While watching Georgia Tech re-write the Miami Hurricanes record book tonight (GT had 472 yds rushing, 2nd most rushing yards ever given up in one game by Miami), I thought back to last year. With Nebraska coming off of a losing season and Bill Callahan on the way out, I was surprised Nebraska never really seemed to take a serious look at Paul Johnson at Navy. Johnson's flexbone triple-option offense had been successful at Georgia Southern (won two national titles) and at Navy, taking the Middies to several winning seasons and bowl games. Clearly, if he could win at Navy, he can win anywhere. I thought his affinity for running a ground-bound offense and the triple option would be a natural fit for Nebraska, who never really took to Bill Callahan's West Coast Offense. I still maintain that the easiest way to make a 'Husker fan happy, win or lose, is to average over 200 yds a game rushing. Johnson would have been able to do that with the personnel they have at Nebraska.

I don't know what Tom Osborne's criteria was in looking for a new coach. He seemed to put all of his eggs into the Pelini basket early on, never really looking at anyone else. Publically, no one else was mentioned as a serious candidate. I was somewhat surprised by this, because although I know Pelini remained a popular figure in Nebraska after his run as defensive coordinator in 2003 (and 1-game stint as interim head coach in the Alamo Bowl), I thought Osborne's love for the running game and Johnson's credentials as a coach would make him an easy pick for Nebraska. I was wrong on that count.

Fast forward to today, and Bo Pelini has Nebraska looking respectable, with a 7-4 record going into their final game of the season against Colorado. Pelini recently got his signature win for his inaugural season as Nebraska's head coach, beating Kansas 45-35 on November 8. If Nebraska beats Colorado and wins their bowl game, they'll have 9 wins for the first time since 2006, which was Callahan's only 9-win season. That will be a nice accomplishment for Pelini, even with a favorable schedule containing 8 home games. Pelini seems to be doing well at Nebraska, so why even bring up Paul Johnson? A look at three of Nebraska's losses is where I believe Johnson would have made a difference.

Nebraska lost to Virginia Tech 35-30, Missouri 52-17, and Oklahoma 62-28. I think Johnson would have been able to lead Nebraska over what is really an average Virginia Tech team.  I don't know if Nebraska would have beaten Mizzou or Oklahoma, their defensive personnel is not really a match for the athleticism both of those teams feature on offense, but it would have been a lot closer. The simple ball-control nature of Johnson's flexbone offense would have kept the game closer, not to mention the fact that both teams would be facing an offense they don't see very often. One of the advantages which Nebraska enjoyed in their recent history when they ran their I-veer option under Osborne and Solich was that few, if any teams ran a true option like they did, so preparing for their offense in one week of practice was a real chore. Nebraska would enjoy this advantage again if Johnson had been hired. More importantly, more competitive games between Nebraska-Missouri and Nebraska-OU would mean a tighter BCS race between Tech, Oklahoma, and texas.

Georgia Tech's win over Miami today gives the Yellow Jackets wins over both Florida schools in the ACC, which dispels the myth that "you can't run that offense against Florida speed." Georgia Tech is currently 8-3, with a game against rival Georgia remaining. Tech could potentially finish with a 10-win season if they win their bowl game, a phenomenal accomplishment for a first year coach in Atlanta. Who knows what he would have been able to accomplish if he had been hired at Nebraska?