My background on this situation is this: my dad went to Nebraska and raised me to live and die Husker football. Furthermore, I got my undergrad degree from Arkansas and have followed the Hogs very closely ever since. So, I have a little understanding of what the Husker nation wants/needs and Houston Nutt is NOT the answer. Make no mistake about it: Nutt has done a fine job restoring the program at Arkansas after the Hogs hit rock bottom with a home loss to the Citadel in the early 90's. But, he is not ready to step into the Nebraska job and all the expectations that come along with it. Nutt is fiery, likable and very emotional which leads to a roller coaster type of season. His teams can come out incredibly charged up and play very well (at Texas this past season) or come out flat and play awful (vs Minnesota in the Music City Bowl last year). Nutt does a very good job of recruiting since his personality comes across very well with players. However, this same personality can lead to trouble as numerous Arkansas players had run-ins with the law during the past few years due to Nutt not cracking down. As a Razorback fan, I think Nutt is a good fit in Fayetteville where the fans want to win and see a competitive team within the SEC. But, Lincoln is a few, if not a lot, of rungs up the ladder and Husker fans will not have the patience to deal with the erratic seasons that Nutt seems to produce.
One more point – I was happy when Solich was canned as I was hopeful that Pederson would bring in a coach who could lead NU back into the top tier of college FB programs. Unfortunately, if Houston Nutt is the best coach he could find to lead the Huskers, then Steve’s head needs to be on the chopping block if (and they will) the Huskers continue to be a middle of the pack Big 12 team!
