Osborne spells out task facing Nebraska’s Pelini

The Cornhuskers are coming off a 5-7 season under Bill Callahan, who was fired. A solid program is desired.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — 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.