Put Up or Shut Up Time

southernoregonhusker said:
We're 3-2, in a transition year, and some have an expectation that we beat the #9 team in the country? 
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Wisconsin sitting at 65 strength of schedule. To put that in perspective, Nebraska is at 64.

If you watched the NW game last week, they didn't look like a top 10 team. I'd even claim they are easily beatable, but we've struggled and lost against worse teams, so who knows...

 
southernoregonhusker said:
We're 3-2, in a transition year, and some have an expectation that we beat the #9 team in the country?  This is what I mean when I say some of us have expectations that are too high.  I hope we compete, but the odds of winning are quite low.  My guess is the "improvements" we've seen will be lessened against a team that doesn't totally suck.  We shall see.
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Ranking doesn't matter with Wisconsin. We out recruit them and every other team in the west every single year. The last 2 games we've lost by less than 14 combined points. The Wisconsin hump is a manageable one to get over, but highly important we do. Can't keep playing second fiddle in this division when we have the talent to be the best team.

I don't necessarily expect us to win this game, but I think we need to win this game and that we are capable of doing so. 

 
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The inability to beat Iowa and Wisconsin since we joined the B1G is nothing more than lack of the mental ability for the coaching staff and players to do it.  Even the times when we were totally ran off the field, it wasn't because they had that much more athletically gifted players.  It's because mentally, they came to play and coach more than we did.

This has got to stop.  I don't totally blame the coaches even though they hold quite a bit of the blame.  Sometimes it's on the players lack of ability to get past their own mistakes.

Right now, both of those teams have the upper hand on us because they come in with the attitude and confidence that they are going to kick our a$$.  We have allowed them to gain that edge.

It's up to the players to take that edge back.

 
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Whatever the perceived advantage Wisconsin may have over Nebraska should be erased since this game is being played at night in Memorial Stadium.  I have no crazy expectations about us winning the B1G west this year... but I do think we can/should win this game.  The "who wants it more" term comes into play for this game.  Coaches need to get our guys up for this game more than any other on the schedule imo.  I even bought the damn shirt... BEAT WISCONSIN!        

 
McKewon had a pretty interesting take on the Wisconsin/Nebraska series also the Nebraska transition from the Big 12 to the Big 10.  It starts around the 35 minute mark.

Cliffs for those who don't wish to listen:

-Nebraska was ill equipped when the Big XII morphed rapidly as teams like TT, Baylor, Mizzou switched over to fast paced offenses that were difficult to stop initially.  Also, both OU and UT were really, really good.

-Once Nebraska got a handle on those offenses, they switched to the Big Ten which required a totally different type of player...as a result, Nebraska has struggled against physical offenses.  Sam likened it to having an aircraft carrier needing to stop on a dime and reverse course.

-Whisky enjoys a physiological over the Big Ten West that Nebraska used to have over the Big 8/Big XII.  Nobody fears Nebraska.  Nebraska can't invent a history of dominance over Minny, Purdue, Iowa, etc because it doesn't exist.

-Nebraska is in a bit of a tough spot because Husker traditionalists and/or the fan base is telling the team that they can't look at their Big Ten West as equals and enjoy the wins because they're expected to beat those teams yet at the same time telling the team that they shouldn't embrace the burgeoning rivalry with Iowa because they haven't played Iowa enough times and/or Iowa isn't good enough to be considered a rival. 

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/pick-six-podcast-setting-the-stage-for-wisconsin-biggest-game/article_f898d55e-a88a-11e7-8381-ffaa8ea0ca1f.html

 
southernoregonhusker said:
We're 3-2, in a transition year, and some have an expectation that we beat the #9 team in the country?  This is what I mean when I say some of us have expectations that are too high.  I hope we compete, but the odds of winning are quite low.  My guess is the "improvements" we've seen will be lessened against a team that doesn't totally suck.  We shall see.
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This isn't a transition year. Riley has his players, his handpicked coaches, and has his plan in place. Anything that happens cannot be attributed to any external force.

 
Xmas32 said:
McKewon had a pretty interesting take on the Wisconsin/Nebraska series also the Nebraska transition from the Big 12 to the Big 10.  It starts around the 35 minute mark.

Cliffs for those who don't wish to listen:

-Nebraska was ill equipped when the Big XII morphed rapidly as teams like TT, Baylor, Mizzou switched over to fast paced offenses that were difficult to stop initially.  Also, both OU and UT were really, really good.

-Once Nebraska got a handle on those offenses, they switched to the Big Ten which required a totally different type of player...as a result, Nebraska has struggled against physical offenses.  Sam likened it to having an aircraft carrier needing to stop on a dime and reverse course.

-Whisky enjoys a physiological over the Big Ten West that Nebraska used to have over the Big 8/Big XII.  Nobody fears Nebraska.  Nebraska can't invent a history of dominance over Minny, Purdue, Iowa, etc because it doesn't exist.

-Nebraska is in a bit of a tough spot because Husker traditionalists and/or the fan base is telling the team that they can't look at their Big Ten West as equals and enjoy the wins because they're expected to beat those teams yet at the same time telling the team that they shouldn't embrace the burgeoning rivalry with Iowa because they haven't played Iowa enough times and/or Iowa isn't good enough to be considered a rival. 

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/pick-six-podcast-setting-the-stage-for-wisconsin-biggest-game/article_f898d55e-a88a-11e7-8381-ffaa8ea0ca1f.html
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I mean, all of that is fine and stuff, but those aren't the reasons we don't execute blocks, tackles, or lead the nation in interceptions.

 
saunders45 said:
I mean, all of that is fine and stuff, but those aren't the reasons we don't execute blocks, tackles, or lead the nation in interceptions.
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I don't disagree in the slightest.  Just serving as the vessel here haha.

 
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Xmas32 said:
I don't disagree in the slightest.  Just serving as the vessel here haha.
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No worries. Sam's been on this weird angle the last few years where first everything was Bo's fault, and toxicity, and whatever else, and now it's all these extraneous circumstances.

Yes, they have had some affect, but the reality is, if we had a great coach, it wouldn't matter.

 
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saunders45 said:
No worries. Sam's been on this weird angle the last few years where first everything was Bo's fault, and toxicity, and whatever else, and now it's all these extraneous circumstances.

Yes, they have had some affect, but the reality is, if we had a great coach, it wouldn't matter.
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Agreed, I've noticed that too.  It makes for good water cooler talk and good podcast stuff so I thank him for that.  It's hard to do a weekly podcast when you lead with the mic drop!

 
BigRedBuster said:
The inability to beat Iowa and Wisconsin since we joined the B1G is nothing more than lack of the mental ability for the coaching staff and players to do it.  Even the times when we were totally ran off the field, it wasn't because they had that much more athletically gifted players.  It's because mentally, they came to play and coach more than we did.

This has got to stop.  I don't totally blame the coaches even though they hold quite a bit of the blame.  Sometimes it's on the players lack of ability to get past their own mistakes.

Right now, both of those teams have the upper hand on us because they come in with the attitude and confidence that they are going to kick our a$$.  We have allowed them to gain that edge.

It's up to the players to take that edge back.
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and I think we as fans, perpetuate it, and the vehicle of self destruction is social media.  It's extremely naïve to think that players and staff don't think, hear, see or feel any of the environmental tension that has surrounds big games  and started with the blow-out loss against Kansas in whatever year (and maybe Colorado in 01). Big  game blow outs, spanning 15 years and 4 coaching staffs have made  big-game-week environments nervous and timid, not qualities that you associate with swagger and winning.  I mostly fault the various coaching staffs for ignoring, or being unable, to help the players block out distractions, but it's hard to find a coaching staff that understand the righteous anxiety of our football culture.  You really have to be from Nebraska to understand it.  Maybe that's why Trev Alberts doesn't want to come or may keep Scott Frost away.  It's a crappy way of life for those in the big chair.  

 
HuskerMav11 said:
It's very much your opinion that we're more talented than Wisconsin. 
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Yeah, dude, I agree. I almost spit out a mouthful of water when I read that. I've watched a pretty decent chunk of the Huskers' games so far and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't trade any of UW's position groups for what NU has.


 
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