Steven M. Sipple: There's a reason pregame stays same
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When Bo Pelini was Nebraska’s defensive coordinator in 2003, his speeches to players the night before games became almost legendary because of their high level of inspiration. The meetings obviously were for defenders. But other players started attending to get in on the motivation.
We bring up Pelini’s speeches because a coaching staff’s performance and organizational skills in the final hours leading to a game can be a factor in a team’s performance. We’re talking about those 24 hours or so before kickoff. We’re talking about a group of players and coaches getting into a proper mind-set, whether the game is home or away, whether kickoff is in the morning, afternoon or night.
Coaches cringe at the thought of logistical snags or other snafus during those crucial final hours. Logistics can become an issue when a team kicks off at a time when many college kids are getting out of bed. For instance, what we have before us today.
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The 40-year-old Pelini, now in his first season as a head coach, probably at some point will be faced with a situation in the hours leading to a game that’s less than ideal, perhaps like the utter fiasco the Huskers encountered in the 24-plus hours leading to their game at Penn State in 2002.
“I’ve never seen a trip get so messed up with things that weren’t weather-related,” said one former Nebraska staff member, referring to the events that culminated in a 40-7 loss to the Nittany Lions.
The Huskers obviously had no answers for Larry Johnson, Michael Robinson, Zack Mills and company that night. The Lions steamrolled Big Red with a 20-point third quarter. PSU clearly was the better team, make no mistake about that.
But former Nebraska coaches to this day wonder how the travel-related snags affected the Huskers’ readiness. Mind you, nobody is using those issues as an excuse. NU was an average outfit that season playing a tough team in a raucous atmosphere. But the trip illustrates how logistical problems in the hours before a game might impact a team’s performance.
The first snag actually occurred the previous spring when Nebraska officials began looking for hotel accommodations. Ideally, the team stays within a short drive of the opponent’s stadium. But NU officials were unable to find an available hotel in University Park, Pa., that had enough room for the team and its support staff. So the Huskers ended up staying in a hotel in Altoona, Pa., an hour from the stadium.
Players can lose their edge while riding a bus for an hour-plus en route to a game. It’s a big buzz kill.
Lesson I: Always find a hotel that’s a short drive from the stadium.
In this case, the bus trip wound along a two-lane road much of the way. Nebraska officials were told the trip to the stadium could last up to three hours depending on traffic. This trip lasted only 90 minutes. The problem was, the Huskers arrived at the stadium far too early — about 2 ½ hours before the 7 p.m. kickoff.
The playing field was blocked off, so the players obviously had nothing to do. Ideally, a team arrives at the stadium and immediately begins warming up on the field, without having much idle time.
Lesson II: Make sure you get reliable chartered jet service with a reputation for on-time departures.
Nebraska never got a chance to conduct its usual day-before-a-game walkthrough practice in the opponent’s stadium because the team’s chartered jet, originally scheduled to leave Lincoln at 1 p.m. the Friday before the game, didn’t depart until about 6 p.m. So, the Huskers didn’t land in Pennsylvania until about 11 p.m.
In failing to have a walk-through practice, Nebraska players were unable to get a feel for the stadium and its surroundings. What’s more, because of the delayed flight, Husker coaches had to scrap the Friday schedule they had for meals, position meetings, team meetings, et al.
On game day, players were allowed to sleep until about mid-morning. They ate breakfast and some attended chapel service. There obviously was plenty of time to watch football. At long last, the team boarded a bus bound for what turned out to be a hellaciously long night in an extremely loud stadium. The stadium shook, it was so loud.
Perhaps this sounds like a lot of excuses. Even with a perfect travel schedule, NU may have gotten drummed. Some players probably were unaffected by the problems. Others, however, may have been thrown out of whack. Perhaps some players weren’t even cognizant of the ways the botched travel plans might’ve affected their play.
Of course, Nebraska struggled to a 7-7 record that season, ending a stretch of 33 straight nine-win seasons.
Adding insult to injury: Nebraska’s postgame flight also was delayed, for 90 minutes.
Here’s hoping NU’s first road trip of 2008, Oct. 11 to Texas Tech, goes more smoothly.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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