Callahan not worried about his job security

LINCOLN (AP) - After losses in three straight games and in four of the last five, Nebraska coach Bill Callahan says he isn't worried about his job security.

Callahan commented Tuesday at a contentious news conference during which he was asked whether he would fire himself if he were Nebraska's athletics director.

The Cornhuskers (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) play Kansas State (4-5, 1-5) at home Saturday in a game that could determine who finishes last in the conference's North Division.

Callahan, under fire after a 40-15 loss to Kansas that ended Nebraska's 36-year winning streak against the Jayhawks, said he has had no discussions about his future with athletics director Steve Pederson.

Pederson did not immediately respond to an interview request.

“I'm going to do the best I can. That's how I've always responded to adversity,” Callahan said. “Do I think it (my job) is safe? There is no security in this business. You do the best you can with the players you've got. You go to work and fight and compete and that's it. You look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I did everything I could to make a change in a program, in a culture, in the environment that we're dealing with.”'

Callahan fumed when a television reporter asked him whether he would fire himself if he were Pederson.

“Now what kind of question is that? Honestly, what kind of question is that? Next question, please,” he said.

Linebacker Corey McKeon rushed to Callahan's defense.

“He takes too much blame,” McKeon said. “It's on the players just as much as it's on any coach. We're all accountable. Personally, I can't stand when Coach sits there and takes (blame) for things that he shouldn't. The players are making the mistakes.”

Quarterback Zac Taylor said the heat Callahan is taking is “ridiculous.”

“Coach can't play the game for us,” Taylor said. “He's putting us in the right situations and telling us what's going to happen. It's the players not getting the job done. If he's under fire, it should be us under fire. We're behind him 100 percent.”

Callahan, in the second year of a six-year contract that pays him $1.5 million annually, is 10-10 since taking over for Frank Solich. Callahan is 8-10 against Division I-A opponents, with only two of his wins against teams with winning records.

The Huskers lost their last three games a year ago to finish 5-6, Nebraska's first losing record since 1961.

With the loss to Kansas, Nebraska is 0-4 in November games under Callahan.

Callahan said fans should have confidence in the players.

“Our players have tremendous resolve,” he said. “They are disappointed, and they want to play better. They have worked very hard and they have shown a lot of signs throughout the year that they are competitive and have fight and will do everything they can to win each game.”