Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl

Hey look, teams that I've heard of and have actually watched play a game or two this season. Saturday night's prime time match up will have that UCLA Bruins (6-6) in one corner and the BYU Cougars (10-2) in the other. What better environment to have a bowl game where the sponsor could be providing the television you're watch the game on. The college football postseason is full of excitement!!

The Bruins are coming off a disappointing season and have since fired coach Carl Dorrell. UCLA came in with a lot of expectation with returning quarterback Ben Olson and after defeating rival USC at home the previous season. The Bruins endured a roller coaster type year with such highs as defeating conference opponents Oregon (without Dennis Dixon) and Cal. However, the lows outweighed them with stunningly poor performances at Utah and being the first team to allow Notre Dame to win while playing them at home.

The Cougars on the other hand, managed to win their conference and came away with a non conference win against Pac 10 Arizona. BYU is solid all around and will have a better shot at defeating the Bruins on a neutral site. They'll have a better shot than they did when they played the Bruins in the Rose Bowl back on September 8th and lost 27-17. Expect a better performance this time around.

Pick: BYU 24 - UCLA 21

New Mexico Bowl

In a historic turn of events, the college football powers that be have decided to give a team their very own bowl game. The Lobos of New Mexico (8-4) will be enjoying home field advantage over WAC opponent Nevada (6-6) come Saturday afternoon.

The Wolf Pack lost their first game of the year to Nebraska 52-10. Remember that? Anyway, I won't expect a blowout of epic proportion that Nevada suffered in Lincoln. Nevada has a great running attack and it should make for an interesting match up because of New Mexico's defense which was near the top in the Mountain West Conference.

The difference will come with the absence of the Lobo's star running back Rodney Ferguson. Ferguson rushed for over 1100 yards and crossed the goal line 14 times this season. Ferguson will be missed on his suspension and it will cost his team the game.

Pick: Nevada 25 - New Mexico 17

Papajohns.com Bowl

This games sponsor makes me hungry this close to lunchtime. It's my favorite national pizza chain actually. Their garlic sauce turned me from a person who would throw away the crust to someone who looks forward to the garlic drenched goodness of the butt end of a slice.

The first Saturday in the 2007 bowl smack down will pit the Southern Miss (7-5) Golden Eagles against the Bearcats of Cincinnati (9-3). The Eagles are fresh off firing long-time coach Jeff Bower who won 119 wins in 17 seasons. He would have coached Brett Favre when he was there, but the Packer star quarterback hasn't played college ball since Wrangler Jeans were cool.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, still has their coach Brian Kelly. I remember Kelly mostly from his days as head coach of Division II powerhouse Grand Valley State, a rival of my Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. Get it, both teams have...the Bearcat...as their...anyway. Kelly is putting together a good, solid program at Cincinnati and received a lot of attention from various universities shopping for coaches.

The Bearcats of Cincinnati are a damn tough team. They have held their last 11 opponents under 100 yards rushing, and considering the talent level in the Big East as far as running backs go, this stat cannot be overlooked in this game. I'm looking for the Cats to win decidedly against the Eagles in a game where I would like to be enjoying a hot, fresh, Papa John's pizza as I watch.

Pick: Cincinnati 37 - Southern Miss 10

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl will display a team who's school is thinking more about the Final Four than bowl season and a team who's coach has the most fantastic mustache in college football history.

In all seriousness however, the Tigers of Memphis (7-5) will bring some sizable receivers into the December 21st contest against the Florida Atlantic (7-5) Burrowing Owls. Florida Atlantic is coached by none other than former Miami Hurricane coach Howard Schnellenberger, who as you may remember coached the 'Canes in the 1984 Orange Bowl where Nebraska coach Tom Osborne famously went for a win on a two point conversion and ended up losing the national title 31-30.

The Owls make their way in by way of winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship which is not to be overlooked considering the short history of the FAU football program. However, with some of the worst defensive stats in the country (107th in sacks) will not bode will for the Owls against the Tiger receivers. Ball control will also be a problem for FAU. They rank 91st in the nation in rushing offense.

Pick: Memphis 28 - Florida Atlantic 16

Bowl Season Rundown

This weekend there will be bowl games. Oh yes, there will be bowl games. Most will be meaningless contests that shouldn't be played in the first place, but will be played none the less. I remember when bowl games were only played on New Years Day and if you played on a day that wasn't on New Year's it didn't really count anyway.

Tonight the 2007 bowl season will kick off with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. Wow, what a mouthful. And for the seven of us that will watch the game from beginning to end, we'll all receive a free blender with the opening of a new SDCCU cash back rewards checking account. Awesome.

The game itself will showcase WAC representative Utah against Navy. If you're a Nebraska fan and tune into this game you may see something vaguely familiar in the way the Midshipmen run their offense. For if you do watch the game tonight you'll be treated to the triple option. Something not seen in Lincoln since former coach Bill Callahan shocked our culture.

With former Navy coach Paul Johnson in Atlanta now after being hired by Georgia Tech, the Midshipmen won't necessarily play worse but I wouldn't expect them to play better or win either. Even after the highs of beating Notre Dame in South Bend for the first time since Roger Staubach was under center to defeating Army in the Armed Forces Game, they probably won't beat the Utes.

Utah has been playing great defense all season and has basically flown under the radar. Maybe you caught their shellacking of UCLA earlier in the year. Maybe you didn't, it was on Versus. Navy doesn't have much of a defense to speak of and it won't help them much against Utah stud running back Darrell Mack. Utah defends well against the pass, however it won't be that big of a factor considering that Navy will only pass the ball four times the entire game. Utah will make enough big plays on offense and their defense is good enough to stop the dreaded triple option.

Pick: Utah 32 - Navy 17

Staying the Course

Today it was announced that the word "interim" would be dropped from Tom Osborne's title and will be revised to read as "Athletic Director Tom Osborne. "

The legendary coach who took the Huskers to the peak of success in the mid-nineties will stay on as AD until June 30th, 2010.

This no doubt is to keep tabs on a program that, while not on life support, is far from the powerhouse that it once was. Osborne will oversee the operation of a sports program with 23 athletic organizations that has a budget of over $66 million.

This is basically putting faith in Osborne's hiring of Bo Pelini because he will only be AD over the program for the next two seasons. Two seasons may be just enough time to rebuild and how much time I'm personally expecting it will take to get back on par with the Texas's and Oklahoma's (and now even upstart Missouri and Kansas) of the world.

The search for Osborne's successor will begin in early 2010 and it has been reported that he will contribute with the transition.

Bo Announces Coaching Staff

Yesterday newly hired Nebraska Cornhusker football coach Bo Pelini revealed his coaching staff. It's taken a little longer than what I initially expected, but it's done and in place before he goes back to LSU to finish up his work as defensive coordinator during the recruiting "dead period," or, when coaches have to get back to coaching for bowl games.

Pelini was asked what he was looking for in an assistant coaches and was quoted as saying he would like teachers, great communicators and high-energy individuals to shape the program and lead the young men that play for Nebraska.

Pelini's staff has two holdovers from the Bill Callahan Era, and in my opinion the two best coaches from his staff, in offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Ted Gilmore. So, so far so good for Pelini keeping the two key components of the offense that ended up being the 8th rated passing offense and 11th rated offense overall in the nation. Now if they can just fix that defense...

Let's have a look at who will be coaching the Huskers in the spring. You'll notice, or you should notice, that there is a lack of a running back coach.

Barney Cotton - Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach
Cotton will make his second trip to Lincoln now under Pelini, previously he was the offensive coordinator under Frank Solich in the 2003 season. Cotton has spend the last three years at Iowa State as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

Before his tenure with Nebraska in '03 Cotton was offensive coordinator for six years at New Mexico State, coached at St. Cloud State and was head coach at Hastings College in 1995 and 1996.

Cotton played both sides of the ball for the Huskers on the defensive and offensive line from 1975-78. He also played four seasons in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals.

Shawn Watson - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Watson will enter into his third year as a coach on staff at Nebraska this next season. As I mentioned before, the 2007 Huskers threw for more than 3,800 yards and piled up offensive stats not seen since 1997 under Watson. In 2006 Watson was hired as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator before being elevated to his current position almost a year ago.

Watson came from Colorado where he was offensive coordinator under Gary Barnett where they won four Big 12 North division titles and won the Conference in 2001. Watson also brings some head coaching experience to the table leading Southern Illinois from 1994 to 1996.

Hopefully Watson can continue to reproduce what he has over the past two seasons. With Joe Ganz coming back next season, I'm hoping for some more give offensive output.

Ted Gilmore - Assistant Head Coach/Receivers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Gilmore is the second and last holdover from the Callahan staff. He's a savvy recruiter and along with Watson, have landed some big names in the last two to three seasons. With a solid staff in place 2009 should be a great year for signing if the Huskers can produce on field results in 2008.

Most of this year may be a lost cause due to some Callahan assistants telling potential prospects to keep their options open because of the shaky future of the coaches. Nice and professional, huh?

The receiver core under Gilmore's direction finished 8th in the nation this year in terms of total receiving production. Outgoing players Terrence Nunn and Maurice Purify finished second and fifth all-time in Nebraska history. Nate Swift will enter his final year next year as fourth all-time as a receiver for the Huskers.

Gilmore has been an assistant at Kansas, Wyoming, Purdue, Colorado and Houston.

Ron Brown - Tight Ends Coach
Another second comer to the Husker coaching staff is a man that should not be a stranger to you. He was tight ends coach at Nebraska for 17 years between 1987 and 2003 and coached 12 players to the NFL Draft and 14 others sign pro contracts.

This should be enticing to big-time tight end recruiting, something that had been lacking since the downfall of Matt Herron a couple seasons ago. Brown has been serving as Nebraska Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Carl Pelini - Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach
The elder Pelini will come over from Solich's staff at Ohio University. Pelini served in 2003 as a graduate assistant on defense to his brother. While at Ohio, he was apart of staff with Solich that returned the Bobcats around to mid-major respectability. In 2006 they won the eastern division of the Midwestern Athletic Conference and played Southern Miss in the championship game fore the conference. The Cats also made their first bowl appearance since 1968 that year.

Pelini hasn't had too much experience in the big time, if at all. Previous to his work with Ohio and Nebraska Pelini severed as head coach at Fitch High School as head coach for three seasons. He was also head coach and athletic director for Winnetonka High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He was also a graduate assistant under Bill Snyder at Kansas State in 1989 and 1990.

Pelini played two seasons at Columbia University.

Mike Ekeler - Linebackers Coach
Ekeler will follow Pelini from LSU where he was a graduate assistant in 2005 and 2006. He served as a coaching intern in the 2007 season. Before LSU he was also a graduate assistant under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma in 2003 and 2004.

What Ekeler brings to the table that will be most beneficial is the fact that he is a native Nebraskan and before his stint at Oklahoma he was a coach at Omaha Skutt High School and even coached in Manhattan, Kansas.

Ekeler played high school football at Blair High School and played for Kansas State for four years under Bill Snyder.

John Papuchis - Defensive Ends Coach
The next coach to follow Pelini from LSU is Papuchis who served the past four years coaching an outstanding LSU defense. Papuchis got his start under former LSU head coach Nick Saban and contributed greatly to the overall defensive scheme that LSU has been running for the better part of the past four or five years.

Papuchis has coached such players as All-American standouts Glenn Dorsey and Craig Steltz. Papuchis, before his tenure with the Tigers, was the secondary coach at Kansas and was linebackers coach in 2003 when KU reached the Tangerine Bowl.

Marvin Sanders - Secondary Coach
Sanders comes back to the Husker staff after coaching the same squad under Solich and Pelini in 2003. When Sanders led the defensive backs all they did was earn a school-record 32 interceptions on a defense that forced 47 takeaways. In that same season, safety Josh Bullocks grabbed a school record 10 interceptions and became just the second sophomore in school history to win All-American honors.

The last three years Sanders has served as the defensive coordinator at North Carolina. Previous to his time at Nebraska he had coaching stints at Nebraska Wesleyan, Minnesota-Morris, Nebraska-Omaha, New Mexico State and Colorado State.

As a former player for the Huskers under defensive coordinator Charlie McBride and head coach Tom Osborne, Sanders was a three time letter winner and earned Big 8 honorable mention in the 1989 season.

There you have it, the coaching staff the Pelini has put together. Not a whole lot of big names, but people that will hopefully be able to turn the culture back to what it should be in Lincoln. Hopefully we can get our team back under Pelini.

I Did It My Way - Part II

Ah yes, championship week is over and bowl season is on. The next couple of weeks will be a snoozer when it comes to the schedule, but that last week of December, after Christmas specifically, is when I watch just about every game on TV.

This year was a wacky one to say the least. Remember my playoff system? I said I’d line up the teams and do the matchups as I see fit once the conference champs had been crowned. So, here we are with nothing to talk about until the important bowls start, so it’s time to take an in depth (mildly) look at what I’d like a playoff system to look like.

Forgot what I’m talking about? Go back and read my previous entry or we’ll just cover the finer points. That should bring you up to speed.

1. The first six teams are chosen by each major conference’s champion. Seeding among these teams is determined by place in the polls. The final two spots are given to two at-large teams.
2. First round games will be played at the higher seeded team’s home field on the weekend of December 22^nd. Second round games will be held at three of the four major bowls. The fourth major bowl will rotate each season and host two other at-large teams in a consolation game. More on this next week.
   
3. The national title game will be held January 7^th at a neutral site just as it is now. Sounds pretty simple right? Well, let's get into the games. I even included times and channels just to give you a palpable feeling on what this would be like and how awesome it would be.
   

#1 vs. #8 – in Columbus, Ohio

11am Central Time on ABC

Ohio State’s annual layoff would be shortened dramatically because of the new playoff system. Also, I’m sure Ohio Stadium is seeing it’s first December game or first game in quite some time. Under my playoff system this game would take place on Saturday, December 22^nd as stated above.

Hawaii had a great season and looked great against some decent teams, but not great teams. Their first real challenge against a big time opponent in their house in the dead of December doesn’t bode well for the spread offense under Warrior coach June Jones. Hawaii will put up points, just not that many.

Pick: Ohio State 35 – Hawaii 14

#3 vs. #6 – in Norman, Oklahoma

2:30 pm Central Time on ABC

One team is coming off winning their conference championship against what was the number one team in the nation and defeated their rival handily the previous week. The other is coming off a loss to their rival at home and missed out on a chance to play for the national title. One team has one of the fastest most physical defenses that shut down one of the most prolific offenses this season. The other team’s maestro is playing hurt and running an option that was slowed by an inferior defense.

So, does this game spell disaster for the team in question? You better believe it. This will be the biggest first round blowout on the slate of games I have in this mock tournament. An added bonus, we get to see how this game plays out for real in the Fiesta Bowl in less than a month.

Pick: Oklahoma 41 – West Virginia 14

#2 vs. #7 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

5:30 pm Central Time on CBS

I bet you think this game is in the bag for one of the year’s best defenses? Think again. LSU is banged up and in turmoil. Sure they beat Tennessee in the SEC Championship game, but that team was playing like world beaters. The Volunteers did what LSU couldn’t do in Lexington, but that doesn’t mean that it gets LSU back to where they were by defeating the Vols.

A run down Glen Dorsey, who will be saving himself for the NFL combine and the draft, and a banged up Matt Flynn are pieces of a puzzle that will be missing and hinder the Tigers chances at moving on in the tournament. Georgia is playing too well and the Bulldogs are too good on run defense, stopping a key component in the LSU offense that most people don’t know about. Here’s your upset special, but it’s a squeaker.

Pick: Georgia 24 – LSU 21

#4 vs. #5 – in Los Angeles, California

9pm Central Time on ESPN

The media proclaimed “hottest team in the country” will take on the Hokies of Virginia Tech in the Coliseum. I just think that the Trojans are finally playing up to their potential. Every team has problems with injuries, USC had their fair share and it hurt them. Still, you don’t lose to Stanford at home, that’s why the once mighty Trojan’s find themselves in the middle of the pack.

Will “Beamer Ball” be enough to slow the Trojan offense, with a Heisman-like quarterback, deep running back squad and a young, up and coming receiver core? Doubtful. The Hokies came into this game with plenty of momentum, just not enough talent to match up evenly. Special teams play and a solid defense are a bit of a factor during some key plays in keeping it closer than most would think for Beamer’s boys.

Pick: USC 28 – Virginia Tech 16

I’m going to turn this into a semi-long, drawn out thing. I really have nothing better to do and it’s going to be slow until recruiting really picks up in January and prospects sign in February. Check back next week and we’ll look at the second round matchups. I know you’re on the edge of your seat.

Getting Back on Track, Osborne To Be Honored

It seems as if it’s full steam ahead for the Nebraska football program. Sure, there are a lot of questions about recruiting, but there are every year at this time.

How about newly christened head coach Bo Pelini going back to LSU for the BCS title game? Not too big of a deal if you ask me, I think it says a lot about the integrity of not only Pelini, but of interim athletic director Tom Osborne. He understands Pelini made a commitment and he’s letting him follow through on it. How well do you think it would do for recruiting if Pelini comes off as a national champion coach? Plus, by the time the game rolls around pre-signing duties for recruiting will be complete along with the winter program for existing players.

Yesterday I learned that Osborne will win ESPN’s Greatest College Coach of All-Time during the Rose Bowl on January 1^st. It’s just a fan poll that is basically a sort of meaningless award in the parlance of meaningful awards, but it’s still awesome to see the coach win 55% of the vote. Paul "Bear" Bryant was second place with 35% of the vote. The rest of the candidates won 5% or less.

It also looks like Pelini’s staff is starting to come together. Not only that, the offense looks like it is going to change a little bit as well. Remember the Kansas State and Colorado games being run mostly out of the spread and zone-read type formations? Get used to it. It seems Pelini is fairly sold on the theory of a wide-open offense. So the days of quarterbacks like Zac Taylor and Sam Keller will be short lived in favor of the style of a Joe Ganz. It probably won’t surprise you, but the junior Ganz is the favorite to start in his final season at Nebraska next season.

Back to Pelini’s staff, Barney Cotton will return as a coach at Nebraska, Shawn Watson will stay on as offensive coordinator and Ron Brown, who was a coach in Lincoln for 17 years until he left after the 2003 season, was rehired by Pelini on Tuesday. Cotton’s son, Ben Cotton, is one of the nations top prospects at tight end and when his father signed on with the Huskers, the junior Cotton followed his lead.

The recruits seem to be falling in line after Pelini and or Osborne has had the opportunity to meet with them. A lot of questions started swirling amid the five game losing streak and eventual firing of Bill Callahan, but it seems Pelini and Osborne are answering all the questions and are out pounding the pavement rounding up players for the school’s future.

Speaking of what’s in store for the school’s future, yours truly is in the Husker’s future. It’s official, I’m now throwing money into the machine and officially a booster. Hopefully I can get my tickets for next year. I won’t talk about how much my partner in crime and I are donating, but according to a helpful fellow in the athletic department, the prognosis for 2008 season tickets are better than good. At least I know I’ll truck up to Lincoln in April for the Spring Game to see the team under Pelini.

Recruiting Roundup - Simi Kuli

It’s that time of year. For programs not fortunate or mediocre enough to find their way into college football’s expansive post-season, the focus shifts to recruiting.

Of the two posts of recruits I have written about, one of them has defected to the Missouri Tigers. This unfortunately was one of the most promising quarterback recruits in Nebraska history. Next to maybe Turner Gil. Blaine Gabbert of Baldwin, Missouri has changed his tune after the seasons of Missouri and Nebraska went in opposite directions and with the uncertainty of former coach Bill Callahan’s job at the time of his decision.

Gabbert was primarily coming to Nebraska because of Callahan’s history of grooming NFL style quarterbacks. After Callahan was on his way to being deported, or more accurately, when former athletic director Steve Pederson was fired, Gabbert decided it would be in his best interest to stay in-state with the pass-happy Tigers.

But we’re not here to focus on Gabbert, we’re here to focus on what is the surprise of the recruiting world in the past couple of months. Simi Kuli, the 6-foot-4, 270 pound defensive end from El Camino Community College decided it would be a good idea to call Nebraska and give a solid verbal. Out of the blue. Stuff like this happens between 'not that often' and 'never,' especially when this caliber of player is being courted by the likes of Oklahoma, LSU and Tennessee.

The five-star athlete put up some impressive numbers in 2006 as a freshman with 56 tackles, 15 of them coming for a loss. He racked up five sacks as well as 20 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble recovery in 10 games.

Rivals.com publishes a Top 50 Junior College Recruits and Kuli is on top of that list. After a visit to LSU on October 6^th, it seemed to the rest of the world that Kuli was on a one way trip to Baton Rouge. However, on October 23^rd Kuli retracted his previous statement regarding LSU and gave his word to Nebraska. Hopefully now that sort of former LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini will be the Husker head coach next year, it should solidify what seems to be set in stone.

The soon-to-be-transfer said he has a lot of respect for the Cornhusker program and has been quoted as saying that the coaching change isn’t a concern. He said that now it is up to interim athletic director Tom Osborne if he’s worthy enough to come to Lincoln. My guess is Osborne has made his decision that Kuli is worthy.

I’m not going to say anything, considering the major burn put on by Gabbert, but this is a direct quote when interviewed by Duane ‘Roz’ Rossiter of HuskersIllustraited.com

"I'm not going to take anymore visits. I am done. I have no concerns, sir. The decision is up to Coach Osborne whether he makes the decision or not. I know he would not have anyone that would not get the job done at coaching."

100 percent sure?

"Yes sir."

Let’s hope.

Putting Money Where My Mouth Is

This weekend I got the crazy idea that it would be a sound investment to donate money to the University of Nebraska Athletic Department so I could someday get season tickets. I looked into all the ins and ous' and realized that this is something I would love to do. I maintain a blog on the football team, should be a no brainer right?

What could be better than season tickets and donating to a program that I love? Well, getting my Mom in on it as well to double up our money and accelerate the process of course! We have a ton of family that has gone to Nebraska, my uncle played for them in the 70’s under Tom Osborne and my cousin married former Husker receiver Bobby Newcome. I never wanted to name drop on here, but I was huge fan before that last point took place anyway.

So my good Mom agreed and we will now be giving some of our hard earned money to get some season tickets someday. I’m sending in our waiting list application tomorrow. It should be interesting to see exactly how far down the list we’ll be before we get our shot. But until that time, I’m sure we’ll be able to get tickets at a reasonable price through the couple of contacts that we do have.

So, wish us luck. Hopefully we’ll get our tickets before my Mom and I are too old. Not that Husker tickets are like being on the waiting list for Packer tickets, thank God.

10 Things You Should Like About Bo Pelini

I try not to copy and paste, but this story was on HuskersIllustrated which is part of Rivals.com. You need to pay sort of a hefty fee to subscribe to it each year (about $100) but it's worth it for info on recruiting if you're into that sort of thing. But here are two stories about why this is the best hire Nebraska could have made. I would have liked to have seen Turner Gill get a shot, but I'm not sure if Osborne thought now was the time. Either way, this seems to be a hire that will satisfy a lot of people.

Eight days after Nebraska interim Athletic Director Tom Osborne fired Bill Callahan, it was announced on Sunday that NU's new head football coach is LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini.

John Talman/HuskersIllustrated.com
Bo Pelini is 55-10 as a college defensive coordinator.

In five seasons as a college defensive coordinator, Pelini's teams are 55-10, including a 10-3 record while he was at Nebraska in 2003. Here are "10 reasons why this a great hire."

Pelini's brings emotion

When you looked at this football team, the two biggest things that were missing in 2007 seemed to be emotion and an overall belief in the system on defense. Pelini is a fiery coach and everyone who has played for him has consistently said they'd run through a brick wall for him.

He's a defensive minded head coach

It's no secret that defense was the biggest issue with this football team, and this is hopefully an area Pelini will shore up right away. In 2003, Pelini helped turned NU's defense from one of the worst in the nation to one of the best. It's going to have to do it again in 2008.

Getting back to the old school

If there's another thing Pelini will bring on board, it is an old school Nebraska flavor. Some expected names that Pelini could bring back are former NU coaches Barney Cotton, Marvin Sanders, Ron Brown and his brother Carl Pelini. It is also speculated that Pelini plans to retain NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, which I think is definitely the right move. Watson knows the Big 12 Conference and he can also help Pelini make a smoother transition on offense with his knowledge of NU's personnel.

Understanding Nebraska

One of the biggest knocks towards Callahan and his staff was they didn't have any previous ties to Nebraska, which made their transition that much tougher. Pelini was only at NU for one year, but in that one year he won over the state. I'll never forget the "we want Bo" chants in the Alamo Dome following NU's 17-3 victory over Michigan State. Pelini will also have a staff of coaches that understand Nebraska and what football means to this state.

The "it" factor

Tampa Bay Buccaneer linebacker Barrett Ruud may have said it best when describing Pelini. Ruud said Pelini has the "it factor" and he just gets it as a coach. Not only is Pelini a motivator, but he's also a sound X's and O's guy.

Blue collar attitude

	Pelini will bring back a blue-collar attitude to Nebraska football.

Nebraska is a blue collar state and this football program was built because of that same attitude. Pelini is a blue-collar hardnosed guy from Ohio and he should bring a Bob Stoops type mentality to Lincoln.

The players don't lie

Every player that Pelini has coached in five years at the college level will all say the same thing – they love Bo Pelini. This is such an important characteristic a head football coach must have.

Pelini fits the college game

Yes, Bo Pelini spent several years in the NFL, but ultimately when you break down his style as a football coach he's a college guy. Callahan was obviously a pro guy with his mentality of running a football program, so it should be a complete 180 when you compare their styles.

Winning now

When you look at his football team, Pelini is realistically the best guy Nebraska could've hired to win now. There is talent on this football team and Pelini should be able to shore up the issues on defense and the offense has enough coming back where this team can be competitive in 2008.

The guy is a winner

No matter where Pelini has been, he's won. Now yes, he was at places like Oklahoma, LSU and Nebraska, but a 55-10 record as a defensive coordinator and a 3-0 record in conference championship games is about as good as you are going to see from any coach in the country.

Quotes on Bo

On Sunday, LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini was named as the new head coach at the University of Nebraska.

John Talman/HuskersIllustrated.com
Before returning to Nebraska, Bo Pelini was a coordinator at both Oklahoma and LSU.

Pelini, the defensive coordinator for the Huskers in 2003, also made stops at Oklahoma along with LSU, before returning to Lincoln as of this weekend as the successor to Bill Callahan.

Here are some memorable statements, from people who have been around Pelini over the last several years, have said about the new head coach for NU.

"When I take the field, I feel like I'm out there with an army and he's our leader. He's always wired up, always intense. He's not a big cusser or anything, but he knows how to get you fired up."

-- LSU defensive tackle Glen Dorsey, (Yahoo! Sports, Oct. 11, 2007)

"Guys were ready to run through a wall for him. He was such a great motivator. He'd print out cards with different quotes and leave them in our locker to fire us up before games, and when it came to X's and O's, he definitely had the 'it' factor. He was the total package"

-- Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Nebraska linebacker Barrett Ruud (Yahoo! Sports, Oct. 11, 2007)

"I'll tell you this, he would deserve a head job. He's an excellent, excellent coach."

-- LSU athletic director Skip Bertman (The Advocate, Dec. 1, 2007)

"I loved the day before a game, going into defensive meetings just to hear his words. He always had a way of motivating the defense. It was something I've never seen before or heard. He was just so intense."

-- Former Husker punter Sam Koch (Lincoln Journal Star, Nov. 21, 2007)

"You know how some people have it and some don't? He has it."

-- Former Nebraska defensive tackle Titus Adams (Omaha World Herald, Nov. 11, 2007)

"From the moment we met him…you saw this could be a guy you could follow and go to with."

-- Former Nebraska defensive tackle Jason Lohr (Omaha World Herald, Nov. 11, 2007)

"Nobody's willing to cross him. He's got those people skills to come to you like a man and talk to you. That's his biggest philosophy, that everybody on this team is a man. He doesn't talk behind your back. There's no babying. You just get the job done."

-- Former Nebraska defensive lineman Le Kevin Smith (Omaha World Herald, Dec. 28, 2003)

"He has a love of the game and wants you to get after it. It's about loving the game and getting after it. The main thing he's focused on his effort. One of the big things is just his style and how he presents things to us. What we have to do is learn it, so we better learn it now."

-- Former LSU defensive tackle Kyle Williams (TigerBait.com, April 7, 2005)

"He knows what he wants to get out of a defense. People say he's serious, but he has a lighter side to him and stays serious as well. I think that's good. But don't be mistaken, he can joke with you, but he'll mix it up with the best of them when he wants to. He has a goal in mind, an end result, and he wants to make sure he stays focused on that."

-- Former Nebraska secondary coach Marvin Sanders following Pelini's first day as defensive coordinator at Nebraska. (HuskersIllustrated.com, March 26, 2003)

"There was a fight, then something happened after the fight. He (Pelini) got hit in the nose, then he grabbed somebody's facemask, and it was over from there."

"Bo Pelini — that is the man. He is the man, whatever he says, I'll do. I'll run through a brick wall on fire. I'll run through flames for that man, and there is a bunch on that defense that will do that.

-- Former Nebraska defensive lineman Bernard Thomas on Pelini breaking up a fight in practice (HuskersIllustrated.com – March 2003)

Press Conference

Here, in four parts, is the press conference announcing Bo Pelini as head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Mr. Inspirational

Well, it's official. Bo Pelini will become the fifth head football coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers since 1962. In a players only meeting before he was officially announced, the players could already tell the difference. Junior quarterback Joe Ganz was reportedly impressed with his ability to inspire the players and that his fiery demeanor was already apparent.

Pelini was quoted at the press conference as saying that he would not be overwhelmed by the tradition and expectation that comes along with being the Cornhusker head coach, he instead said that he would embrace it and saw the program as "one big family" in the state. You could probably hear the collective sigh of relief across the state.

Since his departure from Nebraska in 2003, Pelini helped the Oklahoma Sooners to the national title game as co-defensive coordinator in 2004 and was hired by Les Miles as defensive coordinator at Louisiana State. Pelini helped build one of the fiercest defenses in one of the nation's best conferences.

In his tenure at Baton Rouge, the Tigers ranked number three in total defense in the country all three seasons. This season they only gave up 284 yards per game and forced 33 turn overs which is fourth in the nation. However, this year was uncharacteristically bad. At least compared to last season with the Tigers were unquestionably the best defense in the Southeastern Conference by leading the conference in six different categories. The team had two separate streaks of 16 and 10 quarters without allowing a touchdown.

Remember what it was like to have a solid defense? The year Pelini was coordinator for Nebraska the Blackshirts (remember them) led the nation in pass efficiency defense at 88.6, ranked number two in scoring defense holding teams to 14.5 points per game, ranked 11th in passing yards only giving up 177.8 yards per game and was 11th in total defense. Pelini's unit also tied a Husker record with 47 takeaways that ranked number two in the country. The Huskers lead in turnover margin over every team in college football at plus 1.77 per game.

So what else? We've all heard stories about how he's got a short fuse. Will it cause him to lose favor in the eyes of the fans, Osborne, the press or more importantly his players? We'll have to wait and see. Up until this point the players that were coached under him had nothing but admiration for their coach. He has a personal touch and ability to speak to players. He has that "it" factor that makes his guys his guys.

Pelini is yet to pick a staff and was quoted as saying he may retain some assistants from Callahan's staff. More to come in the next few days I'm sure.

Hot Mess

You'd think this morning while reading all the previews for today's games, that there was no way that both number one and number two would lose and would open the door for a cluster to the national title. Well, if you thought that you're wrong and you haven't been paying attention this season.

The trail of 1's and 2's that have lost are lengthy. Four times number ones have lost this season, which is the most I can remember since I've been watching college football. Missouri, Ohio State and LSU (twice!) went down while at the top. And it's not just chaos in the number one spot either.

More number twos have lost than I can count. Kansas, USC, South Florida, Boston College, West Virginia and Oklahoma. Doesn't anyone want to win a national title? Maybe because teams are now forced to hand out the same number of scholarships (85), parody is finally creeping into college football.

So the all important question is who will play for the BCS National Championship? I'm going to go out on a limb and project every BCS Bowl game. This is provided that Hawaii takes care of business tonight against Washington. Right now, the Warriors trail the Huskies 14-0 with only 6:30 minutes off the clock in the first quarter.

Sugar Bowl
Hawaii vs. Arizona State
Like I said, this is provided that Hawaii wins. You may be able to flip flop Kansas and Arizona State if Fiesta Bowl brass doesn't want to see an all Big 12 match-up. However, that is unlikely considering the Fiesta Bowl is the Big 12's automatic bid bowl.

Fiesta Bowl
Kansas vs. Oklahoma
Looks like it will be Big 12 North number two versus the Big 12 Champion. I'd expect OU to tear KU an new one in this game. This one will almost be a bigger snooze fest than the Sugar Bowl.

Rose Bowl
USC vs. Georgia
It will be a bowl of the two hottest teams in college football, allegedly. I watched USC against UCLA today and USC didn't look that impressive. I'd expect this bowl to be a huge letdown given Georgia's ability to put me to sleep.

Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
This game was the easiest to pick because it's already been decided. At least I'll get one right.

BCS National Championship Game
LSU vs. Ohio State
Thanks a bunch Missouri and West Virginia. Now we'll all get to watch the 2006 BCS title game redux. Awesome.

As you can see because of all the upheaval I'm none too pleased about how the season played out. Despite that, I'm hoping this is how it works out every year so we can get a playoff system in place before I die. It doesn't seem likely and the most we can hope for will probably be a +1 format. At least according to Kirk Herbstreit. And after his "Les Miles going to Michigan, for sure" debacle on ESPN Game Day this morning, I guess I wouldn't believe in former Buckeye back-up quarterbacks.

Oh yeah, looks like the curse of Sports Illustrated is still in effect. And unlike former Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, Chase Daniel will not win the Heisman.



PS - Washington 21 Hawaii zip. Good God.

Hot Off The Press

You are probably looking at the next head coach.

I was just on my way back from the grocery store and ESPN's Pat Forde released a report that soon-to-be-former LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini will be named Nebraska's next head coach sometime early next week.

It's not up under anything that I check on a regular basis. Not on HuskersIllustrated, ESPN or on the Lincoln Journal-Star. Keep it here or any of those sites to see if this report has any substance what so ever.

Former athletic director Steve Pederson has returned to AD of Pittsburgh University. So, if Pelini is hired it would seem that we have just been in a vacuum for the past four years and things should return to normal now. One can hope, right?

Bringin' It Into the Weekend

As we move forward into what I hope will be the most exciting Saturday of college football this season, here are some things to look for in regard to the Nebraska coaching job and what I’ll be watching on the tube this weekend.

First things first, we’ve been over this to death this week so I’m not going to bore you with retread thoughts. Reportedly, Nebraska interim athletic director/coach Tom Osborne said he hoped that a new coach would be revealed by this weekend. That means today is the day, but go back and read that last sentence. He hoped a new coach would be named, doesn’t mean that a new coach would be named by the weekend.

From what I’ve read and heard this is how I see things breaking down.

Frontrunner: Bo Pelini – he’s undefeated as a Nebraska head coach, and he’s got a better winning percentage than Tom Osborne. Alright, alright, I know it’s just one game that he’s won, but he was a part of the old regime, as brief as it was. He’s got more big time, big program experience and he’ll supply a lot of intensity and hopefully can get the Huskers to play up to their abilities. Remember, he’s sort of a hothead and his defense down in Baton Rouge is underachieving. He’s never been a head coach really, either.

Down But Not Out: Turner Gill – he turned around a horrible program in Buffalo and has years upon years of experience and know how under the tutelage of one Tom Osborne. Gill has been a head coach, he knows what it’s like to run a full season or two as the guy. But he hasn’t had the big time spotlight type of coaching experience. Maybe that’s for the best, maybe he won’t think like a head coach would and he won’t over think everything like Callahan. You have to outplay to win in college, not out plan.

The Brian Thorson Situation - I have to make this bold and attach it to Gill for this reason. He's a Buffalo offensive line commit from Omaha (Millard North, specifically) and Osborne visited him yesterday about coming to Nebraska. Why the sudden interest? Why would Osborne go after a two star recruit going to Gill's current school next fall? Especially with four and five star targets starting to waiver in their support for going to Nebraska?

My gut is really telling me that Gill will be the next coach, even though my brain is going with Pelini. Could he be a focus because Gill is coming back to Lincoln? Is he just a package deal to grab the real prize in Sean Fisher, a three star linebacker and teammate/friend from Millard North? I'm guessing they are using Osborne in the small window they have him on the recruiting trail in this way. Simply said, having a state icon in your living room should be enough to secure every player from Omaha to Scottsbluff.

Dark horse: Jim Grobe – Jim who? Come on, you should know this man’s name. He coaches Wake Forrest. We played and defeated the Demon Deacons earlier this season, remember that? Doesn’t it seem about three seasons ago? He almost seems like the perfect fit on the surface, but many fans will say, well, “Jim who?”

I think all three of these guys would be a solid choice. Grobe could be unbelievable with Nebraska money, facilities and mystique. But you know as well as I do it’s going to come down to Gill and Pelini. Just remember, the outcry is for Bo, and if he fails by Nebraska standards Husker fans will only have to look to themselves and the legacy of Tom Osborne. Time to wait and see now. My vote is on the side of Gill for now. When do tickets for the spring game go on sale??

What To Watch

12:00PM ESPN – Boston College vs. Virginia Tech

A little bit of revenge, perhaps? Boston College and senior quarterback Matt Ryan slapped the Hokie faithful in the face when BC came from behind after being flat out dominated by the Tech defense for 58 minutes in Blacksburg in October. Should be a great game to kick the day off right.

Pick: Virginia Tech 20-16

3:30PM ABC – USC vs. UCLA

Another game that has a team bent on avenging a loss. This one comes via last year’s upset in the Rose Bowl (not the official Rose Bowl mind you) when the Bruins derailed the Trojan’s national title hopes by defeating them 13-9. USC is the hottest team in the country next to Missouri. USC is -20 according to Vegas and I’m picking the Trojan’s to cover at home in the Coliseum.

Pick: USC 45-21

7:00PM ABC – Oklahoma vs. Missouri

Watching this game is a no-brainer. Especially since my wife and friends that are coming over are Mizzou fans. Would it be wrong to cheer for the Sooners? Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be wearing black and gold tomorrow night. I’ll probably defiantly be wearing a Nebraska shirt, just like I did last week when the Tigers played Kansas. It’s hard to bet for or against either team. OU took the regular season game, but Missouri was in it until some dumb turnovers occurred in the last quarter of the game, giving it to the Sooners 41-31. Will Pinkel pull some more boneheaded moves and will the Tigers be tamed? I want to see an MU versus West Virginia national title game, I think I’d boycott if Mizzou lost and it was Ohio State versus West Virginia, blah.

Pick: Missouri 28-24

10:30PM ESPN 2 - Hawaii vs.Washington

Playing in the "If I Can Stay Up Late Enough Bowl." I watched the Warriors beat the Broncos of Boise State last Saturday night and they looked pretty damn impressive doing so. The Huskies completely dismantled the Broncos earlier in the year, so I'm not sure how to call this one. Just know there could be a lot of points. But hold on. You know what else looked good in that game last week? Hawaii's defense. That's right, their defense. Expect Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl against LSU if both teams win tomorrow.

Pick: Hawaii 35-28

I may flip back and forth between USC/UCLA and Tennessee/LSU if either or both games get out of hand. Keep your radar up to see if Pitt can upset West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. Hey, stranger things have happened this season.

Who’s The Heisman?

If I had a vote, it would be Tim Tebow. I don’t care if he’s a sophomore or if his team is 9-3 and not playing for a conference championship. Brad Smith was not the best player in college football last year, but Ohio State was undefeated and played for a national title and was supposed to win. Tebow is simply a cut above every other player in the pool of Heisman hopefuls. He’s second in the country as far as pass efficiency, and he’s the only player to pass and rush for 20 touchdowns and that’s against teams in the best conference in the country. You don’t have to say much else. If I had to pick a top three, this is how it would look.

1. Tim Tebow – Florida
2. Darren McFadden – Arkansas
3. Chase Daniel – Missouri

Too bad McFadden didn’t play for a better team, because if he played for a team that didn’t lose five games this year he’d probably be the guy. Sorry to Mizzou fans and Chase Daniel, I know he’s been unstoppable and I’ve seen him make some ridiculous plays, I just think Tebow is better.

Anyway, championship week last year for me was a dud. I went to Arrowhead and froze by butt off while watching the Huskers lose to Oklahoma. Too bad we didn't have this weather last year. I hope this "Championship Saturday" lives up to the hype. Sunday I get to watch the Chiefs suck it up against the Chargers this weekend when my wife's parents come over for it, so I'm going to need a good last full slate of college football games tomorrow.

Osborne Back as Head Coach

Don't get too excited, it will probably only be until the end of the week. As I may or may not have mentioned earlier in this crazy week, Osborne passed the NCAA head coach test Wednesday in order to go out on the road and recruit and keep prospective players committed to Nebraska after the Callahan firing.

Hopefully, Osborne's status (although probably fading among kids 17-18 years old) will cement some prospect's decision making process in playing for the Huskers. Some of Callahan's assistants have been out in the trenches this week in living rooms talking to recruits and trying to hold the ship together.

Down To Two

This should come as a shock to no one who reads this, ESPN reported yesterday from an undisclosed source close to Lincoln saying that the final two candidates are Bo Pelini and Turner Gill. The announcement on which one, if either, would ascend to the head coaching role at Nebraska should come down soon. It seems like the whirlwind around Lincoln may finally be slowing down a bit with Osborne on the road and the hiring being left up to him and school administration.

Hopefully we have an answer by the end of the week. Reports said it could be as early as today. Keep refreshing ESPN or any other source you're using to track this story the rest of the afternoon.

Here's a quote. How much of a polar opposite would this guy be from Callahan?

"We're not going to overload them with checks and 9,000 different things. We don't want our guys ever out there memorizing what to do." -Bo Pelini

Road to Redemption-Jason Peter

I read this story about two years ago, but I doubt anyone outside of the Lincoln or Omaha area may have had a chance to read this. He was on HBO's Real Sports last year sometime. I think the video of it is on YouTube or Google Video somewhere. If I find it I'll add it to this post. It was a shock. I remember Jason Peter being larger than life alongside Grant Wistrom when I was in high school. These guys were absolute monsters in stature when I would go to Lincoln to watch a game and see them walking into the stadium. It was just flat out shocking to see his appearance. Below is a story from early 2006 that I think you should read as a Husker fan.

Jason Peter travels the road to recovery

BY KEN HAMBLETON | Lincoln Journal Star

Sunday, Jan 08, 2006 - 12:03:53 am CST

Five years after the start of his pro career, ex-Cornhusker Jason Peter was down to about 225 pounds, alone and paranoid in his Manhattan apartment, waiting for dealers to bring the next high. Today, he's sober and ready to live again.

They called their book on Nebraska’s 1997 national championship football season “Heart and Soul.”

Teammates, roommates, brothers in almost every sense of the word, Jason Peter and Grant Wistrom are as close as any two people can be despite the distance from Seattle to Los Angeles.

They were the keys to winning 49 of 51 games over four seasons at Nebraska.

Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride said Wistrom was the best defensive end he ever coached and that includes Trev Alberts, Broderick Thomas and Jared Tomich. He said Peter was among the best defensive tackles he ever coached and that list included Neil Smith and John Parrella.

They were such hot draft prospects many scouts were talking about them turning pro after their junior season.

“Jason said he’d kill me if I went to the pros early,” Wistrom said. “I told him the same thing.”

Wistrom and Peter were first-round NFL Draft picks in spring 1998, and they both became starters, Wistrom with the St. Louis Rams, Peter, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound defensive tackle with the Carolina Panthers.

Five years into Wistrom’s career, he signed with Seattle for $14 million and has helped the Seahawks to the playoffs the past two seasons.

Five years after the start of his pro career, Peter was down to about 225 pounds, alone and paranoid in his Manhattan apartment, waiting for dealers to bring the next high.

Prescripton for disaster

Three national championship rings, the adulation of Husker Nation, a $7.4 million signing bonus and friendships forged during five years at Nebraska were not enough.

“Nothing made me feel as good as when I was high,” Peter said. “Nothing mattered but getting that feeling that Vicodin could give me. I was married to the drugs.”

He started with a couple of pain pills for chronic back pain when he was at Nebraska. When he got to the NFL, he had more injuries, more pain, more surgeries, more drugs.

By the time team doctors called an end to his career at the end of the 2001 season because of spinal injuries, Peter was working his way up to 80 Vicodin a day.

Within two years, he had graduated to crack cocaine, then heroin.

“I had nothing to do and I had a bank account,” he said. “I was still dealing with a lot of physical pain and I could still get all the drugs I wanted.”

The combination was a prescription for disaster.

“I’d get up and take 20 Vicodin, wait a little bit and take some more, then some more and by the end of the day I had put down about 80 of the pills,” Peter said. “I liked the way they made me feel.”

Eventually, the Vicodin wasn’t enough.

“I was in a fog but I couldn’t get that feeling that pills gave me any more. I started getting pains where I never had pain before. I’d hit my finger on something and it hurt like I broke it. I was creating pain so I’d take more pain pills.”

With crack cocaine, he would stay up four and five days, then sleep for 24 hours or more.

“That started to wear off, so I switched to heroin. I’d get up and get high. I never did anything. I was such a good customer, the dealers were glad to deliver the drugs right to me.”

Wistrom tried to connect with his best friend.

“He was going through a hard time and I knew he was struggling with some things, but I didn’t know the extent that he was hurting himself. I kept trying to reach out but I knew that when he was ready to join in society, I wanted to be there to welcome him back.”

Peter cut himself off from family, too. Just 40 minutes from his parents’ home in New Jersey, even closer to his two brothers in suburban New York City, he couldn’t find the time or the desire to visit.

“I was pathetic but I didn’t care because I was high all the time.”

He was also afraid.

“I knew more dealers than friends. I had used my athletic ability more than once to run away from the cops. I’m talking about spending a couple of days on the run in the streets in New York City. I’m tough, but I’m not prison tough.”

Pain became too much

When he was at Nebraska, Jason Peter was a leader who stayed out of trouble.

Then came the injuries in the NFL — the tingling from his neck to his fingers that lasted all week, the burning in his shoulders and the steady throb in his back.

At parties with Carolina fans, he said, he’d trade local doctors and dentists autographed jerseys or helmets for prescriptions for Vicodin.

“I knew more dentists in the Charlotte area, and my teeth weren’t all that clean,” he said.

The NFL tested for marijuana, steroids and street drugs, but not Vicodin and such related drugs as OxyContin, Lorcet and Percodan.

“The NFL gets all over the alcohol arrests,” said Peter, who was charged with drunken driving in 1999. “They test you six times a month and make you go to counseling. But the teams wanted you on the field and if Vicodin could get you off the bench, then they didn’t mind.”

In 2001, Peter joked with a writer from The Herald in Rock Hill, S.C., that he didn’t know he had torn ligaments in the arch of his left foot until he stopped taking pain medication for his neck.

In the NFL, Peter said he didn’t hang out with former Huskers and fellow Panthers teammates Mike Rucker and Mike Minter.

“The NFL isn’t like that. They did their thing after practice and I did my thing. We’d get together now and then, but they had their families.

“The NFL was our job, our business and we didn’t mix much after work. It was nothing at all like college.”

Then he faced the universal challenge of life after football.

“All the guys I’ve talked to miss it and there is no substitute for the hitting, the absolute physical nature of football in college and in the pros,” said Brenden Stai, who played for the Huskers before a nine-year pro career. “You can build a family, watch your children grow, learn a business, but there is nothing like playing the game.”

Christian always there

Christian and Jason Peter were roommates in college and played side-by-side on the greatest defense in Nebraska history in 1995.

When Christian finished his career at Nebraska, Jason took his No. 55 jersey as a tribute.

They were always close, and after Jason’s career ended Christian knew his brother was in trouble.

“He had to make the decision to get control, to live a real life,” said Christian, who now sells insurance in New Jersey. “We never left him. We all were always there. Nobody gave up. We all tried talking and never stopped.

“But you tell me, how many drug addicts listen to anybody about anything. The lies. The stories. The excuses. He finally made the choice to live a life.”

Making a choice

Jason Peter fell so far into depression and despair that 18 months ago, he was ready to kill himself.

“I was staying at my folks’ house in Jersey while they were in Europe,” he said. “I was getting high and I was on my knees, ready to put a bullet in my head. Drugs didn’t matter anymore. I was done with everything.

“My Aunt Lee pulled into the driveway and I tried to straighten up. She could see I was a mess.”

Lee Peter would spend the next four days with her nephew.

“We all knew Jason was in trouble with drugs,” she said. “His brothers were convinced that if he continued on the path he was on, he would not be around much longer. I went inside and started talking. I didn’t stop talking and praying for four days.

“I talked about all the gifts he had — a passion for football that he could redirect, a compassion for other people, a family that loved him and needed him, all the talents that made him special. If he could use that strength and passion to help himself, he could overcome this.”

Her nephew checked into the Wiseman Clinic rehab center in the Los Angeles area.

“(They) put me on morphine to get me off the heroin. Then, you try to wean off the morphine. It didn’t work. I went through all the withdrawal systems even though I was unconscious and I was in more pain than ever.”

When he asked for help for the pain, he recalled, a doctor said, “He’s an NFL player, he can suck it up.”

He stayed in the clinic for less than two weeks, and, 30 minutes after checking out, he was high again.

“I had money, I had a passport and I thought, just take off somewhere. I’d get high and die and nobody would bother me.

“But I had run into a woman who worked at a rehabilitation place and said they could do better for me.”

He chose to try again and checked into the Beau Monde Program in Newport Beach, Calif.

“I went through the detox and basically I slept for more than a week,” Peter said. “When the detox was completed, they said it was time to get to work.

“It was tougher than any football training camp I ever went through,” he said. “I did want a life. I did want to stay clear.”

Three months passed, then six, then nine.

“I was getting along and I was closing in on a year without getting high,” he said. “It’s not all that simple. I still go day to day. I know I could get high any time I wanted. I would make excuses about pain. But I thought I had a chance to live a life and that drives me even today.”

Today, he has a life coach to plan out his physical therapy and drug rehab. He knows he can’t do it alone.

“I know that it’s not that far from getting back into drugs and doing myself in. I know if I go back to drugs I’ll die.”

Two months into the Beau Monde program, Peter stunned old friends and fans during an interview with “Real Sports” on HBO.

“I needed drugs more than anything else,” he said during the show. “I tried to kill myself one time with 60 or 70 Vicodin and 20 Ambien. I wrote a letter, saying goodbye. I couldn’t stop and I thought that was the only way out. But the pills didn’t kill me. I just slept for a long time.”

The once-husky defensive lineman looked scared and confused during the show.

“He was so much smaller,” said Mike Rucker. “I knew he was going through a lot. But I was surprised.”

Peter explained the weight loss.

“You don’t worry much about food when you’re high.”

Day-by-day struggle

During a recent visit to the Rumson, N.J., home of his parents, Hubert and Mary, Jason Peter spent time with nieces Olivia and Juliette.

“Daddy can’t compete with Uncle Jason,” Christian Peter said with a chuckle. “This is a life he couldn’t live 17 months ago. Jason was talking about getting out on the ice. We always loved to play hockey. We were actually pretty good, but it’s been so long.”

These days, Jason Peter’s recovery is a full-time job — physical therapy on his neck and back seven days a week and rehabilitation for the drug addiction.

“I get through today. Tomorrow, I’ll get through that day. I feel like if I put one quarter of the effort into rehab that I put into getting drugs and getting high, I can make it.”

As part of his return to life, as he calls it, Peter worked as a volunteer coach with the Edison High Chargers football team in Huntington Beach, Calif., this fall.

“I was trying to teach the things coaches taught me. I was trying to teach the things I learned from playing. I tried to coach the fundamentals.”

He helped lead the Chargers to a 10-2 season and into the state playoffs.

“It was great but I don’t know how much longer I can afford to be a volunteer coach. I went through so much money so fast when I was on the drugs. I’ll have to get a job some day.”

Coaching could be in the future.

“The kids really bought into Jason,” said Dave White, Edison football coach. “He was great with the kids and taught them a lot of things you can only know from experience.

“He was also up front with his past with drugs and I have always been a believer in second chances. Jason was so intense, so fiery and so interesting, we’d love to have him back any time. I know the kids do.”

His Husker teammates already have taken him back.

In July, Jason and Christian Peter and more than 30 other former teammates met for Wistrom’s annual charity golf tournament at Quarry Oaks Golf Course near Ashland.

“It was like nothing had happened and we were back together talking about anything we wanted and playing some really bad golf,” Jason Peter said. “Nobody looked down or looked away from me. That’s Nebraska. Nobody was going to judge me or anybody else.”