Callahan: 'I just didn't do enough'
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Any criticism directed toward Nebraska football coach Bill Callahan this week probably won’t approach the severity of his self-evaluation in the wake of Saturday night’s loss in the Big 12 championship game.
Callahan apologized to Husker fans Monday for his team’s performance, saying “it all falls on my shoulders.”
“I was disappointed with everything I did,” Callahan told reporters during a Big 12 coaches’ bowl teleconference. “I just could’ve done a better job. I just didn’t do enough.”
Nebraska will prepare for the Cotton Bowl with a 9-4 record after falling 21-7 to Oklahoma in the conference title game in Kansas City, Mo. The 22nd-ranked Huskers, who made their first league championship-game appearance since 1999, will next play No. 10 Auburn (10-2) in the Jan. 1 bowl game in Dallas.
“As I go through this week, I’ll take an inventory of where we have to get better, what changes we have to make,” Callahan said. “If we have to change some things, I’m going to change them.
“I’m looking at it really hard,” he added. “I’m just upset at myself for that particular performance. I don’t think our fans deserve it. Our fans waited a long time for that (game), and I apologize to them.
“I’m really, really upset. I’m really upset for that performance, and it all falls on my shoulders. I’m pretty aggravated, to say the least.”
Asked if he had any specific changes in mind, Callahan said, “Whatever I have to do to change, I’m going to change it. I’m going to get this thing to where we can get to a championship level. Whatever I’ve got to do.”
Nebraska senior nose tackle Ola Dagunduro said it was clear Callahan was upset Monday afternoon during a team meeting in which the coach briefly addressed his players. It was the first time the team had gathered since the loss to Oklahoma.
“He took full blame and responsibility for the game,” Dagunduro said. “You could see he was upset, really disturbed. I know he really wanted this (victory) for our seniors. We have a strong relationship with him, and he really wanted for us to go out with a bang. He felt like he let us down. You could see it in his face and in the way he was acting.
“I think this was the most upset I’ve seen him.”
Dagunduro indicated he wished he could talk to Callahan one-on-one.
“We just want to tell him, ‘It’s not all on you; we failed you, too,’ ” Dagunduro said. “There were a lot of things that happened in that game that we could’ve done better.”
Nebraska senior linebacker Stewart Bradley declined to discuss Callahan’s brief address to the team.
“If you want to talk about Auburn, I’ll talk about Auburn, but if you guys don’t . . . I don’t want to talk about the Big 12 Championship,” Bradley said flatly.
Callahan, who calls the plays on offense, seemed distraught late Sunday morning during taping of his weekly television show. During the course of the show, he repeatedly took blame for failed plays and general mistakes. The Huskers finished with 366 total yards and committed five turnovers. Senior quarterback Zac Taylor was 23-for-50 passing for 282 yards and a touchdown, with three interceptions.
Taylor said great coaches often blame themselves for losses even when it’s not their fault.
“The players know we all should’ve played better,” Taylor said. “We all know it wasn’t his fault. We played the game. I threw three interceptions. I know it’s not his fault that I can’t hit (wideout) Nate Swift on seam route when he’s wide open. It’s nice of him to take the blame, but the players know it’s on us.”
In Callahan’s first two seasons at Nebraska, the Huskers were 5-6 in 2004 and 8-4 last year. NU finished off last season with a 32-28 win against Michigan in the Alamo Bowl and used that momentum to produce a 6-1 start to this season.
Callahan welcomed the chance to play Auburn, which has a record of 32-5 in the past three seasons, trailing only Southern California (35-3) and Texas (33-4).
“The mark of Nebraska, the standard of Nebraska, is to play the very best teams in the country,” Callahan said. “If I had my druthers, I’d play one through 10. I’d schedule them all. That’s because of the expectation of Nebraska. If you’re going to be great, you have to beat them all.
“You have to play the best you can. I would love to see it someday where we can play one through 11 or one through 12 — right through the (Top 25) poll — and see how we match up. This is a great opportunity for our team.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
Most Commented news