck admitting it.
