Pinstripe Vibes

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sports Brief as promised this the Husker Buzz edition. Well,
Sean Callahan live and leg a Rosie.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
All right, Seaana, So off in New York, you go
on Wednesday for the Pinstripe Bowl. What's the vibe you're
getting from the ball club? You know, is this gonna
be one of those things where the game is super important,
or hey, we're just glad to be going.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
To a bowl game. Well, the team leaves today and
you know, they've had about ten practices in Lincoln and
we'll have five out of New York, so they'll get
fifteen in this month. But I mean, I think internally,
guys I've talked to like the matchup. One guy said
to me, goes, this is kind of like the Iowa
of the a c C. They're gonna they're gonna slow
it down. I mean, it's gonna be a lower snap

(00:40):
count game. They're a sound, physical team. But you know,
I think guys like the matchup and the opportunity and
nobody's opted out Tyra Robinson and Nashal Monker playing and
you know they're gonna give it their all, or at
least I would say at least three quarters of this game.
I mean, you know, I don't know, you know how
much they want to push themselves here in this final

(01:02):
game as Huskers on this stage, but you know they're ready,
you know, the Dana Holgerson effect too. Having an extra
month now they kind of get things squared away. The
Heiner Carberg get tight end angle is I think something
that's going to be fun to watch. And Dylan Roylo,
I think Nebraska's got a significant advantage in this game
at the quarterback position.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Sure, especially if the weather is decent and it's supposed
to be forty five with not a lot of wind
and cloudy, and it could certainly be worse. It has
been worse in New York City in December. Overall, though,
is the urgency of this game lost on the guys?
If they lose this, that's another consecutive losing season, and

(01:41):
maybe that matters, maybe a doesn't. What's your take?

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Yeah, I mean, I think you're right. Just ending with
a win, ending with a trophy, just the feeling you
get on that plane ride at home, everything's different. You're right.
If they win this game, the new coachings are going
to be involved, that a lot of them that they hired.
I think Terry Bradden won't be there, the Kan't City Chiefs,
the line coach, but the rest should be there for

(02:05):
the most part helping out throughout the bowl week, so
it will have a good feel. I mean even just
little things like that game in Arrowhead Stadium. I think
all of a sudden sell more tickets to me if
there's a better feeling about Nebraska football as the Huskers
get ready to play their open next year. So there's
a lot to it. But you always want to win
your bowl game. I've never covered a poll where you're like, oh,

(02:26):
it's okay if we lose. This is Nebraska. I mean,
there's no accepting he lost Nebraska.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
And in some cases the bowl game got in Nebraska
that ninth victory to keep that string of nine win
seasons alive. Certainly in seventy six and seventy seven that
was the case. Okay, transfer portal Nebraska gets two guys
from power forward programs over the weekend. Tell me about
Deshaun McCullough. He played one hundred and sixty snaps this
past season, but he only made seventeen tackles and that's

(02:52):
at a position like Isaac Gifford that would lead Nebraska
and tackles.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah, he missed a bunch of games the year of
the injury, but he's played a lot of football in
three years. He was a freshman All American at Indiana,
and you know, his father was a coach in Indiana
before that, he coached for the Chiefs. You know, he's
another Kansas City tied player they've added five. He played,
you know, three of his high school years in Kansas City,

(03:19):
so you look at all the players they've added. You know,
his dad actually worked with Terry Braid Brad and he
worked with Dawson Merritt's father on the chief staff. So
there's some natural ties there. But I love the versatility
he brings because he could almost be a pass rusher,
but he could also play safety. He played four than
thirty six snaps at ou in seventeen games, and then

(03:42):
he played foreign seventy seven snaps at Indiana. So this
is a big get. Oklahoma did not want to lose him.
They were very surprised and shocked he entered the portal,
So this was a big one. That definitely not a value.
As Matt rule, there's the guys in the portal that
you get value on and there's ones you don't. I mean,
this is definit we won. Nebraska had had to pay
a premium to get to Lincoln.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, we'll see one hundred and sixty snaps and seventeen
tackles a much. But then let's talk Justin Rhett two
years out of Georgia cornerback, didn't play a lot, only
four games in two full seasons. What makes this guy
so good?

Speaker 3 (04:16):
Yeah, former Bishop Gorman standout was committed to Notre Dame.
Then Georgia switched him. Oregon pushed him hard. So he
was a highly recruited guy two years ago, got passed up.
I mean that's really what it comes that. Georgia has
so much talent on that roster they recruited over him
and he didn't. You know, he didn't get on the field.
So he's played in just four games in two years,

(04:39):
you know, So we'll see where that one goes. Probably
not a guy in Nebraska had to pay a premium
four obviously because of his lack of production. The big
one now we're watching is day Key, the wide receiver
at Kentucky. He was here this weekend. You add him
with Isaiah Hunter and all of a sudden Nebraska is
going to have a very good portal recruiting class. So
Dame Key today or this week will be the one

(05:01):
to watch closely. He was Kentucky's leading wide receiver.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Yeah, and it also means you're overhauling the receiver room
because if you throw cork Doll his Mills in there
with the transfers, then Denni Royaldo has got three four
brand new guys to throw too. And I don't know,
I thought the talent on the roster at that position
was pretty good before the transfer portal opened, But that's
just me.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
So Sean, how are we doing on lineman?

Speaker 3 (05:25):
None? And that's a concern. They've got to get some
long they need about two offensive linemen. And here's the
thing they could get. You know, Missouri's gone out and
they overpay for guys. I mean, that's their mo in
this portal world. But and and they've Matt Ruhle refuses,
I think, just to overpay for a guy that you
don't know, even if he's going to be a for
sure starter for your team. And you see teams like

(05:48):
Missouri do that right now there. I mean, they just
got the top one of the top quarterbacks the Penn
State quarterback that's committed to Missouri. You know, it's a
really down year if you're looking for a quarterback in
the portal. This year, it's not a great year. Missouri
got the best one though, one of the best. But
you have offensive line market. Nebraska's in on some names
but nothing has been settled.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
But at that position, okay, talk to tomorrow, Sean. Thanks
our Big Red Insider Sean Callahan