The Natives Are Restless in Nebraska

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Iceland12

Iceland12

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Appears that even Mr.Pellini is getting some heat in Nebraska. Now how could that happen?

Scott R. from Omaha writes: Brian, do you think Nebraska fans are ahead of themselves by the "Pelini should get fired" comments? I mean, he took a 2007 team that wasn't even bowl eligible and got 9 wins in his first three seasons. On the other hand, in 1973 Osborne took a championship-caliber program and got 9 wins in 5 of his first 6 seasons. Granted, we ARE the program that fired Solich for going 10-3 because we "didn't want to slip into mediocrity," but regardless, are we jumping the gun?

Brian Bennett: I went on an Omaha radio station on Monday, and they barely had time for guests because the phone lines were jammed with angry, frustrated Nebraska fans. And understandably so. Pelini's Huskers have won at least nine games every year, but they also haven't been able to get over the hump and make the leap to elite status (or even conference champions yet). The road struggles and continual defensive breakdowns are particularly exasperating. Nebraska fans couldn't have liked Pelini's answers on Saturday night, when he said he didn't know why his teams have succumbed to adversity on the road, or on Tuesday's Big Ten coaches' call, when he simply blamed poor execution for the problems (i.e., putting it all on the players). A coach with his defensive background and track record should be fielding better defensive teams than what we've seen the past two years.

It's far too early to talk about pulling the plug on Pelini, and he's won too many games for that to happen. But he and his staff simply must re-evaluate what they're doing and why the team can't get it done in big road contests. That means everything from scheme to personnel to recruiting to how they travel. Because if this pattern continues, it won't be long before Pelini's job status warrants a serious discussion.


http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/61518/big-ten-thursday-mailbag-57
 

Nebraska fans just have to realize they don't have the Big XII weaklings to pick on any more. Do they really think they're going into Ohio Stadium like it's Ames or Lawrence?
 

They are mostly all still living in the '90s. Don't know why they are so upset about getting waxed at the Shoe; teams such as Kansas State have come into their own stadium and whipped the Huskers in the very recent past. Husker fans are delusional and fun to watch/listen to actually; Husker fans were absolutely convinced they would easily win the Big10 championship in their first year in the league.
 


GG, where you at? What's your opinion of things in Lincoln?
 


GophersInIowa said:
GG, where you at? What's your opinion of things in Lincoln?
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I would say that the natives are very restless, not that Nebraska has lost a few games but by how they lost them and the margin of loss. People are tired of Pelini's attitude towards the media and fans, you can act that way if you are Nick Saban and have the hardware. They are tired of a guy who is supposed to be a defensive guru who cannot figure out how to stop a mobile QB and tired of his two gap system. They also feel that for the money that Pelini is making he isn't earning it and they are tired of him hiring his buddies on staff (Youngstown Mafia) rather than big name coaches when money is not an issue for the athletic department. This is evident with all of the facility upgrades going on and the hiring of a new AD at a million/year. Pelini hates recruiting and the media and struggles with the microscope he is under there. The chancellor of the university is not a big fan of Pelini and with Osborne retiring and a new AD from the outside coming in, Pelini is in a very precarious situation. Not to mention the complete lack of goodwill from the media towards Pelini, which he brought on himself. Do I think he will get fired this year, not likely but another year without at least a division title and the odds may sway that direction. I think Pelini knows this when last week for the first time ever he stated they had to win out and he told the team that, versus taking it one game at a time. I do think if he will have to make some coaching changes this offseason(OL and LB/special teams).
 

GopherGod said:
I would say that the natives are very restless, not that Nebraska has lost a few games but by how they lost them and the margin of loss. People are tired of Pelini's attitude towards the media and fans, you can act that way if you are Nick Saban and have the hardware. They are tired of a guy who is supposed to be a defensive guru who cannot figure out how to stop a mobile QB and tired of his two gap system. They also feel that for the money that Pelini is making he isn't earning it and they are tired of him hiring his buddies on staff (Youngstown Mafia) rather than big name coaches when money is not an issue for the athletic department. This is evident with all of the facility upgrades going on and the hiring of a new AD at a million/year. Pelini hates recruiting and the media and struggles with the microscope he is under there. The chancellor of the university is not a big fan of Pelini and with Osborne retiring and a new AD from the outside coming in, Pelini is in a very precarious situation. Not to mention the complete lack of goodwill from the media towards Pelini, which he brought on himself. Do I think he will get fired this year, not likely but another year without at least a division title and the odds may sway that direction. I think Pelini knows this when last week for the first time ever he stated they had to win out and he told the team that, versus taking it one game at a time. I do think if he will have to make some coaching changes this offseason(OL and LB/special teams).
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#helmetschoolproblems
 

Risky thing, firing coaches, as we know. If they could land Peterson or Butch Jones they might move up a notch, but what happened after Solich was fired is a lesson to remember. Like Oklahoma, Nebraska had great years in the Big 2, Little 6 league, then had trouble with Texas when it went to 12 teams. Now they are in a league with a lot of good teams and which is very physical. Still, they could win it all in the Big Ten west this year by beating Michigan at home and MSU on the road.
 

gophmeister said:
Nebraska fans just have to realize they don't have the Big XII weaklings to pick on any more. Do they really think they're going into Ohio Stadium like it's Ames or Lawrence?
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How is playing in Ames and Lawrence any different than Minneapolis, Bloomington, West Lafayette, and even Evanston?

I agree that Nebraska fans need to settle down but the Big Ten has plenty of weaklings as well.
 



It's all they have. I hope someday our fan base is as large and as passionate as the Husker fans.
 

per Shama:

"North Dakota State head coach Craig Bohl, a former Nebraska assistant, will surely have his name mentioned if the Cornhuskers head coaching job opens up."

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
per Shama:

"North Dakota State head coach Craig Bohl, a former Nebraska assistant, will surely have his name mentioned if the Cornhuskers head coaching job opens up."

Go Gophers!!
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Is Shama smoking crack? Bohl is hated in Lincoln and wouldn't even get a sniff at the job. He was fired and left town before the tar and feathers found him.

Pelini isn't going anywhere this year anyway.
 

NateDawgUM said:
Is Shama smoking crack? Bohl is hated in Lincoln and wouldn't even get a sniff at the job. He was fired and left town before the tar and feathers found him.

Pelini isn't going anywhere this year anyway.
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True. The administration would be going after much bigger names if they ever make a coaching change. They also aren't likely to re-hire a guy who left there in disgrace for his on and off the field performance. A guy who has an affair with a university employee while his then wife was pregnant with his twins is not a guy you want as the face of your program.
 



MinnesotaBoiler99 said:
How is playing in Ames and Lawrence any different than Minneapolis, Bloomington, West Lafayette, and even Evanston?

I agree that Nebraska fans need to settle down but the Big Ten has plenty of weaklings as well.
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It is a night-and-day difference. The programs of the B1G are so much more well-resourced than the Big XII. Top-to-bottom, despite fan perceptions, the two conferences were never even in the same ballpark. And after the Big XII was completely gutted by the B1G and SEC there is really only Texas, Oklahoma. The rest of the programs of the BigXII either have the resources, assets and prospects that match the weakest in the B1G, or they are far behind and have no hope of ever generating significant revenue despite being in so-called "major" football conference.

It is so much easier to sustain a "dynasty" when your program generates multiple times and much revenue than the teams in your own conference. The examples of this are endless.
 

It will be interesting to see how things move forward in Lincoln with Dr. Tom's decision to retire. I think Pelini is a great football guy, but he isn't going to win any PR awards (one can argue that's not his job) and I've always believed that Osborne shielded him somewhat by stepping in and making a statement when things got hot. That will fall to a new AD and what AD is going to have the stature of Osborne?

It will be interesting moving forward.
 

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