Kansas Vs. Nebraska Offensive Analysis

[knapplc]

If the people polled had no allegiance to either school... (etc)

In general I agree with what you're saying here, but I wouldn't go as far as you're going here. It's not as if Reesing didn't make mistakes. Ganzy was irresponsible with the ball on several occasions and cost us some crushing turnovers. That Tech INT was a great play by the defender, not unlike Berringer's attempt to throw the ball away against Miami in 1994. Joe threw some passes he shouldn't have, but he also threaded the needle on occasion and made some brilliant plays as well.

The biggest difference between Reesing and Ganzy is Reesing had nobody around him to push him out of a job. Ganzy played second fiddle his first four years here, and wouldn't have sniffed the field except for Keller's broken collar bone. Callahan was notorious for giving the non-first-stringers next to no reps in practice. Who knows what Joe would have been under Mangino? I'll guarantee he would have been different.

Reesing is better than Ganz, I'm not saying he isn't. I'm saying the gap between them isn't that big.

 

[jayhawker]

If the Huskers have a trump card at all --- one to counter their trump card --- it might be our coaching. Theres is good ours is better.

Very homer statement there. Mangino took a very very bad team full of DII talent and made them a very solid team. Yours took a top 30 recruiting class that was playing mediocre and made them a little better.

 

[jayhawker]

If the people polled had no allegiance to either school... (etc)

In general I agree with what you're saying here, but I wouldn't go as far as you're going here. It's not as if Reesing didn't make mistakes. Ganzy was irresponsible with the ball on several occasions and cost us some crushing turnovers. That Tech INT was a great play by the defender, not unlike Berringer's attempt to throw the ball away against Miami in 1994. Joe threw some passes he shouldn't have, but he also threaded the needle on occasion and made some brilliant plays as well.

The biggest difference between Reesing and Ganzy is Reesing had nobody around him to push him out of a job. Ganzy played second fiddle his first four years here, and wouldn't have sniffed the field except for Keller's broken collar bone. Callahan was notorious for giving the non-first-stringers next to no reps in practice. Who knows what Joe would have been under Mangino? I'll guarantee he would have been different.

Reesing is better than Ganz, I'm not saying he isn't. I'm saying the gap between them isn't that big.

Reesing barely beat Meier for the starting job in 07.

 

[knapplc]

Also, Jayhawker, you may want to watch

Ah, but Nebraska's D will be even faster than it was last year as well. And I'm not seeing that Reesing's speed has increased in the offseason. If not, he'll be getting chased down by Suh and Co. once again, with similar results. Not to mention the players admitted they didn't fully buy into Pelini's system last season, but they are now. All things considered, I see no reason to believe Kansas is going to score 35 points again.

Mangino is a good coach and will game-plan for the Huskers, I have no doubt. This is most certainly NOT a "W" for Nebraska, and I expect a dog fight. But unless I see something very different from the Jayhawks this year, I have no reason to believe this year's results will differ from last year's.

And let's not hang our hats too much on the number 35. That last TD by Kansas came against a very soft defense when Nebraska had a 17-point lead with 3:30 to go. I'm going to disagree with you if you assert the game was truly a ten-point margin. Nebraska's margin of victory did not reflect the way that game truly went.

 

[skersfan]

Mangino is a great coach. No question in my mind. He has done things at what all have considered a basketball school. Done things that no other coach could have in my mind. Done it with less help, and done it the right way. No scandals, no problems.

Bo may be a great coach, I think he will be, but currently he is not the level of Coach Mangino in my mind. He won the games he was supposed to and lost the ones he was expected to.

Not saying Bo isn't as good, just not proven yet. He wins the north this year and plays well against Tech and Oklahoma, then maybe we can compare the two. But not yet.

Overall staff, I really do not know. I am happy with ours and I am sure the Kansas fans are very happy with theirs.

It will be a fantastic game, and if we have to lose the North, I would prefer it be to Kansas, great fans and good people that have had nothing but respect for Nebraska. We owe them our respect for what they have done and how they have acted since it started.

 

[jayhawker]

Also, Jayhawker, you may want to watch

Ok, but with your O and KU's improved D how will you score more than KU? Last 4 games have been close in Lincoln and blow outs in Lawrence. We heard the same thing after losing in OT in 06 in Lincoln.

 

[knapplc]

Reesing barely beat Meier for the starting job in 07.

Exactly. The same Kerry Meier who went 6-6 in his only season as a starter. Kerry Meier doesn't start at QB for pretty much any program in the Big XII, so beating him out for a job isn't much to hang your hat on.

What Reesing can hang his hat on is his scrambling ability, several very good wins he led the team to (including a BCS bowl victory) and numerous school records. The kid is good, I'm not taking anything away from him.

 

[knapplc]

Ok, but with your O and KU's improved D how will you score more than KU? Last 4 games have been close in Lincoln and blow outs in Lawrence. We heard the same thing after losing in OT in 06 in Lincoln.

You and I are in the same boat about Nebraska's offense - I can't assert we're going to light up the scoreboard and you can't assert we won't. There's just too much unknown at this point.

What we do know about Nebraska's offense is we figure to have a good line and a couple of good running backs. That's a darned good base to build an offense from, so if Zac Lee is even competent (and doesn't give the ball away like Ganzy did too often) we should be able to score and control the clock again.

 

[caveman99]

Ok, but with your O and KU's improved D how will you score more than KU? Last 4 games have been close in Lincoln and blow outs in Lawrence. We heard the same thing after losing in OT in 06 in Lincoln.

You and I are in the same boat about Nebraska's offense - I can't assert we're going to light up the scoreboard and you can't assert we won't. There's just too much unknown at this point.

What we do know about Nebraska's offense is we figure to have a good line and a couple of good running backs. That's a darned good base to build an offense from, so if Zac Lee is even competent (and doesn't give the ball away like Ganzy did too often) we should be able to score and control the clock again.

jayhawker, I think this is where your team having to go to a 4-2-5 base set on D will hurt you vs. NU. NU will pound the rock against the lighter set. I think not having 3 good LB's to go to a 4-3 to counter act the run game of NU will cost you the game. NU ran the ball at will last year and I expect them to do the same this year, but to an even greater efficiency. I agree that Laptad is a great player, maybe I will let you crow a little about Woods before he even proves anything, but both of those guys are DE's and your 2 DT's are the same ones that got pushed around last year against NU. Not a good sign for this year.

 

[RockyMountainOySker]

this is a great thread right now b/c this is the arguably most important game on both teams schedules. like the poster above, i tend to think NU's ball control style and ability to run the ball will decide this game. i see it being VERY close though and one mistake from either team could end up being the real reason why one loses.....

 

[billdozer15]

I dont forsee KU even making this a game. It would be in KU's best interest to just call the game off and save Nebraska the gas and hotel money. It would be less embarrassing for KU this way. :wasted

 

[robsker]

If the people polled had no allegiance to either school... (etc)

In general I agree with what you're saying here, but I wouldn't go as far as you're going here. It's not as if Reesing didn't make mistakes. Ganzy was irresponsible with the ball on several occasions and cost us some crushing turnovers. That Tech INT was a great play by the defender, not unlike Berringer's attempt to throw the ball away against Miami in 1994. Joe threw some passes he shouldn't have, but he also threaded the needle on occasion and made some brilliant plays as well.

The biggest difference between Reesing and Ganzy is Reesing had nobody around him to push him out of a job. Ganzy played second fiddle his first four years here, and wouldn't have sniffed the field except for Keller's broken collar bone. Callahan was notorious for giving the non-first-stringers next to no reps in practice. Who knows what Joe would have been under Mangino? I'll guarantee he would have been different.

Reesing is better than Ganz, I'm not saying he isn't. I'm saying the gap between them isn't that big.

 

[Scarlet Overkill]

Mangino is a great coach. No question in my mind. He has done things at what all have considered a basketball school. Done things that no other coach could have in my mind. Done it with less help, and done it the right way. No scandals, no problems.

Bo may be a great coach, I think he will be, but currently he is not the level of Coach Mangino in my mind. He won the games he was supposed to and lost the ones he was expected to.

Not saying Bo isn't as good, just not proven yet. He wins the north this year and plays well against Tech and Oklahoma, then maybe we can compare the two. But not yet.

Overall staff, I really do not know. I am happy with ours and I am sure the Kansas fans are very happy with theirs.

It will be a fantastic game, and if we have to lose the North, I would prefer it be to Kansas, great fans and good people that have had nothing but respect for Nebraska. We owe them our respect for what they have done and how they have acted since it started.

Yeah, I guess he's had no scandals or problems, if you overlook the academic fraud issues and initial low APR that took some scholarships away. Or, if you look past several failed drug tests for a star CB.

Other than the bolded part, I do agree with the rest.

 

[robsker]

this is a great thread right now b/c this is the arguably most important game on both teams schedules. like the poster above, i tend to think NU's ball control style and ability to run the ball will decide this game. i see it being VERY close though and one mistake from either team could end up being the real reason why someone losea.....

Do not forget that NU has won precious few road games over the past years --- even last year. We are especially bad against decent teams on the road. KU is decent --- every bit as good as NU and have Reesing who is a special threat. As much as I love NU, we will be --- and should be --- solid underdogs, likely a touchdown dog (or, perhaps as little as a 3 - 4 point dog) in the game.

It is tough for a long-term Husker fan like me (and likely most who post on this board) to even talk about possibly losing to KU, MU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor --- these are the caliber of programs that, over time, when compared to NU, were games that were laugher gimmes and no one at NU even had the potential of a loss cross their minds.

But that was then and this is now.

NU is a shadow (a thin shadow) of its former self and these other programs are all improved.

I think that the reticence to give KU their truly rightful earned respect in our eyes is that we are simply still, almost instinctively, asking "how can it be that we are even talking about potentially losing to KU?" We don't want to consider that it is really possible that NU has so fallen and KU has risen.

NU is perhaps pointed, for the first time in a long time, in the right direction. That said, at this juncture, NU will be the underdog against KU.

 

[SkullandBones]

NU didn't beat KU last year b/c Joe outplayed Todd. NU won b/c our defense was better then KUs (which will be the same this year) and we dominated the line of scrimmage (which will be the same this year). Todd Reesing is everything to that team...Joe was a piece of the puzzle just like Lee will be this year. Switch Joe with Todd and KU wins 2 less games (MU and the huge comeback vs. ISU) last year and NU probably wins 2 more games (Va Tech - take away that early pick....and Texas Tech - take that late pick away).

Oh yeah, I forgot about the big comeback against perenial powerhouse Iowa State. Way to get it done Todd. :clap :laughpound

OK, that little joke being made, I'll still take Ganz. Not sure how you assume Reesing doesn't throw those picks seeings as how he threw more than Ganz did in '08. Also Ganz's efficiency rating was higher and completion percentage was nearly identical. Yes, Reesing's was better 66.5 v. 65.1. I'll take Ganz.