JPHUSKER89

Here's a positive, there's always next year. If we lose this game, might as well flush this team and season down the dumper.

Up that last score by NW, i'd say the D played lights out. Need to get the returners some stick-em though. Also need to give the offense some coffee to wake them up. Except for 2 drives, pretty uninspiring play. To that note, the line isn't helping TMart or Ameer out.

To an extent, games are different from practice too. Also, he was an All-Big Ten kicker last year. So you kinda don't anticipate having to re-coach a guy who was pretty automatic in years past.

How are those two statements connected in any way? What does the culture of the team have to do at all with Maher shanking that punt? Maher's been stinking it up all year, this isn't any thing new.

TOOOOOOOOUUUUCHDOWN!!!!!!

We do not speak of that day!!!

aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnndddddd another fumble by Reed.

Yeah seriously, get these guys some super glue or something. While we're at it, get the offense some red bull so they can wake up.

That's the problem - we don't have better. And we haven't gone out and gotten better, which may be what you're hinting at. Seems our coaching staff went "all-in" on martinez what were our options? Carnes? Lol. green? He was more interested in girls. Lee? He graduated. Who on our roster could have come in and lead us to wins against UCLA and OSU? That's what I said in my original post. Taylor was good when we really didn't have anybody else. But looking at Armstrong and Stanton on tape, those guys are complete QB's, Period. They aren't RB who though an occasional pass out there. Armstrong can put the ball where he wants it within 50 yards and Stanton has a great football IQ that allows him to break down coverage. Taylor does just fine when he plays the likes of Southern Miss or Idaho State but up against someone who knows what they're doing, the defense jumps everyone of his routes because he does not read the defense under pressure at all. I think TMart has done a fine job with what he has to work with but if the coaches don't put the best player on the field than we will never progress past where we are now. May the best man win. My gut says TM won't be the best option come next year.

My thought exactly. How often are we gonna watch him revert back to bad habits whenever he plays a defense with a pulse? It's one thing to show confidence in a QB, it's another story when he has a track record of meltdowns against good teams.

So I forget if it was Damon Benning or Greg Sharpe who said it, but they threw out an interesting theory that I kinda wanna know how you guys weigh in on it. Tommie Armstrong, big arm QB from Cibolo. I've watched the vids, the guy has the arm and seems like the experience to run our offense and according to everyone on the team, he gets better and better every week. Anyhow, on 1620 this week Damon or Greg (forget who said it) said something to the effect of "Taylor Martinez will start at QB in 2013, but if he shows signs of struggle again, and Tommie A doesn't get a shot...Tommie will not be at NU the following year." When I heard this, I panicked. I kept thinking how bad it would be to lose a great talent like that. It's been bugging a ton this week. It's not that I don't respect Taylor, in fact, he's been our guy when we had no one to hang our hat on and has shown so much heart all 3 years he's started...but when we have a complete QB like Tommie (and possibly another one coming in Johnny Stanton) I just hope that, next year during the spring there actually is a competition for the starting spot. I would hate to see good player go on to bigger better things elsewhere because they aren't getting a shot. Your thoughts?

My expectations: 1. Win at least 9 to 10 games. 2. Be competitive every game. 3. Be competitive for the league championship (not just the division championship) every year. Be in the hunt for a national championship like we always were from 1969 to 2001. 4. Consistent play on both sides of the ball game in, game out. I hate hate HATE this jeckal and hyde crap that's plagued us for the last 5 years. I am so tired of wondering which team will show up. 4a. Beat teams that we should beat and beat the handily (See Wisconsin) 5. I wanna see us start recruiting better players out of HIGH SCHOOL. I'd really like us to start getting some kids who we can establish a base around. These JUCO players we get, while good, are only quick fix solutions and before we all know it....they're gone. 6. Steal a page from Damon Benning, we need to start recruiting athletes who match our system. We are killing ourselves trying to convert QB's with no spread experience into our system. 7. Finishing in the Top 15 AP/Coaches Polls annually. They're all simple expectations. I want us to be back in everyone's minds like OU, Alabama, USC, etc, etc are every year just like we used to.

Ok, define tiny please. People said Levonte David was tiny and then he ended up leading the team in tackles in back to back seasons. He was all over the field and was a reliable backer. If he showed anything, it's that it doesn't matter how big you are if you have a chip on your shoulder. He's a major undersized backer and he's having a heck of a year already with the bucs. I am not seeing the connection at all. We need speed, and we need guys who make tackles. We don't need bulky guys who can't get hash to hash, we need guys who with good instincts filling a gap and causing disruption in the backfield.

^He is a great nickel but I think Jean-Baptiste could fill his position. Have Seisay, Green at the corners. Safety's are kinda a toss up for me though. There's literally no experience though in LB spots next year.

I know it's much to early to be thinking about next year but I had some thoughts about one HUGE void in the defense next year. Since, we have very little experience returning next year, What do you guys think about converting Ciante from his nickel/cornerback hybrid into the Mike/OLB position. The guy has good instincts. He is more aggressive than most (except Martin who will be gone too) and most importantly, HE'S THE ONLY GUY WHO ACTUALLY MAKES TACKLES!!! If he puts on 15 to 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason, does it seem realistic? Your thoughts?

I agree to an extent. He also scored 14 for the other team. He doesn't seem to have the intangibles to win the big game though. I fully support T Mart though. He's done better with less than anyone i've seen lately. Like you said though, if you would have told me that we'd score 38 points on OSU last monday and lost....I would've laughed in your face. But here we are. T Mart isn't the problem though. You can't win without making stops and they simply made more than our D did. I do think we need to search our defensive depth for some talent because our front 7 is an embarrassment (except compton and eric martin) We need to hold a tryout this week for the entire D. Find people who are gonna make plays and most importantly, RUN TACKLING DRILLS!!! If people get hurt, they get hurt. We need to get better there first.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGG REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDD!!!

T-Mart showed more heart than any QB in the last 10 years. I was upset but proud to have him as our QB.

So I'm upset like everyone else but I will say this much. I am glad we kept fighting in this one. You can say we were outcoached all you want but that simply wasn't the game I saw. The fact in the matter is we need more playmakers on defense. Period. We don't have a dominant guy in the bunch. A coach can only do so much. When it comes down to it though, the coach's are not the ones who have to tackle the other players. Offensively, Martinez had a rough night but he played with more heart than I've seen in an NU QB in quite awhile. They never quit, even when the chips were down. The still put up 38 points for god sake. That isn't a bad offense. If you would have told me we would put up 38 points this week and lose, I would have laughed in your face. That being said, we also gave them 2 TD's on a platter which I knew we couldn't do. As a team, they played hard. On this day however, they just got beat by a better, more talented team. This game was winnable, but I was thinking this all week. "If we do not play 4 qtrs of mistake free, hard nose football, we lose. That's what happen. The sun will rise again tomorrow, the world will not end. We have bye week to rest and brew and go take it to Northwestern. Hard loss to watch but all the same, GO BIG RED!!!

Forgot about Simon but is that it?

Is it crazy that I believe we play mistake free football that this game is gonna be an easier than expected win? I truly believe this. If we don't put the rock on the turf and TMart manages the game like I know he can, we come away with a 10 point win? Just going back and looking at all of the tape on OSU. Millers throw maybe 3 decent passes a game and has a few big runs but the otherwise their offense is stagnant. Their pass defense has it's share of holes and we have arguably the best tandem of WR's in Bell and Enunwa. Also, the whole rap about not being able to run on their defense? I know that they slowed Leveon Bell and all but lets think about this, Bell isn't a burner, I wouldn't even define him as an every down back. More like a short yardage guy. Also, who has tested their defense other than Cal? Michigan State? Their offense has been atrocious from the start. Both almost pulled the upset. Wisconsin came in boasting that too and we got 200+ on the ground. I don't see this game being much different. They don't have a Borland or anyone else on D who's really a playmaker so what is the big deal? I guess i'm feeling a lil more confident than most in that I don't believe we will come out in this game with the same flat first half we played last week. I guess i'm just not seeing what everyone else is seeing. OSU has steamrolled anyone. I don't believe they will do it to us either. Just my take. In closing, I like our chances in this game. It's a toss up for me. Depending on which NU shows up in Columbus saturday. Love to hear your guys thoughts.

That Taylor Martinez's heart grew 10 sizes that day. Hell of a game! This maybe the next big rivalry in Nebraska Football.

Digging the black helmets.

Timid, slow, making dumb mistakes and coughing the ball up....every big game.

Why do we always come out flat? Why do we always do this in big games? Why?