Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[entropy]

3 in 12 months.

[entropy]

LJS

Where did you think he was going?

He'd been to almost every Auburn game since he was 6 years old. His brother is a Tiger. He'd shook hands with Cam Newton and knows full well not to be alarmed when someone shouts "War Eagle!" while walking down a street in Alabama.

But Ameer Abdullah got on that plane anyway, headed for frigid Nebraska in the middle of January.

The Huskers were offering him a chance to play running back.

He loved playing running back. Loved making people miss ever since he was in the park league. He would put on some slick moves, then head home with the man he's sure he got them from.

"My dad, I love him," Abdullah said. "I really get it from him, I guess."

Of course, the gifted ones always do more than one thing well. He played defensive back, too. Good enough that Auburn wanted him as a safety.

Auburn. Just two hours from his hometown of Homewood.

Where did you think he was going?

Especially when he stepped outside of that airport in the middle of America and saw white stuff.

"I had seen ice," Abdullah said. "I hadn't really seen snow."

Taken aback? Why, yes. But you know what? It was different. Different was good.

"I needed something different in my life."

With the February signing day fast approaching, Bo Pelini and Tim Beck had offered him a scholarship. Other than that, they presented no guarantees.

Some coaches from other schools did. And while it is nice to hear nice things, Abdullah rather liked that Nebraska's recruiting sales pitch came without any sugar on it.

"He didn't tell me, ‘Oh, we promise you this, we promise you that,'" Abdullah said of Pelini. "I really respected that."

Abdullah toured the facilities and met some of the players, including Prince Amukamara and some other Huskers bound for the NFL. By the time he caught his flight back home, he said he couldn't think of much else besides Nebraska.

His friends were all going to schools in Alabama. They pressured him to stay in the state, just as you'd expect friends to do. But they figured out soon enough where Abdullah's heart was.

Auburn tried to change his mind late in the game. The Tigers told him they'd give him a shot at running back.

Nah.

He was going to need a good winter coat.

Abdullah was also going to need to bring every bit of the work ethic that earned him the nickname of "Energizer Bunny" from coaches at Homewood High.

Before Abdullah arrived at Nebraska this summer for conditioning, his high school coach, Dickey Wright, told the Journal Star he'd never seen an athlete with quicker acceleration than Abdullah in his 30 years of coaching.

"He's a quiet young man, but you throw a challenge in front of him and you don't have to really say anything else," Wright said.

And there were definitely challenges. After all, Abdullah was joining two other hungry true freshman running backs in Lincoln.

Aaron Green and Braylon Heard came with more recruiting stars and fanfare.

But Abdullah, who is just 5-feet-9 and 180 pounds, wasn't giving that much attention.

"I never really believed in the hype or whatever," he said. "I know those guys don't either, even though they were highly praised out of high school. ... We all put on our pants the same way. We all come in having work to do, and we still have work to do now."

And they found they really like each other. Now they're roommates.

"Just last night, we were laughing for like 30 minutes about something very silly," Abdullah said. "We're just silly guys who really get along with each other. I love those guys. They're like my brothers."

Those friends were there to slap him on the back when he came to the sideline Saturday, having just captured the hearts of Nebraska fans with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

On the return, Abdullah made a move that twisted one Fresno State player's feet like a pretzel.

His father was watching. As always.

Kareem Abdullah played a little ball in his day. He competed at Dillard University in New Orleans, and also at LSU.

After college, he did well as the co-owner of an insurance company.

"He's a very successful man," Ameer said.

His dad called Saturday night. Told him how proud he was. Told him he loved him. He told him something else: Keep doing it.

Oh, he'll try. His first college touchdown in the books, Abdullah said he's moved on to Washington week.

Returning kicks has become a passion. Abdullah loves the buzz that carries through the crowd just before a return. He doesn't think there's a more exciting play in a football game than a kick return.

"Everyone wants to see one go to the house every time," he said.

Abdullah has looked to gain any wisdom he can about the art of returning kicks.

Through a connection with a trainer he knows in Alabama, Abdullah has worked out with New Orleans Saints' running back and return man Darren Sproles.

"I really worked with him hands-on," Abdullah said. "He really crafted my game and I appreciate him for it."

Among the things Sproles told him about returning kicks: Never be afraid to take a chance.

"That's where people mess up," Abdullah said. "A lot of people are afraid to take a chance."

Dad's moves don't hurt either.

[entropy]

Fresno State Coach Pat Hill on NU crowd

BY Rich Kaipust | 7:57 pm, Monday, Sep. 12 | POSTED IN Big Red Today

You’ve heard opponents say it before, but Fresno State head coach Pat Hill is the latest visitor to Memorial Stadium to voice his appreciation for how his team was treated.
Despite the Bulldogs threatening to pull the upset before eventually falling 42-29, Hill said the crowd Saturday night was “unbelievable.”
“After the game, I’ve never heard so many positive people walking off the field,” Hill said. “Our kids were almost in shock with the type of fans that they have. They were congratulating them on a great game, for playing hard, telling our guys good luck and that’s the type of atmosphere that is great.
“They are intelligent football fans. They appreciate a good football game, they all stayed there at the end and it was a different environment than I’ve ever been in as far as a crowd and people that appreciate the game of football. It was a great atmosphere to play in and I was kind of taken back walking off the field, because I’ve never heard those kind of positive remarks like that in any game.”


http://sports.omaha.com/2011/09/12/p...l-on-nu-crowd/

[lineygoblue]

A Nebraska home game is definitely on my bucket list. I hope I can go next season.

[entropy]

A new nanoscience building at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be named in honor of a Los Angeles couple who donated $5 million toward its construction.

The gift by Don Voelte and Nancy Keegan was announced Thursday at a ceremony outside the new Voelte-Keegan Nanoscience Metrology Facility. The $13.9 million building is scheduled to open in February 2012.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110915/NEWS01/11091 9841/0#couple-gives-unl-5-million

[entropy]

What a crazy game in Lincoln this past weekend. In some regards, I'm happy (Like the O's performance), in other's I'm very concerned.

I'll start out with the positives:

1) OL play was probably the I've seen in years.. maybe a decade. It is obvious to me our current OL coach's opinions on personnel and technique have been over ruled. Beck has made some nice changes to the line up and other coaches have really changed the way UNL blocks. With all the young guys, this should mean great things for our future.

2) I thought TM played his best game as a husker

3) We have 2 very good true freshman RB's. Green has great instincts and is explosive. Heard makes nice crisp cuts and gets to the corner fast. Add to it Adullah in the return game (who is as sudden as I can remember), UNL has a great trio of freshman backs

4) Rex is running harder than anyone I can remember. He is a leader, does his job and is very humble. He's everything you want in a player and a son. I'm very glad to say he's a husker

5) Enunwa, Bell and Turner should be our WRs henceforth

6) I think Beck is finding a rhythm with this team. Each week, I think he's been better and better. Washington wasn't an elite team, but they will be top 1/2 of the PAC. Nebraska put up a lot of points and had some nice sustained drives.

Areas of concern:

1) D. Period. Bo's worst D has a head coach and it shouldn't be.

2) Our secondary is playing a lot softer than last year. UNL was a secondary that physically intimidated WR's and disrupted routes. Our Match up Zone was the envy of college football. So the question is was it Marvin (no longer the secondary coach) that made this happen or do bo's recruits lack the ability to run it?

3) David isn't playing as well as last year. He's missing tackles were last year, he seemed to never miss a one. I know that is an exaggeration, but you get the point.

4) The D lacks playmakers..

5) Have I mentioned the D? Guys just have not improved week to week. UNL lost 2 coaches off the D, and maybe it is showing

6) finally, the D

[entropy]

link

LINCOLN, Neb. — "First play awareness."

From Monday through Friday, it's preached in practice. Don't get surprised on the first play of the game. Don't start the day on your heels. And please, please be aware of the possibility of trickery.

"Watch the double move." Washington's defensive coordinator Nick Holt reminded his defensive backs before they took the field in the red sea of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium.

The message wasn't received.

After all of Holt's preaching and all of his warnings, senior cornerback Quinton Richardson still got scorched on Nebraska's first play from scrimmage.

"It happens to a veteran guy who knows better," Holt said after Saturday's 51-38 loss to 11th-ranked Nebraska. "And then it starts tumbling from there."

Wide receiver Kenny Bell beat Richardson with that dreaded double move. He was out and up and almost gone. For Washington, it was first-play unawareness.

Taylor Martinez dropped the pass into Bell's arms for a 50-yard gain. It would be Nebraska's longest pass play of the game. And one play later, the Huskers had a 7-0 lead.

"Everybody took their turn to make some mistakes at critical times, starting off with the first play of the game," Holt said. "We need to do a better job as coaches to make sure — they all nod their heads — but we have to make sure we execute some stuff.

"There were too many times when it was one guy here, one guy there, one guy there not doing what we're supposed to be doing. That maybe comes back to myself as a coach. We've got to get up, all on the same page."

Go ahead, get angry at the Big Ten officials who blew a couple of key calls that changed the game's momentum. And feel frustrated about Washington's inability to overcome adversity that led to its "complete meltdown," in coach Steve Sarkisian's words, in the third quarter.

But the officials didn't lose this game. And the meltdown wasn't the main reason for this loss.

On this gray, somber Saturday that felt and looked more like late November than mid-September, the Huskies defense wasn't ready to compete against a team as good as Nebraska.

"We have to figure it out," Sarkisian said of the defense. "What we're doing scheme wise or (the defensive personnel) we're playing. Everything that's going on."

Eastern Washington quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell burned them for 473 passing yards on opening day. And Nebraska rushed for 309 yards Saturday. In their first three games, the Huskies have allowed an average of almost 37 points a game.

Three weeks into the season, Washington's defense is suffering too many profound breakdowns. It has been beaten by land and by air.

And now the responsibility for fixing the defense is Holt's.

"I need to do my job better," Holt said. "We all need to do our job better. The problem was, when we had the opportunities to make the play, some guys just didn't get it done for us. We need to address that."

Nebraska's up-tempo, no-huddle, big-play offense beat Washington with big plays. A 28-yard scramble by Martinez. A 25-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Green. A 25-yard run by Braylon Heard.

But there also was plenty of old school Nebraska I-back, belly option offense, like the stuff once run by Turner Gill and Eric Crouch. The game's longest running play was a 36-yard gain on a straight belly feed to fullback Tyler Legate.

"Oh yeah, I'm disappointed with some of the play of our guys," Holt said. "We need to get better and we will get better. But you play a good team like Nebraska, they took advantage of some of the guys at some of the positions.

"There were a couple of times where guys weren't doing what they're supposed to be doing on some of those big plays. That was the frustrating thing. We've got to correct that. We've got to do a better job of coaching. The concepts we're doing in practice, (when) we get in the game and we're not doing them."

From the practice field to game day, something is getting lost in translation. The Pac-12 season starts Saturday against California and Nick Holt has this week to get his unit right.

His defense.

His problem.

[Wild Hoss]

While I believe teams are starting to find some holes in our zone, its become quite apparent that we don't have the players to run Bo's pro-style defense anymore. Truthfully speaking, we didn't have the DL for it last year, and wouldn't have the front for it in general if Lavonte David hadn't come out of nowhere. We did have four NFL-caliber players (Including a first-rounder, and likely two) in the secondary to smother pass patterns and keep things afloat. Now those guys are gone too.

As was often repeated by fans during the Callahan years, you have to coach to your talent. Defensively we aren't.

[entropy]

http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=24115

JORDAN BURROUGHS WINS GOLD MEDAL AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

[entropy]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTt0fMSLQzk"]September 17, 2011 - Washington @ #11 Nebraska - YouTube[/ame]

[Hannibal]

Pretty impressive offensive performance by Nebraska.

[entropy]

and equally unimpressive Defensive performance. Never thought I'd worry about a Bo defense, but right now, they are not playing to their potential.

[Hannibal]

Nebraska won't face anyone else in conference who does what UDub does. I guess Wisky could give Nebraska problems.

[entropy]

Wisky is going to score at will unless UNL fixes the defensive problems

[entropy]

Talent...

For the OSU game the guy next to me owns a pizza shop in Omaha. He's going to bring down his portable oven and join our tailgate. We're thinking around 30 pizza's, plus everything else.

Just saying... dump OS, grab his wife and head over