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After getting fired at Nebraska, Bo Pelini returned to his hometown and has the Youngstown State Penguins playing for a national championship on Saturday against James Madison.

(David Dermer / Youngstown State University)

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- I like Bo Pelini.

There, I said it.

I like the Youngstown State football coach without condoning everything he does.

His sideline actions with officials can be embarrassing.

I prefer a coach on the sidelines more like Jim Tressel. He is the former Ohio State and YSU coach who is now the president at YSU. Tressel was "The Vest," and his motto seemed to be, "Never let them see you sweat."

But as Pelini told me, "I have seen (Alabama's) Nick Saban or (Michigan's) Jim Harbaugh do it, and it's not that big a deal.

"I get mad one time and that's the thing they're going to show. Once you get that reputation, it won't go away."

Pelini says "I understand," but you can tell it bothers him.

That's because it's unfair to put Pelini in the box of being just a whack job on the sidelines.

The man is an excellent coach, as he has proved with Youngstown State.

In his second season, he has the Penguins in the NCAA Division I Football Championship game. They will play James Madison on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. in Brisco, Texas.

YSU has not even been to the playoffs since 2006.

The team had an 18-22 record in the Missouri Valley Conference in the previous five seasons before Pelini arrived in 2015.

This year, the team was picked fifth in the Missouri Valley, the same conference where national power North Dakota State has ruled for years.

It's amazing they are in position to win their first national title since 1997, when a guy named Jim Tressel was the coach.

BEFORE YOUNGSTOWN

Things ended ugly for Pelini in Nebraska, despite his 83-36 record at the school. He never was worse than 9-4 with the Huskers.

But Pelini didn't enjoy the spotlight of being the football coach in a state where there are only two real sports that most people care about -- fall football and spring football. You also can toss in recruiting as a third season, only the speculation lasts year round.

After he departed, a profane tape was released of him attacking the school's athlete director.

I don't like that, either.

But I do like the fact that in his seven seasons at Nebraska, 122 of 132 of his seniors graduated.

I like the fact the Huskers had 11 Academic All Americans, second most in Division I during his seasons.

I like the fact that his team had a 3.0 grade point average in his final season, and that Nebraska consistently ranked in the 80 percentile in the country in APR (Academic Progress Rate). Some seasons, it was 90 percent.

I like the fact there was no trouble with the NCAA.

I like the fact his YSU team had a 2.7 GPA this season. Several players on the field have already graduated.

"That's the best GPA we've had since I've been here," said Pelini. "But it's not good enough."

This is not to say every kid who has played for Pelini is a scholar. But it's obvious Pelini cares about academics. One of his goals is to upgrade the academic support system at YSU.

"We won at a high level at Nebraska, and academically we were pretty good," said Pelini. "Nine wins was the lowest total we had. I can look myself in the mirror and know I've done it the right way."

COMING HOME

After he was fired, Pelini still had a contract worth about $3 million annually from Nebraska.

He was a former NFL assistant for the 49ers, Patriots and Packers. He was a defensive coordinator at Nebraska, Oklahoma and LSU. He's always coached at the elite levels of football.

He was worn down emotionally after leaving Nebraska. He wanted to coach, but wasn't sure where.

A Youngstown guy and Cardinal Mooney graduate, he was talking to a friend in his hometown when he heard the YSU job was coming open. The friend asked if Pelini would be interested.

Even before learning of the opening, Pelini and his wife of 21 years had been talking. He had met Mary Pat at Cardinal Mooney. They were already considering a move home to Youngstown. Then the YSU job came open.

He called and the Penguins were surprised. They were immediately interested. They assumed he'd be coaching at a higher level, or be an assistant in the NFL.

Pelini had a few offers at the Division I level, but Youngstown is special. Youngstown is the place to raise his kids. Two are at Mooney now and a third is expected to follow.

"My father (Anthony Pelini) raised eight kids," said Pelini. "All eight of us went to Catholic schools. All of us graduated from college. He was a pharmaceutical sales man, very hard working and disciplined."

Someone who knows Pelini well told me, "Bo is a pure coach."

I think of him as an old-school coach, but in a good way.

I talked to two of his players -- quarterback Hunter Wells and defensive back D.J. Thomas. Both said, "Most of the time, Coach Bo is pretty laid back."

I watched him at Monday's practice, no big explosions. He calls himself "a teacher," and he was in that mode with his players.

NO HIDDEN AGENDA

In Youngstown, he's not a celebrity. He's Bo. He's the native son who came home.

"Probably the biggest difference here is you don't have people shooting pictures," he said. "You go out to eat in Lincoln (Nebraska), and sometimes it was like a photo shoot."

Pelini knows that's a part of a big job such as Nebraska.

"I try to never pay attention to what people say," said Pelini. "My job isn't to worry about what the boosters are saying or anyone else. My job is to do what's best for the football program."

So he won't confirm that several of his players were suspended in the postseason, reportedly for failing drug tests. James Madison ran into the same issue, seven of its players were also suspended.

"I've suspended players several times since I've been here," he said. "I don't talk about it."

You can like it ... or not.

But it's pure Pelini, doing the job his way.

"This is a good situation for me," he said. "I've always been about family and Youngstown is a big part of who I am."



