Whassup with the Huskers?
by Jim Rose, 11/20/11
Back in late September 1962, first year head coach Bob Devaney took his Nebraska Cornhuskers in to Ann Arbor, Michigan and won the game. Years later, Bob would recollect that it was a signature win. That it was the “start of something.”
That was the last time Nebraska played the Wolverines in Michigan Stadium until last Saturday.
The reasons Nebraska lost that game are pretty clear: The offense couldn’t stay on the field (didn’t convert a 3rd down until the second half), the defense couldn’t get off the field (another good day for the other offense in TOP, yards gained, points and poor tackling), the special teams were dreadful (dropping punt snaps, fumbling kickoffs, roughing punters) and some key penalties. Mix all of that in with a splendid Dennard Robinson and an excellent defensive line led by Mike Martin and Michigan had it pretty easy. The loss send the Huskers spinning out of Division title contention and far away from the BCS for the 10th straight year.
Whereas that triumph in 1962 answered a lot of questions about the direction of the program under coach Devaney, the rather convincing loss to the Wolverines this past week may have produced a few new ones under coach Bo Pelini.
• Why in “meaningful” games (with title implications on the line, bowl possibilities, national prestige) since 2008 do the Huskers have a knack for self-inflicted wounds? Key penalties, dropped punt snaps, fumbles…..
• Why the mental lapses when one would think that the spoils before the lads would give them a heightened sense of urgency in preparation and game day readiness?
This is a bit of a pattern. Va Tech in ’09, Iowa State in ’09, Texas Tech in ’09, Texas in ’10, the Big 12 Title game in ’10, Wisconsin in ’11, NW in ’11, now U of M in ’11. Now in each of those years, the Huskers enjoyed good wins wrapped around those losses.
On the surface, it’s easy to blame coaches. And in fairness, they are handsomely compensated to sufficiently prepare the guys to play their best each week. If the preparation isn’t there, the coaches are ultimately to blame. Whether its scouting, game planning, game management, personnel decisions, or recruiting—-the guys on the sidelines and in the coaches booth are it.
But there may be another explanation to consider. The kids. Kids who are also players. This doesn’t infer that the players were perfectly prepared by the staff and just blew it. This is to consider the mental DNA of 18-21 year old athletes today.
I’m not sold that they have the mental toughness or maturity (up and down the roster)that previous generations of kids had. Why? Simple. Things are too easy for them. In their young lives, they’ve been given a lot more than they’ve earned. The really don’t recognize sacrifice and commitment. Goal setting is more talk than action.
From where I sat in Michigan Stadium, three kids were ready to WIN on Saturday. They were all ready to play, but only Burkhead, David and Cassidy were ready to WIN. I’m sure there were more but I watched a whole lot of guys in red get blocked, try to arm tackle somebody, make mental mistakes, miss tackles, fumble, and get beat by a Michigan guy at the line of scrimmage. Consistently. Why is that? Don’t the practice year around? Sure. Don’t they lift weights? Sure. Don’t they spend hours in meetings and film study? Of course. But EVERYBODY has to do that.
That stuff is a given.
So what does motivate guys these days? Never met an athlete worth the weight of his equipment that LIKED that stuff. To the committed ones, that stuff is a means to an end. And the end is two things: Playing time and winning.
We have a lot of players right now who are on the field in their first and/or second years. We have very few 5th year seniors or even fourth year juniors on the field. Those are the guys who have paid the price. Those are the guys who never quit. Nothing came easy for them so they don’t give up easily. They come mentally prepared to WIN because they’ve given so much just to have the chance to win.
Today’s young athlete is coddled and caressed. Today’s young athlete and his parents/agent shops for teams/schools that offer immediate playing time and instant gratification. They are showed with comforts, (equipment, uniforms, luxury accommodations) from the time they are 9 years old. They are given private lessons, personal trainers, special attention. All the while, the kid develops a “me first” mentality and sense of entitlement.
Again, that doesn’t universally apply to this team of Cornhusker football players. But think about the culture in our country today related to youth sports. Think about when YOU played and compare it to the environment your son and or grandson is in now.
