Legendary Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne weighs in on Scott Frost firing

If anyone knows how much Nebraska fans want to win, it’s Tom Osborne. In the wake of Scott Frost’s firing over the weekend, he’s speaking out.

Osborne, who led the Cornhuskers to three national titles, spoke with KETV in Omaha and shared his thoughts about what happened to Frost — a former Nebraska quarterback whose fall culminated in his firing on Sunday. He expressed his sympathy, pointing to a few factors in why things didn’t work out for him in Lincoln.

“I feel really bad about Scott,” Osborne said. “He had a lot of things going for him in Central Florida and then maybe he didn’t have the best talent when he got here, and then the pandemic, he probably had more bad bounces than good bounces, but he’s a good coach and a good person.”

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Osborne also discussed the pulse of the fan base entering the Week 1 game against North Dakota, which came after a Week 0 loss which saw Frost come under fire for what proved to be a game-changing onside kick call.

The fans packed Memorial Stadium for the 383rd straight sellout. That, Osborne said, proves how loyal Nebraska fans are — win or lose.

“I remember coming into the North Dakota game and the seats were all filled and that was coming off a loss to Northwestern,” Osborne said. “You wouldn’t see that anywhere else in the country. We’ve had some tough years and yet still they (fans) come. I don’t know of any other place in the country, even Alabama or Ohio State, where that would happen.

“The mood of the state, or for many people, seems to be dependent on how the football team goes. Maybe it shouldn’t be that way, and not with everybody, but with a pretty large number of fans. Sometimes you get complaints from fans, but that goes with passion.”

Now, Nebraska fans will have to rally behind Mickey Joseph, the former LSU wide receivers coach who played quarterback for Osborne from 1988-91 and came in over the offseason as part of Frost’s staff overhaul. Joseph is now the interim head coach, and Osborne spoke highly of him and what he brings to the program now that he’s in charge.

“He’s a very hard worker and an aggressive guy who has dedicated his life to football,” Osborne said. “I think Mickey has a lot of head coach qualities, he’s never been one, but he has a lot of those qualities. I wish him well.”