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• By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star(7) Comments
Steven M. Sipple: ESPN film seeks essence of Osborne's 'go-for-2' call
Beginning in November, ESPN will air a series of films leading to the first four-team college football playoff. The 1984 Orange Bowl film will… Read more
Things I know and think I know:
Tom Osborne, sounding as if the 1984 Orange Bowl happened yesterday, on Thursday jumped to Turner Gill's defense.
This historic stuff is kind of fun.
Gill, in a recent interview for an upcoming ESPN documentary on the 1984 Orange Bowl, took full responsibility for the incomplete conversion pass as Nebraska trailed by one point in the final moments.
Had the throw been on the mark, Gill said, the Huskers would've won the national championship. We published Gill's remarks, as told by the documentary's producer, earlier this week. The documentary will air sometime in November.
I've heard from plenty of folks who think Turner is being a bit hard on himself.
"For anyone to say that Turner lost it for us isn't accurate because he played very well," Osborne said. "I thought we were in a good play, it just didn't work out."
Osborne emphasizes Gill's role in rallying Nebraska from a 17-0 deficit. Osborne was especially complimentary of Turner's part in the touchdown that pulled Nebraska to 31-30. Facing fourth-and-8 at Miami's 24-yard line, Gill made a nifty option pitch to Jeff Smith, who sprinted down the sideline to paydirt.
Gill essentially had three options on the play — the first being a slant-route pass to Irving Fryar, who was well-covered, Osborne recalled.
"Turner had to go down the line of scrimmage and look for (Fryar)," Osborne said. "When that wasn't there, he had to exercise the option of whether to pitch it or keep it. Of course, he executed the play perfectly, which gave us a chance. It's not like we ran that play very often."
Osborne recalled Gill as being a "really accurate passer." Gill completed 55.3 percent of his throws that season.
"With Turner, I think probably five out of six times, that two-point conversion throw would've been where it had to be," Osborne said. "It wasn't a really bad throw, just slightly behind. And the guy (defender Ken Calhoun) really only got a fingertip on the ball.
"That's just the way football is, you know."
I know this: The 50th Orange Bowl was a well-played classic and still elicits emotional responses from Nebraska fans. I've heard from dozens this week.
By the way, Osborne said, he never considered sending out Scott Livingston to kick the extra point to tie.
"Never really crossed my mind," said the former coach, who obviously had plenty of confidence in his veteran quarterback.
* A bit more history from Osborne: He recalled August 1976, when his fourth Nebraska team, led by quarterback Vince Ferragamo, was ranked No. 1 nationally in the preseason. Osborne entered that season with an inkling his squad was unworthy of the top spot.
It showed in the season opener, as Nebraska tied unranked LSU 6-6 in Baton Rouge, La.
"We had a fairly good team, not a great team," Osborne said.
Oh, those dadgum preseason rankings.
It makes more sense to release rankings, say, about halfway through a season, which is precisely the plan announced Wednesday by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
It will announce interim rankings throughout the second half of the 2014 season, with the first Top 25 set for release Oct. 28.
"I think the thought was by that time, the season has begun to take shape," said Osborne, a committee member. "People have played enough games that you have something to go on."
Exactly.
He noted that teams ranked near the top of preseason polls obviously have an advantage, even if they don't necessarily deserve it — as was the case for Nebraska in 1976.
"Losing 6-6 wasn't all that bad, but it was perceived as a very bad loss," said Osborne, whose Huskers went on to finish 9-3-1, capped by a win against Texas Tech in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.
* Classy: Nebraska men's basketball coach Tim Miles' congratulatory tweet to former Husker coach Doc Sadler, the man Miles replaced. "He'll do a great job at Southern Mississippi," Miles tweeted.
Tacky: Magic Johnson celebrating embattled Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni's resignation. "Happy days are here again!" the Hall of Famer tweeted.
TNT analyst Charles Barkley says he thought Magic was better than that. Nope. Instead we get example No. 1,889,789 of a society that has become, in the words of Journal Star Sports Editor Darnell Dickson, "casually cruel."
* "Mr. Unreliable" was the woefully misguided headline Thursday for a column in The Oklahoman newspaper about Oklahoma City Thunder great Kevin Durant's playoff performance. No wonder the sports editor apologized (his apology was shown on the ESPN scroll Thursday. Ouch).
You see it often in sports journalism. Journalists go out of their way to prove they're objective, to the point where they lose objectivity. But "Mr. Unreliable"? Sounds like somebody in the newsroom is taking the Thunder's losses pretty hard.
On a Monday after commencement’s pomp and circumstance officially loses its luster, Dennis Leblanc had an interesting comment about one of the 55 Nebraska student-athletes who graduated last Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Leblanc’s observation came from the heart and revolved around a Nebraska men’s basketball season ticket holder who only misses a game if it conflicts with his work schedule at the Lancaster County Juvenile Detention Center.
Meet Bernard Garner, one of the most prolific two-year players in the history of Nebraska men’s basketball. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward from Many, La., via Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, started 43 games and scored 649 points on Husker teams in 1995-96 and 1996-97. On Saturday, the married father of two received his bachelor’s degree in Child, Youth and Family Studies and let the record show that Garner, at age 41, treasures his degree like no one else. “I’ve been around national championship teams, but when I see something like this happen and a player comes back at that age to finish what he started, it moves me even more than winning a national championship,” said Leblanc, Nebraska’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academics for more than a quarter century.
Garner Accepted the Challenge, Never Looked Back
Championships are won through blood, sweat and tears, but the tears of a 41-year-old who becomes the first college graduate in the history of his mother’s side of the family are indescribable. How do I know? Because I huddled up with Garner at a Graduation Reception Saturday afternoon on the third floor of Memorial Stadium. We found a quiet area and within seconds, I knew why Leblanc was so moved about the way Garner accepted the challenge to finish his college degree. Nebraska Athletics paid for tuition, fees and books and offered the same kind of support available to every single student-athlete who becomes a Husker.
“This is probably the most exciting, outstanding, heroic thing I’ve experienced since the birth of my 6-year-old son and my 4-year-old daughter,” Garner told me. “My wife was here and my mom was here. She still lives in Many (La.), but she wouldn’t miss something like this. I have seven brothers and sisters, and I’m the first to graduate from college. When Dennis first called to ask me if I was interested in coming back to college and getting my degree, I had to call him back because I was working at the time. As soon as I was done working, I called Dennis back and told him ‘I’m ready to go, so let’s get it done.’”
Just thinking about the journey was enough to choke up Garner less than a minute after we sat down. “I got it done, but I can’t say enough about Dennis and the University of Nebraska,” he said. “They just go far and beyond to make you feel like you still belong. I mean, it’s been a long road, and I didn’t and couldn’t take that road by myself. I did it all with the help of the University, and I see the light, man…I definitely see the light. In fact, I am now a beacon of light for my nieces and my nephews just like I’m a beacon of light for my own children. I can encourage them just like the university motivated me.”
Great Intentions: Use Diploma as a Welcome Mat
“I did something that money cannot buy. No one can take this degree away from me because I earned it with the support of the university,” Garner said. “We live on a farm near Roca (Neb.) and I’m going to hang this degree as near as I can to the front door of the house. It’s going to be like a welcome mat for everyone who comes in. It’s just sheepskin, but it’s a symbol of fulfillment for me.”
At this juncture, Garner gets caught up in his own emotion. He looks down, breathes in. Tears begin to roll down his cheeks. He swallows hard and is not embarrassed or apologetic. These are tears of sheer joy.
“This is probably the greatest university in the world for college students,” Garner said after composing himself. “I mean, you just can’t beat the University of Nebraska. Nothing and I mean nothing can stand up to the University of Nebraska. If I won the lottery today, I would give every dime to the University of Nebraska. I would take absolutely nothing. I would give it all back to a university that gave so much to me.”
Once You Reach 40, Git’r’Done the Only Option
Garner said words are inadequate. They can’t describe Nebraska’s passion or its commitment to inspire. “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “They don’t give you anything but the opportunity, but they find a way to inspire you to do what you have to do to get it done.”
When Garner realizes he’s sounding a little bit like Larry the Cable Guy, he laughs. “That’s really what Git’r’Done means to me,” he said. “Who else gives a 40-year-old the opportunity to grow as a young man, so he can become a leader, a role model and feel like a modern citizen more than ever? The University of Nebraska has more character than I can explain. I don’t know what to say about the university because words simply cannot say what I feel in my heart. Athlete upon athlete upon athlete has tried to describe how this place embraces them and guides them from a young boy to a man. They do it with such grace and style, you just can’t beat it because it becomes a part of you.”
Last year, Garner purchased four tickets on the second level of Pinnacle Bank Arena. “I do whatever I can to support the university,” he said. “If I’m working and have to miss a game, my son is still there with my wife. Coach Miles, he’s doing a great job. I liked him the minute I met him. He’s a heck of a man. He’s a talker now, but when it comes game time, his team is prepped and ready to go. There’s a lot more to come with Tim Miles. Success is a big part of him, on and off the court…in the classroom and around the campus…wherever you find Nebraska people, he’s motivating fans like he motivates his players.”
Garner Believes NU Can Win Big Ten Someday
I ask Garner if he believes the Nebraska men’s basketball team can win its first regular-season conference championship since the Huskers were members of the Big Seven Conference more than six decades ago. “Yes I do!” he said. “Because those guys believe in the system that Coach Miles has installed, and they’re willing to work as hard they can on team basketball, not individual basketball. They will get it done. Shavon Shields can get it done any way you want it. That guy can shoot the three and he can drive to the basket and shoot all kinds of shots. Terran Petteway, he’s the T.P. He’s the Total Package. Look at Walter Pitchford, and what about Benny Parker? He’s the spark plug. He’s probably not even 5-foot-6 and he wants to take on the best offensive player every game. That whole team loves to compete. They play great defense. They know their assignments, accept their roles and do everything they can together. That’s why they’re winning.”
9 minutes ago ? By RILEY JOHNSON/Lincoln Journal Star
Josh Banderas
Lancaster County prosecutors on Tuesday charged a Husker linebacker and a distance runner with stealing seven bikes from a University of Nebraska-Lincoln rack Monday.
Josh Banderas, 19, and Lucas Keifer, 19, each face felony theft charges after police pulled them over about 5:10 p.m. Monday.
Assistant UNL Police Chief Charlotte Evans said a witness called 911 just before 5 p.m. after seeing two people clipping bike locks with a bolt cutter and taking them to a truck.
The truck left, and UNL and Lincoln police officers responded to a larceny-in-progress call.
Near Antelope Valley Parkway and M Street, a Lincoln police officer pulled over the silver Chevrolet 1500 truck Keifer was driving, Evans said.
They seized the mountain bikes, valued at $1,699, and a bolt cutter from the truck?s bed.
Both were taken to jail on suspicion of possession of burglar?s tools and theft by unlawful taking between $500 and $1,500.
They were released from jail Tuesday on $3,500 bond each and will appear in court June 17.
Banderas started four games for the Huskers last fall and this spring competed for first-team duties. He finished with 28 tackles last season, including two sacks.
A Lincoln Southwest High School graduate, Banderas was regarded by many as Nebraska's top football player for the class of 2013.
An Athletic Department spokesman said administrators and coaches are aware of the incident and have no further comment.
Keifer, who attended Southwest with Banderas, runs for the cross country and track and field teams.
Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.
Per LJS: Charges dropped pending Banderas' completion of a diversion program.
Husker linebacker gets Diversion for theft
Lincoln Journal-Star
The Lancaster County Attorney's Office dismissed its case against a Husker linebacker Friday, saying he was going through the pre-trial diversion program.
Josh Banderas, 19, had been accused of felony theft for stealing seven bikes from a University of Nebraska-Lincoln rack last week.
UNL Police said a witness called 911 just before 5 p.m. May 9, after seeing two people clipping bike locks with a bolt cutter and taking them to a truck.
A Lincoln police officer pulled over the silver Chevrolet 1500 truck soon after near Antelope Valley Parkway and M Street and seized the bikes and a bolt cutter from the truck’s bed.
Lucas Keifer, 19, was driving. Banderas was with him.
Both went to jail on suspicion of felony theft by unlawful taking.
On Friday, Deputy County Attorney Bruce Prenda filed a motion to dismiss Banderas' case at his costs because he was participating in the Community Corrections Diversion Program, according to Lancaster County Court records.
Prenda said he can refile the charge if Banderas, who has no criminal record, doesn't complete the program.
Keifer's case remains open.
In regard to Banderas, Husker coach Bo Pelini has yet to comment on whether the situation will impact his status for the upcoming season.
The sophomore from Lincoln Southwest competed for Nebraska's No. 1 MIKE linebacker position in spring ball.
Grammar... The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.
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