Glad no staff movement this offseason

That's news to me and I know him personally.  He's bright, engaging and a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun talking trash to him on the intramural fields.  He gives as good as he gets as well.   I'm not sure who you're talking about, but it's not Mark Helfrich.  
That’s great that you know him and like him but many recruits over the years have not come away with the same feelings. Maybe he’s fun once you get to know him?

I read a lot of 247 updates and follow the Pac12 since I’m in that part of the country. His recruiting left a lot to be desired. He actually reminds me of Verduzco a bit, which I could see Mario being a fun guy once you get to know him but being weird and awkward before that. I have no doubt that he’s bright.

 
That’s great that you know him and like him but many recruits over the years have not come away with the same feelings. Maybe he’s fun once you get to know him?

I read a lot of 247 updates and follow the Pac12 since I’m in that part of the country. His recruiting left a lot to be desired. He actually reminds me of Verduzco a bit, which I could see Mario being a fun guy once you get to know him but being weird and awkward before that. I have no doubt that he’s bright.
I liked Mark instantly.  He's outgoing and engaging.  A smart aleck...which is alwasy fun for me.  He's a fun dude and had plans to be a doctor, but coaching football is in his blood.  His dad was a high school coach.  

His recruiting, however, left a lot to be desired.  He wasn't able to get the talent Chip did.  Of course, Chip had a little help that got him and Oregon into trouble.  What irks Oregon fans the most is Tua wanted to be a Duck and Mark, along with Frost, had other plans.  

 
I actually felt like our defense improved towards the end of the season and Chin was on the right track.


Debatable.  It may have "felt" like our defense improved at the end of the year, but looking at yards/play stats it shows that our D was worse over the last half of the year compared to the 1st half.  Maryland was good, but that was against a team that peaked in game 2 and had all but given up.  Iowa was a similar performance to Indiana and Purdue.  And the Wisconsin game was our 2nd worst performance of the year.

Below is the difference in yards/play between what our D held them to and their season average (negatives are good)

S Ala -0.69

Col 0.37

N Ill -1.25

Ill -0.09 

OSU 0.71

NW -0.22

Min 0.89

Ind 0.33

Pur 0.36

Wisc 0.85

Mary -1.41

Iowa 0.24

 
Debatable.  It may have "felt" like our defense improved at the end of the year, but looking at yards/play stats it shows that our D was worse over the last half of the year compared to the 1st half.  Maryland was good, but that was against a team that peaked in game 2 and had all but given up.  Iowa was a similar performance to Indiana and Purdue.  And the Wisconsin game was our 2nd worst performance of the year.

Below is the difference in yards/play between what our D held them to and their season average (negatives are good)

S Ala -0.69

Col 0.37

N Ill -1.25

Ill -0.09 

OSU 0.71

NW -0.22

Min 0.89

Ind 0.33

Pur 0.36

Wisc 0.85

Mary -1.41

Iowa 0.24
I can appreciate looking at it this way.  But it still doesn't tell the whole story.  For example, Iowa was held to 56 plays against NU; their season average was 68.8.  Their avg total offense was 369 ypg, NU held them to 324 ypg.  Outside of two big run plays and the final drive (yes, that is still on the defense), the Husker defense played really well.  

 
I can appreciate looking at it this way.  But it still doesn't tell the whole story.  For example, Iowa was held to 56 plays against NU; their season average was 68.8.  Their avg total offense was 369 ypg, NU held them to 324 ypg.  Outside of two big run plays and the final drive (yes, that is still on the defense), the Husker defense played really well.  
The whole point of looking at it by yards/play is to normalize for the number of plays ran.  Iowa was "held" to 56 plays because they had a kick return for a TD and we played a bit more ball control on offense, winning the TOP by 8 minutes.

 
The whole point of looking at it by yards/play is to normalize for the number of plays ran.  Iowa was "held" to 56 plays because they had a kick return for a TD and we played a bit more ball control on offense, winning the TOP by 8 minutes.
I get the point, but there was more to Nebraska's TOP stat than ball control offense.

4 plays 17 yards

2 plays 56 yards (TD)

3 plays 6 yards

2 plays 63 (TD)

13 plays 41 yards (FG)

2 plays 7 yards (int)

5 plays 14 yards

3 plays -1 yards

3 plays -7 yards

3 plays 9 yards

3 plays 1 yard

6 plays 19 yards

2 plays 33 yards (fumble)

...Then the final drive...

5 of 14 drives ended by a 3 and out.

2 drives were ended by turnovers.

The offense could control the time because HALF of the time time the defense gave them the ball back in 4 or less plays.  (More than half if you count the quick touchdowns  :P )

Outside of 4 really big plays, the defense couldn't have played much better. 

 
I get the point, but there was more to Nebraska's TOP stat than ball control offense.

4 plays 17 yards

2 plays 56 yards (TD)

3 plays 6 yards

2 plays 63 (TD)

13 plays 41 yards (FG)

2 plays 7 yards (int)

5 plays 14 yards

3 plays -1 yards

3 plays -7 yards

3 plays 9 yards

3 plays 1 yard

6 plays 19 yards

2 plays 33 yards (fumble)

...Then the final drive...

5 of 14 drives ended by a 3 and out.

2 drives were ended by turnovers.

The offense could control the time because HALF of the time time the defense gave them the ball back in 4 or less plays.  (More than half if you count the quick touchdowns  :P )

Outside of 4 really big plays, the defense couldn't have played much better. 
Throw the stats out. Did you guys watch the games? No one can tell me that was a good defense 

 
Throw the stats out. Did you guys watch the games? No one can tell me that was a good defense 
Never said it was "good".  Just thought they did everything, outside of 4 plays, that Frost could have asked them to.

If they were a good defense, those big plays probably wouldn't have happened.

 
BIG ERN said:
Throw the stats out. Did you guys watch the games? No one can tell me that was a good defense 
Nobody said it was a good defense.  I said, imo, that the defense had improved on the year.  My opinion is that Chin deserves at least another year to show what he can do as he gains more talent and has more time to implement his system.  I believe everyone on the forum understands your point of view and also realizes that anything remotely positive will be quickly debated.  Nothing wrong with that... a lot of people are unhappy.  I like husker football and do my best to stay in a positive frame of mind so I can enjoy it even during the years we aren't a good team.    

 
The lack of instincts (and ability) at LB KILLED this team the last half of the year. 

Minnesota - Fleck was as blunt as could be. They planned to get the line moving sideways and had confidence the LBs wouldn't fit right. It worked. 

Indiana - constantly isolated Philyor on our LBs and killed us thru the air. 

The coaches seem to know this as they're going hard at a ton of LBs. But I don't think it's fair to pass final judgement on Chins yet. The players need some consistency in coaching.

 
The lack of instincts (and ability) at LB KILLED this team the last half of the year. 

Minnesota - Fleck was as blunt as could be. They planned to get the line moving sideways and had confidence the LBs wouldn't fit right. It worked. 

Indiana - constantly isolated Philyor on our LBs and killed us thru the air. 

The coaches seem to know this as they're going hard at a ton of LBs. But I don't think it's fair to pass final judgement on Chins yet. The players need some consistency in coaching.
I said it once and i'll keep saying it "consistency, consistency thou art a jewel"; and I don't care what this millennial, X, Y, Z whatever generation thinks and that is "I want it all and I want it now"!; would love it to be so but it's not reality. In fact that is a recipe for perpetual football purgatory.  

Iowa will probably never be what we were and what we are striving to get back to but they are a decent football program and have had some good years because they knew their best opportunity for success was to stay the course once set and therefor their players are playing in the same system for 4 to 5 years and don't think they haven't had to make adjustments as experience dictated. 

Scott is a winner, has always been a winner, winners win and odds are he is exactly what we thought he was when we hired him, a winner. STAY THE COURSE!!!! 

 
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