Pelini believes team is ready to go
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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON and STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
With just two days before Saturday night’s season opener against Western Michigan, the Huskers backed it down Thursday, practicing without pads at Memorial Stadium.
“More mental obviously than physical,” coach Bo Pelini said.“We cut it down. There was great attention to detail. I liked what I saw from the guys. I think they’re zeroed in and ready to go.”
Pelini said he anticipates No. 1 right tackle Lydon Murtha will play Saturday, though he didn’t practice Thursday. “He could’ve but we held him out.”
Husker coach Bo Pelini offered his perspective to a national audience on Jim Rome's radio show Thursday. Among other things, Pelini was asked what the attitude of the players was like when he arrived.
"Well, you know, it was a group of guys, they were just beaten down. They were battered a little bit. They had lost some confidence. They just needed some direction," Pelini said. "And, you know, that's really not saying anything bad about what happened, what was going on there before, it's just an atmosphere that happened here. There were really a lot of factors beyond coaching, beyond football, that contributed to where it ended up going last year, and some of those things were out of Coach (Bill) Callahan's control."
The plan for Friday: Some film, a walk-thru, a team dinner, a movie, then some meetings.
While some coaches stress a bit about keeping their players focused all day for a night game like Saturday’s 6 p.m. start, Pelini is used to that routine.
“We played almost all night games at LSU so I have a lot of experience with that,” Pelini said. “It’s good for us. It's something I’ve been a part of and I think I have a pretty good idea on how to manage that.”
Pelini didn’t want to make public what his message would be to the team before the game, but is banking on a special atmosphere when the Huskers hit the field.
"If I remember back to 2003, I imagine it's going to be pretty loud,” he said. “I really kind of block it out, but it's the best fans in the United States. They're excited, it seems like. I'm sure it's going to be a great atmosphere."
Bo on Rome: Pelini did a radio interview with Jim Rome on Thursday, his second time on the nationally syndicated show since taking the job.
At one point, Rome expressed surprise that there would be an issue with the culture in the Nebraska program, as many felt there was last year.
Said Pelini: “For some reasons and some things I don’t quite understand because I wasn’t really here, I didn’t live it, but there was a division, there was a lack of unity in the state and really, that’s really out of character for this program, for this state, for the fan base. There were just a lot of people ...
“And that’s one of the things that makes this place unique is that culture, that attitude of one big family, really throughout the state as far as how they rally around the program. But somehow that went away, and that’s something we needed to bring back. We’ve worked hard to try and bring back.”
This and that: Senior Marlon Lucky is one of 43 candidates for the Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation's top running back. ... Safety Larry Asante was one of the last players off the field Thursday, spending some extra time trying to catch fastballs from grad assistant Ross Watson. ... Larry the Cable Guy caught the practice, taking briefly after its conclusion with Pelini. The Cable Guy’s words of wisdom? “Git ’r done,” Pelini said, not able to keep a straight face.
Scouting report: WR, Menelik Holt and Niles Paul
As Ted Gilmore likes to say about his receivers, “it’s their time.”
The coach knows this is the year guys like junior Menelik Holt (four career catches last year), junior Chris Brooks (one), sophomore Niles Paul (one), sophomore Will Henry (none) and redshirt freshman Curenski Gilleylen need to emerge.
The Huskers will especially need big things out of Holt and Paul, who are the third and fourth receivers behind seniors Nate Swift and Todd Peterson.
“They all want to play, and now is their chance to seize the moment,” Gilmore said. “We still have to show we're every-down players, and we have to be consistent. When you're an every-down player, you have to show up every day.”
The receivers’ play has been up and down in practice. As Gilmore noted this week, his guys had a great practice Tuesday only to struggle Wednesday.
Said Gilmore: “My message to them was, ‘Hey, you've got to be dialed in every single day when you're in that role.’”
Opponent watch: Western Michigan
Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said this week it’s no advantage playing Nebraska in the season opener.
According to the Associated Press, Cubit said any wrinkles the Huskers have to smooth over will be offset by the emotion Nebraska will have in Pelini’s first game as head coach.
Though the Broncos played at West Virginia, Missouri and Iowa last year, Cubit said coming to Memorial Stadium is a different animal, calling it “one of the meccas of college football.”
Just asking: Is it looking like a redshirt season for wide receiver Khiry Cooper?
The Louisiana native was a player some thought might contribute as a true freshman. The multi-sport athlete wasn’t listed on the depth chart that was released Tuesday, however.
“Right now, we’re not putting any time frame on it,” Gilmore said of a possible redshirt. “If it’s not a deal where he can benefit from it and get tons of reps, we’re not going to waste his (red)shirt.
“If I had any regrets from a year ago, we wasted Niles Paul’s (redshirt). He didn't have enough reps in the ballgames to play him. I don’t want that situation to repeat itself.”
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