[NU Sports] Jim Phillips Greatest Hits

[Tom Maycock]

The Outback bowl, because it mattered the most. 

That was probably the best NU team since '96, and getting them that game and that matchup was a really big deal, both as a reward for those players, and as a building block for the future. The icing on the cake was the fact that the game turned into an instant classic of almost surreal proportions. I suspect we'll still benefit from that exposure for years to come. If only we had won!

It's funny, I do almost wish we had landed in Detroit this year, where we'd have an excellent chance at winning, just to get that monkey off our backs. But I'm guessing the players and coaches are all thrilled at getting a chance to play in a bigger bowl, against a better opponent with a much better pedigree. Our chances of winning took a major hit, but the potential payoff is much greater. (A&M is 13th/11th in the Sagarin ratings--ouch). 

And from the snippets of comments from bowl reps, it sure sounds like a lot of the credit goes to Phillips--not just for the how he handled the specific talks, but the entire way he goes about doing things. 

I do think Murphy did an amazing job at NU. Phillips seems like the perfect guy to build on what Murphy accomplished.

Tom