husker_rob

Nothing in life is black and white. Just like 1 play-call never wins or loses a single game, it's not so convenient to pin our blowouts on either coaching or talent. It's both ..... plus something else... Agree with others that it's mostly psychological. You could see it from the very first snap at Ohio St. Our guys were scared sh*tless at the situation. The lights were SO bright. We had the nation's attention for one night. And we've seen that look before in other blowouts. They simply do not truly BELIEVE that winning the big game on the road is a reasonable outcome. And that psychology, of course, can only REALLY be addressed by coaching. This is why it's so incredibly important to develop physicality up front on both sides of the ball -- something we are not even close to being. In order for our guys to start believing in the game, they have to feed off the energy of the guys up front. On defense, those guys would be able to set the tone by pressuring the QB, or being able to shake the nerves by running for nice 5-yd gains by following a physical offensive line. Finally, of course, I would agree that we need better talent. You can never have enough of this. But look at Texas. Look at Tennessee. It's possible to have great talent on your roster and still be a mediocre team. Most importantly, look at Wisconsin. We probably have SIMILAR talent, but our results on the field the past several years in big games could not possibly be more different. Wisconsin doesn't take the field with the "deer in headlights" look. They always play very physically and make you beat them (they don't beat themselves). They suffered a major blowout under the brightest lights a couple years ago against Ohio St, but they seemingly forgot about it earlier this year when they took them to OT. Our coaches have got to make us into a physical program again. Strength up front is always the great equalizer in the game.

+1 ... So proud of this team.

That was my first thought when I read that, as well hahaha. So many good posts here, I can't quote them all. But just to agree with many, I also liked Bo the human being on non-gamedays hahaha. He ran a clean program, he was a connection to the almost-glory-days (the last throws of the Solich years), and he seemed to be someone altogether different on Spring Game Saturday.... But my goodness, he certainly showed neither the ability, nor the inclination, to take a drastic look at his defensive philosophy in the face of insurmountable evidence that it needed to change. Of course, the offensive turnover, "3 and out", or quick-strike machine that seemed to dominate his years here did that defense no favors. It had to change.

Would be nice to know we could just run power football with a backup QB, á la Turman and LP vs K St 1994 ..... but our o-line just doesn't appear to be in a place to be able to do that, as they're very hobbled as well. Tough decisions to be made. Would certainly be ideal if we could get these ankles rested up for Wisconsin.

My immediate reaction is, "oh, I bet this has Notre Dame in whatever the Big Ten is called," and I wasn't let down at all. lol That ship has sailed. I couldn't agree more -- Notre Dame was always a logical fit for the Big Ten. But it's over. They're not interested, and if that was going to happen, it would have happened by now. Too bad there isn't a nice configurable college football video game for you to play with this realignment, but that's about as close as we're going to get to it. Way too much money at stake (just to simply pick ONE swap at random) for Maryland and Rutgers to suddenly just be cool with swapping conferences and allowing Cincinnati and Pittsburg to take their places. All conferences are not created equally. We should know. We somehow escaped the biggest joke of a conference there is. We're very lucky to be in our new stable, respectful home.

I thought the spot was pretty good, objectively. Watched it on many replays, and it wasn't like Newby was stretching the ball, or anything. He was right in the middle of a pile, and where the ball was on his body is pretty much where the ball was spotted on the field. I just didn't see any evidence that it was super favorable towards us, but it only passed by a half inch, so I guess it just had to be favorable by the smallest of margins. Just as big of a call -- one that I have not rewatched -- was the pass interference on Stanley Morgan Jr that occurred not too long before "the spot". Anyone know -- was this legit? I was upset that they didn't show a replay. Anyone see it? Was defender climbing on his back, hook his arm, anything? I need to rewatch that play.

Virtually every strength of schedule publishing for that 2012 season has Notre Dame in the Top 10: https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/schedule-strength-by-other?date=2013-01-08 http://www.fbschedules.com/2013/01/final-2012-college-football-strength-of-schedule-rankings/ They played a really good schedule -- I watched every game that year, hoping that they would FINALLY lose their next game. But they kept on winning. I couldn't stand it, but I must admit, it was a pretty impressive run. I would agree with most that some jobs are TOUGHER than others, but certainly not overrated. The right coach can, and has, won at both places (probably the last being Holtz at ND). I think overrated would imply that it's almost impossible to achieve expectations at a job, or it's simply not rewarding when you do, and I don't really see that at either place. Miami has a relatively easier annual schedule than ND, and that area is LOADED with talent. I don't understand how coaches aren't winning there.

Totally agree. These coaches just seem to get it, in terms of how our legacy makes our program what it is, and it make me proud to be a Husker again. RIP Milt, and thank you so much for the countless hours you put into shaping young men's lives and providing us something to be proud of! Kudos to Dirk for a wonderful article.

I went to a Ducks game in Eugene a couple years ago and spent the night there. Had a great time. Can't wait to go back there when Nebraska plays there next year. As NUance says, Have fun!

His anger is misguided (shocker). If he wants to be angry at anyone, he should be angry at Jim Delany. The rest of the nation was moving on (Bowl Alliance, or whatever it was called back then), trying to field a true national championship game, while the Big Ten was determined to hold on to the theory that the MNC is better determined by a writer's / coach's vote. They got what they asked for. All Nebraska and Scott Frost did was refuse to lose.

Man, we are in some serious need of real success / national relevance. In a million years, I never would have predicted what has happened over the past 15 years. Reflecting back to myself in 2001, with the machine still rolling and only one stunning high-profile loss (Miami could have been worse, but Colorado was stunning), I wouldn't have thought it was possible for the wheels to fall off. Still SMH in amazement.

Given our recruiting base and population, I think #6 is outstanding, and we're in some seriously good company, especially #s 1-7 (haha had to draw the line somewhere ). Given the way our past 15 years have gone, I'm not EVEN complaining about #6. Here's to the next 15, which hopefully put us back on the map (wishful thinking, who knows?!!).

Very sad day today. Thank you, Sam, for everything you did to brighten lives around you.

ROFL awesome post!! That would indeed be a perfect world scenario... all of it. And thank you for refraining on sharing a brilliant idea that has "Notre Dame to Big Ten" that I see so often from Huskers fans hahaha. That ship has sailed. That's not a perfect world scenario -- that's a fantasy. ND clearly wants nothing to do with the Big Ten. But I digress... Thanks for the laughs at WV and K St (and the truth re: Texas)

Personally, I despise watching the Big XII brand of football ... basketball on turf. I won't even watch it on TV any longer. I love smash-mouth football, most probably because I grew up in the 80s and 90s, when Nebraska used to be a physical team. Hopefully someday we'll get that edge back. I like the football better. It's a professionally-run league, where schools value each other, instead of dealing with the constant in-fighting and jockeying for control that defines the Big XII. The conference is making our institution far better academically than it would have been in the Big XII (Big Ten is simply superior re: academics). We ought to feel very lucky that they wanted us, and we should be doing everything we can to actually do a better job of competing in the conference and, I dare say, moving it forward (like Ohio State and Michigan State are doing on a national level). Count me out.

How would anyone know this? You post a nonsensical thread that is essentially a one-sentence generality, which may, or may not, even pertain to the subject of this message board. There was no point whatsoever. And then you have the nerve to insult people who misinterpreted your non-statement, ultimately following it up with a "foot stomipin" cliche that means nothing. I've just got to know what inspired you to create this thread. It's essentially like some annoying girl on facebook who posts something like, "Some people need to know when to shut up," which means nothing to anyone other than the person who created it and is really just a plead for attention.

I tend to believe that, with the right coach, anything is possible. We have a long history, but we were pretty much a doormat when Bob Devaney came to town. Somehow he made a room of kids believe in themselves at some point. And winning is sometimes contagious. And they were able to keep the machine running for a long time because of that winning attitude, shared by players, coaches, and fans alike. We've lost our way after the last 15 years. I'm not sure if anyone in that locker room truly believes they will beat Ohio State when they step on the field with them next year. They may hope. But I doubt they truly believe. I doubt many coaches or fans feel differently. You look at all the great programs, and they typically have a man leading them who believes. When we get that guy, we'll know because he'll be quoted someday like Bear Bryant after the fact: You boys were eight and ten years old last time Alabama was on top. That was before any of you were paying much attention to it. What are you doing here? Tell me why you are here. If you are not here to win a national championship, you’re in the wrong place. You boys are special. I don’t want my players to be like other students. I want special people. You can learn a lot on the football field that isn’t taught in the home, the church, or the classroom. There are going to be days when you think you’ve got no more to give and then you’re going to give plenty more. You are going to have pride and class. You are going to be very special. You are going to win the national championship for Alabama. ...Except our boys weren't born the last time Nebraska was on top. But I do think someone out there exists who will once again make our program believe it belongs. I don't necessarily get the vibe that it's this staff. I hope, but I don't truly believe.

Well, he should have access to the same amount of talent, and the ACC is not to be confused with the SEC. The fact that ANYONE fails at Miami, considering the talent they have in their backyard, as well as the history of outstanding pro players and championships they've developed, boggles the mind.

These are stupid exhibition games that mean nothing to anyone but the teams playing in the games. Anymore, there are really only 3 postseason games that mean anything to the big picture. Why would anyone care about the records of teams playing in the other games? We got invited to a game that is played solely because they think they can make money on it (I have no idea if they really do). It only means something to us. I'm totally fine with it. These aren't your 1960s and 70s bowl games. There are a lot of games, and they have teams to play in them.

I haven't gone back and re-watched the game, and can't recall... On what yard line was Mich St on that play? If they put 1 second back on the clock, what type of FG would have they been looking at? Or would have they had to Hail Mary?

Sparty has become my 2nd fav B1G team (even before yesterday, although yesterday definitely helped). I love the way they play. Blue collar. Physical. Lack of showmanship. Lots of respect for Dantonio. Lots of respect for the way he and his team handled this crushing loss, with a crucial controversial call highlighting it. Wish them the best of luck for the rest of the year (down, but not out of playoff contention). Captain Obvious says that was a huge win for us. Nice to know we can play physical with the best of 'em.

Well, agreed, the most important thing is we put ourselves in a position to win it, even without the call. That being said, I'll take the call and catch.

Ran with a purpose tonight. So did Janovich. Good game by the guys up front (tough Mich St front), and nice job by backs getting as much as they could.

That is hilarious

If it would have happened to us, I am confident of the following two things: ​It would have been Riley's fault. He threw his players under the bus when he said, "There was nobody back to field the punt. I told him to catch it and punt it." (Paraphrasing, but that's basically what Harbaugh said.)