Jarhead In Red

15 minutes ago, Husker in WI said:

Based on the presser today, Frost does not in any way agree with my assessment of Noa. So I look forward to him proving me wrong!

Frost has been very clear that he's not going to criticize individual players, so what he says concerning player performance MAY need to be taken with a grain of salt.......   I guess one can't expect anything else from Frost when he is pressed about critiquing specific players.....

5 minutes ago, ColoradoHusk said:

Chinander also adjusted how NU defended NW's zone read game in the 3rd and 4th quarter.  NW had success with it in the first drive of the 3rd quarter, but did very little after that.

And I thought our down 3 DL made some pretty good plays blowing the inside runs up. Daniels had a few TFL and Davis made a few nice plays. The QB keepers hurt us, but that was mainly because of poor reactions by the LBs and  not doing well in space.  With the exception of OSU, we seem to be a little more stout this year vs inside runs, and that is a welcomed improvement....

44 minutes ago, Head Coach Scott Frost said:

 

This might be a very controversial opinion, but I don't think Nebraska will ever win the big ten east division

I guess the Big10 realignment talk just got real in a hurry....... 

20 minutes ago, CapoValley said:

I’m saying Nebraska is behind schedule on their rebuild. Are you saying you’re perfectly fine with where they are at this point?

I figured we would not be a threat to win the West until next year at the earliest. The Defense lacks the necessary talent (especially at the LB positions), we don't have really good depth, and we have to learn how to play with some consistency. What I DIDN'T figure on is the regression of AM and the struggle to snap the ball halfway into the season. Those two things are surprising to me....
 

5 hours ago, FumbleRooski said:

  Never again in the Tex a$$ league

Amen to that. It will happen right after monkeys fly out of my arse.....

4 hours ago, WyoHusker56 said:

 

If this team stops getting penalties, stops turning it over and blocks guys well enough to avoid TFL or sacks we are probably at least a co favorite to win the West with Wisconsin.

I think this is absolutely true. Unfortunately, sloppy play by the Huskers has seemingly entrenched itself right behind death and taxes on the things we can expect year after year.... 

23 minutes ago, WyoHusker56 said:

 

Since people have turned this into a negative, I think it might be better to look at the first 5 games of last year vs. the first 5 this year as teams tend to improve and things will start to average out. So,

 

2018, through 5 game

scoring offense - 21.8

scoring defense - 39.2

total offense - 525

total defense - 459.2
turnover margin - -6

 

2019, through 5 games

scoring offense - 31.8

scoring defense - 29.8

total offense - 435

total defense - 401.4

turnover margin - -4

 

So, we are scoring a lot more points, allowing a lot fewer points and we are generating a lot more turnovers improving our turnover margin. If we keep improving as the year goes on I imagine the full season stats will look more like this comparison from last year to this year.

 

Good idea. It is a more apples to apples comparison at this point. One thing I was thinking, and it may not matter, but I think the Defense has scored several more TDs this year than last year. Are those scores credited to the Offense in these stats?

34 minutes ago, Undone said:

Going to phrase this delicately so that it doesn't get taken the wrong way. The loss on Saturday was not on Martinez and I'm not in that camp. 

But this is important: If nobody's open (regardless of the reason), or if the pocket is collapsing (regardless of the reason), don't throw it into traffic. If you're still between the tackles, try to fall forward for the smallest possible loss. If you're outside the tackles, throw the ball out of bounds.

 

Live to see another possession. Even though the root causes that lead up to these things aren't his fault, he still has to be well coached on how to handle those situations. We just can't win the West if our turnover margin keeps going like this; no way we'll beat Wisconsin & Iowa.

Excellent points. AM has been put in some tough situations, without a lot of help at times, but just a few different decisions by AM while under duress can end up making a big difference in the outcome of several games this season....

57 minutes ago, Nebfanatic said:

I thought this guy wasn't logging back in? @knapplc has been abusing posters for decades?? Someone call the cops we have a serial a$$ beater over here

If knapplc is a serial abuser, I guess I'm feeling left out. He hasn't beaten my a$$ yet......maybe I haven't been around long enough yet...... 

1 hour ago, knapplc said:

1. Ban this stooge.

 

2. F-Bomb the Big 8/Big XII and all that heinous stench that goes with it.

 

3. No school that has left the stank of Texas has wanted to come back. Not their old SWC brethren nor any of us Big 8/Big XII alumnae that left for better pastures. You can ask Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado, Houston, or any of the rest who have left the shadow of Texas BS - do you want to go back? Without exception they will all say no. God, no.

 

4. Ban this stooge.

 

5. Don't make me post the articles where the ADs from our former Big 8 "brothers" admit to screwing Nebraska over again. For the umpteenth time. F those guys and all that goes with them.

 

6. Ban this stooge.

 

7. (space reserved for things I would say that would get me banned if I didn't have some self-control)

Good job reminding everyone about the reality of what the Big 12 had become. The other North teams were trying to screw us over every chance they got, and jumped at the chance to get help from Texas in doing just that. I agree,  F them and I hope they are Texas's b!tch and get what they deserve. (I don't sound bitter, do I?) 

2 hours ago, Born N Bled Red said:

Ohio State wasn't the game we wanted it to be. We were beat handily. But this is what gives me hope for the future. On offense, Nebraska has 1 Senior Starter. In fact, there are only 4 seniors on the entire offensive two deep. There are 6 junior starters and only 7 juniors on the two deep. Which means out of 31 total players on the two deep, roughly a third of them are upper classmen. As a result this will be the worst Nebraska's offense will be for at least 3 years. 

 

I also do not believe Nebraska is near as bad as we looked on Saturday. Last week. I believe we were victims of what Shane Falco would describe as quicksand, and our young offensive team could not over come it. I have actually been part of a team that fell victim to this very same issue. The year prior with a large senior class, we won the state championship with an undefeated season. The following year there were only 4 seniors (two that started the previous year), followed by another large junior class. The 2nd or 3rd game of the season we ran up against our toughest opponent. Things started bad and snowballed, the final score 56- to like 8- with the game being ended in the 3rd quarter to the 45 point rule. - The team rebounded and met that opponent again in the playoffs and beat them 22-20 en-route to a second consecutive state championship. 

 

All that to say, quicksand is real, especially in high pressure games. We are young and have a bright future. Sure we are taking our licks now, but in a year, maybe two. It will be worth it.

I'm not sure in our case youth is a bad thing. I know the conventional wisdom is that youth will struggle, but with Frost inheriting a team having limited talent,  a poor culture, including effort issues and issues with ingrained, poor habits, graduating the upperclassmen may be just what we need to move the program forward. Besides, if we look at our OL, most of the optimism for upgraded play rests on players who will be Soph, Redshirt Freshman or true Freshmen next year. And, on the DL, a bunch of young players are going to be in the two deep with all the Seniors graduating. If youth is truly an issue as people say it is, then we should probably expect to struggle mightily next year and maybe even regress. But, I have a feeling that the young guys will usher in an upgraded talent level next season, and start to narrow the gap with the other Big10 teams.

9 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

Maybe so....but, I guess I would think that someone like TMart, Ameer, 2AM are good enough athletes that they can be coached. 

You would think some improvement could be realized while they were in a D1 program, but by the time they get to that level, they have probably been playing with the bad habits for a decade or so, and some habits run deep and are hard to change. And, if they were playing at schools like Alabama, Clemson, Etc. they would probably just be replaced after a season of poor ball security. Here, there really wasn't any QB competition while TM was here. Because of the lack of quality depth, he was going to play no matter what.....

1 hour ago, Hooked on Huskers said:

 

I watched DVR game.  A couple of players apparently half-a$$ quit especially second half.  Or else tired.

I didn't see a team that quit. I maybe saw a little deflation when the NU Offense had it's 4th or 5th stalled drive. I saw some tired Defensive players who couldn't escape the Offensive onslaught of the OSU Offense, because the NU Offense couldn't sustain drives. I saw mistakes and pressing that led to a snowball, and a thorough a$$ kicking that was no doubt embarrassing for the players. But, I did NOT see them quit....

5 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

That's an interesting question.  Good thing your next sentence answers what everyone is thinking.

 

 

That's all anyone wants. We're not going to go from back-to-back 4-8 seasons to contending for the National Championship. There are steps in between, and we should celebrate those steps.

 

I'll be happy if we go to a bowl game.

I'll be happier if we win the West.

 

Those are our attainable goals this year. If we get there, we should celebrate.

 

That does not make us "desperate."

Well said. It doesn't make us desperate, it makes us realistic. We would all love to see an immediate turnaround, and it's tough as h$ll watching us lose, and to inferior teams (based on recruiting/talent ratings). I never bought into the idea that the UCF turnaround was going to happen here. We just have too many things that are broken right now, and we haven't played a game of more than 2 or 3 quarters of good football in years. After going 4-8 last year, let's focus on first getting to a bowl so we can benefit from all the extra practice reps to develop the young guys a little more. If we happen to get to 8 or 9 wins, then it's icing on the cake. It's not pleasant, but I think it's where we are right now........

28 minutes ago, Igetbored216 said:

He definitely needs some help, because he has struggled. In my opinion, Farniok would make a decent guard, but unfortunately there is no one better than him at RT. 

 

I said this in another post, but Nebraska is probably around four or five years off from having enough depth on the lines to be consistently good. The position has been ignored by the last few coaches. 

I agree. If all goes well, Benhart, Banks, etc will be ready next year for the OL, and there are a few redshirts on the DL that look promising, but it will take a couple more classes to solidify the needed depth, and for Duvall to work his magic...

16 minutes ago, dvdcrr said:

1997 

Thanks for the correction. I'm getting senile, my brain thinks one thing and my fingers type something else.....

1999 Big 12 CCG vs Texas.......and the 2000 Orange Bowl vs Tennessee

1 hour ago, Igetbored216 said:

Well, he shouldn't be playing tackle, so this makes sense

And, that makes me wonder if Frost shouldn't give Farniok some help when he is facing a dynamic pass rusher, knowing his weaknesses. I know he wouldn't want to go max protect all the time, but it might be effective to have a RB/TE/WR chip the edge on his way out in a pattern or something. I know all the OL problems aren't on Farniok, but damn it makes it tough when you got a guy weak in edge pro in a position that requires skill in that very same thing....

1 hour ago, WyoHusker56 said:

From a talent perspective Nebraska's roster has 20 - 4* players, 63 - 3* players and a handful of lower rated players that are contributing. Plus, I think there is 8-10 of those 4* players that have been beaten out by 3* or their true freshmen. So, our team is mostly made up of 3* talent with a few 4* players sprinkled in.

 

OSU has 13 - 5* players, 47 - 4* players, 25 - 3* players and I'd venture to guess no walkon/lower rated players contributing (I didn't check that). So, basically 4-5* players with probably a few underrated 3* guys jumping in.

 

Illinois has 1 - 5* player, 11 - 4* players and 66 - 3* players plus probably a few walkon/lower rated guys sprinkled in.

 

We are recruiting at a higher level now and this should shift over time, but it is going to take 3-5 years. In 247's team composite score, we are ranked 24th and every team above and 2 after us have at least 1 - 5* player. We have zero. https://247sports.com/Season/2019-Football/CollegeTeamTalentComposite/

 

Coaching shouldn't get totally excused and they need to perform/develop better, but the talent gap is real between top 10 teams and Nebraska.

Thanks for taking the time to post the stats, because it does help clarify where we are at. It would also be interesting to know how we stack up against Colorado......

36 minutes ago, Husker03 said:

Penalties and turnovers are things that happen much more often to the inferior team due to discrepancies in size and athleticism. The "curse" speaks more to our position as the inferior team over the past decade more than it does to a voodoo hex. It's also why Scott won't get it fixed until we are the more formidable team on the field.

No doubt you are correct. Some penalties are incurred because of compensation for a mismatch. PI when you are beat, Offensive holding, etc. However, we have seen "unforced" errors for too often, and mistakes that get us beat by supposedly less talented teams.. Illegal motion, taking the wrong gap, poor pursuit angles, gross overthrows leading to INTs. But, your point is also correct in the sense that, once we are a more talented team, the penalties and mistakes will not matter as much, and we will be able to overcome them more easily. Just as all Husker fans are, I am eagerly looking forward for that day to come......

4 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

This OSU game is a prime example of why it's so frustrating.  We had three interceptions.  I would say only one of those is because of great defense by the DB.  One would have been a sure TD if it wasn't slightly too high and dumb luck.  The other one the WR was wide open and severely over thrown.  Would have been a big gain and easy catch.  

 

So often we are killing ourselves.  But, it's been going on for so dang long.

My wife and I were discussing that same thing Sat night. How the h$ll does the "killing ourselves" gene get passed on from team to team? Does enough of it remain with each class and coaching change that it gets absorbed into the new players and becomes part of the culture and the standard of play? You would think it could be turned around when a large number of current players are "purged" from the roster. Turnovers, penalties, blown assignments seem to be the only consistent thing in Husker football over the last decade.......A real head scratcher.......

IMO, we learned that our roster still needs quite a bit of work to get us back to relevancy. We also learned that we still struggle with turnovers and blown assignments. We also learned that Frost is utilizing some old school NU play packages, which I kinda like. Most of all, I think we learned that we are only 1.5 years into a long rebuilding project, and there have been plenty of bumps in the road. Personally, I learned how badly I want to see our 2019 OL recruits get on the field next season....... 

17 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

He is fun to watch.

 

What I've noticed is that he can run inside so well because he can make himself so small that he doesn't have to run into bodies.  He can find arms and small openings.  He gets low and then has leverage.

And, then Wandale breaks out with a spin move in the backfield that can leave a Defender looking like a statue.   I think Wandale could go untouched during a flag football game in a phone booth.....

It's impressive to me that Wandale can run inside as well as he does. He isn't a big guy, but the pile usually moves backward when he energetically slams into it. He's a fun dude to watch......

41 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

I personally have not seen evidence of that this year.

 

I saw a team that didn't play perfect in the first game, but was strong enough to persevere and win.

 

I saw a team that played one really good half of football, allowed the team back in the game in the third and then was mentally tough enough to not fold and took the game to overtime.

I think the Defense definitely demonstrated the toughness you mention vs CU. Even though they had been gashed for some big plays, they stiffened in OT and forced a field goal, which is putting the Offense in a pretty good position to win the game. Also, in regulation, the ST forced and recovered a fumble, giving the ball right back to the Offense. You can't do much above and beyond those two plays to help the effort.....