Corn Nation: for Nebraska Cornhuskers fans

Todd and I discuss: The civil war between Nebraska and Creighton fans on twitter. If I were a smart guy, I would gather them up and do an article. We had a discussion about whether or not that foul should have been called. Nebraska had a big recruiting weekend! The biggest ever! Dylan Raiola went to the baseball game Todd was at and lead a “Go Big Red” cheer! Nebraska baseball won their conference opening series against Illinois! Then I make a joke about Nebraska having the most religious team in the Big Ten because we sure don’t want to play on Sunday. Todd and I are going to the spring game. We’ll figure out a place where everyone can meet up. And I go on a bit of a rant as to why the Nebraska spring game is so special. HEY GUESS WHAT! Texas lost on the same day as Creighton! WoooooO! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg and I got together for an episode in which we covered a lot of Husker sports. The Nebraska MBB didn’t get invited to the NIT, which was a disappointment, especially since it was likely the Minnesota loss that cost them an invite. We had a discussion about the future of Nebrasketball and whether or not Nebraska fans actually care about MBB. Nebraska WBB - Is Amy Williams the right coach for our Huskers? Baseball - swept Illinois State in convincing fashion then lost to Omaha. WTF? The NCAA Wrestling tournament is underway and our beloved Huskers are doing well, although will they do well enough to get a trophy? Nebraska’s team workouts - does this really work with team building? Somehow we got onto mascots. Greg compares Purdue Pete with whatever the hell the Pittsburgh Steelers mascot is (that is equally terrifying), and the discussion heads towards Nebraska mascots. Which leads me to ask? WHY DOESN’T NEBRASKA HAVE A FEMALE MASCOT? Nebraska women kick ass. They’re tough, they’re smart, and they can probably beat the hell out of you in a heart beat. Why not a female mascot? They could pattern a mascot after Michaela Foecke when she had “murder in her eyes” while playing volleyball. Tell me what’s wrong with this idea? There’s discussion of the massive recruiting class weekend coming up for football. It is the greatest recruiting weekend in Nebraska since after Pearl Harbor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wednesday, March 8, 2023. What a night to go LIVE for a Five Heart podcast. But look at it this way, there’s still Big Ten basketball. The world isn’t shutting down. Why are these statements relevant? The last time we recorded a Five Heart Podcast while the Nebraska Men’s Basketball team was playing on the first night of the Big Ten Tournament was Wednesday, March 11, 2020, and the Nebraska/Indiana game was the last game played in the tournament before sports ended for months due to the Covid 19 pandemic. So we avoided that mess again. But we have completely different “situations” in this episode. For starters, Greg’s connection was all out of whack at the beginning, so the show doesn’t really even start until about three minutes in. But don’t worry, the first three minutes are wholly entertaining. And also - Jon gives the show a really rousing fifteen minutes...the fifteen minutes of halftime in Nebrasketball’s unfortunate loss to Minnesota. The guys talk about that game and the season, as well as: Nebraska Baseball Women’s Basketball Matt Rhule Former HCSF Blaine being gone from Nebraska since 1959 Greg’s beer selection CornDawgs Jon’s imminent frustration over Nebrasketball Stupid Iowa Dylan Raiola As always, we begin with a particular framework of ideas and the viewers contribute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Todd didn’t show up on time, so I started without him! It was a great week for our beloved Huskers. Nebrasketball got a win over Iowa, as Nebraska swept them in basketball for the first time ever. It was great fun, although I nearly passed out while watching it on my phone while attending the baseball game against Ole Miss. Baseball had a decent weekend at the Cambria Classic in Minnesota, beating Vanderbilt and Hawaii, but losing to Ole Miss on Sunday. Nebraska wrestling took third in the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament, and Silas Allred became Nebraska’s first champion since 2015. Softball had a good weekend, beating #16 Arizona, and going 5-0 at the Hillenbrand Invitational. And the women’s bowling team won the Big Red Invitational tournament. TODD SHOWED UP AND WE CONTINUED ON! Then there’s Iowa. $4M to be paid in Iowa football discrimination suit; Kirk Ferentz ‘disappointed’ in result I admit that Iowa lives rent-free in my head. I am awestruck at the stupidity of their athletic department. This is the FOURTH lawsuit settled under Gary Barta, and this one is partially paid with state funds to the tune of $2M. Check this: Reaction to the settlement began early Monday, with Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, one of the three appeal board members, saying he would vote against using taxpayer funds for the settlement unless Iowa athletics director Gary Barta was ousted. Kirk Ferentz says: “The settlement negotiations took place between the plaintiffs’ counsel and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, which represents the University of Iowa and the Board of Regents,” Ferentz said. “These discussions took place entirely without the knowledge or consent of the coaches who were named in the lawsuit. In fact, the parties originally named disagree with the decision to settle, fully believing that the case would have been dismissed with prejudice before trial. Yes, Kirk Ferentz knows better than lawyers. Hey, maybe he’s right. He’s been smart enough to keep his son employed, skirting nepotism laws. Does Iowa live rent free in my head? YES, because I can’t stop being amazed at their stupidity. This isn’t something you defend because “DERP DERP DERP, THEY’RE MY TEAM DERP DERP DERP.” This is something you should be embarrassed by. Not Iowa, apparently. That would take a level of awareness they fail to possess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patrick joined me at the beginning of the “Five Heart Podcast” where we discussed Nebraska basketball. We talked about their disappointing loss to Michigan State, their upcoming game against Iowa, and the future of the program under Coach Fred Hoiberg. Later, Greg joined us and we continued our sports discussion. We spent a lot of time talking about whether or not Nebraska would break attendance records at this year’s spring game. I confidently predicted that the attendance would reach the hundred thousand mark, even suggesting that people might resort to stuffing others into their pants in order to fit more fans in. We also explored the possibility of a new stadium to replace Memorial Stadium and discussed the implications of the ACC’s addition of Florida State as well as the future of the Pac 12 after USC and UCLA depart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the Five Heart Podcast, Greg and Jon discuss the continued magic that is Fred Hoiberg and the Nebraska Men’s Basketball team. Nebrasketall has been playing a lot better lately, which means “they are winning” and the team is very fun to watch. They have three games left in the regular season - Minnesota at home, Michigan State at Iowa, and they finish the season at Iowa. How well will they do? It depends on 2 or 3 specific issues each game. We discuss them. There is an announcement tomorrow about a major event that will take place at Memorial Stadium in the fall. We speculate about what it might be. I have speculated the following on twitter already: They are announcing the Tom Ozdome Weird Al and/or Dolly Parton in concert They will announce the most important thing of all - the appearance of a winning Nebraska football team Some have speculated it’s a large volleyballpalooza to set the NCAA attendance records AND KEEP THEM FOREVERWhat will Big Ten Scheduling look like in a couple years? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Todd and I did another episode of Monday Night Therapy. Todd and discussed: Nebraska baseball begins! It’s been a tough series at San Diego, and in the final game gave up 16 runs on 7 hits. The Cult of Keisei Tominaga - Nebraska men’s basketball has been playing very well lately. A lot of that has to do with Tominaga. He is a guy to watch, probably one of the most enjoyable Husker players in any sport in any decade. His cult of personality grows with each game. Nebraska men’s basketball play over the past few games. Todd’s desire to lose weight and get back into officiating. NCAA considering rules changes to college football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen to me! I have honestly replaced every bit of equipment I’ve been using to do these videos. Last week I went out and bought a brand new Mac Studio. I have new mics, new camera, and I’m still trying to get my crap together. So, honestly, this one starts a little rough, then it gets going. Greg and I talk about: Nebrasketball - wins over Wisconsin and Rutgers have things looking up for the men’s basketball team Major League Baseball rules changes (believe it or not, we went here) Husker football roster changes - Alante Brown and Hunter Anthony are gone, along with quite a few walk-ons. Why is this good? Husker baseball starts this week against San Diego Did Scott Frost learn anything? - It’s a question from a commenter. We discuss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was time for another Monday Night Therapy Session! Todd, Aaron (Brutus) and I got together and discussed the biggest and best about sports this week. Did you know the NFL is rigged? If you didn’t know it before you certainly know it now. Did you know Rihanna got more viewers for her halftime show than the Super Bowl itself? It’s true! Around 118M watched Rihanna, while only 113M watched the Super Bowl. Why? BECAUSE THOSE 5M people know the game was rigged and weren’t going to bother watching! We give you a Husker sports update. Nebraska MBB knocked off Wisconsin. Nebraska softball’s Courtney Wallace was Big Ten pitcher of the week. The wrestling team won their duals against Ohio State and Rutgers. And because baseball starts this week, we’ll discuss what we think of Nebraska’s team this season, Big Ten baseball, the Big Ten Conference’s lack of give-a-shit about the sport, and what might happen when USC and UCLA join the conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patrick Ebert of D1baseball is our guest on this live episode of the Five Heart Podcast to preview the 2023 Big Ten Baseball season. Aaron tried to join us, but the audio wasn’t working. Our stream provider indicated they had an issue on the night we recorded so I couldn’t get chat working properly - unable to display questions, etc. BUT Patrick went through all the Big Ten questions I had. We discussed: Players to watch for in the Big Ten How last season’s outcome of Rutgers missing the NCAA Tournament might cause the Big Ten Conference to care more about baseball How UCLA and USC joining the conference will put more emphasis on baseball What the heck is going on in Minnesota Will Iowa be good enough to beat Loras? He picked an order of finish: Maryland - only team ranked    Rutgers    Iowa  Illinois Nebraska Indiana Ohio State    Michigan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Koch joined Todd and I for a guest episode of Monday Night Therapy. Paul was a member of the Nebraska strength and conditioning staff from 1987-1996. He is the author of “No Place Like Nebraska - Anatomy Of An Era” which I profiled in a video recently. Paul talked about what it was like being a member of the staff during the greatest run of Nebraska football. He relates what strength and conditioning can do for a team, how it got started at Nebraska, Getting players motivated to do their workouts was a difficult task, even when they knew it would ultimately benefit them. It was a special group of coaches and players that made the greatness of the 90s come about and Paul was there to tell us about it. He also talked about his relationship with Lawrence Phillips, as he was one of the few people who stayed in touch with Phillips after his incarceration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, accidents happen. This episode, we were supposed to focus on the newest crop of Cornhusker signees. After all, it was National Signing Day! But the conversation quickly turned towards Name-Image-Likeness, from Nick Saban and Alabama refusing to pay to prospective Roll Tide’rs a sum of $1,300,000 (and I believe get one of their girlfriends into law school) to the Florida recruit and the $13,000,000 deal that was undone. Mostly it’s about how out front Nebraska is with its NIL, between the NIL collectives, the administration, and the coaching staff. We have no doubt that there’s a NIL Coordinator or two on Matt Rhule’s staff to help keep an eye on the ever-changing landscape of Name-Image-Likeness. We do talk about the young men who signed on NSD, making an incoming group of almost 40 to Rhule’s first season. We anticipate attrition after Spring football. But with the NIL money, maybe we can keep some kids on as walk-on status. After all, Rhule says it’s his hope to see each of the players get something from NIL. So buy that Pipeline Jerky! We were going to talk about men’s basketball briefly, but in the almost 90 minute show, we didn’t have time. We had to make time to make fun of Iowa. So enjoy the episode, and if you do, thank the folks who watch live. And then join us next time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I have survived the Polar Plunge. I talk about what it was like, including the reasons I did it. One of the reasons was included in a post I received from a Heart Attack Survivor group I’m part of on Facebook. Two more new Nebraska football coaches met the media today. Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton and Ed Foley. We discuss their introductory press conferences, including the words they use. Ed Foley said, “We’re going to return kicks”, and when I heard that I suddenly realized - Nebraska fans haven’t seen an Honest-To-God punt return in years. IN YEARS. There were certainly some guys fielding punts who were capable of running with the ball, but the previous staff DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER with that part of the game. Did we even notice? Were we so much the part of the cult of that guy we fired that we didn’t even notice huge chunks of our beloved football game were missing? Nebraska picked up a new commit - DL Sua Lafotu DL Wrestling coach Mark Manning picked up his 300th victory with the win over Wisconsin. Baseball season is a little more than 2 weeks away. Todd and I talk about officiating. It’s bad. How can we make it better? Todd and I both have our theories and we relate them to you! How important is it for the program that they visit every podunk town in Nebraska? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey hey, it’s time for a brand new Five Heart Podcast. This week on the show, Jon and Greg will talk about more football commitments from the portal as well as traditional high school commits. Matt Rhule made quite the statement about the expectation of timeframe on returning Nebraska to its rightful place among the top of the division, the conference, and the nation. Well, technically he said “I don’t want this to be a slow burn, because I feel like that year for them was last year.” SAME THING! Book your tickets, we’re getting in the playoffs! Also, we’ll probably find time to talk about the Husker men’s basketball team’s loss to Northwestern, since that will have taken place moments before the show starts. Your comments and your questions. It’s all live on the show! And help support Jon in his Polar Plunge this weekend, a fund raiser for the Minnesota Special Olympics! https://reg.plungemn.org/participant/jonjohnston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s another Monday Night Therapy episode with Jon & Todd. First, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and like the show video so we can get seen by more people. - Polar Plunge!!! I am doing a Polar Plunge this Saturday. That means I’ll be jumping in a frozen lake. I would like your donations to support the Minnesota Special Olympics AND because I’m currently #3 on my team. I want to be #1! (Who doesn’t?) New Portal Recruits They are the CORN DAWGS!!! Todd and I discuss Nebraska’s new relationship with Georgia. Jacob Hood—OL MJ Sherman—Edge Arik Gilbert—TE - LSU All-SEC Returning after being in the portal: Zavier Betts Isaiah Garcia-Castenada HS Recruits Jeremiah Charles—WR from Texas Ismael Smith-Flores—TE from Texas (Iowa legacy) Gage Wager — Athlete preferred Walk on It looks like around 100 players that have been allocated scholarships. Someone has to go, probably after spring ball. The College Football Playoff - do we really want 12 teams in the playoff? Wrestling - Beaten badly by Iowa Basketball - Emmanuel Bandoumel out for season - Nebrasketball has lost two starters now Baseball Is Almost Upon Us! Fanfest: Feb. 11 Opener: Feb. 19 at SanDiego Chili and Cinnamon Roll ice cream from Runza? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Commenters lead the show. Conversation about Fred Hoiberg and Nebrasketball and why I think Hoiberg is the right coach. Regular guest Linda let us know her 40-year old daughter was participating in an event where she runs 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. That’s crazy man. I pulled this quote from the great Todd Wolverton of Jon and Todd’s Monday Night Therapy. In that episode, he talks about Walter Rouse and others who were N and then not. “What a loss,” Jon said. “You can’t lose what you never had,” Todd replied. It got me thinking about all of the names we almost had. And none of them hit home I think as much as Micah Parsons, who could have altered the tide for Nebraska when he was recruited here. Of course, he chose Penn State and is now one of the premier defensive players in the NFL. But could he have been as successful at Nebraska? We all talk about Joe Burrow (and now probably Max Duggan). But it’s fair to say that they probably would not have been the successes they were if they had come to Lincoln, because success at the quarterback position is so reliant on everyone around them. Juwan Gary is out for the year. Contribute to Jon’s Polar Plunge!!!!! https://reg.plungemn.org/participant/... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Monday Night Show was happening during the Dallas Cowboys - Tampa Bay Buccaneers playoff game, which somewhat prompted Todd and I to start talking about the NFL playoffs. There have been some amazing games. Todd pointed out the Baltimore Ravens’ 300-pound fullback, while I was envious of their offensive linemen pulling during plays. Quarterbacks and the NFL offenses are much more exciting than they’ve been in my lifetime. The NFL is fun to watch. This wasn’t true a few years ago. This brought up a discussion of fullbacks (of course) and the question - What is a NFL offense? There have been several updates to Nebraska’s roster: Walter Rouse flipped to Oklahoma Nebraska picked up a highly sought after OLB from Georgia - M.J. Sherman Receiver Zavier Betts might return to the team Isiah Garcia-Castaneda — withdrew from portal and it appears he will rejoin the team Matt Rhule hired Susan Elza to be Chief of Staff What’s a Chief of Staff do? Will Rhule hire a press secretary? I hope so. Nebraska Wrestling: Todd watched as Nebraska beat Minnesota and Northwestern, both higher ranked at the time. Todd brings up his past wrestling exploits, including how he was crushed by the insidious Flying Salami Brothers while a member of Schramm 6 All the wrestling talk conjured up the names Mad Dog Vachon and Baron Von Raschke. I met the Baron a few years ago. This is the full story of that meeting. Brett Maher missed four PATs as Dallas stomped the Tampa Bay Bucs. That’s shocking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you purchased your Pipeline Jerky? Nebraska’s going to need it. It was announced this week that Stanford OL transfer Walter Rouse will be continuing his college football career at Nebraska. With his arrival as well as OL Ben Scott, the Nebraska offensive line got a bolster. The topic comes up about which position group is the healthiest and which still needs some help. And the NCAA also came out with some updated regulated as far as transfer portal jumpers are concerned. So there’s a lot of transfer portal talk. There’s a little about wrestling, the women’s basketball team and Kendall Moriarty’s amazing shot, and a vacated Big Ten Commissioner role. Also - no more onside kick jokes, please. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a Monday Night Therapy Session on Tuesday, moved because of the national title game. Unfortunately, the national title game wasn’t worth the time. Todd said about this, “Georgia was there to win a championship. TCU was just glad to be there.” We probably spent more time talking about the game, and its implications than we spent actually watching the game. At one point I played part of Kirby Smart’s pre-game speech, which is deliciously full of NSFW words. We spent a lot of time talking about our new coordinators... Marcus Satterfield’s comments about running the ball, huddling, and using a fullback. Tony White’s use of the 3-3-5 spurred a lot of discussion, as TCU uses a 3-3-5 and they were run over like deer in the headlights. Nebraska lost out on Baylor transfer Micah Mazzccua, who decided to go to Florida. There’s been no word yet on Walter Rouse, the Stanford offensive tackle. Nebraska picked up a portal transfer wide receiver, Billy Kemp from Virginia. And finally, we finished by talking about whether you should cheer for your conference. Please Support My Cause! I am jumping in a frozen lake on January 28th to show solidarity with my co-workers and to raise money for the Minnesota Special Olympics. DONATE HERE AND HELP ME HIT MY GOAL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of the Five Heart Podcast, Greg and Jon discuss the Big Ten’s clear superiority over other conferences, especially the SEC. How can that be? We hate each other. We don’t rally around the sole survivor and chant B-I-G! B-I-G! We partake of the timeless act of schadenfreude. We revel in our rivals’ misery. The guys also talk about late additions to Nebraska’s recruiting class and the fact that apparently the Huskers have commits from four (4) 4-star defensive linemen. Lots of great input by the live audience. The type of input that I can’t specify, as it was all outstanding. We also take a quick look at the College Football Championship and make our predictions as well as take the viewers’. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices