Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina News Update

Nebraska and South Carolina have not played in a game in almost a month. Changes have taken place in each program since the last time these two teams have taken the field.

I am writing to catch you up on the news heading into the Capital One Bowl on January 2.

Changes have taken place in the Nebraska coaching staff and some players were not able to stay out of trouble during the holiday break.

The biggest news coming out of Nebraska was the decision of defensive coordinator Carl Pelini to take the head coaching position at Florida Atlantic University. Pelini will not coach the Cornhuskers in the Capital One Bowl.

The loss of Pelini left Nebraska with a hole in their coaching staff. On December 22, head coach Bo Pelini announced that defensive line coach John Papuchis was promoted to defensive coordinator. Papuchis has been known as one of Nebraska’s best recruiters. He will get his chance to prove he can lead a defensive unit in Nebraska’s bowl game.

Taking the place of Papuchis as the defensive line coach will be Rick Kaczenski. Kaczenski was the defensive line coach at Iowa. He will be heading to Orlando with the Cornhuskers to coach Nebraska’s defensive line.

Some Nebraska fans wanted the Cornhuskers to go outside the program to hire a new defensive coordinator. The names that were mentioned were: Mike Stoops, former head coach of Arizona and Ron Zook, former head coach at Illinois. The promotion of Papuchis shows that Bo Pelini will continue to be in control of the Blackshirts defense. That is probably not a bad idea.

The other big story coming out of Nebraska is the misconduct of Nebraska’s starting center Mike Caputo and their starting defensive end Eric Martin.

Caputo pleaded guilty to reckless driving on Thursday. According to the police report, Caputo’s blood-alcohol level was .103 (Nebraska’s legal limit is .08), but the Lincoln City Attorney charged Caputo with reckless driving and not a DUI.  

Eric Martin was ticketed for leaving the scene of an accident after he got into a fender-bender in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Coach Bo Pelini will allow Caputo and Martin to play in the Capital One Bowl after being disciplined internally by the university.

South Carolina has also made news regarding their coaching staff and player misconduct.

Like Nebraska, South Carolina lost their defensive coordinator to another school. South Carolina’s defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson left the Gamecocks to become the head coach at Southern Mississippi University. Johnson led the South Carolina defense to the No. 4 total defensive ranking in the country.

Taking Johnson’s place will be Lorenzo Ward. Ward has been coaching the defensive backs this season and also had a big part in coordinating the defense alongside Johnson. If the Gamecocks play well in the Capital One Bowl, Ward could become the full-time defensive coordinator for South Carolina.

Two players on South Carolina’s team are being investigated for secondary NCAA rules violations.

Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and cornerback C.C. Whitlock appeared on a fundraising poster to promote a Christmas party at a nightclub. Clowney is the SEC Freshman of the Year and Whitlock has contributed to the Gamecocks defense this year in a fill-in roll.

Head coach Steve Spurrier has not made a decision on the availability of either player for the Capital One Bowl.

I do not think the coaching changes or the player misconducts will affect either team.

For Nebraska, Papuchis knows the Nebraska defensive system and will be able to work with Bo Pelini to create a scheme to stop the Gamecocks offense.

Caputo and Martin will play in the game so the incidents involving the two players will not have an impact on Nebraska’s play in the Capital One Bowl.

South Carolina is using a defensive coordinator from within the program as well. Ward knows South Carolina’s defensive approach as well as anyone. The Gamecocks No. 4 rated defense will be ready to roll in the Capital One Bowl.

If Coach Spurrier suspends Clowney or Whitlock for the game, it could affect South Carolina’s defense. Clowney’s absent would hurt the Gamecocks more than Whitlock’s absents, but the team has had a month to prepare for the game. I am sure Spurrier has other players ready to step in.

On January 2, Nebraska and South Carolina will meet in the Capital One Bowl. The similarities between the two schools continue, even in the news leading up to the big game.

This should be a good game and I am predicting a Nebraska upset: 20-17.

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