Huskers taking nothing for granted
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Sta
No question the Big 12 North Division is mired in a down cycle, right? Asked about that notion Monday, Nebraska football coach Bill Callahan chuckled ever so lightly.
“We lost to Texas 22-20 — I don’t know how much of a down cycle that is,” he said of an Oct. 21 setback to the South Division leader and defending national champion.
Since that defeat, Nebraska has lost to Oklahoma State and beaten Missouri to move one victory from clinching the North Division crown for the first time since 1999.
If the North is indeed slump-ridden, Callahan didn’t sound ready to make apologies for taking full advantage. Nor was he taking for granted the Huskers finishing atop the (scrap?) heap this season.
“We haven’t accomplished anything yet, and I think the past two years would tell you not to take anything for granted,” he said of the division’s down-to-the-wire finishes. “But I think we’ve put ourselves in a great position, as long as we can handle our own business.”
Nebraska, with a record of 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference, has a one-game lead over Missouri in the North standings with two games remaining. The Huskers, 2-6 against South Division opponents under Callahan, now prepare to play Texas A&M (8-2, 4-2) on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
Nebraska wraps up the regular season against struggling Colorado on Nov. 24 in Lincoln.
Winning the North crown is important, Callahan said, because it “gives you an opportunity to be on the national stage in the Big 12 championship game, with an opportunity to be in a BCS bowl.”
“It’s a pretty remarkable chain of events that occurs as a conference champion,” he added. “It’s something we take very seriously. And we want to be a part of it.”
Texas A&M, meanwhile, comes off a 17-16 home loss to Oklahoma that snapped the Aggies’ four-game winning streak and turned up the heat on coach Dennis Franchione, who dropped to 0-8 against OU, Texas and Nebraska since taking over the program in 2003.
A&M concludes its regular season playing Texas the day after Thanksgiving in Austin.
No question, the Aggies’ faithful fans are watching closely this week to see how A&M responds to last week’s loss, as the team’s seniors gear for their final home game — which typically generates emotion in a home crowd. Not that Kyle Field needs help in that area, as it’s regarded as one of the nation’s loudest venues.
The din affects teams, Franchione said, especially on offense. He recalled one team calling three timeouts in a first quarter because of communication problems.
“As a result, a lot of teams may not use as many (audibles) as they might at home or in a different venue,” Franchione said.
Said Callahan: “We’re just going to execute the core of what we do. I don’t think it’s any different in that respect.”
For now, Callahan’s focus is on preparation in practice. He hopes his team prepares this week as well as it did last week.
“It was just a quiet focus,” said Husker cornerback Cortney Grixby. “Practice moved fast. We were crisp.”
Said defensive lineman Adam Carriker: “You want to be loose and have fun. At the same time, we weren’t happy with the way we played (against Oklahoma State), so we came in with a businesslike approach.”
Grixby said Callahan’s demeanor changes little week to week.
“He’s a tough individual,” Grixby said. “He likes things done right, and he likes things done crisp. ... He’s just a guy who sticks to the plan.”
Nebraska hopes its future plans include a rematch against Texas. The Longhorns (9-1, 6-0) need a win this week at Kansas State to wrap up their second straight South Division title.
Grixby doesn’t look ahead, evidently heeding Callahan’s words of caution.
“Nothing’s guaranteed,” Grixby repeated. “We’ve got two more games to get to where we have to get. We have to re-focus.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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