Pelini does his part in final game at LSU
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BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
NEW ORLEANS — It was an hour before the game and already fans were feverish, full of noise and certainly other things. Bourbon Street was just a few skips away, after all.
The bands blared and, at one point, the entire crowd joined in a chorus. “Heeeey, hey baby. I wanna knoooooow if you’ll be my girl.”
It was fun and craziness in the Big Easy, and there in the middle of it all, the very middle, was Nebraska’s man, Bo Pelini.
A quick rundown of Fox commentators Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis’ on-air comments regarding Bo Pelini:
-- First mention of Pelini occurred with 10:50 left in the first quarter, as Ohio State was about to make it 10-0. Play-by-play man Brennaman mentioned the fact Pelini had been named head coach at Nebraska.
“Pelini said multi-tasking would not hurt his preparation,” said color analyst Davis.
--“Nice job by Pelini’s defense,” Davis said after LSU held Ohio State to a field goal on the second possession.
--After LSU cornerback Chevis Jackson’s second-quarter interception, on which Todd Boeckman was pressured by a safety blitz, Davis noted, “Bo Pelini dials it up.”
-- In the second quarter, Davis said Ohio State must avoid abandoning the run “because then you’re handing Bo Pelini a blank slate to send blitzers and mix up coverages.”
-- On an Ohio State third-and-8, Davis said: “This is Bo Pelini land. He’ll dial up something big here.” Pelini did, in fact, dial up an overload blitz from the back side, but Boeckman made a completion for a first down.
-- Late in the half, the Pelini publicity picked up markedly. Fox twice showed him on camera in the final minutes, the second time flashing up a photograph from his playing days at Ohio State (1987-90). Pretty cool, actually.
-- The pub continued in the second half. On an Ohio State third-and-long, Davis said: “Chances are you’ll see Bo Pelini apply pressure on this snap.” (Camera cuts to Pelini flashing in signals). “LSU’s defensive backs feel, ‘Hey, they can’t beat us down field, so go beat them up front,’” Davis said. “And that’s exactly what’s happening.”
-- Pelini gets extended on-air time after one of LSU’s biggest defensive plays of the night -- linebacker Ali Highsmith’s forced fumble on a fourth-and-7 early in the fourth quarter. Safety Harry Coleman picked up the pigskin and bolted downfield. Cameras focused on Pelini pacing the sideline for a few seconds right before Fox cut to a commercial break.
-- Said Davis: “Bo Pelini tells his defenders you have to earn the right to rush the passer on third down. Well, third-and-15 gives you that right.” Sure enough, Boeckman, under heavy pressure, tossed an interception on the next play.
-- Sideline reporter Chris Myers does a brief report on Pelini in the final moments as cameras show Pelini congratulating his defenders on the sideline. Myers says “it was understood” between Tigers head coach Les Miles and Nebraska officials that Pelini would coach LSU’s defense in the BCS title game. Myers says Pelini wanted to say hello to his father, Anthony, who has been fighting an illness but is doing a lot better. Pelini then got the celebratory bath from his players.
-- Over on radio, ESPN’s Bob Davie, a former head coach at Notre Dame, said this as LSU was about to secure the win in the fourth quarter:
“That’s a pretty big night for Bo Pelini. Playing your alma mater and heading to Nebraska.”
-- Steven M. Sipple
As the crowd serenaded, he stood by himself, dressed in typical Bo wear: the light-colored slacks, gray sweat shirt, white ballcap. He crossed his arms, pacing back and forth on the Superdome’s midfield logo, giving a piece of gum a serious workout.
Here was Husker fans’ dream, their head football coach beneath the hot lights of a national championship game.
OK, OK, in the dream Pelini probably doesn’t have LSU written across his sweat shirt.
But that’s how reality would have it, and Pelini sure wasn’t going to apologize for that smile on his face Monday night as the seconds ticked away in LSU’s 38-24 win against Ohio State.
He hugged players, slapped their hands. They doused him with water. There is no better goodbye in football than that.
“It’s the way to go out,” Pelini said. “That’s why I came back here, to finish it off, to send these guys out the right way. So we part the way we want to part. It was an emotional day for me and for the players. I’m just going to enjoy it, because they’ve earned it.”
He is Nebraska’s today. But Monday was a good night to be a Tiger one last time.
About his next step as Nebraska’s coach, Pelini said: “I’ll worry about that tomorrow. I don’t want to talk about that right now. I’m just going to go enjoy this with my family and the players. I’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow.”
Nearby, stood his three kids and wife, Mary Pat, wiping tears from her eyes.
If anyone would know if Pelini was stressing the last few weeks, taking on two jobs at once, it’s her.
So?
“Not really,” she said. “No, not really. He’s a great multi-tasker. He doesn’t let pressure get to him. You guys know how he is. He hasn’t changed.”
Pelini was as intense as usual in his final game as LSU’s defensive coordinator.
The snapshot moment came in the fourth quarter with Ohio State facing a fourth-and-7 from the LSU 35. The score was 31-17 Tigers, but the Buckeyes had some momentum.
On the critical play, Pelini’s defense brought pressure, a vicious hit put on the quarterback by LSU’s Ali Highsmith. The ball came loose and the Tigers’ Harry Coleman picked it up and returned it about 30 yards.
If you watched the LSU sideline during the play, you saw a gray blur. It was Pelini running just behind Coleman, joyfully screaming. When the play was over, Pelini jumped into the pile of his players, the biggest kid out there.
Pelini takes a sort of linebacker’s stance when he’s watching his defense — slight crouch, hands on knees. Sometimes he’ll remain in that posture throughout the entire play.
Of course, he did not like what he saw early on.
On the third play of the game, a third down, Ohio State completed a slant to move the chains. Pelini threw his arms into the air.
He’d like the next play even less, a 65-yard touchdown run by Chris Wells.
When Wells reached the 50-yard line, obviously on his way for a score, Pelini just folded his arms, didn’t say a word. He saved his voice until his players got to the sideline.
A talking to his defense didn’t stop the storm.
Ohio State’s next possession, first play: The Buckeyes found a wide-open receiver on a blown coverage by LSU. The play went for 44 yards. Less than six minutes into the game, the score was 10-0 and the Buckeyes’ 133 total yards has already bettered the 82 they had in last year’s title game against Florida.
Pelini’s star defensive tackle, Glenn Dorsey, said Pelini kept his cool despite the poor start.
“He didn’t really say too much, because he knew once we settled down, just get our calls right, put ourselves in the place we’re supposed to be, we’d be OK, and we were,” Dorsey said.
The night started to turn toward the Tigers.
LSU’s defense started to breathe some fire. On a third-and-8 in the second quarter, Pelini brought a safety blitz, leading to an interception by LSU cornerback Chevis Jackson, starting a Louisiana party that is still going.
By halftime, the Tigers had a 24-10 lead.
“Our guys just reacted the way I knew we would,” Pelini said.
The Tigers would cause three turnovers, the last one an interception by Curtis Taylor that sealed matters with less than six minutes left.
Pelini put both arms in the air and hugged LSU head coach Les Miles.
If there’s a better way to leave one job for another, Pelini would sure like to hear about it.
“He’ll be a great head coach. I wish I could go play a few snaps for him,” Dorsey said. “Nebraska’s getting a great head coach, a guy who puts his heart and soul into it.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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