Pelini And Cornhuskers Looking Forward, Not Back

Lately, no stat has been used to define the Nebraska Cornhuskers more than the 539 rushing yards allowed against Wisconsin in the B1G Ten Championship Game. But one stat, let alone one game, does not define a team.

“It’s not the first time we’ve gotten hit in the mouth,” said Huskers Head Coach Bo Pelini at today’s Capital One Bowl press event. “Everyone who’s played the sport of football has.”

Georgia knows the feeling well, having given up 350 yards to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Pelini is focused on responding with a strong game, and not worrying about what happened against Wisconsin.

“How you’re defined isn’t by what happened to you,” said Pelini, “It’s how you react to it. Our guys are looking forward for the next opportunity to go out there and play.”

Running teams are par for the course in the Big Ten. Pelini and the Cornhuskers have faced similar squads to Georgia’s power run game before.

“They’re not the first team we’ve played, and they’re not going to be the last in terms of a running team,” said Pelini. “We’ve played a number of them this year, physical groups with physical backs and physical guys up front. We’ll be ready for it.”

The Huskers and Pelini come into the Capital One Bowl full of confidence. They know what they’re capable of, and what it takes to win. But the challenge is not lost on Pelini, who spent three years in the SEC as a defensive coordinator at LSU.

“We won 10 games for a reason,” said Pelini. “It’s not easy to win 10. We were able to get there, and now we have a tremendous challenge in front of us to try to get to 11.”