Vegas Vic
12-05-2003, 03:24 AM
He was a long-time Nebraska lieutenant, then replaced a Nebraska legend and didn't live up to the Lincoln standards.
He was boring. He was eclipsed by the charismatic commander down in Soonerville. His grip slipped as Corn King.
In six seasons on the job, our man won just 55 of 73 games, Oklahoma took over the league and the Huskers began taking December trips to bowls where the sun don't shine. That didn't cut it with Nebraska football.
Yep, it's a good thing Nebraska did something about that Tom Osborne.
They did what Nebraskans do. They tightened their belts. They wiped their brows. They went to work.
You know the rest. Osborne soon enough won three straight Big Eight titles. In the '90s, he won three national championships.
Osborne not only lived up to Bob Devaney's standards, he surpassed them.
Jump to 2003, when folks bemoan how far Nebraska football has fallen. Well, here's how far. The program of patience, the program that willed itself to the summit by doing things the right way, just fired a football coach whose six-year start was better than Osborne's.
Osborne kept his job because college football once was rational and patient. Solich lost his job because those days are gone.
Twenty-three months ago, Nebraska played Miami in the Rose Bowl for the national title. Last week, the Huskers beat Colorado to finish 9-3 and obviously rebound from the 7-7 train wreck of 2002.
So Solich is gone for one bad year.
This was no John Blake fiasco. This was a proud program that had stumbled and was working its way back.
The Nebraska way had been to stay the course. Now the Nebraska way is to start over.
Solich is no ball of fire. But he coached in one. Big 12 football is a beast. Forget far-off rivals OU and Texas. In the North Division alone, Nebraska must butt heads with Wizard of Oz Bill Snyder and wily Gary Barnett.
Against Kansas State, Colorado and OU, the three programs Nebraska is most compared to, Solich went 7-7. That's a long way from Gary Gibbs' 1-16-1 against Texas, Colorado and Nebraska.
In shooting Solich from a cannon, Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson proved he's living in la-la land.
"I refuse to let the program gravitate into mediocrity," Pederson said. "We won't surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas.
"This is the best job in the country."
Nonsense. Nebraska, even under Osborne, never was the best job in the country. The Huskers won for two reasons:
1) Nebraskans cared, which always is the first step;
2) Consistency. From Devaney to Osborne to Solich, Nebraska stayed with a system. It tinkered with offense, it tinkered with defense, but it had a way of doing things and remained steadfast.
Of all the great college powers, only Nebraska bucked geography. Small population, no recruiting base. Not only is Nebraska void of ample high school talent, every border state is similarly short.
Ohio State, Texas, USC, Michigan and the Florida schools sit in fertile recruiting ground. But Oklahoma at least rests next to Texas. Alabama and Tennessee are in the South's player patch.
Nebraska borders Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.
The question is not why Nebraska stopped winning. The question is how Nebraska won in the first place.
There was no natural reason why Nebraska became the power of the plains, and now there's even less reason to believe the Huskers will get back to such status.
Coaches like Bob Stoops and Jim Tressell have caused the quick triggers of recent firings. Both won national titles in their second seasons on the job, and ADs think they can catch Stoops in a bottle and repeat such success.
If Pederson can hit a home run -- hire Steve Spurrier or Oregon's Mike Bellotti or someone -- then he's off the hook a little. Even a good soldier like Solich would have to make way for such a coach.
But hire someone from Boise State or West Virginia, and it makes no sense. Why fire Frank Solich to hire Frank Solich?
Pederson has placed Nebraska football on a treadmill, which the Huskers had avoided for decades. Once on, it's hard to get off.
Barry Tramel - The Daily Oklahoman
He was boring. He was eclipsed by the charismatic commander down in Soonerville. His grip slipped as Corn King.
In six seasons on the job, our man won just 55 of 73 games, Oklahoma took over the league and the Huskers began taking December trips to bowls where the sun don't shine. That didn't cut it with Nebraska football.
Yep, it's a good thing Nebraska did something about that Tom Osborne.
They did what Nebraskans do. They tightened their belts. They wiped their brows. They went to work.
You know the rest. Osborne soon enough won three straight Big Eight titles. In the '90s, he won three national championships.
Osborne not only lived up to Bob Devaney's standards, he surpassed them.
Jump to 2003, when folks bemoan how far Nebraska football has fallen. Well, here's how far. The program of patience, the program that willed itself to the summit by doing things the right way, just fired a football coach whose six-year start was better than Osborne's.
Osborne kept his job because college football once was rational and patient. Solich lost his job because those days are gone.
Twenty-three months ago, Nebraska played Miami in the Rose Bowl for the national title. Last week, the Huskers beat Colorado to finish 9-3 and obviously rebound from the 7-7 train wreck of 2002.
So Solich is gone for one bad year.
This was no John Blake fiasco. This was a proud program that had stumbled and was working its way back.
The Nebraska way had been to stay the course. Now the Nebraska way is to start over.
Solich is no ball of fire. But he coached in one. Big 12 football is a beast. Forget far-off rivals OU and Texas. In the North Division alone, Nebraska must butt heads with Wizard of Oz Bill Snyder and wily Gary Barnett.
Against Kansas State, Colorado and OU, the three programs Nebraska is most compared to, Solich went 7-7. That's a long way from Gary Gibbs' 1-16-1 against Texas, Colorado and Nebraska.
In shooting Solich from a cannon, Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson proved he's living in la-la land.
"I refuse to let the program gravitate into mediocrity," Pederson said. "We won't surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas.
"This is the best job in the country."
Nonsense. Nebraska, even under Osborne, never was the best job in the country. The Huskers won for two reasons:
1) Nebraskans cared, which always is the first step;
2) Consistency. From Devaney to Osborne to Solich, Nebraska stayed with a system. It tinkered with offense, it tinkered with defense, but it had a way of doing things and remained steadfast.
Of all the great college powers, only Nebraska bucked geography. Small population, no recruiting base. Not only is Nebraska void of ample high school talent, every border state is similarly short.
Ohio State, Texas, USC, Michigan and the Florida schools sit in fertile recruiting ground. But Oklahoma at least rests next to Texas. Alabama and Tennessee are in the South's player patch.
Nebraska borders Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.
The question is not why Nebraska stopped winning. The question is how Nebraska won in the first place.
There was no natural reason why Nebraska became the power of the plains, and now there's even less reason to believe the Huskers will get back to such status.
Coaches like Bob Stoops and Jim Tressell have caused the quick triggers of recent firings. Both won national titles in their second seasons on the job, and ADs think they can catch Stoops in a bottle and repeat such success.
If Pederson can hit a home run -- hire Steve Spurrier or Oregon's Mike Bellotti or someone -- then he's off the hook a little. Even a good soldier like Solich would have to make way for such a coach.
But hire someone from Boise State or West Virginia, and it makes no sense. Why fire Frank Solich to hire Frank Solich?
Pederson has placed Nebraska football on a treadmill, which the Huskers had avoided for decades. Once on, it's hard to get off.
Barry Tramel - The Daily Oklahoman