Post trauma - Reasons to be excited in 2010.

Husker Nation,

Everythings gonna be ok.

If you could have bottled the collective sadness and disappointment felt by Nebraskans this weekend, you'd have enough to fill a Texas sized dumptruck. And rightfully so. The Big Red were masters of defense once again, and played their guts trying to lift this team to greatness. That simply wasn't enough. Unfortunately, you have to play offense as well in order to win championships...something we did not do. I know, I know,.....defense wins championships right? Wrong, defense gives you a shot.

Surely, between now and December 30th, there will be 3,456 articles posted on exactly how the Huskers match up with the Arizona Wildcats. How the offense will attempt to scrape up at least one flippin touchdown. How the west coast will learn what "Pelini-ball" is all about when the 'Cats hit a buzzsaw that is the Blackshirts.

So let me jump ahead, and possibly put a positve spin on what we have seen this seaon, but more importantly what we can be excited for next fall.

1. "Coach" went through this too: Tom Osborne would be the first to tell us that this is part of the game. Part of the big picture. These days, the media has created a "now" culture, in which fans expect their teams to accomplish lofty goals in very little time. Patience has run out on many coaches after only a few seasons, leading to a pink-slip and a one-way ticket out of town. Some deservedly (Billy C.) and some...maybe not so much. What people don't understand, is that even the greatest have to weather this storm before they can expect championships. Ask yourself, "how many close calls and heartbreaking losses were we handed before winning 3 titles in 4 years?" It's a good thing we had Nancy around to keep Ol' Tom grounded after getting his heart ripped out by Miami, Oklahoma, and Florida State over the years. He stuck with it, and eventually the ball bounced his way. Bo can, and with a little love from Mary Pat, should do the same.
2. The Blackshirts are here to stay: I'm not a stat guy, never was one. So putting all of the numbers and rankings aside, lets take a look at this defensive resurgence and put it all into context. Before this season, the hype and hoopla surrounding the dispensing of the famous "Blackshirts" was an expected, and somewhat dilluted tradition that Husker hard-nosers could take a lot of pride in. Thanks to Captain Bill's genius, defensive players gladly accepted their new celebrity without working for it. Bo Pelini has corrected this mockery, by removing the focus and making players earn the right to even mention the word "Blackshirt". The last two seasons have seen this coaching staff ascend to the top of the ranks in the Big 12 on this side of the ball. Nebraska has not only one, but two passionate and brilliant defensive minds on the sideline. There is no reason to believe that when we lose top players like Ndamakong Suh, we won't simply reload with more hungry players ready to strike fear into the rest of the Nation, whatever color their shirt is.
3. Recruiting: This will take care of itself, at least as far as exposure goes. Assuming that Bo and company don't walk into youngsters homes with a bag of candy and a glass of wine, this staff will soon be getting their pick of the litter in the spring. Nebraska will always play it's share of nationally televised games, and if we can pick up big wins against ranked teams then it will simply be a matter of picking the right guys to visit. The scholarship limitations may have worked against us, but it can work for us as well. Only so many players can start at Texas, Florida, USC, and Ohio State. With the amount of talent in those regions, we should be able to get our share of athletes. Bo may also use his connection to the Ohio valley in a favorable way, stealing players form Penn State and OSU. With Osborne back in the mix, we should also see an influx of walk-ons coming through wanting to play for coaches who believe in the walk-on player.
4. Cycles: The last relevant Texas team before 2005, took the field in 1981. Before that 1977, and then 1970 when they won the title. Alabama? They haven't meant this much since '92 and '77 when they won it all. Florida hadn't won jack until 1996, and most recently '06 and '08. Nebraska's number will come around again, and maybe sooner than anyone would've expected. Big Red fans have notoriously been their own worst critics, and fall victim to their own enormous standards. Perhaps if we had a good basketball team to watch to pass the time....
5. Returning Starters: Admittedly, you could point out that we are losing quite a few of our starting seniors ( Suh,Dillard,Thenarse). However, players returning on both sides of the ball are still plentiful. If some of these young men can develop into "difference-makers" in the off-season, we may see some exciting things next year...especially on offense. Here are some names of players eligible for 2010 - Pierre Allen, Prince Amukamura, Jared Crick, Alfonzo Dennard, Curenski Gilleylen, Eric Hagg, Roy Helu Jr, Alex Henery, Adi Kunalic, Zac Lee, Mike McNeill, Niles Paul, Cody Green, Rex Burkhead. Those are just the guys with the bigger names that received a whole lot of playing time, most of them starters. Throw in Cameron Meredith, Will Compton, and Eric Martin...and you have a pretty darn good lineup for 2010 not counting any freshmen suprises.
6. Strength and Conditioning: 2 years ago, The Nebraska coaching staff added James Dobson to it's roster. This may be a little known name to most, but the impact that this strength and conditioning coach has had already is obvious when you watch the teams performance. The Huskers out-scored their opponents 155-52 in the 4th quarter last season, and 108-45 this season. They look cut, hungry, and in top shape.Pulling Dobson out of Iowa City where he helped the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1999-2007 ( one of their best spans ever ), was a much needed move. The Husker defense seems to surge late in the game when the opposing team is wearing down, and that is Dobson all the way. Keeping our players strong and healthy is essential to winning at this level, regardless of talent. Anyone think Marlon Lucky developed the way he should have? Didn't think so. Additionaly, this guy doesn't sit on his hands up in a booth during games. Often times, he is right next to Bo and in tune with the game flow.

This Nebraska football program has it's bearings. Great things are on the horizon, and it may not take as long as some people think. Adding a little of his SEC flavor into this team, I think that Bo Pelini and the Huskers are creating a solid program based on fundamentals. They may have, in one season, put a stop to the high-powered offensive gauntlet that has been the Big 12 the last several years. Back to basics, baby. The Cornhuskers are only getting started, and look to have the steepest trajectory right now in the Big 12.

Buckle it up everybody, because either way you look at it...The Flying Pelinis are taking us all for a ride. Can't wait to see where it leads!!!

Go Big Red.