Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini has been under fire throughout this season. He received a vote of confidence from Shawn Eichorst, UNL director of athletics, on Saturday.

The statement from Eichorst can be seen here.

Pelini thanked Eichorst for the vote of confidence and apologized for his behavior during and after Saturday’s game. The entire statement is below”

“I want to thank our administration and Shawn Eichorst in particular, for his continued and full support that he has given me and our football program since his arrival on campus.   I am honored to represent this university and its great fans and I’m proud to lead this program into the future.

I apologize for reacting emotionally yesterday and for showing frustration both with the game officials and the media.  I fully understand and respect their difficult jobs, and I regret any and all actions or words which may have shed a negative light on our program and university. Accountability is a core belief throughout our program, and as the head coach, I must set and maintain a high standard.

Our football staff is hitting recruiting full throttle and looking forward to the upcoming bowl game.  We are committed to working with Shawn and our entire department staff to continue to build this program and bring championships back to Nebraska.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is looking for answers after his team’s confounding 34-23 loss to Minnesota.

The Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) host Northwestern (4-4, 0-4) on Saturday needing a win to stay in the thick of the Legends Division race.

The week didn’t start well for quarterback Taylor Martinez, who had a hip pointer added to his list of ailments. He also is batting shoulder and toe problems and is listed day to day.

Nebraska also is looking to shore up its run defense after allowing a season-high 271 yards on the ground to the Gophers.

The Nebraska football team wrapped up preparations for South Dakota State on Thursday by holding a 90-minute practice on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields outside of the Hawks Championship Center.

Head Coach Bo Pelini met with media after practice, noting that he believes the team has responded well to the adversity the Huskers faced during the week.

“I thought we had a good week of practice, I thought the kids had great focus, great energy.” Pelini said, “I like the week of preparation we had, time to let it all go on Saturday and I think our kids are ready to get back out there and play.”

Senior quarterback Taylor Martinez has been battling a turf toe injury this week, and Pelini believes it is serious enough that he may miss Saturday’s game due to it.

“Taylor right now is doubtful, we will look at this film today and make a decision in how we are going to go. If Taylor doesn’t play you will see both guys (Tommy Armstrong and Ron Kellogg III).” Pelini said, “If we were going to start today, we would probably start Tommy Armstrong, but you will see Ron Kellogg. We want to make sure we look at this practice film and I haven’t visited with them yet after practice, but that was kind of what we were leaning towards going into today.”

Pelini added later that if either backup quarterback struggles during the game, you will not see Martinez come in as a backup. In Pelini’s words, “He (Martinez) is either going to play or he is not.” Pelini also mentioned that Martinez did sit out practice today.

Husker fans should not worry if the redshirt freshman makes his first career start on Saturday, as Pelini said, he has full confidence in Armstrong’s ability.

“Tommy has made a big jump in the last two weeks, he was struggling a little bit, and a little frustrated because of the time he missed.” Pelini said, “He had a tremendous week of practice.”

Pelini also mentioned that he believes Kellogg and Martinez both have helped Armstrong grow as a football player in the last two years.

“Those guys do a great job, they really all help each other.” Pelini said, “That happens across the board on this team, the guys work together and push each other, that is what it is all about, the competition is important.”

Check back here at Huskers.com for updates throughout the week as the Nebraska football team prepares for battle against South Dakota State on Saturday. The Huskers and Jackrabbits kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised to a national audience on the Big Ten Network.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska coach Bo Pelini goes on a profanity-laced tirade against fans and two newspaper writers in audio that surfaced on the sports website Deadspin.

The audio posted Monday catches Pelini speaking with Husker Sports Network play-by-play man Greg Sharpe before his postgame radio interview following Nebraska’s win over Ohio State in October 2011. The conversation was off air.

Pelini had been criticized by fans and media in the days leading to the Ohio State game for the Huskers’ performance the week before in a 31-point loss at Wisconsin.

In the audio, Pelini repeatedly uses an expletive to refer to what he calls “fair-weather” fans.

Messages were left for Pelini, athletic director Shawn Eichorst and Husker Sports Network general manager David Witty.

[UPDATE]

The following is a statement from Pelini following the release of his comments made two years ago.

“I want to sincerely apologize for my comments from two years ago which became public today.  I take full responsibility for these comments.  They were spoken in a private room following the Ohio State game.  I was venting following a series of emotional events which led to this moment.  That being said, these comments are in no way indicative of my true feelings.  I love it here in Nebraska and feel fortunate to be associated with such a great University and fan base.  I again apologize to anyone whom I have offended.”

Statements from UNL Chancellor Perlman, Director of Athletics Eichorst

Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 16, 2013 – University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman and Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst issued the following statements Monday in response to recently published comments by Nebraska Head Football Coach Bo Pelini.

Harvey Perlman, Chancellor:

“I am aware of the publication of Coach Pelini’s comments, I am disappointed and in discussions with Shawn Eichorst about addressing the issue.”

Shawn Eichorst, Director of Athletics:

“I am disheartened and disappointed by the 2011 comments published today attributed to Coach Pelini about our dedicated and passionate fans and supporters. I have spoken with Chancellor Perlman and I have addressed the situation with Bo and expressed our deep concern.”

Lincoln – The Nebraska football team continued preparations for Southern Miss by practicing for two hours on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields outside of the Hawks Championship Center on Thursday.

Head Coach Bo Pelini talked to the media afterwards and expressed pleasure in his team’s efforts, saying the game plan has come together well.

“I thought we finished up the week well,” Pelini said. “I thought that was the best practice of the week today. It was a little bit back and forth throughout the week but we’ll kind of put it to the test on Saturday.”

Pelini also talked about Saturday’s opponent, Southern Miss, and was impressed with the Golden Eagles on film.

“They are a much better football team than they were a year ago,” Pelini said. “I don’t know about the result or anything else and I know they turned the ball over six times last week but you put on the film and they’ll get your attention. They have very good skill on the offensive side, they are fast on defense and aggressive.”

Pelini added that he thinks the young players are making progress although they aren’t where they need to be yet.

“I think their understanding grows by the day, by the practice, by the period, by the rep,” Pelini said. “That’s what it has to be. Going out there and understanding the defense is one thing but having to make adjustments within a game plan and according to your opponent is part of the process.”

Pelini also named some specific young linebackers he was pleased with throughout the week.

“Michael Rose had an excellent week of practice,” Pelini said. “As did Josh Banderas. Zaire Anderson worked his tail off this week. That’s one thing about what we have going right now. We have some really good competition going on in practice and that’s going to make you better as the season goes on.”

Nebraska and Southern Miss will kick off at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Stadium with TV coverage provided by Big Ten Network.

Lincoln, Neb.-  The Nebraska football team continued its 2013 football fall camp Tuesday night, going through a two-hour practice in full pads inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice facility.

Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini addressed the media after practice, noting that he has been extremely impressed with the secondary, especially cornerbacks Josh Mitchell and seniors Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Ciante Evans.

“The top two corners right now when we get into nickel are Stanley and Josh Mitchell, and obviously Ciante is playing nickel.” Pelini said, “We have really good depth in the secondary, our safeties are playing at a high level.”

Pelini had this to add talking about the secondary, “Stanley up to this point, this is the best week he has ever had in our program. Josh is playing at a high level with a lot of confidence and we all know what Ciante can do. It is going to be a fun group to watch.”

A freshman newcomer that you should get accustomed to playing on the Blackshirts is Nathan Gerry. Gerry a Sioux Falls, S.D., native has really impressed Coach Pelini up to this point in fall camp.

“Nate can play a lot of different spots for us, he has played some safety, and he has played some will, some buck (linebacker), some dime. He is going to be a good football player.”

Senior Brodrick Nickens has also impressed Pelini so far in camp, after making the transition from offensive lineman to defensive tackle in his last season as a Husker.

“Brodrick does a good job on what we are asking him to do. He has to work on getting a little lower at times but he is a big load in there that can hold the point. He works hard, he’s a leader and he is doing a good job for us.”

Another defensive tackle that has shown some promise is sophomore Aaron Curry. It will be vital for the Husker defense to find good production out of the defensive line during the 2013 season, and according to Pelini, once Curry finds some consistency he could be a key player.

“Curry is doing a good job, like I said he is one of those guys who has shown flashes. He needs to continue to work on his consistency but that can be said about a lot of the guys up front.”

Nebraska will be back on the practice field on Wednesday for its 11^th and 12^th practices of fall camp.