Stickney

Oh, I think weight max's can be kinda misleading. For example take a short armed guy and compare him to a long armed guy on the bench. Long armed guys have a much tougher time, but when it comes to blocking/defending, long arms are big bonus.

The 10 other games featured some "wildly" impressive offenses. Like IA. Or MN. Or Idaho state. Folks, NU won (by luck or by will) 10 games that it SHOULD have won. It then lost 4 games in ugly defensive fashion, 2 of which it should have won (WI and UCLA) on paper. At the end of the day, for Bo's sake, all these rumored talented youngsters better be as rumored or Bo will be in a bad place come this time next year. (It certainly is possible -- reference Louisville vs Florida last night).

It's just Taylor being Taylor. Sorta like when he launches a fluttering duck up for grabs. YOLO. ;-) I think it is fair to say that from a distance it is difficult to determine if Taylor is being honest or simply toying with the media and fans. In either case, it is what it is, though I do think the "brashness" of it is a hint to why Bo has ridden the T-Mart roller coaster for 3 and going on 4 seasons (results be damned).

Numbers can be made to do many things. NU had 10 wins! NU had 4 ugly losses!!! If Bo thinks there has been pressure before, just wait until next year and/or the year after. As T-Mart goes next year, so will Bo's fate. If T-Mart continues improving, Bo will be in good shape with a new QB in 2014. If T-Mart's history repeats itself with turnovers and big-game losses, 2014 will be a make or break year for Bo, period.

Georgia is a solid team. NU played hard. Next year's schedule is on paper, a much easier schedule (though Michigan will be tough and UCLA as well). There is reason for hope. But that hope is tied to T-Mart learning how to limit TOs and the rumors of defensive talent emerging from redshirt freshmen(?).

Bo needs to address the lack of pass rush. Is that lack of execution? It sure seems as if Bo teaches a d-line scheme to dance and contain. Yesterday Murray made Bo pay for that. Are T-Mart's INTs execution errors? All in all this game showed that NU has some talent and some fight which is good. But REX will be missed. 2013 WILL only be as good as T-Mart is. He has great potential, but unless he can solve the TOs, he will continue to be simply a roller coaster.

Georgia looked unfocused for 2 1/2 quarters. Then their talent won out. If T-Mart could ever curtail the turnovers he could be truly exceptional (ditto for Abdullah). Rex will be missed. No pass rush absolutely KILLED NU yesterday. Pelini needs to go back to the drawing board to figure out ways to get pressure.

When Bo is able to put together a top-tier defense without Callahan's recruits and stop opponents from 70 point and 600+ yard outbursts then I think it is fair to ask people not to panic a bit. Let's hope that is next year. It's hard to think that on paper though.

Look, the defense was awful. But football is a team sport. The offense HAS to protect the defense and vice versa. In big games (and most games) T-Mart has been a turnover machine. Now, I think the issue is more than simply T-Mart's turnovers. It' the accountability. Last year Abdullah was scintillating in the return game. But, when he got a case of the fumbles, he was replaced. Since then, our punt return game has been heart burn if not a nightmare (shades of Santino Panico -- you can't cede one phase of the game for half a season). My point, if there is no back-up QB competition, you have to at least have the threat of accountability, Even if this is meaningless to T-Mart, you need to show the team that accountability exists for ALL positions. (and no you don't have to use Kellogg (though you should be able too), you could have used Burkhead in wildcat, or Turner in wildcat, there are options).

The D-Line issues are either talent, missed evaluation, or poor coaching (losing Baker, though huge, shouldn't leave you with the depth chart they listed for Wisconsin (http://www.huskers.com/pdf8/1005791.pdf)). I don't have a solution for that (actually I do, hand out blackshirts to every 4 and 5 star dline recruit in the country). There are certainly D-Lineman on the roster. The question I have is, can't any of these guys play at ALL?? Eric Martin is a case in point. Is there anyone on this board who couldn't see he could rush the QB as a freshmen? Put him on the field on 3rd down. Instead he was here there and everywhere but on the field much until the end of last season and this. We used to say Bo is a defensive genius we can't question him on personnel. But, I'm sorry, Cosgrove supposedly had no talent either. If the cupboard is bare then that is as much an indictment of Bo as BC's mismanagement from 2004-2007.

Getting "woodshedded" like Saturday brings out the fears of fans. And it should. THAT was ugly. My mother-in-law who doesn't watch football flipped by the score and told me it was ugly. Bo should be going out recruiting with Coach Kaz and handing out blackshirts to any JUCO D-Lineman they find. Bo's defense is WAY to reliant on the front four holding up and when they don't, it gets ugly. Second, Bo and Beck need to figure out a way for T-Mart to stop the turnovers. They KILL NU. T-Mart has improved. But, as my wife remarks constantly when T-Mart scores or gets knocked down -- his teammates don't exactly rush to his aid. The defense was atrocious but the Offense HAS to stop the bleeding as well not drop the ball, fumble, and 3 and out.

I agree with this theory on several levels. 1. NU has lost some definitive swagger or confidence or fight. You can't have pride and let that happen. 2. The COACHES CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN. They invented the four corners in basketball for just this reason. 3. You can blame the Defense certainly. But this is a team sport. The offense HAS to milk the clock and stave off the opponent as much as possible. Bo's offenses have been incapable of this. 4. Playing for the Team or playing for the coach -- whatever the reason -- NU's teams under Bo are SOFT. Mentally in particularly. Again, I think this comes back to having faith in the coaches. When you believe the coaches will find a way to put you in position to succeed it is psychologically empowering. I think this team looks over at the sideline and doesn't feel that way.

Agreed. Folks -- the Big XII was imploding under Texas's weight and the pacified majority (KSU, KU, OSU, TT, etc). Second, the B1G is/was terrible this year and NU couldn't win the CCG. Meanwhile, the Big XII was DEEP.

I've been critical of Bo's handling of T-Mart as well as T-Mart's play.. Why it took 3 years in the program before his footwork issues were addressed is one primary issue. I've said a few times, the T-Mart legacy is tied to the fact that Bo decided to ride this horse for 4 seasons (potentially). NU expectations are championships. Until Bo and team win a championship the legacy is rather thin, despite what the record books may tell you. Hear hear for T-Mart's improvement this season, it puts hope (and pressure) on next season.

The losses of Baker and Justin Jackson, I am afraid, are significant. Bo has done well prepping his teams for CCGs. His issues were more about in-game adjustments. The TX game was masterful in many ways, but, I would have liked to have seen 2 or 3 really aggressive play calls (like Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass). Had NU gotten up by 7 or more, Suh might have had 20 sacks. The OU game, similarly, in my mind came down to the decision to keep a struggling, dinged up, freshmen QB on the field. T-Mart has definitely improved. But under the spotlight he has shown to be equally electrifying and electrocuting. All in all, I can't wait to see what happens.