Hayseed

Tommy is all heart.....probably tries to do too much.

Good to see Demorney get a big return ,but right now I feel like cable Rob Lowe.

I think about the opposite. Tommy's a gamer who took his high school team to championships, but he's under pressure, largely due to our line that can't pass block, and he's rushing throws that he should make because of nerves. Beck has tried a bunch of stuff, but MSU isn't stupid and they're ready for it. I'd like to see some all out sweeps.

Yeah, Beck's not calling it that bad,....... Tommy's still a rookie, was always a questionable passer, and our line is getting dominated by defenders who just hold their position and never give up the big play that we rely on. We've had plenty of lucky breaks and did nothing with them. Even my wife knows Bo won't try a different QB for political reasons.....we'll just take this one and call it a learning experience.

I think they made him 3rd string to avoid a QB controversy?? That's my guess. I'm not sure if he can pass either, but we really need to get the running game going anyway.

It seems like the Spartans are a better all-around team and we're playing about as expected considering we've seen all these flaws in almost every game. I'm a little surprised that we haven't had more success on straight handoffs , but the lack of yards on zone read doesn't surprise me with the MSU defenders holding their positions well and going after both guys. I thought we'd expect this and get our open field runners the ball with screens. Also, do we have a TE? Our corners don't seem to ever know where the ball is, but that's nothing new either. Oh yeah, we still have half the game to play and we could win this.

Ameer is #4 on the Heisman watch list I just looked at..........and probably rising after today.

I was glad to hear Bo address the sloppy play and bad defense that will get us killed against the top teams. At least he sees the things that need to be fixed, whether the players can make it happen is a different subject.

I was at the game and thought it was great.

"Along with his deep passing attack, he needs to include the TEs and RBs in short out routes, middle slants, crossing routes, and wheel routes as check downs on every deep pass play. This will stretch the defense vertically and horizontally, forcing them to defend the whole field every play. Further more, he has shown almost a complete absence of screens, curls, and other quick passing attacks, especially in the face of a blitzing opponent. Against McNeece State, one or two deep routes combined with two to four quick routes could have gotten our athletes into open space against few defenders to make big gains against their heavy blitzes. Hell, two slants across the middle when they brought their LBs (which they did often) could have broken their D. This problem has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with scheme. The upside is that it can be quickly remedied." Great thread. I agree with this and suspect Tim will be calling these kinds of outlet passes when they stack the line. We have plenty of guys who excel in the open field....Abdullah, Newby, Bell, Pierson-El.....and the TE's have hardly been thrown to. We don't have to throw 20 yards sideways to do this either. Beck isn't stupid, he wants to open it up if possible but he doesn't want to take unnecessary, possibly game-changing risks either.

With the new renovations to the Haymarket and most likely the end of the national talk-jocks 'Let's Get Bo' reality show, I think things will be looking up soon. We've had these lulls before and even the championship seasons were not without plenty of trials. Fans had a blast down there during the basketball season and I expect that kind of excitement to continue. However, if anyone thinks they're too old for this stuff, then how about making space or even giving your tickets to a younger fan who never had a chance to go?

This was said about the offense we used to run, until we won 3 out of 4 championships. Well yes, with a few minor differences. We had about 8 strings of quality players on the sidelines back then. The option wasn't really trickery like the crazy offense that Oregon runs where it's hard to tell how to even line up against them.....back in the 70's-90's they knew what was coming most of the time and just didn't have the Jimmy's and Joe's to stop it. The more I think about these comparisons to the past and the rule changes that have occurred, I think we need to cut our present coaches some slack......I think it's harder to stack up players and dominate now. Let's also give Charlie McBride way more credit for our past success....like I said, I think we'll live or die by the defense.....and I liked the way they came together last year after a slow start.

I was hoping it would be a breakout year for Alonzo Moore. Also, I'm hoping Demornay Pierson-El can light up the return game....something we haven't seen much in a while. However, realizing that my hopes many times manifest as the kiss of death.....I hope they both suck.

Oregon was only 21st in passing but I agree with your premise. I said fancy passing.....wide open spreads and trickery that amounts to a great record against teams that can't match up in stamina and depth but falls short against top competition. Many of the yards come from running through the huge gaps caused by this oddball offense. To me the win/loss record and domination mean more than the stats. I agree that we're on the same page. Even though we're forced to play a more physical running style, I often get the feeling that Coach Beck wishes we were Oregon. However, I don't think this was implied by him in the interview; he was just stating the facts about the effects of the rule changes on the modern game. I suspect many coaches feel they have to engage in a shootout to keep up with these grassketball offenses rather than relying on ball control and that may be true for teams with lousy defenses. I believe the Husker's success will live or die with the performance of the defense and look forward to a really good one combined with a mistake free, grinding ball-control offense.

The best fancy passing team in the country, Oregon, comes up short against teams with quality DB's who can run stride for stride with their receivers. Eventually they make a big mistake or tire and are unable to execute at 100%. That's my big complaint about modeling our offense after this style. A great blocking offense that can wear down a defense and also execute the perfect pass play when the timing is right will always be my choice. I'm okay with the QB who can run, but the injury stats of the best running QB's ever makes me want to limit the running to mostly open field scrambles. I don't want my QB limping around out there and unable to perform because of nagging injuries.

I'm just here to name Bo's cat. I don't see a thread for it.....so if one shows up just put me down for 'Sourpuss'.

I like it. A very fair arrangement and ironic that this year's Husker team reminds me of the very athletic Baylor team that whipped our ass in the Big 12 Tournament a few years ago. And then on to a Creighton rematch which will be a good game for either team.....assuming Creighton doesn't choke.

This bubble talk makes me sick. We've done this so many times that it really gets on your last nerve. The team needs to decide if they're gonna step it up and leave no doubt or if they're gonna play lethargic like they did at Illinois , losing to teams in the bottom half, and not get in. A few guys who consistently don't show up and expect a few others to always carry the load are gonna have to come up with something better than what we've seen up to now.

We didn't even seem that impressive today and still it was a wipe out. This team has a lot of quality depth and many ways to score.

The Dance pickers like a hot team. I have to think 18 wins in a conference like this ,with no blowouts ,after starting 1-5 looks pretty good...... 19 we're in.

If only it could be Mike or Ralph Brown.

....or maybe Pelini will develop one of the top defenses in the country next year and it'll be the start of something big.....and there won't be any "last straw"? Whatever kind of straw it is, I doubt anything will be decided by a bunch of hot-headed message board experts.

The internet has magnified 'blowing off steam' exponentially. Almost every rational discussion gets overrun by emotional outbursts from old adolescents. Fans of big schools like Nebraska are the worst...at the level of some kind of idol worship. I don't think we're as bad as Alabama fans but you have to wonder why the outcome of these games is so all consuming of some people.

Well said. You have to wonder how this guy even got the job. Who the heck is he anyway, and why is he here?

I was hoping for a rivalry game with KSU or Oklahoma in Tempe....don't get this at all and doubt it will generate much interest for either team's fans. It's sort of a home game for Georgia right across the border in J Ville.... maybe they're hoping Bulldog fans will fill the stadium? Oh well, still excited about the Chiefs.