DrunkOffPunch

Personally, I feel that a lot(but not all) historically good teams were from programs that pioneered in weight training, conditioning, and nutrition. I also feel that some historically good teams were built from farm kids(Nebraska for instance) and low income areas/families where working hard was something you were taught at a young age. I remember reading something on Gale Sayers a long time ago that he basically grew up on the streets shooting birds for food. When he got into high school some local diner/restaurant had a deal where if you scored a touchdown for the varsity squad you got a free meal.

A little more on topic- I'm sure you've read/heard how firing a coach with 9+ wins can scare away other coaches from the job but think about this; this can hurt recruiting too. Recruits don't usually commit to a team. They commit to coaches. You see it all the time where a coach is fired/ moves to a better job and recruits follow. A recruit doesn't want to commit to a team without the knowledge if the coaching staff that recruited him will be fired after a 9+ win season.

I just realized there is no explicit fire Bo Pelini thread.

 

Seriously, how did one NOT pop up after that game.

 

If Bo owns 5 of the top 10 worst defensive performances in school history after the UCLA game (if they do what they did to us last year), then it will be hard for even the drunkest kool-aid drinker to defend him.

You fire Bo and get who? When you're winning 9+ games a year and your only offence is no conference or national titles what kind of coach would want that job? They'll think, "Well Nebraska is a good job but if I'm not winning a CC/NC by my 6th year then my job is in jeopardy." They know this because if we fired Bo that'd be the second time in 10 years we've done it. Wins define a season, no matter how ugly. You think Ohio State at the end of last year was complaining about the Indiana or Purdue game? No, they went undefeated.

No, VT is a big league team with big league players in a big league conference. Wyo is not any of those. How do you think Bama fairs with Wyo? Me thinks they win by 35+, not 3, and they sure as heck dont give up 600+ yds.

I'm making the comparison that coming into this year, 'Bama is a lot like us while VT can be compared to Wyo. VT barely made a bowl game last year and Wyo. went 4-8. 'Big league' teams with'Big league' players don't need to win their last two games just to qualify for bowl eligibility. 'Bama and Neb. come into the year looking for CC/NC hopes while VT and Wyo. are just looking to improve. Without the two special team touchdowns and a pick 6 'Bama crawls out with a 4 point win.

If they are so talented, that shouldnt have happened, regardless of experience.

You are implying talent is more important than experience? Did you see the Ohio State or Alabama game? Ohio State replaced one offensive lineman and Buffalo bullied him. Khalil Mack and co. were all over Miller at one point and would've been down a field goal if not for a penalty called on a turnover. Alabama won 35-10 but if you watched it it was not a decisive win. They replaced most of they defense and their offensive line and from a team in VT where most picked them to get blown out in a rebuilding year they actually out gained 'Bama. Not to mentioned Vt had 153 rushing yards while 'Bama had a measly 2.5 yard rushing average. This coming from a team that consistently gets a top 5 recruiting class from a Saban coached team that always comes to play. While I respect talent, you can't overlook experience. First game jitters, the anxiety of a new football season, whatever it may be, this isn't an isolated only 'Nebraska' thing. Dear Husker Nation- It gets better.

 

This ^

 

 

Best post of the thread.

Uh, VT and Wyo hardly make a good comparison to base one's viewpoint, if yer feelin' me here.

Last year 'Bama won the NC. VT went 7-6. 'Bama has an experienced QB, a great RB in Yeldon, talented WRs, and a young defense. See the similarities now?

If they are so talented, that shouldnt have happened, regardless of experience.

You are implying talent is more important than experience? Did you see the Ohio State or Alabama game? Ohio State replaced one offensive lineman and Buffalo bullied him. Khalil Mack and co. were all over Miller at one point and would've been down a field goal if not for a penalty called on a turnover. Alabama won 35-10 but if you watched it it was not a decisive win. They replaced most of they defense and their offensive line and from a team in VT where most picked them to get blown out in a rebuilding year they actually out gained 'Bama. Not to mentioned Vt had 153 rushing yards while 'Bama had a measly 2.5 yard rushing average. This coming from a team that consistently gets a top 5 recruiting class from a Saban coached team that always comes to play. While I respect talent, you can't overlook experience. First game jitters, the anxiety of a new football season, whatever it may be, this isn't an isolated only 'Nebraska' thing. Dear Husker Nation- It gets better.

What is the excuse for last year? A very experienced defense with the majority of starters being seniors?

We weren't good. Front 7 was slow. DT position was thin due to injuries and players leaving. Still, we had an opportunity to beat UCLA and had all the momentum in the Ohio State game until we started turning the ball over. Comeback wins against Northwestern, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan State. We can credit a lot of this to the offense(which deserve most of the credit) but the D had to make stops too. They made them when they counted. Not to mention we were in a good position to beat Georgia until turnovers and big plays ruined it. Look we had a BAD defense last year. But at least at they gave us a shot for the win. I'd like to think their experience came in to play there. Not to mention it's hard to keep opponents out of the endzone when your offense has a historic number of turnovers.

People really have blinders on if they are thinking our team is going to be horrible this year, especially the defense. For most of the 2nd half, 6 of the front 7 were Freshman and were playing in their very first game. I know some guys on here are coaches, as I am one also, and they can relate with what went on with the young ones playing. I really think this defense will improve by conference and will be one of the top units. We still will probably take our lumps against S. Miss and UCLA but we will get better from it.

Good to see somebody with some optimism this morning:). I personally, am not a coach, but I'd like to think when you have such a young D the times where their inexperience and adjustments from high school to college are more likely to be prevalent are in the 1st and 4th quarter. Those two quarters IMO were our worst defensively.

If they are so talented, that shouldnt have happened, regardless of experience.

You are implying talent is more important than experience? Did you see the Ohio State or Alabama game? Ohio State replaced one offensive lineman and Buffalo bullied him. Khalil Mack and co. were all over Miller at one point and would've been down a field goal if not for a penalty called on a turnover. Alabama won 35-10 but if you watched it it was not a decisive win. They replaced most of they defense and their offensive line and from a team in VT where most picked them to get blown out in a rebuilding year they actually out gained 'Bama. Not to mentioned Vt had 153 rushing yards while 'Bama had a measly 2.5 yard rushing average. This coming from a team that consistently gets a top 5 recruiting class from a Saban coached team that always comes to play. While I respect talent, you can't overlook experience. First game jitters, the anxiety of a new football season, whatever it may be, this isn't an isolated only 'Nebraska' thing. Dear Husker Nation- It gets better.

All I'm saying is that we should never and I mean never give up 600+ yds and be in a nail biter vs Wyoming. How much do we spend on football? How much does Wyoming spend on football? We should be able to beat Wyoming with our 2nd string--well, hypothetically. But, I have had to accept, this is the 'new' NE, so maybe I'm just pissin' in the wind. There's absolutely no evidence under Bo Pelini that this will "get better" as the year goes on, in fact, there's solid evidence to the contrary(see B1G CCG '12...).

No I agree. 600 yards and a 3 point win isn't something you'd expect from Nebraska. I'm not justifying that we should be alright with this I'm just saying these things happen. Bo and crew will watch the tape and see what we did wrong. For a lot of these younger guys this game is going to be a learning experience more than anything.

6) The difference between the #1 team in the nation and the #50 team in the nation isn't that big.

 

 

I didn't just read that. Hmmm, I gotta stop taking those crazy pills...

Maybe 50 was a bit of a stretch, but you should read the rest of the quote. 6 FCS schools beat FBS schools. A top 25 team and a team that last year was a game away from playing for the NC. Last year an unranked Notre Dame team ends up playing for the NC. This is college football. You can play a team 9/10 times and lose. You just need that one time to be the first.

If they are so talented, that shouldnt have happened, regardless of experience.

You are implying talent is more important than experience? Did you see the Ohio State or Alabama game? Ohio State replaced one offensive lineman and Buffalo bullied him. Khalil Mack and co. were all over Miller at one point and would've been down a field goal if not for a penalty called on a turnover. Alabama won 35-10 but if you watched it it was not a decisive win. They replaced most of they defense and their offensive line and from a team in VT where most picked them to get blown out in a rebuilding year they actually out gained 'Bama. Not to mentioned Vt had 153 rushing yards while 'Bama had a measly 2.5 yard rushing average. This coming from a team that consistently gets a top 5 recruiting class from a Saban coached team that always comes to play. While I respect talent, you can't overlook experience. First game jitters, the anxiety of a new football season, whatever it may be, this isn't an isolated only 'Nebraska' thing. Dear Husker Nation- It gets better.

I know a lot of this has already been covered but...

1) SJB has reached the potential we all saw from the Ohio State game we saw a couple years back.

2) Very deep at RB and WR. Should be a fun season.

3) Very poor refs this game.. Missed holding calls, the 'roughing the passer' call, and the PI called on Gerry inflated Wyo's yards and extended drives that shouldn't have been there.

4) When it's 90+ degrees at kickoff with humidity your defense doesn't play to their full potential especially against a hurry up offense. See South Carolina, aTm, etc.

5) A lot of younger players with little to no playing time in the FBS. I don't see why people expected them to step in and turn things around day one. Experience is a big factor in football especially when...

6) The difference between the #1 team in the nation and the #50 team in the nation isn't that big. This isn't the 80's, everybody has athletes. NDSU and Eastern Washington both beat BCS AQ teams. That was a big deal 10 years ago. The first week alone 6 FCS schools beat FBS.

7) Disappointed in Mitchell and Green on defense. They seemed a step behind on alot of plays.

8) Defense is faster and more athletic.

602 yards is a lot. But i credit much of that to reason #4. It'll get better. Let's look forward instead of festering on a game that was a 4th down conversion and a bad pass away from possible being a 24 point win.

Edit: I credit the 602 yards to reason #3 also. Forgot to stick it in.

 

Over, that's pretty much his exact percentage as a true freshman against us 2 years ago.

 

O/U: Number of Martinez pass attempts: 20

Over. 22, just to keep the defense honest and to test out Martinez.

O/U Imani Cross touchdowns: 2.5

Bonus question: First offensive play for Neb. a run or pass?

Statistically he's one of the great Husker quarterbacks, but he doesn't have that signature victory that really highlights a career. I think a conference title is what he needs to really cement that legacy. Otherwise, I think a lot of people will see him as a statistically significant quarterback that couldn't win the big one.

 

Unfortunately, I've always felt Martinez had what it took to win us big games, but he hasn't been surrounded by the best pieces.

I think the Ohio State comeback along with the numerous comebacks last year could count as 'signature' wins. Of course he didn't win those on his own I don't think we win without him. Also, we get blown out last year by UCLA/Northwestern/Georgia.

I think if he plays like he did last year along with the few improvements he's made as he has every subsequent year he's played, his name and number end up under the jumbotron, with or without a conference title. Although I could guarantee it with a conference title/BCS bowl win.

50 yards? Martinez. But I have to say...I think Crouch was more agile so I'd say he wins the first couple steps but Martinez's top end speed is greater.

Personally I like the way Pelini addresses the media. It puts all the attention on him. The players need not worry about the media and can just play.

For me it's Michigan. I absolutely hated how cocky their team was last year. Then probably Ohio State. Urban Meyer is a despicable person. My friend heard when he was at Florida Percy Harvin got caught with possession of drugs so he'd go to practice in a boot so Meyer could keep what was really happening down low. Apparently he had favorites and they would routinely sit out of practice. What a joke of a coach. Also, I was at the Wisconsin game last year in the student section. The whole student section chanted 'a-hole' when you sat down. I thought it was funny. Some people around us were annoying but one guy offered me nachos like 10 times so after saying no thank you over and over I took some. They weren't poisoned. Some girls next to us even invited us to a party. I really enjoyed UW. Have a friend that goes there and his roommate was a bartender and made us drinks. I thought it was a great experience for an away game.

Agree with TheKiD. Weak field. Also his team is undefeated. had Suh had an undefeated senior year he probably would have been the front-runner. Also I think the fact that Suh being a defense only player with a legitimate to win opened voters to the possibility of Te'o.

Nebraska vs Wisconsin- Nebraska

Louisville vs Rutgers-Rutgers

Northern Illinois vs Kent State- Northern Illinois

UCLA vs Stanford- Stanford

Oklahoma vs TCU- Oklahoma

Oklahoma State vs Baylor- Oklahoma State

UCF vs Tulsa- Tulsa

Nicholls State vs Oregon State- Oregon State

Kansas vs West Virginia- West Virgina

Boise State vs Nevada- Boise State

Texas vs Kansas State- Kansas State

Florida State vs Georgia Tech- Florida State

Alabama vs Georgia- Georgia

I don't think Ball is overrated at all.

I don't think Ball is overrated at all.

I just remember being at the Wiscy game last year and Ball getting a 20 yard gain or whatever and my friends and Wiscy fans talking about how Ball was destroying us and how many yards he had etc. and thinking "am I the only person that saw that hole? I mean yeah he ran for 20 yards but the first 18 were untouched." He's not a bad back I just feel like his line makes him look alot better than he is.

So a lot of people are saying concussion for Abbrederis. If true that would be his second this fall.. This could be a huge loss for wiscy if true and keeps him out.

So a lot of people are saying concussion for Abbrederis. If true that would be his second this fall.. This could be a huge loss for wiscy if true and keeps him out.

Abbrederis is the only WR from Wiscy I worry about. So if he is out i think that hurts their passing game alot and if the run game can be contained it will be our game to lose. On a side note am I the only person who thinks Montee Ball iis overrated?

The BCS can take 2 BCS auto-bid conferences. The SEC will get two. I will assume it will be Bama and Florida. The Pac 12 will probably also get two in with Stanford as conference champ (crushing UCLA, I believe they will win again) and Oregon. In my situation since Georgia loses TA&M becomes the most promising SEC non-BCS bowl team. So I think A&M. I could also see a match up with Oklahoma if KSU beats Texas.

I understand the keeping your comments respectful part but does anyone else feel like penn st has gotten the sympathy card way too much this year?

 

Yeah it wasn't the players fault but they still represent the ugliest and dirtiest program / institution in the country. I never cared for penn st before but I will forever condemn a program that allowed those things to happen. Less than a year from the story and it's not even talked about by the media other than the mention of the "scandal" and how tough their scholly loss will be.

 

I'm sorry but that program aided and covered up unforgivable acts. I have a hard time respecting anyone associated with the program because it is PENN ST. I know that's a ME issue but the media has been kind to psu this season IMO.

I understand the keeping your comments respectful part but does anyone else feel like penn st has gotten the sympathy card way too much this year?

 

Yeah it wasn't the players fault but they still represent the ugliest and dirtiest program / institution in the country. I never cared for penn st before but I will forever condemn a program that allowed those things to happen. Less than a year from the story and it's not even talked about by the media other than the mention of the "scandal" and how tough their scholly loss will be.

 

I'm sorry but that program aided and covered up unforgivable acts. I have a hard time respecting anyone associated with the program because it is PENN ST. I know that's a ME issue but the media has been kind to psu this season IMO.

I know this is kind of off topic and I don't like really talking about this subject but my dad who is a trucker heard that alot of people on campus knew about what was going on and they had a sandwich or hot dog or something called the Sandusky. I'll say this is probably just a rumor but if it has any credibility than it's quite a disturbing bit of information.

Wiscy will play to win. You have to remember if they lose the CC game they head into the bowl season with 2 straight losses and a losing record in conference play. To basically throw away a game to focus on the next one is basically a slap in the face to the seniors to whom the bowl game will mean more to.

I think it depends more on how well we are doing and how much of a leader he is to the team. You have to realize that alot of Heisman hope fulls get there just by their team being undefeated or having 1 or 2 losses. At the end of the year that's all the voters really know is how many wins/losses a team has. Aj McCarron was in the running before losing to A&M and now Manziel is in it for the simple fact that his team has a low amount of losses and was a big factor in beating Alabama. To sum it all up, if we go into the bowl season undefeated or with 1 early loss to a good team he has a high chance of going.

If we make it to the Rose Bowl I dread the thought of possibly seeing Oregon. To be quite honest we don't match up well against any Pac12 team that could go to the Rose Bowl. We've always had trouble against speed and the fact is alot of times it takes us too long to get lined up on D. Oregon would destroy us.

No service for me, but my brother, dad, uncle, grandpa etc. all served.