Husker Extra writers Steven M. Sipple and Brian Rosenthal caught up with many area fans.
Posted: Thursday, September 27, 2007 7:00 pm
Husker Extra writers Steven M. Sipple and Brian Rosenthal caught up with many area fans.
Duane Higgins, Beatrice, retired
REGARDING BILL CALLAHAN: “I think his offense is more exciting than the old ‘two yards and a cloud of dust.’ (However) I think he’s short on recruiting the right type of players. Maybe they’re just not out there.”
ON STEVE PEDERSON: “He’s made good judgments and damned poor ones.”
A good one, he said: The facilities project.
A bad one, he said: Letting Boyd Epley go.
Jeff Wells, Beatrice, 36
REGARDING PEDERSON: “I think he could do better.”
ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM: “I think the program’s going in the right direction. Last year, we made big improvements. It’s not a standard we’re accustomed to, but I think we’re headed in the right direction.”
Wells said he’s willing to be patient with the football program, “as long as I see steady improvement every year. When you have a different coaching philosophy come in, it’s going to take time.”
Andrew Holst, Beatrice, 19
REGARDING PEDERSON: “I think when Bill Callahan was first hired, a lot of people didn’t like Steve Pederson. But after Callahan showed what he could do as a coach, a lot of people started trusting Pederson more with his decision-making. I know I trust him a lot more.”
ON BEING PATIENT: “I know it takes time to build a dynasty. I’d say if we’re not winning Big 12 championships in the next two or three years, then it might be time for a change. Maybe not changing the whole staff, but change the game plan a little.”
Ray Moyer, Auburn, 56
REGARDING PEDERSON: “I think he’s doing a good job now. I think things are going great in the football program. It seems like they turned it around somehow, in just a couple of years. A lot of people probably didn’t expect that.”
Sherry Anderson, Auburn
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM: “I think it’s on its way up. I didn’t think so in the beginning. But I feel we have a good chance of winning the Big 12 championship this year. The players have faith in the coach.
“I think people will be patient with Callahan. They say, ‘Give him time.’ I think he’ll be here for a long time, and I think he’ll do great things.”
ON STEVE PEDERSON: “I don’t like him. I don’t think he’s fair. I think he’s letting his feelings cloud his perception. There are a lot of people in this town that don’t like Pederson.”
ON FANS’ LOYALTY: “This is a huge Husker town and it’s never wavered. If anything, it’s gotten stronger.”
Gene Francois, Bellevue, 58
ON THE DIRECTION OF THE PROGRAM: “That’s a tough question, because I’ve changed my opinion about five times. Originally, I couldn’t understand the whole (Frank) Solich (firing). We won nine games with no talent?
“Right now, I’m just hanging back and hoping we win. I’m still on the bandwagon because this is what we have. I’m a Cornhusker fan, probably forever.”
ON PEDERSON: “He’s just got that tough job. No matter what he does, he’s going to hear a lot of opinions.”
Dave Sjuts, York, sales
ON PEDERSON: “I don’t have any problem with what Pederson has done so far, other than the fact that early on, he didn’t communicate very well what he was doing. The moves he’s made, I can’t argue with them that much.”
ON THE STATE OF THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT: “I think it’s healthy. Doc Sadler was a really good hire, compared to what we had. It seems like the other sports, volleyball, that is what every program in the country aspires to be. Baseball, it’s one of those years.”
ON CALLAHAN: “Overall, I can’t complain that much about what he’s done. I think it took him a year or two to learn the college game is immensely different from the pro game. But it seems like he’s making more strides in that direction.”
Hub Foster, York, retired
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM: “I haven’t made up my mind on Callahan yet. Just a feeling I have. I think it’s getting better.”
ON PEDERSON'S JOB PERFORMANCE: “I’d say fair. I think he spends too much. But you have to do it. I think the (athletic) program has been doing pretty good.”
Fred Stuertz, York, bar owner
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM: “I think Callahan still has a pro football mentality on a lot of the things he does. Of course, I’m not a coach and I don’t understand the program. I guess the kids can go along with what he does. There’s been a couple of games where I thought they made a lot of mistakes, as far as play-calling. But you don’t know as a fan what’s going on there.”
Ron Erickson, Albion, insurance salesman
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM: “When Frank got fired, I was really upset. But I’ve learned to move on and have accepted it. You’ve got to give a new coach five years, and this will be Bill’s fourth. I’m willing to have an open enough mind to see how it pans out.
“But we don’t have that old Nebraska feeling, all the way from Turner Gill gone, down to that lineage of Devaney-Osborne-Frank-Turner Gill coaches. They all had some Nebraska connections, and we’ve kind of lost that. But I also know it’s business, and they have to move on.”
ON PEDERSON: “At first, he had me eating out of his hand. He was coming outstate and bringing coaches and asking for donations, and we were sending money in. Nothing big. But then he turned the program upside-down, and a lot of people I’ve talked to quit donating after that. Maybe they’re coming around now.”
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM NOW: “I’d say this is a crucial year. If we don’t get back to that 10-win season this year … by next year, it’s just got to be done, or we didn’t gain anything.”
Marlene Bittner, Albion, bar owner, 48
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM: “I do believe that eventually Nebraska will come back to be a very good team. They will be competitive as they were at one time. We’ve got a lot of players who are going to be good players, and a lot of juniors that are good players.”
Jeff Kudron, Humphrey, bar owner, 39
ON PEDERSON AND FOOTBALL: “I don’t care for the way Pederson has run the program, but I do think Callahan is doing as good a job as they let him. They’re going in the right direction. It took a couple of years to get things going, which a lot of people don’t … they wanted him to come in and fix things overnight, and that’s going to happen. I think if (Callahan) had a little more control over things, we’d probably be doing a little bit better.”
Denis Torczon, Humphrey, Co-op station manager, 65
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM: “I think we’re getting some good recruits in football, and he seems to be bringing more and more all the time. I would say give us a year or two, and we’ll be a top-notch football team … if these kids all pan out, like they’re supposed to.”
ON PEDERSON: “I think he’s all right. I do. He tries to get good coaches to come here. I think the basketball coach he got here is a nice fella. I think (Pederson) is good. He’s added on to Memorial Stadium. That’s good.”
Jim Kratochvil, Clarkson, 73
ON PEDERSON: “He’s for the rich people. You’ve got to have bucks to go there (to games). I think the program’s going to come around. I was a little disappointed when Pederson fired Frank, but there were a lot of opinions about that.”
on the football team: “I think we’re going to get better. I don’t know what this quarterback from Arizona’s going to do, but it looks like it’s all right.”
John Moore, Clarkson, grocer
ON THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM: “I think our recruiting class sounds pretty hopeful. I hope so, by now. I think Callahan’s doing a pretty good job. I think he’s a good coach. I think the kids get along pretty good with him.
“What he needs to do is have a good, winning season. Like just two losses, probably. I’m not saying win the national championship right away.”
ON STEVE PEDERSON: “I don’t know if he gets along very well with some of the coaches. I don’t know. He kind of likes to spend the money, too. Overall, I don’t really care for him.”
ON THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT: “I think they’re in great shape. We’ve sunk quite a bit of money into the new facility, and we needed to compete with Texas or USC, the big-name schools. I think that’s why the kids come.”