Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[entropy]

the prop 48's were easier to recruit than juco's... we had the academic support system set up and now, with juco's, more teams are competing for those kids.

as for physicality, look at all the changes to the rules in terms of run blocking and the lack of holding being called.. it has an impact.

I'm confident that the best of UNL in the 90's could compete... hell, if oregon did it vs auburn, UNL would have... But imo, the NCAA is limiting the ways you can compete.

[entropy]

By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star


"I can dance, can't I?"

It was a joke from Bo Pelini just before he delved into a more serious answer.

This was at Big Ten Media Days last week.

First, the question: A reporter asked Nebraska's coach if he was maybe letting fans and media gain more of a window into his personality this offseason with his team's Harlem Shake video and decision to have The Jack Run as part of the spring game.

It was interesting to hear Pelini's take on the subject, mostly because I think people too often get typecast with a label or two that falls way short in giving an accurate picture of the person in full.

We like our stuff black and white. Even better if it fits in 140 characters or less. He's a good guy. Or he's a bad guy. He's a fiery guy. Or he's a funny guy. He's a personable guy. Or he's a prickly guy.

Funny how Mack Brown was so often described as "personable" when Texas was winning big, then suddenly was "prickly" when the losses came.

A guy can be both, can't he? People and their layers and all that stuff.

Anyway, back to Pelini and his answer to that question.

"I don't think I've ever purposely not tried to let people in or anything else," Pelini said. "I just kind of am who I am. We have some fun with things every now and then. The Jack thing, we wanted to do some things to spice up the spring game. ... We were just brainstorming and we threw it out there. We were just trying to do something to help the young man, and I thought it'd be a great experience for the kid. It went viral. I did not expect what happened with it to happen, but I'm glad it did for his sake."

As for the perception of him?

"It's interesting because probably the perception people have of me from the outside, and from the people who know me well and the players, it's probably two different things. There's obviously more sides to somebody than what's just evident on gameday on Saturday. It's a totally different deal."

Senior defensive back Ciante Evans agreed that players probably see their head coach differently than some fans do.

You bet Pelini can be intense, Evans said. He can also be quite a jokester.

"You always see the competitive side of him," Evans said last Thursday in Chicago. "But last night, we went out to eat, and he was joking, a very good guy to be around. Y'all only see him on gameday when he's competitive. But everyone's competitive on gameday. We're all just trying to win."

As for Pelini's dancing, Evans did not offer up comment.

[entropy]

and UNL has rarely recruited highly ranked classes hoss.... there used to be a lot of Nebraska kids with playing time

on the DL alone: Englebert. Parrella. Connealy. Ogard. Noonan, Danny. Noonan, David. Ramaekers. Kaiser. Kelsay, Chad. Kelsay, Chris. In-state kids. Not one of them from Omaha.

some of it is these kids don't seem to exist in Nebraska HS's anymore..

[Mike]

It all sounds pretty hopeless in Lincoln.

[entropy]

Quincy Enunwa still remembers one of the lead selling points about the Husker football program when he was being recruited: There wasn’t any depth at wide receiver.

Oh, how things have changed.

Now, as Enunwa enters his senior year, he talks about the Huskers playing a rotation of eight receivers, maybe 10, however many receivers there are in the meeting room.

“There’s not one player in our room who can’t play,” Enunwa said. “Because, the way we play with our offense, you’re always going to have someone be tired for at least two plays, so somebody's going to get in.”

And now, when Enunwa speaks about a group of Husker receivers trying to be the best in the Big Ten Conference, it is not met with any rolling eyes.

Most people probably agree they will be.

“We want to be top, top, top,” Enunwa said. “There’s no top 5, top 3, top 2. We want to be top 1. That’s what we want to be. I’m not going to say we are the top 1. We are working toward being the top 1.”

See how he repeated the word “top” three times there? Enunwa also understands reaching the top rung on that ladder is not accomplished without plenty of sweat.

At one point at Big Ten Media Days last week, he also repeated the word “work” three times.

“That’s the biggest thing,” he said. “We have to work, work, work.”

It starts with the big trio: Enunwa and juniors Kenny Bell and Jamal Turner.

It's a proven group, yet one with potential for even bigger things in 2013. Enunwa is quick to say potential does not automatically mean production.

It’s something the older guys in the room make sure to tell the young guys. And those youngsters, including the much-talked-about redshirt freshmen such as Alonzo Moore and Jordan Westerkamp, are apparently listening.

“They’ve seen what it takes to be on the field and they’ve really worked on those intangibles,” Enunwa said. “They know they need to do this, this and this, and then they come up to us and go, ‘What else do I need to know?’

“They’ll be in the film room when we’re not there. They’re in the film room taking notes when we are there.”

That’ll please a team captain, of which Enunwa is one.

You put yourself in line to earn such a role when you take as much pride in clearing a path for teammates to score touchdowns as you do in scoring yourself.

Enunwa’s physicality as a blocker is well known by Husker fans. He usually dishes out more punishment than he takes.

“I think the physicality just comes from working in the weight room and noticing that I’m getting bigger than the other guys,” he said. “And once you have that advantage, you’re going to use it.”

When the 6-foot-2, 225-pound receiver is asked about stricter enforcement of the “targeting” rules, something that might make many receivers happy, he’ll tell you he’s not all that keen on the change.

"As a receiver, you should have your head on a swivel at all times, you know? It's been that way for however many years people have been playing receiver," Enunwa said. "The people I honestly believe should be protected are the QB and kicker and punter. I feel like everyone else should know that's part of the game."

As receptions go, last year was Enunwa’s best season. He doubled his number of catches from his sophomore season, hauling in 42 passes for 470 yards.

And Nebraska probably does not beat Northwestern last year without his 110-yard career day.

He’s come a long way from his true freshman year, when Husker coaches decided to play him. There's that lack of depth he talked about. He played in 10 games but had just one catch.

“Part of me wishes I had another year to develop,” Enunwa said. “At the same time, that experience, you don’t want to give that up. It was huge for me. It helped me grow. And I really appreciated them not redshirting me.”

He has especially bonded with wide receivers coach Rich Fisher, who joined the program two years ago.

There was initially some overblown chatter around these parts about Fisher being a golf coach. (He had served as a golf instructor while coaching football prior to coming to Nebraska.)

“That was ridiculous,” Husker coach Bo Pelini says now of the golf coach talk.

Enunwa found that out quickly.

“When he came in, he came in ready to work with a bunch of drills. And I was like, ‘OK, this guy means business,’” Enunwa said.

Now the senior considers Fisher both coach and friend.

“I can tell him a lot of things that I don’t tell other people,” Enunwa said.

And now Husker coaches have quite a different selling point to receiver recruits.

There’s no longer a lack of depth. But there is a bunch of footage to show recruits, highlights of Enunwa, Bell and Turner making plays.

They're the kind of highlights that helped attract Demornay Pierson-El and Larenzo Stewart as recruits in the current Husker class.

“Now we have some ammunition in our camp to be able to get guys,” Pelini said of recruits. “They all know who Quincy, Kenny and Jamal are.

"And it’s not a theoretical thing where we're just telling them this is how you’re going to fit in the offense. We can show them now, 'OK, this is what we do.'"

[entropy]

CHICAGO -- The numbers dotting Taylor Martinez's r?sum? paint a clear picture: the Nebraska senior is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in program history. Martinez is the Huskers' all-time leader in passing yards (6,591), passing touchdowns (46) and total offense (9,449), among other statistical categories, and he enters his final season in Lincoln with his sights set on leading Nebraska to a second consecutive Big Ten championship game.

At a glance, Martinez's legacy seems fairly straightforward, but his career is far more complex than the stats suggest. Over his three years as Nebraska's starter, Martinez has been a subject of constant debate for fans and media alike; his play has been alternatively brilliant and maddening.

"Anybody's going to say anything about whatever they want," Martinez said at Big Ten media days. "That's all I can pretty much say."

As a freshman in 2010, Martinez burst onto the scene as one of the nation's most exciting young quarterbacks. "T-Magic" quickly emerged as a dark horse Heisman candidate, and though he was hampered by ankle and toe issues late in the season, his future appeared bright. As a sophomore in 2011, his hype quickly began to fade. He adjusted his throwing motion to cope with lingering injuries, and his mechanics were blasted; "arm-punts", "shot-puts" and "groundballs" were some of the more common pejoratives used to describe his passing style. Martinez racked up 2,089 passing yards, 874 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in his second-year campaign, but his completion rate dropped from 59.2 to 56.3 percent.

"He played with some injuries that would have sidelined most kids for the rest of the year," Casey Martinez, Taylor's father, said. "He hung in there, but when he was playing injured, he had to accommodate some of his mechanics in order to reduce the pain he had. It's hard to be perfect as a thrower when your limbs are hurting."

In 2012, Martinez turned in one of the most statistically significant seasons of any quarterback in the country, finishing first in the Big Ten in total offense while leading Nebraska to comeback wins over Wisconsin, Northwestern and Penn State. Yet the criticism never completely went away. Martinez still committed too many costly turnovers. His throwing motion -- while evincing considerable improvements thanks to offseason workouts with personal quarterback coach Steve Calhoun -- remained widely panned.

Entering 2013, Martinez is polarizing subject: His stats reveal a prolific dual-threat playmaker, but he's rarely mentioned among the top quarterbacks in the game.

"The media says a lot of stuff, and a lot of it isn't true," Martinez said. "A lot of it is a roller coaster ride. You just have to go with it and whatever happens, happens."

Final impressions tend to stick. As Martinez looks toward his senior season, he has an opportunity to finish his career with a flourish.

MANDEL: Urban Meyer discusses his reputation at Big Ten media days

*****

Nebraska heads into this fall with all the makings of a conference championship contender. It brings back seven offensive starters, including the entire offensive line, and features a trio of veteran receivers and one of the more potent running back tandems in the league.

However, the Huskers' prospects wouldn't seem nearly as encouraging if not for the return of Martinez, who could be poised to have his strongest season to date.

"I think he's going to be better than he was a year ago," said Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. "I'm hoping he makes the same jump he did from his junior year to his senior year as he did his sophomore year to his junior year. If he does that, it could be scary."

It might be hard to remember now, considering its 70-31 blowout loss to Wisconsin in last season's Big Ten title game, but Nebraska fielded one of the most explosive offenses in the country in 2012. The Huskers ranked first in the Big Ten in total offense (460.8 yards per game) and second in scoring offense (34.8 points per game), respectively, and Martinez was the centerpiece of the attack. After another offseason working with Calhoun, his passing accuracy -- which jumped from 59 percent to 62 percent last year -- should only improve this season.

"He has plenty of room for improvement and he knows that," said Quincy Enunwa, a senior receiver who caught 42 passes for 470 yards last season. "He's working with different coaches, staying after practice and that's why we appreciate him as a leader -- because he's putting the work in to lead us to a championship."

Martinez will be bolstered by players like Enunwa, receiver Kenny Belly, second-team All-Big Ten running back Ameer Abdullah and first-team All-Big Ten guard Spencer Long. Factor in Martinez's own explosive running ability (he rushed for 1,019 yards last year) and there's no telling how good the offense can be.

"Probably our strong point will be up front. There's a lot of experience there," Martinez said. "And we have a lot of talent on the outside. We have a lot of people coming back."

Said Pelini: "I like our guys across the board on offense. We have a lot of talent there."

The biggest concerns for Nebraska lie on defense, where Pelini and coordinator John Papuchis will need to replace six starters from a defense that ranked seventh in the Big Ten in total defense. The Huskers also need to cut down on turnovers; in 2012, their -12 turnover margin tied for last in the conference.

Yet if Martinez helps the offense fulfill its potential, many of the program's other problems could be masked. He's shown he has the natural talent. This fall, he appears to have the necessary playmakers around him. His job will be made easier by a schedule that features two seemingly favorable Leaders Division crossover opponents (Purdue and Illinois), five consecutive home games to start the season and just two eminently difficult conference road tests (at Michigan and at Penn State).

The Huskers have the pieces to simply outscore opponents. Asked if he would like to see Nebraska play games in the 30-point range this season, Martinez said, "Hopefully. Hopefully more than that."

*****

When questioned whether his final season has any special meaning, Martinez demurs. He doesn't view 2013 as a "legacy-defining" season, maintaining he will leave Lincoln happy regardless of the individual stats he compiles as a senior.

"I've had a good career at Nebraska so far," he said. "So I just gotta keep playing, keep trying to win them all, and everything else will fall in place."

Martinez insists neither he nor his team has set any goals or win thresholds for the upcoming season. Instead, he explains his expectations with the oldest of football clich?s. "We just have to take one game at a time," he said.

Still, however reluctant Martinez may be to admit it, this is his final act. He's gone from hyped to criticized to potentially overlooked, a career arc that's been simultaneously fascinating and frustrating.

If nothing else, Casey believes his son has at least one goal in mind heading into this fall.

"Knowing Taylor, he wants to win a championship," Casey said. "No one in the country wants to win a championship more than he does."

[entropy]

Brian Rosenthal is reporting on Twitter that Tai Webster has been cleared by the NCAA per two sources.


nice news for the basketball program

[entropy]

[entropy]

Samuel McKewon swmckewonOWH 1m
Randy Gregory texted me that he'll arrive tonight in Lincoln. NU's top JUCO recruit will indeed make all of camp. #huskers

[entropy]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130730/HUSKERS/130739833/1002#webster-s-ncaa-clearance-a-huge-coup-for-huskers

Webster's NCAA clearance a 'huge coup' for Huskers

[WM Wolverine]

Are you competing for NCAA tourney bids yet? Conference won't be quite as strong next season.

[entropy]

WM.. baby steps..

[entropy]

SI/Stewart Mandell

Q: Most fan bases in the nation would kill to know they could expect nine or 10 wins every year; unfortunately, Nebraska's is not one of them. I have personally been calling for Bo Pelini's job for more than a year now. It seems to me that he can coach, but he can't recruit (which, strangely, was the opposite problem of coach Bill Callahan before him). In my opinion, the Huskers have reached the apex of what they can be under Pelini. However, I seem to be in the minority on this one. Should Pelini be on the hot seat if he can't get Nebraska to a BCS game this year?

-- Ryan, Lincoln, Neb.

Ryan surely knows this joke already, but for those of you who don't know it: Have you heard they've changed the spelling of the Nebraska head coach's last name? It's now Bo PeLLLLini.

Pelini's case is truly unique. On one hand, his program is the model of consistency (it doesn't get much more consistent than 9-4, 10-4, 10-4, 9-4, 10-4 over the last five years), and it regularly competes for championships (three conference title game appearances in five seasons). Yet on the other, the Huskers have not taken that final step and actually won a trophy, and last year's 63-28 loss to Ohio State and, more notably, 70-31 Big Ten title game meltdown against Wisconsin sullied what otherwise should have been a commendable 10-2 regular season. The 2012 team did nothing to inspire confidence that the Pelini regime is making progress. In fact, it served as the latest reminder of just how far the once-vaunted Blackshirts have slipped since the spectacular Ndamukong Suh-led 2009 unit.

Nebraska is now the complete opposite of where it started under Pelini. Its offense, led by seemingly 18th-year quarterback Taylor Martinez, could well be the most explosive in the Big Ten this season. T-Magic quietly improved as a passer last season (62 percent completion rate, 2,871 passing yards), though he continued to be a turnover machine (20 combined interceptions and lost fumbles). He'll be surrounded by ample playmakers like receiver Kenny Bell and running back Ameer Abdullah. However, the defense, already so awful against the run last season (No. 90 nationally), returns just one starter up front. Pelini talked at Big Ten media days last week about his plans to utilize more three-man fronts and brought up juco defensive end Randy Gregory and several freshmen and redshirt freshmen as possible reinforcements. He's ever the optimist.

Nebraska is a legitimate conference title contender this year, and if the Huskers win the Big Ten, this whole topic becomes moot. However, if 2013 results in another nine-win, Capital One or Outback Bowl season, AD Shawn Eichorst may face a bit of a quandary. In most cases, a consistent nine-to-10 win coach should not be on the hot seat. Nebraska already made that mistake once with its handling of Frank Solich. Yet this is Nebraska -- as in, five-time national champion Nebraska. The Huskers are a consistent Top 25 team, but they're still well behind the national elite. The program's NFL output has gradually dipped during Pelini's tenure. Personally, I don't have much confidence that he will ever lead Nebraska to national glory. If it hasn't happened in five years, it probably never will. I suspect many Huskers fans feel the same way but aren't yet ready to give up on a guy who runs a clean program and wins 71 percent of his games. I don't blame them. Let's see where Pelini stands in four months.

[entropy]

stewart... I think this guy would disagree with winning within 5 yrs..

[Wild Hoss]

That guy had a preseason No. 1 team, won the Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl, had beaten a No. 1-ranked team, and was 11-8 against teams which finished the season ranked by his sixth year at the helm. He also finished ranked in the Top 10 four of his first five seasons, finishing 12th in the other.

Pelini has done none of those things, and is 5-14 against teams that have finished the season ranked.

/comparison.