The Duke

OK we have all seen the same thing today at the Capital One Bowl, and for the better part of four years. Stupid penalties, getting away from what's working playcalling, and just flat out undisciplined football. Let's put a pause on the complaining for just a minute, and let's go to work Husker fans: How does this Nebraska team get fixed? What changes do we need to make? Fire away!

OK we have all seen the same thing today, and for the better part of four years. Let's put a pause on the complaining for just a minute, and let's go to work: How does this Nebraska team get fixed? What changes do we need to make? Fire away!

I will say it. Beck sux. Plain and simple. No imagination. No misdirection, abandons what is working. Reverse to Bell, Burkhead pitches to Martinez, Burkhead throwback to Martinez ...how many more do you want? Those are all gimmick plays. Line up and run a dive, ISO, Power Off-Tackle. I mean those plays you listed are nice if they work, but they don't wear out a defense like straight downhill running plays do.

What's sad is that it looks like we flat gave up after that hail marry pass. We played with no fire in the second half.

It's going to be a long off-season in Huskerland.

What about Garrison? He coaches the O-line too. Or is it easier to just blame it on Cotton? He does, but Cotton has been here longer and has more of a say on how the line is to be coached. I would actually like our O-Line to be coached by Garrison and Brendon Stai.

Best way to describe the Bo Pelini era Nebraska teams : UNDISCIPLINED

I put most of this poor second half performance on two areas Tim Beck & Barney Cotton. 1) Tim Beck because you know your defense is starting to struggle stopping the deep ball, so help your defense out by running it more on first down and working that clock. 2) Barney Cotton because....opps another penalty by an offensive lineman.......oh there's another.

These refs are unbelievably poor....and people wonder why teams are fleeing the Big East Conference for other conferences.

Unless our defense gets us a pick six, I fear this game is close to being over.

Two biggest series of this game: 1) Obviously the hail mary pass to end the first half. 2) Our drive where our O-Line had at least 4 penalties back to back, etc. on offense. That flipped the field position. (Anyone think this should be Cotton's last year?)

We are in big trouble Husker fans. Our defense has absolutely no pass rush at all....NONE.

If we can't stop a hail mary pass to end the first half, and then we can't get a stop on a 3rd & 18....then we don't deserve to win today.

I will give anything to have pass rushers at the Defensive End positions next season.

The refs are getting EXTREMELY overreactive with these penalties. Let the boys play!

What happened to our physical running game that we had in the first quarter? These last few drives have started looking like the Wisconsin game....pass, pass, pass....Come on Beck! I have faith in your play calling but which would you rather have you win the game, Rex Burkhead's legs or Taylor Martinez's arm?

Maybe the James Bond producers are bringing back Blofeld. Congratulations Bo!

How good could Eric Crouch have been? Ummm....well there really wasn't all that much more he could have done in his Nebraska career than win a National Championship. Think about this for a minute, look at everything listed below and see what Crouch accomplished in his 4 years at Nebraska. Honors and Awards: 2001 Heisman Trophy 2001 Walter Camp Player of the Year 2001 Dave O'Brien Quarterback Award Winner 2001 Sporting News National Offensive Player of the Year 2001 ABC/Chevrolet National Player of the Year 2001 First-Team All-American (AP, AFCA, The Sporting News, ABC Sports Online) 2001 Football News Offensive Player of the Year Semifinalist 2001 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (Coaches, AP, Kansas City Star, Austin American Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, San Antonio News Express, Waco Tribune Herald) 2001 First-Team All Big 12 (Coaches, AP, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, San Antonio News Express, Waco Tribune Herald) 2001 USAToday.com National Player of the Week (Sept. 24) 2001 Co-Guy Chamberlain Award Winner 2001 NACDA Pigskin Classic MVP ($5,000 Postgraduate Scholarship) 2001 Team Co-Captain 2000 Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award Semifinalist 2000 Football News Offensive Player of the Year Semifinalist 2000 Third-Team All-American (Collegefootballnews.com) 2000 Second-Team All-Big 12 (AP, The Sporting News, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle) 2000 Fiesta Bowl MVP vs. Tennessee 1999 Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Year (Coaches) 1999 Co-First Team All-Big (Coaches) 1999 Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Academic Honor Roll Eight-Time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (2 in 1999, 3 in 2000, 3 in 2001) 16-time TV Player of the Game (13 by ABC, 1 by NBC and 1 by Fox Sports Net; 1 by Big 12 Syndicated; 1 in 1998, 6 in 1999, 4 in 2000, 5 in 2001) Records NCAA record for career rushing TD's by a QB (59) 13th player in NCAA history to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in a season (1,115 rushing, 1,510 passing) One of three quarterbacks in NCAA Division 1-A history to rush for 3,000 yards and pass for 4,000 yards in a career Tied an NCAA scoring record by scoring a TD via run, pass, reception in the same game (vs. Cal, 1999) Longest run in Nebraska history (95 yards) at Missouri, September 29th, 2001 Owns Nebraska career record for total-offense yards with 7,915, including a school and Big 12 record for most rushing yards by a quarterback (3,434), while ranking third in career passing (4,481) School record holder with 88 total-offense touchdowns Regular-season school record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a game (191 yards) at Missouri, September 29th, 2001 Tied school records for most TD passes in a game (5 vs. Iowa, 2000); most rushing TD's in a game by a quarterback (4 vs. Kansas and Iowa State 2001); and set a QB record for most rushing TD's in a season (20, 2000) Set school records for most rushing attempts in a season for a QB (203, 2001); most total-offense yards by a sophomore (2,158); tied school record most rushing attempts in a game for a quarterback (27 vs KSU, 1999) Now to answer your question: I wouldn't necessarily say that Crouch needed a better Offensive Line or better players around him. Look at what he accomplished with the O-Line and players that he did have around him. I do agree with you that when you go back and re-watch many of Crouch's games that they did look like "Crouch vs. the world," but I think that goes back more to the scheme the coaches were running and their philosophy at the time. I will be the first to tell you that Eric Crouch was and still is one of my favorite Husker players of all time, but looking back I do think the coaches relied too much on his gifted athletic abilities. Yes, he could make plays from almost anywhere on the field, but because of the fact that we relied on him so much that is what defenses started to key in on, and that is what I think cost us the 2001 game in Colorado and eventually our National Championship game against Miami. I think if the coaches would have spread the ball out more to our other ball carriers then that could have kept opposing defenses at-bay from keying in on just defending Crouch. Watching those games from 1999-2001 I always thought at the time that Crouch would win a National Championship for Nebraska, and while that is one accomplishment he was never able to achieve, it by no means diminishes the type of player he was, the type of person he is, and the value that he brought to the Nebraska football program. Eric Crouch was, still is, and always will be one of the true legends in Nebraska football history.

Hiring Ron Zook would be a very interesting and a very intriguing hire by Nebraska. This whole week I have thought that we would go after Mike Stoops, and I still think that he has a high possibility of coming to Lincoln, but I could also see where Ron Zook would be a great hire for us as well. I could see a scenario where Bo promotes John Papuchis to Defensive Coordinator and has Ron Zook help coach the D-Line and take over JP's role as Recruiting Coordinator. I think that could be a very strong set-up for Nebraska. No matter who we hire I have complete faith in Bo & in Tom Osborne to make a strong hire for this football program.

I agree with you. I think from both a football schematic standpoint and also a financial standpoint for the university, I think having Bo be both Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator makes a lot of sense. When Osborne was Head Coach he was also our Offensive Coordinator. I think this could work very well for our football team. From a financial standpoint if the university doesn't have to shell out the big bucks to a top tier defensive coordinator and they only have to spend a few hundred thousand on a position coach I think that makes a lot of sense. We already have a top tier defensive coordinator...Bo Pelini. Here is my question for all of you to take a whack at: If Bo becomes both our Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator, is our new position coach going to be hired on the offensive side of the ball or defensive side? I could see this going two ways; 1) We hire somebody to help Papuchis coach on the defensive line. Or 2) We hire Turner Gill back to be our QB Coach and help teach the option principles that Beck wants to use in his offense. Plus this frees up Beck to be just a coordinator. Ok that's my two cents....have at it Husker fans

Winning isn't everything. In my opinion, as long as the players go to class, practice hard, give their best effort, and most importantly get their degree than that is what should be the most important to the coaches and fan base of any program. As long as a program's priorities are in the right order, the winning and championships will follow. If Bo can run a clean program, win 8 to 9 games every year, makes a bowl game at the end of each season, and has a shot every now and again to play for a conference championship I would take that kind of performance every time. A clean program is much better than a win at all cost program. Winning isn't everything.

Let me throw this question out there because my brother and I had a very good and long discussion over this. As Husker fans which do you prefer more on 1st & 10 and 2nd & 10 type situations, a quarterback under center or a quarterback 5 yards back from the line of scrimmage in the Pistol formation? I was heavily for the quarterback under center, and my brother said the Pistol formation gives the running back a better chance to make his reads. I just feel when the QB is under center theoretically you're closer to the line of scrimmage meaning you don't have to go as far to get a first down. What are your thoughts?

Ah Tecmo Bowl...such fond memories from my youth. Yikes now I am dating myself.

I agree BIGREDIOWAN. That formation was extremely effective against Ohio State. And I did see us use it once today against Penn State, but that was about it. To me it just doesn't seem like there is a method to Tim Beck's playcalling. I doesn't seem like we have a concept of having one play set up another play, and so on and so forth. Don't get me wrong he called a great game against Ohio State & Michigan State, but if you look at the season as a whole I just don't see where he or the coaching staff is trying to take this offense just yet.

Ha ha! Very philosophical there shyndy. Yet, you might be exactly right with that statement.