Honors & Awards

• Big Ten Freshman of the Week (vs. Idaho State, 2012)
• Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2013)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2012)

2013 Game-by-Game


Wyoming: Scored a one-yard second-quarter touchdown, and ran 31 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter... finished the game with 13 carries for a career-high 105 yards, topping his 100-yard effort against Idaho State in 2012. Southern Miss: Carried the ball four times for 17 yards... scored a touchdown on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter... third touchdown of the year and 10th of his career. UCLA: Carried the ball three times for 19 yards. SDSU: Scored two TDs on the ground, marking the second time this season and fourth time in his career he has scored two rushing TDs... finished the day with 60 yards on 10 carries.

2013 Outlook
I-back Imani Cross played a key role as a true freshman in 2012, being used primarily in short-yardage situations as a power back. The 6-1, 225-pound Cross performed well in his role, but is set on becoming a more complete back in 2013.

Cross and junior Ameer Abdullah are Nebraska’s top two returning I-backs and figure to carry a bulk of the rushing load as the Huskers look to once again be among the nation’s top rushing teams. Cross was one of five true freshmen to see action for Nebraska last season.

Despite being a physically imposing back when he stepped on campus, Cross spent the offseason working hard in the weight room, dropping about 10 pounds to improve his overall quickness.

2012 (Freshman)
Cross played in all 14 games and was one of four I-backs to top 300 rushing yards and average better than 5.0 yards per carry. Cross finished with 55 carries for 324 yards, an average of 5.9 yards per carry, and his role grew in the second half of the season as Rex Burkhead sat out with a knee injury.
  Cross was third on the team in rushing touchdowns with seven, including five touchdowns in Big Ten play. He had at least seven carries five times. Cross was impressive in his debut against Southern Miss, rushing 11 times for 62 yards. Against Arkansas State, Cross scored his first career touchdown on a two-yard run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 66 yards against the Red Wolves, including a season-long 44-yard run. Cross helped Nebraska roll up 385 rushing yards against Idaho State, by rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
  With Burkhead sidelined for the majority of five straight games, Cross grew into the short-yardage back role. He helped Nebraska grind out the final seven minutes of the clock in the win over Michigan. Then against Penn State, Cross rushed for 22 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Both of his scores came in the third quarter, turning a 14-point halftime deficit into a tie game. He added a pair of touchdowns a week later against Minnesota and finished that game with 19 rushing yards. Cross rushed three times for 35 yards in the Big Ten title game, including a 26-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Before Nebraska (North Hall HS)
Cross joined the 2012 class in the final week before Signing Day in February. The Gainesville, Ga., native checks in at 6-1 and 225 pounds, giving NU a physical presence in the backfield. Cross was Nebraska’s first signee from the state of Georgia since Alfonzo Dennard in 2008. Cross piled up 1,698 rushing yards as a senior at North Hall High School, including 24 rushing touchdowns. He averaged nearly nine yards per carry, and also excelled on defense for Coach Robert Christmas, making 88 tackles from his linebacker position. Cross’ play earned him second-team Class AAA all-state honors in Georgia. As a junior, Cross rushed for 600 yards and nine touchdowns, despite being limited to five games because of an injury. As a sophomore, he helped Flowery Branch High School to a 10-4 record and a playoff berth by rushing for 1,417 yards and 17 touchdowns. In the spring, Cross competed in track and field, earning a seventh-place medal in shot put his senior season. Cross was ranked among the top 35 running backs in the country by Rivals.com, 247 Sports and Scout.com, while both Rivals and 247 ranked him among the top 50 overall prospects in Georgia. Cross also visited Kentucky and East Carolina, and had numerous other offers including Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia Tech.   Personal
Cross was born on Sept. 23, 1993, and he is the son of Tim and Sharon Cross. Cross’ brother, Izaan, will be a senior defensive end at Georgia Tech in 2012, and has 28 career starts.  

(As told by redshirt freshman Mike Shoff)

Editor’s note: Mike Shoff was a standout in football, wrestling and track and an honor-roll student during high school at Sutton and Cambridge. He won three consecutive state wrestling titles and had a 153-1 career record. He was the Journal Star Boys Prep Athlete of the Year in 2012. Shoff redshirted his first season at South Dakota State, and is the starting right guard this season. Shoff also plans to compete for the Jackrabbit track team this year. His family has now moved to York, where his father works for York Public Schools.

1. South Dakota State is one of the top teams in the Football Championship subdivision, and has a 3-0 record and No. 6 ranking following a 34-26 win against Southeastern Louisiana last week.

“South Dakota State is a great university. We’ve got great fans, and Brookings is one of the best sports towns there is. There is so much stuff around town and support for our football team and the Jackrabbits. It’s an exciting time. We’ve had some success in football, basketball and baseball. The buzz around is for South Dakota State, and it’s exciting.”

2. Last season, South Dakota State tied the school record with nine wins and advanced to the FCS playoffs for the second time in four years. The Jackrabbits lost to eventual champion North Dakota State in the second round, and finished with a 9-4 record and No. 14 final ranking. In 2010, Nebraska beat South Dakota State 17-3.

“We’ve had some success in the past. We’ve had a couple playoff berths in (NCAA) Division II, and, of course, two FCS playoff berths. There hasn’t been the constant winning tradition. That’s what (head coach John Stiegelmeier) and all the coaches here are trying, build that tradition of making the playoffs and winning championships. That’s our focus.”

3. There are 13 Nebraskans on the South Dakota State roster, including both the starting center (Taylor Suess of Columbus) and right guard (Shoff).

“All through my childhood, I always wanted to end up playing for the Huskers, and it didn’t work out. I’m excited I ended up coming to South Dakota State, and it was a great choice. It’s going to be awesome getting to play back in Nebraska and Memorial Stadium; that was always kind of a dream of mine. Of course, all my family that lives in the state can come and watch. It’s going to be pretty awesome.”

4. The Jackrabbits' offense is averaging 41 points per game. Junior running back Zach Zenner is averaging 180 yards rushing to lead all rushers nationally. Against North Dakota two weeks ago, Zenner rushed for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

“I have a biased opinion, but I think our offensive line is pretty strong. We’re deep, too. Zach Zenner is having a great year. (Quarterback) Austin Sumner and all of our receivers and tight ends are a really strong bunch.”

5. Four-time Super Bowl champion kicker Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts, and NFL Hall of Fame member Jim Langer are two of the most famous South Dakota State players.

“Jim Langer played for the Dolphins in the ‘70s, and when they went undefeated in ’72. He’s in the Hall of Fame, and we have his jersey up in our O-line room. He’s pretty famous.”

By Greg Price on September 12 2013 4:40 PM Share this article

Quarterback Brett Hundley and the No. 16 UCLA Bruins hit the road for the first time this season to face the No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Jim Mora's Bruins get their first test of the season against Nebraska. Reuters Recommendations. Hundley led the Bruins charge last week with 274 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with two rushing scores in a 58-20 victory over Nevada. The sophomore is hoping to continue UCLA’s rise back-up the Pac-12 conference and national standings by building on his impressive 2012 season when he threw for 3,745 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Junior running back Jordan James posted his best game as a Bruin with 155 rushing yards and one score against the Wolfpack. In two previous seasons stuck behind Jonathan Franklin, James had totaled 269 yards and three touchdowns on 81 attempts.

UCLA gained 647 total yards, but also have a defense that could match their offense's success. Senior linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive end Keenan Graham are capable of thwarting a Nebraska offensive line determined not to give up a sack.

According to the Lincoln Journal-Star, Barr tied South Carolina superstar Javadeon Clowney with 13.5 sacks last season. Nebraska offensive line coach John Garrison has taken notice of Barr's abilities.

“They bring him from the second level, they’ll put him at a linebacker and they’ll bring him from the edge,” Garrison said of Barr. “You don’t see too many guys with his length, speed and physicality. It’s pretty rare. That’s what makes him a pretty special player.”

Still the Cornhuskers have their own multifaceted quarterback in Taylor Martinez and conference aspirations. Nebraska has outrushed its first two opponents 660 to 281, and allowed only one rushing touchdown in the first two games. They can keep the ball out of Hundley's hands by continuing their successful ground-and-pound game.

Last week against Southern Miss, Ameer Abdullah rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and Martinez threw another three scores while completing 65 percent of his passes. Martinez has thrown six touchdown passes compared to one interception -- an excellent ratio for any passer. 

Turnovers and Hundley’s play ultimately decided last year’s matchup. Martinez’s pick with less than four minutes remaining gave the Bruins the ball on the Cornhusker 16-yard line and led to a nine-yard pass from Hundley to Franklin for the game-clinching touchdown.

Sophomore David Santos currently leads Nebraska with 16 total tackles, while junior safety Harvey Jackson has 11 tackles, and junior corner Josh Mitchell has 10. Freshman defensive tackle Maliek Collins has the team’s only sack. The Cornhusker frontline will have to create more pressure around the pocket to force Hundley into mistakes.

The game kicks-off at 12 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by ABC.

Betting Odds: Nebraska favored by 4.5 points.

Over/Under: 70 points

Prediction: UCLA 34, Nebraska 24

GRAY, Denver DENVER DAVID GRAY Denver David Gray, the son of Abbye Hall and Fred Gray of Palmyra, Nebraska was born October 24, 1917 and died September 7, 2013 at the William Breman Jewish Home, Atlanta, Georgia at age 95. He grew up in eastern Otoe County of Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska earning both a BA and an MA from the College of Human Relations and Natural Sciences.

He was called into service in October 1941 and began his service with the USAF at Hickam Field, Hawaii. He was at Hickam Field when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in ground operations against the enemy and ended his overseas service on Tinian Island and was there when the Enola Gay took off to bomb Japan. He retired from the USAF Reserve as a Lt. Colonel on October 24, 1977. He began his career with the Real Estate Investment Department of The Travelers Insurance Company in Orlando, Florida in 1946 serving in Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia.

Two sisters predeceased him, Irene Dowding of Palmyra, Nebraska and Doris Cunningham of Lincoln, Nebraska. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Anne Beasley Gray, his three children: David Hall Gray and wife Deborah Dever, his daughter Anne Beasley Gray McHugh and husband Robert Christopher McHugh, and his son Russell Anderson Gray and wife Genie Ison. Seven grandchildren survive him: Elizabeth Marshall Gray Constantine and husband Walter Constantine, Alice Beasley Gray, Deborah Hayden Gray, Robert Christopher McHugh, Jr., Margaret Anne McHugh, Abigail Gray McHugh, and Isabella Anne Gray.

He was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Cherokee Town and Country Club, Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, and Sons of the American Revolution. The family extends special thanks to the medical staff of Piedmont Healthcare and The Jewish Home for their loving and professional care.

A memorial service is scheduled for Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 2 o'clock at Trinity Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Mr. Gray to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Rd., NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30327, or The William Breman Jewish Home, 3150 Howell Mill Rd., NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30327. Online condolences may be made at www.hmpattersonspringhill.com.

Only three weeks left to sign up  at the discount price!    
THE BIG TEN GOLF OUTING!  

It's where you can be a kid again, wear your schools colors, decorate your golf cart and meet your mid-western friends.      It's open to all; men, women and guests.  It's a "Scramble" format so everyone can have a good time!  The proceeds benefit the Atlanta alumni club of your university to support their good works.     Questions?  email Gary Dunsmore at gduns@comcast.net or      Cheryl Summers at casummers76@gmail.com     

The Basics:

• Date : September 30, 2013
• Place: Eagle Watch Golf Club in Woodstock
• Price: $90 before Sept. 23, $100 after the 23rd. 

  SIGN UP HERE The Details

• Registration & Range Opens at 9:00 am
• Breakfast Buffet 9:30
• Shotgun Start 11:00
• Four Person Scramble Format, everyone is welcome.
• Sign up as a foursome, a single or any number in between and we'll set you up.

Price Includes:

• All Golf, cart and range ball fees
• Bacon and scrambled egg Breakfast Buffet before golf
• All American hamburger & hotdog Buffet after the round.
• Player Welcome Bag
• $10,000 Hole in One prize and prizes on the other par three holes as well
• Men's and Women's Long Drive Contest
• Prizes for the top three teams.
• Raffle with outstanding prizes.
• Silent auction
• And a day you will remember for a long, long time!

Don't forget, the "School Spirit Award". The team who best decorates their golf cart and shows the most School Spirit will win a prize and the envy of all the other Big Ten Schools.

 
See you at
Eagle Watch on
Sept. 30th!

Gary Dunsmore / Cheryl Summers
Outing co-chairmen. 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Fox Sports

Score one for the Nebraska defense. Actually, score two.

Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Ciante Evans returned first-quarter interceptions for touchdowns and the No. 22 Cornhuskers rebounded from a lackluster performance in their opener to make quick work of Southern Mississippi in a 56-13 win Saturday night.

With No. 18 UCLA visiting next week, it was critical for the Huskers (2-0) to create a positive vibe after they were skewered for 602 yards by Wyoming in a 37-34 win last week.

The Bruins beat Nebraska in Los Angeles last year, amassing 653 yards in the process. Don't think coach Bo Pelini won't remind his team about that stat over the next few days.

So, yes, the Huskers needed a feel-good performance, even if it was against a Southern Miss team that has the longest current losing streak in the FBS at 14 games.

"It was a big confidence boost," defensive end Randy Gregory said. "We didn't play that well last week. We got the win but weren't proud of it."

Nebraska limited the Golden Eagles (0-2) to 284 yards and intercepted four passes, with the first two picks going for early touchdowns.

Jean-Baptiste jumped in front of Rickey Bradley Jr. just as Allan Bridgford's pass arrived on the third play of the game and ran it back 43 yards.

Evans put the Huskers up 21-3 with the first of his two interceptions, catching a ball tipped by Tyre'oune Holmes and going 22 yards to the end zone.

"That," Evans said, "was all she wrote."

Just about.

Nebraska limited the Eagles to 62 yards rushing, but only 4 of those came before the fourth quarter. The Huskers had nine tackles for loss after having no stops behind the line of scrimmage against Wyoming.

"I thought we made good progress," Pelini said.

What impressed Pelini most was that he saw a reduction in the number of missed tackles and missed assignments, and improved communication among his players.

"Our ability to make adjustments during the game was 100 fold better than it was a week ago," he said.

Taylor Martinez threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns, Ameer Abdullah ran for 114 yards and two TDs and the Huskers finished with 285 yards rushing.

This game was all about Nebraska's defense, though, and how it would respond to the harsh criticism it took after the Wyoming debacle.

The Huskers' only lull came on Southern Miss' first series of the second half. Bridgford's 41-yard touchdown pass to Bradley made it 35-13.

"My biggest problem with the defense — and I addressed it with them on the sideline — is how we came out in that third quarter," Pelini said. "To their credit, they responded to the challenge and got it righted in a hurry."

After Bradley's touchdown, Kenny Bell ran back the kickoff 63 yards, and Abdullah scored from 37 yards on the next play.

Evans intercepted Bridgford on the first play of Southern Miss' following possession, and Martinez threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sam Burtch to make it 49-13.

That was it for Martinez, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 170 yards. Ron Kellogg III and Tommy Armstrong Jr. quarterbacked the Huskers the rest of the way.

Nebraska's two interception returns for touchdowns marked the first time the Huskers have had two defensive scores in a game since they had two picks for TDs against Idaho in 2010. It also was in that game against Idaho that Nebraska last had four interceptions in a game.

"I was disappointed in the way we played to start the football game," Southern Miss coach Todd Monken said. "Come to a tough place to play, start the opening series, get a first down and then turn it over — let alone, it leads to a score. Second week in a row we've done that early in the game. It really makes it difficult to come back."

The Huskers tinkered with their defensive lineup, starting junior-college transfer Randy Gregory at end and freshmen Josh Banderas and Nathan Gerry at linebacker. Nebraska hadn't started a true freshman on defense since Evans in 2010.

"We base it on practice — who practices the best," Pelini said. "Coming out of the week, we went with who we felt gave us the best chance to play like we want to play."

Bridgford, who threw for 377 yards last week in a loss to Texas State, was 21 of 35 for 222 yards. But Bridgford and the Eagles, who turned over the ball six times last week, couldn't overcome the four interceptions -- the last one thrown by Nick Mullens.

The schedule originally called for Southern Miss to host the Huskers in Hattiesburg, Miss., but the Eagles agreed to move the game to Lincoln in exchange for $2.1 million. The teams play again in Lincoln in 2015.

Brian Rosenthal, Lincoln Journal Star

Location: Hattiesburg, Miss.
Coach: Todd Monken
Record: 0-1 (0-0 Conference USA)
Ranking: None
Series with Nebraska: Nebraska leads, 3-1.
Last game: Lost to Texas State, 22-15

Coaching ties
First-year Southern Miss coach Todd Monken is familiar with not only Nebraska, but its coaching staff. Husker coach Bo Pelini was defensive coordinator at LSU from 2005-07, and Monken was wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Tigers from 2005-06. Also, Nebraska defensive coordinator John Papuchis and secondary coach Terry Joseph were graduate assistants at LSU when Monken was with the Tigers. “Bo does a great job, as good a coach as you’ll find, and I consider him a friend in the profession,” Monken said. “I’m excited to see those guys.” Monken, who spent the past two seasons as Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator, also was the Cowboys’ wide receivers coach in 2002, when OSU ended its 36-year winless streak against the Huskers with a 24-21 victory in Stillwater.

Tough stretch
Southern Miss carries a 13-game losing streak into Lincoln, the longest active losing streak among FBS teams. It started with last year’s 49-20 season-opening loss to Nebraska, and led to the firing of coach Ellis Johnson after only one season. When does the streak end? The Golden Eagles likely will be underdogs in every game of their three-game, four-week road swing that begins Saturday. After playing at Nebraska, Southern Miss plays at Arkansas on Sept. 14 and at Boise State on Sept. 28.

Turnover woes
Say this about those six Southern Mississippi turnovers in Saturday’s season opener: The Golden Eagles spread the wealth around. Five different players were responsible for those turnovers. Quarterback Allan Bridgford threw two interceptions, both in the fourth quarter, including one in the final minute, near midfield, as the Golden Eagles tried to rally. Running backs Tyre Bracken and Kendrick Hardy each lost a fumble, as did freshman wide receiver Tyre’oune Holmes. Jalen Richard fumbled a punt return.

Golden Eagles on offense

Formation: spread
When Southern Miss moved the football on Texas State, it did so through the air. Senior quarterback Allan Bridgford, a graduate transfer from Cal, threw for 377 yards, using a variety of passes, although his completion percentage was a mere 52.8 percent (28-of-53). He threw one touchdown, two interceptions and was sacked three times.

Bridgford’s favorite target was freshman receiver Tyre’oune Holmes, who caught 12 passes for 96 yards — the second-best, single-game reception total in school history, and the most by a Southern Miss rookie.

Another newcomer, junior transfer Rickey Bradley, had 193 receiving yards on seven receptions, including grabs of 65, 59 and 31 yards.

The Southern Miss rushing game? Pretty nonexistent. The Golden Eagles had 24 rushes for 23 yards.

“I’m still not sold that we have to run the ball for 200 yards,” coach Todd Monken said. “What I’m sold on is that we have to be able to run it when we want to run it, to be balanced and not turn the dang thing over.”

Monken said Southern Miss needs to be more creative when it does rush the ball, and needs better blocking from its tight ends and fullbacks.

Offensive averages/national rank (2012)

Points

15.0 / 90

Total yards

400.0 / 65

Rushing yards

23.0 / 110

Passing yards

377 / 11

Golden Eagles on defense

Formation: 4-3

What Southern Miss did defensively against Texas State resembled more of what the Golden Eagles did two seasons ago, when whey ranked No. 29 nationally in total defense and No. 26 in scoring defense, than what they did last year, when Southern Miss ranked No. 83 and No. 113, respectively, in those categories.

The common link is defensive coordinator David Duggan, who was the Golden Eagles’ co-defensive coordinator in 2011, but left last season to become linebackers coach at North Carolina. He’s back, and so may be the Golden Eagles’ bravado on defense.

Southern Miss allowed only 207 yards to Texas State and forced one turnover, a fumble. The Golden Eagles posted 11 tackles for minus yardage, led by senior linebacker Alan Howze, who had 2.5.

The one bugaboo: Of those 207 yards by Texas State, 75 came on one fourth-quarter drive, when the Bobcats, ahead by one, used seven plays to score a clinching touchdown. Texas State quarterback Tyler Arndt completed on third-and-19 from the TSU 16-yard line to spark the drive.

Defensive averages / national rank

Points

22.0 / 48

Total yards

207.0 / 9

Rushing yards

73.0 / 15

Passing yards

134.0 / 19

Golden Eagles on special teams

Kicker Corey Acosta took over full-time duties last season, beginning with the Golden Eagles’ opener at Nebraska, when he made field goals of 45 and 37 yards. He made field goals of 50 and 51 yards later in the season, and overall is 15-of-22 on field goals for his career; he was wide right from 30 yards last week against Texas State.

Sophomore Matthew Moseley is in his first season as starting punter. Moseley had a 38.3-yard average on six punts last week against Texas State, including punts of 27 and 54 yards.

Of the Golden Eagles’ four lost fumbles Saturday, one came on a punt return. Southern Miss also allowed a 29-yard punt return that set up a Texas State touchdown.

Players to watch

Allan Bridgford, QB, sr., 6-3, 210 pounds

The Cal transfer beat out junior Cole Weeks and true freshman Nick Mullens for the starting job, then threw for 377 yards in his debut.

Alan Howze, LB, sr., 6-3, 227 pounds

Howze is the Golden Eagles’ leading returning tackler from last season, when he had 66 tackles. He had six against Nebraska, including one for loss, and a team-high nine last week against Texas State.

Rickey Bradley, WR, sr., 6-2, 204 pounds

Bradley’s 193 receiving yards last week were fourth-most in a game in school history, and he did that while still not fully recovered from a shoulder sprain he suffered in fall camp.

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 402-473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com. You can follow him on Twitter @HuskerExtraBR.

Randy York’s N-Sider

Friday’s unveiling of the life-sized Bob Devaney statue in the East Stadium Plaza was best summed up in a 10-word sentence. Near the end of his remarks and before he introduced Mike Devaney, Bob's son, Tom Osborne delivered this simple, but eloquent conclusion: “There’s nobody that deserves a statue more than Bob Devaney.”

Period, end of sentence, and no one would know that better than a modern-day Hall-Famer who never would have become a coach without the legendary leadership of his Hall-of-Fame predecessor. Osborne worked for Devaney for 30 years as an assistant coach and a head coach. “Bob was always my boss. He was a great guy to work for,” Osborne said. One thing he did not say on this meaningful public occasion was something he revealed more than five years ago. “If I had not met Bob Devaney,” Osborne told me at the time, “I probably would not even have considered coaching.”

Devaney Personified the Value of Loyalty

“Bob Devaney built our modern-day football program,” Osborne told me in that same conversation. “He personified the value of loyalty, and I will always be grateful for the confidence he showed in me. Because of his leadership and empowerment as a coach and an athletic director, I was fortunate to serve as Nebraska’s head football coach for 25 years, and I valued coaching every team we put on the field.”

Friday, Osborne covered some of that same ground and said there were three reasons why Devaney was an immediate success when he left Wyoming, where he still has the best winning football coaching percentage, in favor of Nebraska, where his teams won eight conference championships and two national titles in his 11 years as head coach. In his conversational style, Osborne offered up these thoughts at the statue's unveiling:

Reason 1: Devaney came to Lincoln thinking immediate turnaround. He always thought the Huskers would win and never thought otherwise. Before Devaney's arrival, Nebraska's mindset about winning was reflected in the words hope and not probable ... a continental divide in mindset.


Reason 2: Devaney championed a physical style of football that did not change and became the culture of a program that has 40 more wins than any other Division I school in the last 50 years

Reason 3: Devaney had a great sense of humor. Osborne said Devaney was always stronger and funnier after a loss than he was after a win because he could defuse things. Somehow, his razor-sharp humor was always a strategic weapon, and the harder things got, the more dynamic leader he became.

'People Person' Had Great Sense of Timing

Osborne praised Devaney’s “great sense of timing” and his reputation as a "people person”, a skill that helped him endure the inherent grumbling of back-to-back, non-bowl seasons with identical 6-4 records in 1967 and '68. Osborne never will forget that period when people were calling for the firing of at least some assistant coaches. "Being a 31-year-old with three kids, I was kind of interested in what was going to happen,” Osborne said of that only major setback in Devaney’s performance ... a dip, I might add, that was corrected when Devaney named Osborne his offensive coordinator following those two slumping seasons. Talk about irony. Decades before Devaney's arrival and the Huskers' immediante ascent to national prominence, Big Red fans would have treated back-to-back winning seasons like back-to-back Mardi Gras celebrations.


According to Osborne, Devaney's strong sense of loyalty never wavered, and he finally told his superiors that “if anyone goes, we all go.” Osborne also recalled that whenever Devaney was sought as a head football coach somewhere else, he didn’t pursue fame, money or power. Instead, he huddled with his staff, and they discussed the impending opportunity. “We were all in it together,” Osborne said, and he's never forgotten that.


It takes more than three points to define Devaney's transformation of Nebraska football a half century ago, Osborne introduced another trademark trait that helped cast his boss's winning mindset in bronze. “Bob was never afraid of change,” Osborne said. “He brought in Boyd Epley as the first strength and conditioning coach in college football. He changed the offense, and he changed the defense.” With those three changes, Devaney was celebrating the first of his two consecutive national titles just two warp speed years later.

In Friday's remarks, Osborne acknowledged that Devaney could get angry, but he never allowed anger to block decency. He'd just instruct John Melton to tell a player to “take a lap” while Bob cooled himself down without incident.

Osborne Commends Eichorst's Foresight


Osborne commended Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst for his foresight in commissioning the Devaney statue and having it installed before Nebraska played Wyoming, the only other school Devaney served as a head coach. He also thanked UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman for his leadership in the East Stadium expansion. Osborne said he knew “there would be something” that would honor Devaney after he left the Athletic Department, but he didn’t know what it would be. He just knows that nobody deserves it more than the man he loved as a boss, a coach and AD he served with distinction, and a legend who talked him out of academia in favor of a lifetime devoted to football.

“For me, college football remains a game of extraordinary complexity,” Osborne told me. “It requires planning, preparation and hard work. There is no doubt the game is physical, but it also develops character, reveals human potential and triggers innovation.” Devaney taught Osborne so much of that, and Tom carries Bob's legacy on like the professor he would have been if his boss had not forced him to make a decision between the two.

Devaney, a smart man, liked the way Osborne, another smart man, welded athletics and academics into a combined force. Devaney did, after all, ask Osborne to become the Athletic Department's first academic advisor, and that decision created a legacy every bit as compelling as coaching.

Two Iconic Statues Connect Greatest Fans

Bottom line, we all should be thankful that Devaney left Wyoming for Nebraska, and once he got to Lincoln, he saw great potential in a tall redhead who wanted to use his doctorate degree and teach.

We are similarly grateful that two iconic statues are now anchored outside Memorial Stadium. One is a bronzed Osborne, extending his right arm while pointing to the transcendence of Brook Berringer. The other is a bronzed Devaney in his letter jacket and cap, equipped with a whistle and a clipboard, extending his right arm as if he were waiting to shake your hand. And Friday afternoon, in a metaphorical sort of way, we all did just that.

Mike Devaney, Bob's son who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., said his dad would have been humbled and thankful and added: "I'm sure this Irishman, with a twinkle in his eye, is looking down, proud of what he started."

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Include town/city, state)            

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

Erny Bonistall - '63
The view was spectacular from our new seats – which is more than I can say about the game. We were able to take an elevator up to our seats and then went down the escalator at the end of the game. Our tickets are in the first row of our section so there is no one ever standing up in front of us! We are about 25 steps from the concessions and bath room areas – and these indoor sections are completely air conditioned or heat warmed in the colder weather. In fact there are also tables that you can sit at INSIDE and still watch the game.

The seats are actually on about the 35 yard line and they are wider and more comfortable with permanent, all weather  plastic seats, and a little more room for your feet. We can easily see all of the action on the field and particularly the Jumbo Tron scoreboard at the top of the North end zone – which before we could not see during the daylight. The fans near us are from all over Nebraska – particularly Omaha – but we met others from Los Angeles and Texas.

One thing that was different was that we were really able to see the coaches working with the players – we are right behind the Nebraska bench on the east side of the stadium. It surprised me a great deal to see Bo

letting his coaches actually coach – he mostly stayed away from the assistant coaches or hovered near them when they were talking with their players. The one exception was when Taylor Martinez turned the ball over twice in the last five minutes of the game and Wyoming closed the gap to three points and had the ball at the end to win the game. Our defense finally showed up on their last series.

There are some things that the coach (Bo) has done this year that show a different side of him to becoming more personable and appreciated by all:

• He led the Harlem Shake dance at the end of one of his spring practices
•  He allowed the kid Jack Hoffman to run the final play in the spring game – which attracted over 3 million internet hits and the winning of a television Espy award – and out of character and totally spontaneous, both benches of players ran to the end zone to mob the touchdown scorer
• For the first time ever as a coach – he appointed the four final team captains during the August practices before the season began
• In the previous semester – the football team scored a 3.1 grade point average on a 4.0 scale – UNBELIEVABLE - if you miss a class you meet coach Bo at 4:30 AM to run stadium steps; when you go to class, you’re expected to sit in the first or second row
• The motto for the team is not to win games – it’s to be a man EVERY day – work as hard as you can; go to class; treat others with total respect; remember your family; and take ownership of the path of your own life
• The football team invests over 3,000 hours every year in mentoring middle and high school students; visiting hospitals, nursing homes, and medical centers; and supporting community fund raising events across the state of Nebraska
• He conducted a prank at a team meeting recently (on the internet) that startled his team – then took them all to a surprise downtown movie instead of a second evening practice for the day
• Also, for the first time ever he awarded seven blackshirts before the first game of the season. Previously, they were not given out until far into the season
•   Lastly, he played almost 60 players with many freshmen and red shirt freshmen getting their big chance in the first game of the new year

Now about the game:

1)      The defense was very disappointing – no sacks, very little pressure on the quarterback and Wyoming completely gutted us with their running game

2)      The Wyoming quarterback, Brett Smith may be the best that we see all year. He was incredibly illusive and time and time again he scrambled out of danger – he also ran for almost 100 yards on the “read’ option with no one “reading’ him

3)      There were a lot of missed tackles and again we got hit with too many defensive penalties – although as always, there were some questionable calls that went against us

4)      I actually thought that this was one of Taylor Martinez’s poorest performances. Again, he had both of our turnovers - and on six of the zone read offensive plays, he guessed wrong. They are saying now that he may have a serious shoulder injury – so that may have been a factor in his game. He threw the ball OK, but again this was Wyoming – I thought that he would do better

5)      The running game is really our biggest weapon – we played 10 running  backs in the offense and the backups, including some freshmen were outstanding

6)      The offensive line including five seniors performed the best that we’ve seen in a long time – we ran 85 offensive plays plus 5 punts

7)      As many of our critics predicted, the DEFENSE really underperformed – over 500 yards - and there were several plays where the running back crossed our line of scrimmage with no defensive player being near them; there’s got to be a lot of “cleaning up” to do in time for next week’s opponent Southern Mississippi and from what I saw – I don’t think we have much of a chance against UCLA – again, it will be the defense and our untimely turnovers that will kill us – I sure hope that I’m wrong!!!