Thanks to a home victory over Missouri this week, Nebraska basketball is on the verge of being "bubblicious", at least according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, who has them currently in their "last four out". So what's it going to take? Probably three more wins at bare minimum. Must win at Colorado, then pick up at least one and probably two more in Kansas City at the Big XII tournament. That's a tall order, since the Huskers haven't played very well outside of Lincoln. Certainly can't afford another hairball like the one the Huskers coughed up in Ames last Saturday afternoon.
Our other NCAA tournament-bound team, the UNO hockey team, really could use a good performance this weekend against #11 Minnesota-Duluth on the road. It's all about the seeding, and second place is still possible as the Mavs sit one point behind second place Denver. Second place is important because the top two seeds don't have to play the Thursday night games at the WCHA Final Five. Speaking of which, the WCHA uses a "Gopher Rule" when scheduling games: if Minnesota is scheduled to play that night, they always play in the second game that night so that Gopher fans can make it after work. Not that anybody should be surprised by this. (H/T: Goon from NoDak)
Turns out Wisconsin blogger Chuck Schwartz seethed a wee-bit at being called out for his ridiculous declaration that Badger head coach Mike Eaves had sewn up a coach of the year award. Especially from a football blogger who crashed the inner sanctum of hockey. But with the Badgers in a free-fall that began with being swept in Omaha, he finally acknowledged that Eaves won't win the award... though he still should. Oh, he let me know why loud and clear: Wisconsin lost so much from last season's team, it was remarkable that they were ever in contention. True to a point, but programs like Wisconsin usually have a solid stream of talent waiting in the wings - which they do. So while Schwartz and some of his Badger pals were running around patting themselves on the back, most people outside Badgerland took this season for what it is: reloading. And his whole excuse that "nobody saw the Badgers collapse" pretty much validates my main point: you can't declare the race over at the halfway point of the season.
I see Creighton is starting to promote season tickets for their first season of baseball at TD Ameritrade Park. First game will be on April 19th...and the opponent is going to be Nebraska. MECA had better be prepared for a huge crowd for opening night downtown; no soft opening for this place.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday Night Dessert: Any Local March Madness Will Come From UNO Hockey
After the big victory over Texas one week ago, Nebraska basketball dribbled the ball out of bounds, so to speak, in losses to Kansas State and Iowa State in the last week. A week ago, one could hope that the Huskers could work their way into NCAA contention; now, they've likely got to win four games in Kansas City to do that. Easy to blow off the Husker basketball program, but I'm sticking with Doc Sadler for now. Sadler's made his mistakes along the way, to be sure...but he hasn't had a lot of help either. The roster was in shambles when he arrived, and he made a few mistakes (Shang Ping anybody?). But the school failed him as well, especially when you consider the whole Roburt Sallie fiasco.
UNO's loss to Denver last night didn't break the Mavs season. Thanks to Minnesota-Duluth's tie at Colorado College last night, the Mavs remain in third place in the WCHA and jumped to eighth place in the Pairwise. Now they head to Duluth to secure that 3rd place finish, which would a heck of a finish for the Mavs first season in the WCHA. In any event, it looks like UNO is going to be playing meaningful hockey games throughout the month of March.
Speaking of March, that means that spring football is coming up soon. I'm somewhat surprised by the number of tickets still remaining for the spring game. Did fans take the late season collapse that hard, or was Jim Rose really right in suggesting that fans are upset with Bo Pelini?
UNO's loss to Denver last night didn't break the Mavs season. Thanks to Minnesota-Duluth's tie at Colorado College last night, the Mavs remain in third place in the WCHA and jumped to eighth place in the Pairwise. Now they head to Duluth to secure that 3rd place finish, which would a heck of a finish for the Mavs first season in the WCHA. In any event, it looks like UNO is going to be playing meaningful hockey games throughout the month of March.
Speaking of March, that means that spring football is coming up soon. I'm somewhat surprised by the number of tickets still remaining for the spring game. Did fans take the late season collapse that hard, or was Jim Rose really right in suggesting that fans are upset with Bo Pelini?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Mavs Run Out of Gas Against Denver; Split Series
Driving downtown tonight for the UNO-Denver series finale, I caught the Dean Blais pregame interview where he thought that UNO needed to survive the Pioneers first period surge. After last night's loss, he expected Denver to come out flying right from the start. Well, UNO withstood that initial surge, but it turns out that Denver had much more in the tank tonight. They dominated the second period, and had the edge in the third period.
I'm not sure how to explain this one, but I think UNO just simply ran out of gas tonight. It happens. The run over the last five weeks, starting with that series split in North Dakota, just isn't one of those strings that just keeps going. And after having to fly up to Alaska last weekend, they didn't have enough left in their tanks for a top ten team like the Pioneers. Sloppy, lazy passes were picked off, and as the game wore on, it was Denver, not UNO, that had the spring in their step. UNO prides themselves on being the fastest and best conditioned team out on the ice, but that wasn't the case tonight.
John Faulkner was pulled at the end of the first period for Fredrik Bergman; not sure that Faulkner wasn't playing poorly as much as the team needed a bit of a spark. A rumor floating around the arena was that Faulkner got dinged earlier in the week and wasn't feeling well. In any event, Bergman put on an impressive performance in relief, though he ends up taking the loss on the stat sheet.
Unfortunately, that effort came in front of a huge crowd of 11,504 tonight who packed the Qwest Center and made Civic-like noise late in the third period. If there is one positive note that can be taken away from this evening, the crowd is one thing. (Can we finally declare that UNO's era at the Civic Auditorium is FINALLY over? UNO drew over 20,000 fans to a weekend series this weekend.)
Tonight's loss dropped the Mavs to 3rd place in the WCHA, and could be tied with Minnesota Duluth, depending on the outcome of their game with Colorado College tonight. The loss also dropped the Mavs to 10th in the Pairwise rankings, which determine the seedings for the NCAA tournament.
I'm not sure how to explain this one, but I think UNO just simply ran out of gas tonight. It happens. The run over the last five weeks, starting with that series split in North Dakota, just isn't one of those strings that just keeps going. And after having to fly up to Alaska last weekend, they didn't have enough left in their tanks for a top ten team like the Pioneers. Sloppy, lazy passes were picked off, and as the game wore on, it was Denver, not UNO, that had the spring in their step. UNO prides themselves on being the fastest and best conditioned team out on the ice, but that wasn't the case tonight.
John Faulkner was pulled at the end of the first period for Fredrik Bergman; not sure that Faulkner wasn't playing poorly as much as the team needed a bit of a spark. A rumor floating around the arena was that Faulkner got dinged earlier in the week and wasn't feeling well. In any event, Bergman put on an impressive performance in relief, though he ends up taking the loss on the stat sheet.
Unfortunately, that effort came in front of a huge crowd of 11,504 tonight who packed the Qwest Center and made Civic-like noise late in the third period. If there is one positive note that can be taken away from this evening, the crowd is one thing. (Can we finally declare that UNO's era at the Civic Auditorium is FINALLY over? UNO drew over 20,000 fans to a weekend series this weekend.)
Tonight's loss dropped the Mavs to 3rd place in the WCHA, and could be tied with Minnesota Duluth, depending on the outcome of their game with Colorado College tonight. The loss also dropped the Mavs to 10th in the Pairwise rankings, which determine the seedings for the NCAA tournament.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Mavs Catch #6 Denver While Shorthanded
UNO moved into sole possession of second place in the WCHA with a 5-2 victory over #6 Denver tonight in front of a smaller-than-expected crowd at the Qwest Center. The Mavs got off to a strong start with a dominating first period performance capped off by a short-handed goal by Rich Purslow off a great pass by Joey Martin. But UNO couldn't find the back of the net again in the first period despite numerous good scoring opportunities. Denver came back to tie the game early in the second period, only to have Johnnie Searfoss slap one home to regain the lead at 2-1.
In the third period, Denver turned up the heat and tied the game on a defensive miscue as Jason Zucker found Drew Shore wide open in front of the net. Two minutes later, Matt Ambrosz deflected a Andrej Sustr laserbeam slapshot to break the tie once again. Matt White then raced in shorthanded for an unassisted goal to widen the lead to 4-2. Denver pulled goalie Adam Murray with over three minutes left in the game, but couldn't get anything past UNO's John Faulkner. Rich Purslow netted an empty-net goal in the final second to give the Mavs a 5-2 victory.
That victory combined with Colorado College's 5-4 victory over Minnesota-Duluth put the Mavs in second place, just one point behind first place North Dakota, who was idle this evening. It may be difficult for UNO to pass the Sioux in these final games; North Dakota has two games against 10th place Bemidji State and two more against last place Michigan Tech to close out the season. But second is still a huge accomplishment since the top two teams in the regular season can earn byes in the opening games at the WCHA Final Five, should they win their first round playoff series.
The win didn't do much for UNO's standings in the Pairwise standings that determine the NCAA tournament seedings; they're still ninth. Tonight's win gave the Mavs back-to-back 20 win seasons for just the second time in school history. Huge accomplishment. But UNO needs to finish off the Pioneers tomorrow night to set themselves up for a solid finish, because tomorrow night's winner will be in second place going into the final weekend of the regular season.
In the third period, Denver turned up the heat and tied the game on a defensive miscue as Jason Zucker found Drew Shore wide open in front of the net. Two minutes later, Matt Ambrosz deflected a Andrej Sustr laserbeam slapshot to break the tie once again. Matt White then raced in shorthanded for an unassisted goal to widen the lead to 4-2. Denver pulled goalie Adam Murray with over three minutes left in the game, but couldn't get anything past UNO's John Faulkner. Rich Purslow netted an empty-net goal in the final second to give the Mavs a 5-2 victory.
That victory combined with Colorado College's 5-4 victory over Minnesota-Duluth put the Mavs in second place, just one point behind first place North Dakota, who was idle this evening. It may be difficult for UNO to pass the Sioux in these final games; North Dakota has two games against 10th place Bemidji State and two more against last place Michigan Tech to close out the season. But second is still a huge accomplishment since the top two teams in the regular season can earn byes in the opening games at the WCHA Final Five, should they win their first round playoff series.
The win didn't do much for UNO's standings in the Pairwise standings that determine the NCAA tournament seedings; they're still ninth. Tonight's win gave the Mavs back-to-back 20 win seasons for just the second time in school history. Huge accomplishment. But UNO needs to finish off the Pioneers tomorrow night to set themselves up for a solid finish, because tomorrow night's winner will be in second place going into the final weekend of the regular season.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday Night Dessert: What Does Big Husker Hoops Win Really Mean?
After tempting us and flirting with fans so many times in recent years with "oh-so-close, but not enough" performances in recent years, it was great to see Nebrasketball pull off the victory over Texas that every Husker fan desires. Sure, nearly every Husker fan would have preferred that the victory had come last October in football, but nobody is going to turn this one down either. It's certainly the biggest victory for a local basketball team since Creighton's double-overtime upset over Florida in the NCAA tournament nine years ago, and the biggest Husker basketball win since the improbable Big Eight championship run in 1994.
I missed much of the first half after a slow start, but picked up the game early in the second half as the Huskers tied the Longhorns, and the team looked like a team that was ready to exorcise the program's demons. The spirit of Bruce Chubick infested the team as the team picked up crucial rebound after rebound. Andre Almeida looked like the force that he was early in the season rather than the out-of-shape blob that he looked like at times earlier in conference play.
Throughout the second half, Nebraska seemed to dominate the Longhorns for the first eighteen minutes, but then yet another collapse at the end seemed to cement the program's reputation as a team that can't finish. We've seen it time and time again as the Huskers let a big victory slip out of their hands at the very end. This time, the collapse happened in the 59th minute instead of the 60th. In a matter of 35 seconds, an 11 point lead vaporized. Couldn't hit a free throw. Failed to rebound. Turned the ball over and put Longhorns at the free throw line unnecessarily. Here we go again. Except that the Huskers recovered in the final minute, made the plays they needed to, and got the win.
Great win, and it puts the Big Red into the mix for an NCAA tournament berth. They'll need to pull off a few more victories against stout Kansas State and Missouri teams, but just being in contention is a sign of progress. Some people question why Husker fans didn't sell out the Devaney Center for this game, but that's missing the point. A lot of fans around here are bandwagon, and attendance always lags success. Husker basketball had great attendance in the middle 90's, but it was preceded by pretty good teams in the late 80's and early 90's. Creighton basketball attendance success came after the Bluejays completed their five year string of NCAA tournament berths. Some fans simply want to see results before they invest their money on tickets.
Speaking of teams on an NCAA tournament run, the Mavs salvaged a split up at Alaska-Anchorage this weekend, keeping the Mavs pretty much in the same position they were in a week ago. Friday night's 3-2 loss spoiled a great opportunity to move within a point of first place as the top three teams in the WCHA were upset on Friday. Up next is #3 Denver in a huge series for both teams.
The World-Herald's story about the UFL and the Omaha Nighthawks have to really raise the alarm level as to the long-term viability of the league. Frankly, I've felt that the league is only viable if the NFL invests in it as a developmental arrangement. The NFL scuttled the old NFL Europe because they were losing a similar amount of money, but with the advent of the NFL Network and a financial arrangement where the NFL isn't shouldering the entire burden of operating the league, it might be viable. I get the feeling the UFL has only one path to survival, and that is the shutdown of the NFL this summer and fall. The UFL could get an infusion of attention and media dollars, and that could buy the league time. Prove that it's quality football and a good development source, and the NFL might be willing to subsidize the league enough to make a franchise like Omaha viable in the long run. Then they'll need to find other Omaha-like cities that love football and are willing to support the league. Right now, they haven't found any. And that's a problem.
Folks in Sarpy County should be casting a wary eye to the experience of Council Bluffs and the Mid-American Center, if they are counting on development around the Trailer Park at BFE to subsidize the new stadium. On Friday, a mostly-vacant shopping plaza at the Mid-America Center was auctioned off after the original developer defaulted on the mortgage. The MAC never proved to be enough of a draw to make this shopping center viable, and now the MAC also sits mostly unused with the Lancers moving back to Omaha. The parallels between the MAC and BFE were noted by Grow Omaha's Trenton Magid last week. Granted, the two situations are quite different, as the MAC is also surrounded by casinos and other development towards Lake Manawa, while BFE is surrounded by... cornfields... on three sides.
I missed much of the first half after a slow start, but picked up the game early in the second half as the Huskers tied the Longhorns, and the team looked like a team that was ready to exorcise the program's demons. The spirit of Bruce Chubick infested the team as the team picked up crucial rebound after rebound. Andre Almeida looked like the force that he was early in the season rather than the out-of-shape blob that he looked like at times earlier in conference play.
Throughout the second half, Nebraska seemed to dominate the Longhorns for the first eighteen minutes, but then yet another collapse at the end seemed to cement the program's reputation as a team that can't finish. We've seen it time and time again as the Huskers let a big victory slip out of their hands at the very end. This time, the collapse happened in the 59th minute instead of the 60th. In a matter of 35 seconds, an 11 point lead vaporized. Couldn't hit a free throw. Failed to rebound. Turned the ball over and put Longhorns at the free throw line unnecessarily. Here we go again. Except that the Huskers recovered in the final minute, made the plays they needed to, and got the win.
Great win, and it puts the Big Red into the mix for an NCAA tournament berth. They'll need to pull off a few more victories against stout Kansas State and Missouri teams, but just being in contention is a sign of progress. Some people question why Husker fans didn't sell out the Devaney Center for this game, but that's missing the point. A lot of fans around here are bandwagon, and attendance always lags success. Husker basketball had great attendance in the middle 90's, but it was preceded by pretty good teams in the late 80's and early 90's. Creighton basketball attendance success came after the Bluejays completed their five year string of NCAA tournament berths. Some fans simply want to see results before they invest their money on tickets.
Speaking of teams on an NCAA tournament run, the Mavs salvaged a split up at Alaska-Anchorage this weekend, keeping the Mavs pretty much in the same position they were in a week ago. Friday night's 3-2 loss spoiled a great opportunity to move within a point of first place as the top three teams in the WCHA were upset on Friday. Up next is #3 Denver in a huge series for both teams.
The World-Herald's story about the UFL and the Omaha Nighthawks have to really raise the alarm level as to the long-term viability of the league. Frankly, I've felt that the league is only viable if the NFL invests in it as a developmental arrangement. The NFL scuttled the old NFL Europe because they were losing a similar amount of money, but with the advent of the NFL Network and a financial arrangement where the NFL isn't shouldering the entire burden of operating the league, it might be viable. I get the feeling the UFL has only one path to survival, and that is the shutdown of the NFL this summer and fall. The UFL could get an infusion of attention and media dollars, and that could buy the league time. Prove that it's quality football and a good development source, and the NFL might be willing to subsidize the league enough to make a franchise like Omaha viable in the long run. Then they'll need to find other Omaha-like cities that love football and are willing to support the league. Right now, they haven't found any. And that's a problem.
Folks in Sarpy County should be casting a wary eye to the experience of Council Bluffs and the Mid-American Center, if they are counting on development around the Trailer Park at BFE to subsidize the new stadium. On Friday, a mostly-vacant shopping plaza at the Mid-America Center was auctioned off after the original developer defaulted on the mortgage. The MAC never proved to be enough of a draw to make this shopping center viable, and now the MAC also sits mostly unused with the Lancers moving back to Omaha. The parallels between the MAC and BFE were noted by Grow Omaha's Trenton Magid last week. Granted, the two situations are quite different, as the MAC is also surrounded by casinos and other development towards Lake Manawa, while BFE is surrounded by... cornfields... on three sides.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tuesday Night Beer: Cosgrove Gets a Job While Husker Fans Wait
Tom Dienhart confirms tonight that Akron hired Kevin Cosgrove to be their new defensive coordinator. While I'm disappointed that Nebraska won't get to face a Cosgrove defense, it's a nice consolation prize to have Frank Solich's Ohio Bobcats get that opportunity.
Meanwhile, the World-Herald's Mitch Sherman found confirmation that Corey Raymond, Ross Els, and Rich Fisher are on the Husker staff -- in the UNL staff directory, of all places. Why no official announcement yet? Good question, but I can think of two reasons: (1) the future status of Shawn Watson and Ted Gilmore still is unknown and probably still being resolved, and (2) John Garrison is still listed as a part-time intern. That means that some red tape still has to be cleared, so we still await the formal announcement.
UNO hockey jumped up to #13 in the USCHO rankings, ironically one spot behind Wisconsin. Those rankings are nice, but the Pairwise rankings are what's important, and right now, the Mavs are tied for 7th, which is good for a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Right now, that probably sends the Mavs out to Connecticut to play Michigan, but there's a possibility they could get swapped out and sent to St. Louis to improve travel. Still way too much hockey to play to get too concerned about this. I still think UNO could play their way all the way up to a #1 seed (not the #1 overall, mind you)...but could also play themselves right out of contention as well. Just keep winning.
The Mavs are on the road this weekend at Alaska-Anchorage, which is a tough bit of travel. But anticipation is already growing on the series after that with #4 ranked Denver. I'm hearing reports that last weekend's series got the attention of a lot of fans, and that there's a lot of interest. Is it time for UNO to buy "SellOutDenver.com"?
Meanwhile, the World-Herald's Mitch Sherman found confirmation that Corey Raymond, Ross Els, and Rich Fisher are on the Husker staff -- in the UNL staff directory, of all places. Why no official announcement yet? Good question, but I can think of two reasons: (1) the future status of Shawn Watson and Ted Gilmore still is unknown and probably still being resolved, and (2) John Garrison is still listed as a part-time intern. That means that some red tape still has to be cleared, so we still await the formal announcement.
UNO hockey jumped up to #13 in the USCHO rankings, ironically one spot behind Wisconsin. Those rankings are nice, but the Pairwise rankings are what's important, and right now, the Mavs are tied for 7th, which is good for a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Right now, that probably sends the Mavs out to Connecticut to play Michigan, but there's a possibility they could get swapped out and sent to St. Louis to improve travel. Still way too much hockey to play to get too concerned about this. I still think UNO could play their way all the way up to a #1 seed (not the #1 overall, mind you)...but could also play themselves right out of contention as well. Just keep winning.
The Mavs are on the road this weekend at Alaska-Anchorage, which is a tough bit of travel. But anticipation is already growing on the series after that with #4 ranked Denver. I'm hearing reports that last weekend's series got the attention of a lot of fans, and that there's a lot of interest. Is it time for UNO to buy "SellOutDenver.com"?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Ridiculous Badger Fan Opinions Set Ominious Tone For Future Husker & Mav Rivalries
Earlier this week, I checked out Chuck Schwartz's Wisconsin hockey blog "60 Minutes. No Alibis. No Regrets." to preview this weekend's series between the Badgers and UNO. As I scrolled down, I stumbled across this little gem. Apparently, Badger fans thought that Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves had "sewn up coach of the year" weeks ago. They don't say whether they are talking WCHA or national coach of the year...but either way, it's simply a stunning ignorant statement to make just past the halfway point of the season.
Well, since he's primarily comparing the Badgers situation to Minnesota's, well, I suppose he has a point that Eaves might be Big Ten coach of the year. In that case, he's really only competing with Red Berenson..and this season, that's probably a comparison he might actually win.
But in the WCHA? Good golly. Schwartz asks if "anyone projected the Badgers to be this good"? How good are the Badgers? Well, they're fifth in the WCHA (even before UNO swept the Badgers this weekend). Wee. Where were they projected? The media predicted them to be, well, fifth. The coaches, seventh. In other words, big whoop. They are pretty much what people expected them to be. Good, but not great. Does that make Eaves coach of the year? Hardly.
Who should get it? Well, there's still nearly two months of hockey to play, so it's premature to even discuss it at this point. UNO's Dean Blais has to be mentioned here. UNO was picked eighth (coaches) and ninth (media), so being in a tie for third place (just two points out of first place) is an impressive achievement. Denver's George Gwozdecky also deserves a mention here, not to mention North Dakota's Dave Hakstol.
Nationally? Even more ludicrous. How about Jeff Blashill at Western Michigan? Picked to finish 10th in the CCHA, the Broncos are in 4th place in their conference and 15th nationally, as Blashill and former Mav Rob Facca have Western rolling in their first season.
I say this not so much to argue about the relative merits of various coaches, but rather about the fan base at Wisconsin. Around here, we're not really familiar with them...but we're going to learn about them pretty quickly as both the Mavs (in hockey) and the Huskers (in all other Big Ten sports) will be facing off against the Badgers on a regular basis. Needless to say, if all Wisconsin fans share this same myopic and delusional vision of their programs like some of these hockey fans, it's pretty obvious that the rivalry is going to be rather spirited, to put it nicely.
In the meantime, I think the only thing Eaves has "locked up" at this point is that Minnesota's Don Lucia won't get more votes than him in any "coach of the year" polling.
In my opinion it's a no brainer that Eaves has already locked up the coach of the year award by the results this team has shown. If anyone projected the Badgers to be this good, this soon after losing all they lost is lying. Look no further than down 94 West at Minnesota where they can't seem to get it together despite bringing in top 3 recruiting classes year, after year.
But in the WCHA? Good golly. Schwartz asks if "anyone projected the Badgers to be this good"? How good are the Badgers? Well, they're fifth in the WCHA (even before UNO swept the Badgers this weekend). Wee. Where were they projected? The media predicted them to be, well, fifth. The coaches, seventh. In other words, big whoop. They are pretty much what people expected them to be. Good, but not great. Does that make Eaves coach of the year? Hardly.
Who should get it? Well, there's still nearly two months of hockey to play, so it's premature to even discuss it at this point. UNO's Dean Blais has to be mentioned here. UNO was picked eighth (coaches) and ninth (media), so being in a tie for third place (just two points out of first place) is an impressive achievement. Denver's George Gwozdecky also deserves a mention here, not to mention North Dakota's Dave Hakstol.
Nationally? Even more ludicrous. How about Jeff Blashill at Western Michigan? Picked to finish 10th in the CCHA, the Broncos are in 4th place in their conference and 15th nationally, as Blashill and former Mav Rob Facca have Western rolling in their first season.
I say this not so much to argue about the relative merits of various coaches, but rather about the fan base at Wisconsin. Around here, we're not really familiar with them...but we're going to learn about them pretty quickly as both the Mavs (in hockey) and the Huskers (in all other Big Ten sports) will be facing off against the Badgers on a regular basis. Needless to say, if all Wisconsin fans share this same myopic and delusional vision of their programs like some of these hockey fans, it's pretty obvious that the rivalry is going to be rather spirited, to put it nicely.
In the meantime, I think the only thing Eaves has "locked up" at this point is that Minnesota's Don Lucia won't get more votes than him in any "coach of the year" polling.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Mavs Complete Sweep of #7 Wisconsin
The UNO hockey team continued it's February surge with a 4-3 victory over formerly #7 Wisconsin tonight. The Mavs opened the scoring on a sweet two-on-one break, with Ryan Walters feeding Brock Montpetit for the easy goal midway through the first period. Wisconsin tied the game with under 30 seconds left in the period, then momentarily appeared to take the lead with just seconds left with a high arching shot. That goal was waived off after it was determined that a Badger deflected the puck well over his head with one of the more flagrant high sticks seen in quite a while.
Midway through the second period, Matt Ambrosz tapped in a rebound into a wide open net while being hauled down by Wisconsin's Eric Springer to not only give UNO the lead but also a power play.
Alex Hudson tapped in a rebound later in the second to widen the lead to 3-1, then Ambrosz drilled home the eventual game winner on another 2-on-1 break early in the third period. Two unfortunate penalty calls late in the third period resulted in two Badger power play goals, but the Badgers were unable to tie the game in the closing seconds.
The Mavs now are tied with Minnesota-Duluth for third place, and sit a mere two points out of first place in the conference standings. Not sure how UNO will fare nationally, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Mavs inch closer to the top ten. But that's not as important as the Pairwise rankings; last week, UNO was on the bubble as the last team in the NCAA tournament. The sweep of the Badgers caused the Mavs to jump to eighth place; a solid position, but very volatile since games remain against Denver and Minnesota-Duluth, who both are ahead of the Mavs.
Can UNO put together a campaign to promote the series against #4 Denver in two weeks? Considering what's at stake (playoff seeding, PairWise rankings, and a potential regular season championship), it's certainly worthy of a big crowd and the promotion.
Midway through the second period, Matt Ambrosz tapped in a rebound into a wide open net while being hauled down by Wisconsin's Eric Springer to not only give UNO the lead but also a power play.
Alex Hudson tapped in a rebound later in the second to widen the lead to 3-1, then Ambrosz drilled home the eventual game winner on another 2-on-1 break early in the third period. Two unfortunate penalty calls late in the third period resulted in two Badger power play goals, but the Badgers were unable to tie the game in the closing seconds.
The Mavs now are tied with Minnesota-Duluth for third place, and sit a mere two points out of first place in the conference standings. Not sure how UNO will fare nationally, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Mavs inch closer to the top ten. But that's not as important as the Pairwise rankings; last week, UNO was on the bubble as the last team in the NCAA tournament. The sweep of the Badgers caused the Mavs to jump to eighth place; a solid position, but very volatile since games remain against Denver and Minnesota-Duluth, who both are ahead of the Mavs.
Can UNO put together a campaign to promote the series against #4 Denver in two weeks? Considering what's at stake (playoff seeding, PairWise rankings, and a potential regular season championship), it's certainly worthy of a big crowd and the promotion.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Mavs Beat Wisconsin 4-1 in Front of School Record Crowd
In front of a school-record 15,137 fans, UNO defeated #7 Wisconsin 4-1 tonight on "Sell Out Wisconsin" night. It was a late arriving crowd, but that number likely wasn't inflated by no-shows, as I would guestimate the actual in-person attendance at between 14,500 and 15,000, judging from the few empty seats I saw around the 16,000 seat Qwest Center tonight. UNO got off to a fast paced start, but Wisconsin took control late in the first period, holding the puck in late to allow Jordy Murray to fire a shot past John Faulkner for a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period.
UNO came out smoking to start the second period as Joey Martin and Johnnie Searfoss scored early in the period to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Early in the third period, Alex Hudson had the play of the night when he picked up a rebound in the neutral zone and then raced in to score unassisted to give the Mavs a 3-0 lead.
For much of the final 10 minutes, the Badgers tried and tried to get the puck past Faulkner, but the Mavs goaltender was up to the task. An empty-net goal in the closing minute by Rich Purslow set the final at 4-1.
UNO now has a four point lead over Wisconsin in the league standings. Every game for the Mavs is huge from here on out, as they still have to play #3 Minnesota-Duluth and #4 Denver, who sit 1 and 3 points ahead of the Mavs in the WCHA standings. With this schedule down the stretch, UNO is very much alive with a chance to win the regular season title, though it'll take a nearly perfect finish against top competition to do it. First up is the series finale tomorrow night against Wisconsin. While Wisconsin has the better record (19-9-3 vs 17-10-2) and the better national rankings, the Mavs have the better league record. That's due in part to UNO's struggles in December and January against teams that pulled off close wins with great goaltending and trapping styles. North Dakota blogger Goon pointed out this morning that Wisconsin only has one win this season against a team with a winning record. At this point in the season, that's something that UNO needs to capitalize on this weekend.
As for the crowd, those 15,000 or so fans made for a great environment. Not sure how many of them will be back, but tonight, I saw the future of what UNO hockey could be. Great performance on the ice, loud crowd. I have a feeling that this next month is going to be a heck of a lot of fun down the stretch.
UNO came out smoking to start the second period as Joey Martin and Johnnie Searfoss scored early in the period to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Early in the third period, Alex Hudson had the play of the night when he picked up a rebound in the neutral zone and then raced in to score unassisted to give the Mavs a 3-0 lead.
For much of the final 10 minutes, the Badgers tried and tried to get the puck past Faulkner, but the Mavs goaltender was up to the task. An empty-net goal in the closing minute by Rich Purslow set the final at 4-1.
UNO now has a four point lead over Wisconsin in the league standings. Every game for the Mavs is huge from here on out, as they still have to play #3 Minnesota-Duluth and #4 Denver, who sit 1 and 3 points ahead of the Mavs in the WCHA standings. With this schedule down the stretch, UNO is very much alive with a chance to win the regular season title, though it'll take a nearly perfect finish against top competition to do it. First up is the series finale tomorrow night against Wisconsin. While Wisconsin has the better record (19-9-3 vs 17-10-2) and the better national rankings, the Mavs have the better league record. That's due in part to UNO's struggles in December and January against teams that pulled off close wins with great goaltending and trapping styles. North Dakota blogger Goon pointed out this morning that Wisconsin only has one win this season against a team with a winning record. At this point in the season, that's something that UNO needs to capitalize on this weekend.
As for the crowd, those 15,000 or so fans made for a great environment. Not sure how many of them will be back, but tonight, I saw the future of what UNO hockey could be. Great performance on the ice, loud crowd. I have a feeling that this next month is going to be a heck of a lot of fun down the stretch.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Mav Hockey to take on Wisconsin
Last weekend, UNO swept St. Cloud State, capped by a frantic third-period comeback to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 victory. Next up for the Mavs this weekend is #7 Wisconsin as UNO begins a killer final month of the season where they play teams in top half of the conference standings. After this weekend, the Mavs head north to Alaska-Anchorage, return home to face #4 Denver before finishing up the season at #3 Minnesota-Duluth. (Think Nebraska's football schedule next season is tough?)
The Mavs are sitting on the inside of the bubble for the NCAA tournament at this point, but this schedule gives UNO the ability to either rocket up or fall out of contention depending on how they perform. And right now, I get the feeling UNO is poised to make a great run down the stretch. It might be easy to make too much of the UNO's midseason swoon, as UNO never really collapsed in those games. They just lost some close games against some lesser foes, sometimes with some incredibly unlucky bounces of the puck. Like the week before against Alabama-Huntsville. UNO peppered UAH goalie Clarke Saunders with 59 shots, and he stopped 58 of 'em. Go figure.
UNO has played well against the top level competition all season, sweeping Minnesota and splitting with Michigan and North Dakota. The North Dakota games were all classics, showing that UNO can play with anybody in the country at this point.
Friday night, UNO is going to attempt once again to sell out the Qwest Center. As of last count, just over 3,000 tickets remained, making it likely that UNO will break their attendance record set last season. I have the feeling that it's going to be quite the series this weekend.
The Mavs are sitting on the inside of the bubble for the NCAA tournament at this point, but this schedule gives UNO the ability to either rocket up or fall out of contention depending on how they perform. And right now, I get the feeling UNO is poised to make a great run down the stretch. It might be easy to make too much of the UNO's midseason swoon, as UNO never really collapsed in those games. They just lost some close games against some lesser foes, sometimes with some incredibly unlucky bounces of the puck. Like the week before against Alabama-Huntsville. UNO peppered UAH goalie Clarke Saunders with 59 shots, and he stopped 58 of 'em. Go figure.
UNO has played well against the top level competition all season, sweeping Minnesota and splitting with Michigan and North Dakota. The North Dakota games were all classics, showing that UNO can play with anybody in the country at this point.
Friday night, UNO is going to attempt once again to sell out the Qwest Center. As of last count, just over 3,000 tickets remained, making it likely that UNO will break their attendance record set last season. I have the feeling that it's going to be quite the series this weekend.
Monday, February 07, 2011
The Irony of Jim Rose's "Essay" on Bo Pelini
As is my tradition around football signing day, I unplug from the internet, sports radio, and the rest of the media for a few days. The hype and misinformation runs rampant in the dead of winter; oh sure, they always say this time is different, but it's always the same every year. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
But this year, it was different. The hype and misinformation took a backseat to real news of Marvin Sanders departure and questions about the makeup of the coaching staff. So over the weekend, I attempted to backtrack and figure out what I missed. I had heard that Jim Rose had said some things on KFAB radio Friday morning, but dismissed them. This morning, I heard Rose mention that he had posted them online, so I went back and listened to it.
And frankly, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I don't completely disagree that Bo Pelini needs some help with media relations, but the rest of it was completely absurd coming from the deposed Husker Information Minister. And completely full of misinformation from a man who likely knows better, but says what he wants to say because it fits his agenda. Bo needs to do a weekly radio show himself like Bill Byrne? That worked out well for his buddy Steve Pederson. Besides, rotating the show through the assistants is a long standing tradition that dates back to Tom Osborne. (Despite what Rose claimed.) Frank Solich did it that way, as well as 'ol Billy C.
Bo Pelini giving a "cliche fest"? Please; Rose hosted the Bill Callahan shows on the radio and on television, and you could literally make a drinking game out of them with his cliches, except that many fans were already drinking heavily after watching the latest debacle. Pelini can be terse and ill-tempered at times in his comments, but he tells it like it is. The recruiting dinner being unique to Nebraska? Well, that's news in South Bend and Corvallis.
Since his departure as the Husker play-by-play voice, Rose has been increasingly bombastic during the KFAB morning show. He's tried to deny that second-hand smoke is a health concern as well as global warming. Perhaps he's playing to the right-wing audience that KFAB now seems to covet. His latest obsession was in cheerleading the failed recall attempt of Omaha mayor Jim Suttle, once suggesting that someone in city government should be "shot". After that record of success, Rose turned his tables on Pelini, insisting that Pelini had lost the fans.
I've been looking for evidence of this all weekend, and haven't found it. Except perhaps in the flat earth society that KFAB seems to cater to nowadays.
I'm not sure what's the reason behind Rose's sour grapes. It's quite ludicrous for the man who promoted and defended Steve Pederson now takes these positions without acknowledging his complicity with the regime that destroyed so many Husker traditions over four years. Does he really think that Bo Pelini is listening to him? Does he really think that somebody close to Pelini is going to have a "wow, Rose is right" realization and talk to Bo? Really? Maybe it's nothing more than a desperate attempt for attention from a now discredited and disgraced "voice of the Huskers", as he loved to call himself.
No matter what the reason; Rose's comments about Pelini are downright absurd considering the source. But at least I now know the source of the alleged "dissatisfaction with Bo Pelini."
But this year, it was different. The hype and misinformation took a backseat to real news of Marvin Sanders departure and questions about the makeup of the coaching staff. So over the weekend, I attempted to backtrack and figure out what I missed. I had heard that Jim Rose had said some things on KFAB radio Friday morning, but dismissed them. This morning, I heard Rose mention that he had posted them online, so I went back and listened to it.
And frankly, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I don't completely disagree that Bo Pelini needs some help with media relations, but the rest of it was completely absurd coming from the deposed Husker Information Minister. And completely full of misinformation from a man who likely knows better, but says what he wants to say because it fits his agenda. Bo needs to do a weekly radio show himself like Bill Byrne? That worked out well for his buddy Steve Pederson. Besides, rotating the show through the assistants is a long standing tradition that dates back to Tom Osborne. (Despite what Rose claimed.) Frank Solich did it that way, as well as 'ol Billy C.
Bo Pelini giving a "cliche fest"? Please; Rose hosted the Bill Callahan shows on the radio and on television, and you could literally make a drinking game out of them with his cliches, except that many fans were already drinking heavily after watching the latest debacle. Pelini can be terse and ill-tempered at times in his comments, but he tells it like it is. The recruiting dinner being unique to Nebraska? Well, that's news in South Bend and Corvallis.
Since his departure as the Husker play-by-play voice, Rose has been increasingly bombastic during the KFAB morning show. He's tried to deny that second-hand smoke is a health concern as well as global warming. Perhaps he's playing to the right-wing audience that KFAB now seems to covet. His latest obsession was in cheerleading the failed recall attempt of Omaha mayor Jim Suttle, once suggesting that someone in city government should be "shot". After that record of success, Rose turned his tables on Pelini, insisting that Pelini had lost the fans.
I've been looking for evidence of this all weekend, and haven't found it. Except perhaps in the flat earth society that KFAB seems to cater to nowadays.
I'm not sure what's the reason behind Rose's sour grapes. It's quite ludicrous for the man who promoted and defended Steve Pederson now takes these positions without acknowledging his complicity with the regime that destroyed so many Husker traditions over four years. Does he really think that Bo Pelini is listening to him? Does he really think that somebody close to Pelini is going to have a "wow, Rose is right" realization and talk to Bo? Really? Maybe it's nothing more than a desperate attempt for attention from a now discredited and disgraced "voice of the Huskers", as he loved to call himself.
No matter what the reason; Rose's comments about Pelini are downright absurd considering the source. But at least I now know the source of the alleged "dissatisfaction with Bo Pelini."
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Signing Day Means The Worst Week of the Year in College Football
Recruiting in college athletics to me is one of those necessary evils. At it's core, it's vital as the first step in making any program successful. That being said, what recruiting has evolved into is something that trivializes each sport and brings out the worst in many: coaches, players, boosters, and especially fans. This week is college football's signing day, and thus it's the worst week of the year in football.
A lot of people think I'm against recruiting, or that recruiting doesn't matter. That's blatantly untrue. It's important, and it's a significant day for coaching staffs, players, and their families. What doesn't matter is everything that is going to be written and discussed about these recruits. Why?
Because, quite frankly, the people who are doing all of the commentary and analysis don't know what the hell they are talking about. Oh sure, they have their "measurables" and "star rankings"...but at it's core, it's simply a semi-educated guess by people who's only claim to success in this is the ability to get fans to pay to follow it.
In recent days, I've had the opportunity to reread Bruce Feldman's book "Meat Market", a look at Ed Orgeron and his 'Ole Miss staff as they evaluate and recruit players for their 2007 class. Orgeron reminds me a lot of Bill Callahan in that both men thought the key to success was to focus on recruiting more than the other aspects of the program. Both met similar fates: Callahan was fired in 2007, Orgeron in 2008. Since then, both schools have seen increased success as better coaches came in and took the foundations that both men built, and enjoyed success.
What I found interesting in Feldman's book was how Orgeron viewed the recruiting services. Generally, he scoffed at these services in private as deep down, the people doing the analysis don't have the expertise to do the job and they also don't take into account a lot of the other factors that affect how a player might do in college. Things like character, aptitude, desire, and heart. Coaches on the recruiting trail look for it, the services don't know how to analyze it...so they don't.
What you end up with a seriously flawed system that generates a lot of noise without having much of any relevancy when it comes down to it. Look at Bill Callahan's touted 2005 class. In hindsight, if it weren't for Ndamukong Suh, it likely would be much closer to Nebraska's worst recruiting class ever than it's best. But that's not what we were told in 2005. Next national champions. What Nebraska had been missing for years. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Fans were sold a bill of goods, and it wasn't until Callahan and his staff were exposed in October 2007, fans believed it all.
Remember Harrison Beck, who was supposed to be the prototype pro-style quarterback? Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and failed at both Nebraska and North Carolina State before finding some success in Division II. Remember Marlon Lucky? He was supposed to be the "next Adrian Peterson"? Lucky turned out to be a decent third-down back who's most productive year was 2007 when he served as Sam Keller's bailout target in lieu of going through his progressions. Decent, yes...but not the game changer he had been hyped up to be.
That hype wasn't anything Lucky said or did, but rather fans and the so-called recruiting experts who made him out to be more than he ever was. That pressure mounted on Lucky, who ended up in the hospital when he struggled to meet the unrealistic expectations that some placed on him.
So this week, those so-called experts will be all over the radio, television, print, and electronic media offering their assessment of where this upcoming group of Huskers rates. And frankly, I won't be paying them one second of attention. As always, I'm turning off the blog for signing week since there's absolutely nothing worth commenting on as the noise of the recruitniks drones on.
A lot of people think I'm against recruiting, or that recruiting doesn't matter. That's blatantly untrue. It's important, and it's a significant day for coaching staffs, players, and their families. What doesn't matter is everything that is going to be written and discussed about these recruits. Why?
Because, quite frankly, the people who are doing all of the commentary and analysis don't know what the hell they are talking about. Oh sure, they have their "measurables" and "star rankings"...but at it's core, it's simply a semi-educated guess by people who's only claim to success in this is the ability to get fans to pay to follow it.
In recent days, I've had the opportunity to reread Bruce Feldman's book "Meat Market", a look at Ed Orgeron and his 'Ole Miss staff as they evaluate and recruit players for their 2007 class. Orgeron reminds me a lot of Bill Callahan in that both men thought the key to success was to focus on recruiting more than the other aspects of the program. Both met similar fates: Callahan was fired in 2007, Orgeron in 2008. Since then, both schools have seen increased success as better coaches came in and took the foundations that both men built, and enjoyed success.
What I found interesting in Feldman's book was how Orgeron viewed the recruiting services. Generally, he scoffed at these services in private as deep down, the people doing the analysis don't have the expertise to do the job and they also don't take into account a lot of the other factors that affect how a player might do in college. Things like character, aptitude, desire, and heart. Coaches on the recruiting trail look for it, the services don't know how to analyze it...so they don't.
What you end up with a seriously flawed system that generates a lot of noise without having much of any relevancy when it comes down to it. Look at Bill Callahan's touted 2005 class. In hindsight, if it weren't for Ndamukong Suh, it likely would be much closer to Nebraska's worst recruiting class ever than it's best. But that's not what we were told in 2005. Next national champions. What Nebraska had been missing for years. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Fans were sold a bill of goods, and it wasn't until Callahan and his staff were exposed in October 2007, fans believed it all.
Remember Harrison Beck, who was supposed to be the prototype pro-style quarterback? Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and failed at both Nebraska and North Carolina State before finding some success in Division II. Remember Marlon Lucky? He was supposed to be the "next Adrian Peterson"? Lucky turned out to be a decent third-down back who's most productive year was 2007 when he served as Sam Keller's bailout target in lieu of going through his progressions. Decent, yes...but not the game changer he had been hyped up to be.
That hype wasn't anything Lucky said or did, but rather fans and the so-called recruiting experts who made him out to be more than he ever was. That pressure mounted on Lucky, who ended up in the hospital when he struggled to meet the unrealistic expectations that some placed on him.
So this week, those so-called experts will be all over the radio, television, print, and electronic media offering their assessment of where this upcoming group of Huskers rates. And frankly, I won't be paying them one second of attention. As always, I'm turning off the blog for signing week since there's absolutely nothing worth commenting on as the noise of the recruitniks drones on.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Texas Television Network Sets Ominous Tone for Future
I have mixed opinions on the the new Texas television network and it's relationship with ESPN. On one hand, I can't really begrudge Texas for finding a way to get more of their sports on television. If they and ESPN feel there is an unserved market for this, more power to them. More college sports on television is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
That being said, how this is all coming down is bad for college football, bad for fans and television subscribers (especially fans of other programs), and really bad for the Big XII. My number one issue goes to the part of the deal where Texas essentially reclaimed their rights to football games from the Big XII, and nobody raises an issue. In the past, when Nebraska games weren't claimed by FSN or ESPN/ABC (or Versus when they were involved), the game essentially reverted back to FSN for a pay-per-view broadcast. Now, that game reverts back to Texas and ESPN for the Longhorn Network. Good news, in a way, for Texas fans who won't have to shell out $39.95 to watch the game.
My concern is that this won't be simply "one game" for very long. In fact, Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds told Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman that they plan on broadcasting conference games on the ESPN-UT network. In fact, I expect that once the existing Big XII/ABC/ESPN deal expires after 2015, Texas will not participate in a new Big XII television deal, but instead will broker their own deal on their own. The big games will still wind up on ABC and ESPN, and as long as the FSN/Big XII deal exists, many other games will end up there as well. The big impact is that the money that ESPN/ABC would have bid on the 10 team Big XII package will be reduced by the money that Texas will receive directly. That hurts the remaining schools in the Big XII.
Granted, schools like Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and possibly Missouri, can do similar things. Chances are that they might still come out the same or slightly ahead of where they'd be otherwise. But for schools like Kansas State and Iowa State, there's likely minimal interest in their national television rights except for those games against Texas and Oklahoma. Bottom line is that this deal likely reduces the Big XII to a mere scheduling arrangement that exists to ensure that Texas and their fans don't have to travel as far for road games.
As for fans, whether you'll like the Texas network depends in large measure on how your cable or satellite provider decides to package it up. In the state of Texas, there likely will be broad penetration on cable systems, meaning that it'll likely show up on your dial. But at what cost? If you are a Texas fan, you probably could care less, since it'll be far cheaper than a single pay-per-view broadcast. But what if you are an A&M fan? How do you react to having your cable bill go up $1 a month, and the money is being funneled to Austin as a "Bevo surcharge" buried in your cable bill?
In an ideal situation, it would be a premium channel like HBO that you could choose to subscribe to, but that's not the way cable television works. Every cable provider selects packages of channels, and you have to subscribe to the entire package if you want only one of those channels. That's why you pay for hundreds of channels when you only watch a handful of them. Personally, I'd love to see cable television revert to an ala carte pricing model, but I don't think it's going to happen. I only watch maybe a third of the channels on my cable plan, and it's a pretty spartan lineup at that. (And I like it, because I only pay $35 a month!) I get the basics that I want: sports (ESPN, ESPN2, Classic, FSN, and Versus; and they just added the NFL Network and the Big Ten Network) and news (Weather Channel, CNN, MSNBC). My wife likes the Food Network and a music channel, and every so often, we watch a comedy channel (i.e. TV Land, Cartoon Network, Fox News, or Disney). But there's a bunch of channels that we never ever watch. Still paying for them, though. I've looked at upgrading to a digital or satellite plan, and right now, it's not worth the doubling of the price by the time I hook up the extra televisions in the house just to get a couple of niche networks.
So let's say I want the Texas network: I might have to upgrade to a higher level plan and pay an extra $20 a month for a single channel. Ouch. Even worse: let's say I'm on a higher level plan, and now they bump the cost to add the Texas network...or worse, drop a channel that I actually want. Or more likely what will happen is what happened with the Big Ten Network and NFL Network. Cable companies balked, and even today, most homes don't receive these networks.
I guess what I'm saying is that if your cable/satellite bill is in the neighborhood of $100 or more and you want to watch Texas sports, you'll love this network. Otherwise, there's a good chance you won't. And the worst part is that this is going to multiply itself. A&M, Oklahoma, and Missouri are already looking at this...which means that if I'm a cable company in Dallas, I might need to find room for three different networks. Maybe more if Texas Tech or Baylor gets into the act. And in this day and age where bandwidth is still limited, many cable companies are going to have to say no.
That being said, how this is all coming down is bad for college football, bad for fans and television subscribers (especially fans of other programs), and really bad for the Big XII. My number one issue goes to the part of the deal where Texas essentially reclaimed their rights to football games from the Big XII, and nobody raises an issue. In the past, when Nebraska games weren't claimed by FSN or ESPN/ABC (or Versus when they were involved), the game essentially reverted back to FSN for a pay-per-view broadcast. Now, that game reverts back to Texas and ESPN for the Longhorn Network. Good news, in a way, for Texas fans who won't have to shell out $39.95 to watch the game.
My concern is that this won't be simply "one game" for very long. In fact, Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds told Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman that they plan on broadcasting conference games on the ESPN-UT network. In fact, I expect that once the existing Big XII/ABC/ESPN deal expires after 2015, Texas will not participate in a new Big XII television deal, but instead will broker their own deal on their own. The big games will still wind up on ABC and ESPN, and as long as the FSN/Big XII deal exists, many other games will end up there as well. The big impact is that the money that ESPN/ABC would have bid on the 10 team Big XII package will be reduced by the money that Texas will receive directly. That hurts the remaining schools in the Big XII.
Granted, schools like Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and possibly Missouri, can do similar things. Chances are that they might still come out the same or slightly ahead of where they'd be otherwise. But for schools like Kansas State and Iowa State, there's likely minimal interest in their national television rights except for those games against Texas and Oklahoma. Bottom line is that this deal likely reduces the Big XII to a mere scheduling arrangement that exists to ensure that Texas and their fans don't have to travel as far for road games.
As for fans, whether you'll like the Texas network depends in large measure on how your cable or satellite provider decides to package it up. In the state of Texas, there likely will be broad penetration on cable systems, meaning that it'll likely show up on your dial. But at what cost? If you are a Texas fan, you probably could care less, since it'll be far cheaper than a single pay-per-view broadcast. But what if you are an A&M fan? How do you react to having your cable bill go up $1 a month, and the money is being funneled to Austin as a "Bevo surcharge" buried in your cable bill?
In an ideal situation, it would be a premium channel like HBO that you could choose to subscribe to, but that's not the way cable television works. Every cable provider selects packages of channels, and you have to subscribe to the entire package if you want only one of those channels. That's why you pay for hundreds of channels when you only watch a handful of them. Personally, I'd love to see cable television revert to an ala carte pricing model, but I don't think it's going to happen. I only watch maybe a third of the channels on my cable plan, and it's a pretty spartan lineup at that. (And I like it, because I only pay $35 a month!) I get the basics that I want: sports (ESPN, ESPN2, Classic, FSN, and Versus; and they just added the NFL Network and the Big Ten Network) and news (Weather Channel, CNN, MSNBC). My wife likes the Food Network and a music channel, and every so often, we watch a comedy channel (i.e. TV Land, Cartoon Network, Fox News, or Disney). But there's a bunch of channels that we never ever watch. Still paying for them, though. I've looked at upgrading to a digital or satellite plan, and right now, it's not worth the doubling of the price by the time I hook up the extra televisions in the house just to get a couple of niche networks.
So let's say I want the Texas network: I might have to upgrade to a higher level plan and pay an extra $20 a month for a single channel. Ouch. Even worse: let's say I'm on a higher level plan, and now they bump the cost to add the Texas network...or worse, drop a channel that I actually want. Or more likely what will happen is what happened with the Big Ten Network and NFL Network. Cable companies balked, and even today, most homes don't receive these networks.
I guess what I'm saying is that if your cable/satellite bill is in the neighborhood of $100 or more and you want to watch Texas sports, you'll love this network. Otherwise, there's a good chance you won't. And the worst part is that this is going to multiply itself. A&M, Oklahoma, and Missouri are already looking at this...which means that if I'm a cable company in Dallas, I might need to find room for three different networks. Maybe more if Texas Tech or Baylor gets into the act. And in this day and age where bandwidth is still limited, many cable companies are going to have to say no.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Shatel Says Arena Progressing, But Not Assured
Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald tapped his sources for an update on the long-discussed UNO arena project, and the general consensus is that many think it's still going to happen, though nothing is finalized. Makes sense to me because I still don't think there is a consensus as to what UNO needs and whether UNO needs it's own arena for hockey.
Frankly, I'm not 100% sure that UNO needs it's own hockey arena, and that's something we might see in the next few weeks as the Mavs have home games the next three weekends following this weekend's split with #2 North Dakota. UNO has shown they are a national contender in hockey at this point, and when #9 Wisconsin comes to town in two weeks, UNO certainly could be in a position to break attendance records at the Qwest Center.
What I'm convinced UNO needs is a practice facility adjacent to the arena where they play the games. That doesn't completely eliminate the Qwest Center as a home, but I kind of doubt that MECA is interested in adding a practice rink to the Qwest Center. The adjacency is a huge issue; imagine if the Husker football team had to haul all of their equipment around town to practice. One afternoon, out at Seacrest; the next day, back at Memorial Stadium, and back and forth and round and round. Fortunately, that's not an issue for football, since they have dedicated football facilities. Husker basketball has found that an issue; hence, the construction of the Hendricks facility in Lincoln adjacent to the Devaney Center. (Though it's interesting that this is being built there rather than at the new Haymarket arena...)
So the question now becomes: (a) what does UNO want to build and (b) who's going to pay for it?
It sounds like the 7,500 seat idea is dead, as well it should be. That's thinking small time. 8,000-plus is the number that seems to have traction. I'd suggest that the number should be higher still, possibly 9,000. I even could go with 10,000. (Any more, and UNO probably should focus their resources on getting practice ice downtown.) I still believe UNO has room in this market to grow, though I also understand that you can't "build a church large enough to handle Christmas and Easter." You have to build something that you can fill consistently, because it costs the same to build an empty seat as it does to build an occupied seat.
Who's going to pay for it? Well, Shatel did find out that UNO isn't looking to government to build any new arena. In this political and budgetary environment, there's no way that any government entity can be counted on to fund this type of endeavor. Not when local real estate experts predict it'll take another five to seven years before there's any development out at Sarpy County's BFE boondoggle. Not when much of our national, state, and local political debate centers over what government can, should, and must be paying for.
Shatel doesn't say who, but it sounds like that's where the hangup is. The money people in Omaha are interested, but haven't committed to it yet. So that's the holdup at this point.
Frankly, I'm not 100% sure that UNO needs it's own hockey arena, and that's something we might see in the next few weeks as the Mavs have home games the next three weekends following this weekend's split with #2 North Dakota. UNO has shown they are a national contender in hockey at this point, and when #9 Wisconsin comes to town in two weeks, UNO certainly could be in a position to break attendance records at the Qwest Center.
What I'm convinced UNO needs is a practice facility adjacent to the arena where they play the games. That doesn't completely eliminate the Qwest Center as a home, but I kind of doubt that MECA is interested in adding a practice rink to the Qwest Center. The adjacency is a huge issue; imagine if the Husker football team had to haul all of their equipment around town to practice. One afternoon, out at Seacrest; the next day, back at Memorial Stadium, and back and forth and round and round. Fortunately, that's not an issue for football, since they have dedicated football facilities. Husker basketball has found that an issue; hence, the construction of the Hendricks facility in Lincoln adjacent to the Devaney Center. (Though it's interesting that this is being built there rather than at the new Haymarket arena...)
So the question now becomes: (a) what does UNO want to build and (b) who's going to pay for it?
It sounds like the 7,500 seat idea is dead, as well it should be. That's thinking small time. 8,000-plus is the number that seems to have traction. I'd suggest that the number should be higher still, possibly 9,000. I even could go with 10,000. (Any more, and UNO probably should focus their resources on getting practice ice downtown.) I still believe UNO has room in this market to grow, though I also understand that you can't "build a church large enough to handle Christmas and Easter." You have to build something that you can fill consistently, because it costs the same to build an empty seat as it does to build an occupied seat.
Who's going to pay for it? Well, Shatel did find out that UNO isn't looking to government to build any new arena. In this political and budgetary environment, there's no way that any government entity can be counted on to fund this type of endeavor. Not when local real estate experts predict it'll take another five to seven years before there's any development out at Sarpy County's BFE boondoggle. Not when much of our national, state, and local political debate centers over what government can, should, and must be paying for.
Shatel doesn't say who, but it sounds like that's where the hangup is. The money people in Omaha are interested, but haven't committed to it yet. So that's the holdup at this point.
Friday, January 21, 2011
UNO Stuns #2 North Dakota 8-4 with Second Period Barrage
UNO hockey's first trip to Ralph Englestad Arena proved to be a huge success, as the Mavs broke out early to a 2-0 first period lead over the second-ranked North Dakota Fighting Sioux. But UNO erupted for five straight goals in the second period to take a commanding 7-1 lead into the second intermission. A third period fury got the Sioux within three goals until Joey Martin scored on a breakaway for a hat trick that iced the game. So now in two of the most feared arenas in the WCHA, the Mavs are 3-0 after a sweep in October at Minnesota's Mariucci Arena.
Not only is UNO's 8 goals the most the Sioux have given up at Englestad since it opened 10 years ago, it's the most goals the Sioux allowed at home in nearly 19 years, dating back to 1992 when Minnesota scored 10.
Last week after only earning a single point against Bemidji State, it was easy to wonder if the Mavs had another run in them like last season. Tonight's game was an emphatic statement that the Mavs might just be ready for a run...and this season, that run could very well land them in serious contention in the postseason.
One thing is for sure, tonight won't sit well with the Sioux, who have to be stunned to get beaten this badly at home. UNO is now 2-1 against North Dakota this season, so I expect the Sioux to give everything and anything in the series finale. But if UNO can manage to pull of the sweep, they'll pull into a tie with the Sioux in the standings.
And with home games coming up the next three weekends at UNO, going on a hot streak is EXACTLY what the doctor ordered.
Not only is UNO's 8 goals the most the Sioux have given up at Englestad since it opened 10 years ago, it's the most goals the Sioux allowed at home in nearly 19 years, dating back to 1992 when Minnesota scored 10.
Last week after only earning a single point against Bemidji State, it was easy to wonder if the Mavs had another run in them like last season. Tonight's game was an emphatic statement that the Mavs might just be ready for a run...and this season, that run could very well land them in serious contention in the postseason.
One thing is for sure, tonight won't sit well with the Sioux, who have to be stunned to get beaten this badly at home. UNO is now 2-1 against North Dakota this season, so I expect the Sioux to give everything and anything in the series finale. But if UNO can manage to pull of the sweep, they'll pull into a tie with the Sioux in the standings.
And with home games coming up the next three weekends at UNO, going on a hot streak is EXACTLY what the doctor ordered.
Monday, January 17, 2011
What to Make of Shawn Watson Staying
I freely admit it; I'm not on the "Fire Shawn Watson" bandwagon like a lot of people are. I do accept the excuses (injuries, lack of depth) that are offered up as a rebuttal to the "get rid of Watson" campaign that many wage. I'm not totally dismissing the arguments against Watson. He doesn't appear to have the ideal background for Bo Pelini's vision for the offense, and his results have been spotty at times. But for whatever reason, I think that Bo Pelini (and Tom Osborne, for what it's worth) don't seem to in a hurry to dump Watson. And frankly, those are the two gentlemen who have the most skin involved in this decision. They also likely have forgotten more about football than any of us will ever know.
I don't view the fact that Watson remains on the staff is any sort of indication of a lack of caring, a lack of concern, or a lack of backbone on the part of either of those men. If they really thought Watson was the issue, he wouldn't be on the staff anymore. That being said, I think Watson's candidacy for so many jobs this offseason is a sign that Watson is looking to move on, and yes, that might be at the encouragement of Pelini.
So will Watson be around by the time next fall rolls around? It's pure speculation on my part, and I don't have a solid feel for it, but I lean towards not. The one thing we know of is that Watson has been searching for other jobs, and at some point, one will open up. When Joe Moglia was announced as the next Omaha Nighthawks coach, I thought that this might be the opening for an amicable departure for Watson. But Moglia indicated that he's looking for pro experience in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald. Moglia's answer doesn't eliminate Watson, but it does make it doubtful he'd move up I-80.
I'm not bothered that Watson could return in 2011; I don't believe that's considering the results of the final month to be acceptable. And those results were just downright awful, no excuses. But there were some pretty good offensive performances in September and October. I sense from some fans that they simply want someone to be punished for what happened to the offense. I don't want someone punished, I want whatever went haywire to get resolved. Maybe that's work in the training room. Maybe that's increased competition at certain positions, such as quarterback and possibly offensive tackle. Maybe it's just hitting the reset button and just starting over to reinstall this offensive system.
And yes, maybe in the end, it also means a new offensive coordinator for the Huskers.
I don't view the fact that Watson remains on the staff is any sort of indication of a lack of caring, a lack of concern, or a lack of backbone on the part of either of those men. If they really thought Watson was the issue, he wouldn't be on the staff anymore. That being said, I think Watson's candidacy for so many jobs this offseason is a sign that Watson is looking to move on, and yes, that might be at the encouragement of Pelini.
So will Watson be around by the time next fall rolls around? It's pure speculation on my part, and I don't have a solid feel for it, but I lean towards not. The one thing we know of is that Watson has been searching for other jobs, and at some point, one will open up. When Joe Moglia was announced as the next Omaha Nighthawks coach, I thought that this might be the opening for an amicable departure for Watson. But Moglia indicated that he's looking for pro experience in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald. Moglia's answer doesn't eliminate Watson, but it does make it doubtful he'd move up I-80.
I'm not bothered that Watson could return in 2011; I don't believe that's considering the results of the final month to be acceptable. And those results were just downright awful, no excuses. But there were some pretty good offensive performances in September and October. I sense from some fans that they simply want someone to be punished for what happened to the offense. I don't want someone punished, I want whatever went haywire to get resolved. Maybe that's work in the training room. Maybe that's increased competition at certain positions, such as quarterback and possibly offensive tackle. Maybe it's just hitting the reset button and just starting over to reinstall this offensive system.
And yes, maybe in the end, it also means a new offensive coordinator for the Huskers.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
UNO Hockey's Midseason Swoon
Two months ago, the Mavs were flying high in college hockey circles after splitting a memorable series with North Dakota that had the Mavs flying high nationally. At that time, I said that I didn't think a swoon was imminent...and boy was I wrong. Since that weekend, UNO is just 3-6-1...and reeling after this weekend's series against Bemidji State. It seems a familiar story: UNO seems to be flying around against a lesser opponent but can't get the puck past the goalie, and they lose. In fact, it's what I wrote in mid-January of last season. They went on a hot streak and worked their way into national contention with a 7-2-1 run over the next five weeks, complete with a road win over then-#1 Miami a week after sweeping Michigan.
The Mavs hockey team isn't playing the greatest right now, but I get the feeling they're playing better than they were a year ago at this time. They're down one of their better players with Terry Broadhurst still nursing a hand injury. They're facing #2 North Dakota, this time up there in Dean Blais' return to his old stomping grounds. I wouldn't say these are must-win games, but if UNO is going to make another run like last season, they can't wait much longer.
Looking at the Mavs this weekend, I saw a team that flew around the ice, but faced an opponent style that's the exact opposite and creates immense frustration. Best analogy I can think of is Princeton basketball under Pete Carril. UNO came out flying on Saturday night, but UNO's first goal of the game was waived off for some reason. Breakdowns late in the second period allowed Bemidji State to take the lead, and while UNO was able to make the push to tie the game in the third period, they couldn't get the game winner despite several outstanding opportunities.... then another defensive breakdown led to the game winner in overtime.
Frustrated? Yep. Disappointed? Yep. But not giving up hope. Not yet. There's still two months of hockey left to be played, and a lot of things still can happen.
The Mavs hockey team isn't playing the greatest right now, but I get the feeling they're playing better than they were a year ago at this time. They're down one of their better players with Terry Broadhurst still nursing a hand injury. They're facing #2 North Dakota, this time up there in Dean Blais' return to his old stomping grounds. I wouldn't say these are must-win games, but if UNO is going to make another run like last season, they can't wait much longer.
Looking at the Mavs this weekend, I saw a team that flew around the ice, but faced an opponent style that's the exact opposite and creates immense frustration. Best analogy I can think of is Princeton basketball under Pete Carril. UNO came out flying on Saturday night, but UNO's first goal of the game was waived off for some reason. Breakdowns late in the second period allowed Bemidji State to take the lead, and while UNO was able to make the push to tie the game in the third period, they couldn't get the game winner despite several outstanding opportunities.... then another defensive breakdown led to the game winner in overtime.
Frustrated? Yep. Disappointed? Yep. But not giving up hope. Not yet. There's still two months of hockey left to be played, and a lot of things still can happen.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
2010 BlogPoll Final Ballot
Monday's BCS title game wasn't even close to what I expected. Both offenses struggled to get going on a newly sodded field, and it became a defensive struggle most of the way. (What Einstein decided to put down a new field days before the biggest game of the year anyway???) Truth be told, I think it was less the defense and more two teams not playing well. I wouldn't call this one a classic or a great game, but it definitely had an exciting finish. As such, I'm only dropping Oregon to second. TCU goes undefeated, but frankly, I still think Oregon's the better team.
After all that, the rest of the Top Ten fell into place nicely. Then, we started to run into all the teams that lost. A lot of people thought Nebraska shouldn't be ranked after that horrible Holiday Bowl performance. That point disappeared when you had to stop and figure out who should be ranked ahead of them. Hard to rank eight or nine win teams ahead of the Huskers, so I'm leaving them at #20. I'll probably get a homer award for it.
That's the draft ballot. Any feedback before it goes final in a day or so?
Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 16
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn Tigers |  1 |
| 2 | Oregon Ducks |  -1 |
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs | -- |
| 4 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 5 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | -- |
| 6 | Boise St. Broncos | 1 |
| 7 | Wisconsin Badgers | -1 |
| 8 | Oklahoma Sooners | 2 |
| 9 | LSU Tigers | 2 |
| 10 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 2 |
| 11 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -3 |
| 12 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | 6 |
| 13 | Michigan St. Spartans | -4 |
| 14 | Mississippi St. Bulldogs | 7 |
| 15 | Nevada Wolf Pack | 2 |
| 16 | Florida St. Seminoles | 7 |
| 17 | Texas A&M Aggies | -3 |
| 18 | Virginia Tech Hokies | -2 |
| 19 | Missouri Tigers | -4 |
| 20 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -7 |
| 21 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 3 |
| 22 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -3 |
| 23 | N.C. State Wolfpack | -- |
| 24 | Utah Utes | -4 |
| 25 | USC Trojans | -- |
| Dropouts: West Virginia Mountaineers | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
That's the draft ballot. Any feedback before it goes final in a day or so?
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Sunday Night Dessert: Husker Hoops Gets a W
I watched a bit of the Nebraska-Iowa State game last night, ugly as it was, especially in the second half. The Huskers blew a 12 point lead in the second half thanks to some really, really spotty defense at times and some absolutely horrific shooting. With under 10 seconds left, the Huskers discombobulated just like they did last season with a pass nearly going out of bounds. Drake Beranek, replacing the injured Brandon Richardson, saved the ball but could only heave a desperation three-point shot as the shot clock was running out. Iowa State grabbed the rebound, and set up for a final play, only to turn the ball over themselves. Lance Jeter, who threw the errant pass, was fouled with under a second remaining, and after bricking the first free throw, nailed the free-throw to salvage the win.
It's a win, but it was an ugly, ugly win. It also was the type of game that Nebraska found a way to lose last season, so it's hard to complain too much about it. It's progress, but you'd like to see more of it.
Look out this week for the "Pelini/LSU" rumors to fire up in the next few days. I don't know how interested Pelini would be in returning to the SEC, but I honestly believe that up until November, Pelini and his family definitely preferred Lincoln. I don't know if what has happened since would change things. but it's hard to completely dismiss the notion of an SEC school making a strong bid for Pelini's services. Like it or not, the SEC seemingly has control at the top of the college football world (pending tomorrow night's championship game) and that might have some appeal to Pelini. But deep down, I think Pelini likes Nebraska and isn't likely to jump ship.
It's nice that Casey Martinez confirmed that his son will be returning to Lincoln and wants to compete and take on a leadership role on the team. But in some respects, that confirmation only serves to entrench the perception that Martinez isn't much of a leader. That message was one that Taylor should have issued himself, not his father. It's great to have parental involvement, but not to this degree.
This weekend, UNO hockey gets a second chance to restart their season against the opponent that began their recent slump: Bemidji State. UNO was cruising along in the top five nationally, then got swept by the Beavers. Since then, it's been up and down. Now UNO returns home for the first time in over a month, with home games four out of the next six weekends. Last season, this was the time when UNO cranked it up into high gear; I have this feeling it might happen again.
Finally, a comment about some of the recent current events. As a Millard North alum, I was concerned about all that happened at rival Millard South this week. It was nice to see how the school and the community rallied in support. But it doesn't change what happened. A lot has been said nationally in the past week about the Constitution and the rights we all enjoy and hold so dear. But recent tragedies might not have happened if people took the responsibilities of their freedoms more seriously.
It's a win, but it was an ugly, ugly win. It also was the type of game that Nebraska found a way to lose last season, so it's hard to complain too much about it. It's progress, but you'd like to see more of it.
Look out this week for the "Pelini/LSU" rumors to fire up in the next few days. I don't know how interested Pelini would be in returning to the SEC, but I honestly believe that up until November, Pelini and his family definitely preferred Lincoln. I don't know if what has happened since would change things. but it's hard to completely dismiss the notion of an SEC school making a strong bid for Pelini's services. Like it or not, the SEC seemingly has control at the top of the college football world (pending tomorrow night's championship game) and that might have some appeal to Pelini. But deep down, I think Pelini likes Nebraska and isn't likely to jump ship.
It's nice that Casey Martinez confirmed that his son will be returning to Lincoln and wants to compete and take on a leadership role on the team. But in some respects, that confirmation only serves to entrench the perception that Martinez isn't much of a leader. That message was one that Taylor should have issued himself, not his father. It's great to have parental involvement, but not to this degree.
This weekend, UNO hockey gets a second chance to restart their season against the opponent that began their recent slump: Bemidji State. UNO was cruising along in the top five nationally, then got swept by the Beavers. Since then, it's been up and down. Now UNO returns home for the first time in over a month, with home games four out of the next six weekends. Last season, this was the time when UNO cranked it up into high gear; I have this feeling it might happen again.
Finally, a comment about some of the recent current events. As a Millard North alum, I was concerned about all that happened at rival Millard South this week. It was nice to see how the school and the community rallied in support. But it doesn't change what happened. A lot has been said nationally in the past week about the Constitution and the rights we all enjoy and hold so dear. But recent tragedies might not have happened if people took the responsibilities of their freedoms more seriously.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Monday Night Vodka: Still Trying to Recover from the Lost Weekend
This weekend's sports action required something stronger than beer. I'm still trying to wrap my hands around what all went wrong, and it's just mind blowing what went wrong. It wasn't just the play of the Husker quarterbacks, but the entire offense. The thing that has me most despondent is that I simply don't know where to start (and please, I don't want to hear "fire Watson/Cotton/etc." either). The more I think about it, I don't think there is a single, simple solution to what went wrong.
I do know that this offense was putting up yards and points a plenty in the first half of the season (albeit against inferior competition), so I don't think it's all a loss at this point. Somewhere along the line, things went haywire, and changes may have been made that were counterproductive. Seeing a few replays, it appears that there were open receivers, which is a sign of the solution. Problem is having a quarterback who's able to exploit that defense and an offensive line that could give that quarterback enough time to do just that.
When I say that I don't want to hear "fire Watson/Cotton/etc.", it's not that I'm endorsing those men. I just don't think you can make much of a campaign to do just that after a 10-4 season. I do think that deep down, Bo Pelini has an idea of where things went offtrack, and things will change.
Sometime over the next month, likely over at CornNation, I'll dig into what we've got returning and try to either find signs of optimism or despair over the future.
It wasn't just the Huskers that had me down in the dumps this New Years weekend. UNO hockey got swept at Quinnipiac, losing both on late goals after the Mavs had fought back to tie the game in the third period. That led UNO to fall out of the top ten to 12th in the USCHO rankings.
One thing that did make me chuckle is watching Steve Pederson get a "vote of confidence" after his "character" and "integrity" selection flamed out in just 17 days. The man just gets better and better. It took him 40 days to hire Bill Callahan in 2003-04, but this time, it took less than that to hire and fire Mike Haywood. Maybe folks around Pitt will forgive Pederson for not forseeing this from Haywood, but I dare say that Pederson isn't getting much leash on the next hire. It seems that Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg is taking the lead away from Pederson on the next search.
Even Pitt color commentator Bill Fralic took on Pederson today
Even though the names and situations and details seem to change, this all has a very real sense of deja vu. Today, Cardiac Hill has the story of how Pederson neglected to talk to the remaining coaching staff in the three-plus weeks since he forced Dave Wannstedt to resign. I get the feeling that once a new head coach is found, Pederson will fade off into the sunset at Pitt. The urgency to find a football coach at Pitt is very real, as a staff needs to be assembled and a recruiting class needs to be set. They have a week or so to accomplish all of this, and this is no time to also begin a search for a new athletic director.
I also was somewhat amused by the idea of Blaine Gabbert declaring early for the NFL draft. I know that Gabbert put up some video-game like statistics in the Insight Bowl (minus the brain-dead interception that won the game for Iowa), but from my perspective, he's not ready for the NFL. Of course, I also didn't think that Josh Freeman was ready for the NFL, but it turns out that he's become a better quarterback in Tampa Bay than he was in Manhattan. What does that mean? Simple, it depends on who drafts him and how he gets developed. It all depends on where he goes, and whether there actually is an NFL season this fall, what with all the talk of a lockout. If there is a season and he ends up in the right situation, it'll all work out for him just fine. Maybe the Vikings will draft him; I'm sure a certain former Nebraska defensive lineman wouldn't mind meeting up again with him frequently.
I do know that this offense was putting up yards and points a plenty in the first half of the season (albeit against inferior competition), so I don't think it's all a loss at this point. Somewhere along the line, things went haywire, and changes may have been made that were counterproductive. Seeing a few replays, it appears that there were open receivers, which is a sign of the solution. Problem is having a quarterback who's able to exploit that defense and an offensive line that could give that quarterback enough time to do just that.
When I say that I don't want to hear "fire Watson/Cotton/etc.", it's not that I'm endorsing those men. I just don't think you can make much of a campaign to do just that after a 10-4 season. I do think that deep down, Bo Pelini has an idea of where things went offtrack, and things will change.
Sometime over the next month, likely over at CornNation, I'll dig into what we've got returning and try to either find signs of optimism or despair over the future.
It wasn't just the Huskers that had me down in the dumps this New Years weekend. UNO hockey got swept at Quinnipiac, losing both on late goals after the Mavs had fought back to tie the game in the third period. That led UNO to fall out of the top ten to 12th in the USCHO rankings.
One thing that did make me chuckle is watching Steve Pederson get a "vote of confidence" after his "character" and "integrity" selection flamed out in just 17 days. The man just gets better and better. It took him 40 days to hire Bill Callahan in 2003-04, but this time, it took less than that to hire and fire Mike Haywood. Maybe folks around Pitt will forgive Pederson for not forseeing this from Haywood, but I dare say that Pederson isn't getting much leash on the next hire. It seems that Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg is taking the lead away from Pederson on the next search.
Even Pitt color commentator Bill Fralic took on Pederson today
"This is all about Steve Pederson trying to make a mark, and he's made a black eye," Fralic said. "I would take a long, hard look at how we come to make this decision. I think there's a lot of people who have supported that program who are very disillusioned. I just don't know how we could be so wrong."
I also was somewhat amused by the idea of Blaine Gabbert declaring early for the NFL draft. I know that Gabbert put up some video-game like statistics in the Insight Bowl (minus the brain-dead interception that won the game for Iowa), but from my perspective, he's not ready for the NFL. Of course, I also didn't think that Josh Freeman was ready for the NFL, but it turns out that he's become a better quarterback in Tampa Bay than he was in Manhattan. What does that mean? Simple, it depends on who drafts him and how he gets developed. It all depends on where he goes, and whether there actually is an NFL season this fall, what with all the talk of a lockout. If there is a season and he ends up in the right situation, it'll all work out for him just fine. Maybe the Vikings will draft him; I'm sure a certain former Nebraska defensive lineman wouldn't mind meeting up again with him frequently.
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