State of Nebraska Football

A fresh start. A new beginning. A restoration of tradition and the Nebraska way. These types of phrases rang through the state in late 2007 when Bo Pelini was officially hired as the next Head Football Coach of the University of Nebraska.

Times were tough in Huskerland. Bill Callahan took over in 2004 and led the program into a total headspin. The once-vaunted Cornhuskers, who boast 5 national championships, 3 Heisman Trophy winners, and 2 legendary coaches, became one of the laughing stocks of college football. People began referring to the Blackshirt Defense as "The Pinkshirts." After athletic director Steve Pederson met the axe, former 3-time national championship coach Tom Osborne, took over as interim AD. Shortly thereafter, he fired Bill Callahan. Bo Pelini was the obvious choice to replace Callahan. Tom Osborne liked him too, and hied him two weeks later.

Pelini had the resume to be successful at Nebraska. National championship defensive coordinator at both Oklahoma and LSU, professional experience in the NFL, and even a stint as defensive coordinator for Nebraska in 2003. He was no nonsense, passionate, a players coach. He had everything that a Husker fan dreamt of in a head coach. He was the man to lead Nebraska back to its old place among college football's elite.

In his first three seasons, it appeared Pelini would do just that. In his first season he took a desperate team and made them 9-4 with a Gator bowl win over Clemson. In 2009, he had one of the best defenses in the country, led by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. 2010 was similar to 2009. Pelini again fielded one of America's best defenses, but this time led by the secondary.

Things began to change by 2011. The offense was sputtering and the defense seemed to be losing some of its luster. Another thing began to work against Pelini: His lack of championships. While his teams were winning 9-10 games per year, they werent winning anything of substance. His on-field antics also began to bite him. Outbursts at players on national TV and other media encounters have tampered his reputation and the university's as well.

Now its 2013. Pelini still hasnt won a championship. His defense is ranked 105th in the nation. His offense isn't living up to its preseason hype. His recruiting efforts have been extremely pathetic. And now the Deadspin audio tape.

It will be interesting to watch Pelini over the next two months. Fans are angry with him, his record isn't looking so good, his teams are getting blown out in the games that count, and he still has a goose egg in the championship column. Nebraska has been waiting 15 years to get back to national prominence. The University has a tough decision looming this offseason; keep Bo or let him go.

Learning Experiences 2

Learning Experience 2

An end-of-the-semester breakdown of my classes the past few months:

Foundations in Business

My Foundations class has taught me a lot about the basics of business. I have learned how to write resumes, cover letters, business plans, reports, memos, and letters. I have become more involved with the Neeley School as a result of this class and my skills in business have improved overall. This class has been a great starting point for me in my business education. I have enjoyed the class for the most part and I am glad I was able to take it.

Fundamentals of Accounting I

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first accounting class. I have learned that while I might not be the sharpest accountant around, I do have a genuine interest in accounting. I like that I took this class because I was able to learn the basics of financial reporting and managerial accounting while also learning more about myself and interests. I understand the need to have a solid understanding of accounting principles, but I also know that I do not need to be an accounting whiz to make it in business someday. This class has helped me realize that. Professor Vigeland has given me a great foundation to build from as I continue to take business classes throughout my college career.

Statistical Analysis

As someone who had already taken elementary statistics, I thought this class would be easy. Most of the basics are the same between the two classes, but I learned the hard way that just because two classes are similar doesn’t mean theyre the same. My first test went rough. I got a 76. But, I was lucky enough to take that grade as a message to work harder at the next one. Thankfully, I have done much better on the rest of the tests and look to finish out pretty strong. This class taught me a lot about statistics and their applications in business, but it also really served to wake me up. My first test in this class was probably one of the worst test grades I’ve ever received. I am glad I turned it around and was able to learn from my mistakes and laziness when it came to approaching this class.

Conversation Partner 1

Today I met a young man named Kevin Peng. Kevin is from a small town about 3 hours away from Shanghai, China. He has been in the United States for a little over a month and is beginning to learn English at TCU. Once Kevin has the language down, as I understand it, he will begin to take business classes at TCU.

Kevin was very interesting to meet. He comes from a completely different background, culture, and country than I. Kevin told me about where he lives here in Fort Worth, the things he likes and dislikes, what he’s doing these days, and his future plans in America. I learned a lot from Kevin. The clear differences between our countries and cultures were very apparent during our meeting, but I also learned that we aren’t so different either.

Kevin told me he comes from a nice family about three hours from Shanghai. His mom is a stay at home mother and his dad works in real estate. I told him that my family is very similar to that as my dad is in business and my mom stays home with my younger brothers. When he asked how many brothers and sisters I had he was quite shocked to learn that I have 5 brothers. I think it is pretty uncommon to see large families such as my own in China so Kevin thought that was pretty cool.

Kevin told me about the beauty of his home. He showed me pictures of his village. Mountains and rivers surround the town. The pictures he showed me were really quite remarkable. He said he was disappointed that Texas didn’t have the same landscape (and that Texas is much hotter than his home). Kevin really seems to love the wilderness though. I showed him pictures that I took from Alaska and he thought they were awesome. He also told me he plans on visiting a national park when he gets time. He said he really wants to visit Yellowstone National Park because a teacher of his back home said its really a great thing to see. I like the wilderness too. I’ve been to Alaska, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and the black hills. While Kevin and I are worlds apart culturally, we can both agree that we like nature and what it has to offer.

Kevin then talked to me about food in America. He said, to my surprise, that the Chinese food here is not all that different from back home. I had always had the impression that Chinese food in America wasn’t authentic and was Americanized. He said that it’s a little different but he enjoys eating it because it reminds him of home. He asked me about some of the local restaurants around TCU that he should try out and I gave him a few suggestions. I told him if you want to get some great American chicken wings, head to Buffalo Bro’s on Wednesday and you wont be disappointed.

While I found out that Kevin and I are actually pretty similar, he also pointed out some cultural differences to me between America and China. Kevin said how much he loved the big house he was living at off campus. He let me know that in China the homes are very small and expensive. He liked how he could live in a nice big house with trees and grass for a low cost. In China, he said, grass doesn’t grow well near homes, and trees in front of a home symbolize wealth. But in America, he said, trees are everywhere. He liked that.

Kevin also told me how much different Texas is to China in terms of area. China, as we know, has well over a billion people living there. In America we have about 350 million people. But, the area of the two countries are very similar. Kevin told me how he noticed how spread out everything here is, how hard it is to find a taxi, the lack of trains and public transport, etc. I had to tell him that is more of a Texas thing than it is an American thing. Chicago, New York, Boston, I told him, are probably a lot more similar in terms of crowding and public transportation than Texas is. While Texas is a big state, it is very spread out and people love their cars. I told him that’s just a cultural difference from one part of America to another.

Kevin and I ended our meeting after about 40 minutes. We agreed that next time we meet we’ll find something to do rather than just sit at the bookstore and converse. We haven’t decided what were going to do next but we’ve thrown around a few ideas. He wants to get me some traditional Chinese food and talk over dinner. I want to play basketball at the rec. I think it was great to meet Kevin today. I enjoyed talking to him and seems really happy to have someone to learn English with. I look forward to our next meeting.

Learning Experiences 4

Learning Experience 4

            I am a Nebraska kid. I was born there, grew up there, and have almost all of my family there. Everything I have learned has come from my experiences in that state and it has helped shape me into who I am today. One of the many things I learned growing up in Nebraska is how to handle snow while driving. My cold-weather instincts came back to me in full force this weekend as Fort Worth was hit with this rare storm. I can drive in this. So I thought.

            On Friday morning, my dad picked me up and took me to get breakfast with my brother Charlie. My dad and Charlie were in town doing a college visit at TCU and made it in right before the storm hit. After breakfast, we went back to my dad’s hotel room and hung out. Charlie and dad watched football and news all day while I sat in my dad’s room and studied for finals. At about 3 o’clock, my dad asked me to run some errands for him. He needed me to go to Target and grab a few things and since I knew the roads here better than my dad, he sent me. He thought he had nothing to worry about because of how much experience I have in the snow. But as it turned out, my experience only got me so far. On the way to target, I slid out on a turn and drilled my bumper on a curb.

            Driving to Target, I felt invincible. All of these Texas drivers were clueless I thought. In my mind, I was the best driver on the road. In fact, I probably was given the conditions. But my attitude of “I can do anything” didn’t serve me too well. I wasn’t as invincible as I thought and I definitely learned my lesson that day.

            It started after I left the hotel. As I was heading down university, I saw a car turning out in front of me about 100 yards away. Thinking ahead, I got over a lane to give the other car some room to slowly trudge out onto the road. I switched lanes to quickly and spun out on the ice. After making one full spin across traffic, my front-left bumper drilled the curb. I hit the breaks and sat there for about a minute to gather myself. After calming my nerves, I got out of the car to survey the damage. Fortunately, it was just a little ding. My dad wasn’t thrilled but he understood that accidents happen, especially in this weather.

            This was a great learning experience for me overall because I need to know that I’m not always number one. And even when I am number one, I am never invincible. On Friday I was the number one driver out there. There’s no question about that. I do boast a lot of experience in snow and ice driving. But I let that get to my head. Even though I was the best out there, I wasn’t invincible. Nobody is. My attitude cost my dad a few hundred dollars to fix the car and caused me to suffer embarrassment and humiliation.

            I will learn from this experience and better adjust my attitude the next time I’m out driving in these conditions. I definitely don’t want to damage another car and go through that again. 

Learning Experiences 3

Learning Experience Three

Time Management

            I have always been one to give myself high remarks when it comes to time management. Throughout grade school and high school, I always got my work done on time. Whether my work was at home, at school, or at my job, I was always pretty prompt and on top of things. Even last year as a freshman, I displayed pretty good time management skills. This semester, though, things have changed. I have let all of the distractions of college get ahold of me and detract from my time management skills. This has been frustrating, but it is something I will learn from and correct.

            Looking back at my last 20 years, its fairly clear now just how easy I had it. Sure, I displayed the ability to manage my time well on a consistent basis, but the thing is, I really didn’t have all that many things to balance. As I’ve gotten older, the number of things I am involved with has drastically increased and the amount of distractions around me has increased as well. Being a college student is fun, but it can also be stressful when you can’t manage your time. I am learning from this right now and next semester I will put changes into place.

            There are some things that stand out to me as the root causes of my poor time management. First, my living situation. I live in the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity House. Living in the house is naturally going to be a rowdy and messy time, but I didn’t account for just how rowdy and messy it really is. There are always friends and friends of friends in the house and at just about every turn there is another opportunity to get distracted. Because of this, and a few other reasons, I have decided to move out of the house and live in the GrandMarc second semester. By cutting down on friendly distractions in the house, I believe I will be better able to manage my time and focus my attention better on my academics, on working out, and on pursuing other ventures on and off campus.

            The second big problem I’m having with time management is just the sheer number of things I have to keep up with these days. I’m a pretty involved guy. I’m in a fraternity, I do volunteer work, I’m a Neeley Fellow, and starting next semester, I’m a VP of the Neeley School’s Consulting Club. My activities just keep piling on. I need to find a way to either cut back on the amount of things I’m involved with or at least set up a schedule that better supports myself. I need to learn not to overreach my boundaries and stretch myself too thin.

            The third, and most easily correctable, problem I’m having with time management is my own personal lack of focus. Let’s face it; freshman year at TCU is pretty easy. In fact, I thought it was really easy. My high school back in Nebraska was far more challenging than my freshman year here. After freshman year, I had the mindset that every year would be that easy. I came into this school year with that mentality and it has not paid off. I am having one of my worst semesters for grades I’ve ever had. The mentality that I brought this year worked well freshman year and allowed me to easily manage my time. But now, things have changed. I cant continue to manage my time like I did as a freshman or success will be hard to come by.

            I have learned a lot from the poor time management skills I have shown this semester. I know I have a lot to fix, but the good news is I’m still young here at TCU and have a long time to correct these issues and learn from them. I’m glad I started to notice these problems early on, otherwise my next two and a half years might not have gone as smooth.

Learning Experiences 1

Learning Experiences 1

The first month or so of my sophomore year has brought many learning experiences. First off, I was accepted into the Neeley Fellows program this past summer. That in itself was a big deal for me and has directly contributed to my education and experiences.

Neeley Fellows has put me in advanced business classes that are both challenging and interesting. The first one I want to discuss is Fundamentals of Accounting I. Accounting is something that I thought I would never enjoy. My dad and brother are both CPA’s and accounting had always turned me off. I never thought I wanted to look at numbers and financial statements all day.

Since starting accounting this semester, I have learned how much I actually enjoy it. I think it’s an incredibly interesting field of study and my experience in class has been extremely positive. I now think I want to major in accounting and pursue a career in that direction. My learning experiences in that class have directly impacted my thoughts on a future career.

What I want to do for a career in the future has been a learning experience for my whole life. I’ve never really known what I want to do, but this first month has really put me in a good direction. I am glad that I got to take accounting this semester because it has pointed me in a solid career direction.

Part of being a Neeley Fellow requires me to be a member of the Honors College. Because of that, I am taking this class, Literature and Civilizations II. I really had no clue what to expect with this class but it too has been very positive. The concept of humor and laughter has never really crossed my mind. I have found this discussion the most interesting part of the class thus far.

One of the cooler learning experiences I have had with Lit & Civ is learning about how humor works with people. I have never thought about the deeper meanings behind humor, how it works, how it manifests itself, etc. The different theories behind humor have been extremely interesting to learn about. I now sometimes think about different theories as I laugh in real time. Learning about humor has actually opened me up to a whole new subject that I have never even thought about, and I find all new knowledge I learn useful. You can never stop learning.

The third and final major learning experience I had in this first month of school was having to drop a calculus class. I had enrolled in Applied Calculus and thought I would do fine. Unfortunately, I had not taken the pre-requisite for the class and struggled mightily. I am not a math guy in general so I really had a hard time. Having to drop that class and go from 15 to 12 hours was disappointing. I learned that I need to plan things out better in the future. Fortunately, this drop will not set me back all that far and I’m still on the right track to achieve all of my academic goals.

Overall, these first two months of school have been great. I like all of my classes and I am learning a variety of subjects. I hope to continue this throughout the semester and hopefully get some good grades as well.