Football
Associated Press 19y

Huskers look to get back on winning track

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Without even playing a game, this year's
Nebraska Cornhuskers already have a unique claim to fame -- they're
the school's first squad in 43 years trying to rebound from a
losing season.

The last time it happened was 1962, when a guy named Bob Devaney
took over and led the Huskers to 9-2 and a bowl victory. That club
won six more games than Bill Jennings' club had the previous year
and it was the start of something big.

No one expects second-year coach Bill Callahan to win 11 games
after last year's 5-6 debacle. However, the fallout from that
disappointing season definitely serves as motivation, especially
for folks like receiver Mark LeFlore, who has heard about it from
everyone he runs into in Lincoln and his hometown of Omaha.

"I'm not going to lie. It's tough being a hometown kid," he
said. "Everybody has questions and wants to know why."

The reasons, though, are pretty obvious.

Callahan arrived from the NFL, two years removed from having
guided the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl, and completely
revamped the offense. Forcing his West Coast offense onto a group
recruited for a run-based system was the football equivalent of
pounding square pegs into round holes.

Even with an emphasis on passing, Nebraska still ended up last
in the Big 12 and 104th nationally in passing efficiency. The
Cornhuskers didn't have anyone among the top 10 in the Big 12 or
the top 100 nationally in receptions or receiving yards.

Making matters worse, while Nebraska struggled to throw and
catch, the defense was letting opponents do the same with ease.

"We are starting at the bottom of the heap right now,"
Callahan said. "It's exciting, challenging. We are very encouraged
about where we are at as a football team."

The pressure is on Callahan to fix the problems -- and fast. On
paper, it looks as if he's made a good start, having signed what's
widely regarded as one of the nation's top recruiting classes. Now
it's time to find out whether the newcomers can play and whether he
can coach them.

The most tantalizing arrival is Zac Taylor, who threw for 3,000
yards and 29 touchdowns last year at Butler County (Kan.) Community
College. He was so impressive in the spring that last year's
starter, Joe Dailey, transferred to North Carolina.

Callahan probably won't name his starting quarterback until
close to the Sept. 3 opener against Maine, but he acknowledges that
Taylor has the edge over touted freshman Harrison Beck and three
other returnees.

Taylor gives Nebraska perhaps is purest passer since Vince
Ferragamo in the late 1970s. There's an asterisk by that fact,
though, because until last year the Cornhuskers had used mostly a
triple-option offense for a quarter-century.

That also helps explain why the receiving corps is filled with
guys more adept at blocking downfield for running backs than
running curls and post routes.

"Sure we want to run the ball and pound it," LeFlore said.
"But we've got to have playmakers come out and make big plays and
move the chains. As a receiver, I would like us to all take our
game to another level."

The Huskers will be without their top returning receiver for the
foreseeable future. Tight end Matt Herian, who caught 24 passes for
308 yards and three touchdowns in eight games, still hasn't fully
recovered from the broken leg he suffered against Missouri.

LeFlore, Grant Mulkey and Terrence Nunn will be joined by
freshman receivers Chris Brooks and Frantz Hardy.

Holding true to Nebraska tradition, the I-back was the most
consistent offensive threat last year. Senior Cory Ross, who rushed
for 1,102 yards, will be pushed for playing time by freshmen Marlon
Lucky, Leon Jackson and Cody Glenn as well as by sophomore Brandon
Jackson.

The defense returns five starters and takes much pride in the
fact that it was second in the Big 12 and 11th in the nation in
rushing defense (104.0 ypg).

But the Huskers' pass defense was woeful, lowlighted by Texas
Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie throwing for 451 yards and six
touchdowns in a 70-10 rout that ranks as the worst loss in the
program's 115 years.

"We definitely need to improve in a lot of areas," linebacker
Stewart Bradley said. "But the difference between winning a
national championship and going 5-6 is not as huge as it may
seem."

^ Back to Top ^