Husker in WI

2 minutes ago, Redux said:

 

Seeing the forced turnovers as the year goes.  Not as much on the pressure side.

We need some athletes at pass rusher and Safety, we're blitzing more late in the year but he still doesn't trust the back end to hold up. We also don't have a guy who can just go get the quarterback when we rush 4 - need one of those.

I think Chinander's style can work, but I do worry about it against run heavy teams. It's hard to count on fumbles, and if you don't stop them enough to force them to throw the pressure is meaningless. MSU and Iowa are uncharacteristically bad at running the ball this year, so it's a good chance for the D to prove they can stop the run against someone.

6 minutes ago, Hunter94 said:

gotta fix our pathetic run D..........

Agreed - the next two weeks are a good chance to see if we've learned from playing Michigan and Wisconsin. I don't know if the coaches are still figuring out how to stop power running teams or if the players just need to see it more, but neither team has a great offense so there aren't many excuses. I am more worried about their defense than others appear to be, but we should be able to score some. They've got a top-2 run defense by YPG and YPC, but the pass defense is (at least statistically) vulnerable.

As long as we get a few stops and don't turn it over, I like our chances. If we can't get the run fits figured out and they get a couple turnovers it could be rough though, we need the front 7 to step up.

3 minutes ago, ColoradoHusk said:

 

That is a fair statement.  In some areas (turnovers, sacks, and TFL's)  we have seen improvement in the defense.  In some areas, not so much.  I think we have seen effort improve, along with the trust in the scheme (although there are still busts).  I am still concerned about teams running right at NU.  I think that's a combination of talent upfront and scheme overall.

That's still my biggest concern as well - I think a lot of the big runs we've given up are on the LBs and Safeties, so hopefully scheme familiarity and getting more athletes helps there. Iowa/Michigan State still worry me, we haven't shown we can stop the run even if we sell out to do so. I think both are winnable, but I'm not convinced we can consistently stop them.

6 minutes ago, VectorVictor said:

I guess my point got off target--IMO, it goes back to asking why we have Caleb still on Special Teams? Do we not have another kicker that could do his job effectively somewhere in the roster? We already replaced Caleb once because he wasn't able to do as the coach asked--why would this time different?

 

I haven't found the touchback stats to comment on how well he's doing overall on kickoffs, but I would guess we do not have another kicker who can consistently kick off into the end zone which is our goal on most kickoffs. Maybe we have a better guy for an onside kick, but that would be a bit of a clue to our intentions if we send out a new kicker randomly. He's able to do what the coaches ask most of the time on kickoffs, and I don't find it hard to believe our other options can't - nobody else seems to have an exceptionally strong leg. 

25 minutes ago, RedSavage said:

Interesting to see Stolt at DE and not starting NG

Probably a better fit anyway, at least on running downs. He's a stud and has been our best NT, but I think he's better as an end if we've got the bodies inside. They must really like what Davis is doing as a nose, and I'm guessing we'll see him in both positions.

7 minutes ago, VectorVictor said:

 

When there's statistical evidence backing up the complains (just like the 33-9 disparity in our last Big XII season in three games with the same officiating crew), then it's not whining. To borrow from @alexhortdog95:

 

 

That's not a mere statistical anomaly. Sorry if wanting a fair shake (well, as fair as one can expect with humans officiating) constitutes whining in your book.  

21 hours ago, Moiraine said:

 

 

You don’t have enough information to determine whether it’s statistically impossible (if you’re trying to say it’s bias against Nebraska). We don’t know how often offensive holding is called on pass plays overall, and we don’t know how often holding actually occurs.

 

Here is a link that has some info on all offensive holding calls from 2015-2017. Nebraska isn’t even ranked at the bottom for holds per play defended. Michigan is. We’re ranked 11th out of 14. And at the top are the Big Ten darlings Indiana and Minnesota.

 

https://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/b1g-offensive-holding-statistics-harbaugh-era-updated-play

 

Did you not read Moiraine's post from the Reffing thread, or are you just ignoring it? The Big Ten doesn't call a lot of holding, and we're not even getting the worst of it. We're towards the bottom, but other teams see it called even less and it is pretty much the definition of a statistical anomaly. 21 games is obviously unlikely, but that's also excluding all running plays- also I'm pretty sure Diaco wanted the d-line to just stand in the way, so I'm not surprised at all it wasn't called last year.  It's completely different than the end of the Big XII era, that was absurd.

Another factor people have pointed out - we have no pass rushers, so it's easy for opponents to not hold. I've seen a couple missed calls on Gifford, but I really haven't seen a lot of blatant no calls. The refs have not been great, but every team feels that way and we've done ourselves no favors.

On 10/21/2018 at 8:47 PM, Pedro G said:

Oh I don’t know. He is more talented than Correll Buckhalter, who was drafted in the 4th round and contributed in the NFL. He had two seasons with 500-plus yards and one with 600-plus yards. 

 

Edit: I’m referring to Oz. I think his best football may still be ahead of him. 

I think Buckhalter's a pretty good comparison, and I think he could've done a lot more in the NFL given a bigger opportunity - seems like he was always the change of pace back. You don't have a chance to be a 1,000 yard rusher if you're topping out at 120-130 carries. Just curious, what makes you say Ozigbo is more talented? I see them as pretty similar, and if Ziggy runs around the same 40 as Buckhalter (4.53) I'd bet he's drafted in the same 3-5 round range. Prior to this year, he was definitely an UDFA and the idea of him running a 4.53 would be laughable - this year has been great for him. Durability and relative lack of carries are pluses as well.

1 hour ago, Xmas32 said:

 

Full disclaimer, I don't pay attention to the participation charts too much so I could lumping in some guys that are playing quite a bit and aren't eligible to RS.  I'm sure other folks will add any names I'm forgetting.  I'm assuming by significant contributions that the players will see regular playing time on offense, defense or special teams.  The nice thing is we'll be able to see who the staff is high on after the BC game due to the redshirt rule.

 

Off the top of my head...

 

Miles Jones

Breon Dixon

Cam Jones

Moses Bryant (I think Moses gets a long look at either KR or PR)

 

The only others I can think of would be CJ Smith, Braxton Clark, and Andre Hunt because they've already seen the field a little bit. Someone could always make a big jump, but those seem like the most likely candidates. 

10 minutes ago, TGHusker said:

Did Stoltenberg play Sat?   If not, how much longer will he be out and is there a chance for a medical redshirt?  I think our DL play would have been much better with him in there this year.

Doesn't look like he did, and my impression is his knees are just pretty messed up. I thought the coaches said he was getting close so maybe sometime this year, but I wouldn't count on next year even if he got a medical redshirt - might just be a Tre Bryant type situation.

26 minutes ago, Xmas32 said:

 

Good stuff here.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I could've sworn I heard they were planning on moving Bland to C?

That would make sense, I don't really know. But I would feel better with an experienced Center, even if Bland's experience is from Juco and at Guard. And who knows, some of the guys committed probably won't make it here and we may sign some big time guys who factor in next year. It's also impossible to guess who will make the biggest jumps in year 2, but I love speculating.

On 10/20/2018 at 11:26 PM, huskerfan74 said:

While the defense is a work in progress, our special teams are a disaster and have been for a very long time now. They are not showing any signs of life. I can’t remember the last time we returned a punt for a touchdown, blocked a punt, blocked a field goal, caused a turnover. They are not even trying. Most of the time, all they do is the bare minimum not to lose the ball. EVERY good team that competes for championship has good special teams. We don’t. We need a coach that can do a much better job at getting the special teams play perform at a higher level. I do not see that improving with the current coach as he does not seem to be doing anything. Repeating the same exact thing and expecting different results is the definition of stupidity, which defines our special teams play. If you think that Jovan Dewitt is doing a good job then we are not watching the same games.

I think we are actually watching different games if you believe that. I agree the results need to be better, but it's been 7 games and there have been a lot of changes.

Dewitt (or whoever decides the ST starters, I know he at least runs the drills) was a little slow with the hook for Tyjon as a returner, but they did demote him before he transferred. Ober was demoted for not covering punts well enough, and Lightbourn was demoted for shanking a ton of kicks and hanging the coverage team out to dry the rest of the time. If we had another kicker I bet we would have given him a shot (although I think Pickering will be fine), and our returns have been close a few times. That block in the back call against Wisconsin was pretty weak.

I would also love to see some blocked kicks and return TDs, and I think we will soon. But unless you know a lot more about the specific blocking/return schemes than I do (I can't speak to whether those have been changed at all over the course of the season), the only repetitive thing I've noticed is a lot of fair catch/kneeling on our returns. That's just what happens when football is actively trying to get rid of the kickoff though, and we're not really expecting different results out of it.

If Brohm did stick around, Robinson/Moore would be terrifying. He does a great job getting the ball into Moore's hands, with 2 elite athletes that just gets easier. But, even if he stays for another year or two you're playing for another staff by junior year, and probably earlier.

Ozigbo is a big loss, he's been a stud. Having Washington back helps and guys like Miles Jones and Mazour should be ready to contribute more. We don't have a bigger back, but that's where Mills would be good. Throw in probably one of the new freshman contributing like Washington this year and I'm pretty excited.

Morgan is also a huge loss, and I think there are fewer options behind him. We need a bunch of guys to take big steps in year 2, but there is talent. Woodyard, Williams, Hunt, McQuitty, and Warner are all options but even assuming they develop it's a step down.

I think Farmer and Foster are better than they're given credit for, but neither are irreplaceable. Center does concern me since the next man up seems to be a walk-on Sophmore (H. Miller) and I don't think Jurgens will be ready next year. He needs 30-40 pounds and is learning a brand new position - if he is the guy great, but I'm not counting on it yet. Maybe Will Farniok or Raridon are options. But the tackles and Wilson return, and I'm confident we can find another guard, probably Desmond Bland.

D-line we lose Freedom, Stoltenberg and Newell. They've all been good, but I don't think head and shoulders above the returning depth. NT is a little concerning since we're pretty much down to Daniels and C. Davis there, but Fair (Juco) will help and we'll find out if Vainuku needed a year to get back into football or if that was a miss.

LB - Young is gone, but if Honas comes back healthy I actually feel better about the ILBs. Maybe a little worse in coverage, Young looks lost sometimes but then others he blankets the guy. Haven't really seen Honas cover. Depth is still a problem there, but I bet either Henrich or Hannah rotate in as a freshman. Gifford will be missed, but I like a healthy Ferguson/Tannor combination. Still need depth, really just counting on 2nd year growth there.

We lose a lot of Safeties, that could be interesting in a bad way. Dismuke has made it onto the field a few times, and I do really like Deontai. If Domann is healthy I feel a lot better, but there's a reason we're offering Juco safeties.

3 minutes ago, Undone said:

 

Maybe Urban's program is committing NCAA violations and maybe they're not. 

But unless it's proven that they are and his program comes crashing down, one thing is for certain - he's going to be kicking the West's a** unless a team from the West hauls in Top 20 recruiting classes, fields a great quarterback (which we do have now), and churns out a good defense.

Right, I don't actually disagree with you. In their current state Wisconsin is not going to be consistently competitive against OSU/PSU - they can probably pull a B1G championship upset every once in a while but that's about it. We'll see if they get a QB and some more talent outside of the lines/backs.

8 minutes ago, Undone said:

So it's funny to me how life-long Husker fans gush over their program, when in reality they're a program that will never win a national championship and won't win a conference title unless Urban or James Franklin get fired, go to the NFL, or take up a meth smoking habit.

Or have to step away for "medical reasons," which would have nothing to do with a bunch of impending issues with the program stemming from letting players do whatever they want. Although Urban seems pretty untouchable with his memory loss excuse.

13 minutes ago, BowedButNotBeaten said:

No. He hurt his hamstring against Maryland in 2017 and was out for the rest of the year, and he hurt his foot against Maryland this year and will miss the rest of the season. He's not allowed to suit up against Maryland anymore.

Pretty sure he was referring to this, but sounds like he was essentially cleared and they sued/are suing the school for suspending them.

https://www.twincities.com/2017/09/06/with-nightmare-suspension-behind-him-gophers-antoine-winfield-jr-back-on-field-making-plays/

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/23735300/minnesota-players-suspended-school-sue-university-45-million-claiming-gender-racial-discrimination

3 minutes ago, Redux said:

 

The fumbley part?

Also the part where Martinez has scored for another team, which made me laugh and then cry.

Minnesota - Zack Annexstad: 88/167 (53%) for 1142 yards, 8 TD and 7 INT, 20 rushes for -86 yards 0 TDs, 176 total yds/game

Nebraska - Adrian Martinez: 96-154 (62%) for 1167 yards, 6 TD and 5 INT, 66 rushes for 290 yards 3 TDs, 291.4 total yds/game

Highlighted some key differences for you, including the fact the Martinez missed a game. Technically missed half a game against Michigan too, but it counts as a full game for the yardage rate. I think Annexstad will be solid, but you're delusional if you think they've been roughly equivalent.

He gave up 3 15+ yard gains in the 2nd quarter, including their first touchdown. He also gave up the 61 yard touchdown early in the 4th to cut the lead to 28-21. It was going wrong all game (when we were in man coverage), and if you think you'll need to call man down the stretch you have to get that fixed. Maybe he thought we would be able to stay in zone, maybe he thought NW hadn't picked up on it, but neither is excusable in my mind. Taylor was man to man on Nagel on at least once in the 3rd quarter, so it's not like he was completely unprepared to play. They had also completely given up on the run, so I don't see any reason to have a safety in there instead of a corner. I know Chinander pointed out the other failings on that play, but you can't say Williams did it right and the blame is entirely on the pass rush.

With that being said, I realize there are many reasons we lost. That just seems like one that could have and should have been addressed - I know Nagel is good, but you can't tell me A. Williams is the best option to put on him the entire game, especially when he'd racked up a lot of yards prior to the last 2 drives.

4 minutes ago, TheSker said:

From what Chinander said yesterday, it sounds like this personnel change, especially in man coverage, is in effect immediately because of that.

Which is great, but being able to make that change during the game could have been the difference. Obviously that wasn't the only thing that went wrong, but it was a huge factor. Pretty sure Thorson was immediately looking for Nagel anytime he saw it was man coverage, and if the guy in there can't get it done we have to make some kind of adjustment. It's a tough spot with injuries, but we have to have another option at some point when it's clearly not working.

1 hour ago, BoNeyard said:

Sorry I need substance with a rah rah speech. You tell me guys need to be in the weight room more often, well a true leader doesn't just say that and call out his unit in a press conference and leave it at that, a leader makes sure everyone is in the weight room longer, and everyone is giving their 110%, and a leader leaves last to make sure everyone got the job done for the day. If someone is going soft in practice you call them out in practice and get them to do better. 

 

rah rah speeches are fine, but they look silly when there is no substance to back it up.

 It's literally impossible to have substance in a rah rah speech if your definition of substance involves the weight room and practice. Do we know whether Farmer holds teammates accountable or not? You pointed out defensive and skill position players saying "positive" and "motivating" things, but I see no difference between those and Farmer. Also hard to argue the defense in particular has been better than the o-line.

All of the speeches need to validated on the field, and I think they will be. But saying some are good and others not without knowing what the individual players do during the week is pretty arbitrary. 

9 minutes ago, ICHawk24 said:

Are these cutesy troll attempts about Iowa losing to NDSU in 2016?  

 

That same year, Iowa came into Lincoln and spanked Nebraska 40-10.  At least you got a TD to let those balloons go halfway through the third quarter.

 

Sagarin had NDSU ranked #44 that year, Nebraska #45.

 

More just attempts to put things in perspective. Obviously we suck this year, no one rational is arguing otherwise. Maybe we're arguing we don't suck as bad as it seems like we do, but whatever. Just making sure you understand that while you do have some things to gloat about at the moment, it's really not that much.

Starting in '04 this is the worst stretch for Nebraska in the modern era, with the 2 worst coaches in recent memory. It's also been Iowa's best stretch since the 50's. Since '04, Nebraska is 112-74, Iowa is 115-69 - Iowa just passed Nebraska for wins over that stretch this year with our atrocious start to the year. So yeah, you've pounded us a couple years and might this year as well, enjoy it while it lasts! And keep in mind your current level of success matches up pretty well with the worst period in Nebraska's modern history.

11 hours ago, ScottyIce said:

Anyone seen Vainuku lately?

Is that a hint at one of the parties involved in the meeting conflict, or just a random question? 247 has him on the travel roster for Wisconsin, and I thought I remembered seeing him on the sideline. On the field, no - he might've played a little against Troy or Michigan, but it feels like he's pretty much emergency NT depth at the moment.

https://247sports.com/college/nebraska/Article/Nebraska-Huskers-travel-Roster-vs-Wisconsin-122969467/

3 minutes ago, KCBuc said:

Please bring back the attacking 4-3. Extra guys coming to disrupt the offense. Before you say they don’t have the DEs to run it, they don’t have the DT to run a 3-4. 

4-3 and 3-4 can both work, and this is only year two of the 3-4. Also the "extra guys coming" is more of a 3-4 thing, obviously you can blitz out of either but most of the time you're rushing four. I don't think the specific scheme we're running is the biggest issue, although at this point we're not a perfect fit for either since most of the upperclassmen were recruited for a 4-3. Talent and knowledge in the scheme are a little lacking at the moment, and you don't fix either of those with a change to the 4-3. You'd also need a new coordinator since I can't think of any coordinator who has switched things that drastically - give Chinander some time.

We also do have the DTs for the 3-4, they're just young (Daniels), out of football shape (Vainuku), learning/growing into the position (C. Davis) or not on campus yet (Fair/any other recruits). Stoltenberg is a man but definitely out of position as a 3-4 nose, and Newell is pretty undersized. I don't think we'd do any better as a 4-3 at this point - Freedom would be better as a 4-3 end, but I don't think enough better to want to change schemes entirely.

18 minutes ago, 4skers89 said:

1959? Are they really claiming that NC awarded by the Pork Breeders Association?

Wikipedia sums it up nicely:

"Many believe that the Iowa Hawkeyes rightfully hold the 1958 National Championship.[15] Significantly more people believe Iowa's fictitious claim to the 1958 National Championship is a sham."

LSU was undefeated, Iowa was not. Not the strongest claim out there.