Turnovers

[huKSer]

Many, many wide open receptions for Georgia when we were blitzing. Good pick ups by Murray and not enough pressure on him when we blitzed.

 

[Landlord]

In rushing we are right up there with the worst. I guess I'm just frustrated because I'd hoped we'd have a good team this year and while I think we're good, we're not where we want to be or where we were a decade ago.

I'm confused. You hoped we'd have a good team, and you think we're good, but we're not where we want to be. So did you hope for a good team (which you admit we had), or something more?

Also, a decade ago was 2003. We went 10-3. Or, if you want to count it by seasons and not by actual year, it would have been 2002, when we went 7-7.

 

[Cornhusker-N-Texas]

It looks like we are legit in pass defense to some degree based on the numbers. My apologies.

Total pass defense: http://rivals.yahoo....ference=I-A_all

They are good across the board, however, to my point, the rushing defense is a different story:

Total rush defense: http://rivals.yahoo....ference=I-A_all

In rushing we are right up there with the worst. I guess I'm just frustrated because I'd hoped we'd have a good team this year and while I think we're good, we're not where we want to be or where we were a decade ago. 10-4 looks good but in my opinion, it's an illusion. We didn't beat anybody this year that I felt was a top team in the country and today, while we played it close most of the game, we still didn't do enough to win. We turned the ball over too many times, Taylor looked rattled a few times and out of sorts and we ultimately got beat in the air by UGA. It's a rough stretch for Nebraska fans as we've been close a few years now to getting over the hump but it feels like we're just right below it still. Here's to hoping we have a better season in 2013 and that we can iron out the issues.

I believe that our secondary is good(green is the worst secondary player of the starters, IMO). Our front 7 are not good, though. (on both sides of the ball we are weaker than the "big boys" up front and it shows in games like this. Look at our top teams and our top seasons and you will see great play up front on both sides dictating the game. Of course, the skill players are important(and I think we have talented skill players right now)

 

[ndobney]

The offense will not be able to score 40 plus points a game unless it can stop making dumb turnovers and penalties

 

[Dawg to the Bone]

What I fail to understand is how credit can't be given to Aaron Murray for tearing apart a very good pass defense. He threw a lot of players open today. You can only defend the pass so well, just look at anybody trying to defend passes from Peyton Manning this year. For the most part, we had them covered, and Murray threw a perfect pass.

You can only do so much.

But whatever, I guess that's beyond the comprehension of fans, who only wish to constantly harp on this team until we win every game by 35, and surrender 0 points in a season.

As an outsider, my observation was that on most plays your coaches had players in the right positions to make plays, but the (UGA) offensive players simply made the plays. That's not a coaching issue. Look at the long pass by King where he was covered by two receivers for example. The wildcat formation I don't think we have run all year or in a very very limited amount. Your defense was probably not even prepared to see that from us.The tight end drag was a busted coverage, but most plays were simply athlete on athlete.

I didn't watch Nebraska too much this year and I can certainly understand where it is never acceptable for someone to score 70 points on your team...ever. However, this defensive scheme looks the same as LSU runs now with a lot of man to man coverage, stuffing the run and pressure on the quarterback. It just looks like some of the players aren't executing because of talent or hustle of the opposing player. Anyway, it's really none of my business. It was a great game. I love the Big Red.

 

[Landlord]

What I fail to understand is how credit can't be given to Aaron Murray for tearing apart a very good pass defense. He threw a lot of players open today. You can only defend the pass so well, just look at anybody trying to defend passes from Peyton Manning this year. For the most part, we had them covered, and Murray threw a perfect pass.

You can only do so much.

But whatever, I guess that's beyond the comprehension of fans, who only wish to constantly harp on this team until we win every game by 35, and surrender 0 points in a season.

As an outsider, my observation was that on most plays your coaches had players in the right positions to make plays, but the (UGA) offensive players simply made the plays. That's not a coaching issue. Look at the long pass by King where he was covered by two receivers for example. The wildcat formation I don't think we have run all year or in a very very limited amount. Your defense was probably not even prepared to see that from us.The tight end drag was a busted coverage, but most plays were simply athlete on athlete.

I didn't watch Nebraska too much this year and I can certainly understand where it is never acceptable for someone to score 70 points on your team...ever. However, this defensive scheme looks the same as LSU runs now with a lot of man to man coverage, stuffing the run and pressure on the quarterback. It just looks like some of the players aren't executing because of talent or hustle of the opposing player. Anyway, it's really none of my business. It was a great game. I love the Big Red.

You've got an eye for football. Everything you've said is pretty spot on. Aaron Murray is an elite quarterback, and threw receivers open. A large number of those were essentially undefendable.

 

[walksalone]

Makes me shake my head to think that if we'd have had half those turnovers, how many more wins we'd have amassed...

 

[HuskersNE89]

What I fail to understand is how credit can't be given to Aaron Murray for tearing apart a very good pass defense. He threw a lot of players open today. You can only defend the pass so well, just look at anybody trying to defend passes from Peyton Manning this year. For the most part, we had them covered, and Murray threw a perfect pass.

You can only do so much.

But whatever, I guess that's beyond the comprehension of fans, who only wish to constantly harp on this team until we win every game by 35, and surrender 0 points in a season.

As an outsider, my observation was that on most plays your coaches had players in the right positions to make plays, but the (UGA) offensive players simply made the plays. That's not a coaching issue. Look at the long pass by King where he was covered by two receivers for example. The wildcat formation I don't think we have run all year or in a very very limited amount. Your defense was probably not even prepared to see that from us.The tight end drag was a busted coverage, but most plays were simply athlete on athlete.

I didn't watch Nebraska too much this year and I can certainly understand where it is never acceptable for someone to score 70 points on your team...ever. However, this defensive scheme looks the same as LSU runs now with a lot of man to man coverage, stuffing the run and pressure on the quarterback. It just looks like some of the players aren't executing because of talent or hustle of the opposing player. Anyway, it's really none of my business. It was a great game. I love the Big Red.

Agree completely. Yes Murray made some spectacular throws that would be incredibly difficult to defend no matter the coverage. However, there were several plays where, as Dawg pointed out, our players were in position but could not make the play - TDs caught over Green, Evans, and Compton. All were in a relatively good position but just couldn't make the play.

 

[zoogs]

We were doing a fantastic job on Murray early on, I thought. He started off very poorly and had a couple of bad picks...but that guy is a hell of a player, and bounced back from it. I think we do have one of the better coverage schemes in the nation and a secondary that can play pretty well in pass D, but Murray torched 'em.

 

[bdubb75]

In rushing we are right up there with the worst. I guess I'm just frustrated because I'd hoped we'd have a good team this year and while I think we're good, we're not where we want to be or where we were a decade ago.

I'm confused. You hoped we'd have a good team, and you think we're good, but we're not where we want to be. So did you hope for a good team (which you admit we had), or something more?

Also, a decade ago was 2003. We went 10-3. Or, if you want to count it by seasons and not by actual year, it would have been 2002, when we went 7-7.

I guess I poorly worded that. Let me spell it out. We finished 10-4...Oh, by the way, just so you know (from Twitter):

Rittenberg/Bennett ‏@ESPN_BigTen

Nebraska RT @HuskerExtraBC: Defense gave up average of 53.5 points a game in 4 losses, an amazing number to see written in front of you.

When I say good, I mean winning 10-11 or more games and the games that we lost, if any, not being by an average of fifty points. In other words, competitive. We look 'good' by record being 10-4 but we all know that those 10 wins aren't against top tier teams. Also, to clear up my 'decade ago' remark, I was referring to the 90s when we were not only winning championships but when we lost, it wasn't by an average of 53.5 points.

 

[junior4949]

We were doing a fantastic job on Murray early on, I thought. He started off very poorly and had a couple of bad picks...but that guy is a hell of a player, and bounced back from it. I think we do have one of the better coverage schemes in the nation and a secondary that can play pretty well in pass D, but Murray torched 'em.

This is the difference between great teams and us. Great teams bounce back while we fold like a folding chair. We fumble the ball, and then we look like a completely different team. We bring in a right tackle that automatically false starts. Next play, he gets taken to the shed so he has to hold. Physically, I don't think we're in bad shape. Mentally, we're still a bit soft. When we were winning on the side of turnovers and penalties, we were winning the game. When things started to go south, we folded. There are going to be momentum swings in games. Our guys have got to be mentally tougher when the tide swings away from us.

 

[junior4949]

In rushing we are right up there with the worst. I guess I'm just frustrated because I'd hoped we'd have a good team this year and while I think we're good, we're not where we want to be or where we were a decade ago.

I'm confused. You hoped we'd have a good team, and you think we're good, but we're not where we want to be. So did you hope for a good team (which you admit we had), or something more?

Also, a decade ago was 2003. We went 10-3. Or, if you want to count it by seasons and not by actual year, it would have been 2002, when we went 7-7.

I guess I poorly worded that. Let me spell it out. We finished 10-4...Oh, by the way, just so you know (from Twitter):

Rittenberg/Bennett ‏@ESPN_BigTen

Nebraska RT @HuskerExtraBC: Defense gave up average of 53.5 points a game in 4 losses, an amazing number to see written in front of you.

When I say good, I mean winning 10-11 or more games and the games that we lost, if any, not being by an average of fifty points. In other words, competitive. We look 'good' by record being 10-4 but we all know that those 10 wins aren't against top tier teams. Also, to clear up my 'decade ago' remark, I was referring to the 90s when we were not only winning championships but when we lost, it wasn't by an average of 53.5 points.

We didn't lose by an average of 53.5 points. In the four losses, the other teams scored a TOTAL on average of 53.5 points. UCLA beat us by less than a TD. Georgia beat us by two touchdowns. Heck, even Wisconsin only beat us by 39 points.

 

[3rd and long]

It appeared to me that after we torched by the screen plays we let up on bringing extra pressure, giving Murray even more time to throw. And he was right on the money, I didn't have any problem with our secondary, they were usually in very good position, receivers just made good plays on very well thrown ball.

I think the fact that our blitzes were ineffective speaks again to the lack of speed in our LB corp, sometimes the hole opens up for our LB, but they are just not fast enough to get the QB before he dumps it off.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

4 second half comebacks should speak to their mental toughness. But in those games we had the talent over the other team. Yesterday we didn't.

 

[Landlord]

In rushing we are right up there with the worst. I guess I'm just frustrated because I'd hoped we'd have a good team this year and while I think we're good, we're not where we want to be or where we were a decade ago.

I'm confused. You hoped we'd have a good team, and you think we're good, but we're not where we want to be. So did you hope for a good team (which you admit we had), or something more?

Also, a decade ago was 2003. We went 10-3. Or, if you want to count it by seasons and not by actual year, it would have been 2002, when we went 7-7.

I guess I poorly worded that. Let me spell it out. We finished 10-4...Oh, by the way, just so you know (from Twitter):

Rittenberg/Bennett ‏@ESPN_BigTen

Nebraska RT @HuskerExtraBC: Defense gave up average of 53.5 points a game in 4 losses, an amazing number to see written in front of you.

When I say good, I mean winning 10-11 or more games and the games that we lost, if any, not being by an average of fifty points. In other words, competitive. We look 'good' by record being 10-4 but we all know that those 10 wins aren't against top tier teams. Also, to clear up my 'decade ago' remark, I was referring to the 90s when we were not only winning championships but when we lost, it wasn't by an average of 53.5 points.

Giving up an average of 53.5 points and losing by 53.5 points are different. We were competitive enough to win in the UCLA, Ohio State and Georgia games. And included in those 10 wins were Michigan, who has been ranked and essentially had South Carolina beat, Northwestern, who is ranked and won 10 games, Michigan State who beat TCU in their bowl game and were like 20 total points away from being 12-1, Wisconsin who was one drive away from tying or beating Stanford, and Penn State who had a fine season.

We won good, impressive football games against impressive teams. Were they all Alabama? No. Were they good? A lot of them were.