Posts by Rich Kaipust

Tom Osborne felt like he never had a better grasp on what was happening around college football than when he had a vote in the Legends Poll for one season in between his stint as a U.S. Congressman and his return to Nebraska as athletic director.

So while participating in a recent forum in New York City, Osborne wasn’t afraid to mention that he thought the Legends Poll might be the “best method” to help with a selection process when football goes to a four-team playoff in 2014.

Osborne was on with Don James, John Robinson, Terry Donahue, Gene Stallings and the like. Even Bill Snyder before he returned to Kansas State.

“These were all football people,” Osborne said.

They had Saturdays free to watch …

Read more »

Tommie Frazier understands how Alabama might think it has a case.

The Crimson Tide has won back-to-back national championships and three of the last four. The Nick Saban-coached teams posted a combined 39-2 record in those three seasons.

So people naturally have tried to compare this Alabama run to what Nebraska was doing in the mid-1990s, which Frazier said is just fine with him.

“You can’t put into words knowing that you were part of something that was a benchmark of college football, and there are people still comparing teams today to those teams in the mid-’90s,” Frazier said.

“I think when you establish something, and people try to make it better than that, then you’ve done something great.”

Frazier was selected Tuesday for the …

Read more »

Nebraska will start next football season with a pair of night home games that will be televised by the Big Ten Network.

NU and BTN announced Monday that the Huskers’ season-opening game with Wyoming on Aug. 31 will be carried live at 7 p.m. CDT. The following week, NU will kick off at 5 p.m. against Southern Mississippi with coverage by BTN.

Nebraska was not included in any of the ABC/ESPN plans for prime-time games when those were announced last week. The Huskers played three ABC/ESPN prime-time games last season.

Nebraska will be playing its season-opening game under the Memorial Stadium lights for the seventh time since 2002. The last was 2010 against Western Kentucky.

The Huskers are 37-5 all-time in night games at Memorial Stadium.…

Read more »

The NFL draft wrapped up Saturday, but we’re not done yet. How about a look at 2014?

Or, how about a look at Nebraska and its chances for doing better than its two picks in this draft (sixth- and seventh-rounders)?

According to Dane Brugler, the senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, the Huskers do not have a senior-to-be among his Top 50 on his early draft board for 2014 posted on CBSSports.com. NFLDraftScout.com has Spencer Long as its No. 4 offensive guard in position rankings, but Brugler does not have any of the first three in his Top 50.

So perhaps another wait for NU next April, although plenty can happen in 12 months.

Anyway, a look at where NFLDraftScout.com ranks some of the top Huskers that …

Read more »

With only I-back Rex Burkhead and safety Daimion Stafford taken in the seven-round NFL draft, a host of other former Nebraska players were left to work on free-agent hookups with teams Saturday.

Among those confirming deals to The World-Herald or announcing their agreements on Twitter were tight end Kyler Reed to Jacksonville, tight end Ben Cotton to San Diego, linebacker Will Compton to Washington and defensive end Eric Martin to New Orleans.

Former NU kicker Brett Maher hadn’t yet reached a deal with a team Saturday night, according to his agent, Rob Roche. The two-time All-Big Ten kicker attended the NFL Combine and was considered by most as the No. 3 kicker available in the draft (Caleb Sturgis of Florida and Dustin Hopkins of Florida …

Read more »

In a recent interview with Gil Brandt, our conversation turned to the lack of high-level Big Ten prospects for the NFL draft this week.

The NFL.com analyst and former Dallas Cowboys executive then basically agreed with what most mock drafts are saying: The Big Ten more than likely won’t have a player taken in the first round.

“I don’t remember that happening,” said Brandt, who seems blessed with one of the better memories that you’ll find.

Well, here’s why: It hasn’t happened since 1953.

The Big Ten has had at least one first-round pick in 60 straight NFL drafts. It also has had at least three first-round selections in 29 of the last 31 drafts, with at least a half-dozen in 11 of those since …

Read more »

Nebraska and Iowa ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among Big Ten schools in football ticket revenue last season, the highest of those in the league that don’t have 100,000-seat stadiums.

According to figures released to the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette, Nebraska took in just under $28.2 million in ticket revenue for seven home games at Memorial Stadium. Iowa was at just over $21 million at Kinnick Stadium.

Nebraska is set to make a significant jump in ticket revenue in 2013 with the East Stadium expansion project that will bump home crowds beyond 90,000.

Leading the Big Ten were Michigan at $46.4 million, Ohio State at $41 million and Penn State at $33.4 million. Michigan also boasted the highest overall revenue from football at $85.2 million …

Read more »

Nebraska student-athletes Sean Fisher and Katelyn White have been picked for the 2013 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Big Ten Conference for achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and leadership.

A $10,000 scholarship is awarded to each winner, chosen by the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership and initiated in 2008. It is the first time in six years that the Duke Awards have gone to men and women from the same Big Ten school.

The Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award is named for the former Big Ten commissioner, who served from 1971 to 1989.

Fisher is a former Husker football player who has maintained a 4.0 grade average throughout his NU career. The linebacker from Millard North is set …

Read more »

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Wednesday that David Santos “won’t be working out here for a few weeks” but said the linebacker will be back for the start of preseason practice in August.

The sophomore-to-be, projected as the Huskers’ possible starter at middle linebacker, watched the spring game on Saturday with his right arm in a sling.

Also, Pelini said on a Big Ten teleconference that there was nothing significant with injury news for defensive linemen Vincent Valentine and Greg McMullen, who also sat out the Red-White scrimmage. Both redshirt freshmen worked with the No. 1 and No. 2 units through spring workouts and are considered important pieces to the NU defense.

Some other items:

>> With the April 6 ending to spring practice, Pelini …

Read more »

What’s next for the Nebraska football team after the Red-White scrimmage brought spring practice to an end on Saturday?

Certainly not any extended time to rest.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said he laid out that he wants a “detailed plan” from his sixth team heading into the 2013 season.

“It’s not going to happen by just doing what we’ve done in the past or just doing what’s required,” Pelini said. “You have to go over and above. That’s the kind of commitment we need on this football team.

“We have older guys and younger guys, and we’re going to need every single one of them. We’re going to need to all come together. That means we’re going to need to have the same level of …

Read more »