Trains Passiing in the Night

In response to the Huffington Post article "Bill O'Reilly Doubles Down On God Controlling The Tides: 'How Did The Moon Get There?'", I felt it my duty to point out the obvious:

In fact, Mr. O'Reilly and his critics are two trains passing in the night. Though he's not doing so in a very sophistica­ted manner, Mr. O'Reilly is asking philosophi­cal questions: Why is there something instead of nothing? What are we to make of the order to the natural world, in general, and of the conditions that make life on earth possible, in specific? Certainly, these questions are not scientific in nature and, thus, do not provide the same kind of verifiable conclusion­s that empirical research offers us, but that does not make them illegitima­te questions. Moreover, simply spouting off scientific explanatio­ns of natural processes in no way gets us closer to answering the kinds of questions that Mr. O'Reilly poses. If a God does exist, then scientific explanatio­ns only get at how God has ordered the world, not why God has ordered the world in such a way, and definitely not at the question of whether or not there is a God in the first place.

The mistake that Richard Dawkins, Stephen Harris, and others make is in thinking that because they are able to offer explanatio­ns of the evolutiona­ry process and other workings of the natural order, they can therefore dismiss the existence of God. This deduction, however, is a categorica­l mistake. In short, religious fundamenta­lists and dogmatic materialis­ts represent two sides of the same coin, in that both mistakenly assume that science and faith have to be in conflict. It's usually easier to defeat religious fundamentalists in arguments, because the wrongheadedness of their basic presuppositions tend to stand out more. The central mistake in reasoning that dogmatic materialists make, and one just as wrongheaded, has to do with their assumption that the only trustworthy knowledge available to us is that which can be empirically verified--an assumption which those who have taken even an elementary course in logic will immediately recognize as a self-defeating philosophical statement.

Huskers' 2011 Recruiting Class

All in all, Husker fans should be pleased with this year's class. Both ESPN.com and Rivals.com have NU's class ranked at #14, second only to Ohio State's class among Big Ten teams. Given Nebraska's inherent geographic and demographic limitations, that's more than a respectable rating. Considering the fact that Nebraska as a state produces so few D-1 athletes, a realistic goal for the Huskers each year is in the 10-20 range. Sure, Bill Callahan landed a top 5 class in 2005, but he did so largely by promising recruits early playing time and without a clear gameplan for developing a sufficient number of players at each position (think about NU's O-Line struggles in the wake of the Callahan era). Pelini pays less attention to recruiting hype, but is much better at scheming the overall picture than Callahan was--and obviously does an infinitely better job at developing players within the program.

Upsides to this class:

1) Bolstering talent in the trenches: Even though skill players get all the hype, in the final analysis the most important part of this class may be the additions along the offensive and defensive line. Nebraska locked down the best O-Line talent in the state in Ryne Reeves from Crete and Zach Sterup from Hastings, and added a couple of gems from out of state (Tyler Moore from Clearwater, Fla.; Givens Price from Houston; Ryan Klachko from Springfield, Ill.) All but Price are listed as 4-star prospects by Rivals.com, and Price might actually have the most upside considering how young he is. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the last-minute addition of 4-star defensive tackle Todd Peat Jr. further bolstered an already impressive haul, which includes Kevin Williams out of Ohio and JUCO transfer Joseph Carter.

2) Offensive backfield: Aaron Green is getting all of the press, and rightfully so, but keep your eye on Ameer Abdullah out of Alabama. Small, shifty backs tend to be lethal in college, and Abdullah could turn out to be the next Corey Ross. There's not much more that one could ask for at quarterback, especially if Bubba Starling turns down a multi-million dollar baseball contract to pursue his dreams of playing major college football. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Jamal Turner eventually beats out Taylor Martinez to secure the starting QB job, but expect him to contribute immediately as a kick returner and slot receiver.

3) Defensive backs: Expect the Huskers to have one of the strongest secondaries in the nation again next year, with returning starter Alfonzo Dennard anchoring an impressive group of underclassmen. With the season still several months away, my early prognostication for young DBs to emerge as stars are Corey Cooper and Andrew Green. But, true freshman Charles Jackson will likely challenge for playing time. Losing Tevin Mitchel to Arkansas hurt, but Husker fans should still be happy with the new DBs Bo is bringing in. Besides Jackson, keep your eye on Daimion Stafford as well, who is a seasoned player out of junior college and will likely step right into a starting role in the same way that Lavonte David did this past year.

Disappointments:

1) Wide Receiver: Historically, the Huskers have consistently struggled to land blue chip wide receivers and this year was no exception. Sure, Nebraska is known more as a running back university, and the Huskers' inability to throw the ball last season undoubtedly hurt their recruiting prospects. But, I was still hoping for more at this position, considering the fact that a talented young receiver would be facing the very real prospect of immediate playing time. Taariq Allen has some serious upside, but he certainly doesn't blow you away with raw talent. The fact that he's the only WR that NU inked this cycle is mystifying in light of how much need the Huskers have at that position.

2) Tight End: I'm less concerned about the TE position than the WR, because of the return of Kyler Reed, and with Ben Cotton as a solid backup. Still, it's frustrating that NU wasn't able to land a top-flight TE in a year they needed one. The Huskers have a strong tradition of heavily incorporating TEs into the offensive scheme and also of sending them to the NFL (see, e.g., Mike McNeill this past season). What really hurt their recruiting at TE this time around was that their main target (Darien Bryant) decommitted so late in the process. Landing a top 20 TE has to be at the top of Bo's priority list for the 2012 class.

All things considered, I give this class an A-. If the Huskers would have been able to land a blue chip TE and another solid WR prospect, I would give it an A with no hesitation. As things stand, I can't go there for now. Of course, we won't be able to assign a final grade to this year's haul until 2015.