Nebraska Cornhuskers: The Truth Behind the Cornhuskers' Failures

Nebraska came into the Big Ten Conference with aspirations of winning the Big Ten Championship and returning to a BCS bowl game. This would be Nebraska’s first BCS bowl game since the 2002 Rose Bowl.

Those dreams turned into a nightmare in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

Nebraska came into Saturday’s game against Michigan with a lot to play for. The Cornhuskers still had a chance to make it to the Big Ten Championship game and a better chance of making it to a BCS bowl. But Michigan humiliated the Nebraska by beating the Cornhuskers 45-17.

As soon as Nebraska fans think their team is ready to take the next step to becoming an elite team, the Cornhuskers take two steps back. After Saturday’s lost to Michigan, Nebraska is close to returning to the program it was before Coach Bo Pelini arrived at the school.

So, what is the problem with Nebraska’s football team?

Bo Pelini and his coaching staff are the problem.

Every time Nebraska loses a game, Nebraska fans hear Pelini make statements such as: We did not execute, we turned the ball over too many times, we were outplayed, we were not ready, and many other “we” phrases.

When is Pelini going to stop pointing the finger at the players and start pointing the thumb and take responsibility for not having the team ready to play?

People say that a team’s play on the field reflects the attitude of their coaches. I believe Nebraska’s play on the field reflects the attitude of Pelini and the other coaches for Nebraska. The Nebraska players play undisciplined football and have problems with the fundamentals of the game. A good coaching staff will ensure the team does not make stupid mistakes and executes the fundamentals. Nebraska has had a hard time playing as a team, and when you have a coach that passes the blame to others, that is the kind of team Nebraska fans can expect.

Nebraska has some good players on this team, but none of them are as good as the players who graduated last season. When Pelini was coaching the players that former Nebraska coach Bill Callahan recruited, it looked like Nebraska was close to returning to dominance. Now that Ndamukong Suh, Prince Amakamara, Niles Paul and Dejon Gomes left the program, Nebraska is lacking the talent to compete in the Big Ten Conference. Is this because Pelini cannot recruit the talented players that Callahan did, or are the players just too young this year?

Time will tell.

Nebraska does have freshman players on their team that were highly rated coming out of high school. Some of these players include running backs Aaron Green and Braylon Heard and wide receiver Jamal Turner. These players may turn into great players for the Cornhuskers, but why are they not redshirted? The three freshman players used up a year of eligibility to sit the bench. It will be surprising if some of them do not transfer to other schools because of lack of playing time.

The problem with Nebraska’s football program is the coach.

As stated on the ESPN 1620 Schick and Nick Show on Monday, "There were four coaches in the stadium who are better coaches than Pelini: Tom Osborne, Urban Meyer (broadcasting the game), Lloyd Carr (on Michigan’s sidelines) and Brady Hoke."

Pelini keeps telling fans that the Cornhuskers are not close to becoming a great team. As long as he is the head coach, they never will be.