Topic: Nebraska State of the Program: Year Four of Pelini

[thedrUNKenLoper]

http://sports.omaha.com/2011/11/20/state-of-the-program/

1. Is this where, in year four of the Bo Pelini era, you expected NU to be? Have the Huskers exceeded or failed to meet your expectations?

2. What’s the biggest strength, right now, about Nebraska’s program?

3. What’s the biggest weakness?

4. In four years under Pelini, what’s Nebraska’s best game – win or loss?

5. What’s the worst game – win or loss?

6. What, if anything, does Nebraska have to change to win a conference title or nail down a BCS berth?

7. Will NU win a Big Ten title in the next three years?

So discuss

[LynchMob42]

9-4
10-4
10-4
(8-5 to 10-3)

I think Bo Pelini is a terrible personality to have as the face of your program. He's not the coach that I would want my son to play for.
However, If you can't handle 8-10 wins every season, that's on the fans, not the coach.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

Well I think the frustration of not making it to a BcS bowl since the '99 season is frustrating people in addition to Callahan/Solich style blowouts. Not to mention I think the unwarrented losses to unranked teams each year at home is making the noise minority going. But four years is enough time to have this discussion.

[mpalmer4]

Well I think the frustration of not making it to a BcS bowl since the '99 season is frustrating people in addition to Callahan/Solich style blowouts. Not to mention I think the unwarrented losses to unranked teams each year at home is making the noise minority going. But four years is enough time to have this discussion.

Exactly. Sure, 9-10 wins a year is nice.........but we haven't accomplished jack shit. Nothing.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

Well I think the frustration of not making it to a BcS bowl since the '99 season is frustrating people in addition to Callahan/Solich style blowouts. Not to mention I think the unwarrented losses to unranked teams each year at home is making the noise minority going. But four years is enough time to have this discussion.

Exactly. Sure, 9-10 wins a year is nice.........but we haven't accomplished jack shit. Nothing.

It blows my mind that Nebraska last won a conference title in 1999...1999! Think about that for a school with the Huskers resources, the inconsistancy of how Bo's teams play with boggles the minds of me and I'm sure many others in the Husker Nation.

[LynchMob42]

It's not entirely Pelini's fault that it's been that long. He has played for the Big 12 championship twice in his first three years coaching.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

That is true LM but two close losses in the CCG games (vs Texa$ was one thing then blowing a 17-0 lead against OU the next) by a combined four points. Solich won the only CCG he made it to while Callahan lost the only one he coached in. Sure its been a series of things that have attributed to the drought but being close has amped up Pelini's expectations among Husker Nation.

[LynchMob42]

Ok, so he's close to championships, and winning 9+ games a season. Sounds fantastic.
BTW, Solich played in a national championship game and had one season under 9 wins.

[Blackshirts]

Osborne won his first outright championship after 9 years, and he inherited a National Championship team...just sayin

[ebens311]

Osborne won his first outright championship after 9 years, and he inherited a National Championship team...just sayin

Pretty much THIS.

People are so soon to forget that Osborne wasn't blowing everyone out of the water every season, nor was he winning every easy game.

[mpalmer4]

Osborne won his first outright championship after 9 years, and he inherited a National Championship team...just sayin

Pretty much THIS.

People are so soon to forget that Osborne wasn't blowing everyone out of the water every season, nor was he winning every easy game.

He also wasn't getting blown out twice a season. Pelini already has more 25+ point losses than Osborne did in his entire career.

[longhorn99]

Nebraska has a chance to have a 10 win season. The record listed below is a pretty good one for any coach. Given everything that has happened around the program in the last few years, to not be satisfied is a bit too much IMO. But I know you guys have high expectations ...

9-4
10-4
10-4
(8-5 to 10-3)

I think Bo Pelini is a terrible personality to have as the face of your program. He's not the coach that I would want my son to play for.
However, If you can't handle 8-10 wins every season, that's on the fans, not the coach.

[ebens311]

Osborne won his first outright championship after 9 years, and he inherited a National Championship team...just sayin

Pretty much THIS.

People are so soon to forget that Osborne wasn't blowing everyone out of the water every season, nor was he winning every easy game.

He also wasn't getting blown out twice a season. Pelini already has more 25+ point losses than Osborne did in his entire career.

So then, by that rationale, we should fire or get rid of any coach who doesn't meet or exceed every single one of Tom Osborne's statistics?

[Cynical Puppet]

Osborne won his first outright championship after 9 years, and he inherited a National Championship team...just sayin

Pretty much THIS.

People are so soon to forget that Osborne wasn't blowing everyone out of the water every season, nor was he winning every easy game.

He also wasn't getting blown out twice a season. Pelini already has more 25+ point losses than Osborne did in his entire career.

Osborne was also facing run oriented teams. Its a different era of football...

[thedrUNKenLoper]

As Tom Shatel accuratly said in the OWH on Friday that Nebraska fans are football snobs and I feel thats been the case for a long time. Devaney, TO spoiled fans then you have Solich, Callahan and Pelini doing there own things.

[Cynical Puppet]

As Tom Shatel accuratly said in the OWH on Friday that Nebraska fans are football snobs and I feel thats been the case for a long time. Devaney, TO spoiled fans then you have Solich, Callahan and Pelini doing there own things.

I'm glad you said it. But many people feel the same way. I'm sure people feel the same about OU though, so I'm not going to pile on, beyond what I just said.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111126/BIGRED/711269855/1140#shatel-changing-barometer-for-nu

We'll I'm sure that there are about a handful of fan bases you can say are also football snobs

[Blackshirts]

I was listening to the post game call in show Friday and was frankly discusted.  People saying the only way you could have a successful season is to win a championship and because Bo said during the presser that the season was a success in other ways he didn't "get" Nebraska and we should look for someone else.  That we should never ever lose to Iowa so in no way could you consider Fridays game a success.  To those callers I say this, you are not a fan of Nebraska, you are a fan of championships.  If you cannot see 4 straight 9 win seasons and a chance at 3 straight 10 win seasons as success, then go somewhere else.

[bestteamever1995]

Pelini has a bunker mentality that creates a Us vs Them civilization.  Under Devaney and Osborne, the players not only played for their teamates and coaches, they played for the state of Nebraska as well.  Under Pelini, this does not happen.

Pelini does not nor has any interest in building depth.  A must at Nebraska if he wants to compete for championships.  It was Pelini who said himself that if he isn't competing for a championship, it isn't a sucessful season.  Now that it isn't happening, his tune changes.

Pelini currently has Nebraska sitting at #50 in the country in recruiting.  Now the 94 and 95 team had a #19 ranking and did what they did.  But they also had an attitude about them along with depth. #50 isn't pretty.  Dr Tom assured parents their kids would not get chewed out on national TV.  Pelini surely cannot make that promise, and I am sure it drives talent elsewhere when they see him explode. 

Pelini hires freaking golf coaches as assistants.




No, Pelini will not nor should not be fired.  9 wins gets you another year unless you are Frank Solich working under Steve Pederson.  However, I can see Pelini getting axed after next year after his defense gets shredded after losing David and Dennard.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

TO isn't going to fire Pelini and next year graduating a Crick, David and Dennard he'll say is a defensive rebuilding year. I agree on the depth issue because if you get in this staffs doghouse you dont return (Jamal Turner) but if you work hard you get to play Tim Marlowe.

[LynchMob42]

I was listening to the post game call in show Friday and was frankly discusted.  People saying the only way you could have a successful season is to win a championship and because Bo said during the presser that the season was a success in other ways he didn't "get" Nebraska and we should look for someone else.  That we should never ever lose to Iowa so in no way could you consider Fridays game a success.  To those callers I say this, you are not a fan of Nebraska, you are a fan of championships.  If you cannot see 4 straight 9 win seasons and a chance at 3 straight 10 win seasons as success, then go somewhere else.

Band-wagon?

[bestteamever1995]

TO isn't going to fire Pelini and next year graduating a Crick, David and Dennard he'll say is a defensive rebuilding year. I agree on the depth issue because if you get in this staffs doghouse you dont return (Jamal Turner) but if you work hard you get to play Tim Marlowe.

If Pelini goes 7-5 or worse next year in his fifth year, Dr Tom will fire him.  Dr Tom knows what expectations are.  If you can't win 8 games at NU, you lose your job.  The Frank Solich fire was a good one, just should have been done after 2002 when he went 7-7.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

TO isn't going to fire Pelini and next year graduating a Crick, David and Dennard he'll say is a defensive rebuilding year. I agree on the depth issue because if you get in this staffs doghouse you dont return (Jamal Turner) but if you work hard you get to play Tim Marlowe.

If Pelini goes 7-5 or worse next year in his fifth year, Dr Tom will fire him.  Dr Tom knows what expectations are.  If you can't win 8 games at NU, you lose your job.  The Frank Solich fire was a good one, just should have been done after 2002 when he went 7-7.

I don't see that happening that TO fires Pelini after next year even if he goes 7-5 because the built-in excuse is he graduated alot on defense. Tom is a extremly patient man as a Nebraska fan you should know this, look at how long Doc has been the hoops coach and he gave Anderson alot of rope with the baseball program until he hung himself.

[architechguy]

A question about NU's offense here... what's the identity?  What's the m.o. of this offense?  We know what it was for decades until Callahan got there, and even though Callahan failed it wasn't because his offense wasn't producing (his defense sucked).  What's the identity now?  As an outsider, sometimes I see a power rushing offense, other times I see a read-option attack.  What are they trying to be?  That's the only question mark I have of the NU program right now, it just has an identity crisis on offense. 

The defense is top notch, special teams as well.  I've just never been able to tell as a casual viewer just what it is NU is trying to do with the football.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

Archie, thats the frustrating part right now for Nebraska fans is that Tim Beck hasn't decided what it is yet. I'd say for at least 8 games the Huskers have been a power running team, at Wisconsin they were a balanced attack (before the Martinez pick party), Northwestern it was a passing team and at Michigan it was a mess that a TD was scored on a long pass play for the offense. 12 games into Beck's tenue I think everyone in the Husker Nation is asking WTF are we? Nebraska has a good stable of running backs (even if they only give one the carries), the WR's have their moments but drop too many (Kenny Bell is pretty good and quick but has dropped some big passes also), the OLine just seems confused because they seem to be ok when doing one or the other which leads us to the QB. Martinez lets face it looks ugly when throwing it, but it does get there in most cases. An interesting thing this season has been in a few games when given the chance to scramble he hasn't if you watched the Michigan game he had a couple chances to get big gains but didn't. I'd hate to say it but from right now the gameplan seems based on the opponent rather than having an identity.