This Season Seems Hollow . . .

Honestly?

I still had a lot of questions about this team when the season began.

I could have sworn we all did. And that first glance at our new Big 10 schedule had most of us predicting a 2 or 3 loss season. Or worse.

What I didn't anticipate at all was our defense starting out so poorly and then....not getting any better.

With two solid showing the last two games, and at least one of them a win, I'd still take this season over 2009 and 2010.

And then I plan on dialing my expectations up for next season. Coaches and returning starters in place. No excuses.

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
Honestly?

I still had a lot of questions about this team when the season began.

I could have sworn we all did. And that first glance at our new Big 10 schedule had most of us predicting a 2 or 3 loss season. Or worse.

What I didn't anticipate at all was our defense starting out so poorly and then....not getting any better.

With two solid showing the last two games, and at least one of them a win, I'd still take this season over 2009 and 2010.

And then I plan on dialing my expectations up for next season. Coaches and returning starters in place. No excuses.
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why was our defense so hyped during the preseason? i did not see it, but bought into the hype because i wanted to believe so badly.

 
Yeah. We knew we'd lost our pro-caliber secondary, but the Pelini's led us believe they had guys in the wings they were itching to play.

And every other football analyst ranked our Crick-based defensive line among the top-5 in the country, and possibly the single best.

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
Honestly?

I still had a lot of questions about this team when the season began.

I could have sworn we all did. And that first glance at our new Big 10 schedule had most of us predicting a 2 or 3 loss season. Or worse.

What I didn't anticipate at all was our defense starting out so poorly and then....not getting any better.

With two solid showing the last two games, and at least one of them a win, I'd still take this season over 2009 and 2010.

And then I plan on dialing my expectations up for next season. Coaches and returning starters in place. No excuses.
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Amen, but don't forget the loss of the Big3: Dennard, David and Crick (although Crick won't be a big loss). The secondary needs to make HUGE strides, period. With Dennard gone they'll have to step up. I don't see who that leader in the secondary would be though....

Next thing we need is a big run plugger on the DL. Rome needs to bulk up. Guy has the size but no oomph. Randle...IDK?? Peat needs to live up to his hype..... We need a monster MLB. 6'3" 230lbs at least. Maybe Compton becomes that guy - maybe Santos is the next David.... Maybe it's another JUCO - Zaire Anderson..... Lots of questions but that secondary needs to step up.

 
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I thought this way after the NW loss. I was in a pretty bad way for pretty much the whole weekend and most of Monday, Tuesday.... once the PSU thing came out I forgot about it. That loss still grinds my gears. I used to get that way a lot after the first loss of the year... There was that year (99?) where we absolutely killed a highly rated KSU team after fumbling away the Texas game, and I was like "meh".

I am buoyed by the small possibility of a BCS bowl... I realize there is some work to do yet, but the thought of playing in the Orange Bowl or the Sugar Bowl again is very exciting to me, even if it isn't the title game. It's been 25 years since we played in the Sugar Bowl and 12 since the Orange. I miss the Orange Bowl.

 
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It feels hollow cause we get getting closer to being an all around team and coming up so close to great things but we just seem to not get up the hill and accomplish it. Next year i admit I see great things from the boys, will it happen that remains to be seen.

 
Personally I've enjoyed this season quite a bit! Last season was emotionally exhausting for me, I spent months off the message boards because I had just had enough - so much drama, so much criticism, bickering, etc. I've loved every minute of watching this year's team play.

It's hollow because we're having the same season three years in a row? So basically, what this means is that even when we win conference championship after conference championship, going to bcs bowl games year after year, we'll still find something to be pissy about, because Oklahoma has essentially had the "same season" every year since they won it all, with a few down years and a few years getting throttled in the championship game.

Just enjoy watching your favorite team play football fellas, that should be enough :)

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Personally I've enjoyed this season quite a bit! Last season was emotionally exhausting for me, I spent months off the message boards because I had just had enough - so much drama, so much criticism, bickering, etc. I've loved every minute of watching this year's team play.

It's hollow because we're having the same season three years in a row? So basically, what this means is that even when we win conference championship after conference championship, going to bcs bowl games year after year, we'll still find something to be pissy about, because Oklahoma has essentially had the "same season" every year since they won it all, with a few down years and a few years getting throttled in the championship game.

Just enjoy watching your favorite team play football fellas, that should be enough :)
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i agree with the bold, but it has been the same mediocre, underwhelming season for 3 years. OU probably does feel hallow that they keep winning the big 12, but can not get to the mnc. that it the thing about being a fan (and happiness in general), you keep striving to get better and quickly become unfulfilled with your current state once it becomes the benchmark.

 
I've enjoyed the living heck out of this year. The offensive side of the ball has made massive strides but I admit being totally bushwhacked by our defensive play. Three projected AAs on defense had me thinking 2009 again. Wrong.

But we're doing just fine even with the toughest schedule the Big10 could come up for us. We win our final two games and I'm a "very" happy camper.

GBR!!

 
Cornicator said:
The NW game still stings. I can handle the Wisconsin loss because I didn't see us going in there are getting a win anyway. But if we finish 10-2 with a loss to NW, whom probably won't make a bowl, that will sting for quite a while.
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If it makes you feel any better NW should make a bowl. Just have to get past Minn this Saturday and they'll have six wins Of course it's whether they can get a seventh win which is really important. Can't see it since MSU won't take the game lightly like we did.

 
I thought this year was exciting. Our first year in the B1G and we've done fairly well, with the exception of Wiscy and NW. I wonder if for many of us, myself included, we're still measuring every season against our teams from '95? That's a pretty tall yardstick. I think we come close and when we don't meet that expectation we feel defeated/depressed/you name it.

We have a young team. I think as we grow we're going to get closer to that 95' team. At least we're in a decent conference now. For our first year in a new conference I think we've done well. It will be interesting to see if we can win our next two games and hopefully NW will beat MSU. Remember MSU doesn't play so well on the road AND I think they might, just might, be looking forward to the B1G championship and underestimate NW. Could happen.

 
It seems hollow because it is hollow. College Football as a whole is a shadow of itself. Its about money. That's all. Nebraska cashed in with the conference move. Yeah, I know we had to do it. We were pushed.

The point is, I've watched NU play Kansas every year since I was seven. Half of my friends are Mizzou fans. Kansas State was a respectable opponent for years and is once again. I could care less about those other Wildcats. I don't know what a Buckeye is. A Nittanty Lion sounds like (and their mascot looks like) something my grandma would make to pass the time.

College football isn't all about tv deals and National Championships. It's about pride in where you come from and healthy competition with your neighbors. At least it used to be. Now its about the cash. Money doesn't fill that hole in your soul. That's why this season feels hollow.

 
I will take these 10 win seasons. We fans seem to start out each season, with the n/c or at least a bcs bowl as our goal. How many programs can actually have those type of expectations, year after year. Ten wins, bowl bids, lot of exposure, bring in the recruits till bingo, you have that season when it all comes together. The program is doing that now. I don't think next year is going to be much different than this one. We lose our best defensive players, and I don't see anyone that seems to be stepping up, that will make us forget who leaves. Offense still doesn't seem to have that w/r threat, that is a game breaker, or an o-line that reminds anyone of the pipeline years. I like the fact that we still have a chance to win it each week, even thou the team is still going through growing pains. I, like the rest of you, would like to win a n/c every once in a while. Bo does have the Huskers back in the media's eye, and the respect that was lost for a few years, is also here again. We seem to be on the right track.

GBR!!!

 
sd said:
why was our defense so hyped during the preseason? i did not see it, but bought into the hype because i wanted to believe so badly.
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The D Line was supposed to be the strength of the team, and we were supposed to have All-Americans at all three levels of defense. With Camstache, Crick and Steinkuhler returning intact and Ankrah/Martin taking over at the other DE being largely perceived as addition by subtraction of Pierre Allen, we were all geared up to have a fantastic D Line with quality depth at every position.

Add to that Lavonte David coming off a record-setting year and the return of Compton and Fisher, who were both "potential" guys, we were assuming LB would be decent, if not good.

Add to that Lockdown Dennard on one side and Ciante Evans, who had shown flashes of brilliance on the other, the prevailing wisdom would be that we would be superlative on one side (Dennard's) and pretty good on the other (Evans'). At Safety we were pretty up in the air, but again the prevailing wisdom was that the other levels of solid play would protect the safeties from exposure, and they would grow into their roles.

Instead of all this, we got a porous D Line that contributes to our #117 (out of 120 teams) ranking in Tackles for Loss and the #66 Rushing Defense. Every single team we've played has rushed the ball on us, and most have passed with comfort as well. The debacle of withholding the Blackshirts for more than half the season didn't help this situation, either.

There was plenty of potential with this defense. But with a few exceptions, it hasn't come to fruition. With Bo being a "defensive genius," this is pretty hard to stomach for most.

 
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