This is why it hurts so much...

[huskerjack23]

That first quarter and a half, this young Husker team was taking it to a fringe title contender. Playing well on offense, decent on defense relative to what we've seen and expected.

The game was there to be taken. The coaches were calling plays in order to get kill shots, or at least to set them up. But they have this insane confidence in Martinez's ability to throw the ball. The kid burned them. Can it be fixed? The second interception can, for sure. I know the read on that play and T-Mart didn't even attempt reading it. The others, who knows?

It's high time we start putting confidence in the O-Line and the backs. I believe they've earned it.

 

[ladyhawke]

That first quarter and a half, this young Husker team was taking it to a fringe title contender. Playing well on offense, decent on defense relative to what we've seen and expected.

The game was there to be taken. The coaches were calling plays in order to get kill shots, or at least to set them up. But they have this insane confidence in Martinez's ability to throw the ball. The kid burned them. Can it be fixed? The second interception can, for sure. I know the read on that play and T-Mart didn't even attempt reading it. The others, who knows?

It's high time we start putting confidence in the O-Line and the backs. I believe they've earned it.

I agree-we did some very GOOD things last night. We had Wisconsin rattled. They saw that we came to play. Then...the nightmare began. We became pass happy and our defense went flat. Ok...so that's behind us. What can we do now? I, for one, would like to see Coach Beck become dedicated to the run. It is Martinez strength. It was funny-watching Wisconsin play last night reminded me of the great Nebraska teams of the 90's. I read somewhere this past week that Barry Alveraz (AD for Wisc.-former NU player in the '60's) said that when he was a coach for Wisc. he wanted to model his team after the Huskers. Well, he did! We were playing that way in the first quarter why in the world did we stop?? That is what I just don't understand.

 

[Husker_x]

That first quarter and a half, this young Husker team was taking it to a fringe title contender. Playing well on offense, decent on defense relative to what we've seen and expected.

The game was there to be taken. The coaches were calling plays in order to get kill shots, or at least to set them up. But they have this insane confidence in Martinez's ability to throw the ball. The kid burned them. Can it be fixed? The second interception can, for sure. I know the read on that play and T-Mart didn't even attempt reading it. The others, who knows?

It's high time we start putting confidence in the O-Line and the backs. I believe they've earned it.

IMO it doesn't matter how well you play for one quarter. If you implode like we did, that's the headline, that's the whole story. The almost and kinda/sorta and well-maybe-if stuff can be taken to the curb. It just doesn't matter.

 

[n.e.husker]

Rex only had 6 carries in the first half. For this offense to be succesul, that cant happen.

 

[PaulCrewe]

It hurt so much because, they were rude hosts and refused to use lube........nothing........c'mon it is funny. You can admit you laughed a little.

 

[HuskerBacon]

i wonder what the 2nd quarter would have been like if we would have stuck with the 1st quarters game plan?

 

[bolshoifish]

I doubt that Beck went AWOL and just started calling plays at random. Does anybody know how the defense changed between the last touchdown and the first interception that caused Beck to go to the area of his gameplan that relied on a pro style QB? Further, maybe it is the weak play of our corners in practice that has them thinking Martinez can actually pass.

 

[PaulCrewe]

I doubt that Beck went AWOL and just started calling plays at random. Does anybody know how the defense changed between the last touchdown and the first interception that caused Beck to go to the area of his gameplan that relied on a pro style QB? Further, maybe it is the weak play of our corners in practice that has them thinking Martinez can actually pass.

It actually fell back onto their gameplan to throw to open up the running game. And when Taylor started decent I guess it added to the thought process. The problem was more Taylor's inability to go to second/third/checkdown options. He gets a little caught up in making the big play when a Ben Cotton is dragging across the field by himself for an easy first down, or Rex is so alone on a checkdown that he gains an easy 5 yards before having to work for yardage.

 

[bolshoifish]

That string of 15 or so passes seems to use horrible logic.. almost like doubling your bet everytime you lose to recover your original bet. They want to pass to open the run. After the first interception, the logic becomes "I can't run since the pass is failing"?

 

[PaulCrewe]

That string of 15 or so passes seems to use horrible logic.. almost like doubling your bet everytime you lose to recover your original bet. They want to pass to open the run. After the first interception, the logic becomes "I can't run since the pass is failing"?

Not saying I agreed with it, but it is what Beck has came out and said. The plays called on the picks, actually had guys open. Just they were never looked at, and the last one was just a hideous throw, They had a chance to come out of half and go back to what they do best and didn't. That was the point where I got the most upset last night. The pick after half ended the game.

 

[Hammerhead]

That string of 15 or so passes seems to use horrible logic.. almost like doubling your bet everytime you lose to recover your original bet. They want to pass to open the run. After the first interception, the logic becomes "I can't run since the pass is failing"?

Not only that, but calling pass after pass in the situation we were in to end the 1st half is the exact opposite of what's logical. You have just over half the field to go, just over 1:30, you have two time-outs, and you absolutely can't afford to give Wisconsin the ball back to let them march on our weak defense and score to end the half. We had an eternity, yet Beck was calling plays like we were in total hurry-up mode. I could almost understand it if we were using one-back or two-back sets and at least making Wisconsin's D think there was a possibility that we could run on them, but no, it was empty backfield every play.

EDIT: Just saw PC's post, and I'll grant that we did have guys open, but when have we trusted Taylor to find open guys if they aren't his first read? Not only did Taylor totally miss several open receivers last night, but there were several times when he could've dumped it off to Rex and probably could've gotten close to a first down, but instead he tucked and ran and got nowhere.

I'm also a Jaguars fan, and I watched David Garrard play for several years, and I see the same Jekyll-and-Hyde performances out of Taylor.

 

[Redman]

Martinez is not a good passer. He never will be a good passer. Martinez is not the QB to run the offense that Beck tried to run in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters. Beck needs to either use Martinez to his strengths or find another QB. We will be doomed if Beck tries to make Martinez a pocket passer. Although Beck did not throw the interceptions, he is responsible for them happening. I think Martinez was trying a hard as he could, but was put in the entirely wrong scheme. This is on Beck.

 

[Hunter94]

Martinez is not a good passer. He never will be a good passer. Martinez is not the QB to run the offense that Beck tried to run in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters. Beck needs to either use Martinez to his strengths or find another QB. We will be doomed if Beck tries to make Martinez a pocket passer. Although Beck did not throw the interceptions, he is responsible for them happening. I think Martinez was trying a hard as he could, but was put in the entirely wrong scheme. This is on Beck.

i kind of agree with you here, there are certain routes TM has better odds of completing.

 

[skersfan]

Spot on, and that goes back to the head coach. Put the blame where the problem starts.

 

[Bdgrfan]

That first quarter and a half, this young Husker team was taking it to a fringe title contender. Playing well on offense, decent on defense relative to what we've seen and expected.

The game was there to be taken. The coaches were calling plays in order to get kill shots, or at least to set them up. But they have this insane confidence in Martinez's ability to throw the ball. The kid burned them. Can it be fixed? The second interception can, for sure. I know the read on that play and T-Mart didn't even attempt reading it. The others, who knows?

It's high time we start putting confidence in the O-Line and the backs. I believe they've earned it.

I agree-we did some very GOOD things last night. We had Wisconsin rattled. They saw that we came to play. Then...the nightmare began. We became pass happy and our defense went flat. Ok...so that's behind us. What can we do now? I, for one, would like to see Coach Beck become dedicated to the run. It is Martinez strength. It was funny-watching Wisconsin play last night reminded me of the great Nebraska teams of the 90's. I read somewhere this past week that Barry Alveraz (AD for Wisc.-former NU player in the '60's) said that when he was a coach for Wisc. he wanted to model his team after the Huskers. Well, he did! We were playing that way in the first quarter why in the world did we stop?? That is what I just don't understand.

Rattled? I didn't see the slightest indication of that. I saw UW answer Neb's first score with a 91-yard drive on the next posession, and again after Neb made it 14-7. I saw UW make the necessary defensive adjustments. I saw UW's offense grind down the Huskers D. Watch the fourth quarter and notice who was delivering the blows....