Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
West Coast influence paying off for Huskers
BY JEFFREY MARTIN
The Wichita Eagle
This is precisely what Nebraska fans want to hear:
"I have no idea what is going on in pro football -- I'm so immersed in doing my job here."
To his detractors, Bill Callahan might be a lot of things. To Nebraska fans, he's their coach. And when he uttered those words, distancing himself from his NFL background and continuing to embrace the glorious Cornhusker tradition, it was a relief.
It's his third year in Lincoln, when his version of the West Coast offense was supposed to click. The optimism was undeniable to start the season, and in some ways it still is -- even after a humbling 28-10 road loss to Southern California, mostly because a Big 12 North title and perhaps a conference championship is still in reach.
But at a program that measures success in terms of national championships -- as in five, including three in a four-year span in the '90s -- Nebraska is making the climb, albeit slower than its impatient fans would like, back to prominence.
"Any time you've had that type of success, you want to get back there," NU senior defensive end Jay Moore said.
Is it perception or reality? Before the season, the Huskers (5-1, 2-0 Big 12) were deemed the team to beat in the North. Magazines wondered if they might challenge Texas or Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy. Some even wondered what could happen after that, but those dreams were dashed when the Trojans dominated NU from start to finish.
Some will say the game wasn't so one-sided --"Sure, we lost, but after watching film, we thought we beat ourselves," Moore said -- but it only illustrated the distance between a program competing for national titles in this decade and one that did in the last decade.
Nevertheless, there is a comfort.
"I think it has a lot to do with how we feel about our system," NU quarterback Zac Taylor said. "Last year, we were still learning. This year, we're playing a lot faster and we know what we're doing. We've been playing alongside the other guys in the system for a while now."
The key, according to Taylor, was been the diversity of the offense. Kansas State coach Ron Prince alluded this week to how flexible the Huskers can be, sounding almost wistful, likely hoping his offense can be as unpredictable.
"It's hard for a defense to prepare for us because we can come out four wide and throw the ball 50 times a game," Taylor said. "Or, we can use four tight ends with four different tailbacks and pound the ball 50-60 times a game. It's tough for a defense to know what we're going to do."
In last week's 28-14 victory against Iowa State, Nebraska ran 45 times for 251 yards. In a 39-32 overtime win against Kansas, Taylor threw 33 times for 395 yards.
This wasn't possible a year ago. Often, it was one, usually the pass, and not the other.
Now, it's impossible to tell.
Callahan and his offense is keeping everyone -- even the fans -- guessing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey Martin covers Kansas State sports. Reach him at 269-6763 or jmartin@wichitaeagle.com.
BY JEFFREY MARTIN
The Wichita Eagle
This is precisely what Nebraska fans want to hear:
"I have no idea what is going on in pro football -- I'm so immersed in doing my job here."
To his detractors, Bill Callahan might be a lot of things. To Nebraska fans, he's their coach. And when he uttered those words, distancing himself from his NFL background and continuing to embrace the glorious Cornhusker tradition, it was a relief.
It's his third year in Lincoln, when his version of the West Coast offense was supposed to click. The optimism was undeniable to start the season, and in some ways it still is -- even after a humbling 28-10 road loss to Southern California, mostly because a Big 12 North title and perhaps a conference championship is still in reach.
But at a program that measures success in terms of national championships -- as in five, including three in a four-year span in the '90s -- Nebraska is making the climb, albeit slower than its impatient fans would like, back to prominence.
"Any time you've had that type of success, you want to get back there," NU senior defensive end Jay Moore said.
Is it perception or reality? Before the season, the Huskers (5-1, 2-0 Big 12) were deemed the team to beat in the North. Magazines wondered if they might challenge Texas or Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy. Some even wondered what could happen after that, but those dreams were dashed when the Trojans dominated NU from start to finish.
Some will say the game wasn't so one-sided --"Sure, we lost, but after watching film, we thought we beat ourselves," Moore said -- but it only illustrated the distance between a program competing for national titles in this decade and one that did in the last decade.
Nevertheless, there is a comfort.
"I think it has a lot to do with how we feel about our system," NU quarterback Zac Taylor said. "Last year, we were still learning. This year, we're playing a lot faster and we know what we're doing. We've been playing alongside the other guys in the system for a while now."
The key, according to Taylor, was been the diversity of the offense. Kansas State coach Ron Prince alluded this week to how flexible the Huskers can be, sounding almost wistful, likely hoping his offense can be as unpredictable.
"It's hard for a defense to prepare for us because we can come out four wide and throw the ball 50 times a game," Taylor said. "Or, we can use four tight ends with four different tailbacks and pound the ball 50-60 times a game. It's tough for a defense to know what we're going to do."
In last week's 28-14 victory against Iowa State, Nebraska ran 45 times for 251 yards. In a 39-32 overtime win against Kansas, Taylor threw 33 times for 395 yards.
This wasn't possible a year ago. Often, it was one, usually the pass, and not the other.
Now, it's impossible to tell.
Callahan and his offense is keeping everyone -- even the fans -- guessing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey Martin covers Kansas State sports. Reach him at 269-6763 or jmartin@wichitaeagle.com.
