Huge seasons for two coaches
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
7/13/2006
Then: In 1970-2001, the Nebraska football program recorded 32 consecutive seasons of at least nine victories and captured five national championships. In 24 of those 32 years, the Huskers had a Top 10 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.
Now: In two seasons since Bill Callahan became coach, the Huskers are 13-10. The Huskers lost by 24 points to Kansas State, by 25 to Kansas, by 27 to Oklahoma. For shock value, those blowouts can't compete with the 2004 debacle in Lubbock -- Texas Tech 70, Nebraska 10. One more time: 70 for Tech, 10 for Nebraska.
Then: In 14 seasons as Texas A&M's coach, R.C. Slocum had 15 first-team All-Americans and 123 victories.
Now: Aggie coach Dennis Franchione, who is paid $2 million a year, has a three-season record of 16-19 -- A&M's worst three-season mark since 1971-73. Eleven of Franchione's losses have been by at least 20 points. In 14 seasons, Slocum experienced only nine such losses. Unforgettable among Franchione's Aggie meltdowns was OU 77, A&M 0.
When the 2006 season begins in 51 days, two compelling storylines involve the Huskers and Aggies.
This is a huge season for Bill Callahan and Dennis Franchione.
From a job-security standpoint, Callahan did himself a great
favor by closing the 2005 season with three victories (including a 32-28 triumph over Michigan in the Alamo Bowl). This season, on Sept. 16, he and the Huskers have a chance to make a national splash when they play at Southern Cal.
While the Trojans adjust to a new quarterback, Nebraska's West Coast offense is driven by a capable senior QB -- Norman native Zac Taylor. A victory in Los Angeles would stand as a defining moment in the restoration of the Cornhusker brand, and it would considerably juice Callahan's approval rating in Nebraska.
Don Nelson, a Tulsa financial planner and the president of the Oklahoma Cornhusker Club, traveled to Lincoln to watch Nebraska's spring game. He says he was thrilled by what he saw -- an offense with 50-50 run-pass balance and clean execution.
"You're going to see the fruits of Bill Callahan's labor this year. We are much better on offense, and we now have the depth that we've been missing the last four or five years," Nelson said. "It's been a frustrating period. Callahan came in with this cocky attitude and jammed the West Coast offense down the throats of players who weren't recruited for that type of offense.
"Now, I do feel better about him. He has become more humble and he has worked hard to get the fans behind him."
Nelson says Callahan's best move at Nebraska was his hiring of assistant John Blake, the former OU head coach. Blake has recruited extremely well, and his efforts are the primary reason for the quality depth that Nelson mentioned.
When Nebraska plays at Texas A&M on Nov. 11, Callahan may be fighting to get his program into its first Big 12 Championship game since 1999. On the other side, Franchione may be fighting for his job.
As long as Bob Stoops coaches at OU and Mack Brown is at Texas, the Texas A&M job is going to be difficult for anyone. Aggie fans seem to believe that A&M should be on the same plane occupied by the Sooners and Longhorns, but Stoops and Brown have dominated A&M in the recruiting of Texas high school talent. In 1989-97, Slocum was the recruiting champion of Texas. Brown arrived in Austin in 1998 and Stoops in Norman a year later. In the Texas recruiting wars, A&M now is a distant No. 3.
What seems to gall Aggie fans isn't just that Franchione's A&M teams are losing, but that they are on the wrong end of such lopsided scores. Last season, A&M lost by three touchdowns at Colorado -- the same Colorado that went on to lose 70-3 to Texas in the Big 12 title game.
After prevailing in five of their first seven games last season, the Aggies crumbled. In spite of having Reggie NcNeal, who had been considered the Big 12's second-best QB behind Texas' Vince Young, the Aggies were rocked 42-14 by visiting Iowa State. They were plastered 56-17 at Texas Tech and lost 36-30 at OU. They lost 40-29 to Texas.
While Callahan's Nebraska club mustered late-season momentum and success, Franchione's Aggies were 0-4 down the stretch, finishing 5-6 and out of the bowl picture for the second time in three years. Unfathomable, considering A&M's "Wrecking Crew" tradition, were the Aggies' national statistical rankings -- No. 117 in pass defense, No. 107 in total defense.
Against Texas, Texas Tech and OU, Slocum had a combined record of 19-18. At A&M, Franchione is 1-8 against the Red Raiders, Longhorns and Sooners.
Franchione benefits from the presence of a potential quarterback star (sophomore Stephen McGee), and A&M has an extremely favorable 2006 schedule. Following a weak nonconference slate (The Citadel, Louisiana-Lafayette, Army, Louisiana Tech), the Aggies get the Red Raiders, Sooners and Nebraska at home.
If the Aggies can't manage a winning season this year, Franchione could be in trouble. University of Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe, a former Aggie offensive coordinator, has been frequently mentioned as possibly being the next head man at A&M.
And of all that has been atypical at A&M and Nebraska during this decade, the most remarkable development might be that the Aggies now are better in basketball than in football.
Originally Posted by gdc
had them to where there are now seems very far apart. With all the cake being pumped into that stadium, are the natives going to tolerate his "John Blake stand on the sidelines with his sunglasses on and no idea what's happening" routine for too much longer? I know he's one of their own, but he wasn't the right choice.
