Osborne raises hopes, but team will have to keep them up
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By the Lincoln Journal Star
A recent poll question on the Journal Star Web site asked: How will the Huskers finish the season? More than half the respondents said the team would lose its final five games. Man, Baylor fans are more optimistic these days.
No, these have not been cuddly times in Nebraska.
It was all venomous talk, and then Tuesday arrived. Tom Osborne talked and the sun came out.
Time to see what this battering ram can really do.
There weren’t many high spots for the Huskers last week, but freshman running back Quentin Castille was one.
The bruiser carried the ball 20 times for 102 yards against Oklahoma State. Never mind that he’s just 18, he looked like Nebraska’s best player on the field.
“I plead every night, ‘Just let me do what I can to help the team,’” Castille said after the game.
His performance left Husker fans pleading to get him the ball more the rest of the season.
Castille is from Texas. Think he might love to run through a few Aggies today?
Aggie to watch: No. 3 Mike Goodson, 6-0, 206, running back
Blurry fast, Mike Goodson tagged the Huskers for 80 yards last season on his way to Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors.
He can do it running (433 yards) and receiving (171), and will take it for six in a hurry if a crease is there.
His speed is a perfect complement to the big body of Texas A&M’s other heralded back, Jorvorskie Lane.
Goodson is averaging almost 5 yards a carry and 12.2 yards a catch. Husker coach Bill Callahan mentioned him by name when talking about what the Aggies bring to the table.
“We’ve got to attack this offense and attack it in a fashion that is unique and different,” Callahan said. “It’s going to be important that we defeat blocks and get off blocks to make the plays we need to make on those backs.”
- Brian Christopherson
Not coincidence, fans were sure. People put their Husker flags back on their porches.
There’s been no change of players or coaches, but suddenly a ray of hope. How will this crowd react to this team today?
Osborne came to unite the Big Red masses, and so far he’s off to a roaring start as interim athletic director. Fans gave the man two standing ovations Friday after a speech.
Now will they show the same love for the team, especially if things go bad for a third straight week?
The crowd will arrive in a good mood. But fan moods change like the Nebraska weather. It’s up to this team’s play to keep the clouds away.
Can this train be stopped?
Here comes 277 pounds of bad news. His name is Jorvorskie Lane, aka J-Train.
Trains are not exactly what this Nebraska defense needs to try to tackle right now. Last year, the Huskers did a good job on the Texas A&M junior running back, holding him to six carries for 13 yards. It was running back Mike Goodson (80 yards) and quarterback Stephen McGee (58 yards) that most hurt Nebraska.
The Aggies can pound the middle with Lane or get out to the corners with the option game. The Huskers, ranked 106th in rushing defense, looked clueless last week on how to defend the option.
Not good, since the Aggies rank seventh in the country in rushing offense. Nebraska’s front seven will have to play a game they haven’t played yet this season, otherwise Memorial Stadium might become a second straight horror show.
Time to share the rock
Watch closely how the carries break down for the Nebraska running backs today. Marlon Lucky has been the team’s starter, but last week freshmen Quentin Castille and Roy Helu both had more carries and looked good in the process.
Then came word Thursday from Husker coach Bill Callahan that freshman Marcus Mendoza might see action today, burning his redshirt.
“We plan on using them all,” Callahan said. That’s fine midweek talk, but the Huskers could sure use a star to emerge from the pack. Are any of the freshmen ready to be the man?
Let the evaluating begin
Callahan told reporters Tuesday: “I still have a dire passion to coach and be the coach here.” This was said only hours before Osborne was named interim AD and two days before a story came out alleging Callahan once made an unflattering comment about his new boss.
Osborne said he’s not paying any attention to anything that might have been said years ago. “I like Bill Callahan,” he said.
Osborne went on to say kind things about Callahan’s work ethic and football knowledge, but also made it clear he will evaluate the coaching staff at season’s end. If the moving vans are to be kept away, a Callahan rally must start at 1 p.m. today.
The schedule only gets tougher. If this team can’t beat A&M at home, how does it beat Texas, Kansas and Colorado on the road?
— Brian Christopherson
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