Redux

It's been a long offseason. I suppose the reason I remember the losses is because technically Nebraska hasn't won a game since November of 2012. How's that for a kick in the nuts? No with that said, if the Defense matures quickly and Taylor/Abdullah quit puking the ball up we shouldn't really add any losses to this list. Here's to hoping for a special season. Now, since the losses are too painful to think about right now, what games would you place in your top 10 for WINS under Coach Bo? I made a chart for that as well.

I knew that we have some seriously uptight fans but I didn't know they knew how to use the internet at their old age. It's a frickin uniform people. It's also 2013 and a playoff begins next year. Times they are a changing so get with it or pipe the hell down. Let the kids enjoy themselves for one frickin day by wearing something exciting and new. If it's such a damn strain for you to wear black then please by all means wear your red like we all do 99% of the time. Now, eat your rice patty and drink your Arnold Palmer and knock the "Black's not a school color" crap off. Yikes, some people.

So our trust in Bo is so shattered that we can't be optimistic in hearing that the coaches are impressed by the strides several young players are making. Until they get blown out I'll trust they like what they are seeing.

My thoughts exactly. Every year is different as is every week. As disappointing as that game was please remember that these are young kids who need our support. Can we please show that we are the greatest fans in college football. It was like a punch to the groin but even that quits stinging at some point, lets hope this year makes up for it. Go Big Red.

'08 Offense + '09 Defense = National Championship, I've been saying this for years and I'm glad to see people share that concept.

So if it came down to throwing the kids something fun and the end result was landing a couple more highly ranked recruits and an extra couple wins that year you would still be against it. Thinking outside the box doesn't slow progression, it only helps it. I'm all for tradition and we have some of the best in the nation. But really, come on. Nobody here is asking for us to change anything long term. It's an alternate uniform that helps shed some excitement on our program. Is that such a bad thing? But please wear your Husker red like we all should 99% of the time. Like I said, it would just show the young kids on our Defense that we support them and they could really use it.

For me the defensive struggle games like A&M and Iowa State and Texas are much more gut wrenching on the disappointment scale. At least when we get blown out you know the games over at halftime.

I would love to see the Sea of Red invades South Bend game on BTN. Kind of unfortunate Notre Dame is aligning with the ACC, was really hoping the Huskers vs Catholics could become a series.

So during the offseason I did what most of us did. Reminisced of the past wins and dwelled on the losses. Unlike some though I put together a spreadsheet to compare all the losses under Bo. I ranked them 1-20 (1=best loss, 20=worst) through different elements of each game such as points scored, points allowed, opponent record, margin of victory, etc etc. Here were my results. Remember this isn't my personal ranking of the losses, but just the results of my little experiment. 1- Texas 09 2- Oklahoma 10 3- Texas Tech 08 4- Va Tech 09 5- Georgia 12 6- Va Tech 08 7- Ohio State 12 8- Texas A&M 10 9- Iowa State 09 10- Northwestern 11 11- UCLA 12 12- South Carolina 11 13- Oklahoma 08 14- Michigan 11 15- Texas 10 16- Wisconsin 11 17- Washington 10 18- Texas Tech 09 19- Mizzou 08 20- Wisconsin 12 Unsurprisingly the most respectable loss was the Big 12 2009 Title game and the least respectable loss was the 2012 Big Ten Title Game. Some others really surprised me where they ranked. Thoughts?

It's unfortunate that excuses have become commonplace within our fanbase. Yet we can't ignore the struggles completely. Bringing a program back from the brink of destruction with a new head man who has never been an official head coach before thrust into a role where after things start clicking, a culture shock of conference swapping occurs. Sure every program endures coordinator changes but that has been a story for the past few years for us. The excuses may have run dry but that doesn't mean they go away. Patience is a virtue when trying to bring a place like Nebraska back to prominence. But in the end, year 6 for Bo should produce some appropriate and acceptable results. The schedule sets up well and the way they speak optimistically of their young but gifted Defense gives reason for hope, that doesn't mean we should expect '09 results. Every program experiences growing pains but rightly so we have dealt with two back to back. This is the season to prove it on the field and we have the team to do it. Regardless, should we win only 10-11 games, I'm not calling for Bo's head on a platter. Not everybody can have Nick Saban and Urban Meyer on the sidelines. Me? Id rather have the relatively sparkly clean program coach Pelini runs than the unstable ones they run.

Misery loves company

The wrench that could get thrown in the gears this year is not that our Defense is young. It's that our new found conference foes are probably not thrilled with us. Last years comeback wins against MSU, PSU, and NW likely lit a fire under these teams we must be ready for. The yearly drubbings over Minnesota and Iowa have likely motivated two squads that could be vastly improved. And against Michigan in the Big House, we know how that went last time. Learn from the mistake quickly. Luckily Purdue and Illinois don't have a clue what's in store for them. Unfortunately the B1G hasn't commanded respect the last couple of years and this could hurt our reputation this season. I feel like all our opponents this year will be truly underrated squads and defeating them won't impress the way it should. The only way to command our respect is by blowing people out and shutting people out. This starts with Wyoming and Southern Miss then can be established by crushing UCLA. Lets make this happen.

The 2010 Texas game was the result of everyone telling the team they would beat Texas. The trend of dropping a game we shouldn't at home ended last year. UCLA needs to be wetting themselves when they take the field in Lincoln. I suggest a little gem from the Miami playbook. Remember when they played Texas played Miami in 1991? When the Longhorns took the field Miami was standing there like a wall mocking them as they rushed in. To beat UCLA and extend our home win streak we need to not be over confident, we need to overly motivated. Take the game away from them before we even kickoff. Get in their heads the week before the game. Coach Bo I hope you read this: Don't be afraid to run it up. We are a fan base built on sportsmanship but I don't remember Dr. Tom pulling the dogs off because he felt bad for the other team. There was literally no stopping us back then. We need that mentality again. To do so we cant settle for a 27-16 win over a Wyoming. We need to establish our dominance this year right out the gate. A couple of 45-0 blowouts should get the ball rolling.

I agree whole-heartedly with Mr. Accountability's post above. The transition to a new league and the staff changes have really plagued us not just on the field but on the recruiting trail as well. Very soon we will see more stability which in turn will lead to a smoother recruiting process. I feel if we can haul in a couple of big names early on in the process that the pieces should fall into place. Recruits with potential are always great if we're able to develop them, but the 4 and 5 stars are rated that way for a reason. Sure region plays a role but so does talent and we could certainly use the big name recruit to have others follow suit. With that said I do think we are in the right direction in this area. I do feel we need to toe the line on the swagger side though. I'm not talking reverting to a cockiness the levels of Miami, but if we can get back to that intimidation factor we had in '09 when teams were once again afraid to take the field against the Blackshirts, we will be truly back in business.

The student section was able to pull it off a few years back. With the correct build up and momentum it could be a really great moment in Husker lore. If Penn State fans can do a white out why cant we do a black out? I totally get that the older fans don't grasp the concept of new fangled ideas such as this but all great traditions and special events have to start somewhere. Next I don't know why the word black-out keeps getting censored and it makes the thread look childish and for that I apologize. We are only 3 weeks out from kick off and for a movement of this magnitude to occur would take some serious dedication that clearly won't happen without everyone's full support. By the way I can't seem to drop down and use paragraphs, not sure if it's an issue with internet explorer or what but believe me when I say I'd love to be breaking up my posts into paragraphs.

Well I let this stew for an entire afternoon. I am new to the forum and wanted to gauge people thought process before being branded an overly excited fan with some radical idea. If it came down to wearing a blackshirt as a fan to guarantee no home losses this year, and being stubborn and sticking to red to see how things play out the traditionalists would win out. I get it, we have gotten used to the idea of not setting ourselves up for failure. It's unfortunate. I attended the 2010 Texas game and suffered the consequences of what was nearly a gimme win over a team that shouldn't have shown up. But we lost because of over confidence. This year that is not the case. We have a young Defense that could use all the help it can get. Half the players lining up to defend their territory this season will be Freshmen who have never taken the field on a Husker Gameday. Why not show them a little support in the form of something unique and new. Look I get it, most people are stuck in their ways and will ultimately refuse to adapt to the times. The stupidest part about this is that if the opponent were a higher profile team and the university itself asked its fans to show up wearing friggin tye-dye, we would be there in a hearbeat waving peace signs and releasing doves. But no, this is just a small group of people saying "Hey since its an alternate uniform night and we need to continue our streak of no losses at home, lets show a little extra incentive and wear what the players we love to watch are wearing." Those of you who reject the idea are no less fans than those of us who agree a couple of novelties go a long way towards landing a 5 star as opposed to a 2 star. I'm more than willing to debate the times have changed and as a fan base we need to adapt to help our team in any way possible. If I have to personally go and stand on O street with a sign on my neck that says "Sign with Nebraska, We've got better corn!" all I'll ask is where to pick my sign up. The kids these days love the alternate uniform craze, just go with it. Does straying from tradition for one weekend really kill 5 national championships, 3 Heisman trophies, and one of the top winning programs of all time? No. It just supports the idea that we as fans are willing to go the extra mile to support our team. True, without the universities support this idea will likely not gain much traction. But then again we as a fan base are supposedly on of the greatest in the nation so lets see it. I will be attending this game and I will be wearing black to support the team that day, I assume most people will debate whether or not to wear the crossbones that day in honor of the special uniforms. I hope its a special day, a win, and a national display of what could be a special season. So please, naysayers, keep your negative comments to yourselves. Don't tell our defense its unproven and unreliable. Instead say we believe in you and we can't wait to watch you develop. In closing, all I can say is 3 weeks to go and Gooooo Biiiiiiiiig Reeeeeeed!

Looking to start a movement. Let's black-out the stadium against UCLA. I'm not talking about ruining our tradition and the Sea of Red. I'm talking about one game to set the tone for the season. The players will be wearing Black Alternate uniforms so why shouldn't the fans in attendance. Lets face it, the young Defense will need all the support it can get this year and what better way than to represent our Blackshirts. The Bruins wouldn't know what to think when they come here to play against what will be an athletic and fast defense with a crowd that could be more intimidating than we've ever imagined it can be. Even if you don't get the chance to attend the game itself I urge everyone to help spread the word towards the cause. Here is the facebook link to help promote this idea. Lets strike the fear of the Blackshirts into the Bruins. Go Big Red! https://www.facebook...77994085635266/