15 game, being outrushed by a 313 to 31 margin but outgaining USC in the passing game 389 to 144. A 41–6 thumping by Missouri started a five-game losing streak—the Cornhuskers' first since 1958. On October 15, 2007, Steve Pederson, the athletic director who had hired Callahan, was fired. Pederson was replaced on an interim basis by Nebraska's legendary former head coach, Tom Osborne. On November 3, the Cornhuskers suffered a 76–39 pounding at the hands of Kansas. It was the most points a Cornhuskers team had ever surrendered at the time. The Cornhuskers followed this performance a week later with a win, scoring 73 points against Kansas State. On November 24, 2007, a day after a 65–51 loss to rival Colorado, Callahan arrived at the team's practice facility at 6:30 a.m. He met briefly with Osborne and was fired. As he left the complex, he waved to reporters gathered outside. Osborne announced during a press conference held at the school that despite Callahan's ouster, he would still earn $3.1 million as part of his buyout. While Nebraska's defense struggled during Callahan's tenure, numerous offensive school records were set (some of which could be attributed to the dramatic change in offensive philosophy) and quarterback Zac Taylor was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year for 2006. Callahan's tenure as Nebraska's head coach was primarily defined by an emphasis on recruiting (something many Nebraska fans felt was lacking during the previous coach's tenure). For example, with the assistance of his recruiting coordinator John Blake, Nebraska recruited defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (2009 AP Player of the Year, Nagurski Trophy winner, Heisman Trophy finalist, etc.) although Suh later stated that he would "probably be at Oregon State right now" had Callahan not been fired. Callahan's 2005 recruiting class was rated as top-five by Rivals and ESPN analyst Tom Lemming said they were "No. 1, without a doubt.". Despite a 27–22 record, Callahan's tenure is considered to be a failure. He led the Cornhuskers to two losing seasons in four years. He also finished ranked in a major poll only once in four years after the Huskers had only finished unranked once since 1962. Streaks such as 35 straight years in a bowl game and decades of consecutive wins against Kansas were lost in his 4 year tenure. He was 3–10 against teams ranked in the Top 25, 27–2 in games in which