Corn Nation says Buffs dangerous

In an effort to always try to bring you something new, I went East to talk CU and Nebraska football with Jon Johnston of Corn Nation, a Huskers' blog added to this site's Hot Links (left margin).

Black and Gold Breakdown: Bill Callahan -- pretender or the architect of a future national champion in Lincoln?

Corn Nation: There's a public perception of Callahan as a bad coach, probably because of the drubbing the Raiders took in the Super Bowl and then the collapse the following year.

Personally, I like Callahan - it's been interesting watching him become a head college football coach.

Put it this way - he didn't come wrapped up in a pretty package like Dan Hawkins. Hawk was a darned successful moving up to run your program. Bill Callahan had a lot of public baggage coming into Nebraska trying to replace two men (Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne) who were legends.

Pretender? I don't think so. Look how long it look Tom Osborne to win a National Championship - Callahan won't have that long. Who does these days? But I believe he'll be good. Osborne good? That's unfair to Callahan.

BGB: Do Husker fans like Callahan, his offense, what he's doing as coach?

Corn Nation: It's split. There are still plenty of Husker fans who think that Frank Solich will come back, or Tom will come back and bring us back to complete domination - kind of like. Then you have this other part of us who realizes that those days are gone, time to move on.

BGB: Do Nebraska fans have any concerns about CU coming into town or have they marked it up as yet another "W" over a "wanna-be rival?"

Corn Nation: No one I know has marked this up with a "W." We remember the rise of (Bill) McCartney and the idea that this means a lot to Buffs' fans. Screw what everyone else thinks, I'm worried. Hawkins is a good coach - you guys obviously play to the end of every game - this isn't the Nebraska of old this year - we get big leads and lose them.

BGB: Beating CU is in your blood, but can and will you beat Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game?

Corn Nation: Poor pass defense. Texas has one of the worst pass defenses in the nation. People don't realize that - but they do. Nebraska somehow can't shake the national perception that we can both run and pass, but when you look at the numbers at http://www.cornnation.com/story/2006/11/22/141154/40 - we do both very well - it's not like the old days. We're diverse. Imagine that!

BGB: Which is more fun for Nebraskans, beating CU or OU?

Corn Nation: Depends on age, I guess. I'm older and remember most of the Thanksgivings during my "coming to age" years as everyone being disappointed by another loss to Oklahoma. We miss the Oklahoma rivalry - there's no doubt about that, bu like earlier, those days are gone. Best we regard them as a fond or not so fond - memory.

Now, it's beating CU. Then there's that game in 2001, the beginning of our downward slide. You don't think that Nebraska fans want to beat CU every year for the rest of our lives?