A heavily red husker blog

The day of conference reckoning is upon us...

2010-06-09T20:40:00.002-05:00

Will T.O. lead his people to the promise land and part the sea of BIG conference alignment?

Holiday Bowl champs...but we're better then that...

2009-12-31T08:13:00.002-06:00

Yes I know the above image shows Texas holding up the Holiday Bowl trophy...

Shouldn't they be?

Suh for Heisman and this time we mean it

2009-12-07T20:24:00.005-06:00

In a year that's seen our beloved Huskers lose three games by a total of four (4) points, maybe...just maybe there is a silver lining. Ndamukong Suh is going to the Heisman Award ceremony. Let us rejoice. But is it so crazy to think that he could actually win it?

The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best player in college football, so why not Suh?

It's not just that he helped in reviving a legendary football program, while restoring the faith in an entire state. And it's not that he kept his team in games when they turned the ball over eight times or couldn't score. You see, it's more about the bigger picture.

Colt McCoy plays quarterback for a great Texas team. How boring is that? We are smack dab in the middle of a period in time where the power of defense has faded. Teams like Boise State and TCU are throwing up basketball-like scores and the QB in Houston is throwing 75 passes a game. Things have definitely changed since the 90s.

Suh is the underdog, he's rogue and he deserves it. While holding Texas to season lows on offense in several areas was a big story line from this past Saturday, I don't think it's the biggest.

Through the defensive side of the game, Suh took a Nebraska team with no offense to within one second of victory against a team playing for the national championship with a Heisman frontrunner as it's quarterback.

Defense can win championships once again.

Bo's got it.

2009-12-01T07:27:00.002-06:00

11/30/09 Sports Illustrated Article

Suh for Heisman

2009-11-23T07:59:00.002-06:00

Husker Fan(s):

Everyone knows that Ndomukong Suh is the best player in college football. Everyone except ESPN it seems. As a write-in candidate in ESPN's Heisman voting, Suh is in second place -just behind C.J. Spiller for #1. That's as a write-in candidate. Here's what you can do to help:

1. Visit ESPN's Heisman poll page: http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/theheismanvote/2009/index

2. Type Ndomukong Suh, DT, Nebraska in the write-in box, check the circle at left and press the VOTE button.

3. Forward the link to every Husker fan and/or reasonable college football fan you know.

Let's help get Ndomukong "N". Thank you for your kind attention and continued support. You can vote once a day.

::Ferdinand's Mom::

A day in the life of a Sker - Explicit Lyrics

2009-11-19T19:38:00.003-06:00

Thanks Ike.

Spread to thin, Huskers need O jelly

2009-11-11T08:46:00.005-06:00

It might just be me, but whenever are beloved Skers take the field they seem to resemble two completely separate teams. A top notch defensive unit and a pee-wee football team's offense. Can this combination take us to the promise land of the crust-free BCS? We'll see...

>>Fox Sports Article on the Big Red<<

Rumor Mill: Suh it ain't so....

2009-11-01T15:27:00.003-06:00

At the moment there's some chatter flying around via text message and on various Big 12 message boards about an accident involving Ndamukong Suh and possibly Niles Paul.

+ View alleged Suh accident report

How does this make you feel?

2009-10-28T15:05:00.002-05:00

You should be pissed off now.

New turnover flavor a "hit"

2009-10-25T09:47:00.001-05:00

Nebraska, as many know, turned the ball over eight (8) times to Iowa State on Saturday. Click on the associated turnover/number link below if you want to learn more...

>>8 guys I know that can hang onto the ball
>>7 more days until another disappointment at Baylor
>>6 members in the Big Six
>>5 huskers to be eaten when we play Oklahoma
>>4 refs are going to get their asses kicked
>>3 trips to the Valentino's buffet
>>2 Pelini's
>>1 QB change...

A red dawn?

2009-10-19T08:34:00.000-05:00

Did Zac Lee's performance on Saturday versus Texas Tech cook up a QB controversy?

>>More<<

Suh is two/too in SI's Heisman watch...

2009-10-14T09:01:00.000-05:00

View Article

Mizzoo up the wahzoo

2009-10-13T12:32:00.001-05:00

Hello Top 15, nice to meet you...

2009-10-12T08:39:00.000-05:00

1 Florida (50) 5-0
2 Alabama (10) 6-0
3 Texas 5-0
4 Virginia Tech 5-1
5 Boise State 5-0
6 USC 4-1
7 Ohio State 5-1
8 Cincinnati 5-0
9 Miami (FL) 4-1
10 LSU 5-1
11 Iowa 6-0
12 TCU 5-0
13 Oregon 5-1
14 Penn State 5-1
15 Nebraska 4-1
16 Oklahoma State 4-1
17 Kansas 5-0
18 Brigham Young 5-1
19 Georgia Tech 5-1
20 Oklahoma 3-2
21 South Florida 5-0
22 South Carolina 5-1
23 Houston 4-1
24 Utah 4-1
25 Notre Dame 4-1

Dropped from rankings: Auburn 17, Mississippi 20, Missouri 24

What's up now?

2009-10-09T09:37:00.001-05:00

Dear Missouri Fans,

Yes we know...your 36 month football dynasty is now shattered. After beating you every game between 1979 to 2002 and then losing to you 3 times in row (mainly due to a terrible coach with a non-stop mouth tick), we can sympathize.

A few tips to help you get over the loss...

1) Hang out with some KU fans. Their football dynasty is slightly comparable, however, their fans are much more annoying.

*Be careful not to be carrying any beef jerky with you if you come into close contact with their coach.

2) Take the "Z"s out of your state nickname. Nobody gets it. Mizzu? Mizzoo? Mizz-stake.

3) Change your mascot. It can be an uplifting activity for everyone in Mizzouri....or Mizzourah?

*Recommendation: A bumble-bee would be a great fit with your current color-scheme.

These are just a few things to help you put your mind at ease for the time being. Don't worry though, you'll be back on top lickity-split. I'm sure we are just a few weeks out from you being able to say "Let's play basketball," and that should really take the edge off for you.

If you need anything else let us know. We'll be eating Runza and re-watching clips of your players crying on the sidelines at the end of the game.

(They we're probably happy tears).

Much Luv,

Herbie Husker

This is why we're better then you...

2009-10-01T08:52:00.000-05:00

Written by: Jay Walker "From the Bird's Nest"

This is my 18th season covering Cajuns football. And, for eight years before that, I had the opportunity to broadcast selected games on TV as well.

I've been to nine SEC stadiums. (I'll go to a tenth next season at Georgia.) I've seen the grove at Ole Miss, experienced the Gator Chomp, the Mississippi State cowbells, been a part of Alabama football in both Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. I've been called "Tigerbait" in Baton Rouge and experienced some pretty good hospitality in South Carolina.

I've said hello to the folks at Illinois and Minnesota. Felt September heat in Tempe, AZ.

Been to Manhattan, Lubbock, Austin, Stillwater and College Station. College Station was probably the best. Folks say "Howdy" when they see you. And they say "welcome."

Haven't been to the Horseshoe, the Big House or Happy Valley. Nor have I seen Touchdown Jesus.

But I've been to College Football Nirvana.

It's located in Lincoln, Nebraska.

From the time we touched down ("Welcome to Lincoln," the police officers doing the escort said) to the time we left the stadium ("Thanks so much for coming, have a safe trip home. We hope you'll come back again") every Cajun fan felt like a guest.

That's right. A guest. Not the opposition...not the enemy....a guest.

Check into the Cornhusker Marriott, not far from campus. Fans of Big Red Nation are already there. Smiles, handshakes....welcome to Lincoln. Good luck tomorrow.

Board the bus for dinner. Arrive at Misty's, Lincoln's famous steakhouse (I mean, you gotta eat a steak, right?). There were about 25 in our party. We had to wait about twenty minutes for them to get everything ready. No problem. As soon as the patrons saw the Cajun gear, they wanted to talk...introduce themselves....welcome to Lincoln....thanks so much for coming. Hope you enjoy the game.....

Is this for real??

And, it continued throughout the evening and into the night. We made lots of friends. We Cajun people make friends pretty easily, but it's even easier when folks want to be friends.

In Lincoln, they all want to be your friend.

Gameday is different in Lincoln. They tailgate, sure....but it's tougher because, well, there's just not a lot of tailgaiting spots. But they do open the soccer field next to the stadium. Families can let the kids roam free. Nebraska radio does a pregame show there. And, a band plays during the commercial breaks.

I did an interview at the soccer field with the Nebraska radio folks. And then, had a pretty good trek to the media entrance. At each gate, the sight was the same. Hundreds lined up, waiting for the gates to open so they could get into the stadium and watch their team warm up.

By the time Nebraska came out, about 45 minutes before kickoff, the stadium was about 65% full. There was no "hey, let's stay outside and pound a few more beers."

Because it was gameday. And they came to see football.

By the time the band was ready to come out, 86000 strong were in their seats. They stood and clapped along when the Cornhusker Band played "Fight on Cajuns" to honor their guests. And when the band played "There is no Place Like Nebraska" I knew that the statement was true.

For the first time ever in my years covering the Cajuns, I did not hear a single boo when the Cajuns came out of their tunnel onto their sidelines; in fact, I heard a smattering of applause.

During the game, 86000 cheered as Nebraska rolled. They didn't leave at halftime to go out and start drinking (and remember it was 34-0 at the half). Some were outside, but they had passes to get back in and by the time the second half was ready to kick off, they were all back in their seats.

In the fourth quarter there were STILL over 80000 in the stands. Security keeps an eye out for the sign of alcohol in the stands, which is how trouble starts. If they see alcohol they don't turn a blind eye. After all, college football is about a FAMILY atmosphere.

And when it ended, the fans stayed for another Cornhusker tradition. They applauded the Cajuns as they left the field.

Now you might say...sure, it's easy to clap for someone when you just beat them 55-0. But they do that when their team LOSES. The newspaper on Saturday morning reprinted a handwritten letter from Florida State coach Bobby Bowden after the Seminoles got a hard fought 18-14 win years ago. Yep, the Nebraska fans cheered them as they left.

More of the same post game. There was a young man in a wheelchair where the Cajun players were getting their postgame meal. As each player came out, the young man thanked them for coming and wished them safe travels home. Many of the players stopped to chat for a minute.

Then it was over. And, as the buses left for the airport, the fans that were still there waved and applauded. No one finger salutes. No "you suck" chants. Simply, safe travels, my friends.

If the two teams should play again in the future, plan ahead Cajun Fans. Make the long drive or the relatively short flight. Come in Friday...leave Sunday. And, you will learn what REAL college football atmosphere is about.

Because, trust me.....there is no place like Nebraska.

Article Courtesy ESPN 1420 Blogs

300th Sellout Tribute Video

2009-09-29T21:04:00.000-05:00

Du Hast Hokie

2009-09-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

Bo knows...he's awesome.

2009-09-11T08:05:00.000-05:00

Make sure you have your order ready...

2009-09-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

No rest on Labor Day for the Cornhuskers, as Nebraska’s football team began preparations for Arkansas State Monday in a half-pad, two-hour workout on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium.

Fresh off a 49-3 win in the season-opener vs. Florida Atlantic, the Huskers seemed fresh and excited for the week ahead.

“They’d better have a bounce in their step,” Pelini said, referring to preparing for Arkansas State, which wons its first game 61-0 over Mississippi Valley State.

Pelini said the Red Wolves “racked up a lot of yards.”

“And they kind of called off the dogs, too,” Pelini said. “The game got out of hand pretty early. It was obvious just looking at the score. They’re a good football team. They’ve got a lot of talent. A lot of talent.”

Pelini said left guard Keith Williams returned to practice Monday, as did tight end Dreu Young, who didn’t play against Florida Atlantic. Offensive guard Andy Christensen was out, however, with a turf toe injury. He wore a protective boot on the practice field.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Pelini said, regarding Christensen’s return.

Another hurdle for a thin, banged-up line, which lost tackle Jaivorio Burkes before the season, true freshman right guard Brent Qvale during fall camp, Williams for a game, and now Christensen.

“Our depth is not as good now as it was,” offensive line coach Barney Cotton said. “You get nicked up. It was good to have had the number of guys we had; we were able to put out a pretty solid line Saturday night.”

Pelini liked the offensive line’s performance, as did Cotton. Both wanted to see the linemen using better tempo in approaching the line of scrimmage and getting set, however

Cotton and Pelini also praised the “great attitude” of right guard Ricky Henry, the Omaha Burke product making his first start after a redshirt campaign in 2008. Cotton said Henry played a “very aggressive, physical football game” and piled up his share of pancake blocks, a statistic again being tracked by the Husker coaching staff.

To Henry’s detriment was a false start, one of nine NU penalties in the game.

Pelini loathed that total; it reminded him, he said, of 2008, when the Huskers struggled during the first part of the year, and had to resort to in-practice punishments to clean them up.

“We’ve got to get that fixed,” Pelini said. “Last year we had too many penalties. And it carries over. You practice the way you’re going to play, and those things creep up in practice. It’s about being focused and having attention to detail.”

Article courtesy Samuel McKewon of Nebraska State Paper.com

Slices of offense, defense and Valentino's Pie

2009-08-19T07:03:00.000-05:00

Count Nebraska offensive line coach Barney Cotton among those impressed with true freshman I-back Rex Burkhead.
All indications point to Burkhead skipping a redshirt season in his first year at NU.

He attained near-legendary status as a do-it-all star during the past four seasons at Plano (Texas) High School.
“As a line coach, I'm pretty excited about a back like Rex,” Cotton said.

Additionally, Burkhead, who played quarterback for part of his prep career, gives Nebraska the threat of a diversified look.
Burkhead is competing for time behind juniors Roy Helu and Quentin Castille. There will be no shortage of chances, Cotton said, for several backs.

“You can look back to last year,” Cotton said. “How many times was our first back always healthy? How many times was our second back there? You better have three or four guys ready to go in the Big 12.”

Some updates to report on positioning of the Huskers' offensive linemen:

Junior D.J. Jones and sophomore Marcel Jones are locked in a tight battle for the starting job at right tackle. Cotton said Marcel Jones has a slight edge and that he's swinging between the left and right spots. Redshirt freshman Brandon Thompson is also swinging. D.J. Jones is playing only on the right side.

At right guard, Ricky Henry has returned to practice but was able to participate in only about one-quarter of Tuesday's workout, Cotton said. Derek Meyer has added some work at left guard to his time on the right side. Center Jacob Hickman has practiced only one day this month at right guard. But if the situation turns unstable, Hickman may get more work at the spot next week, leaving Mike Caputo to play center.

“We think we know who the 10 guys are going to be,” Cotton said. “We don't necessarily know the order those guys are going to be placed on the depth chart yet.”

Junior I-back Roy Helu wasn't in pads when Nebraska took the field for practice Tuesday, though he wasn't dealing with a serious injury. Helu, the team's leading returning rusher, missed the latter portion of spring practices because of a hamstring injury. The staff was careful with its I-back then, a philosophy that seems to have carried over into preseason camp.

Article Courtesy of Mitch Sherman and Jon Nyatawa at Omaha.com

Keller hates on Gameboys

2009-07-09T06:45:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts about being the quarterback for Arizona State was the thrill that Sam Keller got whenever he played “NCAA Football,” the popular video game from Electronic Arts.

Although Keller's name did not appear in the game, there was little doubt that he was the inspiration for the Arizona State quarterback in its 2005 edition. The virtual player shared Keller's jersey number, 9, as well as his height, weight, skin tone, hair color and home state. The virtual quarterback even had the same playing style, as a pocket passer. “That was what made it so cool,” said Keller, who transferred to Nebraska in 2006. “It was so blatant.”

Keller has since come to view his appearance in the video game in a different light: as exploitation. He filed a class-action lawsuit this spring against Electronic Arts and the NCAA, arguing that they illegally profit from the images of college football and basketball players. Ryan Hart, a former Rutgers quarterback, filed a similar lawsuit against Electronic Arts earlier this week in a New Jersey state court.

“We signed a paper at the beginning of college saying we couldn't benefit from our name,” said Keller, who is now 24 and living in Scottsdale, Ariz. “So why was the NCAA turning a blind eye to this and allowing EA Sports to take our likenesses and make big bucks off it?”

The NCAA has long enforced strict rules barring its athletes from cashing in on their celebrity status at the same time it earned millions of dollars through licensing deals, like those for jerseys. Now athletes are challenging in court for the right to control the use of their images.

Other athletes have successfully sued over the right to profit from their likenesses, including a group of retired NFL players who sued their union for allowing Electronic Arts to use their identities in “Madden NFL” without compensating them. In November, a jury awarded more than 2,000 retired players $28.1 million. The award was reduced to $26.25 million in a settlement.

Legal experts said it would be difficult to quantify how much the likenesses of college players are worth, but by comparison, the NFL players union earned more than $35 million in royalties from Electronic Arts in 2008. Robert Carey, Keller's lawyer, said college athletes could be compensated in ways that do not violate their amateur status, by placing the royalty payments in a trust or paying for graduate education.

In a statement, the NCAA said the complaints were without merit and that the video games did not violate NCAA rules. A spokesman for Electronic Arts declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuits. The lawsuits come as the NCAA is considering loosening restrictions on the marketing of individual players. Christine Plonsky, director of women's athletics at the University of Texas, argued that there was no harm in showcasing the talents of individual athletes, within limits. She and her colleagues “don't view uses of their imagery as exploitative, but mere evidence of participation,” she said in an e-mail message.

Unlike video games for professional sports leagues, the games for NCAA sports do not use players' names. But even casual fans of college sports would recognize the athletes depicted in them. In “NCAA Football 2009,” the quarterback for the University of Florida, for example, is left-handed, stands 6-foot-3, and wears No. 15, just like the Gators' Tim Tebow, one of college football's biggest stars. While the electronic player's hometown is different — Tebow is from Jacksonville, not Brandon — both are from Florida.

Article courtesy of the Omaha World Herald

Do we have a team lawyer?

2009-07-08T06:54:00.000-05:00

Ex-Husker, Lynn Finney, who admitted last year that he re-used a canceled check from his former coach Tom Osborne, was arrested Monday on suspicion of another fraudulent act. Finney, 55, allegedly deposited five empty envelopes into multiple Union Bank ATMs last weekend, inflating his balance and allowing him to withdraw $1,600, according to Lincoln police.
Finney, whose actual balance was just $2, was identified through ATM video images and arrested for theft by deception, according to police. Finney played linebacker at Nebraska for two years starting in 1972.

Last July, according to authorities, Finney received a $161 personal check from Osborne so he could purchase medicine at Wal-Mart. Finney later re-used the electronically voided check to pay for food and withdraw cash. He was sentenced last fall to up to three years in prison for theft by deception, the third time he had been convicted of that offense. Finney had been out on parole since March 26.

Article courtesy the Omaha World Herald

No option pass, Osborne locks it down for the long run

2009-06-10T18:37:00.000-05:00

Originally scheduled to serve as Nebraska’s athletic director through June 2010, Osborne and University of Nebraska-Lincoln chancellor Harvey Perlman have agreed to extend the appointment indefinitely.

They’ll review the position on an annual basis.

“Tom originally agreed to come in temporarily and get the department moving in the right direction. He clearly accomplished that. I believe he now feels comfortable serving on an ongoing basis and I certainly feel comfortable having him do so,” Perlman said in a statement released Wednesday by NU officials.

“The department faces some real challenges and opportunities as we move forward and Tom brings a breadth of experience that can serve the university well,” Perlman added.

When a successor is to be chosen, Perlman said it will be done through an open search process with a committee representing the Athletic Department, the university, and the external community.

“While I think an open process is required, Tom’s advice and counsel will play an important role in the ultimate selection, as will the views of our head coaches.” Perlman said. “It’s appropriate to publicly indicate now that an open process will be adopted in light of the speculation that there may already be a designated successor.”

Said Osborne: “I want to thank Chancellor Perlman for the opportunity to serve as athletic director for a period of time that we both feel comfortable with. I enjoy working with student-athletes, coaches, and other athletic department personnel and hope that together we can serve the people of Nebraska and the university well.”

Article courtesy of Huskerextra.com and The Lincoln Journal Star
::The Razzi::

Hit me on my pager Major

2009-06-10T06:56:00.000-05:00

A Lancaster County judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of former Nebraska safety Major Culbert after he failed to appear in court last week. Culbert is charged with maintaining a disorderly house, but he missed a court hearing on June 2.
Police broke up a loud party at his residence on May 2, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Culbert played three seasons with Nebraska, but he parted ways with the Huskers before spring practices began in March. Coach Bo Pelini gave no real explanation for Culbert’s departure only that he desired to move in with Lawrence Phillips and get the top bunk bed.

Pelini Gets More Straight Cash Homie

2009-03-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

Bo Pelini has a new deal with the UNL that awards the coach an almost 60 percent in jack from the OG deal he signed over a year ago.

At $1.851 million per year, Bo will move to No. 6 among Big 12 head football coaches in salary. The deal also adds one more year to Bo's stay in Lincoln, now running through the 2013 season.

His old deal paid him $1.1 million, with bonuses that could have taken him to $1.25 million for making the showdown that ruins everything, the Big 12 championship game. With Bo's old deal he was also eligible for a $1.6 million tip for winning a national title. The bonus structure for his new contract doesn't seem to be known yet. AD Osborne also announced dolla dolla bill increases for the Skers' nine full-time assistants.

::The Razzi::

Peter Schiff predicts a strong Husker season...

2009-03-03T08:35:00.000-06:00

Following Mentor Harrison Beck, Patrick Witt Departs From The Skers

2009-02-24T08:32:00.000-06:00

Patrick Witt seemed in prime position at Nebraska.

He was the most experienced of the four quarterbacks who would compete for the starting job beginning next month in spring drills. It was conceivable Witt could become a three-year starter. On the surface, Witt’s situation was full of promise.

Below the surface, there were significant issues in the Witt-Nebraska relationship — issues that made the split essentially a no-brainer.
Gene Witt, the player’s father, confirmed Sunday his son is leaving Lincoln in May after finishing the semester. According to sources close to the situation, the sophomore-to-be firmly believed he wouldn’t receive a fair shake in the quarterback competition. Witt feared the coaching staff strongly favored junior-to-be Zac Lee.

There was another issue, one that ultimately spelled doom for the relationship.

According to a source close to the Nebraska program, Witt and his father sought assurance from Husker coaches that the coaches would name the starting quarterback at the end of spring practice. That way, if Witt wasn’t named starter, he presumably could arrange to transfer, or at least evaluate his situation.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini declined to address the matter Monday. But the source said Pelini informed the Witts that it was highly unlikely (read: forget it, guys) that he would release Patrick from his scholarship if Patrick made such a request at the end of spring drills. Pelini apparently loathed the idea of Witt going through spring practice while considering a transfer. So, Pelini forced Witt’s hand before spring drills began.

Bully for Bo. There’s obviously no way Pelini could allow a quarterback to dictate terms of such a competition. Plus, if a quarterback shies from competition in practice, you wonder how he’ll react in the fourth quarter of a close Big 12 contest, in the din of an emotionally charged stadium, with defenders attacking from all angles.

I asked Gene Witt on Monday if he felt his son received a fair shot at Nebraska. Gene thought for a few moments, then declined to comment.

I had considered Patrick the front-runner to win the Nebraska job because of his experience running the system. I also like the kid’s size, demeanor and intelligence. But you have to wonder about the fact he transferred three times in high school ...

As for the Nebraska situation, “I’d love to be able to tell you the whole story, but I’d rather not, and it would probably take an hour anyway,” Gene Witt said.

In the end, the parties decided to part ways — clearly the best resolution to an unhealthy relationship.

Article Courtesy Steve Sipple of The Lincoln Journal Star

::The Razzi::

The Class of 2009

2009-02-05T08:15:00.000-06:00

We are pleased to give you the first look at our 2009 Nebraska Football Recruiting Class. We think you will enjoy reading about our future Cornhuskers. In the upcoming weeks, we will continue to announce our walk-ons as they become official, but we are very pleased with the student-athletes who have committed to walk on with us.

Thank you for your continued support of our program.

Go Big Red & Bo Big Red,

Bo Pelini

2009 Football Recruiting Class

Jason Ankrah, DE, Gaithersburg, Md. (Quince Orchard HS)
Nick Ash, OL, Keller, Texas (Keller HS)
Antonio Bell*, WR, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland HS)
Rex Burkhead, RB, Plano, Texas (Plano HS)
Jesse Coffey, OL, Denton, Texas (Guyer HS)
Dejon Gomes**, DB, Hayward, Calif. (Logan HS/City College of San Francisco)
Andrew Green, DB, San Antonio, Texas (James Madison HS)
Cody Green*, QB, Dayton, Texas (Dayton HS)
J.T. Kerr, TE, San Diego, Calif. (Scripps Ranch HS)
Brandon Kinnie, WR, Kansas City, Mo. (Grandview HS/Fort Scott CC)
Eric Martin, LB, Moreno Valley, Calif. (Rancho Verde HS)
Taylor Martinez, ATH, Corona, Calif. (Centennial HS)
Lazarri Middleton, DB, Long Beach, Calif. (Polytechnic HS)
Cole Pensick, DL, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Northeast HS)
Brent Qvale, OL, Williston, N.D. (Williston HS)
Thaddeus Randle, DL, Galena Park, Texas (North Shore HS)
Dontrayevous Robinson, RB, Euless, Texas (Euless Trinity HS)
Jeremiah Sirles, OL, Lakewood, Colo. (Bear Creek HS)
Dijon Washington, DB, Lawndale, Calif. (Leuzinger HS)
Chris Williams, LB, Abilene, Texas (Abilene HS)
C.J. Zimmerer, RB, Omaha, Neb. (Omaha Gross HS)
*-enrolled at Nebraska in January; **-Indicates mid-year signee

Walk-On Student Athletes
Robert Barry, TE, Battle Creek, Neb. (Battle Creek HS)
Brandon Chapek, OL, Wahoo, Neb. (Bishop Neumann HS)
Tyson Clark, WR, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln East HS)
Nick Failla, WR, Omaha, Neb. (Millard North HS)
Dwight Jones, OL, Gretna, Neb. (Gretna HS)
Ron Kellogg Jr., QB, Omaha, Neb. (Westside HS)
Ty Kildow, WR, Omaha, Neb. (Millard South HS)
Jake Long, TE, Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn HS)
Spencer Long, DE, Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn HS)
P.J. Mangieri, LS, Peoria, Ill. (Dunlap HS)
Devin Paulsen, LB, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Christian HS)

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Was Jim Carrey at Memorial Stadium?

2008-12-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

For a lucky few, it was almost as thrilling as a bowl game.

Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel cheer during a scene from "Yes Man" shot in the Los Angeles Coliseum. It stood in for Nebraska's Memorial Stadium for some shots of the actors. Thousands of Big Red football fans can now claim to have been in a Jim Carrey movie, if only as tiny red dots in a wide-angle shot at Memorial Stadium.

A select slice of Husker Nation scored bigger. Plucked from among hundreds of extras, they sat next to Carrey in game-day crowd close-ups shot in Los Angeles.

"It was a kick. It was fun," said Dennis Osmondson, a retired Los Angeles police officer who grew up in Omaha. "One time Carrey turns to my wife (Donna) all jumping up and down, grabs her and dances around with her."

Carrey's new comedy, "Yes Man," finds the rubber-faced funnyman at a University of Nebraska football game, painted red and white and wearing three plastic ears of corn.

He and co-star Zooey Deschanel end up in Nebraska when they ask at the airport for tickets on the first flight out of town.

Various Cornhusker flags and other props were at Memorial Stadium during the Oct. 13, 2007, Nebraska-Oklahoma State game when filming for "Yes Man" was done at the stadium. In the movie, which will open Friday, Carrey plays a man in a deep rut who must learn to say yes to opportunity.

Husker fans seized the opportunity, too, though they take up only about 30 seconds of the movie.

Two crews shot footage around Lincoln and at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 13, 2007, a day Nebraska lost to Oklahoma State. Cheering fans, the tunnel walk and other home-game rituals were caught on 35 mm film.

Carrey never visited Nebraska. In some shots, he and Deschanel appear on a Nebraska background through technology.

For some crowd shots, Memorial Stadium had a stand-in: the Los Angeles Coliseum. The stadium may not be the real deal in every shot, but hundreds of fans surrounding Carrey are the genuine article.

David Max gets some credit for that. Max, a native of Tilden, Neb., was acting president of Californians for Nebraska when casting agents called.

"We've got about 500 active members," Max said recently from his home in Irvine, Calif., where he is an emergency-room physician's assistant. Huskerpedia.com, a Web site he created in 1999, told Big Red fans in the Los Angeles area of their chance to be in a movie.

The Osmondsons answered the call.

"Once you're a Cornhusker, you're always a Cornhusker," Dennis said last week from his home north of Los Angeles.

In Phoenix, Omaha natives Kent and Fran Titze got word from a friend.

"We're season ticket holders, and we go back to Lincoln for as many games as possible," Fran Titze said.

About 700 extras, including about 225 rounded up through Max's Huskerpedia, showed up at the coliseum the morning of Jan. 11. They ate a catered breakfast under large tents, and many got costumes from a semitrailer truck filled with Big Red gear.

Real fans, who came in their own costumes, were hand-picked to sit next to Carrey. The Osmondsons wore Husker sweatshirts, had a Huskers blanket, and he had a Husker cap - all in red, of course.

"The way my wife and I were dressed, they pointed at us: 'You two, go sit right there,'" Osmondson said. "So we sat right next to whoever the star is."

Osmondson, who rarely goes to the movies, had never heard of Jim Carrey.

Dave Fitzgibbon, of the university's Office of Communications, said Warner Bros. first contacted him in August 2007.

Of all the college football teams out there, why were the unranked Huskers chosen?

Peyton Reed, who directed "Yes Man," said Nebraska made a nice visual contrast to urban scenes in Los Angeles.

"And it was amazing to get to shoot at a game," Reed said by phone amid a press junket in Beverly Hills last week. "As a director, I'm always looking to find visual opportunities, and we got some great rooftop shots from the top of Memorial Stadium."

He said the Nebraska segment is his favorite in the movie, although it's only about four minutes long. It's also a turning point in the plot, when the characters Carrey and Deschanel play realize they're in love.

Marty Ewing, one of the movie's executive producers, said Nebraska is "known on a grand scale for its football, among other things. There's a degree of quaintness and innocence, too, that suit the love story."

Fitzgibbon was at both locations, making sure trademarked images would not be used in a way that reflects poorly on the university. He recently said no to letting Adam Sandler wear a Nebraska shirt in another movie. The script was too vulgar.

Fitzgibbon said he was amazed at the money and manpower spent on the Nebraska segment.

"They went to such an amazing level of detail," he said of the Los Angeles shoot. State trooper jacket patches, Lincoln police badges, even Valentino's Pizza boxes looked like the real deal.

For the Lincoln shots, the university got a $10,000 location fee, which went into the marketing budget, and something more.

"We get international, free publicity - publicity that would be too expensive to buy, that we could never afford."

The fans got some fun, along with their paychecks.

"It was a great time," Max said. "Carrey was outgoing with us, had some banter going back and forth. And we got to hang around with Nebraska fans for a few hours. That was a lot of fun, too."

Some numbers...
84,334 Fans in Memorial Stadium the day of the Lincoln shoot.
$10,000 Fee paid to the University of Nebraska to film there.
3,400+ Theaters the movie will open in next weekend.
700 Extras in Los Angeles who played Big Red fans.
225 Actual Big Red fans who served as extras.
$65 Approximate pay for each extra. 4 Minutes of the movie that take place in Nebraska.
2 Film crews that shot footage in Lincoln.
0 Minutes Jim Carrey spent filming in Lincoln.

Article courtesy Bob Fischbach of Omaha.com

::The Razzi::

Gator Bowl Tickets Available for Nebraska Fans

2008-12-05T08:34:00.001-06:00

The University of Nebraska has announced that fans may begin buying tickets for the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, the Huskers’ likely postseason destination. The game will be played on Jan. 1, 2009 (1 p.m. Eastern), at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and the bowl announced on Wednesday that Clemson will represent the Atlantic Coast Conference in the game.

“It is all but certain that Nebraska will be playing in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl,” Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said. “Formal Big 12 procedures prevent the conference from making an official announcement until Sunday afternoon. We are aware that fans from all of our schools, including Nebraska, want to begin making plans to attend these contests.”

Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne encouraged Nebraska fans to purchase tickets from the school’s allotment of 12,750 tickets for the Gator Bowl.

“The seats the Gator Bowl has set aside for the participating schools are in excellent locations, and we want our fans to get a chance to purchase those tickets as soon as possible,” Osborne said. “Our fans have always supported us very well in past bowl games and we hope there will be outstanding support for our matchup with Clemson in the Gator Bowl.”

Tickets may be purchased on-line at Huskers.com or by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8-BIG RED. Tickets for the 2009 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl are $50 each. The Nebraska Ticket Office accepts Visa, Mastercard and Discover.

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Sheer Imagery

2008-12-04T09:15:00.000-06:00

::The Razzi::

phhhhhhhhhew....That was close.

2008-12-02T08:13:00.000-06:00

::The Razzi::

INSERT AC/DC CD...NOW

2008-11-12T08:58:00.000-06:00

Tyler Wortman called it “the biggest honor of my life.”

The senior Nebraska middle linebacker was one of 11 NU defenders to receive Blackshirts Tuesday before practice as the Cornhuskers prepare for Kansas State Saturday. Yes, 10 games into the season head coach Bo Pelini actually handed out the practice jerseys meant to honor Nebraska’s best defenders.

“I’m shocked,” Wortman said. “I don’t even how to describe it. It’s such an honor to be part of something like this. All the coaches were walking up to us and congratulating us.”

The current Blackshirts are: Wortman, middle linebacker Phillip Dillard, defensive ends Zach Potter, Pierre Allen and Clayton Sievers, defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Ty Steinkuhler, and defensive backs Armando Murillo, Anthony West, Eric Hagg and Larry Asante.

Just 11, and it’s not solely based on starters, as backup Sievers and Hagg, who’ s not officially No. 1 on the depth chart, both got them, while safeties Matt O’Hanlon and/or Rickey Thenarse did not. Weakside linebacker Cody Glenn was indefinitely suspended Tuesday by head coach Bo Pelini.

“The coaches told us 11 is the number,” Allen said. “Those top 11 guys are deserving of one; they’re not just going to give them to anybody. It’s got to be well worth it.”

Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said the staff decided in a Sunday meeting following NU’s 45-35 win over Kansas to hand out the Blackshirts on Tuesday.

“We thought the physical nature of the play on Saturday, the great effort our guys made running sideline to sideline, we felt like that was a performance where they earned the Blackshirts,” Pelini said. “So we put them in their lockers today and when they came out of meetings, they were waiting for them.”

Carl Pelini called NU’s following practice “the best of the year.”

“There was a certain level of excitement there and a certain level of our guys feeling a sense of achievement.”

Said Allen: “The target is on our back in a way. Everybody’s looking at you. Everybody sees the black. You’re only 11 out of 160 guys out here that has a Blackshirt.”

Bo Pelini doesn’t talk after Tuesday practices, and he did not mention the Blackshirts in his Tuesday press conference.

Article Courtesy Samuel McKewon of the Nebraska State Paper

::Chavez::

Breaking News: Cody Glenn Gone-dee

2008-11-11T19:24:00.000-06:00

Nebraska senior linebacker Cody Glenn has been suspended indefinitely from the team. Husker head coach Bo Pelini made the announcement in a statement, saying the suspension is based on a violation of team rules.

According to the statement, Pelini has said that he, the remainder of the coaching staff and players will have no further comment on this matter.

“I have no clue. I just heard about it,” Glenn’s high school coach, Wayne Mahaffey, told the Journal Star. “I have no clue what’s going on. I wish I did. I’m puzzled by it.”

Glenn’s name has not shown on any recent city or campus arrest reports. The native of Rusk, Texas, spent three years as a running back before switching in the spring to linebacker. He impressed coaches quickly and moved into a starting role at the WILL linebacker spot.

Through 10 games, he is third on the team in tackles with 51 and has six tackles for loss, four pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. Glenn sat out one game this season because of injury against Texas Tech. In his place, walk-on freshman Matt Holt played the majority of the snaps as the only linebacker in NU’s dime package.

The Huskers are already thin at linebacker going into this week’s game against Kansas State with junior Phillip Dillard questionable because of an ankle injury.

Pelini recently said at this point in the season he won’t burn any redshirts of true freshmen like linebacker Will Compton.

Article Courtesy Huskerextra.com

::Chavez::

Nice pick Jayhawks, but we'll take your recruit...Oh and you suck.

2008-11-10T22:28:00.000-06:00

LINCOLN — Earnest Norman never stopped thinking about playing for Nebraska even though he made an early oral commitment to Big 12 rival Kansas. His cousin, Husker recruit Dontrayevous Robinson, who committed in May, intentionally kept him interested. The extra prodding by Robinson paid off for the Huskers as Norman capped off his weekend visit to the NU campus by orally accepting a scholarship offer from Nebraska.

"I always had it on my mind, because my cousin would talk about it," said Norman, from Euless, Texas. "I used to ask him what's up. Then I e-mailed Coach (Bo Pelini) one day."

Norman said the Nebraska coaches weren't ready to offer him a scholarship last spring, hoping to get more tangible proof that the 5-foot-11, 220-pound linebacker could move in space. So he orally committed to Kansas. But the NU staff apparently liked what it saw from Norman this season. And Norman had no complaints about what he learned about Nebraska.

"I haven't seen anything better than that," he said. "The state of Nebraska revolves around that campus. They supported every sport. That's like their NFL, their NBA. There isn't anything better than that."

Norman, like the 15 others who've made oral commitments to the Huskers, can't sign a letter of intent until February. He's the eighth recruit out of Texas and fourth from the area surrounding the Dallas and Fort Worth metros. He and Robinson both play for Trinity High School, an undefeated Class 5A squad that's near the top of every national poll. The school has won three district championships in a row. But Norman, used to winning consistently, has no problem joining up with Pelini and the rebuilding Huskers.

"When it comes to football, (Pelini) just has that passion for it," Norman said. "He's a winner. He's got passion to win. He's going to get it done."

Norman plans to bring his girlfriend and 7-month-old daughter to Lincoln when he joins the team next year. So far, he's the third prospective linebacker slated to join the Huskers. Shawn Bodtmann of West Scranton, Pa., and Chris Williams of Abilene, Texas, are the other two.

Williams actually suffered an injury during a game last weekend. He tripped over the chain attached to the down-and-distance markers and injured his left knee, according to the Abilene Reporter News. He did not return to the game.

Article Courtesy JON NYATAWA AND RICH KAIPUST of the Omaha World Herald

::The Razzi::

Things have changed, no?

2008-11-06T08:27:00.001-06:00

So...if the other team is not on the field, they can't score!

2008-10-21T19:27:00.000-05:00

Uh oh, did the Huskers find a new way to win the game? Control the clock baby! Eat up as much time as you possibly can. This apparently is the new offensive scheme of the now 4-3 Cornhuskers. In the past two games, Nebraska has had possession of the ball nearly twice as long as the opposition (Texas Tech and ISU). Twice as long! Shawn Watson has found a way to utilize all that is Joe Ganz and his decision making abilities. As it clearly showed in Saturday's game against the Cyclones, Joe Ganz's best attributes besides the smart throws, were his supporting cast. In fact Ganz threw to eight, count 'em, eight different receivers in the first half. His ability to make all the correct checks is earning my praise in calling Joe "Ganztastic" once again.

And then there is the defense. Congrats boys, congrats. I almost got a little emotional as Zach Potter showed glimpses of the Blackshirts of the 90's earning his best sack of his career against Austen Arnaud. (Side note: Did anyone else think that the commentators called Arnaud "Hard On" at any point in the game, or do I need to revisit my therapist and open up a whole new chapter on things wrong with me?) When Potter broke loose from the blindside and demolished Arnaud I shed a lonely tear. And this time is wasn't because of the trash I saw outside. The boys on D held ISU to a mere 218 total yards. With most of those yards coming from that damn 60+ yard run on the second play of the second half. Now I don't want to get to carried away there. It was Iowa State for crying out loud. But anytime a team can put together a complete game like that, it gives a little boost of confidence to the players as well as the loyal fans.

And now lets talk about putting some Stick 'Em to the gloves of the boys in Scarlet and Cream. I counted 678 fumbles on Saturday. The Huskers only lost three, so good job on that. The main positive is that the Cyclones did not capitalize on any of the turnovers during the game. And NU even got a turnover! In fact they got two! Woo! I was really pleased with Menelik Holt's fumble at the end of the first half though. That was because it gave me one of the biggest laughs of the season watching the ISU linebacker have the third longest play on the day for ISU with his amazing, athletic, graceful fumble recovery. Good for you buddy. Notch one up for the highlight reel! He looked like a cross between Corey Haim in "Lucas" and "The Waterboy." This weekend the Huskers go up against the Baylor Bears who are actually surprising the hell out of a lot of people. Their quarterback has yet to throw an interception. That works out well for the Huskers because they don't like making interceptions according to the stats so HA! Take that Art Briles! Prediction: Baylor shows up on time.

P.S. I love Nate Swift.

::Chavez::

New Husker Vision Video Out

2008-10-16T08:18:00.000-05:00

If this doesn't fire Joe Ganz up, nothing will...

NOBODY HAPPIER AFTER GAME THAN THIS GUY

2008-10-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

Is it really time to panic as Husker fans? Three losses in a row, not really a good sign of things to come. However, after this weekend, it looks like the Huskers are taking a step in, or around, the right direction. Virginia Tech: made horrible decisions and the 'Skers shot themselves in the foot. Missouri: that was just bad from the get go. Be honest people, you did not pick the Huskers to win that one.

Texas Tech: Yes, it was a heartbreaker. But let us not forget that they were No. 7 in the nation and lead the NCAA in total yards. Now let's take a second to go over that game shall we? It was the Huskers first road trip of the year. They had not even been South of the Hi-Way Diner before Saturday. They went into that game with a dismal ranking in pass defense against the top passing game in the country. Yet they manage to hold Texas Tech to 284 yards in the air compared to their average of 413.2 yards/game. Shaun Watson showed flashes of genius with his play calling balancing out the pass and the run. Joe Ganz controlled the possession clock like a pro and marched down the field in awesome fashion during their scoring drives. And even thought they took the corner and scored in OT, Michael Crabtree was thrown to the ground like a lil' biatch. So taste it.

Yes they lost, but at least they didn't give up which looks good for the future. Saturday they have Iowa State in Ames. What does that mean? Who the hell knows. But isn't it funny that the Cyclones' No. 2 QB quit and want to come back to Nebraska? Makes me chuckle so hard about two drops of pee came out, wait...make that three.

::Chavez::

Kleptomaniac Convention In Lincoln

2008-10-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police recovered a stolen football during Saturday’s Nebraska-Missouri game at Memorial Stadium.

When football players kick a football through the goal posts for an extra point or a field goal, people in the stands generally throw the ball back onto the field, said said UNL Police Capt. Carl Oestmann.

But a Dell Rapids, S.D. man allegedly tried to leave with a Missouri game day football that was kicked through the south end zone goal posts around 9:27 p.m., Oestmann said.

Witnesses allegedly saw Andrew Siemonsma, 24, put the football under his shirt and start to leave from section 16 of the south stadium, Oestmann said.

A short time later officers caught up with Siemonsma near gate 24 and recovered the football, Oestmann said.

Police were able to return the ball to Missouri before the team left, Oestmann said, adding it was the first time in his recent memory someone had tried to steal a game ball.

Siemonsma, who was cited on suspicion of theft and ejected from the game, was wearing a black shirt and a white cap, Oestmann said. It’s unclear whether he was a fan of Nebraska or Missouri.

Article Courtesy the Lincoln Journal Star

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Prediction: Huskers beat Danielʼs and Missouri by a booger

2008-09-30T18:19:00.000-05:00

September 30, 2008 LINCOLN, NE- With the Huskers gearing up for a huge rematch against the #3 ranked Missouri Tigers, big red fans are wondering what’s up Daniel’s schnoz this time. After being nothing short of embarrassed a year ago at the slimy hand of Daniel’s, Bo Pelini is trying to think up a counterattack.

“Hopefully our offense can take control of thegame, leaving plenty of time for him to clean out his cave” Pelini said. “I am just glad that each team has there own game ball to play with,” Matt Slauson commented. “Gimme a second coach, almost got it”

::Jim Drangles::

Skers vs. Hokies breakdown

2008-09-25T07:44:00.000-05:00

Click Here

Happy Off Week Huskers

2008-09-19T16:29:00.000-05:00

We'll drop some Bo-Bombs on you next week!

Whoa Nelly....Another Night Game for The Big Red

2008-09-17T08:18:00.000-05:00

ABC Sports and the Big 12 Conference announced on Monday that Nebraska’s Sept. 27 home game against Virginia Tech will be televised by ABC with the telecast set for 7 p.m. The game will be carried as part of ABC’s Saturday Night football package.

The game will be carried on a split-national basis along with the Illinois-Penn State game. The ABC coverage map for the Nebraska-Virginia Tech game will be available next week and announcers for the contest will also be determined at that time.

The matchup with Virginia Tech will be the Huskers’ first appearance of the season on ABC. Entering the 2008 season, Nebraska has played on ABC at least three times in each of the past 15 seasons, and this also marks the 16th straight year the Huskers have had a non-conference game televised by ABC.

Nebraska is also set to appear on ABC against Colorado in the regular-season finale, and any additional games on the network will be announced six to 12 days in advance of game day.

The Nebraska-Virginia Tech will mark Nebraska’s third home night game of the 2008 season. The Huskers have defeated Western Michigan and New Mexico State in night contests at Memorial Stadium this season. Overall, Nebraska has a 26-3 all-time record in home night games.

::The Noots::

Chavez Goes West

2008-09-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

So apparently the only place in San Diego that carries the Husker Football games is the Mission Valley Hooters. Now luckily this fine family restaurant is right up the road from where I reside. Such a great atmosphere full of flowing hair, butt cleavage, and of course massive boobs. That of course were the characteristics of the lovely table of gentlemen sitting right beside us. Aren't oversized jerseys supposed to cover up the epidemic sweeping across the nation known as "man-boobs?" It was a crazy atmosphere nonetheless as over 100 Husker Fans devoured wings and swilled beer. It was game time. I asked around and found people from Omaha to Imperial. Even two bartenders that worked at Woody's in Lincoln were there cheering on the Scarlet and Cream.

Watching the game it was amazing to see the Huskers control the game from start to finish. And apparently BoBo looked through some of the things Callhan had put in storage and found Nebraska's running game. Now wait a second...hold the phone! Did Joe Ganz score on a 33-yard option keeper?! That actually works in college football in the year 2008?! Ye sit does. As well as a power running game by Marlon Lucky and a speed demon to that outside in Roy Helu Jr. And congrats to Ganz on throwing, rushing, and receiving a touchdown in the game against those darn Aggies. His performance this season can be simply described as Ganz-tastic. Yes, I said it.

The Huskers head into their bye week with a job well done as they get ready for the Hokies and there star Freshman pupil in Tyrod Taylor. That gives Carl "I wear athletic shirts" Pelini to figure out a way to stop a mobile QB. As for me during the bye week, watch the Monday Night Football game when the Chargers play the Jets. I will be the one holding the sign that says, "WATCH OUT FAVRE, CALLAHAN HAS A WAY OF BRINGING DOWN LEGENDS, JUST ASK NEBRASKA." It was either that or "CALLAHAN DOESN'T CHARGE EXTRA FOR RUSTY TROMBONES."

::Chavez::

Ghram Grades the Huskers

2008-09-14T18:02:00.000-05:00

Well, with the Huskers finally producing in most facets of the game, I decided it’s time to start grading these kids without a “new coach learning curve.”
Running Game:

A+ - Hello Marlon Lucky…nice to finally see you. Granted the O-line hasn’t been the best to run behind, but as a Senior you’re supposed to be able to run through adversary. This week Marlon looked better than co-first stringer Roy Helu. In fact, both Lucky and second stringer Quentin Castille had their best weeks of this young season; though Helu is certainly the future of this rushing attack.

Maybe the biggest surprise from the rushing game was the neo-classic Nebraska look (circa 1995). Joey ran 5 times for 69 yards and Touchdown. It should also be noted that Ganz became only the third player in Nebraska history to Run, Throw and Catch for a TD in the same game and the first one since Eric Crouch did it against Cal in 1999, the other was Johnny Rogers. On another note, Crouch and Rogers both won the Heisman Trophy.
Passing Game:

B+ - Marlon Lucky might have the best passer rating in Nebraska history before his career is over. So far Lucky is 3 for 5 with 3 touchdowns…Holy Crap. Ganz looked good as well, much better than last week in his decision making, and showed he was willing to check down and dump it off to the flats or the running back rather than try to put a square peg through a round hole.
Defense:

B+ - Again, the reason I didn’t grade them higher... the first drive of the game, and the fact that our D had some gaping holes in the d-line that let this normally pass happy offense run threw it like USC did last year.
The Defensive Backs looked worlds better than they have in the past 2 games and in fact the past few years. With 2 interceptions Nebraska now has 5 on the season. All last year, they had 8. I guess playing the ball and getting your head around has its advantages, huh Elmassian? Idiot. The only thing I can complain about is the Mother F-ing Pass Interferences. Jesus H Christ, knock it off.

The D-line looked good in the second half. But hell, the first half of play I doubt they could’ve gotten pressure on a High School Quarterback. But, the second half they came out with pressure, ran some stunts with Stienkuler and Potter and got 3 sacks, 2 consecutively. Let’s hope this continues against the better o-lines in the Big XII.

::Ghram Ferdinand::

Cupcakes No More!

2008-09-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

Under the previous regime, Nebraska got fat off of the amount of cupcakes it ate during the Football season's out of conference schedule. One could argue that this left the team unprepared and unappreciated when it got into it's "always tough" conference games.

It appears under Athletic Director Tom Osborne that trend has changed. The Nebraska AD has recently scheduled games with Fresno State, currently ranked in the AP top 25 and the up and coming (much like Nebraska) Miami Hurricanes.

Nebraska is slated to play the Bulldogs of Fresno in 2011 in Lincoln, 2014 in Fresno and again in 2016 in Lincoln again. Make no mistake; this team under Pat Hill is no longer a “look past” game. This team beat a disappointing Rutgers team and will play #10 Wisconsin this weekend. Nebraska is also set to face a resurging Miami team that, much like Nebraska has had its lumps over the past few years under different coaches. Now Randy Shannon takes over and so far, the Canes have looked impressive against the Flaaaareeeda Gators and Charleston Southern. At 5-5 overall, Miami has the last win in the storied series in 2001 when they beat the Huskers in route to a National Championship.

FYI: The ‘Skers have also scheduled Washington, Southern Miss., UCLA, and Tennessee through the 2017 season. As the old cliché says, beating these teams would just be “icing on the cupcake.”

::Ghram Ferdinand::

Christensen reinstated, Lawrence Phillips not available for comment

2008-09-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

Andy Christensen is back on the Husker football team, the news coming via statement from Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini Monday afternoon.

The senior offensive lineman from Bennington will resume practicing and working out with the team this week, but will be suspended from playing in Saturday’s game against New Mexico State.

Christensen was found not guilty early last week of a first-degree sexual assault charge alleged by a 23-year-old woman to have happened at a downtown Lincoln bar in the early hours of March 8.

He did plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges stemming from the night in question. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Christensen struggled with police as they tried to handcuff him, and he kicked a dent in a police Tahoe.

Christensen had been indefinitely suspended from the football team pending the outcome of the case, which concluded Tuesday.

“After speaking with Andy Christensen and his family, as well as Coach Osborne, our administration and the Unity Council, we have made the decision to re-instate Andy to our football team. That being said, I have clearly explained to Andy and his family that going forward he will have a zero tolerance policy regarding alcohol and any off-field incidents,” Pelini said in a statement.

Christensen graduated from Bennington High School and started eight of 14 games during his sophomore year in 2006, playing both guard spots. In his junior year, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season against Southern California.

Christensen also earned several academic honors, claiming first-team academic All-Big 12 status in 2006.

While letting Christensen back on the team, Pelini said the program was not taking his misdemeanor charges lightly, noting in his statement that Christensen’s “actions were unacceptable for a player in our football program.”

Article courtesy Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal Star

::Ferdinand's Mom::

BREAKING NEWS: Bill Callahan, 2007 Nebraska Players and Coaching Staff Arrested!

2008-09-07T19:32:00.000-05:00

At approximately 1:30pm central time, campus police arrested Bill Callahan, Kevin Cosgrove, Corey McKeon and others suspects on charges of kidnapping the entire 2008 Nebraska football team and coaching staff; including Head Coach Bo Pelini. Authorities state the suspects were involved in a high end Governmental conspiracy that was put in place by several groups such as: the CIA, the Taliban, and Sarah Palin (R) - Alaska to try and disrupt a possible title run by the 2008 Huskers.

According to Campus Police Chief Dave Thompson, Palin, the alleged Mastermind, determined that by having Nebraska make a title run, it would stimulate the economy and bring back positive memories of the Clinton era, which, in turn, would cause people to question the information and affirmation of fearing terrorism, death, and mayhem that has been regularly reported by Fox News.

After being rescued by police, Pelini and the team adorned their gear and finished out the game in dramatic fashion by racking up 21 straight points in 8 minutes of play and making a really unrespectable performance, just a moderately unrespectable performance.

Joe Ganz (or Sam Keller depending on the time of the game) was 17 of 25 for 216 yards and 1 interception. Marlon Lucky, who has been rated the 5th best Running Back in this year’s class, showed off his talents by rushing for 25 yards on 7 carries, surely the Scouts are impressed and opposing teams are game-planning around this formidable force, otherwise known as “Lawrence Phillips: The Duce.”

Nebraska’s Offensive Line tried their best … to lose the game and get Ganz hurt … but to no avail. Once the real O-line got in the game, the protection got better; sort of, but not really.

I’d personally like to thank the University of Nebraska Campus Police Department for finding, recovering and encouraging the 2008 Nebraska Football team to show up and compete after the kidnapping. This victory is for you boys; your jaywalking tickets truly protect us all!

::Ghram Ferdinand::

A Schedule Softener

2008-09-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

Much like Downy is to laundry, the Nebraska football team is to out-of-conference scheduling…a softener. In 2004 Dick Tomey took over the San Jose State Spartans who had previously adopted the “any time, any where” mantra of many small schools, with the hopes of gaining exposure.

Well, Tomey seems to think, that maybe that’s not the best idea. Since his inception as Head Coach, Tomey has asked out of games with LSU, Florida and Tennessee. Tomey was happy to replace the game with Tennessee, with Nebraska…at home, in Lincoln. According to Tomey “It's crazy to go to Nebraska…But it's double-crazy to go to Tennessee.''

After losing to an unranked UCLA team, that would have trouble fighting it’s way out of a Gay Pride Parade, you have to wonder if Tomey is regretting his decision to pull out (which, I’m sure his Dad wished he would have). Tennessee made UCLA, with first year Head Coach and seasoned cheater Rick Neuheisel, and first year D-1 Quarterback Kevin Kraft, look like geniuses in the second half, after Kraft threw 4 first half interceptions. Yet, Tennessee couldn’t close the game out and lost in Overtime.

When asked what Nebraska players thought about this statement by Tomeny, many said the same thing, “we’ll just have to prove him and his team wrong, won’t we?”

::Ghram Ferdinand::

Yard of Red

2008-09-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Welcome to the first gameday of the rest of your life...

2008-08-30T09:29:00.000-05:00

Welcome to game day Mother F@#$ers!

Welcome to the Bo Pelini era of Nebraska football. Pundits expect the Nebraska tradition, which has eluded the University for the last 4 years to return. The Offense remains the same high powered, scoring machine that we saw under Quarterback Joe Ganz during the last 4 games in 2007.

So what’s missing? You’ve got the fans rejuvenated, the coaches coaching, the players buying in…when else is there?

Well, maybe one of the most storied traditions. The “Blackshirts”. The once proud tradition the signified a true badass in college football; the once great symbol of heart, love, intelligence, and ferocity. So where are they now? Coach Pelini has publicly been reluctant to handout the coveted jerseys until a player deserves them. When asked why he has not handed them out Pelini said ""What's a Blackshirt mean if it's just a symbol that you haven't earned? Everybody wants to rush this thing. It's the same thing when I was here the first time. I don't see the point in it if you just hand them out to hand them out."

After last years abysmal defensive performance (which is mostly contributed to a terrible coaching staff and a piss-poor middle linebacker) I agree with the coach…these players need to earn the tradition.

Ghram out!

::Ghram Ferdinand::

The Time Is Now

2008-08-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

Omaha, Ne - Spring football is over. Two-a-days are over. Summer is almost over and the "New Crop" of Nebraska Cornhuskers are ready to take the turf in Nebraska's Third Largest City, Memorial Stadium. Wear your black, wear your red, wear green it does not matter, what matters now is how much heart does this team have and are college footballs greatest fans ready to get back behind the big red? Will the passion of playing for the big red be back? Will opponents once again fear coming into Lincoln on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to be ripped up and down Tom Osborne Field? Will the hot Valentino's pizza by the slice be as wonderful as it was in the nineties?

I hope so. And Bo says yes it will be.

A solid offense will allow a little stability for the first couple of games, but once a reliable defense is here to stay look out Big XII conference. Things may finally get back to normal. Kansas will be good at basketball and have no place on the same field as the big red and Missouri will go back to having big hopes but not being able to get through the big red. Baylor will still be terrible.

Nebraska also welcomes Gary Sharpe, NU's new play by play announcer, who also has an uncanny resemblance to the Doc Sadler.

Go Big Red. Bo Big Red.

I'm out -- M.C. Stan BurgowitZ

Two more "Brain Snippets" from Stan:

Lets forget all about Bill Callahan and Steve Pederson. They will always suck.

And when Chase Daniels, QB Missouri, may or may not begin to receive "Heisman Hype" we must remember that this is the same dude that was caught on video picking his nose and eating his boogers. (That is a fact and can be found on YouTube.) My sources also confirm that Daniels has also been collecting his own finger and toenail clippings for over sixteen years in a bag in his closet. To his defense, a lot of folks in Missouri do the same thing.

::Stan Burgowitz::

Callahan Still Around: Favre's Streak Now In Jeopardy

2008-08-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

Nothing -- not age, injuries, ferocious linebackers, weather, or freak accidents -- has been able to slow Brett Favre since he became a starting NFL quarterback in 1992. For an NFL-record 275 consecutive regular season and playoff games, Favre has been firmly planted as a starting quarterback, rewriting the league record book along the way.

However, Brett Favre has never met Bill Callahan.

Callahan, the first-year offensive line coach for Favre's new team, the New York Jets, looks forward to being the man who finally breaks Favre's streak of consecutive starts.

'Anytime you can take a streak of historical significance and personally be responsible for its conclusion, that's a tremendous credit to the individual responsible for bringing the streak to its end,' explained Callahan. 'By and large, I've done a tremendous job ending streaks, and I know in my heart of hearts that I am more than capable of bringing this one to an end as well.'

In just four historic years as head coach at the University of Nebraska, Callahan's propensity for ending streaks garnered him multiple entries in the Cornhusker vaunted record books. For instance, Nebraska had not suffered through a losing season in more than 40 consecutive years, which was an ongoing NCAA record. That hallowed streak succumbed immediately to Callahan's touch, as he led Nebraska to a losing record in just his first year on the job.

'I made no secret about my ambition to flip that culture in Lincoln ,' Callahan recalls proudly. 'And it took me very little time to do just that. To take a 10-win program and flip it to a 5-win program within one year's time, I think it takes a certain level of competence to achieve such a turnaround. Unfortunately, there were those involved in that particular program who did not have the intellectual capacity to grasp the difficulty of such a milestone.'

Nebraska had appeared in an NCAA-record 35 consecutive bowl streaks prior to Callahan's introduction to the program. He quickly erased that streak as well.

'There is only one bowl in the NFL,' Callahan said, 'and I'm not sure if you've heard of it. It's called the Super Bowl. And I've coached in it. To be particularly candid and blunt, I have little interest in coaching a football team in any bowl other than the Super Bowl, and I think my performance has been consistent with that philosophy.'

Other streaks, such as Nebraska 's 36-game win streak over Kansas fell quickly by the wayside under Callahan's watch.

'My biggest personal disappointment is that I was not able to end the streak of sellouts at Memorial Stadium,' lamented Callahan. 'The streak is clearly the byproduct of living in an isolated state where intellectual stimulation is difficult to obtain. Ending that streak would have been a tremendous accomplishment, a feather in my cap if you will, in terms of changing the atmosphere of that state away from childish football adulation and into a more sophisticated intellectual scenario.'

Callahan envisions ending Favre's streak by the end of September. Specifically, he has his eye on the Jets' game at San Diego on September 22, set for a Monday Night Football telecast, where Callahan hopes his influence can be seen by a nationwide audience.

To that end, he is introducing his own unique version of a zone blocking scheme that has, historically, had little to no effect on defensive linemen or linebackers. In Callahan's opinion, pairing such schemes with the aging legs of a 38-year-old quarterback make it a matter of when, not if, Favre's streak of consecutive starts comes to an end.

'Your typical fan or reporter, lay people, tend to focus more on how certain techniques and alignments appear on the football field to their own naked, untrained eye,' Callahan explained, 'but they have little appreciation or regard for how certain zone blocking philosophies appear when diagrammed to perfection on paper.

'My blocking schemes, and my offensive schemes in general, are certainly a thing of esoteric beauty. There are those of us who understand them, and to us, they are a source of pleasure. There are those who focus on overrated minutia such as sacks, yardage, touchdowns, and victories, and I am frankly not concerned with their opinions.'

Courtesy BILL LYDON New York Times

::The Noots::

Code Name: Operation Blackout

2008-08-15T14:40:00.000-05:00

Date: September 27, 2008
Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

Fellow Husker fans, this is a call out to all who love the hits, the poundings, and the unit known as the BLACKSHIRTS! Get in touch with your friends, family, and fellow season ticket holders. On Sept. 27th, Virginia Tech and the nation will be expecting the Sea of Red when they enter our house, Memorial Stadium. Let's give them a break from tradition and show them something really awesome. Put away your red jerseys, red t-shirts, and red replica helmets. Instead go into the closet or your home town's nearest Husker fan store and pull out the old Skull and crossbones. Yes, pull out the BLACK and wear it with pride! This is BO'S DEFENSE and we have to show him and the nation that the fans are behind them 100%. So, when V-Tech shakes and shivers as they enter Memorial Stadium, let them see a Sea of Black (and if any of you work for the University, put in a good word for the opening song to be Rolling Stones 'Paint it Black', Metallica 'Fade to Black' or AC/DC 'Back in Black'). Operation Blackout has officially started.

GO BIG RED!!

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ALL HUSKER FANS YOU KNOW!!

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Back that thang UP as Back-up QB's battle

2008-08-08T08:37:00.000-05:00

Zac Lee has played the role of scout-team quarterback at Nebraska.

NU quarterbacks Patrick Witt, left, Zac Lee and Joe Ganz. Witt began practice as the top backup to Ganz, but is being pressed by Lee. He even enjoyed his time there last year. But really, Lee would rather not do it again.

"It was fun to a point," Lee said as he opened preseason camp in a tight race with Patrick Witt for the No. 2 QB job, "but I want to be out there on Saturday."

Lee, a third-year sophomore from San Francisco, brings an impressive pedigree to Nebraska. He's the son of 12-year NFL veteran Bob Lee. Witt began practice as the top backup to senior Joe Ganz - a job the redshirt freshman earned during spring practice.

But it's a close race, one that has captured the attention of Shawn Watson, the Huskers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. A year after Ganz lost out to Sam Keller in a preseason QB battle, the fight for second-string duty is on.

"Both of them, they're getting their timing right now," Watson said. "Even though they worked all summer, they haven't had the time against a coached look."

Witt and Lee split practice reps with the No. 2 offensive unit. Witt, usually candid and comfortable with the news media, declined an interview request this week, saying he didn't want to talk until he accomplished something on the field.

He spent most of last season confident he would redshirt, but for about two weeks his status was in doubt after Keller's late-season injury. Lee began last fall limited because of a knee injury and then settled into the scout-team job. His exposure to Nebraska's offense occurred in the spring.

According to Watson, Witt's knowledge of the offense and decision-making skills give him an edge.

"Both of us, obviously, are trying to work for that spot," said Lee, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound transfer from San Francisco City College. "We'll keep battling. Fall camp is a little marathon. You try to get better every day and try not to make the same mistakes today that you made yesterday."

Lee, who threw for 3,400 yards and 35 touchdowns as a juco freshman in 2006, said he expected his time at Nebraska to require patience.

"The thing that I've had all coaches tell me is that there are going to be good players wherever you go," Lee said. "Every school has four or five guys who are highly recruited. They're all good football players. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here. So I was prepared for what's happening."

Even after this year, nothing is assured for Witt or Lee. The No. 2 man this year figures to face competition from a group next year that includes Kody Spano, a true freshman, and committed Texas high school senior Cody Green.

Witt, 6-4 and 225 pounds, is the most physically impressive of the Nebraska quarterbacks in camp. He threw for 1,846 yards and 17 touchdowns as a high school senior in Wylie, Texas, two years ago before starting college one semester early in January of last year.

"Patrick has come back and been what I expected him to be," Watson said. "He's been really solid."

Of the Witt-Lee race, coach Bo Pelini said: "The competition is good. They're both playing well."

If there's an edge for Lee, it's his athleticism. He's considered the most adept of the quarterbacks in the run game. His arm strength is also a positive. Lee said Watson hasn't specialized any part of the offense to fit the strengths of the quarterbacks.
He said he's excited to see the look of Nebraska's offense under Watson.

A year ago, Watson held the same title, but coach Bill Callahan called most of the plays.

"Coach Watson's the man," Lee said. "He's running the show. As we go into the season, we'll learn even more and more how Coach Watson calls a game, what he does in each situation. You're going to see a lot of Coach Watson's personality. We're going to throw a lot at people."

Article courtesy Mitch Sherman of the Omaha World Herald
::The Razzi::

Husker Revival

2008-07-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Just when it seemed like things were turning, coming off an appearance in the 2006 Big 12 title game, and just when it looked like the crazy, blow-up-the-system plan was going to work, Nebraska decided to stop playing defense and the offense went into the tank. Now, the program is starting from scratch by going back to the comfortable and familiar.

Oh sure, the Bill Callahan offense ended up cranking out huge numbers with a passing attack that when it was clicking, was unstoppable. Problem was that it wasn't consistent. It died during the critical middle part of the year and couldn't keep up with a defense that was one of the worst in the long and storied history of Nebraska football. No, the Callahan experiment didn't work, but even with four years to change things around, he never really had a chance.

Callahan had to make the Nebraska Cornhuskers a monster again, and while former athletic director Steve Pederson actually had the right idea in wanting to give the program a makeover and a fresh paint job, it happened while maddening the Husker nation. So will pandering to the fan base by bringing back Tom Osborne to run the show and getting more marginally talented walk-on farm kids make Nebraska a national powerhouse again? No, but it makes everyone feel more comfortable again. What's going to change things around will be 1) better coaching, 2) better players, and 3) better schemes.

Nebraska can win with its old running style, but it needs the defense to be able to hold its own, and it needs to get a few superstars from elsewhere to operate around the homegrown try-hards. Yeah, build the base by getting Nebraska kids who'll run through a wall for the program, but that's a given. All new head man Bo Pelini needs to do is open his door and he'll be flooded with them. It's getting the guys who'll make the engine go that'll be the hard part.

Tommie Frazier was from Florida. Steve Taylor was from California. Turner Gill was from Texas, and Irving Fryar and Mike Rozier were from New Jersey. Nebraska has to be a place where a top talent can go and believe he can be a superstar, and Pelini, eventually, should be able to do that. But first, he'll work on the defense.

Nebraska will be instantly better with stronger coaching making the D more aggressive, better at tackling, and leaner. Last year's group got bigger, but it didn't improve. Offensively, there won't be as many fireworks, but it should be a better running, even more efficient and consistent attack.

No, Nebraska isn't going to be a superpower overnight, but it shouldn't take that much to get back to a bowl game. After all, last year's team, as bad as it was, still went 5-7. Call this a stepping stone season, but at least things in the Big Red world appear to be back on the right track.

What to watch for on offense: More power running. Marlon Lucky is one of the nation's best all-around backs, and there's good speed and promise behind them. The line gets four good starters returning to go along with a little bit of depth, so while the passing game won't be abandoned, the offense will revolve around the ground attack. It'll have to with a mediocre receiving corps unlikely to scare anyone.

What to expect on defense: A tackle. The defense didn't exactly give up as it was allowing 46 points per game over the final seven games, but it wasn't exactly effective. The talent in the back seven is down compared to last year, but the coaching staff will make it more aggressive, lighter and faster. The line should be far more productive with all four starters returning and great depth.

This team will be much better if ... The defense forces a turnover. The offense gave it away 28 times, which wasn't all that bad, but the defense came up with 11 takeaways. 11! Marshall, which forced seven turnovers, was the only team to come up with fewer than the Huskers. The Pelini-led defense should get off the bus and force more than the three fumbles it cranked out last year.

The Schedule: The Pelini era kicks off with three winnable, but potentially problematic non-conference games against Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State. No Husker fan will expect anything less than a 3-0 start, but that'll be tougher than it looks. There's a week off before a killer three-game stretch of Virginia Tech, Missouri and at Texas Tech. At Iowa State and home against Baylor will be relative breathers before a second brutal three-game run (at Oklahoma, Kansas and at Kansas State) to close out the string of eight games in eight weeks. There's a week off before the Friday game against Colorado.

Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Marlon Lucky. Lucky went from being an oft-injured star prospect with all the talent in the world, to a phenomenal all-around back who led the team in receiving while running for 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns. He's not going to have to carry the entire workload with some decent backups ready to take away carries, but he'll be the focal point of the offense.

Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Barry Turner. While the defense was horrific, and the line was awful, Turner came up with a decent year making 29 tackles with three sacks. While that might not seem like much, the 6-3, 260-pounder has a non-stop motor who forces offenses to adjust. Under the new coaching staff, he could blow up and be a major-league star.

Key player to a successful season: The entire linebacking corps. Steve Octavien, Bo Ruud, and Corey McKeon were supposed to form a talented, veteran corps that was going to be the backbone of Nebraska's resurgence. The line didn't provide any help, but overall, the linebackers stunk. Now it'll be up to a less talented group, but with a better scheme, to make big improvements. It's a patchwork corps with a former running back (Cody Glenn), a guy who was 270 pounds going into the offseason and is now down to 238 (Phillip Dillard), and a total unknown who had one good spring (Tyler Wortman).

The season will be a success if ... The Huskers win eight games. That might seem like a low goal, but for a team with so many problems, and in a league that'll be as good as the Big 12 will be, just getting its head back above water should be good enough for now. There can't be any mistakes in the non-conference schedule before dealing with Virginia Tech, and there has to be an upset (yeah, it would be an upset) over a Missouri or a Kansas along the way.

OFFENSE
Lost in the shuffle of last year's nightmare season was an offense that really did work. Yeah, it died for a stretch midseason, but once it started humming, it was a yardage machine. Now, all the key parts are back everywhere but wide receiver, which will be the team's Achilles heel with Maurice Purify gone. Nate Swift and Todd Peterson are serviceable, but hardly anything special. Steadying the quarterback situation is Joe Ganz, a good, accurate passer who'll make the receivers better. Fortunately, the coaching staff wants to run the ball more, and with Marlon Lucky, one of the nation's most versatile backs, and a good, veteran line that should blossom into something special, the ground game will be better.

Quarterbacks: After finishing seventh in the nation in passing, mostly to keep up with all the points and yards put up by opposing offenses, the game has changed. No longer will the quarterbacks be asked to carry the team; now they're supposed to be a part of it. Being efficient and effective, while letting the running game do its thing, will be the task, and at that, senior Joe Ganz should be strong. He won't get any all-star credit in a big year for Big 12 quarterbacks, but he'll have a great season. There will be an ongoing battle for the number two job between senior Beau Davis and sophomore Zac Lee. The 6-2, 210-pound Lee was a star scout teamer last year with a strong, accurate arm with just enough quickness to run for a first down now and then. The 6-4, 180-pound Davis has been a career backup, mostly an emergency, No. 3 sort of quarterback, but he knows what he's doing.

Running Backs: The situation is excellent as long as Marlon Lucky stays healthy. There's good depth, excellent speed and athleticism, and some great upside, but Lucky is the marquee star who needs to carry the offense through the rough patches. It won't be back to the good old days of the Big Red Machine rushing dominance, but the ground game will average far more than last year's 144 yards per game. Lucky is the franchise back, but he'll get even more help this season. The backups, 245-pound Quentin Castille, speedy Marcus Mendoza, and spring star Roy Helu, are good enough to carry the running game from time to time.

Receivers: It'll be a different type of year for the receivers. Now they'll have to block more, and this group should be able to do it. They'll have to be reliable to keep the chains moving, but they won't have all the pressure on them to blow up and carry the attack. Nate Swift and Todd Peterson are good, Menelik Holt, Curenski Gilleylen and Niles Paul should be better, and the tight ends have the potential to be really good. Swift has always been a good No. 2 and Peterson is more like a decent No. 3 man. Who's going to step up and become the guy who keeps defensive coordinators awake at night? TE Mike McNeill could be the team's biggest breakout performer.

Offensive Line: The line did a great job last year considering there was almost never the same starting lineup two games in a row. If everyone stays healthy and there's some consistency, this should be one of the Big 12 North's better front walls. It might not be as good as the Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas lines, but it'll be strong with good starters, some more talented backups, and a coaching staff that'll want to pound the ball more. With all the shuffling done on the line last year, there's experience and depth for just about every spot, and mostly, there's good versatility with players like Matt Slauson, Jacob Hickman and D.J. Jones able to slide around where needed.

Defense
The Nebraska Cornhuskers allowed 477 yards per game, 232 rushing yards, and 38 points per game — the Nebraska Cornhuskers! Bo Pelini, and his brother, defensive coordinator, Carl, are going to change things up in hurry. Everything starts with the line that did absolutely nothing last year to get into the backfield and was a marshmallow against the run. Now it's leaner, meaner, and chock full of good veterans and depth. If the line isn't fantastic, it's uh-oh time with a potentially awful back seven that needs everything the Pelini brothers can put together. There's no depth whatsoever, marginal talent in the linebacking corps, and decent, but not great defensive backs. If nothing else, the defense will be far more aggressive and unlike last year, it should be able to tackle.

Defensive Line: Expect a night-and-day improvement. All new coaching staffs say they need to get their players in better shape, but this one actually did it with the front four that will be far more aggressive and far better. This won't be the Big 12's worst line against the run again — there's no way, no how the line does that under this coaching staff. It's wrong to say the line gave up last year, but once the floodgates started to open up, the tackles did nothing to close them. Ndamukong Suh, Kevin Dixon, Ty Steinkuhler and Shurkee Barfield should form one of the most improved groups of tackles in the Big 12.

Linebackers: Uh oh. While the coaching staff should be able to put the players in places to succeed, if there's any one area on the team that could melt down and become an absolute disaster, it should be the linebacking corps. Then again, last year's corps appeared poised and ready to be one of the best in the Big 12, and it stunk. Pelini and his staff will make up for the lack of experience and proven production with a scheme that'll get everyone moving and make everyone swarm around the ball. There won't be a whole bunch of reading and reacting to do. There are good athletes and decent prospects, but replacing the trio of Steve Octavien, Bo Ruud, and Corey McKeon won't be easy. Basically, Nebraska's starting three will be made up of a former running back (Cody Glenn), a backup who lost about 40 pounds (Phillip Dillard), and an afterthought of a reserve (Ty Wortman) who has come from out of nowhere.

Secondary: This was supposed to be a strong, productive defensive backfield last year, but it didn't happen as injuries and problems with the pass rush hurt the overall numbers. It didn't help that the Husker secondary had to spend so much time cleaning up the messes against the run. Now this could be a trouble spot with a decent starting foursome, but little proven depth and no real standouts other than, possibly, Armando Murillo. A lot of pressure will be put on this secondary to produce.

Special Teams: The special teams weren't all that bad across the board last season, and they should be decent this year. The punting game, with a great coverage team, needs to shine again, while the kickers need to build on a strong 2007. The key will be to get a bit more pop out of the returners. The placekickers didn't get too many opportunities, but they came through when they got a shot with sophomore Alex Henery hitting all eight of his field goal attempts, with all coming inside the 40, while sophomore Adi Kunalic nailed the one 46-yard attempt he had. These two will get far more work this year, especially Kunalic who has range from just inside of the stadium. Senior punter Dan Titchener is an experienced veteran who averaged 41.3 yards per kick and put 14 inside the 20. He has a decent leg, but not a big one, but he's good at placing the ball. He might not be special, but he's not going to get the team beat.

Courtesy Pete Fiutak-Foxsports.com

Get ready...

2008-07-09T08:52:00.001-05:00

So what...It's the CWS!

2008-06-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

I know this is a Husker blog, but I feel that the article below speaks volumes about the quality of fans we have in the state of the "Good Life."...Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. – College baseball coaches across the country don't have to prepare any long inspirational speeches before the start of each season. They only need to say one word.

Omaha.

The mere mention of the city reminds even the most casual sports fans that the College World Series takes place here each June. Fans flock to Rosenblatt Stadium every June for the College World Series.

"When you see the young men who come there for the first time to practice, you remember the movie 'Field of Dreams,' '' said Dennis Poppe, the NCAA vice president for baseball and football. "They stop and take pictures. They take home handfuls of dirt.

"It's become a very sacred and kind of traditional place to play."

In an era when the NCAA likes to rotate its championship events to different sites each year, the College World Series represents the exception to the rule.

The CWS has made its home in Omaha since 1950 and won't be leaving anytime soon. City officials have announced plans to build a 24,000-seat downtown stadium that will keep the tournament in Omaha until at least 2035. The $140 million project is expected to be ready by 2011.

Longtime fans couldn't imagine the College World Series anywhere else.

"It would have been like a death in the family," said Subby Anzaldo, who has attended the CWS for the past four decades. "(Losing) the father who provides for the family, it would have been a sadness similar to that."

Anzaldo might not have had much reason to worry. Other cities that wanted to host the CWS revered the event's Omaha tradition so much that their requests often came with one huge condition.

"Yes, I've had inquiries from other cities," Poppe said. "I think what's developed among the industry is such a respect for what Omaha has done that the request was normally proposed to me like this: 'If Omaha loses interest or doesn't want to conduct the championship in the future, please contact us.' "

Omaha's decision to build a new stadium shows the city isn't losing interest in this event. The growing attendance figures – last year's CWS drew 300,702 spectators – suggest the opposite is true. The 2007 College World Series pumped $41 million into the Omaha economy, a study done by Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss showed.

But those numbers don't tell half the story about Omaha's investment. Omaha residents circle the CWS dates on their calendar each year and treat the two-week tournament as more than a mere sporting event.

Omaha puts on the kind of show that couldn't be recreated if the tournament moved each year to various sites across the country.

FINDING A HOME

"With the people in Omaha, this is their baby," said recently retired Mississippi State coach Ron Polk, who took eight teams to the CWS during his 35-year head coaching career. "This is their big time of year. If you go to Chicago, St. Louis or New York, it's just another thing coming into town."

The sense of tradition that ties the College World Series to Omaha is evident as soon as a spectator approaches Rosenblatt Stadium. As you walk around the neighborhood surrounding the ballpark, you'll find a scene similar to a college football Saturday, with thousands of fans tailgating.

Get to the ticket window and you might find Eddie Sobczyk, who has worked as a ticket manager for about 45 years. Look a little closer and you may see his son, Mike, who drives from the Boston area each year with his wife, son and dog to help his dad handle the ticket sales.

Once you get to the stadium, you can look over at Anzaldo in the front-row seats he's kept behind the first-base dugout for the past 40 years or so. Then you'll hear the sounds of Lambert Bartak, who has worked as the Rosenblatt Stadium organist for almost as long as the College World Series has been in Omaha.

"The personality of the College World Series is such that if I can describe it in kind of a corny way, it's like a giant county fair or state fair," Poppe said. "It's where everyone meets. Everyone sees the same people because you've been in the same seats for 20 years. You still have the organ music being played. There's the ice cream, the food you shouldn't eat but that everyone eats.

"It's a family gathering. You see a lot of fathers, sons and grandfathers going to the game together. It's one of the few events that all ages attend. It has that nostalgic appeal. It's not glass and chrome. It's grass and dirt. It's an interesting throwback to what some people in my generation remember baseball to be."

As much as it now may seem like a match made in heaven, the College World Series' relationship with Omaha actually began as a marriage of convenience. The CWS originally had a nomadic existence. The event started in 1947 in Kalamazoo, Mich., and stayed there the following year. The 1949 College World Series, which featured George Herbert Walker Bush as Yale's captain, took place in Wichita, Kan.

"I don't think anyone really wanted it at the time," Omaha mayor Mike Fahey said. "It was one of those things that didn't have that glamour. It was shortly after the war when it first came here, and I just don't think anyone really wanted it for a while."

What brought it to Omaha?

"It's one of those questions that depends on who you talk to," Poppe said. "It was kind of an event looking for a home. The one that's probably as credible as any I've ever heard is that the NCAA was looking for a site and had a contact in Omaha who said, 'Yeah, we'll bring it here and split everything 50-50.' ''

There initially wasn't much money to split. The average attendance for Omaha's first College World Series was 1,781, a far cry from the 25,012 fans who packed the stadium to watch Oregon State clinch last season's title against North Carolina.

"During the 1950s, the only people there were people directly connected to one of the teams," said Ron Anglim, a 67-year-old Omaha resident and longtime CWS ticket-holder who grew up 10 blocks west of Rosenblatt Stadium. "No fans traveled with the teams, none to speak of."

CWS organizers cite former Omaha mayor Johnny Rosenblatt and three other members of the community – Ed Pettis, Morris Jacobs and Byron Reed – for helping raise interest in the event during its initial period in Omaha. Jack Diesing Sr. also deserves much of the credit for the College World Series' rise in popularity after those early lean years.

Diesing created College World Series of Omaha Inc., which gave the tournament a local organizing committee. He got local service clubs to sell advance tickets to the event, leading to an immediate spike in attendance. Diesing used a Green Stamps-type format that allowed people to earn prizes such as jackets and golf balls if they sold a certain number of tickets.

"You can just look back and say this is a man who made it grow," said Louis Spry, who spent over three decades working for the NCAA and has served as the CWS' official scorekeeper since 1981. "One of the first things he did is involve more people in the community."

That community involvement continues to this day. Omaha service clubs hold contests each year to determine who can sell the most advance tickets. Each service club also is responsible for greeting a CWS team at the airport and serving at that team's beck and call throughout the tournament.

"The baseball championship is a two-week event," said Jack Diesing Jr., who now heads College World Series Inc. of Omaha. "It's not a weekend. You need to have a venue that basically takes the bull by the horns and takes ownership of the event along with the NCAA. Essentially we have as much interest in making it a success as they do."

IT'S GETTING CROWDED

The crowds at the College World Series have grown steadily ever since it first came to Omaha in 1950. This chart shows how the attendance grew in 10-year increments and the annual attendance since 2000.

Year Total Att. Avg. Att.
1950 17,805 1,781
1960 35,222 3,522
1970 74,683 7,468
1980 95,406 9,541
1990 138,426 15,381
2000 200,917 22,324
2001 196,515 21,835
2002 223,762 22,376
2003 260,091 21,674
2004 256,730 23,339
2005 263,475 23,952
2006 310,609 22,186
2007 300,702 23,131

Omaha residents possess such an interest in the CWS that they will fill the stands even when they don't have a rooting interest.
The last two College World Series have attracted the most fans in the event's history even though every school to make the field in 2006 and 2007 was at least 695 miles from Omaha. But Goss' study indicated that more than half the CWS attendees each year are from Nebraska.

"As college baseball got more popular, there was a push to have it in Miami because of weather, there was a push to have it in Phoenix because of better weather, or that maybe it ought to be in a dome because of better weather," Spry said. "If you had the College World Series in Phoenix, if Arizona or Arizona State were in it, you'd draw like gangbusters. But the minute they're out, you're not going to draw down there.

"That's the thing about Omaha. It doesn't matter who's there."

Omaha has been repaid for its consistent support of the CWS. The city hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament this season. The U.S. Olympic swimming trials and the NCAA women's volleyball Final Four are coming here later this year.

Fahey said the success of the College World Series helped bring those other events to Omaha.

"It has a tremendous impact on that," he said. "They know we know how to put fans in the seats, that we do this extraordinarily well and have a great group of volunteers who come out. We haven't put on a sporting event where we haven't packed the house.''

And it all started nearly six decades ago with a little tournament that nobody seemed to want.

"How many cities are synonymous with an event?" Poppe asked. "You say Augusta, Churchill Downs and Indianapolis, and you know what sports events are there.

"I'd venture to say that a lot of people know when you say Omaha, you mean the College World Series."

Article Courtesy Steve Megargee of Rivals.com

Wiki-sker

2008-05-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

Learn here.

Time to get that feelin back...

2008-05-14T13:39:00.001-05:00

Huskers add d-lineman to recruiting class

2008-05-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

No, Nebraska’s latest football commitment, Thaddeus Randle, isn’t the biggest defensive tackle you’ll find.

He’s 6-foot-11/2, about 260 pounds. But he also runs the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds, fast for a guy on the inside. And maybe even more important than that: “He has a low center of gravity,” said his high school coach, David Aymond. “His feet never quit.”

So when it comes to winning the battle of leverage in the trenches, the player from Galena Park, Texas, does so more often than not.

Nebraska coaches saw enough to like that they offered Randle a scholarship.

And on Monday, only about a week and a half after the Huskers first started courting him, Randle called NU coach Bo Pelini to tell him he was coming aboard.

“(Pelini’s) like, ‘We’re ready.’ He was jacked up about it,” Randle said.

Randle has started at North Shore High School — located in the Houston area and the alma mater of former Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid — since his sophomore year. That’s not easy to do, said Aymond, whose team went 14-1 last season.

Aymond and some of his assistants who played at LSU were familiar with Pelini and Husker linebackers coach Mike Ekeler, the primary recruiter of Randle.

“I think that side of it opened the door for our contact,” Aymond said. “Still, that doesn’t help you land players. You have to recruit on credibility and do a selling job. (Ekeler’s) very intense and that’s the way it is at our place. And it shows in Thaddeus’ play.”

The third known commitment for NU’s 2009 recruiting class, Randle becomes the second defensive tackle on the list, joining Lincoln Northeast standout Cole Pensick. The Huskers also have a commitment from Pennsylvania linebacker Shawn Bodtmann.

Randle said he liked the program’s tradition, but also the feeling he got about how Nebraska’s coaches connect with players.

Yeah, Randle said, Ekeler is definitely intense.

“I liked it, though. He was talking how he liked the way I move my feet, my hand placement and stuff. I never stop running to the ball.”

Aymond said he sees Randle as the type of player who will grow right along with the Husker program.

“I think Thaddeus and his family see it as a chance to be part of a program on the rise, because it will be on the rise with the changing of the guard,” Aymond said.

Article Courtesy Brian Christopherson at The Journal Star

::Ferdinand's Ma::

Keller Buc's UP

2008-05-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

Former Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller is headed to Tampa, Fla., Thursday to participate in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie mini-camp. He'll try to make the team as a free agent.

“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll then go to the Arena League,” Keller said Wednesday.

Keller completed a Nebraska single-season-record 63.1 percent of his passes in nine games last season for 2,422 yards and 14 touchdowns. His season and college career ended when he suffered a broken collarbone in the fourth quarter against Texas.

Still, Keller said he had expected to be selected in the late rounds of last weekend’s NFL Draft, or signed as a free agent.

Neither happened. Now, his future is up in the air.

“Obviously, there are some people out there who don’t think I can play,” Keller said. “This weekend was disappointing. But I guess it’s just some more adversity for Sammy.”

Keller, however, is upbeat to get an opportunity with Tampa Bay. He said he’ll be one of two rookie quarterbacks at the camp, the other being Josh Johnson of San Diego.

“I’m going down there feeling good — I’m just just super, super excited,” Keller said.

Story Courtesy the Lincoln Journal Star

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Sker's Swoon Latest Recruit

2008-04-28T09:18:00.000-05:00

Click here for Journal Star Article.

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Reds beat the Whites 24-14

2008-04-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

Omaha World Herald Video Clip on the Spring Game...CLICK HERE

SI's "Nebraska Lost, Nebraska Found"

2008-04-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

Click Here for Sports Illustrated Article

Kansas had 7,500 people at their Spring Game...what about us?

2008-04-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

The story grew some legs and ran. It ran to the front page of the Yahoo Sports Web site. It ran to a 15-second segment on CNN Headline News.

“In Nebraska, tickets are going as high as $95 for a practice!” announced the news anchor. “Now those are fans.”

Allen Iverson would not understand this, not at all. “I mean, listen, we’re sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game.”
[+]Enlarge

We’re talking about a sellout, about 80,000 people coming to watch a football practice where the quarterbacks can’t be tackled.

Call it crazy. Call it nuts. Call it a monster of a recruiting tool.

Memorial Stadium will be packed with fans for Saturday’s Spring Game and plenty of recruits want in on the action, too.

Jeff Jamrog, assistant athletic director for football operations, said there will be more than 100 recruits on hand for the weekend’s festivities. Many of them are from the Midwest, but some are coming from as far as Louisiana.

“The more the better,” Husker coach Bo Pelini said.

Recruits will walk the field during pre-game warm-ups, getting a view of something Jamrog knows will be hard to find on any other recruiting visit this spring.

“They’ll get a glimpse firsthand of what game day is like at Nebraska,” Jamrog said. “We can say, ‘What you saw is very similar to what it will be like in the fall.’ You look around and a lot of other stadiums around the country are a third- to half-full for their spring games.”

Stadiums at other places just don’t fill up for spring games — perhaps Alabama and Ohio State excluded.

Alabama drew 78,200 fans to its spring game last weekend after setting a college record for spring attendance with 92,138 in 2007.

But if you look around at other school’s attendance figures, and Jamrog has been, the numbers can’t compare to what Nebraska will have Saturday.

Pelini’s former school, Louisiana State, drew roughly 33,000 to its spring game. Oklahoma drew about 23,000. And Kansas? Coming off a one-loss season, the Jayhawks had only about 7,500 fans at their game Monday despite offering free admission and a free T-shirt.

Who’s to say how much a full stadium in April affects a recruit’s thinking, but Jamrog’s thinking is the passion sure can’t hurt.

“No doubt it sends a strong message to everyone,” he said. “Not to only recruits, but also the current players that everyone is supportive, behind them. Any edge you can get in recruiting is extremely helpful.”

On the invitation list this weekend are all the signees and walk-ons from the 2008 class. Joining them will be potential prospects for the next recruiting class, some of them having already been offered scholarships by NU.

Players will gather Friday night for a meeting, and on Saturday morning will meet to tour the facilities. Before the scrimmage, they’ll hear from Pelini and athletic director Tom Osborne. Then they’ll walk the field while the stadium fills with red.

It might be a practice, but the Husker camp is going to get everything it can out of it. Jamrog said he hopes Saturday might be the “springboard” for a program trying to distance itself from last season’s struggles.

On Monday, Pelini was asked what he thought about all this — those Husker fans attempting to sell tickets on certain Internet sites for more than $100 apiece.

Apparently, the first-year head coach has already grown used to the extreme fandom that exists here, because he said it wasn’t surprising.

“I hope to see the place full,” Pelini said. “It should be a heck of an atmosphere for our guys. Once again, to see all the support, it hopefully will put some juice in them and make them want to work that much harder through the summer.”

Courtesy Brian Chistopherson at the Journal Star

::Ferdinand's Mom::

Mr. and Mrs. Zac Attack

2008-04-12T08:35:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Zac Taylor who recently tied the knot. Everyone in attendance had a great time!

::The Noots::

Congrats to Kansas...

2008-04-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

You have the classiest fans in the country!

Recruiting Breakdown

2008-04-03T23:26:00.000-05:00

Big Red Network Recruiting Site

SPRING SHOWERS BRING HUSKER POWER

2008-03-28T09:59:00.000-05:00

Coach Pelini is making an effort to keep his Huskers out of bars and from dancing with Cougars.

Yesterday marked a momentous occasion in the state of Nebraska; spring practice started. With his first year now officially underway, coach Pelini thinks the football team has taken a different approach to the game on the field and life off the field.

With 4 current and former huskers being either arrested or ticketed in the past month, Pelini outlawed any football player from being at a bar, any bar. Projected quarterback Joe Ganz thinks it’s a harsh sentence, but a necessary step in the right direction.

Pelini also made mention that the defensive unit looked very impressive in their first run though since a 5-7 and virtually last in the 119 teams in total defense, 2007 campaign. Encouraged by this message boards across the Husker Nation are buzzing about the future Blackshirts. Only time will tell if Nebraska has the same on field swagger, but it appears that Pelini has them going in the right direction.

::Ghram Ferdinand::

Bo's a bad mutha

2008-03-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

LINCOLN — Nebraska offensive lineman Matt Slauson had a head start on dealing with Bo Pelini and the head coach's style and manner of running the Husker football program.

"There's not room for debate," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said of how things will be run. "If they want to do it another way, there's a lot of other Division I football programs they can play at. There are not a lot of things that are up for discussion as far as how the game's going to be played and how we're going to go about things."
Slauson spent a year at Air Force Prep School in Colorado Springs, Colo. The senior was exposed to being told things were going to be a certain way and it was your job to conform.

"Coming from the Air Force deal," Slauson said, "you really learn to just shut up and just go."

Welcome to Nebraska football 2008.

Spring practice starts Wednesday, but Pelini already has clubbed the Huskers over the helmet with his "my way" approach. If there was going to be any butting of heads, several NU upperclassmen said Monday that's already been taken care of.

"We know it's his rules, and if we don't abide by them then we can go play somewhere else," senior defensive end Zach Potter said.

In reality, Slauson said, the adjustment has actually gone pretty smoothly. If there was any initial resistance, it came only because some veterans were just trained to do things the old way and had to adjust.

"I just think when these coaches came in that they commanded respect from the first day," Slauson said. "They said, 'Look, we are in a world of hurt here.' And we were. We're coming off the worst year that Nebraska has had since I don't know when. They said, 'We're going to do it right, we're going to do it the Nebraska way, we're going to do it my way.'"

After a 5-7 season, Slauson said it would have been hard for any returning Huskers to argue it. Submit, trust and move on — whether it was in a meeting room, winter conditioning or the practice field in coming days.

"It was an adjustment for them," Pelini said. "It still is going to be an adjustment. But I don't really concern myself with if I'm hurting anybody's feelings or what their thoughts are on it. But I think they've had great attitudes. They've done well with it."

No doubt there have been tests sprinkled in along the way.

Slauson recalls one in particular in the latter stages of the winter conditioning program. After a hard day of running, Pelini told his players to be back at 6 the next morning to do it all over again.

"I mean, we've got nothing left, and he tells us to get on the line," Slauson said. "And then after our conditioning, we have more conditioning. It's just like, 'What is he doing?'"

The right thing happened, Slauson said. Players rallied around each other and finished strong. Slauson had never seen anything like it in his three previous years in the program.

"I think that message he sent across right then was, 'Listen, if you're tired, leave, but this is my way,' and we all came together as a team," Slauson said.

Afterward, Pelini patted them on the back, praised their effort and told them they were getting closer and closer to where he needed them to be.

Pelini said he didn't expect any trouble with players buying in or believing. He said there's a proven track record with both him and his staff.

Their way. His way.

"There's not room for debate," Pelini said. "It's going to be done certain ways. If they want to do it another way, there's a lot of other Division I football programs they can play at. There are not a lot of things that are up for discussion as far as how the game's going to be played and how we're going to go about things."

Pelini had to say a lot of similar things two weeks ago after a weekend littered with three off-the-field incidents involving players.

Potter said one thing that was made clear both then and previously was that the same rules apply whether involving a senior or a freshman. A starter or a backup. Nobody will be allowed to go his own way.

Starting Wednesday, it just gets taken to the practice field for the first time.

"Everybody's on the same page," Potter said. "There are no favorites. We're all the same person."

Courtesy of the Omaha World Herald

::Ferdinand's Ma::

Happy Bo Day

2008-03-16T15:27:00.001-05:00

Love,
Bo

Huskers and Ex-Skers ticketed at party

2008-03-11T06:09:00.000-05:00

This may be a good omen for the season if we can get Lawrence Phillips hired as Strength and Extraditioning Coach.

Three current Nebraska football players and two former players with NFL ambitions were ticketed at a couple of house parties over the weekend.

Police say they ticketed Maurice Purify, 22; Carl Nicks, 22; Ben Martin, 19; and Mike V. Smith, 19, after they were called to 3124 Mickaela Lane in northwest Lincoln just before midnight Saturday about a loud party.

Nick Covey, 20, was ticketed for being a minor in possession of alcohol at a separate party Friday, Lincoln Police Capt. David Beggs said. The junior linebacker, two months and two days from his 21st birthday, was cooperative with police.

Purify’s ticket could be more damaging than it appears on the surface. The former Husker receiver is already on probation for an arrest last summer and needed to make a good impression on NFL personnel with the league’s draft being held next month.

Officer Katie Flood said when police arrived to that party, the music could be heard from the sidewalk and more than 75 people were inside. Empty beer cans littered the home.

Flood said police cited 10 party-goers who remained after officers told everyone to leave, including the four players.

Police arrested Nicks on suspicion of being an inmate of a disorderly house and failure to disperse after he wouldn’t leave. He later was released.

Smith was accused of maintaining a disorderly house, and Purify and Martin of being inmates of a disorderly house.

A sophomore offensive lineman, Smith backed up Nicks at left tackle last season and is expected to be a candidate to start this fall. Martin is a sophomore defensive lineman who played in six games last year.

Husker coach Bo Pelini said the matters with current players would be dealt with internally.

Purify is on probation for misdeeds prior to his senior season last year: an assault, disturbing the peace, interrupting arrest and DUI.

In January, prosecutors reopened the case on a motion to revoke his probation, after he was accused of driving on a suspended license in October.

Both Purify and Nicks recently went to the NFL Combine and received mostly positive reviews.

Some believe the 335-pound Nicks could be taken on the first day of the NFL Draft (in the first two rounds).

And Purify had performed well enough at the combine to put himself in position to be a late-round pick, said Scott Wright, an analyst for NFL Draft Countdown.

“What’s going to be important now is his interviews,” Wright said at the combine. “He needs to convince coaches and general managers that off-the-field problems won’t be an issue.”

Courtesy The Lincoln Journal Star

Only for true Nebraska-bred Husker fans...

2008-03-07T08:20:00.000-06:00

Click Here

::The Noots::

A little outdated...but good...

2008-03-04T11:01:00.001-06:00

Who's your Husker daddy?

2008-02-28T08:42:00.000-06:00

Dear Huskers,

With spring practice just around the corner, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of the football program. Coach Pelini and his coaching staff are anxious to begin formal preparations for the 2008 season and are set to hit the field for the first spring practice on March 26.

In the next few weeks, you will receive your 2008 football season ticket renewal invoice in the mail. You will notice there is no price increase this season as the average cost for season ticket holders remains $52 per game. With an additional home game, your cost per season ticket will be $416. We look forward to an exciting season and your support of the team as Bo and his staff work diligently to bring back the Nebraska tradition.

Thank you for your support.

Tom Osborne

::Ghram Ferdinand's Mom::

Mangino states KU will be in better physical condition next season...

2008-02-27T08:25:00.000-06:00

Inspirational video for the 2008 Huskers

2008-02-19T19:34:00.000-06:00

Big Red Endorsement

2008-02-19T19:26:00.001-06:00

Do you want one?

2008-02-17T18:28:00.000-06:00

Get'em while they are still available

2008-02-14T15:01:00.001-06:00

2008 Big 12 Football Championship Game Tickets To Go On Sale

Tickets for the 2008 Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 6, at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, go on sale Friday, February 15, at 10 a.m. (Central).

Tickets can be purchased through all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (800) 676-5488 or (816) 931-3330 in Kansas City, via the internet at www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Arrowhead Stadium ticket office. Tickets will not be sold through the Big 12 Conference office.

Tickets are priced at $85, $75, $65 and $55 each based upon location, plus applicable convenience and handling fee charges.

Each participating university is allotted approximately 8,500 tickets, which will become available upon qualification for the championship and distributed by the respective participants' ticket office.

Fans interested in hospitality packages may contact Cori Hale at (816) 920-4539. For information regarding suites, please contact Kristin Helmink at (816) 920-4505.

- BIG 12 -

::Ghram Ferdinand's Mom::

Chris Berman set to call Husker Red & White Game

2008-02-07T11:03:00.000-06:00

Inside UNL with Ghram Ferdinand's Mom

2008-02-06T14:38:00.000-06:00

We are pleased to give you the first look at our 2008 Nebraska Football Recruiting Class. We think you will enjoy reading about our future Cornhuskers. In the upcoming weeks, we will continue to announce our walk-ons as they become official. We are very pleased with the student-athletes who have committed to walk on with us.

Thank you for your continued support of our program. Click on the link below to read more about our recruits, or to purchase tickets for the Spring Game scheduled for April 19. We hope to see you there!

Go Big Red!

2008 University of Nebraska Football Signees

Alphabetical Listing:
Name...Pos...Ht...Wt...Hometown...High School/Junior College
Antonio Bell...WR...6-2...180...Daytona Beach, Fla...Mainland HS
Will Compton...LB...6-2...230...Bonne Terre, Mo...North County HS
Khiry Cooper ...WR...6-2...180...Shreveport, La...Calvary Baptist Academy
Ben Cotton...TE...6-6...230...Ames, Iowa...Ames HS
Alfonzo Dennard...DB...5-10...190...Rochelle, Ga...Wilcox County HS
Sean Fisher...LB...6-6...225...Omaha, Neb...Millard North HS
David Grant...OL...6-6...295...Killeen, Texas...Killeen HS
Ricky Henry...OL...6-4...305...Omaha, Neb...Omaha Burke HS/North Dakota State College of Science
Tyson Hetzer*...TE...6-6...245...Redding, Calif...Anderson HS/Citrus College
Micah Kreikemeier...LB...6-3...210...West Point, Neb...West Point Central Catholic HS
John Levorson...DB...6-3...190...Crete, Neb...Crete HS
Tim Marlowe...WR...5-10...160...Youngstown, Ohio...Cardinal Mooney HS
Cameron Meredith...DL...6-4...225...Santa Ana, Calif...Mater Dei HS
Collins Okafor...RB...6-1...195...Omaha, Neb...Omaha Westside HS
Courtney Osborne...ATH...6-3...175...Garland, Texas...South Garland HS
Steven Osborne...WR...6-4...185...Garland, Texas...South Garland HS
Kyler Reed...HB...6-3...220...Shawnee, Kan...St. Thomas Aquinas HS
Justin Rogers...DB...5-11...180...Birmingham, Ala...Vestavia Hills HS
P.J. Smith...DB...6-2...205...River Ridge, La...John Curtis HS
Kody Spano**...QB...6-2...205...Stephenville, Texas...Stephenville HS
Baker Steinkuhler...OL...6-6...290...Lincoln, Neb...Lincoln Southwest HS
Brandon Thompson...OL...6-6...295...The Woodlands, Texas...The Woodlands HS
Quentin Toailoa...DL...6-4...300...Highland, Calif...Redlands East Valley HS
Lester Ward...RB...6-3...215...Brenham, Texas...Brenham HS
Alonzo Whaley...LB/FB...6-1...225...Madisonville, Texas...Madisonville HS
David Whitmore...DB...6-2...185...Port Arthur, Texas...Memorial HS
Josh Williams...DL...6-4...225...Denton, Texas...Ryan HS

*-Indicates mid-year signee; **-enrolled at Nebraska in January

The Class Breakdown:
Total : 27; Freshmen: 25; Junior College Transfers : 2

By State:
Texas (9): Grant (Killeen); Courtney Osborne (Garland); Steven Osborne (Garland); Spano (Stephenville); Thompson (The Woodlands); Ward (Brenham); Whaley (Madisonville); Whitmore (Port Arthur); Williams (Denton); Nebraska (6): Fisher (Omaha); Henry (Omaha); Kreikemeier (West Point); Leverson (Crete); Okafor (Omaha); Steinkuhler (Lincoln); California (3): Hetzer (Glendora); Meredith (Santa Ana); Toailoa (Highland); Louisiana (2): Cooper (Shreveport); Smith (River Ridge); Alabama (1): Rogers (Birmingham); Florida (1): Bell (Daytona Beach); Georgia (1): Dennard (Rochelle); Iowa (1): Cotton (Ames); Kansas (1): Reed (Shawnee); Missouri (1): Compton (Bonne Terre); Ohio (1): Marlowe (Youngstown)

By Position (First Position Listed):
Offense (14) : QB -Spano; RB -Okafor, Ward; WR -Bell, Cooper, Marlowe, S. Osborne HB- Reed; TE -Cotton, Hetzer; OL -Grant, Henry, Steinkuhler, Thompson
Defense (12) : DL -Meredith, Toailoa, Williams; LB- Compton, Fisher, Kreikemeier, Whaley; DB -Dennard, Levorson, Smith, Rogers, Whitmore
Athlete (1): C. Osborne

Walk-On Student-Athletes
The following student-athletes have accepted admission to the University of Nebraska and plan to join the Husker football program as walk-ons in the fall.
Name...Pos...Ht...Wt...Hometown...High School
Kenny Anderson...DE...6-2...235...Omaha, Neb...Millard West HS
Damon Bechtold...TE...6-4...215...Omaha, Neb...Westside HS
Jase Dean...FS...6-0...180...Bridgeport, Neb...Bridgeport HS
Taylor Dixon...DB...5-11...170...Wauneta, Neb...Wauneta-Palisade HS
Justin Jackson...DL...6-3...255...Roca, Neb...Norris HS
Jordan Makovicka...RB...5-10...170...Ulysses, Neb...East Butler HS
Matt Manninger...LB...6-1...225...Omaha, Neb...Creighton Prep HS
Mychael McClure...LB...6-5...210...Wisner, Neb...Wisner-Pilger HS
Colin McDermott...LB...6-2...225...Omaha, Neb...Creighton Prep HS
Conor McDermott...DE...6-2...230...Omaha, Neb....Creighton Prep HS
Sam Meginnis...LB...6-2...210...Lincoln, Neb...Lincoln East HS
Josh Molek...DE...6-3...235...Omaha, Neb...Skutt HS
Brent Moravec...FB/LB...6-0...180...Grand Island, Neb...Central Catholic HS
David Pillen...FB/LB...5-11...230...Sugar Land, Texas...Stephen F. Austin HS
Zach Ruiz...QB/ATH...6-3...210...Beatrice, Neb...Beatrice HS
Steve Spratte...WR...5-11...180...Waukesha, Wis...Waukesha West HS
Graham Stoddard...LB...6-2...215...Lincoln, Neb...Lincoln Southwest HS
Jeremy Wallace...RB...6-1...220...Omaha, Neb...Bryan HS

SIGNING DAY

2008-02-06T09:01:00.000-06:00

Keep up to date on the only team that matters----> here.

Pelini on Rome

2008-02-05T20:25:00.000-06:00

Straight Outta Compton

2008-01-23T21:28:00.000-06:00

Crazy mothaf$cka named...Will. Four star linebacker recruit Will Compton has reaffirmed his pledge to be a Husker. After he teased other schools (Missouri) like a girl I knew in college (You know who you are Danielle!), Compton confirmed that Nebraska was the right place for him. Compton comes from the same high school as former NU commit Blaine Gabbert. I think it is safe to say that we like the name Will better than Blaine. Compton gives the Huskers another solid athlete that will more than likely fill the role of linebacker for Nebraska. However, his size and speed could allow him to get moved around to other positions. Thanks for choosing NU Will! Now back to listening to some more NWA...when I'm called off I got a sawed off.

::Chavez::

Did you have a Husker Starter Jacket?

2008-01-22T21:12:00.000-06:00

Lucky...I Guess We Are

2008-01-16T19:11:00.000-06:00

Good news came from the Nebraska camp when the word that Marlon Lucky will be returning next year was released. The news was released first not by a Lucky press conference, but instead during Omaha Westside running back Collins Okafor's. Okafor told the press that he plans to stay committed to Nebraska, especially after talking to Lucky who said he was sticking around for 2008. In my opinion, Marlon Lucky is making the right choice. If he entered the draft, he would have to compete with the likes of the Arkansas duo of McFadden and Jones. Not to mention several other top tier backs. And nobody wants to see another Darius Walker mishap...should have listened to Weis and stayed with the Irish buddy! With offensive coordinator Shawn Watson returning, look for Lucky to be a huge part of the offense this year. 2008 predictions for Lucky: 12,987 rushing yards (6,583 in first game against Western Michigan), 467 TD's, 8,952 receiving yards, 259 TD's.*

*Predictions not to be copied or reproduced without the expressed written consent of Chavez Inc. and www.thirdlargestcity.com.

Omaha World Herald Article

::Chavez::

Some Bo-nalogy

2008-01-13T21:44:00.000-06:00

Pelini has a full, happy staff...and his coaches are happy too.

2008-01-10T23:19:00.000-06:00

The official announcement, made a few days ago, named Tim Beck as the running backs coach position. Beck just finished his season with the Kansas Jayhawks as their receivers coach and pass game coordinator. Well thanks for coming over after beating the ever living crap out of us this year buddy! He kind of resembles that bully that takes your lunch money everyday after relocating your kidney, and then apologizes and wants to be a good guy 2 years down the road. Hopefully he coaches better than he poses for pictures.

Journal Star Article

Why Couldn't His Name Be Jesse?!

2008-01-08T08:55:00.000-06:00

Nebraska finally landed a quarterback recruit this past weekend. Texas native Cody Spano gave the Huskers a verbal commit and will be enrolling at UNL for the Spring semester. Spano was heavily recruited by schools in Texas and actually was committed to Oklahoma State before choosing Nebraska. Apparently he just wanted to go North. Spano is a dual threat quarterback and may be the next leader in the zone read attack. All in all, the Huskers picked up a quality recruit. As for me, "I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so...scared!"

Spano Blog Article

::Chavez::

Welcome back...Let's mess some people up this year!

2008-01-04T08:41:00.000-06:00

Happy Holla-daze From Third Largest City

2007-12-28T14:23:00.000-06:00

Herbie The Husker would never do this.

2007-12-23T19:37:00.001-06:00

Good year to be a husker!

2007-12-21T09:14:00.001-06:00

Click here

::The Noots::

Goodbye "Interim" Hello winning record!

2007-12-19T14:51:00.000-06:00

Photo and article courtesy Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations

Osborne named Athletic Director through 2010.(Click here for full article)

::Chavez::

BREAKING NEWS

2007-12-18T22:11:00.000-06:00

People in Nebraska like to hear news on the Nebraska Football Team! This comes as a shock to many as the state just recognized Speed Combining as the official sport of Nebraska.

KETV's Hottest Clicks of 2007

Hot Off The Big Red Presses...Staff Announced!

2007-12-17T16:47:00.001-06:00

From Coach Bo Pelini:

It is great to be back in Nebraska. I'm sorry I have not been able to personally respond to your many phone calls, e-mails and notes, but I want you to know that Mary Pat, Patrick, Kate, Caralyn and I sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness and warm welcome.

We have worked very hard to put together what I believe will be an excellent staff that already has been well received on the road recruiting. I am so appreciative of Coach Osborne's assistance with our recruiting and staffing—major efforts that will set the stage for future Nebraska successes. I am also confident that all of our assistant coaches will work extremely hard to get us back on track as a national football power.

Our staff is committed to reaching out to the Nebraska kids and developing young talent. We intend to play hard-nosed football with an aggressive Blackshirt defense and a physical, balanced offensive attack.

Shawn Watson and Ted Gilmore have agreed to join our new staff. They are dedicated to these players and I'm excited to have the opportunity to work with them both. Most of you have already seen the work ethic of Barney Cotton, Carl Pelini, Ron Brown and Marvin Sanders. I can assure you that Mike Ekeler and John Papuchis are also excellent teachers, communicators and motivators. Every coach on our staff has previous experience in the Big 12 Conference, and I'm confident that will help us to re-establish Nebraska as a force to be reckoned with in the league. We have also hired a running backs coach, but as he is committed to assist his current team in a bowl game, that hire will be announced at a later date.

In addition, I'm excited to announce the return of Jeff Jamrog back to our Nebraska family as Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations . Jeff is fully aware of our Nebraska traditions as a former player and coach for the Huskers. Armed with head coaching experience, he has a clear understanding of what we need to accomplish on a day-to-day basis.

Complete biographies of our new staff can be found on Huskers.com. But as loyal supporters of our program, I want you to be the first to meet the staff as a group. Thank you for your continued support of Cornhusker Football and Go Big Red!

Offensive Staff Members:
Barney Cotton, Associate Head Coach, Offensive Line… Barney is one of two coaches on staff who played for Nebraska. He also played several years in the NFL. Most recently, Barney was offensive coordinator at Iowa State. Coach Cotton is an excellent communicator and in addition to coaching our offensive line will serve as associate head coach, assisting me in a number of administrative duties.

Shawn Watson, Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks… Shawn is a proven offensive coordinator in the Big 12 Conference who knows this team's individual talents. I am confident he will have our offense performing to its full potential after leading us to an average of 468 yards per game in 2007. Shawn will continue to coach our quarterbacks.

Ted Gilmore, Assistant Head Coach, Wide Receivers, Recruiting Coordinator… Known for his ability as a recruiter and teacher, Ted guided a talented group of receivers to a school record-setting performance in 2007. Ted has experience at six Division I schools and has had success recruiting nationwide. As recruiting coordinator and assistant head coach, Ted will continue to play a key role in the overall direction of our program.

Ron Brown, Tight Ends… I have always admired the way Ron motivates and leads young men. When I accepted this job I knew that I wanted to bring back Ron, Barney, Carl and Marvin if at all possible. With 17 years of Husker experience on the offensive side of the ball, Ron will coach our tight ends.

Defensive Staff Members:
Carl Pelini, Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Line… I'm excited for this opportunity to work side by side with Carl. I'll be involved with every facet of the defense, but Carl will serve as defensive coordinator and coach the line. Carl spent the last three seasons as the defensive line coach at Ohio University, served as defensive coordinator at Minnesota State in 2004 and was on our Nebraska staff in 2003.

Mike Ekeler, Linebackers … A Nebraska native and a Kansas State grad, Mike was my graduate assistant at Oklahoma in 2004. We were also together at LSU where Mike was a graduate assistant and intern with the football program. Mike graduated from Blair High School in 1990 and was a member of the Bears' 1988 Class B state championship team, playing receiver and linebacker. He will coach our linebackers.

John Papuchis, Defensive Ends … John was with me at LSU where he served as a defensive intern, helping us rank third nationally in total defense each season. He also coached at Kansas after graduating from Virginia Tech. He brings such great energy with him.

Marvin Sanders, Cornerbacks… An excellent recruiter, Marvin coached our defensive backs at NU in 2003 when we set a school record with 47 takeaways. As a former player at Nebraska, Marvin will be an excellent leader for the Blackshirts and a great addition to the staff.

Complete biographical information on each of the assistant coaches can be found at Huskers.com.

::Ghram Ferdinand's Mom::