Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Buffs no obsession for NU

By Tom Shatel

1:55 p.m., Wednesday: It's OK to admit it now.

You enjoyed beating Colorado. In fact, you loved it. The losses hurt, but the victories were sweet.

But the Buffs were never an obsession. That's the difference. The Nebraska-Colorado series comes to an end on Friday, and that's exactly what this was: a series. A very intense series at times the last 20 years. But a series, nonetheless.

A rivalry? No. Not in the traditional sense.

It takes two interested parties to make a rivalry. Nebraska never paid attention to the Buffs, not until Bill McCartney circled the game in red and fired up a fan base and then, more important, beat Nebraska. When the Buffs started to threaten the Huskers' place in the Big Eight, that's when they got NU's attention. But it was like a kid picking on a classmate to get under his skin, get a reaction. That's what this always was to Nebraska.

A rival is someone you think about most of the year. Nebraskans haven't thought about Colorado until this week. And it's been that way most of the time.

A rivalry is what Nebraskans will be heavily into a year from this week, when the Iowa Hawkeyes come to town. That's going to be a natural rivalry, one that's been simmering under the surface and should explode when the Huskers go the Big Ten next year. Huskers-Hawkeyes won't be forced. Colorado-Nebraska was forced. It was one sided. But it was very real on that side. For Buffs fans, Nebraska was a rival.

I could see it on the face of a colleague, a writer from Colorado, last summer at Big 12 media days. He asked me, "So, will Nebraska miss Colorado?'' It took me one second to say, "No.'' And he had this sad look on his face and said, "Really?''

This week, I was talking to another colleague, a sports talk show host in Denver, who asked me if I thought Nebraska would have a hard time replacing Colorado as a rival in the Big Ten. Again, I wasn't trying to be mean, but I said, "No, in fact, they'll have a rivalry for the first time, with Iowa.'' And my friend from Denver said, "Really?''

That doesn't mean what McCartney did back in the mid 80's wasn't smart. It was ingenius. By putting a target on the Huskers. Mac gave his team something to shoot for, real incentive, and pulled them up to that level. Colorado was so obsessed with Big Red that they weren't going to stop until they beat them _ and passed them.

Tom Osborne wouldn't acknowledge CU as a rival and that drove some Buffs batty. Made them more intense. Nebraskans loved to to play along, like they didn't care.

But they started to care right in 1989.

Colorado had upset the Huskers in Boulder in 1986, but that looked like a one-time thing. The victory over NU in Boulder in 1989 was more significant. It gave the Buffs the Big Eight crown and sent them to the Orange Bowl, real estate previously owned by Nebraska and Oklahoma. The Buffs did it again in 1990, with a breathless fourth-quarter rally. This thing was on.

It takes more than two wins to make a rivalry. But suffice it to say CU had the Huskers' attention.

There was a tie in 1991, with snow on the field in Boulder and snowballs at Byron Bennett's feet for the winning field goal, which missed. But then McCartney's rivaly unraveled. Colorado didn't beat NU again until the 2001 blowout. By then Nebraskans had moved on from Colorado and were into all things Texas. They still enjoyed beating CU because of how they were treated in Boulder, how the Buffs kept poking at them.

Nebraskans realized how much they cared in 2001. There are some who still haven't gotten over the pain from that long afternoon.

But as the Huskers entered a decade of transition and struggles, it was hard to get up for Colorado. The Buffs won a few Big 12 North titles but backed into a couple of them when Iowa State dropped the ball. Then Dan Hawkins showed up. It was even harder to take CU seriously.

There are parts of this series I'll miss. Some of the games were classics, hard-hitting, intense, won by a kick at the end _ or a kick sailing wide right. I'll miss Folsom Field. It's absolutely stunning, with the backdrop of the Flatirons and those yellow pom poms shaking furiously in the student section. I grew to enjoy Thanksgiving Night in Denver every other year. But, memo to Woody Paige: there may not be anything to do in Omaha on Thanksgiving Night, but there's nothing open in Denver, either. Except for the Sports Column across from Coors Field. Thank goodness for the Sports Column.

I won't miss the sophomoric shots at Nebraskans and cheerleaders and so forth. Eventually those went away. Even the Denver media realized that was a tired lounge act.

It will be over on Friday. Nebraska and Colorado will close their own personal chapters as Big Eight Conference partners. They'll do it with a throwback touch. CU interim coach Brian Cabral played for Bill Mallory and coached for McCartney. He's instilling the old "hate Nebraska'' feeling, the one Hawkins downplayed the last four years. This will be an old-fashioned, hard-hitting, helmet-knocking Big Eight game.

Afterward, the Huskers will turn east and the Buffs will turn west. And what was as intense a series as you could find will dry up and blow across the plains like a tumbleweed.

Maybe one day they'll meet again. In the Rose Bowl. »

Monday, November 22, 2010

NU could be Phoenix-bound for bowl season

Filed by Tom Shatel

Monday, 8:26 p.m.: Little busy the last two days, so my apologies for the tardiness of the Never-Too-Early-To-Talk-Bowls primer:

After huddling in the Texas A&M; press box with two bowl officials who shall remain anonymous and various Texas sports writers who you wouldn't know anyway, here's my early, early assessment for Nebraska.

Phoenix. Or Phoenix.

The first scenario's easy. Nebraska gets to the Big 12 championship game and wins. The Huskers are in the Fiesta Bowl (the JV Fiesta this year, with the BCS title game a week later at same site) Jan. 1 at Glendale, Ariz., to be exact.

The rest is a bit trickier. Play along, please. I'll try and go slow.

If NU goes to the Big 12 title game and loses, a lot of folks will assume Cotton Bowl on Jan. 7 vs. SEC. Not a bad thought. With the Huskers heading for the Big Ten after this season and new bowl possibilities, this is the last call for Big Red for Cotton and Alamo Bowls. And NU fans are always welcome in Texas.

Here's why I don't think that's automatic and, in fact, unlikely.

The Cotton is weary of taking the Big 12 title game loser because it would have to drag itself back to the same stadium four weeks later. The Jerry Dome is cool and all, and you can't beat Cotton hospitality. But two games in the same stadium in a month's time can be a hard sell for fans. The Cotton knows that. That's why Oklahoma State was their No. 1 choice all along last year with Texas-NU in the title game.

Thursday night could be big for the Cotton. If Texas A&M; beats Texas, the Cotton could jump on the 9-3 Aggies, with their six-game win streak. Hot story. Excited fans. Good, ol' former Southwest Conference team for that 75th anniversary Cotton Bowl. Makes a lot of sense. I would bet on this happening, if A&M; wins.

The only rub is that if Arkansas is the SEC team, A&M; already played Arkansas this year — in Cowboys Stadium, in fact.

We'll know more about that later this weekend, after Arkansas-LSU play. The loser of that SEC West tilt could be headed to the Cotton. And LSU could end up in a BCS bowl (Orange or Sugar) depending on Auburn.

If Texas beats the Aggies, I would expect Oklahoma to get a long, hard look by the Cotton. Or, if the Cotton has to take Arkansas. Again, if NU goes to the Big 12 title game, that will be the Huskers' third trip to that stadium in 13 months. Would Nebraska fans go back again so soon? Big gamble, it says here. Especially if the opponent is Arkansas.

So, if A&M; goes to the Cotton, the Alamo (Dec. 29) is next up. San Antonio loves the Huskers, right? And it's reciprocal. NU is 5-0 in the Alamodome and won its two Big 12 titles there. Red on the Riverwalk. You know the drill.

The thing is, the Alamo has never had Oklahoma. Ever. Good fit. But the hang-up would be the opponent. It's Pac-10 now. The Pac-10 is a little light on eligible teams. It's likely either Stanford or Arizona for San Antonio, depending on BCS stuff and whether Stanford or Boise State is in the Rose Bowl. That's a whole other blog explaining that deal.

Either way, OU would be squeamish about playing Stanford again (they met in the Sun Bowl last year) and Bob Stoops has been adamant about not facing brother Mike (Arizona coach), though OU has told bowl people that it would do so if necessary, it just didn't want it to be a contrived, set-up game.

Again, judging from early talks with bowl folks, if OU loses to Okie State in Bedlam this Saturday, I think the Alamo would take the Sooners over the Huskers. The Stoops-Stoops match-up is too attractive as a big TV draw and sure sell-out. And don't forget, NU and Arizona met last year in the Holiday.

If OU wins this weekend, Oklahoma State could go to the Alamo. But a lot would depend on if it's Arizona on the other end and whether NU would want to play Arizona again. And vice versa. If it's Stanford, then Nebraska-Stanford would be good for the Alamo folks. But so would Stanford-OSU. That will be an interesting decision, if it comes to that. My money now is on OU in the Alamo.

Who's next? Insight Bowl (Holiday Bowl dropped behind Insight in pecking order), in Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz., on Dec. 28. You can stop right here. The Insight is run by the Fiesta Bowl. John Junker and the Diablos would do anything to have Nebraska back, in either bowl. The Huskers haven't been to the desert since Charlie McBride's swan song against Tennessee in 1999.

Who waits for NU there? A Big Ten opponent. Probably Michigan, maybe Iowa, but likely maize and blue. Taylor Martinez vs. Denard Robinson. Early Big Ten preview. Great, great stuff. In Nebraska's old playpen, Sun Devil Stadium.

That's my best guess right now. Let's see what happens with A&M-Texas; and OSU-OU this weekend. And, of course, Nebraska-Colorado. Though, a Husker loss on Friday would likely cement NU in the Insight.

Stay tuned. I'll post another update next Sunday, when we have more puzzle pieces to work with. »

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Merfeld has history with ISU, too

Filed by Tom Shatel

5:55 p.m., Saturday: They're waiting in Des Moines. The Cyclones are waiting for Creighton. Waiting for the Jays' coach.

Creighton plays Iowa State on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Arena and a game set up a year ago by Greg McDermott and Dana Altman has an intriguing twist. Altman left and McDermott came to CU. And now Mac plays his old team in a Sunday game that has had his stomach in knots for weeks.

But what about the other Creighton coach?

Steve Merfeld will be in the house on Sunday, too. Remember him, Cyclones? Take a jog back to one of the darkest spots in your memory, the 2001 NCAA tourney loss to Hampton. Iowa State was a No. 2 seed and looking like a Final Four contender. Until that first-round loss to 15th-seed Hampton.

Remember that Hampton coach who got carried off the court by his players?

Uh-huh. Merfeld, an assistant on McDermott's staff, is back. Maybe with some karma for Creighton.

"I hadn't really thought about that connection,'' Merfeld said earlier this week. "Our paths haven't crossed since 2001.''

But the memory has come up more than once. Like, every year.

"Every March, as soon as the brackets are announced, the phone rings,'' Merfeld said. "I get calls from the coaches and media of the 15 seeds and the two seeds. The coaches want to know what we did in that game. The media just wants to talk about the game.

"We played great in that game. It was one of those things that happens. That's why the tournament is great. In some ways it seems like yesterday. In other ways, it seems like 25 years ago.''

Merfeld says he doesn't expect Cyclone fans to make the connection — or want to, for that matter.

"There's a lot of Iowa State grads in Omaha, I've noticed,'' Merfeld said. "I've done some speaking engagements the last few months and if they are in the crowd, they recognize me. They don't say much, other than you ruined my bracket.''

Merfeld ruined a lot of brackets that year.

"Hey, if I had done a bracket, I"m sure it would have ruined mine, too,'' he laughed. »

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Nighthawks' Green deserves an applause

Filed by Tom Shatel

7:04 p.m.: Thanks, Ahman. Just thought I would say it now, ahead of time, since I won't be able to be the Nighthawks season finale Friday night at Rosenblatt Stadium.

We missed each other this week, phone tag and all that. I thought Green should be thanked for what you did this year. And I hope the fans say it for me tomorrow night.

Green gets a lot of credit, it says here, for the Nighthawks' success — their buzz and presence in this town — this season. Oh sure, the quality of football is good and the beer is cold and the tail-gating was great and the jerseys are cool. But let's be honest: if Ahman Green had not signed up for UFL duty as early as he did, how many would have paid attention? Maybe they would have, anyway. I say Green gave this franchise much-needed credibility in its first go-around in this town.

He didn't have to do it. Lord knows he'd done enough in an NFL career so full that he wound up as the Green Bay Packers' all-time leading rusher. When you're the all-time leading anything for the Packers, that says it all.

Was this season partly for him? Sure it was. The hardest thing for any pro athlete to do is to admit it's over, that it was a nice run, to walk away from the fellas, the locker room, the games, the life. Omaha and the Nighthawks returned the favor to Green. He got to suit it up one more time and he got to do it in his hometown.

Likewise, we got to see Green do his thing in person, on Nebraska turf, for the first time since 1997. And while it was clear early on that Green had lost a step, he hadn't lost that fire. He played with gusto. And every once in a while, when the hole was there, he shot through it like old times.

Friday night's another chance, but is it the last chance? I didn't get to ask Green that this week. Is this it for him? Would he come back next year? Or have the legs and body had their fun? That's for him to decide. He's 33 now and, for all the abuse that pro running backs' bodies take, that's not young. It's late middle age.

Understand, I'm not trying to push Green out. If Batman wants to slide down the pole and suit up again next year, that's more for us.

What I'm saying is, no matter what happens after the season, enjoy Friday night. A Nebraska, and an Omaha, legend will take the field again. He deserves our attention, our praise and our thanks. »

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Blais sad to see Sioux logo go
6 p.m., Wednesday: This weekend will be an emotional reunion for Dean Blais and North Dakota. Blais, who won four national collegiate hockey championships at UND, sometimes says "we'' when referring to his old school, out of habit.

But one of the things Blais will have a hard time with this weekend is seeing that familiar Fighting Sioux logo, the Chicago Blackhawk-style Indian head, on the jerseys.

It's going away after this school year. A political hockey match in the state of North Dakota over the mascot was won by the North Dakota Board of Higher Education, which voted to end the nickname. The North Dakota state Supreme Court ruled that the board could retire the mascot.

The issue came up when Blais was at UND. He wasn't in favor of retiring the mascot then and isn't now.

"That's one of the reasons I left,'' Blais told me earlier this week in an interview at Motto McLean Arena. "Well, I wanted to try the NHL (Columbus). But I wasn't happy about that.''

Blais, like many at the school and in the state, wanted to keep the mascot because it was tradition but also because it honored the Native Americans in that state.

"We honored the Fighting Sioux, at the end of the national anthem, it's 'the home of the Sioux,' '' Blais said. "There's an Indian head on every seat, a huge Indian head on the marble floor in the arena. Wait until you see the Indian head on the jersey. It's beautiful.

"Eighty percent of the people wanted to keep it. For some reason the president (of UND) got involved in changing it. Ralph Engelstad (powerful UND booster and major contributor to the arena) said, 'If you change the name, I'll pull the money on the rink and you won't have an arena.' So it stayed that way. Ralph passed away. People got tired of fighting it.

"This is the last year for the Fighting Sioux, unless there's a miracle. They probably won't even have a nickname from here on, they'll just have UND or North Dakota on their jerseys.''

For more on Blais and the big weekend with North Dakota, see my column in Thursday's World-Herald and on Omaha.com/shatel. »

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Five post-weekend thoughts
8:14 p.m., Sunday: Five things I thought about on the way to church (but not necessarily during):

1. How did Taylor Martinez’ ankle feel this morning? He sure didn’t look close to 100 percent. But here’s the thing: Martinez going for 17 or 18 yards and getting caught may not be Martinez going 80, but it’s not bad. It might help NU move the chains. The Huskers may not be the scoring explosion they were earlier in the season, but any Martinez running threat is still good for the passing game and Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead.

2. How good is Texas A&M;? Obviously, quarterback Ryan Tannehill has flipped a switch on this team. The chemistry is good. The Aggies are on a roll. But how mobile is Tannehill? How will Bo Pelini go after him? Will Cyrus Gray’s running be enough to cause problems? And does A&M; now have urgency to win the South? It would take OSU and OU to lose at least once each (and they play each other in two weeks).

3. How much does Iowa State have left in the tank? Does Paul Rhoads have another big one left in him?

4. How many North Dakota fans will come down to Omaha for the UNO-UND series next weekend? Could either Friday or Saturday night game at the Qwest Center Omaha be a sell out?

5. Is the United Football League trying to figure out a new tiebreaker system to get the Nighthawks in the UFL championship game at Rosenblatt Stadium? I saw some of the Nighthawks’ loss to Sacramento late Saturday night. They don’t look worthy of playing in that game. »

Friday, November 12, 2010

Five things for the road

Filed by Tom Shatel

11:13 p.m., Friday: Five things I'll be thinking about on the way down I-80 Saturday afternoon (late game, so no Highway 6 today):

1. Will the applause for the opposing team after the game be the loudest in Memorial Stadium history? I'd put money on it. Even if Turner Gill's Jayhawks win. Which they won't.

2. Will Taylor Martinez start against KU? If he's 100 percent, or with percentage points of 100, then let him play. But if the ankle won't let him turn on the jets, then why bother? Nebraska needs a healthy Martinez in the Big 12 championship game. Nebraska needs to get there first, but I would take my chances against Kansas and Colorado without T-Magic. A former Husker told me that Martinez can probably make it work Saturday, because while the ankle might prevent Martinez from juking and making defenders miss, it shouldn't prevent him from running straight ahead. Which is what he does best anyway. We'll see. That, and Gill, are the stories tonight.

3. Will Cam Newton play against Georgia? That's the "other'' quarterback question of the day, and a few million more folks are interested in that one. Interesting call for Auburn officials. The NCAA reportedly has told Auburn that it's up to them to play or sit Newton. Nobody knows whether or not the allegations about Newton are true yet. But if they are found to be true, and Newton played, Auburn could be in big trouble. And even if Newton's father asked for money from Mississippi State, it could mean he's ineligible. That's what people are sorting out now behind the scenes. Of course, Auburn knows whether or not it paid Newton to play. I'm betting Newton plays. I think Auburn will call the NCAA's bluff and Mississippi State's bluff. Does MSU really want to open this up? I mean, MSU continued to recruit Newton even after his father allegedly said they wanted money.

4. I'm wondering if my friend Kevin Haskin, the longtime columnist at the Topeka Capital-Journal, will be at the Husker game. Haskin said he was going to cover the game this year, no matter what the standings said, because he wanted to say goodbye to Memorial Stadium. He said it's one of those special places you kind of take for granted but will miss. I"ll do the same in January at Allen Field House. Nice to know that media types feel that way about Nebraska football. I also wonder if Kevin will spend the night in Syracuse, Neb., and hit his favorite sports bar on the way home.

5. Mike Belotti. Colorado. Makes a lot of sense. That would be a home run hire going into the Pac-10. Can CU afford him? »

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Moglia has many Nebraska ties

Filed by Tom Shatel

7 p.m., Wednesday: Joe Moglia got his coaching gig: the TD Ameritrade Chairman was named President and head coach of the Virginia Destroyers expansion team, set to start play in the United Football League in 2011.

This is a perfect spot for Moglia to become a head coach. He was defensive coordinator at Dartmouth in the 1980's, and was a long-time high school football coach in New Jersey. He's also spent the last two seasons on Nebraska coach Bo Pelini's staff as an adviser and student, teaching Pelini about the ways of a CEO but also learning football, too.

The UFL is perfect because there are no expectations or pressure for Moglia's first head coaching job. Yet, the sky is the limit with plenty of exposure if he wins.

There are a couple of interesting twists with Moglia's move:

1. His defensive coordinator at Virginia will be longtime NFL defensive coordinator Tom Olivadotti, who has a history with Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, who brought Moglia to NU two years ago. Olivadotti was the defensive coordinator for Howard Schnellenberger in the 1984 Orange Bowl and, you got it, called the defense that stopped Turner Gill's two-point conversion and helped UM win its first national championship. That goes under the heading of "The Coaching World is a Small World.''

2. With only six teams in the UFL, Mr. TD Ameritrade no doubt will return to Omaha next year and bring his team to TD Ameritrade Park, home of the Omaha Nighthawks. »

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Who's on CU's short list?
7:44 p.m., Tuesday: There's a job open in Boulder, Colo. Who should Colorado hire?

1. Shawn Watson. Let's get this out of the way now. Watson, the Nebraska offensive coordinator who spent several years as Gary Barnett's OC at CU, has no shot. OK, there's always a chance. Barnett could become the A.D. Watson is a long shot. He hasn't been a head coach at a BCS school. But it's not a reflection on him. Just the wrong school. Watson is connected to Barnett, and though Barnett won a Big 12 championship at Colorado, Buffs fans want to separate themselves from the Barnett days, which ended ugly.

2. Bill McCartney. Intriguing idea. Bring back Buffalo Bill, who built a big winner and two-time Big Eight champion (three if you include the 1991 tie with NU) in Boulder. Mac could rally the fans and get everyone back on board. One problem: Mac is in his 70s now and hasn't coached in 16 years, since he shocked us by walking away at the end of the 1994 season to start “Promise Keepers.” College football has changed in the last 10 years, never mind the last 16 years. Recruiting has changed, how the NCAA regulates academics has changed, etc., etc. Will kids take to an old fox who doesn't know Twitter from Facebook? What will the parents think about Promiise Keepers and Mac's religion? The world is more politically correct than it was 16 years ago. If the idea is for Mac to bring fans back and groom a young buck to take over in a few years, fine. But CU A.D. Mike Bohn's priority now should be finding a coach with vision going into the Pac-12, and that especially means recruiting ties in the heavily-scouted areas of California. Winning, period, with any coach will rally the troops. Mac's not a bad idea, but he's a 50-50 shot to win the second time around. Buffs fans and McCartney better be careful what they wish for.

3. Mike Belotti, Jon Gruden, Big Name of the Week. These are long shots, too. Colorado's athletic department doesn't have any money. How do they plan to raise the $2-3 million per year to lure a big name to Boulder? It's a good, legitimate question.

4. Troy Calhoun, Air Force. Another intriguing idea. Hot guy, on the way up. Running game. Option. Go into the Pac-12 throwing a curve or change-up, especially when, at CU, you are starting from the bottom looking up. Sometimes the fastest way to make a move in those situations is to do something nobody else does. A running game and option would be a very interesting approach. And all you need to know about plucking under-appreciated running QBs out of Cali is Taylor Martinez. They're there. They just need a place to go. I like this idea more and more.

5. Dave Logan, former CU and Denver Bronco great, and local Denver high school coaching big name. Logan's name comes up every time there's a coaching search at CU. One of these days Logan will get the job. If he doesn't retire first. »

Friday, November 5, 2010

Weekend starting five
12:54 p.m. Friday: Five things I'm thinking about on the drive past the wind mills on I-80 to Ames: 1. Will I drive this way again? Likely. We will most certainly drive to Iowa City every other year and I could see us driving to Minnesota, too. To do that, you have to go past Ames. Sounds like a good reason to stop at Hickory Park again and again, you know, just to make sure the BBQ and ice cream joint is still open.

2. Will Taylor Martinez play on Saturday? He might. But I just have a feeling he won't. He might try it. But unless Martinez is 100 percent, why bother? His whole thing is speed. If he can't push off on the ankle or cut or outrun people, then what's the point? He's just another quarterback without his speed, at least at this point in his development. I could see Zac Lee playing a lot with the game plan going toward the running backs. I could also see an ugly game with a lot of running and playing for field position, etc. But I think you try to win this without Martinez if you can, and next week, too, or at least until he's 100 percent.

3. How does the Cam Newton story effect my Heisman vote? I don't know. I wasn't necessarily voting for him but now it makes you think. I hate that this story came out now, as we get into November and the good stuff and the games that decide seasons and Heisman trophies. Why now? Who's out to get this kid? Or did it just conveniently play out this way through SEC and NCAA leaks? Newton could be completely innocent and it will be hard for a lot of people to vote for him, especially after the Reggie Bush deal earlier this year. A lot of times you don't know who to believe or what to believe. I suppose if the NCAA came out and cleared him, that would help. But that needs to happen soon.

4. How will Eric Martin play today? Will he hold back? Or go full bore?

5. Who will take control of the Big 12 South? Baylor's getting all the love this week, and deservedly so. But I like Oklahoma State to win the South. The Cowboys have both Baylor and OU at home. And in a division where not a lot of defense is being played, the Pokes have the most balanced and explosive offense. Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year is a toss-up between Baylor QB Robert Griffin and OSU wide out Justin Blackmon. That could be decided Saturday. »