Two days after his Nebraska football team suffered its most lopsided home loss in 49 years, Huskers coach Bill Callahan said earlier today on the Big 12 teleconference that the recent slide “is tough on everybody.”
“When you’re entering a struggling time, you just have to maintain your poise and your confidence and your belief in what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s not as though all of a sudden you forgot how to coach or don’t remember schemes. You don’t all of a sudden go blank.
“More important is the chemistry of the team and holding the team together and being more in tuned and more receptive and sensitive to what the players’ needs are. These are young kids. You are just trying to help them mature and see through the adversity.
“They’re going to remember how we responded in troubled times. So it’s important, as a leader, that myself and our staff maintain our poise, character and integrity and continue to try to find a way to help these kids get to go to where they want to go, not only on the field, but in life.”
The 45-14 loss to Oklahoma State marked the fourth time this season that Nebraska’s defense has surrendered 40 points. That’s unprecedented in the program’s 118-year history.
Nebraska fans were spotted leaving the stadium early. The Huskers dropped to 4-3 and 1-2 in the Big 12.
Oklahoma State won in Lincoln for the first time since 1960 and made it look easy, racing to a 38-0 halftime lead.
Making matters worse, Nebraska legend Tom Osborne and his undefeated 1997 national championship team were recognized in a ceremony before the game.
“Our players see a lot of things out there and they read a lot of things,” Callahan said of the criticism. “They’re only human. But they we can’t focus on that, and neither can our players. We really have to remain focused on the task at hand and that’s our preparation (for the upcoming home game against Texas A&M).
“There is a lot of character on this football team. These players hurt, and that’s indicative of how much they care. There have been flashes, and there have been series and plays of really outstanding execution. And then there have been times of really poor execution. I think the main issue we’re dealing with is the inconsistency of our football. That may sound like ‘coachspeak.’ But really, and you could bring in any expert you want, it comes down to the little things, the fundamental techniques.”
After the loss to Oklahoma State, Callahan told reporters that he will not consider making changes to his coaching staff.
Callahan said he has conversations with athletic director Steve Pederson on an almost daily basis.
“Our (relationship) is outstanding,” Callahan said. “I’m very close with him. We’ve always had a great dialogue. We continue to talk about ways to improve our program. He’s been a steady force.
“I know that he and I have both come under a steady stream of criticism, especially when you’re not performing well. You just have to stand tall. You’re going to be the target. I understand that. You just have to work yourself out of it.”
CODY RATTLED?
Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins said on the teleconference that redshirt-freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins consistently “pressed” for the first time this season in Saturday night’s 47-20 loss at Kansas State.
“He really tried to press and make some plays, instead of going through the progression (of the play call) and not pre-determining or not trying to force a ball downfield,” Dan Hawkins said of his elder son. “Other than a couple of instances this season, I don’t think that’s been his mode of operation.
“But the guy is a freshman. So those things (are going to happen), just like the rest of our team learning some things.”
It was a physical game, Dan Hawkins said. That probably contributed to Cody’s struggles. The young quarterback finished with 19-for-41 for 223 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
“(Cody) got drilled a few times,” the coach said. “(Kansas State) got after him a little bit.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
