Tim Beck is our new running backs coach.

According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Beck has ties to Bo Pelini and Carl Pelini that date to their boyhood. They grew up in the same neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio, and attended Cardinal Mooney High School. Carl Pelini, Nebraska’s new defensive coordinator, was a senior at Cardinal Mooney when Beck was a junior and Bo was a freshman.

Beck said it wasn’t easy to leave Kansas. But the Pelinis and Beck talked in recent years about working together someday. Nebraska will pay Beck an annual salary of $160,000. He had a base salary of $140,400 at Kansas in 2007.

“We’re going to win a lot of games at Nebraska and have a lot fun doing it,” Beck said.

Bo Pelini comes to Lincoln with a championship ring on his finger. That my friend is momentum, and just what the good doctor (TO) ordered.

According to The Kansas City Star, LSU’s All-America tackle Glenn Dorsey, who could be the overall No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft, said he expects Nebraska to improve immediately.

“Just the way he approaches things: practice, the meeting room, his intensity. It’s second to none,” Dorsey said. “We rallied around him here.”

So did Nebraska in 2003, the year Pelini spent as the Cornhuskers’ defensive coordinator.

“What a way to go out,” Pelini said.

“We had a job to finish here, and that’s why I stayed for the bowl game,” Pelini said. “What these kids did for me, I didn’t feel like I could leave them. I’m going to enjoy tonight and then move on to Nebraska.”

Bo Pelini on coaching in tonight’s national championship game:

I never really gave it a second thought. Coach Miles never gave it a second thought. And obviously I had the support of Coach Osborne up in Nebraska,” Pelini says. “We’ve been through too much together, the whole team. I’m committed to them and we’re committed to getting this thing finished and doing it the right way. It would have felt like unfinished business. There was no way I wanted to walk away from these guys and I know these guys wouldn’t want it any other way either.”

Nebraska’s players and fans have to admire this kind of loyalty. A loyalty that will be all ours at this time tomorrow.

[via USA Today]

Matt Donahue, who spent this fall as a wide receiver for Frank Solich at Ohio University, is transferring to Nebraska as a walk-on.

At 6-feet-2 and 180 pounds, Donahue was a Super-State player for Fremont High School his senior year, accumulating 905 receiving yards.

“I just kind of wanted to be back home, be around my family and stuff like that. That was the main reason,” Donahue said of his change in schools.

Impressed by NU’s new coaching staff, Donahue already is familiar with Carl Pelini, a defensive line coach for Ohio last season.

“I knew him pretty well,” Donahue said. “We talked a lot. He was just an all-around good guy.”

[via Lincoln Journal Star]

Cookie Miller had another stellar game running the point for Nebraska on Friday, helping put away Maryland Eastern Shore 86-50,  in front of 7100 fans at the Devaney Center.  The freshman dished out nine assists with only one turnover, chipped in 6 points on 3 for 3 shooting, had 2 steals, and pulled down 2 rebounds.  This is back to back games for Miller, who started the year off shaky at best, managing the game and getting Nebraska set in it’s offense.  For those two games Cookie is 6-11 from the field with 19 assists and just 1 turnover.  With conference starting up on Saturday with KU, Cookie is heading in the right direction.

Nebraska started off hot, jumping to a lead of 14-4, but sloppiness ensued and UMES closed the gap and was down only 6,  23-17.  Nebraska ended the half with a 13-4 run and built a 36-21 halftime lead.

Coming out of half, the Huskers showed some offense, which was a little strange to say the least, scoring 32 points in the first 8 minutes of the game.  Four minutes later it was 75-30 and Nebraska just put it on cruise control the rest of the way getting outscored  20-11 the last 8 minutes of the game while the reserves got some playing time.

Nebraska had 24 assists on the night on 33 baskets made, so one very positive aspect is the way NU moved the ball around and picked the right shot.  Maric led all scorers with 22 points and 8 boards.  Ade Dagunduro added 12 points and 5 boards, but I was very impressed with Chris Balham’s 6 points in only 3 minutes.  Sure, I hold my breath everytime the ball is in his hands(because he is very careless with it), but I love the energy he brings when he comes in and I am very happy to see him have his legs (literally) firmly underneath him this year.  With the Jaybirds coming to Lincoln on Saturday for a nationally televised game on ESPN, I have put a few areas of concern for this ball club.  Please let me know if you all agree, or if I have missed some important ones, please post and let us all know.

1. Streaky guard play.  Henry, Strowbridge, Harley and Miller have all shown signs of brilliance this year.  However, 3 of these 4 usually have poor offensive performances every game.  Defensively they are all very good, but in conference, we will need consistent scorers game after game.  Our 3 point shooting needs to improve and driving to the basket will only open up the lane for Maric.  Maric is good, but not good enough to carry the load every game. 
2. Seven times this year NU’s opponent has shot over 40% from downtown.  Doc needs to take this time and work on the Husker’s perimeter defense.  Anyone remember Oregon?
3. Will Maric tire down the stretch?  Maric, in my OPINION, has to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in conference for my 10-6 prediction to come true.  Is that possible?  At times Maric can dominate, but he has not been dominant.  When you are 6′11″ and 270 you throw down that dunk, not lay it in and you  don’t let some one you out weigh by 40 pounds  push you around like a rag doll.  Time to kick it up a notch for your last year of college.
4. Will Doc Sadler headlines that continually say things like “we are just not that talented of a ball club yet” have the same affect on his players and the public as it did for another coach of Nebraska?  I don’t know, but I didn’t like it when Callahan said it and I don’t really like it when Doc says it either.  The first time I read a quote with those words in it I almost couldn’t believe it came from DS’s mouth.  I don’t know about you, but I think if he really believes this, he should keep it to himself.
5. Turnovers.  Nebraska is averaging almost 14 turnovers a game and against a good Big 12 team you can add 30+ points onto the scoreboard.  Those are holes we do not need to dig for ourselves.  Protection of the ball will be important and I hope an emphasis is being put on it at practice this week.

Well, those are a few things I can think of off the top of my head.  Any more, please feel free to add them.  Earlier in the week I predicted a big Husker win over KU.  I feel with a sellout, or at least near one at the Devaney, the crowd will be wild and the team will feed off this energy like in the Oregon game.  Nebraska will win, but it’s gonna be close.

NEBRASKA  79 - KANSAS 72

GO BIG RED!!!! 

[See the Box Score courtesy of Huskers.com]

Matt (I’m in a daze) Hayes of The Sporting News doesn’t like our choice of Bo Pelini for head coach.

Nebraska: Bo Pelini, C-. The depth of failure in the Bill Callahan era: an abominable showing on the field, fear of change off it. You don’t settle for Pelini because he spent one year in Lincoln and knows “the Nebraska way.”

When Jim Grobe says he wants to hire his own staff, you say “whatever you want” and close the deal.

I try to make it a habit not to engage in ignorant discussions, but I’ll make an exception here.

We didn’t “settle” for Pelini. He is the right fit at the right time in Husker history. As for Grobe hiring his own staff, we just went down that road. Dazed Hayes may not like it, but the combined efforts of Osborne and Pelini makes for a powerful team that will return us to national prominence. And it will happen our way, inside the cornbelt.

Just for you RTD

Box Score [via Huskers.com]

Cookie Miller shed his corn rows and his ability to throw away the ball went with them.  Miller did what no Freshman has done in 25 years and had 10 assists with no turnovers in a 77-53 win against Alcorn St. in front of 8000 fans at the Devaney Center.  Miller also was 2 of 3 behind the arc after starting the season 2-16 for his best game of the season,  also adding 5 steals and 4 rebounds.

Nebraska jumped out against the Braves early posting a 19-6 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the first half.  After shooting the ball well 10-20, Nebraska went on a dry spell from the field finishing the half 12-31 for only 39%.  Still holding on to a 36-23 lead at half,  Nebraska played a little sloppy in holding Alcorn St. to only 7-21 from the field.   When the second half started, it was the offense that picked up the D this time, starting the half 12-16 and outscored the Braves 30-10 to double them up at 66-33 with 12 minutes to go.  This is when the reserves and walk ons came out and got some meaningful playing time against the 338th ranked team in Division I ball.

Ade Dagunduro led three huskers in double figures (14), followed by Maric (13), and Strowbridge (10).  Nebraska played in a zone most of the second half and worked on some line ups for conference play which starts January 12th at home with Kansas.  That being said, let’s look at what Nebraska needs to do to have a successful conference schedule followed by a prediction.

On Saturday Nebraska worked on some zone defense.  This will come in handy for the Big 12 season for a couple of reasons.  The first is the Huskers will not have to tire themselves out running around chasing much better talent than they have faced so far this year and the second  is it will allow Shang and Maric to be on the floor at the same time.  Having Shang and Maric on the floor will only help if it is done right.  We don’t need Ping out there trying to cash in on 3’s.  Shang needs to be our mid range guy and with Miller, Harley, and Dagunduro driving to the hoop, this will only open up the un-guarded 3’s for Anderson and Strowbridge and the open dunk for Maric.  Of course moving Ping out on the perimeter as a decoy will likely bring a big body with him,  softening up the lane even more for Maric.  Playing a zone will conserve energy for offense and keep guys out of foul trouble and believe me, we will need these in conference. 

Now for some predictions……..  The magic eight ball loves the Husker’s chances this season.  Last season, Doc’s first year, Nebraska went 6-10 in conference with a little less talent and and not a full grasp of Sadler’s system.  These guys are playing great this year, with the exception of turnovers, but I feel they will have made great strides by the end of the year.  That being said, I see a 10-6 record in the Big 12 and a record of 21-8 heading into the conference tournament in March.  There they will go 2-1 and be 23-9 heading into the NCAA as a number 8 seed in the OMAHA regional.  So if you have some Creighton fans as friends, be nice to them so they give you their tickets.  CHALK IT.  The magic eight ball hasn’t lied yet!

NEBRASKA    79              KANSAS   56