2012

[wilber24]

Keep thinking he will improve at pocket presence, making people miss, etc.  The power of positive thinking, just does not seem to be working!

[OhioHusker43065]

Undefeated may be a stretch, but winning a national title, the % is no worse than 1/120.  Given that a good half of the teams have no shot at a title due to non-AQ's, etc., it's probably even as high as 1/60! 

So you're saying there's a chance? 

I was waiting for someone to jump on that.

[OhioHusker43065]

I would truly love to be that mouse in the corner when Doctor Osborne holds court with Coach Pelini.  Those power lunches in the off season would give me much information to write about.  Since I'm not that bedbug on campus I have to read between the lines and guess the conversations that will arise out of such meetings.

For decades the program was all about not putting anyone on the field until they were worthy of the position.  That usually meant a load of fifth year seniors in the defense and offensive fronts.  Those special types that were physically and mentally mature may have got to the field as sophomores but those types didn't grow on many trees.

The assembly line was long and many players arrived on campus 220 pound and played at 260 to 300 pounds as upperclassmen.  Wistrom arrived at 215.  Long and lanky.  He played in a Super Bowl at 270 and played at Lincoln at first at around 250 and departed around 265.

When you shut down an operation that spends a couple of years getting kids ready to play bigtime football you take as long as it takes to get them there.  I recall a lot of names that didn't surface until their senior season and some even became All-Americans.  Yet many things within the program disappeared after Osborne departed.

Osborne was all about multiple practice stations.  That is at least two full practice fields being used simultaneously.  Like the USMC they left no one behind.  The walkon program provided enough bodies not to over use anyone that may have been nicked up.  Many instate players were just happy to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

That continuity that was always there, actually created some big names that were overlooked in the recruiting process.  Walkons that became vital roll player at practice and on the field.  Walkons that became All conference players.  Some even All Americans.  Enough left the assembly line as bigtime players that they kept coming year after year.

When there was separation on the scoreboard they were tossed a few bones now and then.  The Nebraska Rudy's got to play a play or two on Saturdays.  They got to play special teams even if it was just a couple of appearances in their careers.  They got to say they were Cornhuskers. 

The Terminator comes to mind.  Nebraska's very own Rudy got to come in against Kansas State and save the day.  Now Matt Turman is a high school head coach supplying the program with football players.  His team is championship material for the assembly line.

I'm pretty sure that Osborne is schooling Bo as to how it all works together.  Those power lunches have to have those conversations don't they?  The assembly lines were shut down in the last decade.  A single station saw many players listening to Ipods and watching clouds above while the first strings took the field.

Next I would think is the idea of getting other players some chances on Saturday.  Have others ready to play when those rainy days happen and you lose one of those first line players.  One of the problems is that the separation on the scoreboards is not near as wide as it use to be.

This has been a hot topic on the chatboards and will likely be one this off season.  Each year since Osborne has been the AD the gap has narrowed a little.  Yet it's still a distance away.  When that day comes where we see fifth year seniors on the line and we have enough separation that our Rudy's get to play in the forth quarters of games, then I'll guess the good Doctor will think his work is finally done.

Bo is a young head coach.  He needs to be that sponge that soaks all the little nuances of the program in.  While Osborne is still around Bo would be smart to learn how it all works.  Osborne was there once.  Yet Osborne had fluid continuity and the assembly lines stayed intact. 

Nebraska was always that little engine that could.  It has no beaches or mountains.  It's simplistic and down home.  It had a working system that had all the bedbugs worked out of it over time.  Bo needs those power lunches to help him understand how it all works.  It works best when you leave no one behind and you get everyone involved.  That may be one of those nuances that hasn't yet soaked in to the young headmaster.

I'm not trying to start a prairie fire or slam Bo.  I like the guy.  He just needs a few more lunches with the man.  Maybe Bo wants to create his very own program.  He is full of pride and may not want to follow the old blueprint.  It looks as if they are trying to replicate much of the old ways.  The reloading is still a ways off.  When we can implant a player that is ready to not miss a beat come Saturday.  2012 will get us a year closer to the time the factory is clicking along at 100% capacity.  Hopefully that time is 2013.

Off topic... but Terminator did not save the day against KSU in 94.  He had a role but Lawrence Phillips and the defense beat KSU that day. 

And Chad May cried like a little girl.

[OhioHusker43065]

The Terminator comes to mind.  Nebraska's very own Rudy got to come in against Kansas State and save the day.

Off topic... but Terminator did not save the day against KSU in 94.  He had a role but Lawrence Phillips and the defense beat KSU that day.  

Oh come on, TO let The Turmanator throw at least 3 swing passes!  

And Brook Berringer had to enter the game in the second half with a chest tube still in place to keep his lung inflated.

Sorry, but the "Turman-as-Savior-at-Manhattan-in-1994" tale has become the ultimate Husker fish story.

I know I'm treading dangerously contradicting the master, but aren't you referring to the Okie State or Wyoming game a week or two before KSU with the collapsed lung?

[BubbliciousRed]

I know I'm treading dangerously contradicting the master, but aren't you referring to the Okie State or Wyoming game a week or two before KSU with the collapsed lung?

The collapsed lung happened at Wyoming, but he still had the tube in at KSU, and he did play.  In fact, he threw 7 passes.  Only completed 2.  Stupid tube!

[Big Sky Husker]

The Terminator comes to mind.  Nebraska's very own Rudy got to come in against Kansas State and save the day.

Off topic... but Terminator did not save the day against KSU in 94.  He had a role but Lawrence Phillips and the defense beat KSU that day.  

Oh come on, TO let The Turmanator throw at least 3 swing passes!  

And Brook Berringer had to enter the game in the second half with a chest tube still in place to keep his lung inflated.

Sorry, but the "Turman-as-Savior-at-Manhattan-in-1994" tale has become the ultimate Husker fish story.

I know I'm treading dangerously contradicting the master, but aren't you referring to the Okie State or Wyoming game a week or two before KSU with the collapsed lung?

Turman did field manage the OSU game to a victory that day.  That was the game where Erstad had a PAT blocked and he threw, ran or caught the extra point attempt for 2 points.  Christ, he may of done all three that day.  We won 30 something to 3 over the Cowboys.  

The KSU game.  I remember Nebraska's DL causing havoc for Chad May the whole game.  And him whining like a "p" afterwards.

[Valiantsailor]

Undefeated may be a stretch, but winning a national title, the % is no worse than 1/120.  Given that a good half of the teams have no shot at a title due to non-AQ's, etc., it's probably even as high as 1/60! 

So you're saying there's a chance? 

I was waiting for someone to jump on that.

Not really, the NC is reserved for the $ec per directive from e$pn