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Nebraska Cornhuskers (corn)

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Woody1968 said:
Callahan changed the character of the program. Nebraska's success was built on recruiting the best players to fit their system. Callahan changed the system, so that they were basically recruiting the same players as everybody else.
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One of the first things that Cally did was lessen the Walk On program, which in the past, was one of the best things about the program. The scholly limits did the other damage, I think.
 
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MililaniBuckeye said:
From 1995 through 2001, Nebraska had the following season records:

12-0 (national title)
11-2
13-0 (national title)
9-4
12-1
10-2
11-2

Aside from that 9-4 hiccup in 1998, they remained pretty fucking good for the next seven seasons despite the hirings of Brown and Stoops and the reduction in scholarships. Every coach from Bob Devaney in 1962 through Frank Solich in 2003 has sustained high-end success. Was Bill Callahan really that bad of a head coach and recruiter to totally hose a historically dominant program like Nebraska?

By the way, the 85 scholarship limit took affect in 1992, not 1994.
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Solich's 7-7 season in 2002 was the start of his demise. Callahan was probably one of the best recruiters that's ever been here, but was one of the worst coaches that ever coached here. It helped that he had John Blake (who was shady - just see North Carolina) as a recruiter. Blake had already put OU in the toilet during some probation years, but Stoops won a NC with his players.
 
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alexhortdog95 said:
Well, some of that is two fold as well. Solich caught hell the entire time he was here as well, but the boat started to list under his tenure here, back in 2001, the day after Thanksgiving. I call it B-Day. Since that game, the program hasn't been the same. Lost badly to Miami. Went 7-7 the next season (which broke the 35+ years of winning seasons, first of many traditions lost). Steve Pederson got the job as the AD here. Solich fired Craig Bohl (who is doing a pretty damn good job at North Dakota State and could be the next guy in line here if Bo doesn't survive, LOL), then hired Bo (irony if that happened, eh?).

Solich goes 9-3 and after beating CU, gets [Mark May]canned the next day. Bo coaches the bowl game against Sparty and wins, but only gets a token interview.

The next few years are a blur and much darkness up until 2008. Cally goes 5-7, 8-4, 9-5, 5-7. The 9-5 season is the season that he gets pasted by OU in the Big 12 championship game. He completely changes the culture around the football team here. Former players are no longer welcome. He calls Doc Tom a "crusty old bastard" (allegedly).

Petey gets fired, Doc Tom gets rehired, and Cally follows Petey out the door (along with his little buddy, Jim Rose). Doc Tom gets the fans pick, Bo Pelini, a hot name coming off besting a pretty damn good Buckeyes team in the National Championship game.

It's safe to say that probably about 70% of the fan base wanted him here. Hell, he was drawing comparisons to Bob Devaney's fire. He was also compared greatly to a guy he grew up with down the road in Norman.

Is Nebraska a tough place to work as a head coach? Yes. Because Bob Devaney brought the team from gutter, to respectable, then to championship gold twice. Then, a home grown kid from Hastings became the next guy. Yes, it took him a long time to get that first ring, but every year, we were in the hunt. Every. Year. That's why Bo is in trouble. If he had us in the hunt every year, he'd get a pass.

Half the kids that think he's a nice guy, yeah, they don't end up playing here. Not only because of the nature of the fan base, but frankly, he's a bit of an under the thumb guy. He takes the fun out of football. Kids look lost, and they know if they come to the sidelines, they're going to get their asses chewed.

Who'd want to play for someone like that?!?
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I'm of the opinion that if NU hired a coach who went, 7-5, 14-0, 11-2, and then 8-4, the fan base would bitch the program's going down hill. I have no trouble seeing massive dissension on the NU message boards. Heck, that happens every time NU loses a game. The above won-loss numbers are Tressel's record, his first four seasons at OSU.
 
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Nebraska is one of CFBs all time giants. They have a rich history, and are still a solid program. But, I feel pretty condident in saying they'll never reach the levels of prominence they experienced in the mid-late 90's, for a couple of reasons...

- that was a different age in CFB. It just was. Nebraska had a system and recruited outstanding players to run it.
- they had a legend coach that was homegrown.
- in the early 90's until (really) the turn of the millenium, Texas and Oklahoma were in extended "down periods".
- today, they just can't recruit kids to Lincoln going up against other "destination" programs like tOSU, Texas, Florida, FSU, etc...
- most of today's kids have little to no knowledge of NU's "salad days"

It's just a tough situation. I don't think they have the lure to draw a big time coach like an Urban Meyer to Lincoln. Their best bet is to go back to their roots, find a coach that "gets" Nebraska, implement a system, and run it. Like Bohl. It has worked for Wiscy for the better part of a decade. I think the right guy can make them a wiscy type of program that relies on a system, plays sound fundamantal football, and wins a lot of games. Do I think they'll ever be a consistent top-5 program again? No, I don't. But I think they can do better than they've done the last decade.
 
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stowfan said:
I'm of the opinion that if NU hired a coach who went, 7-5, 14-0, 11-2, and then 8-4, the fan base would bitch the program's going down hill. I have no trouble seeing massive dissension on the NU message boards. Heck, that happens every time NU loses a game. The above won-loss numbers are Tressel's record, his first four seasons at OSU.
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30+ years of nine win seasons (when Nine win seasons meant you were in the hunt every year) will do that to a fan base, LOL
Not saying we're not spoiled, far from that. We're the most spoiled fans in football, I think.

I think if we're looking for a guy that coaches like Saban or Miles, we need to get a guy like Saban or Miles. And we have to accept the issues that will come with him.

There aren't any other Doc Tom Osbornes out there. The mold was broken years ago for that type of coach.
 
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NFBuck said:
Their best bet is to go back to their roots, find a coach that "gets" Nebraska, implement a system, and run it.
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Craig Bohl, come on down.

Craig Philip Bohl is currently the head coach at defending back-to-back FCS champion North Dakota State University, a position he has held since 2003.

He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 27th, 1958.

As a player, Bohl was a reserve defensive back for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1977 to 1980.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1982.

Bohl was hired as the 32nd North Dakota State Bison football head coach in 2003. In 2011, Bohl led the Bison to their first ever FCS Championship title by beating Sam Houston State 17-6.

On January 1st, 2013, NDSU gave Bohl an 8-year contract extension through the 2020 season, and four days later, he rewarded them by leading the Bison to their second consecutive FCS Championship by again beating Sam Houston State 39-13.[1]
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I think the school has the cash to buy his contract out at NDSU.

Also - I think the type of offense they're running plays a huge part in this. I am sick and tired of seeing the zone read. I have watched 9 of the 12 last national champs run a FREAKING PRO STYLE OFFENSE! Is it too much to ask for a quarteback that can actually read a freaking defense on his own?!?
 
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stowfan said:
I'm of the opinion that if NU hired a coach who went, 7-5, 14-0, 11-2, and then 8-4, the fan base would bitch the program's going down hill. I have no trouble seeing massive dissension on the NU message boards. Heck, that happens every time NU loses a game. The above won-loss numbers are Tressel's record, his first four seasons at OSU.
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A NC has a way of making people live through 4 and 5 loss seasons every now and again. That said, those stats are a bit misleading--although Tressel had one 4- and one 5-loss season during his first four in Columbus, he never again lost more than 3 in a season (and even that he only did one time).

All that's off-topic to your post, though, with which I happen to agree--NU should be happy with 3-loss seasons, because I don't see any circumstance under which it's getting better for them, whether with Pelini or without him. I mean, come on--we're talking about a program that hasn't lost less than 4 games since '03 and that hasn't won a bowl game since '09. Their fan base needs to realize that Tommie Frazier isn't walking through that door (at least not to play football--maybe he'll pop up to criticize the head coach again).
 
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stowfan said:
NU has to have the toughest recruiting gig among the major college powerhouses, here's a list of their top rated instate players this year:yow1:

http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=7...RecruitVisitFlag=-1&OrderbyColumn=RatingValue
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But see, here's the thing....

The weather hasn't changed here in Nebraska since I was a kid. We always get snow...rain....tornadoes, all that jazz. There isn't much to do here. But it's always been that way.

And, now a days, the climate is only part of the draw to a school. Bet your bottom dollar if Miles, Saban, Meyer or any other really big name coach came here, the kids would follow. Why? Because of the draw to get to the next level.
 
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alexhortdog95 said:
Bet your bottom dollar if Miles, Saban, Meyer or any other really big name coach came here, the kids would follow. Why? Because of the draw to get to the next level.
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No doubt. But, does Nebraska have the clout to draw a name like that to Lincoln? I don't think so. Like you said above, Bohl is probably their best move right now. Get a guy that is from there, knows the culture, and let him do his thing.
 
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NFBuck said:
No doubt. But, does Nebraska have the clout to draw a name like that to Lincoln? I don't think so. Like you said above, Bohl is probably their best move right now. Get a guy that is from there, knows the culture, and let him do his thing.
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Yeah, clout ain't working now. Damn that Callahan, LOL.

Gotta remember - from 1973 - 2003, all the head coaches were in some way, shape, or form associated with the University. That's helped consistancy, and in the grand scheme of things, I think that's what lures coaches to a place, is consistant results.

Look at Va Tech. Gotta be a reason why Bud Foster is still there...
 
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