URSS

I support Bo but I think the losses against Wisconsin and Minnesota have changed things. His apparent sidelinie rants on some players, Ron Brown, and Joe Ganz are indications that the wheels might be coming off. His take down on the black shirt tradition (reported that some players gave them back and Gregory was not especially awed by his) is a symptom of deeper problems. I don't think he will get fired this year but he loses to Iowa- he may be in serious trouble. I would expect that Bo will be on a one year warning notice after the bowl time is past. Bo has had 7 years and he continues to get the same results. Some good games, some mediocre games and a few very humiliating losses. Unfortunately, the losses ususally come agains top 25 teams proving that we are not improving enough for Husker standards or for high quality recruiting prestige. Bo has done well with the academics and discipline but the win-lose results need to improve. We need to be a top 10 calibre team. National Championships are great but first we need respect and that means being a top 10 calibre team. Something in the mix needs to change for us to improve. I think new coordinators, especially a defensive coordinator, is a must. Beyond that, the offensive line play has been weak since the late 90's. We need new offensive line coaches and more recruiting. I think Bo had better make some changes this spring or he may part of the change after next year.

I don't know how old you are but there was a considerable length of time when people were calling for Osborne to be replaced. He was the coach that could not win the big one! I remember Barry Switzer saying that most years Nebraska has the better team but the Sooners alsways seem to win. Osborne resorted to trick plays for a period- I think repsonding to pressure from the people were criticizing him. I remember many time being on my knees in front of the TV begging-pleadinig with him to throw the ball instead of running more option plays. There were times it looked like the defenders were putting 8-9 men up in the box and would flow in play direction- not caring if we threw the ball. I am disillusioned with the humiliating blow outs from time to time. I don't believe changing coaches every other year will improve our teams' performance. I think Bo can do it but he needs to do some soul searching and make the changes necessary. I think that is why Tom Osborne was eventually successful because he did make some necessary changes- not wholesale changes but enough to get improvement. Also, he had the benefit of some long term experienced successful assistants. Bo is lacking the experienced assistants in my opinion.

Remember the last time we fired a 9-win coach? We got Bill Callahan and his really competent Defensive Coordinator! When Soiich was in trouble, he fired Craig Bohl the DC then. That was a good move if disregard Bohl's subsequent sucesses as a coach. Bo was supposed to be defensive guru and he did a good job as the DC. Since Papukis has been the DC, we have had troubles against good teams.IMO, the Blackshirts have died. They are no more. I think Bo had something to do with it when held off awarding the shirts. It used to be the first string got the blackshirts and they had to fight to keep them. Bo has changed the schemes in the Big 12 and apparently again in the BIg 10. I think its okay. The players seem to me to lack basic techniques and that is weak coaching. You don't tackle like you are blocking someone. You have to take their legs out by wrapping them up and then eliminating the YAC. I suspect that we don't have enough full speed live contact drills since many of our defenders don't take the right angles, wrap up legs, play off blocks, turn the play back inside well, cover the back side, penetrate to brerak up the play, etc. I wonder if we are playing a sound defense scheme but tweaking the defenders' play so much that they don't recognize their defense anymore? Are we matching athlete against athlete or are we outhinking what we do? I think Bo hired his friends for assistants and they lacked the experience to do the job. Now, six years later, they are still learning. Bo has grown in the job IMO. Grown enough is the question and how long do we wait? I think Bo is a good coach but needs to reassess the way he has the coaches organized and maybe replace some coordinators. I think Tim Beck has done a good job overall. His playcalling gets perplexing several times during a game. I think he needs to go back to a running game with some passing. The biggest problem in mind is the offensive line that is not competent. We must recruit better and do more individual technique coaching with more full speed contact drills for experience. I think the weak offensive line has been our major problem since the late 90's. IMO, that was time that we started to have domination problems during games with good teams. I have read many complaints in this forum about passing too much. I disagree strongly with that position. I remember several decades not of power run and option football that drew defenses overmanning the box and daring us to pass. We often failed to win because we did not have a credible passing attack. Part of the problem, when you are identified as run team, passing quaterbacks and receivers dreaming of a pro career to go passing teams. When our run game is stalling, we need to have a credible effective short and medium pass game to force the defenses to back off- then go back to the run. Long ball passing is a low percentage game that Tim Beck seems to like. He or our Qbacks seem to like short passes in the flats for little gains- wasted plays IMO. The 7-point area is found in the north-south direction- not the east-west direction. We need better (agile, smart, strong and faster) linemen, more technique coaching and some new experienced assistants. Question: I heard an Omaha radio show where it was said that the former players are against Scott Frost coming back? Anyone know why? Was he not popular with his team mates as a QB?

Mark Pelini must not put his head up to look for his block after the clap and snap the ball immediately. He needs to vary the time for the snap after he raises his head. If the defense jumps, he needs to snap the ball and take the free 5 yards.

Not sure I understand this new method- I think the top four teams will play in two bowl games and the final two in a championship game in the new year. I don't know if this is much better than the BCS or the previous method. Looking at this first list, its possible that there could be more than 4 teams considered worthy- especially by the fans and writers. I still think they should play all bowl games as they have been played up to now and then select the top 4 teams. The semi-finals should be played in mid January and the championship game on the day before the Super Bowl. There may be more than 4 teams looking like championship teams after all bowl games are played but less likely that the present method. I sent an email to Perlman and his opinion was that the extended time would be too disruptive to the academics. I think only four schools would be affected and they would be more than compensated by huge TV revenues.

lol. you talk as if it's just some quirk of his. like he just can't help clapping. they've been doing it that way since Beck got here. So its right because Beck does it that way?

Tommy dropped one snap that may have been his fault. The others were bad snaps by the center. Do you actually think Tommy chooses to go by the "clap" count? I don't know if you know this, but Taylor utilized the clap snap also. The first time I saw it was when Braxton Miller used it when Urban Meyer became the coach. It seems to be trend in multiple shotgun spread offenses. It is a way for the QB to let the center know that he is ready for the snap. If you watch other teams that don't use the "clap", they'll have their QB lift their leg. It's the same concept. I assume the "clap" is used as opposed to the leg lift to allow the center to read what's in front of him, as opposed to looking back to see the leg lift, then have only a second or two to see what's in front of him before the snap. I'd also like to see more Diamond formation. I jokingly tweeted "Diamond formation = Touchdown formation" after Abdullah's TD. We can do some great things out of the Diamond formation. Beck has some of the most creative plays I have ever seen out of the diamond formation. I truly don't know why we don't utilize it more often. A part of me thinks "Why use it often against teams like Rutgers?" But another part of me really wants to see it. Especially the way Newby and Cross blocked for Ameer on that play. I remember more than one snap. He is standing 3-4 yards back and staring at Pelini's butt. Its his job to handle the snap and he should unless its more than an arm's reach. I had not thought about the clap being solely on Beck. I think its poor technique not matter how many coaches push it. What's the difference between the clap and just going to the line of scrimmage and telling the offense and defense that we will snap the ball on "Two"? You need to get the line charge going before the defense moves. The snap count should be something like "hut-one" where the line charges out on hut and the center snaps on one. I think its an advantage that you should not surrender unless you so outclass your opponent that it does not matter. I think Cross is too good of an asset to waste on the bench so much.

No. We are not a Top 10 team. We need a dominating offensive line and a defensive line that can play most teams on the line of scrimmage for a full game. If we were a Top 10 team, we would have beaten Sparty and not get our asses kicked for three quarters.

I saw that we beat a weaker team. Ameer had a great day. Tommy dropped the snap too many times. He continues to clap to start the play- coaches need to break him of that tell. The coaches seemed to do well. The most troublesome thing was the defense seemed to be soft at times and usually with a QB play action pass. I would still like to see some offensive plays with Ameer and Imani in the backfield at the same time doing some power running and option football.

Tommy was clapping agiain in the Northwestern game. Did they do something different for the snap?

It would have been pretty clairvoyant for us to figure it out before they did it. Mark Pelini snapped the ball about 5 times based on Sparty clapping. However, the defensive line was charging on Tommy's clap. Herbstreit mentioned once that both defensive ends must have been off sides because they were in the backfield before our linemen even moved. Offensive linemen get an advantage knowing the snap count- should be able to get across the LOS before the defense reacts. Tommy's clapping surrenders the advantage. They need to work something out with Mark Pelini like see the clap, head up, and a silent count before he snaps the ball. Maybe get some offsides calls?

I have always felt that Beck wastes too many downs on throwing in the flat. First, they don't hit them on the fly so the defense usually hits them around the line of scrimmage. If they persist, they need to develop the play action to the other side to draw the linebackers and safeties. We don't seem to get this done well. Second, the 6 point area is up the field not on sidelines. We don't throw enough up the middle short or medium. We should make more use of the tight end and backs flaring out of the backfield. We should not waste those precious three quarters seconds in our own flat and allow the defense to react. Pet peeve of mine, teach the receivers to go for the 1st down line and suggest to Tommy that throwing short of that yardage does not always work. Another pet peeve, the receivers after becoming a ball carrier will sometimes come to a stop and rabbit their feet up and down trying to decide on a juke move. Usually, they just lose time while the defense closes in about 2-3 yards before the rabbit feet try to step out.

His running speed is relative to the defense's speed and the blocking with regard to yards gained. I think his real problem at this time is he does not set his feet many times before throwing resulting in throws off target. I think he probably going to be a good one for us. It will be interesting to see if Stanton really develops what Bo will do with Tommy.

With our history with walk-ons, Pelini should talk to that coach and remind him about morale, motivation and the walk-ons who eventually played on Sunday..

If it took three quarters to figure out the clap problem, we have more problems than the clap.

Mississippi has: warm winters Mississippi Belles- warm women Gulf coast beaches party times high cotton close access to southern football- recruits taught by full time HQ coaches two great college coaches and most likely undiscovered NCAA infractions

Is this real?

We are lucky. However, Sparty is considered to be very good and we lost within the spread. We still showed our Achilles heel in the game.

Sparty just showed us that we are a second tier team. Our Big 10 chances are over this year. We have had trouble in the past with Northwestern, Iowa and even Minnesota. Sparty showed the others how to really stop us and they will imitate Sparty- just a question if they have the speed. Our offensive line will not improve against good teams. We will be embarrassed again if we make it to the Big10 Championship game because the other team will be the same caliber or better than Sparty. Man...so when you were a kid and did bad on a test or assignment, your parents just said "Well, better have another kid...this one sucks" This board is heavily divided into two camps Those who are cautiously optimistic and believe we have a shot at winning a conference title and those who believe we should join the Sun Belt and that we are one of the worst teams in college football. The O Line was outmanned on the LOS due to the defensive game plan and they were also at the limit of their skills on blocking against Sparty. They were too slow and did not cover the outside rush or clear the hole. The offensive game plan should have been changed to passing to get the linebackers to back off into coverage allowing five on five for running. That didn't happen often. The line just got beat physically. Cotton can't get into a balanced stanch and stay focused without the wind putting him on his butt. Sterup was the equivalent of a wooden statue. Someone else said Pelini blew 5-6 snaps. Some is mental that can be coached out but the physical shortcomings is not a game to game improvement.

Sparty just showed us that we are a second tier team. Our Big 10 chances are over this year. We have had trouble in the past with Northwestern, Iowa and even Minnesota. Sparty showed the others how to really stop us and they will imitate Sparty- just a question if they have the speed. Our offensive line will not improve against good teams. We will be embarrassed again if we make it to the Big10 Championship game because the other team will be the same caliber or better than Sparty. Man...so when you were a kid and did bad on a test or assignment, your parents just said "Well, better have another kid...this one sucks" You are assuming that the kid has not used his full intellect or that the teacher failed to teach?

You average 5 yards before contact against weak defensive teams. No doubt a good game plan and speed helps. Tim Beck did not adjust when he knew by the 2nd Qtr that his game plan was not working. If he thought we would wear them down, he was not watching the game. He should have gone to the passing game until the Sparty defense eased off their game plan to stop Ameer and the run game. I blame Beck and Pelini for not planning on this before the game.

You're just not paying attention to the posts. People don't want to fire coaches after one game....it's several seasons worth of games. This offense came out unprepared. That is simply unacceptable for a big time college program to have an OC that comes out with a gameplan that bad in the biggest game of the season to date. Nothing new. Nothing unique. No play of attack just the usual "oh crap this isn't working, panic!" Minimal halftime adjustments. Our first 3 plays were 3 of the same that had been failing all first half. I don't want a dual threat qb. I want someone that can complete a 5 yard pass to a wide open receiver/back. A guy that in big games with the game on the line can look for his playmakers and not predetermine his throws. How the HELL do you not look for Weskerkamp at the end of the game...especially after he missed him wide open for another touchdown in the 3rd. How does Beck not stress this to his young qb? TA should not be having these issues. It's the coaches job to point these things out. You're the delusional one believing this coaching staff is doing a good job. The Offensive coaches flat out blew it this week. Preparation. Game time adjustments. Playcalling. It was an embarrassment to be that underprepared. MSU knew our audibles and we were still using them in the second half. You'd think a competent OC could see that. I've had a chance to sleep on this and I'm more upset now that the thrill of almost winning a game we had no business being in the 4th has worn off. Like it or not, Ira, you're not Tim Beck. You're not running his offensive system. A pocket passer would be useless in this offense because it would totally erase the threat of the QB run game. Seeing as how our offense is built around spread concepts and the zone read, that would be bad. It's no shock to see why a freshman Martinez could unseat a senior Zac Lee in 2010. Lee had zero mobility. We can agree on some things. Beck got an F last night. Whatever he was trying to do, however he wanted to attack... it sucked. Once again, we've said this before, he needs to make better (any) adjustments and think on the fly better when his gameplan going in falters. Tommy needs an actual QB coach to iron out his mechanical problems and develop him into a passer. If something has to give, move Barney to admin and spend money (big money if you have to) to get the best QB coach you can. He can coach Tommy up, help him to reach his potential, as well as provide another set of eyes to TB during games so maybe we can adjust to something. ANYTHING. I was disgusted with his first series after half time. Quick three and out was another blow to our morale at that point. Barney and Garrison get an F for last night. That was the absolute worst blocked game I recall EVER as a fan of this program. They flat out embarrassed our line all night. I don't envy any of those OL in the film room come Monday. But I'm able to see the good through the bad. I don't think the rest of the coaches should be dogged on that much. Bo is responsible for getting the offense ready to go for this HUGE game. I get that. I'm sure they had a solid gameplan in place going into the game. Clearly it didn't work. They took away AA, killed the zone read, and Tommy couldn't throw well last night. It was the perfect storm for a loss. But I cannot blame Bo for failing to fix the offensive gameplan or adjust it IN GAME. To expect a defensive head coach to suddenly commandeer the offense during the game is ludicrous IMO. He can give suggestions to Beck, but as far as I'm concerned, the complete fall on the face performance of the offense last night goes solely on TB. He gets the praise when we rush all over teams. He should fall on the sword when we struggle as spectacularly as we did last night. I'm not delusional at all my man. This coaching staff is doing a damn good job. I credit Bo and the defensive coaches for keeping our asses in that game after the offense totally peed down their leg. The defense played with their heart on their sleeve, especially considering the players we've lost so far. Think about it. Alexander, CJax, Rose, Avery, Davie. That's half our damn starting defense not in the game. I am SO impressed by how well they played regardless. SOOOOO glad Roach played lights out and I pray Bando is now relegated to the bench. He needs to drop some weight and get faster ASAP, IMO. The offense is still too inconsistent. I said going in that we needed to wait and see with Beck because he's "turned the corner" before only to fall on his face later. I think I was correct on that one. He gets an F. Barney/Garrison get Fs. I'm not calling for heads just yet, though. They've got the rest of the season to put this behind them. If find a way to make it to Indy and kick Sparty's ass their en route to the Rose Bowl, all is forgiven, IMO. I disagree. Bo is the Head Coach and he is paid to run the team including telling the OC what to do. Bo is a defensive coach and therefore he knew what Sparty was doing on defense. He also then knew what offenses could do to counter that specific defensive game plan.

The Offensive Line has more problems than just the S&C coaching.

They won't do it again unless we are playing a high school team. Herbstreit used to pick up until we embarrassed him too many times. We don't have the Top 20 quality.

Sparty just showed us that we are a second tier team. Our Big 10 chances are over this year. We have had trouble in the past with Northwestern, Iowa and even Minnesota. Sparty showed the others how to really stop us and they will imitate Sparty- just a question if they have the speed. Our offensive line will not improve against good teams. We will be embarrassed again if we make it to the Big10 Championship game because the other team will be the same caliber or better than Sparty.