The Duke

I voted for Suh. As much as I love Tommie Frazier and everything he did for this program, I cannot pick against what I believe was the most dominant defensive player college football has seen in over 25 years. Just his presence alone on the defensive line would instantly improve our defense as a whole.

I think Beck learned his lesson from the Wisconsin game. We will see a heavy dose of Rex Burkhead this week, and Taylor will pass just enough to keep things manageable. The Duke's prediction: Nebraska 21 Ohio State 17

You're probably spot on with this observation JJHusker1. If Martinez was hitting open receivers against our 2nd string it possibly could have given Beck a false assessment at Taylor's progress in the passing game. I know we practiced a lot 1's vs. 1's during Fall Camp, so it kind of amazes me that they would go away from that once the season started. I understand you don't want to get your top players hurt in practice, but at the same time you also don't want your players to gain a false sense of themselves by how they perform in practice if they are going up against 2nd string talent. Actually, my intention was to point out that going against our first string, the way they have been playing, probably isn't going change much. Trying to be humorous but unfortunately also realistic. I am currently much more down on our D than I am our QB play. I realize that 3 picks against a team the caliber of Wiscy will kill you but our highly touted D has not lived up to expectations. Based on their hype and last years performance they should have stopped 2 if not all 3 of the subsequent scoring drives. Then maybe Beck doesn't panic and go all Air Correlle(sp) on us. The D needs to start bringing the pain. The real solution in my eyes is to limit putting Taylor in the position where we HAVE to throw deep. I think we get there with much better D, and fewer O-line mistakes. Field position and manageable down and distance. I don't blame Taylor because he isn't that type of QB. Never will be. The people piling on him need to start accepting this fact and temper their criticism with this knowledge. BTW- I enjoy your comments. First of all thank you JJHusker1, I am flattered that you enjoy my comments. I just enjoy sharing in civil discussions with other Husker fans about the team that we support. After the Wisconsin game I am like you in that I am concerned about our defense. I will admit I too was also frustrated with Taylor throwing those 3 interceptions. On the interceptions, yes, Taylor needs to make better decisions, but Coach Beck also has to understand the positive skill sets of his starting quarterback, and drop back passing is not one of those skill sets. Beck has to help Taylor and the team as a whole by calling a more balanced game in order for Taylor to be comfortable and successful. Calling 13 passing plays out of a 15 play stretch is not balanced. I think everyone learned their lesson after the Wisconsin game, and I expect a more solid game plan this week for Ohio State. On the defensive concerns, and I think I mentioned this in another post this week, so forgive me if any of you have read this already. But I think most of our defensive problems this year can be traced back to youth in the secondary and players who were recruited to defend the spread. Many of our defensive players were recruited by Bo & Carl as Safety/Linebacker hybrids to stop the spread offenses of the Big 12. Bo has admitted that they will recruit more true linebackers in the future. So, these defensive struggles, while frustrating, are not a sign of a lack of talent, rather it's just some growing pains the team will have to get through this season, and us fans will also. Finally, about your comment on where people need to stop pilling on and criticizing Taylor, I couldn't agree with you more. At the end of the day we are all fans of the Nebraska football team. Taylor is the starting quarterback for that team, and we as fans MUST support the team win, lose, or draw. That is one of the reasons why Nebraska fans are so well respected around the country. Now that doesn't mean we shouldn't voice our opinions when things are not going well for our team or if the team is not playing the right way (i.e. Nebraska 2007), but we should leave the personal attacks of the players out of the conversation.

Thanks for sharing! I was kind of curious at the start of the season why it wasn't on the field. Now I know that they were just saving if for our first Big Ten home game.

Ha ha! Amen husker rob!

I'll admit I was biased with my vote. I went to Millard North, so I had to vote for Crouch, but I also voted for him because I loved to watch him play. Anytime he touched the ball something special could happen. He never quit, and he played through a lot of injuries that many Husker fans never knew about. I agree with what Marf said, "Crouch was a beast." My three favorite Crouch highlights were: 1) His AMAZING TD Run against Mizzou. 2) Black 41 Flash Reverse...need I say more. 3) His massive hit against the Iowa Hawkeye defender near the sideline. There is no question based on career accomplishments alone Tommie Frazier should get many votes in this poll. He also had the most talent around him of any of the other quarterbacks on this list. And the one QB who truly exemplified what it means to be a Nebraska QB was Brook Berringer. It still hurts to think about the loss of such a great young man. A true Husker forever!

You're probably spot on with this observation JJHusker1. If Martinez was hitting open receivers against our 2nd string it possibly could have given Beck a false assessment at Taylor's progress in the passing game. I know we practiced a lot 1's vs. 1's during Fall Camp, so it kind of amazes me that they would go away from that once the season started. I understand you don't want to get your top players hurt in practice, but at the same time you also don't want your players to gain a false sense of themselves by how they perform in practice if they are going up against 2nd string talent.

The Omaha World Herald is reporting that before the Wisconsin game Nebraska practiced their 1's vs. 1's for about "10 minutues." Thankfully so far this week they have been practicing 1's vs. 1's all practice. Yes, the players might be a little more gassed by the end of practice, but I think this is going to pay huge dividends for this team in the long run. Check out The Omaha World Herald for more info.

All of you going to the game must scream extra loud for those of us who will not be able to make it to the game this week. Make that beautiful stadium rock for 4 quarters!

First of all I am extremely happy that we are now in the Big Ten. We are a perfect fit for the conference. With that being said, if we were still in the Big 12 today I would still like our chances against those teams. We have to remember many of the players on defense were recruited by Bo & Carl as Safely/Linebacker hybrids to go against many of the spread offenses in the Big 12. Even Bo himself recently admitted that now that we are in the Big Ten we have to start recruiting more true linebackers in the future to go against the bigger offensive lines we will see in the Big Ten.

There are no need for comments like this. That was out of line in my opinion.

Exactly! I really wish Bo would consider this, and it's not that big of a deviation from what he wants to accomplish in how he is handing them out currently.

If you didn't see yesterday's press conference...look it up. Bo was simply at his best yesterday. He has acted much more like a Head Coach then in his previous years, and I can completely understand that. He has been learning on the job, and yes his first 3 years as far as a public relations stand-point were not his best. Last year's altercation on the sidelines with Taylor certainly didn't help his or Nebraska's image. But this year he is definitely acting like the CEO of this team and it is a welcome sight. And as the years go on he will only continue to get better in this role.

I agree with you. After thinking about it for the past day I think the players would have much more of an ownership in the program if they themselves were allowed to select the team captains at the beginning of the season, and that they would know that these would be the team leaders for the entire year. I think the way Bo is doing it right now, where he is handing out team captain status to 3 or 4 new players every week is almost like one of those cheap "Student of the Week" things you would get back in Middle School. On when the Blackshirts should be handed out, I have tossed this around too, and I think there could be a way where you combine both the way Osborne & McBride handed these out to the way Bo does it today. My suggestion would be at the end of Fall Camp Bo and the defensive coaches would get together and decide who would be the starting 11 on defense going into Game 1. Whoever those starting 11 are will get the Blackshirts hung in their locker. Now after Game 1 if a few players didn't measure up to the Blackshirt tradition than they would be stripped of their starting role and Blackshirt status for Game 2 and new players would take their place wearing the previous starters Blackshirt. It's a combination of both ideas: You want to be one of the starting 11 on defense for Nebraska....earn it! Earn it every week! What do you Husker fans think of this combined approach for handing out the Blackshirts?

This might come as a shock to you, so you may want to sit down. Taylor Martinez isn't a pro athlete. He's a college student. He's not earning millions of dollars a year, he's on scholarship. He is dealing with the pressure, he's just doing it in a way that the press doesn't like. I say screw the press. I will be on the side of the college student 100% of the time in that scenario. The press don't deserve a damned thing from a college student. Completely agree! We all have to remember that these are 18-22 year old young men who are still trying to find their way. They are playing a sport that they love, but they are doing it in a fish bowl. Yes, it is a fish bowl that they knew about and signed up for, but nonetheless we must remember that these are college students first, and college athletes second. Sometimes certain people in the media forget this.

I would say if you and your friend can get down to Lincoln a day or two before Saturday's game day, try to do The Experience Room located in the Osborne Complex. It only lasts 5 minutes or so, but it will get your blood boiling and ready for Saturday. This room is open to the public 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. It is also open on Saturday, but they do not play the Experience Room video they just have the 3 Heisman trophies on display. And if you or your friend have never eaten at Misty's in Lincoln...I would highly recommend it!

Tim Beck has learned. He learned the hard way, but he learned. I would expect him to play more to our strengths from here on out. Well said.

Oh man I loved everything about that video until I saw Callahan Wasn't there another Tunnel Walk video 2 or 3 years ago that Keith Jackson also narrated that talked about the history of Nebraska football and had old clips of Devaney from the 60's & 70's?

Ha ha!!! That is one of the funniest things I have heard today. I just about fell out of my chair. Thank you for the big laugh Badger_HB.

Oh God I remember that...that tunnel walk was simply epic!

Yeah, well, we've got the world record for most stacked bowling balls. So there. Really?! I didn't know that. That is actually pretty cool.

Yeah I would not want to be Ohio State this weekend. Those Husker defenders are going to take out all of their pent-up frustration from the Wisconsin game on those poor Buckeyes....and Memorial Stadium is going to love every second of it.

Exactly! The 90's was a rarity in both collegiate and professional football. I mean during Tom Osborne's last 5 years we went 60-3! As long as Bo keeps this program in the 8-10 win column and going to a bowl game every year, I think we should all be happy with that. Sprinkle in a BCS bowl every 4 years, and hopefully at least one national title. I think that is a very attainable goal.

I actually view other teams saying that they're "the real Big Red" as a compliment to us. They are just jealous of the type of program we are lucky to have. I have run into both Iowa State and Wisconsin fans who used the whole "real Big Red" with me. And my simple response to them is "5 National Championships, 3 Heisman Trophy Winners, over 300 consecutive home sellouts." That usually shuts them up pretty quick.

Hey those type of seasons worked out pretty well for Tom Osborne for over 25 years. Tom Osborne's Head Coaching Record at Nebraska: 1973 9-2-1 Won the Cotton Bowl 1974 9-3 Won the Sugar Bowl 1975 10-2 Lost the Fiesta Bowl 1976 9-3-1 Won the Bluebonnet Bowl 1977 9-3 Won the Liberty Bowl 1978 9-3 Lost the Orange Bowl 1979 10-2 Lost the Cotton Bowl 1980 10-2 Won the Sun Bowl 1981 7-0 Lost the Orange Bowl 1982 7-0 Won the Orange Bowl 1983 12-1 Lost the Orange Bowl 1984 10-2 Won the Sugar Bowl 1985 9-3 Lost the Fiesta Bowl 1986 10-2 Won the Sugar Bowl 1987 10-2 Lost the Fiesta Bowl 1988 7-0 Lost the Orange Bowl 1989 10-2 Lost the Fiesta Bowl 1990 9-3 Lost the Citrus Bowl 1991 9-2-1 Lost the Orange Bowl 1992 9-3 Lost the Orange Bowl 1993 11-1 Lost the Orange Bowl 1994 13-0 Won the Orange Bowl--National Champions 1995 12-0 Won the Fiesta Bowl--National Champions 1996 11-2 Won the Orange Bowl 1997 13-0 Won the Orange Bowl--National Champions