Nebraska Cornhusker Football: New Year's Resolutions
The coming of the new year brings with it a chance to make new resolutions, new plans to improve yourself and your life. Do football teams make resolutions? Probably not. But in looking back over Nebraska's 2010, there's a number of things that NU could look to improve on in 2011. And none of them involve eating less chocolate.
Be Nicer To People
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Some of Nebraska's 2011 resolutions are pretty obvious, and this one is at the top of the list. Bo Pelini's anger issues were well documented, particularly after the 16-penalty Texas A&M debacle. There may have been plenty of reasons for Pelini to get upset, but being so dramatically furious does nothing for NU but create a caricature of Pelini as an immature bully. Putting the vein-bulging screaming face away in 2011 is an excellent first goal.
Play Well With Others
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It started with a few whispers after NU announced its departure from the Big XII last summer. Nebraska fans—and maybe a coach or two in private—thought the conference was out to get Nebraska. Penalty flags started to be questioned, officiating crews became scrutinized, and NU fans became more interested in a divisional trophy than ever before.
In the meantime, NU began to get a reputation as a school with a paranoid and angry coach, and a fan base full of crazies making death threats to conference officials. While many mountains were made of molehills by certain executives in Dallas, the start of a new year gives Nebraska's program and fan base a chance to make a fresh start and wash off a lot of the unpleasantness of 2010's messy divorce.
Make New Friends
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The flip side to all of the conspiracy talk from Nebraska's last season in the Big XII is NU's entrance in the storied Big Ten in 2011. NU will be walking into an entire new culture, filled with its own promises and challenges. Most Nebraska fans see the Big Ten as a sporting nirvana compared to the "Big Texas" outfit they are leaving behind.
But the Big Ten has its' own issues that will frustrate Nebraska and Nebraska fans. The disastrous "Leaders and Legends" division naming is an example of how the Big Ten, put gently, is very impressed with itself. More than most, NU's new home either enjoys or suffers from (depending on your perspective) a feeling of self-importance on a massive scale. Combine that with NU being the new kid in the Blue Blazer club of the Big Ten, and there could be some friction.
Oh, and don't forget that NU got the meat of the conference's schedule for its first two years of conference play.
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Find Stability At The Office
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Nebraska has lost linebacker coach Mike Ekeler to Indiana, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson was in the mix for the head coaching position at Vanderbilt and is still a candidate for the position at Miami of Ohio (yes, I know they want you to call it Miami University, but no one's really going to do that). Nebraska fans also had a few nervous days when Bo Pelini was reported to have had conversations to be the next coach at Miami (the Miami you think of, not the one in Ohio).
While there won't be a lot of NU fans that would be sad to see Watson leave, ultimately Nebraska will need to get its coaching staff in place as quickly as possible to prepare for its first season in the Big Ten.
Get Good Grades
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Rex Burkhead (the guy in the photo) will be the only NU running back returning with any significant playing experience. One of Nebraska's biggest recruiting targets is Braylon Heard, a four-star running back from Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio. Heard was an NU commit for some time, but had to earn good enough test scores to be admitted to Nebraska.
Preliminary reports look like Heard has gotten the test scores he needs to enroll, so things look good for NU to add to its' running back depth in 2011. But Heard will have to work hard to keep his grades up once he arrives to stay eligible and contribute.
Get the Magic Back
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No one said starting a freshman at quarterback would be easy. When you add lingering ankle and toe injuries to the mix, things get even more challenging.
For the first few weeks, Taylor Martinez—T-Magic, as the kids call him—looked like a Heisman candidate and a kid who could bring a Shiny Football back to Lincoln. He could run like the wind, and he could throw for touchdown after touchdown—against Oklahoma State, at least.
But injuries, combined with a refusal to talk with the media, made Martinez the source of all kinds of angst amidst Nebraska fans. The "Taylor's quittting" Internet rumor mill cranked up, for a time, with the kind of fervor usually reserved for demands to see a 40-year-old birth certificate.
Martinez's skills are undeniable, and his youth means he has a lot of growing and maturing to do. And with legitimate competition for his position coming from recruits like Jamal Turner, Brion Carnes, and possibly Bubba Starling, perhaps the diva aspects of Martinez will be lessened.
Fill The Gaps
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Roy Helu. Prince Amukamura. Niles Paul. Eric Hagg. DeJon Gomes. Alex Henery. Adi Kunalic. Those are just some of the seniors leaving the program after the 2010 season that have made a huge impact. For Nebraska to be successful in 2011, new faces will have to step in to replace those talented players. It's the nature of college football that rosters turn over, but this year's senior class was particularly strong. Pelini and company will have their coaching mettle tested in 2011 replacing 2010's senior class as NU moves into the Big Ten.
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