 "Photo: The Associated Press")
Bo Pelini understands. He really does.
“It’s been a tough 12 months, but there’s been a lot of hard work by a lot of people and it’s paid off,” the head coach said after Nebraska beat Clemson 26-21 in last season’s Gator Bowl. But, he made sure to add, “Now, we’ve got to keep it going and pick that torch the seniors left and keep running with it.”
It’s been a long, arduous road for the Nebraska program, but Pelini’s back in Lincoln and that means the Cornhuskers are back as well.
Pelini showed up as the defensive coordinator for the Big Red in 2003 after a stint in the NFL. He took Nebraska’s defense from 55th to No. 11 in the country and then proceeded to coax another winning season out of the Huskers as interim head coach in 2004.
But he left when the school hired Bill Callahan as head coach in 2005. Pelini headed south and made a name for himself on another Big 12 powerhouse’s payroll as defensive coordinator for the Sooners. He won a conference title there, and then a national championship later with LSU. It was beginning to seem like the Cornhuskers had made a mistake.
That’s when Interim Athletic Director Tom Osborne decided it was time to bring Pelini back. Osborne hired him as head coach in 2008, and Pelini returned the favor with a winning season to the tune of a 9-4 record, including a victory in a January bowl game — the first for the program in nine years.
Now, hopes are even higher, with Pelini’s eyes set on a Big 12 title.
He’ll have the supporting cast to do it. The “Blackshirts” on defense return two hell-raisers up front, including 300-pound Ndamukong Suh, but the secondary will have to improve if the Huskers hope to fair the pass-happy Big 12.
On the offensive side, the Huskers will rely on the running tandem of Roy Helu and equally capable Quentin Castille. The duo finished third in rushing in the Big 12 last year, which is good news for the Huskers — they lost starting quarterback Joe Ganz as well as the unit’s top two receivers to graduation.
Can Zac Lee handle the pressure of starting quarterback? He has performed well in the spring, but we won’t see for sure until opening day. Dual-threat freshman Cody Green seems like an admirable back up if things don’t go as planned in Lincoln.
The Big Red Nation is holding its breath, waiting for the first game of the 2009 season to see if Nebraska can live up to the hype.
The Cornhuskers won’t face any FCS opponents this year, but still get away with matches against Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State early in the season.
However, the Huskers will travel to Blacksburg to take on ACC-favorite Virginia Tech in week three, and from there, all bets are off. They’ll have to play at rivals Missouri and Kansas and face one of the South’s toughest teams, Oklahoma, in a late-season test.
For the first time in a long time, Nebraska is a probable candidate to take the North and a spot in the Big 12 title game, but it will come down to following through on expectations, something Pelini knows quite well.
Team name: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Coach: Bo Pelini
Conference: Big 12
2008 record: 9-4
Key Players:
- Roy Helu — Junior — RB
2008: 803 yards rushing/266 yards receiving/7 TD
Helu will be numero uno in a two-pronged running attack as well as the focal point of the Big Red’s offense with the departure of a starting QB and two veteran receivers. - Ndamukong Suh — Senior — DT
2008: 76 tackles/7.5 sacks
The Cornhuskers’ best player and a Lombardi trophy-hopeful, Suh is a projected top-10 pick in next year’s NFL draft and should make an impact in every game.
Game to watch: Sept. 19 at Virginia Tech (ABC)
While this game may not count as much toward season’s end, it should be the most obvious litmus test for Nebraska’s progress and the only chance, aside from a game against Oklahoma, to impress BCS voters.
The word on Nebraska: Head coach Bo Pelini doesn’t rebuild, he reloads; he has the chance this year to shake up one of the marquee conferences with a young, talented and determined group of Cornhuskers who feel like their respect is well past due.
