Dec

17

Nebraska Cornhuskers get props in the new Jim Carrey movie “The Yes Man”

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Jim Carrey’s throwback movie, “”, has a scene featuring Huskers football and . If you don’t know the premise of the movie, Jim Carrey falls in love, which leadss him to saying yes to everything (think Liar, Liar except ‘always telling the truth’ is replaced with ‘always saying yes’).

Jim’s character ends up going to a Nebraska-Oklahoma game.

For more about the movie and the Husker connect, check out this article in the World-Herald.

CB Anthony Blue makes the most of his medical redshirt.

Huskers in the NFL round-up.

Clemson has sold-out of their ticket allotment.

Gator Bowl participants get hooked up with some cool gear:

For making it to the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, you’d think the Huskers might receive a camera. Nope. According to the SportsBusiness Journal, they’ll be heaped with a Bulova watch, a Jostens ring, Oakley Split Thump MP3 sunglasses (which I wouldn’t recommend wearing near water), a fitted cap and a two-piece Mercury luggage rolling duffel and sling bag.

Who says college football athletes don’t get paid?

Sipple makes a great point: Is Charles Barkley hurting Turner’s future chances by complaining about racism?
While I’m sure Turner appreciates Barkley’s advocacy for the Auburn job, Turner is the one with a coaching job and the coaching future. Turner knows that you have to ‘grease the wheels’ and have the powerful boosters on your side, not irritate them or scare potential employers from interviewing you because they are afraid if they go in a different direction, they are going to have Barkley on ESPN complaining how racist XYZ school is.

In other words, you have to play the game on their terms. If Turner continues to have success, there is no stopping him from getting a plum job and the longer he waits, the better the job.
That being said, Turner Gill (Nebraska’s favorite coach not named Pelini or Osborne) gets extended at Buffalo until 2013.

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Dec

16

Did Turner Gill get turned down because he has a white wife?

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According to , Turner Gill himself had concerns:

“We talked about the whole race thing in Alabama,” Barkley said. “I told him it’s there and it’s going to be anywhere you go. I told him you can’t not take the job because of racism. He was worried about being nothing more than a token interview. He was concerned about having a white wife. It’s just very disappointing to me.”

Also, Mark Schlabach, ESPN College Football Writer, reported two coaches specifically told him that Turner Gill wouldn’t get the job because of his white wife.

"Don't Hate the Player. Hate the Game"

"Don't hate the playa"

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Dec

13

Shawn Watson to Iowa State?

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For some strange reason, Iowa State HC Gene Chizik has been named the new coach.

Right now, we will list all of Iowa State’s Big 12 wins in 2008:

 

That’s right. None.

Pretty impressive stuff.

Nick Saban just uncorked a bottle of champagne and Charles Barkley will be unleashed in the next couple of days.

Do you really think Nick Saban will ever lose to Gene Chizik.

You fired Tommy Tuberville for this? The guy is 5-19 in two years! Bill Callahan has had more success at the college level. 

You know, you only fire a coach when you are confident you can find a better candidate. And at schools like , you don’t hire a unproven, unsuccessful coach. 

Husker fans know that feeling all too well.

Job Opening in the Big 12

That now leaves a surprise opening in the Big 12. One would have to conclude that two names with ties to the Husker program will be front runners: and Shawn Watson.

The thought of losing Shawn Watson, and some coaches he might take from the current program, would be setback to Restoring the Order. Plus, with knowledge of the Big 12 North and it’s landscape, he would instantly make Iowa State more competitive.

I would say Turner is actually more of a long-shot than Watson. He might also be a little more choosy given his younger age and that he is a head coach.

As Sipple told HG on Tuesday, this is Watson’s time for a head coaching job and be sure that Watson will put his name in for the job.

Also, on the topic of the Iowa State vacancy, why wouldn’t Iowa State go back to Dan McCarney? He’s been a big help to Florida’s as their D-Line coach and his job as Iowa State Head Coach has to look better and better after Gene Chizik’s horrible, yet brief tenure.

“Don’t Know What You Got, Until It’s Gone”

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Dec

11

Turner Gill gets turned down at Syracuse

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gets turned down in favor of Saints assistant Doug Marrone.

Let’s do the tale of the tape:

has successfully turned around one of the worst college football programs ever.

Doug Marrone is the Saints offensive coordinator (remember, Sean Payton makes the offensive calls) with no head coaching experience at any level.

can move in right away into the head coaching position at Syracuse.

Doug Marrone will have to wait until the NFL season is over to take over, missing valuable recruiting time.

coached two All-Americans QB’s and was a part of three national title teams during his 15 years coaching collegiate football, mostly at Nebraska.

Doug Marrone is an alum. of Syracuse…The same guy who hired Mr. Marrone also hired Greg Robinson, another coach who was hired because of his NFL pedigree.

UPDATE: Our apologies for not adding a link.

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Dec

11

Auburn has completed its minority token interviews, now focusing on their real (aka white) candidates

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Shortly after ’s victory in the MAC Championship game, Auburn called up Turner Gill for an interview. The internet was abuzz with speculation that Turner, who worked a miracle in , would be the next head coach of the Auburn Tigers.

But lets be honest: did you really think Auburn was going to hire Turner Gill?

Interviewing Turner was an exercise of taking the ‘Rooney Rule” to college football.

If Auburn was serious about having an open and fair search, then they surely would of made a call to Florida Defensive Coordinator Charlie Strong. Charlie is a veteran coach of the and is a highly respected assistant.

Turner: don’t go to Auburn.

Auburn is a fine example of a football program gone crazy where the impatient boosters with unrealistic expectations are running the show.

This is the same school that had a wealthy booster fly in Bobby Petrino (yes, that slime ball who quit on the Falcons last year to go to Arkansas) in 2003 behind the presidents and AD’s back.

The very next year Tuberville went 13-0 and got screwed out of a shot to play for the national title. Four seasons later, he was out of a job.

Hell, we don’t even know if Tommy Tuberville resigned or got fired last week!

Turner, you don’t need that headache.

The Auburn job is beneath Turner. From looking at Turner GIll’s program from afar, it seems like his mission is not only to win football games but to coach and teach young men. The first time you have a bad season, they’ll be flying in your replacement behind your back.

It’s not worth it.

is a perfect spot for Turner. He’ll be able to take advantage of a weak Big East, the historically strong football program and tradition, and a fan base that is looking for just some signs of hope.

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Dec

10

New Rules: College Football Edition

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New Rule: The -Pac 10  alliance needs to end. Its an outdated model that no longer gives fans the most intriguing match-up. The -Pac 10 alliance comes from an era where boxing, horse racing, and public executions were the most popular sporting events. 

While HG respects the current team, fans are clamoring for USC-Texas. 

New Rule: The Heisman should be renamed the “Tebow” if pulls off the Heisman three-peat.

New Rule: The is the best conference in football. End of discussion.

New Rule: If your conference doesn’t have a team in the BCS Top 12, you get stripped of your automatic BCS birth. 

New Rule: Turner Gill ought to be the new head coach at . Asking for permission to interview Kevin Gillbride, who’s most famous for getting punched by , and not Turner Gill is an embarrassment to the hiring process. 

New Rule: If Sam Bradford wins the Heisman, the first words out of his mouth better be “I would like to thank my offensive line.”

New Rule (non-college football edition): Before you die, everyone ought to see Jim Valvano’s speech at the 1993 ESPY’s. Yes, you’ve seen ‘don’t give up, don’t ever give up’ a thousand times, but the speech is so much more than that. 

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Dec

9

Husker News, Notes, and Links

Filed Under Bo Pelini, Clemson, Corn Feed, Gator Bowl, Recruiting, Sponsor Props, Turner Gill | Leave a Comment

Brian Christopherson takes a look at the final coaches poll and how individual coaches voted.

As practice begins, Bo Pelini says the Huskers will be practicing at ‘full speed.’

Bo issues a challenge for Husker fans to have the Gator Bowl ‘flowing with red’ and tickets are going fast.

(Shameless Plug Alert: Please visit our sponsor, Discount Sports Tickets, for all of your Ticket needs. They have tickets starting at just $70!)

Profile on Larry Asante.

Marlon Lucky second-guesses his decision to stay at Nebraska.

Bob Stoops to the Chiefs?

Colt McCoy is coming back next year.

Rumor: I can’t confirm this yet, but I have a couple of sources saying Dejon Gomes, a JuCo CB out of California, has committed for the 2009 class. Ted Gilmore is the lead recruiter.

Friend of HG Steve Sipple thinks Auburn and Gill would be a good match.

New recruit is a first year starter and picked the Huskers without even visiting. Marvin Sanders was the lead recruiter.

“I like to compete,” Middleton said. “Coming from Poly, it’s given me a competitive attitude. If you see a cornerback shut down a Michael Crabtree (of Texas Tech), that’s going to open some eyes - a lot more than doing it against some Conference USA receiver.”

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Middleton visited SMU last weekend. He received interest but no scholarship offer from UCLA. Regardless, he said, he was set on the Huskers.

“Bo Pelini has a plan,” Middleton said. “He has a defensive mentality. He knows what needs to happen. If the other team doesn’t score, you’re going to win.”

Long Beach Poly (13-0) will play Saturday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., for a second straight sectional title. Poly has finished among the Top 25 nationally, as ranked by USA Today, eight times since 1997 and won six sectional crowns over that time.

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Dec

7

Husker News, Notes, and Links

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Links:

takes a look back at a crazy December ‘07:

“I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I knew from the first time here it’d be a little bit crazy,” Pelini said. “Then I found out that night we (the Tigers) were going to the national championship game and all that was going to entail. It was crazy.”

Husker senior offensive lineman Matt Slauson remembers Pelini “looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin” when he met with the team.

“He had so much bottled-up energy, he was just like shaking and bouncing around,” Slauson said. “And at a player meeting with him the first day, you could just feel the energy flowing out of him.”

A week before, Pelini interviewed in a small building at the airport in Baton Rouge, La., while a rainstorm raged outside.

Athletic director was struck by how “authentic” Pelini was. Even then, Pelini knew who he wanted to hire as his assistants.

Ron Brown has some words of praise for Turner Gill.

Extra practices mean the 2009 QB competition starts now.

senses momentum on the recruiting trail:

“I think we have some momentum and the people out there recognize what we’ve done and where we’re headed,” Pelini said. “We’re getting a very good response from the kids, their parents, all the way down to the high school coaches.

on being the lead recruiter:

Pelini was asked Saturday about being the “closer” on recruits for the first time. He said he already was part of that at LSU with defensive recruits.

“I didn’t have an area at LSU,” Pelini said. “I was going around and seeing the defensive guys a lot. I’m used to doing that. I’ve been going into homes for a long time. I believe it’s one of my strengths.”

Callahan opened practices to Texas high school coaches two years ago when the Huskers played in the Cotton Bowl. Pelini said Florida coaches will be welcome when NU is in Jacksonville.

“We have an open-door policy anyway to the coaches,” he said. “We did that at LSU. You can only do it so much, though. You can’t do it to the point where it’s a distraction. But we encourage coaches to come to our practice.”

And on who they are targeting:

Those “guys” including running backs of Plano, Texas and Jarvis Giles of Tampa, Fla., and defensive tackle Latu Heimuli of Salt Lake City, among others. Pelini talked to all of them this week in that traditional “closer” head coach role.

Could Turner Gill be the new head coach at Auburn?

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Dec

6

Husker News and Notes

Filed Under Roy Helu Jr., Tom Osborne, Turner Gill | 2 Comments

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Press is big (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) like his brother. He doesn’t have Zac’s rocket arm, but he moves more effectively in and out of the pocket.

Nebraska came in at the last minute to recruit Zac and Press might draw similar interest after Butler’s season. Right now, he’s being most aggressively pursued by , said Butler coach Troy Morrell.

Gibbs, just retired from his second stint as coach of the Washington Redskins, was discussing his legendary Counter Trey, the foundation of the power running game that helped the Redskins win three Super Bowls from 1982 to ‘91. “We stole it,” said Gibbs. “We saw some film on Nebraska, and Tom Osborne was doing some really innovative things with his line up front, and we were watching it and thought, God, that’s good stuff.”

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Dec

6

Turner Gill’s post-game interview

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Turner Gill’s emotional post-game interview after being crowned the 2008 MAC Champions:

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