Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[Jeff Buchanan]

**

...and that right there is the problem; Dave Brandon doesn?t see that there?s anything wrong. More to the point, he thinks things are going well.

Losing to a shitty Nebraska team at home and failing to deliver a win at home against osu ...its fine.

Needing a gift from heaven to avoid losing to a spiraling Northwestern team...its fine.

Being physically dominated by Akron, UCONN, PSU and absolutely blown out by MSU...its fine.

Struggling to win sloppy games against mediocre opponents like Indiana and losing 2/3 games to your biggest rivals...its fine.

Its all fine. Why? Because Dave Brandon is happy to milk the shit out of a bunch of powerless suckers who keep feeding the Maze and Blue program that used to be great in the vain hope that it will get back there some day.

Excellent.

[iam416]

Stay the course. I say that as a fellow fan facing difficult times. Ohio State is riding a 1-game losing streak under UFM, set to play in a second rate bowl, plays defense with the brains of Mike Tyson and the ferocity of Stephen Hawking and may be facing a massive staff shakeup.

Sure, the easy solution is to look for something better. But, I say to you, my comrades in suffering, we must all STAY THE COURSE. I think we will all be better for it.

[WM Wolverine]

How many ranked teams did Ohio beat?

[iam416]

Why are you asking questions that you know that answer to?

I guess I should add that OSU also plays in a conference that pollsters don't respect. Dark, dark days.

Again, we should Stay The Course, even though no B10 team more than 1 team ranked in the BCS top 25.

[whodean]

Husker Nation

OLIEo should stay the course with Fickel, surely they can hold the Michigan teams below 40 next time

[entropy]

[ame="https://twitter.com/FauxPelini/status/410509994832830464"]twitter banter[/ame]

lol

[Dr. Strangelove]

lol...the expression on his face in the cat photos...

[entropy]

'https://twitter.com/FauxPelini/status/410509994832830464


to see the full conversation..

[Mike]

LOOOOL!

[hack]

Attn twitter haters -- stop hating twitter!

[entropy]

Brent Qvale is one of six players to earn Academic All-Big Ten for the third time.
Thirty Huskers Named Academic All-Big Ten

Academic All-Big Ten Honorees

The Big Ten Conference announced its fall Academic All-Big Ten honorees on Wednesday morning, including 30 members of the Nebraska football program.

The 30 football student-athletes named to the Academic All-Big Ten team, include six three-time academic all-conference selections and 10 players earning the honor for the second time in their Nebraska careers.

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

The 30 football Academic All-Big Ten honorees for Nebraska were the third-most in the conference, trailing only Minnesota and Northwestern, which each had 35 players honored.

Leading the way among three-time Academic All-Big Ten selections were seniors Spencer and Jake Long and C.J. Zimmerer. The three Nebraska natives were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans last week. Other three-time honorees included junior receiver Tyler Evans, senior tackle Brent Qvale and senior safety Wil Richards.

The two-time honorees for Coach Bo Pelini’s program include receiver Taariq Allen, receiver Sam Burtch, offensive guard Jake Cotton, cornerback Josh Mitchell, offensive guard Mike Moudy, center Mark Pelini, offensive guard Givens Price, offensive guard Ryne Reeves, offensive tackle Jeremiah Sirles and offensive tackle Zach Sterup.

Fourteen additional Huskers earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the first time, including redshirt freshman receiver Lane Hovey, who was one of 20 student-athletes across all sports who was recognized for maintaining a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. Nebraska sophomore soccer student-athlete Katie Kraeutner was also among the group with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

The 30 football student-athletes were among a group of 58 Nebraska student-athletes earning Academic All-Big Ten honors in their respective sports. The group includes 14 members of John Walker’s soccer program, five volleyball student-athletes, six members of the men’s cross country team and three women’s cross country student-athletes.

Football Academic All-Big Ten Selections (Year listed reflects academic standing)

Ameer Abdullah, Jr., History, Homewood, Ala.

Taariq Allen, Jr., Child, Youth and Family Studies, Weston, Mass.

Sam Burtch, Jr., Communication Studies, Murdock, Neb.

Brandon Chapek, Sr., Biological Sciences, Wahoo, Neb.

Jake Cotton, Sr., Communication Studies/History, Lincoln, Neb.

Sam Cotton, So., Business Administration, Lincoln, Neb.

Scott Criss, Sr., Construction Management, Omaha, Neb.

Imani Cross, So., Communication Studies, Gainesville, Ga.

Tyler Evans, Sr., Biological Sciences/Psychology, Waverly, Neb.

Andrew Green, Sr., Ethnic Studies, San Antonio, Texas

Lane Hovey, Jr. Business Administration, Adel, Iowa, 4.0 GPA

Charles Jackson, So., Undeclared Spring, Texas

Jake Long, Sr., Biological Sciences, Elkhorn, Neb.

Spencer Long, Sr., Biological Sciences, Elkhorn, Neb.

Greg McMullen, So., Criminology and Criminal Justice, Akron, Ohio

Josh Mitchell, Sr., Communication Studies, Corona, Calif.

Mike Moudy, Sr., English, Castle Rock, Colo.

Mark Pelini, Sr., Mathematics/History, Youngstown, Ohio

Cole Pensick, Gr., Agribusiness, Lincoln, Neb.

Givens Price, Jr., Accounting/Management, Houston, Texas

Brent Qvale, Gr., Nutrition, Exercise and Health Science/Applied Science, Williston, N.D.

Ryne Reeves, Jr., Economics, Crete, Neb.

Brandon Reilly, So., Business Administration, Lincoln, Neb.

Wil Richards, Sr., Business Administration, Lee's Summit, Mo.

Michael Rose, So., Undeclared, Kansas City, Mo.

Jeremiah Sirles, Gr., Management, Lakewood, Colo.

Zach Sterup, Jr., Economics/Finance, Hastings, Neb.

David Sutton, Jr., Marketing/Management, Lincoln, Neb.

Jordan Westerkamp, So., Business Administration, Lombard, Ill.

CJ Zimmerer, Gr., Criminology and Criminal Justice, Omaha, Neb.

[entropy]

Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for 2013's Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 16. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer.

Andy Hoffman had warned Taylor Martinez, the Nebraska quarterback, that his son, Jack, might run the wrong way. The play was designed for the right side of the field, but sure enough, when Martinez took the snap and handed the ball to Jack, the boy started running to to his left. Andy's heart leapt into his throat.

No problem. Martinez placed his hands on Jack's shoulder pads, gently steered him in the proper direction, and Jack was off and running. Andy had attended many football games in Memorial Stadium, but he had never heard such a loud roar. When it came, he relaxed and enjoyed the moment along with everyone else. For a few seconds at least, he could forget that his son had a deadly tumor in his brain.

You know what I'm talking about because you saw it -- on your television, on your phone, on your Facebook page, or countless other pixelated transmitters that beamed Jack Hoffman's run to all four corners of the globe. The YouTube clip alone has been viewed more than eight million times. Many of the comments are in foreign languages. The Nebraska spring football game on April 6 was an unlikely setting for the year's most memorable sports moment, but then again, Jack Hoffman is a most unusual little boy. For crossing that goal line with a smile on his face, for teaching us to believe in the impossible, for showing us how sports can be so big and so small at the same time, and most of all for teaching us how to make something so beautiful out of something so awful, Jack Hoffman is my choice to be SI's 2013 Sportsman of the Year.

For the first six years of his life, Jack was an ordinary boy living an ordinary life in the small town of Atkinson, Neb., where rooting for the Cornhuskers is the local religion. The awfulness arrived on the morning of April 22, 2011 when, for no apparent reason, Jack was non-responsive when his parents tried to talk to him. They rushed him to a local hospital, where he suffered a terrifying grand mal seizure that lasted a half-hour. The seizures continued for several weeks before Jack's doctors were finally able to render a diagnosis: pediatric brain cancer.

Jack's doctors recommended surgery, but it did not go well. The tumor, which was roughly the size of a golf ball, was nearly impossible to reach, so only a small piece could be removed. The Hoffmans flew to Boston Children's Hospital, which has one of the top pediatric care centers in the world. The doctors there suggested a second surgery, but they warned the Hoffmans that it was extremely risky. The Hoffmans decided it was worth a try, but before they sent Jack under the knife again, they wanted to give him a special experience. They wanted him to meet his favorite Cornhusker.

That player was running back Rex Burkhead, who wore No. 22. Burkhead took Jack and his family on a tour of the stadium, and then they all had lunch together. Burkhead couldn't believe how normal Jack seemed. "He was having so much fun," Burkhead said. "He had a smile on his face the whole time. It didn't even seem like he was sick."

From there, a bond formed between Burkhead, the Hoffmans, and the Nebraska football program. Jack survived the second surgery and began a 60-week program of chemotherapy treatments, which were administered through a surgically implanted port. As he continued to fight his deadly disease, the Nebraska football family embraced his cause. The players created a "Team Jack" initiative to help raise money for cancer research, and they all wore commemorative wristbands. In September 2012, Jack walked through the tunnel with Nebraska's players prior to their home game against Wisconsin.

As the spring game approached last April, it was only natural that Jack somehow be included. The idea to put him into the game came from football operations director Jeff Jamrog. After getting the blessing from head coach Bo Pelini, Jamrog called the family and told them what the team planned to do for Jack.

The Hoffmans cobbled together a makeshift uniform, and they made the four-hour drive to Lincoln. Pelini presented Jack to the team before the game, and Jack and his family joined the Huskers on the sideline. As the fourth quarter began, receivers coach Rick Fisher huddled with Jack on the sideline and drew up the play.

With the Red team facing a fourth-and-one on its own 32-yard line, Pelini called time out and sent Jack into the game. Wearing his No. 22 jersey, Jack traipsed onto the field amidst the giants. Once Martinez guided Jack in the proper direction, the boy took off running. With his too-large helmet wobbling on his too-small head, Jack found his stride. By the time he reached the White team's 30-yard line, he was in the clear. The entire team left its bench area and ran behind with him. As Jack crossed the goal line, wide receiver Jamal Turner did a somersault. The players lifted Jack onto their shoulders. The crowd of 60,174 in Memorial Stadium was in full throat.

The Hoffmans knew that what happened had been a big deal, but they didn't realize just how big until they were driving home that evening. Andy's cell phone started blowing up with phone calls and text messages from friends who had seen Jack's touchdown on SportsCenter. One of ESPN's football analysts diagrammed the play on a telestrator. Within hours, the family was fielding calls from all the major morning shows as well as feature producers from multiple networks.

The months that followed were a whirlwind. The Hoffmans sat for dozens of interviews. They traveled to Los Angeles for the ESPYs, where Jack's touchdown won in the category for the Best Moment. (When he stepped on stage to accept the award, Jack was wearing his No. 22 red jersey beneath his suit coat.) The capper was a visit to the White House to meet President Obama. The president schmoozed with the family and Burkhead in the Oval Office for 15 minutes and told them about his brain research initiatives.

As Jack's touchdown has been replayed millions of times, money for pediatric brain research has continued to pour in: $250,000 delivered by the governor to a fundraiser in Atkinson, $40,000 from a local radio station drive. Thousands more have been donated through Team Jack foundation's website. (If you want to donate, you can visit Teamjackfoundation.org). Burkhead, who is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, has continued raising money through his own nonprofit foundation. His work earned him the Rare Disease Champion Award from Uplifting Athletes, a national organization. The Nebraska football program has likewise formed its own chapter within Uplifting Athletes.

The incredible response to Jack's touchdown has helped the family to get through some very difficult hours. "There have been a lot of nights when we went to bed and we weren't sure Jack was going to wake up," Andy said. "But this is how rocks get polished. They get beat up by the waves. It takes a beating to create something beautiful. We hope that's what we're being a part of, that God is using Jack to create something beautiful."

Best of all, Jack finally got some good medical news recently. His latest MRI showed a positive response to the chemotherapy treatments. His tumor is technically in remission, but his doctors have warned that approximately half the kids in Jack's situation experience relapses. "We high-fived, but not too hard," Andy said. "We're focused on living one day at a time, one MRI at a time."

Jack is a bona fide celebrity now. When he goes to Nebraska football games, it takes him a little longer to get to his seat because people want to take pictures with him. His run was shown on Memorial Stadium's big screen several times. In October, he served as Grand Marshal for Nebraska's Homecoming parade. Other than that, he lives a relatively normal life. He is expected to go to school and do his homework. He plays soccer, and after he got his chemo port removed, he started playing flag football.

When Jack was hoisted onto the players' shoulders that day, he was given a glorious view. The ensuing reaction has given his family a similar view of the world around them. "Let me tell you, we have a beautiful country," Andy said. "We've spent the last year traveling from Washington, D.C., to L.A. to New York City. I'm from a small town of 1200 people. We're brought up to believe that no one is nicer than people in the Midwest, but I've got to tell you, this country has an amazing heart."

In the end, that is why this is a moment worth celebrating. Usually, we revere our athletes because of what we see in them. It takes a true sportsman to brings out the best in us.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/spo...#ixzz2nBpXnGhK

[entropy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/magazine/life-along-the-100th-meridian.html

nice read about the people in western nebraska.. very good pictures too

[entropy]

Gator Bowl air charter canceled because of low interest
Journalstar.com

Commercial travel options for Nebraskans going to the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day were deteriorating Thursday.

Collegiate Athletics, a State College, Pa., company, canceled the Southwest Airlines charter on which Executive Travel of Lincoln, AAA Nebraska and Allied Tour & Travel of Norfolk were booking air travelers, Allied said.

Response was so low that Executive Travel canceled its Gator Bowl tour to Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday, the first time in 27 years the Lincoln company has canceled a tour when the Cornhuskers played in a bowl game.

Ground transportation arrangements and tickets were still available Thursday, but those wanting to fly to Jacksonville were on their own.

"With this cancellation, Husker fans will need to shop for the best air travel flights offered by commercial carriers," Rose White of AAA Nebraska said in an email. "When doing so, note the number of connections and the estimated flight time. Flight times vary dramatically from less than five hours to more than 14 hours."

The Cornhuskers are scheduled to play the Georgia Bulldogs in the game on New Year's Day. It's a rematch of last year's CapitalOne Bowl.

Steve Glenn, CEO of Executive Travel, said low demand and high prices forced the consolidation into the one charter and then that arrangement collapsed.

Air charters that used to cost $400 to $500 a ticket have escalated to $800 or $900, he said. "That model is starting to fall apart for a bowl trip," Glenn said.

"It would appear all the Pelini drama has disenfranchised a large number of people who followed the Huskers every year," Glenn, a former Husker player, said in an earlier email. "Despite the bad news I hope the Huskers play well and I so want them to win the game."

He said Monday some fans were disappointed Nebraska wasn't picked to play in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. That bowl game picked teams ahead of the Gator Bowl and chose a Michigan team that lost to Nebraska and had one fewer win.

Each school has a ticket allotment of 12,750, about the same as for the CapitalOne Bowl last year. Nebraska sold about 4,000 tickets for that game and Georgia more than 10,000.

The Nebraska Alumni Association is selling a Gator Bowl tour that covers hotel, game ticket, ground transportation and activities. No air transportation will be provided for the first time since the 2007 Cotton Bowl because of the high cost, said Shannon Sherman, senior director for communications.

The Georgia Alumni Association is not offering a travel package but will be coordinating "watch parties" across the nation, said assistant director of communications Elizabeth Elmore.

AAA Travel in Nebraska is offering motorcoach tours through travel partner Allied Tour & Travel.

Glenn, a walk-on lineman for the Huskers who earned a scholarship in the 1970s, said the cancellation won't be a big loss to his business.

"From a business standpoint Husker trips have always been fun to do to support the fans, however they represent less than 1 percent of our sales even in the best years so this does not significantly affect our business," he said.

"Please don't think this is sour grapes. As a former Husker, I love Nebraska. I want the Huskers to win every game. Perhaps some fans just want this season to be over, with the hope we can start anew next year. Hope springs eternal."

[hack]

"With this cancellation, Husker fans will need to shop for the best air travel flights offered by commercial carriers," Rose White of AAA Nebraska said in an email. "When doing so, note the number of connections and the estimated flight time. Flight times vary dramatically from less than five hours to more than 14 hours."

LOL. STFU.