Osborne: Pelini priority is re-energizing Huskers

For a man who coached some of the most dominant teams in college football history, Tom Osborne has modest expectations for the 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

First-year coach Bo Pelini simply needs to get the program on solid ground, Nebraska's athletic director said Friday.

"I guess what I'm hoping for is that we see a team that is well-organized, plays with a lot of heart, gives great effort and is well-prepared," Osborne told The Associated Press. "After that, you have to live with the consequences."

The Huskers are coming off a 5-7 season under Bill Callahan, who was fired after his second losing campaign in his four years at Nebraska.

Beyond the record, Osborne saw a program in disarray when he returned as athletic director in October. The Huskers had one of the worst defenses in the country, giving up 38 points a game and enduring beatings of 41-6 at Missouri, 76-39 at Kansas and 65-51 at Colorado.

Osborne said the best he can hope for is an immediate change in direction. The Huskers start preseason practice Aug. 4 and open Aug. 30 against Western Michigan.

"You can't say it has to be a certain number of wins," Osborne said. "This is a team that has been pretty much inherited.

"In three or four years that will change. You'll have to say recruiting is part of it - 'Are the players here? Are they functioning well?' At this point, all you can hope for is that the players play hard, that they know what they're doing and that there seems to be a good chemistry between them and the coaches. Those are the things that I'm hoping will come to pass."

Osborne was Bob Devaney's offensive coordinator for Nebraska's 1970 and '71 national championship teams and was head coach for 25 years, winning titles in 1994, '95 and '97. He was 255-49-3 and won 60 of 63 games before retiring after the '97 season, the most wins in a five-year span by any Division I team.

He returned 10 years later to a Nebraska program he didn't recognize.

"Exactly what the problem was, I don't know - whether it was talent, approach to the game, leadership within the team, coaching leadership," he said. "Obviously, it didn't play out good."

Pelini said he's worked well with Osborne since getting hired in December.

"He's been here for me. He's been there as a resource," Pelini said. "He says, 'You're not Tom Osborne.' He makes suggestions but he's not overbearing. He says you've got to do it the way you see fit."

The Huskers tied for last with Iowa State in the Big 12 North last season and are picked third behind Missouri and Kansas this season.

Pelini knows he must win, and the sooner the better.

"We have high standards and high expectations," Pelini said. "We're going to keep working to get better every day. We'll get there."

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