Posts Tagged ‘Nebraska’
The Year in Review: Nebraska (9-4, 5-3)
By Paul Myerberg // Mar 8, 2012
For all that’s changed, the bedrock hasn’t moved an inch. Nebraska still preaches the sort of old-school values that formed the backbone of its generation-long dominance of college football. Toughness is back in vogue. There’s tremendous continuity on the coaching staff – this remains one of Nebraska’s most underrated assets, as it was under Tom Osborne. The defense has regained most of its lost swagger, albeit in fits and starts. The offense has adopted an old-school mentality with a new-school feel, with a spread-based, run-first system filling the role of the option offense. Nine-win seasons have become the norm.
Tags: Barney Cotton, Big Ten, Bo Pelini, Lavonte David, Nebraska, Rex Burkhead, Taylor Martinez, Tim Beck, Tom Osborne
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The Year in Review: Michigan St. (11-3, 7-1)
By Paul Myerberg // Mar 6, 2012
Last fall, Michigan State beat Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan and a team from the SEC in one season for the first time in program history. This isn’t surprising: Michigan State has won only six games against SEC competition in its history, with four of those wins coming from 1929-1947. What is surprising, however, is the fact that the Spartans beat the Buckeyes, Badgers and Wolverines in the same season for only the second time in program history; the first, in 1987, came during the Spartans’ last outright Big Ten title. Rare? Heck, beating Ohio State and Michigan in the same season is rare enough for Michigan State.
Tags: B.J. Cunningham, Big Ten, Brady Hoke, Iowa, Jerel Worthy, Joel Foreman, Kirk Cousins, Mark Dantonio, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Urban Meyer, Wisconsin
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Pelini Reaches Out for Recruiting Help
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 23, 2012
Bo Pelini’s fire burns deep, burns long and burns bright, and it’s this never-ending stream of energy that is Nebraska’s greatest strength and, at times, the program’s greatest weakness. You’ve seen the latter in College Station, when Pelini – Bo, and also Carl, now at Florida Atlantic – lost his cool in a penalty-laden loss to Texas A&M. You saw it against Texas in the 2009 Big 12 title game, when Pelini’s gasket burst over the second that wasn’t; there’s red, Nebraska red and Pelini red, and the colors get darker the farther you move down the line. But it’s this energy and drive that also doubles as one of Nebraska’s assets, helping the program overcome many of its own built-in disadvantages.
Tags: Bo Pelini, Carl Pelini, Nebraska, Recruiting
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The Big Ten’s 2012 Non-Conference Schedule
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 22, 2012
After looking at the non-conference schedules found in the SEC, let’s turn our attention to the Big Ten, where every school but one, Nebraska, has filled out its dance card for the coming season. The Cornhuskers are close: three games down, one to go. And considering how Nebraska’s scheduled trio of games look, there’s little doubt that the program will look to fill that open date with the easiest, most cupcake-like opponent available on that particular Saturday — that would be Sept. 22, by the way, if you’re a lower-level program looking to plop a six-figure check in the school coffers. And the F.C.S. is certainly in the conversation: Nebraska has played one such school in each of the last two years after not doing so from 2007-9.
Tags: Big Ten, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, MAC, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, SEC, Wisconsin
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230 Things to Occupy 230 Long Days
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 13, 2012
There are 230 days until Aug. 30, when a few lucky teams jump ahead of the curve and start the 2012 season on a Thursday, not a Saturday. And for that, the teams in question — I know Utah is one — earn our love and affection. But that lies way, way in the future, and the question now becomes how we fill our college football-free days. For 230 days, here are 230 ideas. Not all are possible; some of us are pretty busy, and the next time I do 230 things over 230 days will be the first time, I must admit. But nonetheless, the list:
Tags: Alabama, Bo Pelini, Bob Bostad, Chad Morris, Dana Holgorsen, Ed Orgeron, Gary Campbell, Greg Mattison, Gunter Brewer, Kansas, Les Miles, Matt Barkley, Miami (Fla.), Mike Stoops, Nebraska, Nick Saban, Odell Haggins, Ron Cooper, Sal Sunseri, Terry Bowden, Todd Monken, Trent Richardson, Utah
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Even In This Career, 2011 Stands Out
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 2, 2012
Spurrier: “I told the guys, ‘Next year’s team, they’ll try win 12, because 11 has already happened.’”
Darryl Slater
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It’s not a matter of talent, though it once was: Steve Spurrier’s teams at Florida won in February, out-recruiting the rest of the nation’s elite before going to town from September through December. South Carolina, on the other hand, isn’t — and hasn’t, and won’t, by and large — win with talent, but with coaching. After beating Nebraska, 30-13, in the Capital One Bowl, the Gamecocks were able to achieve something that had never been done in program history: win 11 games. Heck, the Gamecocks had won more than nine games only once in program history heading into this season.
Tags: Capital One Bowl, Connor Shaw, Marcus Lattimore, Nebraska, South Carolina, Stephen Garcia, Steve Spurrier
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The Stoops Brothers Are Wanted Men
By Paul Myerberg // Dec 12, 2011
Mike Stoops will land on his feet. Two months after being jettisoned by Arizona amid a 1-5 start, Stoops has his pick of potential suitors: Iowa’s going to come calling, and Ohio State and Nebraska have already expressed interest. But there’s a catch for Stoops, who worked hard to land the job at Arizona and, it should be said, worked tremendously hard to lead the Wildcats into Pac-12 contention, disappointing 2011 season or no. Stoops is a wanted man, albeit as a defensive coordinator, not as a head coach.
Tags: Arizona, Auburn, Florida State, Iowa, Mark Stoops, Mike Stoops, Nebraska, Ohio State
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Sherman, Callahan and N.F.L. Lessons
By Paul Myerberg // Dec 2, 2011
The comparison comes easy. Each coach began his career on the college ranks, Mike Sherman at Tulane, Bill Callahan at Northern Arizona. Each began his career with a focus on the offensive line: Sherman’s major college coaching career was spent solely on the line, from the Green Wave to U.C.L.A. to, finally, Texas A&M. Each made his bones in the N.F.L. calling plays under a Super Bowl-winning head coach, with Sherman cutting his teeth under and eventually replacing Mike Holmgren and Callahan doing the same under Jon Gruden. And each, when called to office at a historically proud and meaningful program, followed the same four-year path through adversity, revival, redemption and disappointment.
Tags: Bill Callahan, Mike Sherman, Nebraska, Texas A&M
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