Barfkneckt: For Zook, all it took was one look at Bo

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CHICAGO — Ron Zook knew Bo Pelini was going to be a football coach before Pelini even knew.

Zook, now the head coach at Illinois, tutored defensive backs at Ohio State in the late 1980s. One of his best pupils was Pelini, now the head coach at Nebraska.

The way Pelini conducted his business for the Buckeyes, Zook said at Tuesday’s Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, was an indicator of things to come.

“Bo was always football-savvy, football-smart and studied the game constantly,’’ he said. “Someday, you just knew that he was the kind of guy who would make it in coaching.’’

Pelini, a three-time academic All-Big Ten pick, played with his head and heart as much as his skill.

“He probably wasn’t as fast as you would have liked, but he was always where he needed to be,’’ said Zook, who coached Pelini as a junior and senior. “And he was such a competitor.

“It doesn’t surprise me he has had success in coaching. It’s been fun to have been able to watch him in the NFL and now in college and see how his career has progressed.’’

In two years under Pelini, Nebraska has gone 9-4 and 10-4 after posting two losing records in four seasons under Bill Callahan.

Is NU’s fast turnaround a surprise?

Not necessarily, Zook said, based on talks he had with former Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson.

“I’m pretty good friends with Steve from our time together at Ohio State,’’ Zook said. “Steve didn’t feel recruiting had dropped off at Nebraska. He thought there was some good young talent.

“All you have to do is get in, get everybody back on the same page and go from there.’’

For Zook, who is on the hot seat at Illinois after going 21-39 in five seasons, having a program like Nebraska join the Big Ten is a mixed blessing.

“It raises the level of play when you have another great program come in,’’ he said. “It’s great for the league. You know with Nebraska’s great tradition you always have to be ready to play against them.’’

But that goes two ways.

“Nebraska’s going to find out that they had better be strapped up every day in this league, too,’’ Zook said. “There are teams here who can play with anybody, just like Nebraska can.’’

Clock talk

For Nebraska fans still suffering from the one second put back on the clock in the Big 12 championship game, the head of Big Ten officiating has some news of interest.

The fuzzy phrase “egregious error,’’ which allowed different interpretations of when a clock could be reset, is changing.

“We’ve made some adjustment to the rules that will clarify a gray area over what is an egregious error,’’ Bill Carollo said. “We have tightened up the language on replay and clock and what can be reviewed, and it will be announced soon.’’

Carollo will host a national meeting of 350 to 400 replay officials in Chicago in two weeks, and the Texas-Nebraska game from last season will be a prominent discussion point.

“We want to get on the same page,’’ he said. “We want to make sure everyone interprets this rule, this paragraph, this word correctly the way the rule has been reworded.’’

Thanks to Suh

Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn isn’t thinking about winning the Heisman Trophy.

But the first-team All-Big Ten pick does think the attention that Nebraska tackle Ndamukong Suh earned last season has changed the way some national award voters view the grunts in the defensive line.

“He opened the door for a lot of things for defensive linemen in the future,’’ Clayborn said. “People can now see that there are playmakers in the defensive line, not just big fat guys.’’

Clayborn said he watched some Nebraska games last season so he could see Suh, and for another reason. Two friends from St. Louis are Huskers: Tight end Mike McNeill and offensive lineman Keith Williams.

Go west

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema drew some funny looks when he said the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten would open recruiting doors for league schools to the west.

Not many coaches see the Dakotas and the state of Nebraska as fertile ground for players. But Bielema, a former Kansas State assistant, explained why he thinks it is.

“Even though the number of players from those areas is small,’’ he said, “the productivity from those kids is off the charts.

“Plus, Nebraska’s name is big. This may sound funny, but if you recruit a kid in Ohio and tell him he’s going to play against Nebraska, it gets their attention.’’

Bits and pieces

Tom Osborne and Joe Paterno spent about 15 minutes together alone Monday to catch up on old times, Penn State publicist Jeff Nelson said. ... It was nice to see that Big Ten schools can count. All were told to bring three players to the event, and they did — unlike at the Big 12 last week when Texas and Oklahoma each brought four. ... Where is the hardest place to play in the Big Ten? Wisconsin running back John Clay, the league’s returning offensive player of the year, says Iowa. “The fans are right on top of you.’’

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

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