Callahan: NU 'can't give up'
A Texas A&M fan was sitting at Barry’s Bar & Grill on Saturday night, enjoying his team’s 36-14 thumping of the Huskers, a cold one in hand.
How’d he like his visit?
Oh, fine, fine, he said. The stadium was great. Husker fans were great. Weather was great.
Just one problem.
He said it felt like he had been at a dinner party where the hosting wife and husband fought the whole time.
“Man, you fans really dislike your coach,” the man said.
Sunday came and so did the cyberspace rumors, the hottest one being that Husker coach Bill Callahan would be tendering his resignation any minute now.
Monday came and so did the weekly Big 12 Coaches Teleconference. Nothing shocking happened. Callahan showed up as usual for his designated 10 minutes question-answer session with the media.
“We got to keep upbeat and positive. There’s really nothing you can do otherwise. You can’t go in the tank mentally. You can’t give up. You can’t point fingers,” Callahan said.
“You just try to rally your kids and help them through it. It’s a tough time. We’re struggling. We realize that. We understand that we can be a better football team and we’re doing everything we can to try to get these kids to play better. They’re receptive in that regard. We just try to hang together and stay tight, stay tight-knit, and try to put the best product out there we possibly can for Nebraska.”
As of now, this is one of the worst products Nebraskans have seen since the days of Bill Jennings.
The team is 4-4. Four games remain. Four more losses, most would say.
“The main thing is when you go through a time we’re going through, I think it’s really important to isolate your focus,” Callahan said. “What I mean by that is don’t get too far ahead of yourself, don’t look back. Really try to capture the players and let them realize what they have to deal with today.
“If you get ahead of yourself, it just kind of confuses the players, so we try to stay real consistent with our approach.”
It seems beyond the point of fixing things. The past five quarterbacks Nebraska has faced have put up a combined 1,759 yards of total offense — that’s 359 yards a game.
On Saturday, A&M quarterback Stephen McGee ran the ball 35 times, mostly off of the read option. He accounted for 167 yards.
After the game, A&M running back Jorvorskie Lane, who averaged 8.7 yards a carry, said the holes in Nebraska’s defense were so big he could have driven his car through them.
If it seemed an insult, it should be noted it was also true.
“Well, we rotated a lot of guys up front (Saturday) trying to stop the zone read and things of that nature, try to get more accountability on the second level with our linebackers and support system,” Callahan said.
“What you try to do is find ways to put players in position to make plays you need to have. We’re at that point where we have to get better from a technique standpoint and we’re going to keep grinding on that aspect.”
He was asked what adjustments could have been made against A&M’s option.
“Oh, I think it’s probably too technical for you, but I think in the broad spectrum of adjustments, just playing the quarterback a little bit better on the zone read in terms of the front assignments,” Callahan said.
“I don’t want to get into coachspeak, but there were a lot of things in terms of front adjustments that you have to deal with. I think our coaches were dealing with that to the best of their ability.”
Next up is a trip to Texas. Should Husker fans shield their eyes?
Yeah, those Horns are fast, Callahan said.
A challenge, he called it.
“Get ready for speed, because it will be a fast game.”
The line of critics growing long, Callahan said all you can do is challenge your players, put them in position, “and try to rally your units and your team to be the best it can be.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
How’d he like his visit?
Oh, fine, fine, he said. The stadium was great. Husker fans were great. Weather was great.
Just one problem.
He said it felt like he had been at a dinner party where the hosting wife and husband fought the whole time.
“Man, you fans really dislike your coach,” the man said.
Sunday came and so did the cyberspace rumors, the hottest one being that Husker coach Bill Callahan would be tendering his resignation any minute now.
Monday came and so did the weekly Big 12 Coaches Teleconference. Nothing shocking happened. Callahan showed up as usual for his designated 10 minutes question-answer session with the media.
“We got to keep upbeat and positive. There’s really nothing you can do otherwise. You can’t go in the tank mentally. You can’t give up. You can’t point fingers,” Callahan said.
“You just try to rally your kids and help them through it. It’s a tough time. We’re struggling. We realize that. We understand that we can be a better football team and we’re doing everything we can to try to get these kids to play better. They’re receptive in that regard. We just try to hang together and stay tight, stay tight-knit, and try to put the best product out there we possibly can for Nebraska.”
As of now, this is one of the worst products Nebraskans have seen since the days of Bill Jennings.
The team is 4-4. Four games remain. Four more losses, most would say.
“The main thing is when you go through a time we’re going through, I think it’s really important to isolate your focus,” Callahan said. “What I mean by that is don’t get too far ahead of yourself, don’t look back. Really try to capture the players and let them realize what they have to deal with today.
“If you get ahead of yourself, it just kind of confuses the players, so we try to stay real consistent with our approach.”
It seems beyond the point of fixing things. The past five quarterbacks Nebraska has faced have put up a combined 1,759 yards of total offense — that’s 359 yards a game.
On Saturday, A&M quarterback Stephen McGee ran the ball 35 times, mostly off of the read option. He accounted for 167 yards.
After the game, A&M running back Jorvorskie Lane, who averaged 8.7 yards a carry, said the holes in Nebraska’s defense were so big he could have driven his car through them.
If it seemed an insult, it should be noted it was also true.
“Well, we rotated a lot of guys up front (Saturday) trying to stop the zone read and things of that nature, try to get more accountability on the second level with our linebackers and support system,” Callahan said.
“What you try to do is find ways to put players in position to make plays you need to have. We’re at that point where we have to get better from a technique standpoint and we’re going to keep grinding on that aspect.”
He was asked what adjustments could have been made against A&M’s option.
“Oh, I think it’s probably too technical for you, but I think in the broad spectrum of adjustments, just playing the quarterback a little bit better on the zone read in terms of the front assignments,” Callahan said.
“I don’t want to get into coachspeak, but there were a lot of things in terms of front adjustments that you have to deal with. I think our coaches were dealing with that to the best of their ability.”
Next up is a trip to Texas. Should Husker fans shield their eyes?
Yeah, those Horns are fast, Callahan said.
A challenge, he called it.
“Get ready for speed, because it will be a fast game.”
The line of critics growing long, Callahan said all you can do is challenge your players, put them in position, “and try to rally your units and your team to be the best it can be.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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