What we learned this week

[Hunter94]

I learned that not only is NU not 'back' but it is as far from 'back' as it has been in any point in the last three years. This whole season is a big step back, and I'm really starting to fall into the mindset that this will be 'as good as it gets' forever. Its been more than a decade since Nebraska played in a BCS game, and longer since winning anything beyond a division(which we didn't do this year either) and what I've seen from the talent/coaching/whathaveyou from this team, its going to be several more before there is even a hope of it.

i said at the beginning of the season we would lose 3-4 games, but i would be happy if we saw some steady progress through out the year.

well, that didn't happen, not even close. this is a coaching issue, plain and simple.

 

[NoLongerN]

We will have so many players in the doghouse that we will not be able to field a team at home against Iowa and thus lose that game in a close one ... atleast if we are consistent with putting players in the doghouse. Frankly, we should as well not be able to field a coaching staff ... there should be a few that are not able to coach next week.

Agree with you Hunter. I had us losing four (4) and just outside the Top 25

 

[Huskerzoo]

1. We need to coach our fundamentals better. Too many penalties (even the phantom roughing the punter shouldn't have happened), too many dropped balls, too many fumbles, too many high tackles.

2. We have one single solid member of our secondary, the others can be good at times but are going to make stupid mistakes

3. David is a beast

4. I need to stop traveling to away games. Anyone else have the misfortune of being at both the Wisconsin and Michigan game?

 

[ladyhawke]

1. It's just football and I love my Huskers win or lose.

2. Huskerboard meltdown round three begins now.

3. Some people get WAY to upset over a game.

4. We can still go 9-3 in the regular season. Which is good.

5. Many of us were wrong about the Big, what a slugfest.

6. No, Bo doesn't need to be fired, seriously people.

7. Did I mention its just a game and I love my Huskers win or lose.

Ditto Also:

1. Our boys are getting better. Some of these kids are just freshmen/sophomores.

2. For our first season in the B1G we've done just fine. We can only get better.

3. The players and coaches know that things need to get better. It's just a hunch but I think they feel ten times more terrible about these poorly played games than we do. How can we support them when they lose?

4. Now that the meltdown has cooled down (and let's face it-we all vent. At least we have a safe place to vent where people actually care about the team. If we didn't care we wouldn't take the time to write at all (imho) -what's next for our team? How can we prepare for Iowa?

 

[ladyhawke]

I learned that not only is NU not 'back' but it is as far from 'back' as it has been in any point in the last three years. This whole season is a big step back, and I'm really starting to fall into the mindset that this will be 'as good as it gets' forever. Its been more than a decade since Nebraska played in a BCS game, and longer since winning anything beyond a division(which we didn't do this year either) and what I've seen from the talent/coaching/whathaveyou from this team, its going to be several more before there is even a hope of it.

i said at the beginning of the season we would lose 3-4 games, but i would be happy if we saw some steady progress through out the year.

well, that didn't happen, not even close. this is a coaching issue, plain and simple.

I'm just curious-what kind of steady progress were you expecting? What kind of criterion were you using for measurement? I am serious because this thought has been expressed by others on the board so I was wondering how do we know if we're progressing? Is it just 'win/lose' ratio or perhaps the 'way' that we're playing? Thanks.

 

[dergibog]

We weren't remotely ready to play today. That was the most error-ridden performance I've seen in the Pelini era. The turnovers were ridiculous, Martinez wasn't prepared to read that defense and he/Beck weren't able to adjust throughout the game, Burkhead was off on his spacing all day long, the receivers were bad in every facet of their position, the defense gave up way too many big plays and couldn't get off the field on third down, and the special teams... the special teams... the special... [vomit]

You must have missed the eight turnovers against Iowa State in '09

 

[ladyhawke]

Four years later we are the still the same type of team. No progress made.

this may be the most gut wrenching post yet.........and true.

But is it true? NO progess made? None at all? It just seems a little extreme to me. Taylor has gone from an insecure, fairly good runner to an actual

quarterback. He has grown so much! How about Stafford? He made some nice tackles tonight. Our defense were out there all game long. Terrance Moore made some great plays despite having lost his Dad this week. I think we HAVE made progress-I think back at the beginning of the season when we were all predicting how NU would do this year in a new conference-we said we would lose 3-4 games and Michigan was one of the 'scariest' games on the schedule. Look what we've done this year! Our first year in the B1G and we have beaten the two teams that will likely play in the B1G CG. Yeah, it's crap that it's not us but I just do not agree that we have made NO PROGRESS. I look forward to beating Iowa at home and to see who we play in our bowl game. Sorry, I respectfully disagree-we have made some progress and we will continue to make progress. We have a young team and we're already seeing what they can do. It will be exciting to see how much they grow over the summer. I think next year will be our year.

Taylor's running skills have regressed incredibly. Do you remember Washington (1st meeting) or KSU from last year? We haven't seen a single run like that this year. Not one. Injury may play a role in this or possibly lack of depth, either way he is not on the same level as last year. His passing has certainly improved, although our WRs try their best to drop every ball thrown their way.

Our defense is pillow soft and it's going to get real ugly next year. Stafford made a few tackles, but he was out of position A LOT. His coverage skills leave a lot to be desired.

You're honestly telling me that this D has progressed from last years'? That's laughable. Prince/Gomes/Hagg >>>>>>> Thorell/Cassidy/Ciante/Green/Stafford

No, I'm saying that I think it is a short sighted to say that we've made NO PROGRESS. I agree-our defense isn't good right now. I don't know the answer to that. I think the D not performing well is the most frustrating for me. However, how did you feel about our D when we played MSU? They were stellar! I think that is what is the most frustrating for me-we have so much potential but we're so inconsistent!! Blah!

Would you agree that Taylor has made progress with regards to his game management skills/passing accuracy? That is SOME progress.

We're like the kid's poem: "There was a little girl who had a little curl-when she was good she was very good and when she was bad she was horrible!' That's our team.

The bolded is why I dont think this team has made any progress since Bo's first year. There were times in Bo's first year that we looked very good, almost beating TTech who was #3 in country at that time, after getting blown out by Mizzou the week before. Got shattered by OU the same year. 2009 almost beating an average Vtech team...... beating a good Mizzou team on the road in a Thursday night matchup..... then laying an egg against TTech the following week after that the ISU debacle. 2010..... beating Washington(not that big of win) then losing to Texas (again!) in what was the Longhorns worse team in atleast a decade. Beating Mizzou again..... then losing to an offensively challenged A&M team. Blowing a 17pt lead against in the CCG and finally just packing it in the bowl game.

This a very bad trend. So from year 1 to year 4 you see the same trends and losing to the same type of teams. This cant happen much longer and Im sure Bo knows that.

Good teams lose these type of games every now and then(every 2 years or so). Great teams find a way to beat NW at home.

Thanks for responding. As I read the threads I keep asking myself the same questions: So, what is the answer?

>What criterion are we using to determine change?

>If we would've won all of our games this year and were headed for the National Championship would people be satisfied or would there still be questions?

>How much time does it take to develop young talent? I know people don't want to hear this but we do have a young team. We also have an inexperienced head coach and offensive coordinator. How much time does it take for them to learn, teach, progress?

I'm of the opinion that the game starts in the mind. How well do these kids really know how to play football? If they don't know the game, really know the game, can they just fake it? Can they just rely on raw talent? I think not. I agree with an earlier poster who said that these kids need to spend lots of time in the film room watching what they are doing wrong then working to correct those mistakes. Many of the mistakes that were made last night were mental. Like looking at making a touchdown before you secure the ball. They seemed to be one step ahead of themselves all night.

I agree with the contention that fundamentals are key. If they don't know how to catch the ball properly, block/tackle properly, understand the game plan properly then they won't be able to execute.

So, what do we really need? New coaches? I'm not so sure that's the answer. Changes in talent? Perhaps-better recruiting? More time in the 'football classroom' than on the field?

 

[Danny Bateman]

We weren't remotely ready to play today. That was the most error-ridden performance I've seen in the Pelini era. The turnovers were ridiculous, Martinez wasn't prepared to read that defense and he/Beck weren't able to adjust throughout the game, Burkhead was off on his spacing all day long, the receivers were bad in every facet of their position, the defense gave up way too many big plays and couldn't get off the field on third down, and the special teams... the special teams... the special... [vomit]

You must have missed the eight turnovers against Iowa State in '09

+1. Meant to say this last night but forgot.

What we saw last night was an a$$-whooping with a good helping of mistakes and some poor officiating thrown in. The ISU game in '09 had so many mistakes, and in such a fashion, that I was actually laughing by the end of it... probably in an attempt to keep myself sane.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Four years later we are the still the same type of team. No progress made.

this may be the most gut wrenching post yet.........and true.

But is it true? NO progess made? None at all? It just seems a little extreme to me. Taylor has gone from an insecure, fairly good runner to an actual

quarterback. He has grown so much! How about Stafford? He made some nice tackles tonight. Our defense were out there all game long. Terrance Moore made some great plays despite having lost his Dad this week. I think we HAVE made progress-I think back at the beginning of the season when we were all predicting how NU would do this year in a new conference-we said we would lose 3-4 games and Michigan was one of the 'scariest' games on the schedule. Look what we've done this year! Our first year in the B1G and we have beaten the two teams that will likely play in the B1G CG. Yeah, it's crap that it's not us but I just do not agree that we have made NO PROGRESS. I look forward to beating Iowa at home and to see who we play in our bowl game. Sorry, I respectfully disagree-we have made some progress and we will continue to make progress. We have a young team and we're already seeing what they can do. It will be exciting to see how much they grow over the summer. I think next year will be our year.

Taylor's running skills have regressed incredibly. Do you remember Washington (1st meeting) or KSU from last year? We haven't seen a single run like that this year. Not one. Injury may play a role in this or possibly lack of depth, either way he is not on the same level as last year. His passing has certainly improved, although our WRs try their best to drop every ball thrown their way.

Our defense is pillow soft and it's going to get real ugly next year. Stafford made a few tackles, but he was out of position A LOT. His coverage skills leave a lot to be desired.

You're honestly telling me that this D has progressed from last years'? That's laughable. Prince/Gomes/Hagg >>>>>>> Thorell/Cassidy/Ciante/Green/Stafford

Me thinks you're using last year's Prince, Gomes and Hagg as a base for judging Thorell, Cassidy, Evans, Green, and Stafford.

Lance Thorell is seeing the field for the first time this year.

Andrew Green is also seeing the field for the first time this year.

Cassidy has been on the field a lot [I'm with you on this one]

Stafford is seeing the field [D1 college field] for the first time this year.

Ciante stepped into a bigger role this year.

The secondary is a lot like Taylor Martinez last year, there are going to be a lot of growing pains, but they're going to improve. Guys like Amukamara are hard to come by. Probably about a 1 in 7 occurrence. Gomes and Hagg were the product of good coaching by Marv.

Growing pains is what I'll call them. You call them whatever you wish.

 

[Danny Bateman]

Husker Richard:

When Taylor runs like he did at the beginning of last year, he's inevitably going to take a ton of shots and get hurt, or he will try too hard and fumble the ball eventually. I believe the coaches have made Taylor scale back his running ferocity on purpose, in order to keep him healthy and lessen turnovers. If he gets hurt, Carnes plays, and we ain't ready for that at all. Unfortunately, a side effect of his being more careful with the ball is less big plays. And when our offense fails to catch the ball or block to open up holes, and he's not busting big plays, our offense is going to stall.

 

[Husker Richard]

Husker Richard:

When Taylor runs like he did at the beginning of last year, he's inevitably going to take a ton of shots and get hurt, or he will try too hard and fumble the ball eventually. I believe the coaches have made Taylor scale back his running ferocity on purpose, in order to keep him healthy and lessen turnovers. If he gets hurt, Carnes plays, and we ain't ready for that at all. Unfortunately, a side effect of his being more careful with the ball is less big plays. And when our offense fails to catch the ball or block to open up holes, and he's not busting big plays, our offense is going to stall.

It's not just his running style. It's his inability to read a hole or make the correct read on the option. He had a MASSIVE hole yesterday on a 3rd down passing play and instead of running there he ran directly into the DT. For a guy who is a decent runner, he is an inept scrambler.

I'm just not sold on him in the open field. Ya, he's fast. But he rarely makes guys miss and he consistently misses running lanes.

Hmm, why aren't we ready for Carnes? Oh ya, because the staff REFUSES to put him into the game regardless of the situation. They're digging their own grave by mismanaging Carnes. It's mind-boggling.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Husker Richard:

When Taylor runs like he did at the beginning of last year, he's inevitably going to take a ton of shots and get hurt, or he will try too hard and fumble the ball eventually. I believe the coaches have made Taylor scale back his running ferocity on purpose, in order to keep him healthy and lessen turnovers. If he gets hurt, Carnes plays, and we ain't ready for that at all. Unfortunately, a side effect of his being more careful with the ball is less big plays. And when our offense fails to catch the ball or block to open up holes, and he's not busting big plays, our offense is going to stall.

It's not just his running style. It's his inability to read a hole or make the correct read on the option. He had a MASSIVE hole yesterday on a 3rd down passing play and instead of running there he ran directly into the DT. For a guy who is a decent runner, he is an inept scrambler.

I'm just not sold on him in the open field. Ya, he's fast. But he rarely makes guys miss and he consistently misses running lanes.

Hmm, why aren't we ready for Carnes? Oh ya, because the staff REFUSES to put him into the game regardless of the situation. They're digging their own grave by mismanaging Carnes. It's mind-boggling.

Are 7 plays a game really going to make that much of a difference if Carnes is put in?

 

[3rd and long]

Husker Richard:

When Taylor runs like he did at the beginning of last year, he's inevitably going to take a ton of shots and get hurt, or he will try too hard and fumble the ball eventually. I believe the coaches have made Taylor scale back his running ferocity on purpose, in order to keep him healthy and lessen turnovers. If he gets hurt, Carnes plays, and we ain't ready for that at all. Unfortunately, a side effect of his being more careful with the ball is less big plays. And when our offense fails to catch the ball or block to open up holes, and he's not busting big plays, our offense is going to stall.

It's not just his running style. It's his inability to read a hole or make the correct read on the option. He had a MASSIVE hole yesterday on a 3rd down passing play and instead of running there he ran directly into the DT. For a guy who is a decent runner, he is an inept scrambler.

I'm just not sold on him in the open field. Ya, he's fast. But he rarely makes guys miss and he consistently misses running lanes.

Hmm, why aren't we ready for Carnes? Oh ya, because the staff REFUSES to put him into the game regardless of the situation. They're digging their own grave by mismanaging Carnes. It's mind-boggling.

Are 7 plays a game really going to make that much of a difference if Carnes is put in?

In all liklihood, no. But it sure would be nice to at least see him on the field and get an idea of what he has to offer.

 

[Husker Richard]

Husker Richard:

When Taylor runs like he did at the beginning of last year, he's inevitably going to take a ton of shots and get hurt, or he will try too hard and fumble the ball eventually. I believe the coaches have made Taylor scale back his running ferocity on purpose, in order to keep him healthy and lessen turnovers. If he gets hurt, Carnes plays, and we ain't ready for that at all. Unfortunately, a side effect of his being more careful with the ball is less big plays. And when our offense fails to catch the ball or block to open up holes, and he's not busting big plays, our offense is going to stall.

It's not just his running style. It's his inability to read a hole or make the correct read on the option. He had a MASSIVE hole yesterday on a 3rd down passing play and instead of running there he ran directly into the DT. For a guy who is a decent runner, he is an inept scrambler.

I'm just not sold on him in the open field. Ya, he's fast. But he rarely makes guys miss and he consistently misses running lanes.

Hmm, why aren't we ready for Carnes? Oh ya, because the staff REFUSES to put him into the game regardless of the situation. They're digging their own grave by mismanaging Carnes. It's mind-boggling.

Are 7 plays a game really going to make that much of a difference if Carnes is put in?

He could've been in the whole 4th qtr yesterday. How can you argue against getting the backup QB game experience? He has NONE. We are a rolled ankle away from starting Carnes. I'd like to see him at least adjust to game speed.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Fair enough. Matter of opinion I suppose.