Nebraska
Tad Stryker: Walking the Talk
Can the final 20 years of Nebraska soccer be attributed to a critical case of mistaken id?
Not fully, however NU’s lack of id has been the most important contributor to a deteriorating basis. In the event you’re beginning over, setting your bearings on a brand new id is the place to begin an actual rebuild.
Matt Rhule has shortly recognized the basis downside, and has swiftly moved to dig out the indecisiveness that has held this system hostage for thus lengthy. He’s placing his focus precisely the place he stated he would — on profitable on the line of scrimmage. Rhule is transferring towards a “physique blows” offensive mentality that won’t repair each downside, however ought to take Nebraska a good distance in the fitting path, if carried out correctly.
This concept is just not a brand new one. Take a look at this quote:
“It’s going to take a variety of onerous work and dedication from lots of people, however there’s a formulation that labored right here for a very long time. Occasions have modified a bit of, however a few of those self same issues could make this work once more.”
That’s from Scott Frost’s introductory press convention in December 2017. Cautionary story: Phrases are begin, however deeds matter extra.
Frost pointed to toughness, bodily fashion of play, dedication, work ethic and pursuit of excellence as hallmarks of Nebraska, and pledged, “That’s what this place goes to face for so long as I’m right here.” So we’ve heard this form of factor earlier than with out seeing a lot progress.
Rhule sounded considerably like that in a latest interview with Adam Carriker. Rhule, who admired Tom Osborne from afar, feels like he’s extra dedicated to “the formulation that labored right here for a very long time” than was Frost, who lived Osborne’s system daily for 3 years. However as my grandfather used to remind me, “Saying and doing are two various things.”
Right here’s hoping that as Rhule digs round within the crumbling stays of what got here earlier than, he’ll discover and surgically take away Frost’s reassuring assertion that his offensive scheme can be easy and efficient sufficient to allow mediocre offensive traces to thrive. Yeah, Frost had me fooled with that one.
There’s merely no substitute for good blocking up entrance. Right here’s one other quote.
Scroll to Proceed
“We need to be a group that’s simply so huge and so bodily (whatever the parts) that our offensive linemen will simply put on on you, and, finally, it wears you down.” That one’s from Rhule.
Blue-collar Husker followers, wipe the tears of pleasure out of your eyes, rise up and take discover, and prepare to carry Rhule to it. Sounds to me like an influence working id might return to Lincoln. Perhaps not the Derek Brown/Calvin Jones/Lawrence Phillips/Ahman Inexperienced model, however not less than the Roy Helu/Rex Burkhead/Ameer Abdullah model. Regardless, no higher phrases may have been spoken. Will the deeds comply with?
So what does somebody like extremely touted wideout Malachi Coleman, who may have chosen to play at nearly any faculty he wished, learn about Husker I-backs of a era in the past? In all probability not a lot. But he signed with the Huge Crimson, presumably with the data that Rhule favors a troublesome working recreation. Will Rhule’s teaching employees all purchase into the “physique blows” idea? Will they work in live performance with one another, with the understanding that the working recreation units up the passing recreation, and never vice versa? Will they get buy-in from their gamers?
That didn’t at all times occur over the previous few years. Frost was both unable to firmly resolve what he wished his soccer program to appear to be, or unable to speak that successfully to his assistant coaches, or each. For one factor, it by no means made sense to have Frost and Greg Austin disagree on one thing as necessary as their basic fashion of blocking. And might somebody clarify the hiring of Mark Whipple and Donovan Raiola in the identical month? Discuss an absence of id. No surprise Husker offensive linemen regarded so tentative the final a number of years.
Admittedly, I used to be astounded that Rhule determined to retain Raiola as o-line coach, however he made it clear he agrees with Raiola’s concepts in regards to the basic fashion of blocking (“I need to have the ability to line up and run iso, line up and run duo, knock folks off the ball.”) That leads me to consider the offensive scheme shall be pretty easy in 2023, and that it’ll look extra like Rhule’s Temple groups than his Baylor groups, not less than initially. I’m skeptical that the offensive linemen Rhule inherits could make an enormous leap in fewer than 9 months, however that is still to be seen.
By the best way, when you’re questioning if NU’s receivers can have something to do moreover blocking, Rhule’s Temple groups averaged greater than 30 passes per recreation in his three years as head coach, though by 12 months Three, the Owls had change into considerably extra run-oriented.
One factor’s for positive, although. There must be no place group on the whole group that can have an easier transition from the Frost/Joseph period to the Rhule period than the offensive line. The optimist appears on the scenario and says, “If Raiola put in nothing however a basis final 12 months, perhaps the partitions and roof will go up in 2023.” The skeptic scratches his head and mutters, “Did Rhule actually imply it when he stated he thinks we’ll have offensive line subsequent 12 months”? The reality — hopefully a lot affected by the brand new regime’s low season of energy and conditioning coaching — most likely lies someplace within the center.
The Nebraska model, one which a lot of the nation nonetheless remembers, is constructed round a bodily working recreation. No matter how issues go in 12 months One (and nearly definitely it received’t be a clean operation), an influence soccer id should unmistakably emerge.
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The last time Nebraska sat out the bowl season for seven years in a row, the Big 12 was still the Big 8, the 10 schools in the Big Ten didn’t include the Cornhuskers, and Yankee Stadium was still the House that Ruth Built.
That slump ended with an appearance in the short-lived Gotham Bowl at the original Yankee Stadium. The ballpark has been replaced, and so has the bowl game played in it.
The Huskers (6-6) will play Boston College (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl, ending the longest active bowl drought in any of the power conferences. Nebraska last appeared in the postseason in 2016, a stretch of losing seasons that was its longest in more than 60 years.
“It’s been a while,” athletic director Troy Dannen said after accepting the bowl invitation.
The trip ends Nebraska’s longest bowl drought since the one that ended in 1961. The program would go on to postseason appearances in 56 of the next 60 years, including a 35-year streak that included four national championships.
“Nebraska has a great, storied history,” Dannen said. “A lot of people are making references back to the Gotham Bowl in ’62, which is the last time Nebraska was in the city. For our fans to get back into the bowl mix again, to get to do it in the city in December, there is something special.”
After beating Wisconsin to gain bowl eligibility, coach Matt Rhule said he wants Husker fans to be thinking big again.
“This will be the last time we ever celebrate six wins,” he said.
Keying the Huskers’ turnaround is quarterback Dylan Raiola, who has thrown for almost 2,600 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman. More importantly, Raiola has reaffirmed his desire to stay in Lincoln while almost two dozen of his teammates entered the transfer portal, including running backs Dante Dowdell and Gabe Ervin, defensive lineman Jimari Butler and linebacker Princewill Umanmielen.
Cornerback Tommi Hill (foot), offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua (shoulder) and receiver Isaiah Neyor (opt out) have said they will sit out the Pinstripe Bowl, leaving a depleted roster to face an Eagles team that lost coaches after last season and changed quarterbacks in the middle of this one.
After a victory over SMU in last year’s Fenway Bowl, Jeff Hafley left to become the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers and was replaced by former Penn State and Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien has the Eagles on the verge of what would be their first eight-win season since linebacker Luke Kuechly led them to an 8-5 mark in 2009. This year’s defense is led by lineman Donovan Ezeiruaku, a consensus All-American and the winner of the Hendricks Award for the best defensive end.
“The guy just had a special, special year,” O’Brien said, standing in front of a wall of Eagles who went on to play in the NFL. “His picture will be up here soon.”
The Eagles switched quarterbacks midseason, with Florida International transfer Grayson James replacing Thomas Castellanos, who started 20 games over the past two years. After losing to SMU in his first start, James led BC to wins over North Carolina and Pittsburgh to end the regular season.
Christmas in the city
As part of their trip to New York, the teams will hit all the Christmas highlights: Checking out the tree at Rockefeller Center, seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, visiting the Sept. 11 memorial and the Statue of Liberty. The captains and head coaches will ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
The Huskers will practice at the New York Giants’ stadium and at Fordham’s field, with one walkthrough in Central Park and another at Yankee Stadium.
“We aren’t going there for an experience. We are going there to win the game,” Rhule said. “We will have experiences along the way.”
Nebraska is celebrating the end of its bowl drought by bringing around 150 members of the marching band, cheerleaders and others to root on the team.
“It’s also going to be a new experience for everybody else that gets to be a part of this,” Dannen said. “The band, for Pete’s sakes, is going to be on the field in Yankee Stadium. Who would have imagined when you signed up as a freshman, when you signed up for band at the University of Nebraska, that this is something you get to do in your career?”
O’Brien was also looking forward to experiencing the city’s culinary scene.
“I’m looking forward to eating. I enjoy eating. I know the restaurants and all those things are great,” said the Boston native who has never been to Yankee Stadium. “I think it’s going to be a cool four or five days in New York City. I’m looking forward to the whole thing.”
Nebraska
Walt Radcliffe's friends say lobbyist was part of State Capitol’s ‘fabric' • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — It was 1979, and a college freshman was searching the State Capitol for lobbyist Walt Radcliffe, who was scheduled to speak to young leaders from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Eventually, the freshman, Scott Moore, caught up with Radcliffe, who posed a profane question to the student that was something like, “What the heck am I supposed to say to these kids?”
“I knew right then that this was someone I was going to like,” said Moore, who went on to become a state senator, Nebraska Secretary of State and later, a top executive at Union Pacific.
Stories like that, and many more, circulated across the state as word spread about the death of Radcliffe, 77, on Thursday afternoon.
Work spanned 10 governors
A Lincoln native whose work spanned 10 governors, Radcliffe was the undisputed dean of the statehouse lobbying corps. He had his own padded bench in the Capitol Rotunda.
His firm, Radcliffe Gilbertson & Brady, annually ranked among the state’s top in annual revenue.
He also served as a valuable — and engaging — font of institutional knowledge about the Legislature for lawmakers and governors as such knowledge was disappearing due to term limits.
His storytelling was legendary, as were his counsel and history lessons for lawmakers and others.
“He really cared about the institution,” said Patrick O’Donnell, the former clerk of the Legislature and a long-time friend who met Radcliffe in a UNL fraternity. “The Legislature had a big loss today.”
“Nobody knew the legislative process better than him,” said Lynn Rex, executive director League of Nebraska Municipalities. She said Radcliffe was a mentor to her and many other lobbyists.
Former State Sen. John Stinner, who chaired the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, said Radcliffe once gave him valuable advice on how to tap into a state health care fund to help close a monumental $1 billion shortfall in the budget.
“He was extremely helpful in many instances,” Stinner said. “I’m going to miss him.”
Part of the place
U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., a former speaker of the Legislature, said “people probably think we were too close to Walt as a lobbyist.”
“But he was bigger than a lobbyist,” Flood said. “He was just part of the fabric of the Legislature.”
A graduate of UNL and the NU College of Law, Radcliffe liked to point out that he worked only a couple of miles from where he grew up.
His first jobs at the Capitol were as a legislative page and a proofreader. He later served as an assistant clerk of the Legislature and as legal counsel to the Judiciary and Banking Committees, and as chief legal counsel in the clerk’s office.
Radcliffe’s lobbying career began in 1977 as a partner with former State Sen. David Tews. He purchased the firm a couple of years later, which became Radcliffe and Associates before the latest name change.
He continued to lobby this spring, though his trips to his bench — which for a time had its own Twitter account — became less frequent.
“He was a people person. That job was his lifeblood,” said Korby Gilbertson, a long-time associate at the firm. “We always knew he’d work until he couldn’t, because that’s what he did.”
Known for NU advocacy
His firm long represented the University of Nebraska, fighting for its programs and funding. But Radcliffe also represented liquor, tobacco and gambling clients because, Gilbertson said, he “wasn’t afraid of a good battle.”
In addition, Radcliffe also lobbied free-of-charge for entities opposed to the death penalty, and, his friends said, was genuinely interested in helping the state, and its institutions, do well.
Moore said that Radcliffe’s greatest skill as a lobbyist was his ability to boil down complicated subjects into simple terms. He worked long hours and was a good listener and storyteller, he said, who didn’t seek to “poach” clients from other lobbyists and was very clear where his clients stood.
”He was a man of integrity,” Moore said. “That’s why people respected him, and why he got so many things passed.”
Former Gov. Dave Heineman described Radcliffe as “very professional, very knowledgeable and a very straightforward lobbyist.”
“I enjoyed working with him,” Heineman said.
Petition work got him in trouble
Radcliffe briefly got in trouble in 1986, when he was indicted for hiring and paying petition circulators seeking to get an issue on the statewide ballot to allow a state lottery. But the charge was dismissed on appeal. Paying petition circulators is now legal and commonplace in the state.
Radcliffe received a liver transplant in 1999, but in recent years battled other health issues. Gilbertson said he entered hospice care on Thursday morning after battling an infection for several days. He died hours later from kidney failure and other health issues.
Flood said he spent many hours in Radcliffe’s office across the street from the Capitol as a young state senator and later as speaker, listening and learning about past lawmakers and speakers.
“It wasn’t like he was telling me what to do in a certain situation, but he’d say, ‘We had this same problem, and this is what a past speaker did,’ and how it worked or didn’t work,” Flood said.
“While he was an advocate, he wanted the Legislature to look good, too.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
At first, Nebraska playing in a bowl in late December in New York City sounded like a form of punishment rather than a reward for a successful season.
It’s true, playing in a balmy Florida, Arizona or California might be more appealing. But consider this: NU is playing at noon this Saturday. That’s great day and time for a college football game.
As a result, I believe a lot of people are going to be able to watch the game. TV viewers aren’t going to care a rip about the cold. Most football fans think forty degrees is ideal football weather.
Playing in Florida does have some advantages, but three early bowl games that were played in Florida weren’t seen by many people. Why?
Bad dates and times.
Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, FL)
Wednesday, December 18th 5:30pm (EST)
Western Kentucky vs James Madison
Staffdna Cure Bowl (Orlando, FL)
Friday, December 20th 12:00pm (EST)
Ohio vs Jackson State
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, FL)
Friday December 20th 3:30 pm (EST)
Tulane vs Florida
Raise your hands if you watched any of those games.
I didn’t think so.
My point is, playing in a cold clime in late December is not necessarily a bad thing. The Pinstripe Bowl matchup between Nebraska and Boston College should be a TV ratings success.
The Pinstripe Bowl Matchup
To win the game, NU is going to have to:
1.) Stop the Eagles’ running game and make them one dimensional,
2.) Move the chains consistently on offense.
3.) Be able to pass on BC’s defense (BC is 111th pass defense)
4.) Win the turnover battle (NU ranks 66th while BC is 21st)
If the Huskers are able to do those things, they will come back to Lincoln with another bowl trophy to add to its collection.
What’s a stake: Win the game and NU ends the season with a winning record-its first since 2016. Lose the game and NU limps into ’25 with a 6-7 record.
You may contact me at: HuskerDan@cox.net
MORE: Analytics Preview: Nebraska Football vs. Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl
MORE: 1962 Co-Captain, Gotham Bowl Veteran Dwain Carlson Joins the Common Fans
MORE: Nebrasketball Beats Oregon State, Wins Diamond Head Classic
MORE: Idaho Transfer Defensive Back Andrew Marshall Commits to Nebraska
MORE: Former NFL Running Back Leonard Fournette Shares Praise for Nebraska Quarterback Dylan Raiola
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