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Radio Show Features Shawn, Rhonda, Bill, and Liz

By Randy York

Catch up on the last weekend in Nebraska Athletics

For Nebraska Athletics, mid-February is the intersection between programs in the stretch drive of their respective seasons and programs that have just left the launching pad. Such timing creates an opportunity for Tuesday night’s Talk to the Director of Athletics February Radio Show. 

Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst, pictured above, will cover the bases in Tuesday’s first segment from 7 to 8 p.m. CT with host Greg Sharpe, who will call four Nebraska-BYU baseball games Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Peoria, Ariz. Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman will join Eichorst this week in alumni events in Arizona and then California, along with leaders representing the Nebraska Foundation and the Nebraska Alumni Association. 

In his monthly radio show, Eichorst will talk about Nebraska football recruiting dinners held in Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney, with Columbus yet to come. He also will share his thoughts about the Husker men’s and women’s basketball teams entering the home stretch, while Nebraska baseball and softball programs begin their 2015 seasons with similar No. 1 goals – qualifying for the College Softball World Series in Oklahoma City and the College Baseball World Series in Omaha.

In her 23rd season, Rhonda Revelle, Nebraska’s all-time winningest coach, will be featured in segment 2 of Tuesday night’s radio show. The Huskers are a talented, but inexperienced team that welcomes eight newcomers on a roster that already has tackled one of the nation’s toughest schedules on the road. The Huskers have played 10 games the past two weekends in New Mexico and Florida. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Coach Revelle’s team will play San Diego State, LSU, Tennessee, Oregon State, and UCLA in Cathedral City, Calif.

Guests for segments 3 and 4 this month are Nebraska Head Bowling Coach Bill Straub and two-time first-team All-American Liz Kuhlkin. Straub coached the Huskers to four NCAA championships in 2004, ‘05, ‘09, and 2013. A senior from Schenectady, N.Y., Kuhlkin received the 2013 NCCA Championship’s Most Valuable Bowler award. Current No. 1-ranked Nebraska was the NCAA Tournament’s runner-up team in 2014.  

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NCAA: Another Historic Step in Right Direction

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Shawn Eichorst Connecting on Campus January Column

Audio: Segment 1 Shawn Eichorst

Audio: Segment 2 Shawn Eichorst

Audio: Segment 3 Trev Alberts

Audio: Mark Manning, Robert Kokesh

By Randy York

On his monthly Talk to the Director of Athletics Radio Show Wednesday on the Husker Sports Network, Shawn Eichorst (above) said the NCAA made “another historic step in the right direction for college athletics” at its annual convention in the Washington, D.C., area last week. In his third year as Nebraska’s Director of Athletics, Eichorst praised new structure, governance and autonomy that enabled 80 delegates, representing 65 schools from five major conferences and 15 student-athletes – three each from the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC – “to enhance the well-being of student-athletes” and gives them “not only a voice, but a vote,” Eichorst said. The legislation will help Nebraska to continue its strong leadership role in student-athlete welfare.

In the first segment of his hour-long radio show, Eichorst discussed a whirlwind December following Husker events and meeting with donors. His second segment focused on positive NCAA-related changes, including the ability to cover total cost of attendance and how Nebraska will implement that process.  Segment 3 of Eichorst’s show featured studio host Greg Sharpe interviewing Trev Alberts, the former Husker All-America linebacker who will be inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Hall of Fame in New York next December. Segment 4 featured Sharpe interviewing Nebraska Wrestling Coach Mark Manning prior to two weekend matches, including a Sunday home match against Rutgers at noon at the Devaney Center. Sharpe also interviewed two Husker wrestlers who are national championship contenders – No. 1-ranked 174-pounder Robert Kokesh (Wagner, South Dakota) and No. 3-ranked 157-pounder James Green (Willingboro, New Jersey).

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N-Sider Proof of Positive External Perspective

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From left: Mitch Sherman, Steve Sipple, Eric Olson, Tom Shatel, Mike Riley.

Teaching, Trust Traditional Mike Riley Traits

Huskers Announce Signing Day Celebration

By Randy York

During Thursday’s full hour of breaking in Nebraska football’s new meet the press format, Husker writers, analysts, and photographers seemed content to shoot, talk and track whatever was foremost in their minds. When some huddled up a second time to interview new head football coach Mike Riley, I asked myself a question: Was I assuming the positive vibes spreading throughout the sixth-floor of Memorial Stadium’s press box? Or was Thursday merely business as usual? Instead of sharing my highly positive views, I asked some of Nebraska’s most prominent football journalists to share theirs. I hope you find their perspective as encouraging as I did.

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Mitch Sherman, College Football Reporter, ESPN.com

“Mike Riley is a breath of fresh air. That’s no commentary on his predecessors; rather, an observation that in this era of major-college athletics, Riley’s positivity and accessibility are rare. It’s evident in his coaching staff, too, and I think Nebraska fans and players will soon grow to feel a kinship with this group. So often, teams are a direct reflection of their leaders, starting with the head coach. In this instance, I expect Riley’s personality and approach to all aspects of football to allow his staff and players to operate with a sense of freedom that can help Nebraska move forward in a successful way.”

Eric Olson, Associated Press Sports Writer

“Mike Riley seems to be doing everything right. He’s eager to learn as much as he can about the Nebraska way, notably the tradition of walk-ons, and he’s excited about engaging the fan base. He hit a home run by sitting in the stands at the Holiday Bowl. Mike also looks to have assembled an extremely experienced staff that shares his values, and by all accounts he’s excelled on the recruiting trail. Any time you bring in a new coach, it is a wait-and-see proposition. But I really think Husker fans are going to connect with Mike, and they should be optimistic about the kind of football this team will play this fall.”

Sean Callahan, Publisher, Radio, TV Personality

“The biggest thing that jumped out to me about Thursday was just the level of professionalism with this staff. This is not their first rodeo. Mike Riley has hired a group of seasoned veterans, but what maybe jumped out the most was their level appreciation and overall genuine interest with the reporters and their questions. At a place like Nebraska you have to feed the monster instead of fighting it. You can tell this staff already gets that.”

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Mike Babcock, Hail Varsity Editor/Writer, Author

“Reporter’s objectivity aside, Mike Riley comes across as someone you hope succeeds. He seems to embody the qualities Nebraskans at least like to think reflect their own. My plan was to listen in on as many assistants as possible on Thursday. Everyone seemed as engaging as the man who hired them. Anyway, the third was Mark Banker (pictured above). I got no further. It was like listening to Charlie McBride. I can offer no better compliment.”

Tom Shatel, Omaha World-Herald Sports Columnist

“Nebraska has been a starter job and it shouldn’t be that way. The program is about to get a much-needed dose of experience. Riley and his staff talk and act like pros. The eight assistants have a combined 177 years of coaching experience. This isn’t their first rodeo but they’ve never ridden a horse like this. It will be very interesting to see how this works. Might be fruitful, too.”

Steve Sipple, Lincoln Journal Star Sports Columnist

“What intrigues me most about Mike Riley is this: Yes, he has a friendly nature, but I think it tends to overshadow a quiet confidence that likely will reveal itself more as we come to better know the man. You hear little-to-no hesitation in his answers. He seems to have a very firm grip on how he wants to proceed – a quality you might expect from someone with his wealth of experience. I just hope people don’t mistake his friendliness for a lack of competitiveness. There’s no way he could’ve advanced as far as he has in his profession without being ultra-competitive and savvy.”

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Petteway, Shields NU’s Dynamic Scoring Duo

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The Scoop on Huskers/Hawkeyes Matchup

By Randy York

If you like history, we focus on an interesting fact before Terran Petteway (No. 5) and Shavon Shields (No. 31) lead Nebraska into Monday’s 8:06 p.m. CT game at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  The juniors already are two of the most dynamic wing players in school history and are on pace to become the most dynamic Husker scoring duo in 30 years.

The prolific pair has combined for 36.9 points per game while ranking among the Big Ten’s top three scorers entering Monday night’s game. Only six schools have two players combining for at least 36 points per game this season. Nebraska’s duo ranks fifth nationally and first among all power conference duos. To frame that in historic perspective, consider that in Nebraska’s 119-year history, only five duos have combined to average more than 36 points per game for a season.

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Husker Fans Remember These Dynamic Duos

Year               Player                                     Combined PPG

1970-71         Marvin Stewart/Chuck Jura               39.0

1967-68         Stuart Lantz/Tom Baack                    37.9

1966-67         Stuart Lantz/Tom Baack                    37.2

1984-85         Dave Hoppen/Curtis Moore               37.0

2014-15         Terran Petteway/Shavon Shields    36.9

1983-84          Dave Hoppen/Stan Cloudy                36.1

Shields (875) and Petteway (833) are climbing toward 1,000 career points. They would mark the fifth time in history for NU to produce a pair of players reaching 1,000 points in the same season. The only other such milestones at Nebraska: 1967-68 (Stuart Lantz and Tom Baack); 1978-79 (Carl McPipe and Brian Banks); 1990-91 (Rich King and Clifford Scales); and 1998-99 (Cookie Belcher and Venson Hamilton).

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Iowa Road Wins Include North Carolina, Ohio State

Nebraska’s dynamic duo will have to be at their best for Monday night’s nationally televised game on the Big Ten Network. Iowa is 10-4 on the season following a 71-65 win at Ohio State in its Big Ten opener. The Hawkeyes also beat North Carolina on the road. All four Hawkeye losses (Texas, Syracuse, Iowa State and Northern Iowa) have come against teams in the rankings at some point during the season.

One of the deeper teams in the Big Ten, 10 Iowa players average at least 10 minutes per game while no player averages 30 minutes per contest. Monday’s matchup will be the third consecutive meeting between the programs in Iowa City. Nebraska has won just twice in 13 previous trips to Iowa City. The first Husker win in Iowa City came in 1941. The Huskers’ only other win at Iowa came in 2012 when Brandon Richardson had a career-high 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including six 3-pointers.

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Ways to Access Game on Radio, TV, Huskers.com

Dave Revsine and Jim Jackson will call Monday night’s game on BTN. The game is also available online and on mobile apps on BTN2Go. The game will be broadcast across Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network with Kent Pavelka (above left) calling the action and Matt Davison (above right) adding color commentary. Monday night’s game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and is available on the Huskers’ App on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

Monday’s game is the first of three this week for the Huskers, who return to Pinnacle Bank Arena to host Rutgers for an ESPNU telecast Thursday at 8 p.m. and then entertain Illinois on a BTN telecast Sunday beginning at 7:30 p.m.

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This Citizen Hero Ties Football with Real Life

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Videos of Nebraska, Iowa 2014 Heroes

Huskers Find Flags in Pilger’s Rubble

By Randy York

Friday morning, a humble bank president from Pilger, Neb., was a guest on the Husker Sports Network (HSN). Gene Willers was describing the experience that led to the American Red Cross naming him the Nebraska honoree for the 2014 Iowa-Nebraska Hy-Vee Heroes Game. Even though Willers was calmly telling the story about the actions that led to his selection, it was an enthralling discussion, worthy of staying inside the car while parked at a hardware store to buy new lights to celebrate the holidays.

Make sure you check out the video version of the experience at the bottom of this link. Let me just say that the people nominated for what was the fourth annual Heroes Award have a certain sense of calm, cool and collective that most of us simply do not have. Willers helped save the lives of nine people, including his own, in the small town of Pilger. His action last June 16 also helped make Friday’s Heroes Game another meaningful, memorable day. “It’s one of the most important days in Pilger history because it completely reshaped the landscape for the community,” Willers told HSN co-hosts before going on to explain how he locked five bank employees, two neighboring business workers and a salesman inside a vault in the 109-year-old Midwest Bank Building that could only be locked from the outside, not the inside. That was a key part of the radio discussion because the F4 tornado was so strong it probably would not have held up against the wicked winds.

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Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst and Herbie flank Gene Willers.

It Sounded Like Two Trains Colliding

Willers had a plan and executed it, putting others first before heading to a dark basement where he would find a small crawl space to wait out the tornado. “Our electricity was off and it was difficult to find my way down there,” he admitted. “But I found it and waited out the storm there. It started out very quiet and then it grew in noise. The air pressure changes and I had a little blood in one of my ears. It got to a point where it sounded like two trains colliding. The wall above me in a two-story building collapsed. Luckily, it went to the outside instead of towards me. The floor started hopping up and down as the suction pulled it.”

The vault technician informed Willers that if he had not locked the vault from the outside, it most certainly would have been sucked open in the tornado, potentially ripping the eight people inside and into the exposed building, putting all of them in great peril. Down in the basement, Willers was convinced that he was going to die. “I was prepared to die,” he said. “I thought I was going to die.”Gene Willers will never forget how deathly quiet the world was in his crawl space. He could hear the sirens going off and the batteries beeping because the electricity was off. “It was just pitch black,” he said. “I was by myself preparing for the worst. I didn’t plan on coming out. We’re a small staff, a close staff. We’re a family. That’s how we feel about each other and how we treat each other. We all hugged and were darn glad to see everybody alive.”

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A Real-Life, Reluctant Citizen’s Hero

With Nebraska football heroes all over Kinnick Stadium Friday, it seems only appropriate that Husker fans meet a real-life, down-to-earth, truly reluctant citizen’s hero … a man who took selfless action for the benefit of others. It makes everyone proud to be part of two rival football schools that made a smart decision to promote the heroes among us…heroes who have nothing to do with touchdowns or tackles but everything to do with the lives of those who do and others. And that reminds me of something else…the story of how Nebraska football players volunteered their time in the middle of the summer to help Pilger rebuild the small town that was wiped away in a matter of minutes. Isn’t it ironic how this iconic citizen hero can tie football with real life, just like the Huskers did 5½ months ago. Something tells me this rivalry is into something good. It will be fun to watch it grow in the years to come.

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ESPN Documentary on 1984 T.O. Tonight at 8

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By Randy York

If you’re looking for something interesting and uplifting, tune into ESPN tonight at 8 p.m. CT for Two Points, One Title. A 30-minute documentary directed by John Frankel. The ESPN film follows a 30-minute NCAA College Football Championship discussion about who’s in and who isn’t. The transition should be compelling because Frankel zeroes in on Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne’s 1984 Orange Bowl decision that cost his team the national title.

Who can forget Osborne’s heroic reasoning not to kick the extra point that would have enabled the Huskers to finish the 1983 season as the only unbeaten team in college football? Instead, Osborne, now a member on the College Football Playoff Committee, elected to go for the 2-point conversion that resulted in an incomplete pass and allowed the University of Miami to upset the Huskers, 31-30, in the Orange Bowl.

Thirty years later, fans still consider that game one of the best in college football history, and they still applaud Osborne’s courageous, split-second decision. According to Frankel, Two Points, One Title illustrates how Osborne never really had to make a decision that night on the Orange Bowl sideline. The decision was simply a way of life and a fate forged many years earlier when Osborne was growing up on the plains of Hastings, Neb.

I met Frankel several years ago when he was interested in doing a documentary on the Nebraska football walk-on program. Having walked on himself at Syracuse University, Frankel had great respect for Osborne’s unique system, philosophy, and 25 consecutive years of consistent success. Frankel has leveraged his hard news and sports television background in a number of creative assignments with ABC, CBS, NBC and ESPN. He still marvels at Nebraska’s combined work ethic and humility.  The New York-based reporter/filmmaker still finds time in the midst of his busy schedule to run marathons and compete in Iron Man triathlons. Check out Frankel’s work. It comes at a perfect time in this historic season.

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Young Huskers Must Focus on Strong Finish

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Ameer Abdullah (8) rushed for 69 yards and caught a 26-yard pass Saturday.

By Randy York

The best thing about being a competitor instead of a fan is simple. When game plans don’t meet expectations and you lose decisively, you get to go back to work and elevate your performance instead of watch, listen or read about those who believe they know what you should have done, but didn’t. Fortunately, Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini has a good track record in getting his teams to correct problems, find a new path and reach a meaningful destination, and that’s exactly what a young Husker team must do this week – focus on a strong finish and make the most of what’s still on the table.

“We didn’t respond the way we should have,” Nebraska offensive guard and co-captain Jake Cotton said Saturday after Wisconsin beat Nebraska, 59-24, in Madison to position itself as the favorite to represent the West Division in the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game next month in Indianapolis. “We all had frustration. We weren’t putting hats on guys. We missed assignments. We’ll look at the film on the plane ride home and then see more on Sunday.”

It won’t be easy, but Cotton knows how to cut through the storm clouds to find a silver lining. Like his teammates and his coaches, he can’t waste time bemoaning or critiquing what’s already happened. They are the competitors who line up on the field to prepare for the next physical game. They don’t line up at the water cooler like the rest of us. Staring them in the face is Minnesota and an 11 a.m. kickoff Saturday on ESPN at Memorial Stadium. The Gophers upset Nebraska last year in Minneapolis and took East Division favorite Ohio State to the wire in a 31-24 loss on Saturday. They are indeed a quality opponent for Nebraska’s annual Senior Day.

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Kenny Bell overtook Johnny Rodgers as NU’s career receiving yardage leader.

Jake Cotton: We Just Need to Win Out

“We just need to win out. We have at least three games left,” Cotton said, referring primarily to Saturday’s game against Minnesota, and the regular-season finale the following Friday at Iowa. “Maybe the Big Ten Championship is a game. Maybe it isn’t. At this point, we just want to play football again.” That’s how competitors look at the world. There is no time to dwell on an experience that’s already in Nebraska’s rear-view mirror. “That’s one football game,” Pelini told the media Saturday in Madison. “This program has won a lot of football games.”

The Huskers also have won important games immediately after experiencing a lopsided loss like Saturday’s. Two years ago, Ohio State beat Nebraska, 63-38, in Columbus. Pelini accepted the pressure, handled it well, and led the Huskers to six straight wins after that loss, including three victories on the road at Northwestern, at Michigan State and at Iowa. The Huskers’ three home-game wins in that streak came against Michigan, Penn State, and Iowa. Pelini was able to inspire that impressive streak because he teaches one lesson particularly well. The Youngstown, Ohio, native believes you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Yes, Saturday was a tough day in the snow at Wisconsin. “Somewhere along the way, I think our guys lost their confidence,” Pelini said. “Obviously, you have to respond better than we did. We fell apart. We didn’t react. The thing that was very disappointing was when we got to the second level, plays that in my mind should have been eight or 10 yards ended up being 40 or 50 yards. That can’t happen. I give a lot of credit to Melvin Gordon (who set an NCAA FBS single-game rushing record Saturday). He’s a heck of a back, but we played a big part in that, too (with missed assignments and tackles).”

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Sam Foltz (27) punted eight times Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium for a net 46.9-yard average. He also ran 14 yards on a fake punt to earn a first down.

Bo Pelini Points the Thumb at Himself

As always, when Nebraska’s performance standards dipped dramatically in the third quarter, Pelini was more disappointed than any Big Red fan watching the action inside the stadium or tuning in on ABC. “At the end of the day, in this world and this profession, I point the thumb (at himself),” Pelini said. “I take responsibility for this football team and how we played. It wasn’t good enough.”

At least one exception to that observation was Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska’s All-America running back and the Huskers’ all-time all-purpose yardage leader. “I thought Ameer did some good things,” Pelini said. “He’s not a hundred percent, but he was a warrior out there running his butt off. Being a great player, you have to play great around him. We didn’t play great around him.”

Saturday, Abdullah will be one of 14 Husker seniors honored on Senior Day. It will be the last game he plays inside Memorial Stadium. The crowd should be electric as the Huskers seek to win a ninth game in a seventh consecutive season. With a 10-2 regular-season record still viable, and a variety of high-profile bowl games still available, Nebraska’s young team needs a strong finish in the stretch to remain among college football’s Top 20 and the possibility to climb even higher than that by January.

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Bo Knows the Importance of Freedom Trophy

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Coach Bo Pelini expects Ameer Abdullah (8) to play Saturday at Wisconsin.

Freedom Trophy Fitting for Huskers, Badgers

By Randy York

Bo knows a lot of things. He knows how to recruit and how to coach. Just look at his record. He knows why the word student always comes before athlete at Nebraska. That sense of priority relates back to his days as an Academic All-Big Ten safety at Ohio State, his alma mater.  Bo also knows how to connect his family and livelihood to the service and dedication of American military men and women, plus all the veterans who protected this country before them. Even though Pelini wasn’t privy to the planning that went into Monday’s joint announcement of a Freedom Trophy to commemorate Saturday’s first-ever West Big Ten Division showdown between the Huskers and Badgers, Bo was, in a word, bullish on the idea. That’s why we begin The N-Sider’s Five Favorite Bo Pelini Quotes with one that reflects his thoughts on the Freedom Trophy and how that new piece of hardware can elevate Veterans Day on Tuesday, not to mention a respected rivalry for years to come.  Here are my five favorite Bo quotes from Monday’s presser:

5) On Bo’s thoughts about the Freedom Trophy: “I actually haven’t seen the design of it. I know (Director of Athletics) Shawn (Eichorst) and Coach Alvarez and the universities came up with the idea,” Pelini said before volunteering his own ringing endorsement. “I think that anything we can do to honor the veterans is a good idea,” Bo said. “I don’t think you can do enough to honor the men and women who serve our country. I don’t think you can EVER do enough. It’s a great idea.”

4) On whether Pelini saw Maliek Collins wrestle in high school in Kansas City, so he could see the sophomore defensive tackle’s toughness and tenacity: “Absolutely. I think you have to have a certain mentality to be a wrestler,” Pelini said. “Just look at (Mark) Manning. You’ve got to be a little screwed up to be a wrestler.” Bo’s punchline drew a quick chuckle from the sixth-floor Memorial Stadium press box before he finished his comments. “You’ve got to have some explosion and great feet,” he said. “You have to be a pretty good athlete to do the things you have to do and wrestle at a high level. I thought that Maliek certainly did. Obviously, the competitive nature he brings to the table…just the total package…he’s a pretty talented guy.”

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3) On Bo’s analysis of sophomore defensive back Nate Gerry (No. 25 above), an up-and-coming sophomore superstar safety after spending his freshman season at linebacker: “Nate’s playing well. I think he gets better each week,” Pelini said. “He gets more comfortable every week. He gets a better understanding of what we’re doing. I think he plays well next to Coop (Corey Cooper) and I think they communicate really well. I think they’re on the same page.” Pelini believes Gerry developed “really good ball skills” while “playing up” at linebacker – a move that changed the game and the overall effect he has on it. Some of the natural things Gerry performs deep relates directly to the discomfort he experienced playing up. Pelini didn’t see certain ball skills emerging earlier with Gerry. “He was thinking too much,” Bo said. “Maybe he was a little bit out of place, out of position.” Gerry’s emergence and improved ball skills have developed new strengths that were not featured in his high school recruiting film. “He was kind of a run-it guy (that) came downhill and made a ton of tackles,” Pelini said. “He’s really developed well. He’s going to be a great player before he’s out of here.”

2) On how Bo sees Wisconsin since Nebraska’s lopsided loss to the Badgers in the 2012 Big Ten Conference Championship Game in Indianapolis: “It’s interesting because this is a new staff, but it’s very similar in what they’re doing. It’s really the same offense. There are a few wrinkles here and there, but they do a good job. They know what they want to do. They’re physical and well-coached, and they execute very well. It hasn’t changed a whole lot. And you know what? It was probably a smart move on their part. You come in; you have a defensive guy taking over. Why mess with a good thing? And they haven’t. They’ve done a good job of sticking with what they’re doing. I actually spent a lot of time learning, trying to figure out why they were doing things and how they did it. They’ve put a good product on the field.”

1) On if playing Wisconsin Saturday rekindles any bad memories from the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game: “No, it doesn’t really rekindle for me…personally, I’ll never flesh that out,” Pelini said matter-of-factually. “That’s something that will always be there. It’s hard to flesh that one away. But there’s nothing you can do about it. That was one of the most unusual games I’ve ever been a part of. And frustrating at the same time.”  Give Pelini credit for his honesty and built-in humility. Thankfully, he’s looked at all sides of that equation and has moved on while preparing a young team to compete for a championship next month in Indianapolis.  

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Learning Sportsmanship’s Enduring Essence

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Nebraska’s Rolfzen twins (Amber, Kadie) had the crowd’s rapt attention.

Pep Rally Inspires 2,000 from across Nebraska

Photo Gallery of Sportsmanship Pep Rally

By Randy York

The Nebraska Athletics’ Life Skills team delivered a theme that inspired 2,000 middle-school students who needed only 90 minutes Friday to learn the incredible value and enduring essence of sportsmanship. “I can see why Keith Zimmer’s team is considered the national benchmark for life skills within college athletics because every year, the sportsmanship program his team puts together gets better and better,” said Dick Beechner, referring to the third annual Sportsmanship Pep Rally – a collaboration between Nebraska Athletics and the Nebraska State High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation’s NSHSHOFF Board of Directors. Beechner is the president of the group’s board.

The two organizations have combined to reach 10,000 middle-school students in a program that was launched at Waverly High School in 2012.  Last year’s program drew 5,500 students to Pinnacle Bank Arena and Friday’s Pep Rally was the first held at the renovated Bob Devaney Sports Center. “All three events were very different and all three were very successful,” said Chuck Johnston, who recently was named executive director of the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. “We just can’t thank Nebraska’s Athletic Department enough for helping our organization teach the value of sportsmanship, especially when that theme leaves such a lasting impression on those who share what they learn with others.”

Nebraska Volleyball Coach John Cook and NU Women’s Basketball Coach Connie Yori shared their thoughts on dreaming big and staying on the right path and a number of Husker student-athletes described how to enjoy the moment, increase confidence, overcome adversity, promote sportsmanship, develop character and maintain self-esteem.

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NCAA Champion Ukaoma Cleared Personal Hurdles

Nebraska’s Miles Ukaoma, the 2014 NCAA 400-meter hurdle champion (above), told the students about the hurdles he had to clear first – rejection, a lack of confidence, academic pressure and bullying.  Once he solved those issues, Ukaoma was able to soar on his own and help others succeed in similar fashion. Nebraska basketball forward Emily Cady admitted how nervous she was to speak before motivating an audience that tuned into her message, as well as the wisdom shared by Nebraska’s Tanner Lubach (baseball), Mattie Fowler (softball), and Amber and Kadie Rolfzen (volleyball).

“We’re all about helping youth across the state achieve success and why it’s important to make good choices and to be respectful,” said Zimmer, Nebraska’s longtime associate athletic director for Life Skills. “I think this Pep Rally has found a home. Our goal is to pack the Devaney Center with as many kids and educators as we can in the years ahead. We have a message that everyone needs to hear, and we want this event to get bigger and better every year.”

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Punt Blockers Join Three Honorees as MVPs

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Freshman defensive back Kieron Williams (27) had a critical punt block.

By Randy York

Even though defense and special teams carried Nebraska to a 35-14 win over Purdue last Saturday, the Huskers used film study as positive evidence to name Imani Cross Offensive Player of the Game while Nate Gerry and Josh Mitchell shared the Defensive Player of the Game honor.  Equal impact enabled Kieron Williams and Brandon Reilly to share the Special Teams Player of the Game accolade.  Each blocked a punt that led to two crucial touchdowns that kept Purdue out of contention to manufacture an upset.

For those who like to measure individual performance from historic angles, here are facts that might interest you:

Saturday was the first time in 11 years that Nebraska has blocked two punts in the same game, dating back to a 2003 game against Iowa State. (Note: a year earlier, Nebraska’s Lannie Hopkins blocked two punts himself against Kansas).

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Senior Corner Mitchell Sacks Purdue Twice

Mitchell’s two sacks against Purdue produced one of the best lines in the post-game media session. “I just threw my body at the quarterback as hard as I could…all 160 pounds of me,” he said.

Mitchell also broke up three passes, increasing his career total to 23, advancing the senior captain from Corona, Calif., from 12th place on NU’s all-time list of passes broken up to eighth place, passing Daniel Bullocks, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Pat Ricketts and Bret Clark.

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Cross Has Six Multiple TD Rushing Games

Cross’s 66 yards rushing and pair of short touchdown runs in the second and third quarters gave the junior I-back from Gainesville, Ga., his sixth multiple rushing touchdown game of his career. Cross (above) filled in for All-American Ameer Abdullah, who spent the last three quarters on the sideline with a knee injury.  “Ameer is very explosive and a great player and he went down,” Cross said. “That’s why we practice all week and prepare, so the next guy can produce. I just reminded myself that this is not new. This is football. I’ve gotten carries before. Just because one person is not around while I’m getting those carries doesn’t make it any different. I just had to focus on the task at hand, and I was happy we got the win.

“The expectation level is high at the University of Nebraska … in the locker room, the meeting rooms, in the weight room, and on the football field,” Cross said. “The expectation level is very high. So when we make mistakes we tend to get down on ourselves. But it’s OK. The adversity that we faced out there is going to make us better.”

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Gerry Has Team-Leading Four Interceptions

Gerry (above), a sophomore safety from Sioux Falls, S.D., made an athletic catch in the end zone for a team-leading fourth interception.

Mitchell believes the defense is getting better every week. “If we can just keep on improving and take this bye week to improve more, it’s going to give us more time to break down film and more time to work on technique,” he said. “We can be as good as we want to be.”

In addition to Cross on offense and Gerry and Mitchell on defense, Williams and Reilly were critical factors in the outcome. Williams is a 6-foot, 185-pound freshman defensive back from Air Force Prep and Shreveport, La., and Reilly is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore wide receiver from Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest High School.

Wilbon, Stovall Receive Scout Team Honors

Scout Team Honors included:

  • Mikale Wilbon, a 5-foot-8, 190-pound freshman I-back from De La Salle Institute in Chicago, on offense.
  • Zach Stovall, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound redshirt freshman defensive back from Bellevue East (Neb.) High School on defense.

Two Scout Team players shared the Special Teams weekly honor:

  • Luke McNitt, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore tight end from Kearney (Neb.) via the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and
  • Connor Ketter, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound redshirt freshman tight end from Norfolk (Neb.) Catholic High School.

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