How Pelini Got His QB, Big 12 Power Polls, And 1970s Pop

by Scipio Tex on Oct 14, 2010 4:57 PM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Football

Better Off Red has been killing it of late, and this latest piece by Farmer Ted on how Taylor Martinez came to transform the Husker offense is absolutely outstanding. Just read it.

Jonathan Taylor-Thomas T-Magic's transition from future Blackshirt Safety to Athlete to Quarterback is cool. Similarly, Bo Pelini doesn't get enough praise for making a choice - benching an experienced starting QB for a freshman - that looks so obvious only in retrospect. Pelini is clearly in this for titles, not 10 wins and a bowl.

Lots of other good stuff at Better Off Red. Surf around.

Not to be outdone, the good men at Atomic Teeth, our Missouri bloggers, have put up a Big 12 power rankings and a bad 1970s pop song plea for Blaine Gabbert not to be a hero.

Music from the 1970s sure liked to tell a little story, didn't it?

Yes, I'm crying a little. What of it? I heard she threw that letter AWAYYYYYYYYY...

Aside from the outstanding gold flame accented flared costuming, please check out the cat playing keyboards and piano. He has his pants stuffed with a gym sock and he has a look of utter contempt for any man who cannot play two keyboards simultaneously. My one regret is not hitting my prime in the 1970s when my thick, wavy hair could have been grown out, parted in the middle, and blow dried to a spectacular sheen and consistency that would make an Italian gigolo envious.

My older sister had this particular record on a scratchy 45 and its maudlin lyrics are indelibly etched in my psyche along with the caterwauling of Rick Springfield and Loverboy. She even took me to see the Rick Springfield movie Hard To Hold, whose execrable plot and character development did not escape my scathing analysis even at age 10. By the way, I agree with the Atomic Toofster's take wholeheartedly.

Regarding the power poll, I think we can all agree on the two best teams in the league and we may agree on the two worst (Kansas and somebody), but ranking the middle eight is best done by placing all of their names on dollar bills and then flinging them off of a skyscraper in Times Square and then noting the order in which they are picked up and presented to trannies for peep booth dances. Any argument for those middle eight teams should be met with a sympathetic nod, because I'm pretty sure you don't have any idea either.

The Aggies are at a crossroads. But aren't we all? Shouldn't you have pursued that career in ceramics or Latin salsera? I know Bob in Houston wishes he had. And nordberg wishes he'd married that weepy girl from Itasca that used to walk the railroad tracks alone.

Anyway, this line made me laugh hard for it's matter-of-fact relation and seeming illogic:

The long and short is we need the game Saturday badly and I think the team will come out strong. The game is being televised, so that is working against us

The rays of television actually inhibit Aggie performance. The Aggies pine for telegrams and passenger pigeons to deliver the news of their football games and Mike Sherman wishes he could barnstorm off of the back of a steam-engine train wearing a great waistcoat and bowler hat, promising a free ham for every man who will say Whoop!

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Pelini is clearly in this for titles, not 10 wins and a bowl.

I’ve been screaming about this for years. Rub it in, Scip, you heartless bastard.

by Blueshorn on Oct 14, 2010 5:01 PM CDT reply actions

Blues -

I didn’t have our coaches in mind when I wrote that.

That’s what NU accomplished last year and they were prohibitive favorites to do the same again with Zac Lee at QB. Most coaches wouldn’t upset that apple cart. Pelini, in my estimation, would accept the small possibility of a blown season in order to upgrade substantively. Most coaches won’t.

I like that about him.

by Scipio Tex on Oct 14, 2010 5:07 PM CDT reply actions

I think our coaches were clearly looking big picture when they attempted to implement a pro-style offense. Mack was not willing to sacrifice the season and predictably scrapped most of the components. I’m still waiting on the Joe Gibbs playaction game to our H-Back. Our offensive coaching staff has not been up to the challenge to say the least.

by Eskimohorn on Oct 14, 2010 5:20 PM CDT reply actions

…but ranking the middle eight is best done by placing all of their names on dollar bills and then flinging them off of a skyscraper in Times Square…

Please stay away from me.

by The Discovery Channel headquarters on Oct 14, 2010 5:42 PM CDT reply actions

An entire ham? Really?

Whoop or whatever. where’s my ham?

by fbomb on Oct 14, 2010 6:10 PM CDT reply actions

I didn’t have our coaches in mind when I wrote that.

Fair enough, but I did when I read it. We have two titles in 13 years because we value streaks of 10 wins with bowls more than titles.

Pelini, in my estimation, would accept the small possibility of a blown season in order to upgrade substantively. Most coaches won’t.

Including our coaches, with the recent exception of Muschamp.

I like that about him.

Yes, smart coaches with balls are valuable. I say this as we risk losing the only one we have who fits these criteria.

by Blueshorn on Oct 14, 2010 6:27 PM CDT reply actions

Bo Donaldson was no Terry Jacks. And Loverboy is still awesome, just like Billy Squier.

by Spawn of Cthulhu on Oct 14, 2010 8:25 PM CDT reply actions

I saw Loverboy open for Journey when I was in the 8th grade. Most opening acts are throwaways, but Loverboy brought it. Perhaps only exceeded by Saxon opening for Triumph, or Gary Muledeer opening for Roger Miller.

by That's what she on Oct 14, 2010 9:13 PM CDT reply actions

No matter what happens this week, we definitely break the TV jinx next week vs KU. We get to go against a Torbush defense in that one, and having seen that from the other side more times than I care to remember – I definitely see a TV win. Back to this week. Mizzou seems to have lost some key players to injury or thuggery and the Qb got dinged up last week. They haven’t exactly been stout on D and their strength of schedule thus far sucks. I think we need to tell the players Bill Byrne cancelled the TV broadcast to ensure a sellout and that might lift the pressure a bit. If JJ can perform an anal digital extraction, we should be ok.

by Kilgore Trout on Oct 14, 2010 9:45 PM CDT reply actions

Does the Las Vegas line change on aggy based on their being on TV or not?

by 10sLefty on Oct 14, 2010 9:48 PM CDT reply actions

" but ranking the middle eight is best done by placing all of their names on dollar bills and then flinging them off of a skyscraper in Times Square and then noting the order in which they are picked up and presented to trannies for peep booth dances."

The imagery here is…..disturbing.

Hilarious, but disturbing.

by LouisvilleHusker on Oct 15, 2010 10:50 AM CDT reply actions

As much as I don’t care for Nebraska and wish to humiliate them one final time (and in a worst way than all previous). I like Pelini in an abstract and academic way. He is a good coach and has recovered some of their prestige as a program.

But goddam, a win tomorrow would be so awesome. How high is Memorial Stadium and is there a ledge around the top?

by Johnnymac on Oct 15, 2010 12:41 PM CDT reply actions

Bet your ass I do. Lonely desperation is an underrated quality.

by nordberg on Oct 15, 2010 12:57 PM CDT reply actions

Reminds me of the song “Who Do You Think You Are” by “Jigsaw”.

by Int'l Interstate on Oct 17, 2010 3:36 PM CDT reply actions

I.I.-just throw him the hell outta yer tiny cubicle!

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IICK!!

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