Morning Coffee - Back to Fundamentals

by Jon Johnston on Sep 19, 2007 7:27 AM CDT in Corn Flakes Comment 5 comments

We're moving on now, kind of, still somewhat cantankerous and disappointed about that whole 'SC holes thing but it's time to focus on the upcoming game with Ball State. They're a dangerous football team.

After getting run over by a truck Saturday night, the Huskers will go back to full contact this week to prepare for Ball State.

The goal is to work on the fundamentals of the game which is apparently what cost us against USC. Fundamentals. Blocking, tackling. Memorizing play calls that take 15 seconds due to inflated verbage.

"Basically, fundamentals," Callahan said during Monday's Big 12 coaches' teleconference. "That's the one area that we addressed, fundamentals. Just total fundamentals, the function of defensive football, just the fundamental position of defensive football."

There was one Husker injury that wasn't disclosed until Tuesday and that was of defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove:

"He’s hurt. He’s down," Callahan said. "I tell him to keep his head up. He’s got my full support. He’ll do a great job this week as he hits the practice field . . . It just hurts. When you have a performance that you didn’t expect — that you never even think could happen — it hurts."

No word yet on the extent of Cosgrove's injury. No question that he's day-to-day but I hope that he's ready for a dangerous Ball State team coming to town.

Y'all know that starting left guard Andy Christensen is gone for the year , right? That sucks, even if the offensive line didn't do well in establishing the run, it sucks.

CSTV's Eric Sorenson asks a gob of questions after the USC game, pointing out that Bill Callahan has earned a place on the hot seat and questions some of the coaching moves that were made when Callahan came to Nebraska.

Yes, guys, you are responsible for feeding my ego. Imagine a 45-year old guy who's had a decent 20-year career as a computer consultant needing you to look good on Saturdays.
Easy for you to say I'm pathetic if you're all bundled up in the red-basking goodness of Nebraska. Try moving out of state and see what happens. The last two days I've received cards, letters, and phone calls from all over the universe asking if I'm okay, complete with sniggering and grins.

But I don't feel too bad. The Notre Dame alums I know have switched their wardrobes around this fall. One of them remarked to me this evening that his kids have taken to hiding their Irish clothes in the back of their closets. There will be a lot of barely-worn Irish clothes hitting the garage sales soon.

Not that anyone will wear them then.

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Hey man.......

can you tell me where I might be able to find out what big eight teams went to bowl games during TOs coaching tenure? I tried Huskerpedia and had no luck. I have an idiot trying to compare BC to TO and he says that when Tom was coach that only NU and OU went to bowl games and that now 7-8 Big XII teams go so it is tougher. I agree that it is tougher now but they also have over 50% of teams getting to go to bowls and I think that most years the Big Eight had at least 3 if not 4 teams going to bowls. I would like to find a page I can send him to to prove it. Thanks for your help in advance.

by taflorom on Sep 20, 2007 5:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Dont worry....

I found a site that has every D-1 team and list every bowl game they have went to. Its kind of sweet actually. I keep hearing from people that the Big 8 was really weak and that only NU and OU ever went to bowl games, well that is a load of bunk. NU and OU were the ones who were consistantly ranked at the top of the polls but in all but 7 years the Big 8 had at least 4 bowl teams and in '72, '81, and '95 they had 5, not bad when you consider that there were less bowls back then. I didn't take the time to find out how many bowls there were when TO was coaching but I know it was not anywhere near what we have today. Isn't there like 32 bowls now? I think in the '70s there may have been like 15-20 and then it has gradually increased over time but I dont think there was ever over 25 bowls when TO was a coach (I could be wrong there as I am only going off memory). Think of that though, if there were 20 bowls in '72 that would mean 40 teams and the Big 8 had 5 of those. Not all that weak I would say.

by taflorom on Sep 20, 2007 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Still more...

research on the matter and I found a spot that tells all of the bowls (well the 32 that are currently being ran) and if this site is correct there were only 12 bowl games during TOs tenure from '72 until '89, can anyone tell me if this is correct? I couldn't find the Bluebonnet bowl but they did have the Capitol 1 bowl starting in '47, is that the old Bluebonnet? If there were only 12 bowl games from '72-'89 the fact that the Big 8 had 5 of the 24 teams in '72 becomes even bigger. In half of those years the Big 12 only had 3 teams (still pretty good I would say) but the other half they had 4 (and in '72 and '81 they had 5). Maybe the Big 12 wasn't the patsy and cupcake that everyone recalls and OU and NU were just that dam good.

by taflorom on Sep 20, 2007 10:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

There are....

6 bowl games that the Big 8 played in that are either no longer being played or have changed names. If you can help me with these I would appreciate it.
They are, Freedom, Bluebonnet, Aloha, Hall of Fame, Peach, and Tangerine. I would like to know when they started and when they ended or what the new name is. TIA

by taflorom on Sep 20, 2007 10:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs