Steven M. Sipple: Lucky staying, thrown bones good signs for Huskers
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Ah, a few lightning bolts of energy arrive to warm up our cold season, not to mention Bo Pelini’s football program.
A burst of energy Nebraska coaches probably anticipated: Marlon Lucky remaining at NU instead of opting for the NFL.
However, at least one flare of fire took some of us by surprise: Did the new Husker defensive coaches really “throw the bones” (a la Jason Peter, Grant Wistrom, et al) Saturday night as Pelini’s assistants were introduced individually during halftime of the Kansas-Nebraska basketball game?
You bet they did. It was great theater. It put a charge into the crowd. And after all, Pelini says he wants to have fun in his program.
So, perhaps the 6-foot, 210-pound Lucky doesn’t want to miss out.
Whatever the case, Lucky made a wise decision.
“Heading into next season, Lucky will be one of the top three to five running backs in his class, probably in the top three,” says Scott Wright of NFL Draft Countdown.
Nine excellent junior running backs declared for the upcoming draft: Jamaal Charles of Texas, James Davis of Clemson, Felix Jones of Arkansas, Darren McFadden of Arkansas, Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois, Ray Rice of Rutgers, Steve Slaton of West Virginia, Kevin Smith of Central Florida and Jonathan Stewart of Oregon.
It’s possible all nine would have been chosen ahead of Lucky, probably pushing him into the fourth round or lower.
“Slaton’s maybe the only one among those nine that Lucky would contend with,” Wright says. “And there’s a senior, Chris Johnson of East Carolina, that might’ve gone ahead of Lucky, too.“
Pelini feels good about having Lucky in the fold. The speedster from North Hollywood, Calif., last season rushed for 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns and hauled in 75 passes for 705 yards and three more TDs. His big-play ability will help offset the loss of wide receiver Maurice Purify.
“I told Marlon, ‘You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,’ ” Pelini says. “I didn’t talk to him a whole lot about (the decision). But I told him that he’d improve himself if he came back.”
Also, does anybody else think Pelini’s no-nonsense toughness will mesh well with that of returning quarterback Joe Ganz? Should be some nice chemistry there. It says here Nebraska will play with a hard edge on both sides of the ball — but don’t forget about the fun part of Pelini’s program.
In that regard, you might have noticed the mischievous grin Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini was wearing Saturday night as he “threw the bones” (raised and crossed his arms) toward the student section.
Turns out, the show of confidence was Carl’s idea.
Says Bo: “I was like, ‘Oh, boy, here they go.’ I heard them talking about it and just said, ‘OK, go ahead.’ ”
Says Carl: “I knew the students would eat it up. All of us were fired up.”
The Nebraska defense obviously could use a little pick-me-up, among other things, after finishing 114th nationally in points allowed in 2007 (37.9 per game). The Huskers return six defensive starters — linemen Barry Turner, Ty Steinkuhler, Ndamukong Suh and Zach Potter, as well as defensive backs Armando Murillo and Larry Asante.
“We have plenty of talent to be good,” Carl Pelini says.
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So, the new Nebraska football boss is bringing in some new ideas. For instance, Bill Callahan and Frank Solich, to my knowledge, never strolled onto campus to make sure players were making it to classes. But that’s what Bo Pelini did Monday, the first day of the spring semester. I guess there’s nothing like sending an early message to players about the importance of academics and the ramifications of skipping class.
Pelini practiced what he’s preaching. He was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection during his playing days (1987-90) at Ohio State.
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New idea II: Pelini is seriously considering moving the kickoff of the April 19 Red-White Spring Game to 6 p.m.
“I just thought it would be something different,” he says.
Perhaps such a move would draw the NFL Network back to the booth in Lincoln, as was the case last year.
“It’s not about the NFL Network,” Pelini says. “It’s about our fans and trying to do what’s best for them.”
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Callahan, by the way, has been mentioned as a possibility for NFL assistant coaching positions with Tampa Bay, Kansas City and the New York Jets. He reportedly interviewed with the Jets.
“There’s significant interest in him,” says Gary O’Hagan, the coach’s agent.
If Texas head coach Mack Brown restructures his offensive staff — and there’s buzz that it’s a possibility — would he come after Callahan to be offensive coordinator? Sure it’s a long shot, but don’t rule it out.
Imagine Callahan operating with all of that Texas talent.
Reached Monday, Callahan declined to be interviewed. This much seems certain: Callahan will be working somewhere prominent next season — either in the NFL or at a major college. He’s obviously not the type to take a season off, or even a couple days off, if he has his druthers.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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