What happened in 2007 season?

[CatColumbia]

I remember that Callahan was slowly building a solid team and that year the Huskers were poised for a potential breakthrough season.. Looking at the stats, the defense was atrocious but can someone shed some light why they were so bad? were there locker room issues? just curious.

 

[saluno22]

Poor leadership/Corey McKeon.

Inability to adapt the defense to spread offenses.

 

[Skerz4Life50]

Kevin Cosgrove

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Poor leadership/Corey McKeon.

Inability to adapt the defense to spread offenses.

Agreed. But I also think there were chemistry issues on the team relating to Keller starting over Ganz. The offense didn't do much that year either with Keller at the helm.

I also think at some point in the season the defensive players gave up and just quit trying.

 

[CatColumbia]

Kevin Cosgrove

But wasn't Cosgrove the DC 3 previous years as well? The Blackshirts weren't that bad the prior to 2007.

 

[headcard]

Crazy season. Pre-season hype and a huge recruiting class had everyone optimistic. Heck, Callahan got an extension after the first game of the season. But the D completely quit on Cosgrove fast and things got really ugly. It's too bad, because that recruiting class was pretty special before it fell apart: Gabbert, Givens, Robinson, Gray, Steinkuhler (I count him because of the stupid position change).

 

[Pennsyhusker]

But wasn't Cosgrove the DC 3 previous years as well? The Blackshirts weren't that bad the prior to 2007.

I know. Maybe someone on here with more ambition than I have could go look up our defensive stats from the previous 3 years

 

[CatColumbia]

Poor leadership/Corey McKeon.

Inability to adapt the defense to spread offenses.

What did McKeon do? or didn't do? He was pretty solid from what I remember when the Huskers defeated Michigan in the Alamo.

 

[saluno22]

What did McKeon do? or didn't do? He was pretty solid from what I remember when the Huskers defeated Michigan in the Alamo.

My McKeon comment was somewhat tongue in cheek. But like Pennsy said, the entire defense pretty much gave up midway through the season and McKeon was the leader of the defense. There was one play on a long TD run where he actually pushed the runner into the end zone.

 

[saluno22]

I will say, one guy who didn't give up was Zack Bowman. Even when he got torched by Briscoe at KU, you could tell he was busting his butt. Courtney Grixby was a baller at the other corner, he just lacked height. Good return man, though.

 

[headcard]

I know. Maybe someone on here with more ambition than I have could go look up our defensive stats from the previous 3 years

Those D's were OK, because they had some very good D linemen (Moore and Carriker at DE were beasts).

 

[headcard]

I will say, one guy who didn't give up was Zack Bowman. Even when he got torched by Briscoe at KU, you could tell he was busting his butt. Courtney Grixby was a baller at the other corner, he just lacked height. Good return man, though.

Also Bo Ruud, Ty Steinkuhler, not everyone laid down.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

We tend to forget that these players are real people and not just football machines. Therefore, we all tend to overlook how quickly a negative or positive group think psychology can affect an entire team. And often times, the trigger for negative group psychology can be something internal to the team that fans are never aware of. But it is very clear that sometimes a team (college or pro) just gives up for some reason.

And my guess is that often coaches too might be the last to know why something has gone off the rails psychologically.

All I know is that something went very wrong with that 2007 team.

 

[saluno22]

Also Bo Ruud, Ty Steinkuhler, not everyone laid down.

Yep. Just not enough DBs (or good-enough pass rush) to keep from getting torched through the air. 2007 was probably the turning point for spread offenses.

I remember Bo Ruud's game-saving plays against Ball State and Iowa State that year. Glad those plays happened, but disappointed they were necessary.

 

[saluno22]

We tend to forget that these players are real people and not just football machines. Therefore, we all tend to overlook how quickly a negative or positive group think psychology can affect an entire team. And often times, the trigger for negative group psychology can be something internal to the team that fans are never aware of. But it is very clear that sometimes a team (college or pro) just gives up for some reason.

And my guess is that often coaches too might be the last to know why something has gone off the rails psychologically.

All I know is that something went very wrong with that 2007 team.

Completely agree. I had completely forgotten about Ganz/Keller until you mentioned it. I'm not sure Callahan thought that decision could transitively lead to him being fired.

Before someone posts Keller's stats, keep in mind he accumulated a bunch in games with large deficits.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Completely agree. I had completely forgotten about Ganz/Keller until you mentioned it. I'm not sure Callahan thought that decision could transitively lead to him being fired.

Before someone posts Keller's stats, keep in mind he accumulated a bunch in games with large deficits.

I think a lot of players on the team knew that Ganz should have been the starter, but Keller started over him because Callahan promised Keller and his family that he would be the starter if he transferred to NU. That is my completely speculative and unfounded opinion....

 

[bigboxes]

You also forget that AD Pederson was fired halfway through the year and Osborne was brought in. Callahan was basically a lame duck, with Osborne offering no support. The team imploded and the rest is history. I'm not sure if Cally firing his friend, Cosgrove, would have saved his job. I think that Osborne was getting payback for Pederson firing/not hiring his guys.

 

[Suhrreal]

I remember that Callahan was slowly building a solid team and that year the Huskers were poised for a potential breakthrough season.. Looking at the stats, the defense was atrocious but can someone shed some light why they were so bad? were there locker room issues? just curious.

This is actually one of the great mysteries to me as well.

In May of that year, there was a post that went up on the Red Sea Scrolls claiming that Tom Osborne wanted to be athletic director at Nebraska. The poster claimed that Callahan and Peterson would be ousted by season's end to make room for TO. Of course, this was ridiculous to read at the time because there was buzz around our recruiting, and the players themselves were whispering things about a national championship. That post was deleted in less than a day, and the rest is history.

Curious if anyone else remembers that?

If we're going strictly off of what happened on the field, we had a decent offense, the defense was atrocious, and that about sums it up. The other thing that ran against us was the fact that the Big XII and our out-of-conference schedule was probably as brutal as it ever was. USC was still in dynasty mode with Pete Carroll at the helm. Ball State had their best team of all time and pushed us to the brink at home. The teams in our own division were some of the best in their history -- Kansas and Mizzou were flirting with national championships themselves with explosive offenses. Texas was still a great team. Oklahoma State had a ridiculously good team as well. Colorado had a good offense, and we probably could have won that one to go .500. Factor in the Big XII reffing and it was a forgettable season for the good guys.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

You also forget that AD Pederson was fired halfway through the year and Osborne was brought in. Callahan was basically a lame duck, with Osborne offering no support. The team imploded and the rest is history. I'm not sure if Cally firing his friend, Cosgrove, would have saved his job. I think that Osborne was getting payback for Pederson firing/not hiring his guys.

Agreed. Callahan was toast no matter what as soon as Osborne was brought back.

The problem with Callahan went deeper than the problems of 2007. Callahan had little respect for Nebraska's traditions and was all about pushing his own supposed genius. He alienated former players and coaches and wanted to erase the past in order to build his own legacy. His ego, therefore, clashed with Osborne's. Little doubt to anyone at the time, including Callahan, who was gonna win. The players knew it too.

 

[bigboxes]

Agreed. Callahan was toast no matter what as soon as Osborne was brought back.

The problem with Callahan went deeper than the problems of 2007. Callahan had little respect for Nebraska's traditions and was all about pushing his own supposed genius. He alienated former players and coaches and wanted to erase the past in order to build his own legacy. His ego, therefore, clashed with Osborne's. Little doubt to anyone at the time, including Callahan, who was gonna win. The players knew it too.

Professionally, Callahan should have been allowed to do it his way. Pederson didn't hire Cally to come in an run Osborne's offense. He was here to rip it out and install something modern. When you don't win championships immediately you have those that call for heads to roll. NU is a blue blood and there are a lot of egos to stroke and asses to kiss. Without Pederson to back him up, Cally was a goner. Freakin' Pelini effed with Husker traditions and was able to get away with it because he was Tom's pick. We had to put up with him for 7 years due to TO's influence on the program. Otherwise, Bo would have been gone after 5, IMO.

 

[NorthWillRiseAgain]

Some of the problem was that certain players would rather do lines off of toilets.

 

[Toms Wife]

Agreed. Callahan was toast no matter what as soon as Osborne was brought back.

Completely bogus. In Osborne's second week on the job he told Cally exactly what he needed to do to keep his job. He needed to win more than 50% of the remaining games. That's it.

Sometimes the alternative facts about Osborne make me shake my head.

 

[TFrazier]

What did McKeon do? or didn't do? He was pretty solid from what I remember when the Huskers defeated Michigan in the Alamo.

McKeon convinced some players to wear Nebraska Volleyball uniforms at a party during the season. Once the word and images got out...the season was OVER.

No...I will not post those embarrassing photos heading into National Signing Day!! I do not want to negatively impact our current recruiting class.

 

[inWV]

FWIW, here is the two deep for the first game: http://www.huskers.com/pdf7/82448.pdf. Turner, Suh, Stein, Potter, and Asante were starters. From the looks of it, we did not have enough quality Dbacks to adequately defend against the offenses we saw that year.
Our offense was ranked 30th in total O and 10th in passing, but only 77th in rushing. So we had a talented line with little experience, and our LBs and DBs couldn't get the job done, even though Ruud, Grixby, McKeon, and Tierre Green all were entering their third year as starters. Our rushing O was too anemic to burn clock.
Ball State was a harbinger of how that season would go.

 

[Toms Wife]

FWIW, here is the two deep for the first game: http://www.huskers.com/pdf7/82448.pdf. Turner, Suh, Stein, Potter, and Asante were starters. From the looks of it, we did not have enough quality Dbacks to adequately defend against the offenses we saw that year.
Our offense was ranked 30th in total O and 10th in passing, but only 77th in rushing. So we had a talented line with little experience, and our LBs and DBs couldn't get the job done, even though Ruud, Grixby, McKeon, and Tierre Green all were entering their third year as starters. Our rushing O was too anemic to burn clock.
Ball State was a harbinger of how that season would go.

As mentioned above, some of the stat numbers are misleading. When you are getting waxed, you throw the ball a lot more and don't run it nearly as often.

Our average yards per rush was higher in 2007 than it was in 2016.

 

[jedimasterjed]

Callahan was not a very good head coach. He kinda fell into the Nebraska job. The recruiting during his time was good but he should have never been head coach.

 

[tpmcg]

Those D's were OK, because they had some very good D linemen (Moore and Carriker at DE were beasts).

Seemed to remember carriker crushing the auburn oline in the bowl game from tackle to the center on his side. overlooked performance by a husker.

 

[saluno22]

FWIW, here is the two deep for the first game: http://www.huskers.com/pdf7/82448.pdf. Turner, Suh, Stein, Potter, and Asante were starters.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like there was a S&C issue around this time as well. OL/DL getting too bulky and compromising quickness/flexibility.

 

[TFrazier]

Seemed to remember carriker crushing the auburn oline in the bowl game from tackle to the center on his side. overlooked performance by a husker.

I wonder what are Carriker's thoughts on his former head coach? Would be an interesting Carriker Chronicles if he hasn't produced one on this topic already.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Professionally, Callahan should have been allowed to do it his way. Pederson didn't hire Cally to come in an run Osborne's offense. He was here to rip it out and install something modern. When you don't win championships immediately you have those that call for heads to roll. NU is a blue blood and there are a lot of egos to stroke and asses to kiss. Without Pederson to back him up, Cally was a goner. Freakin' Pelini effed with Husker traditions and was able to get away with it because he was Tom's pick. We had to put up with him for 7 years due to TO's influence on the program. Otherwise, Bo would have been gone after 5, IMO.

I agree about a coach being allowed to do things his way. I was referencing how Callahan went out of his way to let former players know they really weren't welcome in north stadium. There was a lot of grumbling about that

 

[TFrazier]

I agree about a coach being allowed to do things his way. I was referencing how Callahan went out of his way to let former players know they really weren't welcome in north stadium. There was a lot of grumbling about that

Don't forget all of the pictures that were taken down of the all conference and all American players. For whatever reason Callahan and Stevie P. wanted to distance themselves from the legendary Husker greats and traditions.

 

[bigboxes]

I didn't say it wasn't a cultural struggle. It goes both ways. I'm sure that Cally just wanted to do his thing without interference.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Don't forget all of the pictures that were taken down of the all conference and all American players. For whatever reason Callahan and Stevie P. wanted to distance themselves from the legendary Husker greats and traditions.

Exactly.

 

[Truehuskerfan]

Professionally, Callahan should have been allowed to do it his way. Pederson didn't hire Cally to come in an run Osborne's offense. He was here to rip it out and install something modern. When you don't win championships immediately you have those that call for heads to roll. NU is a blue blood and there are a lot of egos to stroke and asses to kiss. Without Pederson to back him up, Cally was a goner. Freakin' Pelini effed with Husker traditions and was able to get away with it because he was Tom's pick. We had to put up with him for 7 years due to TO's influence on the program. Otherwise, Bo would have been gone after 5, IMO.

This has always bothered me too. Bo clearly never cared much for the Blackshirt tradition and turned it into something it had never been before where players had to earn the Blackshirts during the season and could have them taken away and given back at will. Recall all the "when are the Blackshirts going to be handed out? questions every year-which in itself became an unnecessary distraction. If Callahan had done that, people would have screamed bloody murder about it, yet Bo got a pass on it from most people because he was TO's pick. In the end. neither of them were really good fits for our program. Say what you want about Mike Riley, but I think he gets the Husker traditions and what the program means to the state much better than either Callahan or Bo did.

 

[Toms Wife]

The tradition that Cally and Pelini let go of (and to some extent Frank) was a sense of toughness. If we start pancaking people and hitting them in the mouth for four quarters, I could care less when we give out blackshirts, or whether or not we wear white pants on the road, or whether we have an awesome tunnel walk, etc. Riley will be a good cultural fit if he can make that happen.

 

[CameronKrazie86]

Semi-related but I really enjoyed Callahan's recruiting since it gave a glimmer of hope of better days ahead. It was the only time I subscribed to rivals because of how much fun it was hearing about some top player being interested in Nebraska.

With that being said, I didn't think Cosgrove (much like Banker) was good enough to win a title with so I had hoped he would be gone following the second season. I always felt if he got canned sooner than later that Callahan would be the head coach until someone from the NFL came calling.

I do thank Callahan for one thing and that's for proving you can recruit top classes to Lincoln. It's my primary reason for being frustrated with Bo. There was this myth that it couldn't be done yet the previous guy had done just that. Drove me crazy.

 

[dckchusker]

FWIW, here is the two deep for the first game: http://www.huskers.com/pdf7/82448.pdf. Turner, Suh, Stein, Potter, and Asante were starters. From the looks of it, we did not have enough quality Dbacks to adequately defend against the offenses we saw that year.
Our offense was ranked 30th in total O and 10th in passing, but only 77th in rushing. So we had a talented line with little experience, and our LBs and DBs couldn't get the job done, even though Ruud, Grixby, McKeon, and Tierre Green all were entering their third year as starters. Our rushing O was too anemic to burn clock.
Ball State was a harbinger of how that season would go.

The hope for a breakthrough season in 2007 was probably misplaced. NU was replacing its entire DL, which included two All-Big 12 DE's (Carriker and Moore), and its QB, who was Big 12 OPOY (Zac Taylor). That's not a recipe for a peak year, even for a perennial playoff team.

On defense, I think the players realized eventually they were in a bad scheme that wasn't suited to stop the spread offenses, and they became demoralized. Cosgrove seemed like a Woody Hayes era DC who was lost when trying to stop 21st century offenses. They just lost confidence. The offense went wildfire as soon as Joe Ganz started. Over the last three games, NU averaged 50 points and 600 yards per game, and lost 2 of 3. The D was that bad.

There were also questions, then as now, about the physicality of practices. USC started its first possession on its 4 yard line I think, ran the ball 4 times and scored. The D never really recovered from getting pushed around like that. It was a stark contrast to the year before, when USC didn't get its 96th rushing yard until the middle of the 4th quarter.

TO, as usual, summed it up when he said, after firing Callahan, that the team had enough talent that they should have been more competitive, but "something was just missing."

 

[MarvR]

We lost three very good defensive line men after the 2006 season. A couple teams had usually good offenses in 2007. I think we played six top 30 teams that year. Those teams didn't necessarily have good defenses, but they had very good offenses.

 

[Captain Nick]

You also forget that AD Pederson was fired halfway through the year and Osborne was brought in. Callahan was basically a lame duck, with Osborne offering no support. The team imploded and the rest is history. I'm not sure if Cally firing his friend, Cosgrove, would have saved his job. I think that Osborne was getting payback for Pederson firing/not hiring his guys.

This is complete nonsense.

Osborne was completely transparent. He told them if they win out there shouldn't be a problem. Go 3-1 and they'll probably be able to make it work. 2-2 or worse then it probably wasn't going to work. What evidence do you have that he didn't support them? Watson and Gilmore were essentially retained based on Osborne's recommendation alone. Do you really think Osborne is that petty to try to sabatoge the program he spent his entire adult life building?

 

[bigboxes]

This is complete nonsense.

Osborne was completely transparent. He told them if they win out there shouldn't be a problem. Go 3-1 and they'll probably be able to make it work. 2-2 or worse then it probably wasn't going to work. What evidence do you have that he didn't support them? Watson and Gilmore were essentially retained based on Osborne's recommendation alone. Do you really think Osborne is that petty to try to sabatoge the program he spent his entire adult life building?

Yes, I believe Osborne had an agenda. He put his feelings above the program. I'm not saying he purposely sabotaged the program. In the end, what's the difference when he put himself first?