Steven M. Sipple: Awkward, strange season wraps up
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BOULDER, Colo. — You figured it would be a somewhat bizarre final game, considering the aberrant nature of the entire 2007 Nebraska football season.
So, was anybody really surprised Friday when Husker head coach Bill Callahan tossed a chunk of spread-option plays into his West Coast system?
“A lot of teams have had success doing it against the Buffaloes, so we gave it a shot,” Nebraska offensive lineman Matt Slauson said.
They gave it a good shot, to a point. If nothing else, it helped produced yet another score straight out of bizarro world.
Colorado 65, Nebraska 51.
I’ll never get used to these basketball scores in football games.
Callahan probably should’ve attempted some 11th-hour defensive changes — something, anything.
Speaking of changes, I think we all know a major one will occur Saturday at Nebraska.
If nothing else, Friday’s loss probably wiped away any final remnants of confusion about what will transpire when Tom Osborne meets this morning with Callahan and his staff.
From a perception standpoint, the loss probably helped Osborne’s cause — not that he needed much help in that regard, not at this point, although a resounding Nebraska win might’ve produced some confusing competing emotions, thus creating even more discomfort than we already feel as the firing nears.
Nothing was official Friday, but what other conclusion can you draw?
The end of the Callahan era is upon us. There’s nothing too pretty about seeing a lame-duck coach in his final hour. This stuff was positively awful to watch Friday. It was awful watching Callahan walk off the field with TV cameras shoved in his face, reporters peppering him with questions about his impending demise.
It’s a brutal profession.
This is what I’ll remember most about Callahan’s final game:
The Husker head coach, his team trailing 65-43, calls time out with 30 seconds remaining. His head is buried in his play sheet. He’s determined to get one last score. Joe Ganz zips a touchdown pass to Maurice Purify for a meaningless score. Perfect.
Callahan didn’t reach the highest stages of the coaching profession by throwing in the towel. He competed to the bitter end. You have to admire that.
And in the bitter end, the coach showed class. He didn’t always show class this season, but he did Friday in the post-mortem.
“It’s a real tough way to end a difficult season,” he said. “I’m just real proud of our players and the effort they have shown through the duration of this year.“
Yes, it was a brutal season, in so many ways. “But I love each and every one of (the players) individually,” Callahan said. “They’re great kids and you learn life lessons going through a season like this.”
Bottom line is, Nebraska players and fans deserve better.
Nebraska played wonderfully in the first half and woefully in the second. The Huskers finished the season with a record of 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12.
Nebraska receivers dropped at least five passes Friday, and the defense, well, what more is there to say about this defense? The Blackshirts didn’t deserve a bowl game. Consider: The Huskers have forced one turnover in the past seven games.
Say this about Callahan: He can coach offense. He used the bye week to install elements of the spread option, including a read-option running play that worked beautifully at times.
But don’t make it out to be a bit of coaching genius by Callahan, who wore a gray, hooded sweatshirt resembling those sometimes worn by the “genius” himself, Bill Belichick. Blocking schemes in the spread option aren’t much different than those used in the West Coast offense.
At any rate, Ganz was magnificent in the first half in guiding Nebraska to a 35-24 lead. He seemed to grasp the changes easily. He showed his usual poise. He created time in the pocket and gunned strikes.
He once again had the press box buzzing, not to mention pondering the possibility of Ganz never playing at all had Sam Keller not suffered a season-ending injury in the Texas game. It’s hard not to second guess the selection of Keller as starter.
To be fair, Ganz’s second-half interceptions were devastating.
So, that’s a wrap. Nebraska’s season has been a strange ride, an awkward and uncomfortable one.
Really, Callahan’s four-year tenure at Nebraska generally has felt disjointed from the start. It took some of us longer than others to recognize that Callahan and NU were not a good fit.
You have to figure the end comes Saturday, mercifully.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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