Omaha World Herald points to former Mankato State head coach, Jeff Jamrog, as the man charged with revitalizing the walk-on program. Jamrog walked on at NU out of Elkhorn Mount Michael in 1983, eventually earning a scholarship and becoming a starter at outside linebacker. So, he’s been there.

Now in this fourth role at Nebraska, Jeff Jamrog, 42, is charged with the task to revitalize the Huskers’ walk-on program. One of his chief priorities, Jamrog said, is to help deliver the message that NU wants to again connect with every community in the state.

“Jeff understands the dilemma that some of the players in this state face,” Osborne said. “The financial issue is big for a lot of families, but so many players in this state still have a tremendous desire to play for Nebraska.”

Already, NU has secured the return of three walk-ons who went elsewhere on scholarship out of high school.

Quarterback Jim Ebke of Lincoln Northeast transferred to Nebraska this month after spending the fall at South Dakota State. Receiver Matt Donahue of Fremont, who signed with Ohio a year ago, and linebacker Tyler Legate of Neligh, Neb., a freshman last fall at South Dakota, have also joined the Huskers.

According to Lincoln Journal Star, Marlon Lucky, one of the Huskers’ most experienced running backs, will return to Lincoln for his senior season.

“I am excited to return to Nebraska for my senior season and play for Coach (Bo) Pelini,” Lucky said. “I know he is committed to winning and returning this program to the elite of college football, and I want to be here to help out with that.

“Another year here will also allow me to continue to pursue my college degree and enjoy the experience of playing football at Nebraska. I also know that another year can only benefit me as a player and help me become a more complete back to prepare for the next level.”

Lucky submitted his name to an NFL advisory committee designed to gauge players’ stock in the draft. It wasn’t immediately known what type of projection Lucky received from the committee.

First Half: 

Lack of offense has hurt the Huskers during the first half as they have scored only 22 points in 20 minutes.  Alecs Maric and Cookie Miller pace the Huskers at 6 apiece going a combined 5-8.  The problem is the rest of the Huskers are 3-15, but the lone bright spot is the play of Sek Henry.  His athleticism has kept Nebraska within shot, but someone else needs to step up. 

Taking a play from my pagebook Colorado is shooting 3’s at will against NU’s porous three point defense.  Lucky for Nebraska they have only hit 4-13.  If they get hot, say hello to 0-2 in the conference.

Nebraska needs offense, and I say get the ball to Sek.  He has enough energy to carry this team tonight………….

GO BIG RED

COLORADO 55     Nebraska 51 

Yeah, what was I thinking when I said this team will go 10-6?  Offense, offense, offense…….where’s the offense?  Cookie Miller had an excellent night going 4-8 from 3 land and finishing with 18 points.  Maric, who looked tired and worn down at the end, finished with 14.  The huskers finished 16-47 from the field, but Maric and Miller were 11-19 and what you have left is 5-28 FG’s made.  Harley……. 0-5, Strowbridge……..0-6,   Anderson……1-6,  Dagunduro…….1-3.  The good thing was Sek Henry.  He was very energetic and looking to slash to the basket early and often.  He finished with 7 points on 2 for 3 shooting.  Henry had something about him tonight that I think the Huskers should have tapped into.  He was the only one out there, besides Miller, that looked like they weren’t going to fall asleep while running.

Once again offense has eluded the Huskers, but just like the KU game, every time a Husker took a shot, there were 5 Buffaloes there to get the rebound.  Our defense kept us in the game and NU was only down 2 with 5 seconds left in regulation, but just couldn’t overcome a poor shooting night on the road.

Rebounding, scoring, and wearing down are my main concerns after this game.  Oh and why the heck was Anderson guarding Richard Roby on CU’s last possession?  Everyone knows that RA is not the fleetest of feet, and you could tell what Roby was going to do when everyone cleared out of the lane.  Our guys looked like the Miami D from 94′ in the 4th quarter.  With their hands on their hips and breathing very deeply, Maric in particular,  looked like he was on empty after about the third quarter and this is only their 3 game in 2 1/2 weeks, which might be the problem.  It’s a long road ahead and Nebraska  has not had consistent play from anyone this year.  Ryan Anderson had a decent year as a Freshman last season, but should be scoring in double digits every game as a sophomore.  Sek Henry has lot’s of energy and should be slashing to the basket and making plays with his quickness more often.  

It’s time to work that offense Doc, but I’m not counting them out just yet.  This team has heart and doesn’t quit, their shot will come back to them and that will ease up the defensive pressure they have been put under lately.  If it doesn’t come back soon, they could very well start the conference season 0-5 with Baylor at home next, then down to KU, and over to Missouri……….well looking at the schedule they could very well be 0-16 with an offense like they had tonight. 

[see the Box Score courtesy of Huskers.com]

 Wrong Ball Cookie!!! 

There is no such thing as a moral victory, in my opinion, but according to Doc Sadler Nebraska has built momentum in the right direction.

“There’s so many positives. The score is what it is. I’m not happy about it. I’m not pleased, but I still think there were some good things about what we did. We have to have Ade (Dagunduro), Steve (Harley) and Ryan (Anderson) and we didn’t get it tonight on the offensive end. Our defense is good enough. There’s not question about it. It’s just that offense that separates and gives you a chance to win ballgames. We’re not good enough offensively right now.”

Nebraska got beat 79-58 Saturday at the Devaney Center but it was not a flat out domination of the Huskers.  KU made every open shot they put up and outside of Alecs Maric’s 7-12 shooting the Huskers just plain stunk it up offensively.  Leaving Maric out and just counting the four other starters, Henry, Anderson, Miller and Dagunduro then adding in Strowbridge and Harley because they contribute the most, their tally from the field was 9-34 or 26%.  After hitting the first 8 free throws of the game, NU was just 3-12 the rest of the way and shot only 55%  11-20 for the game.  For whatever reason, NU just couldn’t buy a basket.  During warm-ups,  Anderson and Velander were sinking almost every 3 they tried but when the game started up, Anderson was in Bricksville looking to buy a house.  Velander provided a spark going 3-3 off the bench, including 2 three pointers, but that was pretty much it for husker highlights of the game, other than Bo Pelini and his coaches taking a halftime curtain call. 

Nebraska did play hard and only gave KU a few chip shots during the game.  As soon as the Huskers gave just one inch of space for an open shot,  the Jayhawks alway hit them.  Brandon Rush, after being called out by Coach Bill Self, responded with a season high 19 points for KU and was one of four Jayhawks in double figures.

I would say the atmosphere of the game was OK at best.  The biggest cheers of the night were for the new football coaches and Bo Pelini, but that is all right, at least people got out to see what NU basketball is all about.  NU never gave up and played hard all night, even when it looked like the outcome was well in sight.

Dizzturbed and I took the game in and on the way home, here are some of the things we talked about.

1. Rebounding.  It seemed every time someone from NU put a shot up our entire team would instantly run to the other end of the court, leaving all 5 Jayhawks to claim a rebound.  After seeing it 2 or 3 times, I though maybe it was an aberation, but nope, it happened all game long.  Doc needs to improve on this if he wants to be competitive in the Big 12.
2. After 4 years on NU’s campus, Alecs Maric needs to show dominance.  Like I said in a previous post, I was surprised to hear he finished with 19 points because watching the game, he was being man-handled for the majority of it.  I believe the exact rated PG phrase I said was ” He’s from Australia with Serbian blood flowing through him for Pete’s sake.  He has played Ball for world champions in the U20 National Team of Australia, He’s 6′11″ and 270 and he should play like it.  I did feel a little badly when I found he got some stitches on his eyelid after bouncing his head off the floor, but hey it’s the truth. 
3. Somewhat ties into number two, but NU needs more productivity from it’s guards.  Shaq had Kobe and then Wade.  Jordan had Pippen and Bonnie had Clyde.  Maybe too much is put on Maric and with a little help from his friends, he could be the player I think he could be.  Twenty-six percent shooting from every other regular contributor is not going to cut it.  Maybe it’s time to work on offense, Doc.  They seem to have your defense down pretty well.

I don’t claim to be a coach, but I have learned a few things in my day.  Work on what is giving you fits.  On my daughter’s 4th grade team I help coach, every week at practice we spend less time on the things we understand well and more on the things that gave us problems the previous game.  This helps up grow as a team, and watching it in action, I say it works. 

I have changed the batteries on the crystal ball.  It had the 79 right, but that was it.  I should be back up and running at full speed in no time.

[see the Box Score courtesy of Huskers.com]

Tom Osborne is a judicious man. He thinks it might take a few years to get things back on track.

Bo Pelini on the other hand is a hungry new head coach coming in with all guns blazin’. He wants to win and win BIG, now.

Husker Mike, one of Huskerland’s top critical thinkers on these matters, thinks it’ll be tough to go from having the third worst defense in the country to the third best in but one season.

I imagine our defense will toughen up this fall. And when you look at the schedule, it plays into Husker hands, with the first five games being played in Lincoln. Virginia Tech and Mizzou will be the two early bouts where we see the true nature and real potential for the 2008 team. If we fare well there, the sky’s the limit. For instance, we could be 8-0 headed into Norman on November 1. How classic would that be?

Not so long ago in a land not very far away, lived a great King, Tom, who  ruled all of Husk and it’s people, the Huskers.  King Tom was a fair, compassionate, and wise ruler, who had conquered the world five times over, and all of Husk’s people respected him as their King.

Many wars were fought and won in the trenches.  Not every battle was victorious, but they won the wars through hard work, teamwork, and believing in each other.  Husker Nation was revered throughout the lands for their fairness, but feared for their domination when crossed.  After every battle, the Huskers accepted their rivals and treated them with dignity and the respect they deserved.  All was well in the Kingdom of Husk.

After many long years of ruling the Huskers, King Tom was ready to step down as ruler and live alongside, serving his people.  King Frank came to power, and Husker Nation was as united as ever, enjoying much of the same prosperity.

It was the year of the Buffalo, and the Huskers had fought many battles.  In the end, the once proud nation was besieged with grief.  The Huskers had been trampled on and a hurricane swept through the land of Husk, causing much dispair for well over a year.  A dark cloud hung over Husker Nation, a once proud nation.  This cloud became known as Pedey and it was taunted every day it hung over the Kingdom.  Pedey Cloud even had a voice.  It was as sharp as a rose’s thorn, so it became commonly known as just Rose.  When Rose spoke he would mistakenly misinterpret Pedey’s thoughts, right away correcting them in a high pitched, excited tone.

The year was bleak for Huskers and their will was tested day in and day out.  The storm was strong, but a Husker’s heart cannot be stopped.  Breaking through the Pedey Cloud came a ray of sunshine in the form of Sir Bo, a battle tested warrior from a far away land, who joined in the Husker’s fight for survival. 

Sir Bo was a great leader of men, and many battles did King Frank and he win, but the Pedey Cloud was too dark.  This darkness forced King Frank to flee and find the light, and with him followed his trusted warriors.  No one was left to rule the land of Husk, so an outsider, William (village idiot) took control of the nation.

The Pedey Cloud seemed to like William, occasionally sprinkling sunshine in an otherwise darkened world.  The people of Husk were not fond of William for many reasons.  The Huskers were used to plain talk, not the mumbo jumbo of which William spoke.  William sought to keep King Tom at a distance, once calling him a “crusty old ruler”.  Since he was an outsider, he broke many traditions Husker Nation had been accustomed to and cast shame on their good name and once prideful Kingdom.  Many tumultuous years ensued and the good people of Husk were near their breaking point.

In the year 2007 King Tom led a revolt against the Pedey Cloud and his puppet ruler, William.  The battle was long, but the Huskers showed what they are made of and banished the two for all of eternity.  King Tom returned as Ruler of Husk and people lined the country to celebrate a hard fought, EXPENSIVE victory.  When the dust settled, one name was on the tip of every Husker’s tongue,  Sir Bo, the man who had battled alongside Husker Nation so valiantly many years ago.  Would he remember their great nation or had he moved on to lead a new Kingdom.

With the blessing of the people of Husk, King Tom searched for Sir Bo.  He found him in The Land of The Tigers and all along, Sir Bo was secretly dreaming of a triumphant return to the Huskers. 

Sir Bo became King of the Huskers, and he said “It is my destiny to RESTORE THE ORDER OF HUSKER NATION”.  He paid tribute to King Frank who escaped to the Land of Ohio, took a quick lesson in medicinal X and is happily rebuilding that nation.  He surrounded himself with all his Knights and he put out a summons to join the Husker Army.  Only the best responded, and on January 11, 2008 they will travel to Husker Nation and see what we have to offer.

LONG LIVE KING BO and LONG LIVE HUSKER NATION

John Youboty, David Whitmore, Lester Ward, Broderick Smith, Collins Okafor, Brian Moore, Charles Mitchell, David Grant, Sean Fisher, Will Compton,  and Eddie Brown

Gone is the intelligent yet bumbling, circle talking leader, who had brought shame and demise to a once storied nation.  A new guard has arisen, carefully sprinkled with past statesmen, energetic youth, infinite wisdom, and with it, a twinkle of hope emerges!

With Bo Pelini and all the forces of Husker Nation back together again in Lincoln, Friday January 11th is shaping up to be one of the most important dates in Husker history.

Look for my upcoming post titled “Stories of a Great Nation”  coming to HZ soon.

According to Life in the Red, Bo Pelini is in Omaha tonight for the Outland Trophy award presentation. The Outland this year goes to Pelini’s all-world lineman at LSU, Glenn Dorsey.

Pelini and his nine assistant coaches will be introduced at the start of halftime of Saturday night’s Kansas-Nebraska basketball game at the Devaney Sports Center. Tip-off is 8 p.m. and ESPN will televise the game nationally.

The team will be hosting recruits in Lincoln this weekend and the coach is expected to hold a team meeting sometime right before or after the start of classes next Monday to address winter conditioning. Pump it up…

Tom Osborne was glued to his tube Monday night, as the man he just hired to lead the Huskers from the horrors of Pederhan did battle against Ohio State in prime time.

“I watched the game really closely. Everybody probably cringed a little bit the first couple of series,” Osborne told KETV NewsWatch 7’s Matt Schick on Tuesday.

Such as the third play of the game, when Chris Wells scored on a 65-yard touchdown run. Osborne said he may have been concerned, but he also knew a lot about the man he hired.

“One of the hallmarks, as I’ve watched Bo’s defenses, is they tend to get better as the game goes along. They tend to adjust well. They don’t panic. That’s a sign of good leadership,” Osborne said.

After the early-game struggles, Husker fans were re-introduced to another Pelini hallmark — takeaways. His Tigers came up with three to put away the Buckeyes.

“The one year he was here, Nebraska led the nation in turnover margin,” Osborne said. “Last night, turnovers were basically the difference in the game. The style of defense he played, the blitzing, the pass rush and so on, it gives you a chance to get you turnovers, which I think down the road will be very important to us.”

 According to Sean Callahan of HuskersIllustrated.com, an unconfirmed rumor has circulated on Orangebloods.com about who the next Strength and Conditioning coach will be at Nebraska.  James Dobson will be hired away from Iowa where he currently is an assistant S&C coach.

Anything is considered an upgrade from someone who makes 330 pound lineman run 5 miles for conditioning, but I was holding out hope, beings we are dippin’ in the past success category, that Boyd Eppley would take the reins one more time.  From what I have read on this guy, he does sound like a  good choice.  I am pleased with the youth movement on this staff and am excited to finally see them in action. 

[See James Dobson’s bio courtesy of Hawkeyesports.com]