2007 in review
January
-Nebraska loses in the Cotton Bowl to Auburn 17-14 after qualifying for the B12 championship game. Optimism is abound in Husker Nation. The trip was Bill Callahan’s highlight of 2007. Yep…it got worse than a bowl game loss
-Florida trounced Ohio St. in the national championship game. The year got better for backup Florida QB Tim Teabow. He became the first Sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy in December.
-Nebraska gave Minnesota herpes.
Game of the Month: Jan. 24th - Nebraska women BB 70-63 over #25 Kansas State.
February
-Colts and Peyton Manning finally won their super bowl.
-Another addition of the Girls state basketball tournament got underway. South Sioux City didn’t make the tournament field in class B for the first time since 1993. The tournament was plagued by a snowstorm that almost resulted in some teams that didn’t make it to Lincoln. People wanted to know why games weren’t cancelled/postponed/delayed.
Bellevue West, Alliance, Crofton, Kearney Catholic and Humphrey and St. Francis took home trophies. I went 2 for 6 on my state champion picks.
-Tom Shatel couldn’t get into the Athletic Department. He whined about it. Some viewed it as a metaphor of the Steve Pederson regime.
Game of the Month: Feb. 3rd - Nebraska women BB 76-67 over #13 Baylor
March
-The boys state basketball tournament had 0 local flavor. No Lincoln teams since 1934.
Omaha Central, Omaha Skutt, Ainsworth, Ponca, Wauneta-Palisade and St. Edward took home championship trophies. I again went 2 of 6 in my prognostications.
-The women qualified for the big dance but lost to Temple in the 1st round. The women were looking good throughout the season but a late February collapse and a 1st round knock out in the Big 12 tourney put a damper on one of the best seasons the women have had ever.
-March Madness was great. Again. I picked 2 of the 4 final 4 participants but I didn’t pick the eventual winner, Florida who went back to back. And they also held the national championship in football and basketball at the same time, never been done before that. VCU upset Duke in the first round. Creighton lost to Nevada, I cheered. Winthrop upset Notre Dame. Past that there wasn’t many upsets. The sweet 8 featured four #1’s. 3 #2’s and 1 #3 seed.
Game of the month: Omaha Central (24-3) 84, Bellevue West (26-3) 79 OT for the class A state title.
April
-Dana Altman flipped…and then he flopped. He was Arkansas basketball coach for about 12 hours and realized that he still had yet to have a statue erected in his likeness at Creighton and really wanted that. He came back to Creighton. Dana ruined his chance at another big time job forever.
-The Spring Game was another sleeper.
Game of the Month: Nebraska baseball team series win at #11 Oklahoma State.
May
-I went silent and so did the baseball team. Going 5-7 and limping into the NCAA tournament.
June
-The baseball team actually did make it to the NCAA tournament and probably made it farther than people thought. Eventually got pummled in the regional final by Arizona State.
July
-I looked at Nebraska’s non-conference schedule.
-Steve Pederson was given a 5 year contract extension. Oops.
August
-I moved.
September
-Football team goes 4-1 with wins over Nevada (after which Callahan received a contract extension…oops.), Wake Forrest, Utah St. and Ball St. The loss came to USC. Nebraska obviously not ready for the big time with an embarrassing loss on TV. The defense looked bad…and it only got worse.
-Volleyball team goes unscathed in September. Losing nary a game.
-Mike Gundy went mad and told us he’s a man…we laughed.
Game of the month: Sept 22nd – Nebraska 41 – Ball St. 40
October
-What a month.
-Football team goes 0-4. Outscored 150-59. Missouri kicked our ass. People were upset, but I was confused. Oklahoma St and Texas A&M did like wise. We actually played with Texas…go figure. The stats were ugly in Black-tober.
-Volleyball went 8 and 1. But that 1 loss was a definite head scratcher. Texas swept NU 3-0. And then the following game NU had to come back from 2-0 to beat Missouri 3-2. People start to see chinks in the armor. I also, mistakenly, offended the Texas Longhorn volleyball team. Sorry, my bad.
-Now to the big story. Rumors flew and they came true. People couldn’t stand pediocrity anymore and Steve Pederson was fired. Tom Osborne became the new interim athletic director and Bill Callahan’s days were numbered.
Game of the Month: Oct 31st – Nebraska Volleyball 3 – Missouri Tigers 2
November
-November started with another throttling. This time at the hands of Kansas. It also marked the end of Jim Rose on the radio. It later came out that he was worn out and couldn’t be the “voice of the Huskers” anymore.
-Bill Callahan, knowing he probably was out of a job, played a video game against Kansas St. hanging 76 on them for his final win as Husker coach.
-With a bowl birth on the line, Nebraska went out with a whimper losing to Colorado 65-51.
-It comes out that someone threatened to kill Kevin Cosgrove. I was disgusted with Nebraska fans.
-Callahan fired. All of Nebraska rejoiced. Nebraska went on a coaching search.
-The volleyball team started the month with another 2-0 comeback against Kansas St. but cruised the rest of the month and won their 1st round NCAA match.
-No football picks from me but the State Football finals went off without a hitch. Omaha Central, Crete, Pierce, Wakefield, Pope John, and Chambers took home title trophies. The Central win was a bit historic because they were the first Omaha public school to win Class A since they did in 1984.
-Volleyball state title winners were Papillion La-Vista, Lincoln Pius X, Ord, Grand Island CC, Bancroft-Rosealie, and Paxton
-Softball tournament was played in Hastings. The first state tournament outside of Lincoln and Omaha. Papillion La-Vista got back to the top, Elkhorn 4-peated, and Tekamah-Herman won class C.
Game of the Month: Nov. 16th - Omaha Central 26-21 state title win over Millard North.
December
-Nebraska named Bo Pelini their new head coach. All of Nebraska rejoiced.
-Andy Roddick came “home.” I was angry.
-Nebraska basketball got a huge win against Oregon at the Qwest Center.
-Nebraska volleyball team’s quest at a repeat national championship came to an end in the elite 8 as they lost to California.
Game of the month: Dec 15th – Nebraska mens BB 88 – Oregon Ducks 79 in overtime.
The Comments
Swid says Errata December 28, 2007 at 9:00pm
The girls and boys basketball champs listed are for 2006. The 2007 champs were:
Girls: Bellevue West, Alliance, Crofton, Kearney Catholic, Humphrey St. Francis, Ewing.
Boys: Omaha Central, Omaha Skutt, Ainsworth, Ponca, Wauneta-Palisade, St. Edward.
D.M.B. says RE: Errata December 28, 2007 at 11:59pm
oops
they’ve been fixed.
Gene says Psst, Florida trounced Ohio State December 29, 2007 at 12:04pm
Psst, Florida trounced Ohio State in the National Championship game. I’m not sure what Oregon was doing that day, but I’m sure it involved not living up to expectations or Phil Knight donating them a bunch of money. One of those.
I’m sure we’ll hear Mel Kiper, Jr. complaining about Ohio State’s long layoff after they get beat by a faster and more physical football team again this year. I’m sure that doesn’t have anything to do with all of the Buckeyes ranked high in his draft ratings AT ALL.
Other than that, this is a very nice list. I LOL’d at the Dana Altman statue comment.
D.M.B. says RE: Psst, Florida trounced Ohio State December 29, 2007 at 12:20pm
I should have proof read.