Bo is Back!

Spring football has arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska and it could not have come soon enough. The Bill Callahan era is mercifully in arrears and Bo Pelini is back to lead the Big Red. Pelini will be called upon to install some leadership and mend broken relationships. It will be on the defensive side of the ball, his expertise, where the most work needs to be done.

Outside of some stellar play by linebacker Bo Ruud, the 'Husker defensive unit was a disaster in 2007. The unit lacked cohesiveness and a spirit for swarming to the ball. Pelini will immediately fix those things, but he does not have a lot of experience to work with. Up front, Zach Potter and Barry Turner return, but they were very pedestrian in '07. The linebacking core is depleted as is the majority of the secondary. Some playmakers need to be found in these areas so we will need Pelini to work his magic. Ricky Thenarse is a hard hitting safety with a potentially bright future.

The offense should be very good. The line returns the majority of starters and has quality depth not seen in many years. At receiver, although the loss of Maurice Purify will hurt, there are several quality players ready to emerge behind steady senior Nate Swift. At running back, there is a long list of players ready to compete for the job. Marlon Lucky returns as the starter but will be pushed by Quentin Castille, who at times looks outstanding, Roy Helu, Cody Glenn and Kenny Wilson among others. Joe Ganz was very impressive late last year at quarterback and he could end up pushing for conference honors. The depth at quarterback is bare and will need to be a focus this spring.

Everyone is just excited to see the Pelini regime get underway. I think everyone hopes the return of Pelini is the beginning of a long and successful tenure. I vote it will be just that.