Nelva Deeke won a contest from the ESPN TV show "College GameDay" and Home Depot.
She was given the choice either of tickets and all expenses paid to the Rose Bowl, or the show's three hosts: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso would come to her home for a barbecue.

"I could've gotten tickets, with all the amenities, to the Rose Bowl, but since Nebraska wasn't playing, I decided not to use that one," she said. Instead of a barbecue in Hubbell, Deeke and some friends met the GameDay crew for lunch at a Lincoln restaurant, May 21.

Nebraska Woman Chooses Lee Corso Over Rose Bowl originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beebe, however, said he thinks football should be seen as unique because it has a high rate of redshirts and injuries.

"Injuries happen and coaches have players who could contribute, but they don't want to play someone on a limited basis and burn a redshirt year," Beebe said. "And you have kids during their redshirt year who are getting the heck beat out of them in practice every day with no hope of playing."

Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe Pushing for Fifth Year of Eligibility originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 21 May 2008 11:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"The concept of Solich's $350,000 post-graduate scholarship was the brainchild of three close friends, Bob Sawdon of Austin, Texas; Tom Rodeno of Castle Pines, Colo; and Mick Ziegler of Dallas. The scholarship was established shortly after Solich took over as Nebraska's head coach in 1998. In 2004, in the months after his firing, he moved the scholarship out of the athletic department to the NU College of Law.

Perhaps Solich didn't appreciate that the plaque in South Stadium recognizing his scholarship recipients was taken down."

"As for the old wounds, it's probably shortsighted to think they're going to magically heal, even with Tom Osborne back in the fold. Bottom line is, the program has endured massive tumult - almost unimaginable, if you think about it - and the healing process will require a lot of more time and patience. No need to rush anything."

Scholarship in Frank Solich's Name to Return to Nebraska Athletic Department originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 11:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Old School: Johnny Rodgers' 'One-Man Show' Defeats Notre Dame originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 May 2008 14:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"He [Frank Solich] played a big part in me being where I am tonight," Pelini said.

"I do know this: The one person I feel sorry for in the whole thing is Coach Solich," Pelini told a crowd of 525 Thursday night. "I wish he could be back here with us. Just through the whole thing, I thought he was the one who got the short end of the stick, and that's too bad."

"It's gotten easier," he said. "It was extremely tough early on. I found it difficult to even look at the scores at the bottom (of the TV screen) when they'd come across. Then it got to the point where I could take some glimpses of a Nebraska game. And then I'd watch a quarter . . .

"Obviously my heart is there in a lot of ways. A big part of my life was spent there in the state of Nebraska."

Bo Pelini Spends Off-Season Moonlighting as Frank Solich's PR Man originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 12 May 2008 13:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Old School: Arizona State Ends the Nebraska Streak, 1996 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 08 May 2008 21:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"On occasion, they are critiqued almost as much as the game itself. Once in a rare while, you will hear a sports announcer/analyst receive praise from a fan. But more often they are called terrible or - worse than that - biased: Announcer X hates Nebraska.

Some might call it paranoia. Some are sure of its truth. There are those out there who are quite certain Brent Musburger has it in for Nebraska. Or that Mark May plots out his lines with the intention of making some guy in Omaha shout foul words at his television."

"Announcers are always against Nebraska," one Big Red fan from Colorado recently opined on the Journal Star blog. "I think it started out as an East Coast bias and blossomed when we kept beating the (tar) out of all their precious East Coast schools."

"Parsing each and every word the announcers utter for any hint of bias against Nebraska is an absolute waste of energy," wrote another fan. "Nothing takes the fun out of watching a game like listening to your companions whine incessantly about something that has no bearing whatsoever on the game's outcome."

Nebraska Fans and Their Tinfoil Hats Claim Media Bias originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 05 May 2008 13:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former coach Bill Callahan was obsessive about his offense; he made the game plan and called the plays. Sources say before the Texas game -- and at the height of Nebraska's failures -- Callahan let his assistants build the game plan and said he wouldn't call one play.

After the first series, Callahan not only called every offensive play, he called the defensive sets, too. The Huskers gave up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and lost, 28-25. Then they allowed 172 points over their final three games.

Ever see a kids' community league basketball game where one kid basically hogs the ball on offense, doesn't pass, and whose teammates basically hate his guts and more or less quit on the court? That never works out, and then everyone says nasty things about that person when they're out of range. Or they snipe from the digital pages of The Sporting News.

Former Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan Totally Muffed the Texas Game originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Old School: The Longest Two Seconds Ever originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"Josh Williams, a highly-ranked defensive end recruit out of Denton, Texas, was arrested last week for assault and robbery. He stands accused of approaching a Denton man as he sat in his pickup, punching him in the face and then robbing him of $900.

Despite Williams being released from jail Thursday, Pelini has had no comment on the situation."

Pelini began his trend of downplaying altercations involving football players early on in his tenure when quarterback Patrick Witt was arrested after showing up in a dormitory intoxicated and belligerent, shoving an RA and then fleeing from police.

"After seeing the staff editorial, Pelini called our office and berated one of our board members so loudly that he was heard clearly from across the newsroom. There's no real point in printing the choice phrases he used during that first phone call.

But Pelini informed us the Daily Nebraskan's relationship with the football program would be severed unless an exhaustive retraction was published on today's front page. Athletic Department personnel confirmed Pelini's decision later in the day, and asked that our reporters and photographers not show up at Monday's practice while politely asking the one writer who did to leave."

Student Newspaper Attacks Bo Pelini, Bo Pelini Bites Back originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"It's a big deal now," said Nebraska senior linebacker Tyler Wortman. "We have people checking on everybody, making sure you're in class."

It's common to see members of Nebraska's academic support staff -- and sometimes even Pelini himself -- making the rounds on campus to make sure players are in class.

"It's not up for debate," Pelini said. "If you don't want to go to class, turn pro."

"Nowadays, most of them don't go to bed until midnight anyway," Prince said. "We just figured this would be the best way to let them keep their schoolwork up while they were practicing. I'm as confirmed as anybody that they are in school to get their degrees."

"I don't particularly like this, but it's being done for the betterment of the team," Freeman said. "We're working out at night, which is a time you might normally want to relax after school and practice. But it's kind of a blessing. We don't have anything going on during the afternoon, so I either kick back or do my papers then."

Big 12 Coaches Stressing Importance of the Classroom This Spring originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The week of the sold-out Bruce Springsteen concert in Omaha last month, you could call a local ticket broker and pay $39 for a seat.

For Saturday's sold-out Nebraska spring football game, that broker is getting $95 a ticket.

"I'm not going to be one to judge the craziness of Nebraska football fans," Ticket Express owner Chad Carr said. "The weird thing about this game, I can't keep tickets in stock."

We didn't have to do a whole lot of marketing or advertising. It pretty much sold itself," said Nebraska athletic marketing director Corrie Sears. "It's our fans being excited about the new era with Tom Osborne back (as athletic director) and Bo Pelini."

"What we have here is very special," Sears said, "and what we have are very passionate fans. The spring game is becoming more of an event, and we're treating it more like a real game for our fans."

$100 Spring Game Tickets? Thomas Tusser Must Have Spent Some Time in Nebraska originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Softer Side of Sam Keller originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General admission tickets are no longer being sold for the April 19th scrimmage. But the Nebraska athletic department said Wednesday that about 1,000 reserved obstructed-view seats are available under the balconies on the east and west sides. Cost is $10.

When the remaining tickets are gone, about 65,000 will have been sold. Sports information director Keith Mann says a crowd approaching capacity of 81,000 should be on hand after complimentary and general admissions are added to the total.

The record spring game crowd was 63,416 in 2005.

Nebraska Spring Game Nears Sellout originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sophomore Vondrell McGee will get first shot at the starting job after serving as Charles' understudy a year ago. When Charles was having consistency problems at midseason in 2007, McGee actually got more playing time, specifically on short-yardage and goal-line plays. He gained 297 yards overall and scored eight touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman Fozzy Whittaker and McGee share the same, low-to-the-ground build. Both resemble miniature linebackers.

Whereas McGee prefers the I-formation, Whittaker is more comfortable running out of the shotgun. That's how he made his yardage at Pearland High School, where he finished with the sixth-best rushing total in Class 5A history.

The third member of the committee is Chris Ogbonnaya, a well-known offensive commodity. The Longhorns often turned to Ogbonnaya on third-down situations last fall because he was as adept at running pass routes as he was at picking up the blitz. He caught 21 passes a year ago. To prepare for this season, the fifth-year senior dropped 12 pounds to improve his speed. He's now at 215.

"Everything. Everything,'' Littrell said. "He has 18 (spring-semester) hours, making As and Bs. He hasn't missed class one time. He's been up here. He's been respectful. He's done everything we've asked of him so far. He's just got to continue to work and do it.

"Shannon's a good kid. I mean, he really is. There's a lot of speculation with what goes wrong and our relationship. Some of it's speculation. With me, it's all going to stay in-house.

"But he's done a good job. He's doing everything we've asked him to do.''

"I don't know much. I know a little bit, still trying to learn and get things done," said Glenn, who got minimal reps. "It's hard to really do anything when you're thinking as much as I'm trying to think, getting everything down."

"It all comes down to me just trying to help the team out, wanting to win. I can't say we've won a lot of games since I've been here. So really, this is my senior year. Basically I just want to win. Whatever it takes, that's what I want to do."

"He's a guy not everybody has really had a chance to see a lot of. I made this comment to a lot of people: Mossis Madu can play for a lot of people," running backs coach Cale Gundy said. "I'm fortunate to be a coach at a position that has a lot of depth. It's good for him to get a chance to go through the spring with the No. 1 offense and show people what he can do."

Spring at a Glance: Big 12 Running Backs originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"We've had the most physical practices we've ever had," [head coache Mack] Brown said. "We were more physical last spring, but this spring we've just continued. Obviously, Will's come in with some new defensive thoughts and we're working on those."

"Every day, we're hitting, no matter where we are," cornerback Deon Beasley said. "Inside the bubble, outside, we're hitting. I think it's good for us to get some contact and for us to show that we're not only a fast team, but we're a physical one as well."

Pelini labeled last year's defensive performance "irrelevant" and said he hasn't watched any of the tape from last year. He'll spend some time trying figure out what talent he has, and "tweaking" the scheme to the players. It will also be more physical.

"We're not gonna be out there playing tag, I promise you that," Pelini said.

"I thought the tempo was good," Pelini said. "It was physical. We made a lot of strides the first three days, especially defensively. They've got a lot to learn. But the tempo's good, the effort's good."

"It's getting real physical," [quarterback Austen] Arnaud said. "Not for me so much, just because I'm a quarterback. But I can see those other guys getting after it and working hard. Those pads are definitely popping out there."

[head coach Gene] Chizik said the team is stronger overall because of offseason work in the weight room and he hopes that translates into a more dominating presence on the field.

"Right now I'm really pleased," he said. "They're doing everything we ask them to do. They are very much trying to be a physical football team."

"There was some good physical hitting and we were around the football," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.

Big 12 Teams Get Physical This Spring originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first game in the series will be played on Sept. 1, 2012, in Lincoln, and will mark the Huskers' season opener. The Huskers will travel to Southern Miss for a game on Sept. 7, 2013, with the final meeting in the three-game contract set for Sept. 5, 2015.

"Southern Miss has an outstanding football program with a tradition of taking on top programs around the country," Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne said in a statement. "We had a competitive three-game series with them a few years back and this should be another challenging set of games for our football team against a good opponent."

Nebraska and Southern Miss. Set Future Dates originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Discussing the receivers after one recent practice, Holt says, "Now I think we're all fully bloomed flowers. It's time to go out there and show everyone our petals."

Worst. Football. Analogy. Ever. originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"For me, it's just learning every day," said Arnaud, who is competing with Phillip Bates for the starting job. "You can make your share of plays, but if you're turning the ball over, it doesn't really matter."

"It's weird," Ganz said. "It's going to be different."

"Now that I've gotten to where I want to, I'm just going to have to work that much harder to not let anybody take it from me," Ganz said. "I've worked too hard to let somebody come up and take the job from me, so I really don't need any more motivation than that."

"It's huge for those two guys," co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Gunter Brewer said about Friday's scrimmage and the three others that will take place this spring. "They have not had any live action. They found that out today. That's why live snaps are so much better than practice snaps. It's as close as you're going to get to a game against a defense that's throwing a lot of stuff at you."

"I was disappointed, I'm not going to lie. But the team did really good and Sam played well. As an overall I was happy. From a selfish, personal standpoint, I was a little disappointed I wasn't playing. But at the same time the team is playing good and we're rolling, and I was happy about that. I had mixed emotions."

"There's been rumors for 100 years about players transferring, and it's always the third or fourth quarterback," Brown said. "That's 100 percent in my 33 years coaching.

"Neither one of them has said anything about it or discussed it. In fact, both took all the snaps in today's scrimmage and did really well.

"If anybody ever wants to transfer and has not come forward to us, we'd be the first to help them and get them a release anywhere they want to go. We've never asked a player to stay. We'll always give them a release to play against us, anywhere they want. We want happy players.

"I don't read the Internet, so you all will have to bring me the rumors so I can go ask them."

Spring at a Glance: Big 12 Quarterbacks originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"There was definitely a frustration for the team, one, but for me especially," Slauson said. "Because I kind of feel like I got jacked around a little bit, switching positions all the times, switching playing time all the time, playing a few plays here, a few plays there. I was really frustrated the whole time ... I had no idea what was going on the whole year. I think (it) just messed with my head a little bit. I don't know if there were head games they were doing or what, but I just didn't feel comfortable where I was."

Slauson said guys usually didn't know who was going to start until 10 minutes before the game. He said he wasn't sure who was making the final call on who started.

The Husker senior running back said his trust in former NU running backs coach Randy Jordan deteriorated markedly last season. Glenn said Jordan would tell Glenn he was going to play in a particular game, then Glenn would remain on the bench.

"The thing about me is, when you tell me you're going to do something, I expect you to do it," Glenn said after practice. "Once you don't, I just kind of don't have any trust in you. We had a few situations like that, and I never got an explanation for it, where he'd come up to me and say, 'I did this for this reason.'

"I was like, 'Man, I can't believe anything he says.'"

Glenn said he did express his frustrations to Jordan.

"He was like, 'Once we get in the game and stuff starts rolling, it's just different,'" Glenn said. "(Jordan) kept saying the same thing, and I kind of got tired of it and didn't talk to him much anymore."

Huskers Pile on Previous Coaching Staff originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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