This week, Nebraska hosts the Wisconsin Badgers for a night game at Memorial Stadium. The game will be carried on ABC with a kickoff around 7pm CDT.
With Tom Osborne's retirement announced yesterday, will the team be inspired to "win one for the gipper"? Or will Nebraska come out like last year and succum to mistakes?
#teamsunshine says Nebraska will be handing a Rose Bowl trophy to Dr. Osborne on January 1st, 2013.
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The Check Down Pass
Perhaps the biggest story of the day yesterday. Thanks, Coach. Here's hoping Nancy let's you do some fishing.
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Yesterday on CN:
A bittersweet moment for Nebraska. Truly, our hats are off to Dr. Osborne. For all he did for Nebraska, his knowing when to walk away is perhaps the most impressive to me. Truly, a self-less man. Enjoy your retirement. For real this time.
Okay, it wasn't us but SB Nation got an exclusive look at Nebraska's facilities. They're as amazing as you'd expect. This is why it's so important to get players to Nebraska for their visits. How do you say no to this?
I agree with Will and Jake. Trust your players, Nebraska. With a veteran and dynamic offense and a loose and wild defense, Nebraska should have what it takes to beat Wisconsin. (Oh, and focus and execution...)
Wisconsin was a mess. Are they going to be better Saturday?
Missed one of our Wisconsin game previews? Check out our new Game Hub!
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Nebraska Football (3-1)
Conversely, when Burkhead has double-digit carries and is held to less than 100 yards rushing, Nebraska is 5-8 since his debut in 2009. That includes a 48-17 loss to the University of Wisconsin last season at Camp Randall Stadium.
I think our numbers will improve now that we have FIRE-TESTED, MOTHER-APPROVED backups.
Hope the linebackers deliver.
"But because our goal is to get to the Big Ten Championship and they’re in our way," Enunwa said. "So regardless of whether we lost or won, we’re still going to come into it with a lot of motivation."'
I really do hope this team isn't motivated by revenge.
"This will be, geez, my seventh time playing Wisconsin?" Kaczenski said. "It's always a tight game, and the game's won up front — and that's always going to be when you play in the Big Ten and you play a foe like Wisconsin."
Let's win that battle, Kaczenski - this might be the only year we can against Wisconsin's offensive line.
It’s also big because the Huskers will host around 20 potential recruits who will get an up-close look at the tunnel walk, the alternate uniforms the players will wear and the excitement of playing in front of 85,000 fans.
Gotta get the kids here.
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Wisconsin Football (3-1)
First road game? Nebraska better plan to disrupt an already weak offensive line to throw Stave off his game and keep him out of a rhythm.
If Ball suffers another concussion this season, it'll be irresponsible for him to return to the field.
Best wishes to those players but hopefully this helps Nebraska's offense on Saturday.
147. Receiving yards gained by Wisconsin receiver Jared Abbrederis in his return after missing one and a half games with a chest injury. With six catches in eight targets, he helped new starting quarterback Joel Stave find a rhythm and led the Badgers to a 37-26 win over UTEP despite the loss of running back Montee Ball to a head injury.
Nebraska's going to need to keep Abbrederis under control.
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Volleyball (10-2)
While MSU was mostly game, Nebraska proved too much, even overcoming a large deficit in the third set to finish the sweep. Nebraska's next match is against Michigan and will air on NET at 2pm CDT on Sunday. (No BTN coverage.)
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Nebrasketball
All of Nebraska's games for Miles' first season at the helm will be available to view, either through ESPN, FSN or BTN. I'll be watching, will you? (I really wish Nebraska would embrace "Nebrasketball" as the name for men's basketball.)
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Tom Osborne
It was up to Osborne to fire Bill Callahan, talk the fans in off the ledge and get the Huskers back. He eventually hired Bo Pelini who is in his fifth season.
He also coached more Academic All-American football players (65 over 25 years) than any other PROGRAM in history. Yes, I said program, including Notre Dame (50 selections since 1962).
I think it's great that Osborne knew he was going to have to decide when enough was enough. It would've been impossible for Perlman or the state to make that decision.
DALE JENSEN, NEBRASKA ATHLETIC DONOR:
"Thank you, Tom, for the years you gave us — again. (Steve) Pederson tried to do everything he could to reinvent the program to his own liking. It had its own life. You can't reinvent the program. Quite frankly, I can't think of one other person who could have stepped in with the credibility Tom had and right the ship."
"I just want to come through for him," Miles said. "He's a guy that saw what our vision is for Nebraska basketball and said 'You know what? I like that. I think this is going to work.' So I want to see that through… Just the fact that a guy with his legacy would say 'I trust you. I think you can do this,' is an amazingly humbling feeling."
Funny enough, Tim Miles might actually be the biggest question mark on Osborne's tenure. And I think Miles will come through - he's got the kind of excitement that it'll take to elevate Nebrasketball.
The Florida schools told Frazier he'd play defensive back or wide receiver. Osborne told him to come to Lincoln, play quarterback and win championships.
Sound familiar?
Perfectly understated. Just like Osborne.
We don't need a replacement for Tom - that's impossible. Just someone who appreciates their role as a "steward" of Nebraska athletics. Someone who understands that they're not being hired to establish their own legacy but to direct the future of Nebraska's.
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New Athletic "Steward"
It might be private but that won't keep us from speculatin'.
First, Nebraska's opening has come at a good time to find a premium candidate. High-profile jobs at Florida and Alabama probably aren't far off from opening, sources said, so it will pay for NU to hire soon.
Second, every source said they expect Nebraska to first pursue a sitting athletic director at a Bowl Championship Series school.
Williams is a former Husker football player who joined Nebraska’s staff in June after serving six years as athletic director at Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He said he’s "shocked" at Osborne’s decision to retire, because he believes Osborne still has "a number of years left in him" as athletic director.
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Big Ten (33-13)
*fart noise*
So, the Big Ten's best hope is to speed up global warming. Start driving more, everyone. Drive to the mailbox!
I think it all comes down to convincing kids that it's okay to live in the Midwest.
It's nice to have our offense be underestimated, isn't it?
Another hit for Penn State.
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Other Stories
Those free bacon nights are going to disappear.
Second-year offensive leader Chad Morris is the highest paid assistant in college football at $1.3 million a year. Isn't Pelini just barely above that?
Cripes, I hope they don't feel they need to give him another raise before he wins a national title, much less a Big Ten title...
Considering all the coaches they would hire are probably 1) still employed and 2) a little busy with their own teams, what else would you do here? (Alternatively, if he's considering moving on, maybe he's leaving the hiring/firing decisions to someone else?) Really, this is a straight forward move - let JLS's contract expire and hire a new coach.
Get ready for a bowl shuffle.
I guess the NFL got to screw over the one publically owned team so they're okay with making deals now. And people will go back to ignoring the NFL's problems.
That's gotta be painful.
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Today's video selection: In honor of Dr. Osborne's retirement, The Run.
Have a great Thursday! Be sure to check in throughout the day for more original pieces from our excellent writers here.
And remember to tune in at 8pm CDT for tonight's Game Thread for Stanford vs Washington. It's going to be a barn-burner!
Comments, rants, suggestions and cat pictures welcome below!
-Salt Creek and Stadium
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