Lots of mystery in Lincoln these days

By Marc Hudgens  |   Wednesday, February 20, 2008  |  Comments( 16 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Those who thought mere coaching changes were it for the new Nebraska program under head coach Bo Pelini, well, let's just say they don't know Bo.

Most new coaches who take over for an average coach merely make some tweaks here and there, believing minor changes are all that are needed to get over the hump.

After all, Bill Callahan's four-year record in Lincoln wasn't deplorable (a decent 27-22, including two bowl appearances and a Big 12 North title). Taking over a program in which the previous administration's record was like Callahan's would not be grounds for tons and tons of changes in most circumstances. It definitely wouldn't be grounds for doing things very differently from everyone else on the more minor matters.

Yeah, there obviously have been quite a few coaching changes, as Pelini has only two Callahan holdovers on his staff. But it appears there is something deeper going on.

The first thing I noticed occurred during National Signing Day, after which Pelini avoided mentioning specific players' names in this year's recruiting class. Most journalists hit coaches up for their thoughts on this specific linebacker or that particular lineman, and the majority of coaches give up the goods. Nothing wrong with that. But Pelini didn't bite, sticking to the team concept.

Then, very recently, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, who is one of the Callahan holdovers and is a West Coast man, stated, "We're not going to be West Coast, we're not going to be spread ... We're going to be the Nebraska offense."

And that Nebraska offense specifically is?

Lots of mystery going on out there in the land that Tom Osborne built.

For those who think this is indicative that the new Husker coaching staff doesn't have a plan, that's highly unlikely. When Pelini's name began swarming around in head coaching prospect talks, it's likely he decided to jot down some notes of what he would do if he were overseeing a team, just in case someone decided to interview him. It's equally unlikely he would've gotten by Osborne during the interview process without a plan. Nor would his assistants. There's definitely a master plan involved; it just has a "double-secret" status for some reason.

The mystery surrounding what's up Pelini's sleeve should be enough to draw quite a few fans to Memorial Stadium for the Red-White Spring Game two months from now. It'll be then that fans will decide whether the implemented plan is good enough to place their faith in.

Assuming Pelini doesn't save it all for Aug. 30, unleashing it on poor old Western Michigan.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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