Wistrom Disciple

I agree that the school probably knew going in that this would likely be denied. But if they failed to try, you could lose some interest with players, parents and stakeholders of the program. Now the unity of the program, fans, etc. is shown again by thinking outside the box for finding options and our administration appears to be the forward-thinking side of the equation. True, it may be a bit petty if they went on the exercise knowing it was to be shot down but it also builds a case for Nebraska in the future. A case for recruiting, for a lawsuit later on if warranted and (should more negatives pile up in future years) a list of real reasons to split from the Big Ten down the line. I'm not advocating for splitting but it is clear that Nebraska is building a pattern that can be objectively argued should it be necessary.

You forgot to add Kevin Warren's ego. It's ok, silly mistake.

Well Big Ten and the Ivy League. They're synonymous, right? I'm sure Harvard, Brown and Yale just love being put on the same level as Rutgers, Iowa and Michigan State.

Well it is content for the Big Ten Network to fill air time. Also sets a precedent for future weeks should a team need games to qualify for a high postseason position (*ahem* Ohio State). As to the testing, run UTC players through the same tests prior to the game and pull any positives.

Nope, not at this stage. Same with finding a team this late to fill in that meets the protocols the Big Ten put in place. Unfortunately, this will be a bye week for us.

Highly doubtful given the reaction from August when we mentioned that exact situation and got blasted by the conference & media.

I had the feeling that who we were facing factored a lot into how we covered the receivers downfield. Might also stay that way until some of our larger DBs get on the field more, as we may be more prone to giving space in order to try and avoid the homerun plays. That said, I would be surprised if we gave that much cushion to Wisky receivers this week or other teams ahead of us. I could be drinking the kool-aid but I am a lot more optimistic about this team despite this past weekend.

I thought it was more of a hyperextended knee which can vary in severity. Hopefully whatever it ends up being, it isn't a long-term deal.

Neat catch, was more impressed that he could outrun the other defensive backs the final 55 yards at his size. Definitely could use his size as a threat downfield in the future.

Bingo, sure it'll be debated if Mertz doesn't play but it is a team versus team game. I hope he does play and I also hope Manning plays for us. Should be a fun game to watch and I think we're going to be competitive regardless of who is out there for them.

Hard to tell how good Northwestern actually is when playing a team like Maryland. Their game this week against Iowa will be much more of an indicator (applies to Iowa too and if they can come back following a surprising loss).

Throwing around the "Super Bowl" term a little loosely I see. Wisconsin is good but I don't believe a team in the conference is anywhere near as talented as Ohio State. Should be a fun one to watch this weekend. As for the biggest game of the year, I am more interested in winning the Iowa & Minnesota games. Would be nice to get back to being the best team in the region and avenge some poor performances in the previous couple years.

You're right, we do have a past we can be proud of and justify the program as one of college football's blue bloods. However, we have made several (note: dozens) of boneheaded errors the past 20 years both on the field and especially off the field. I don't think our fanbase/program being labeled as annoying is something we need to get too worked up about. We were annoying and overlooked nationally when we were rolling in the 80s & 90s too. I like the fact that we still have spirit and belief that we're just around the corner or building towards our expectations. Now that the team, program and admin are in unison, I think it's just a matter of time before we get to enjoy the results they've worked towards.

Agreed, slim chance the MAC & Pac12 come back if the Big Ten doesn't. Now we just have to be competitive in these games and show promise. Can't have those inexcusable blowouts again (ie - Minnesota last year).

The wild part is that if Nebraska wasn't so insistent on playing and publicly supporting the idea of playing, it isn't unreasonable to think that the Big Ten would have not revisited the season postponement. Yes, Ohio State's support was crucial but it's hard to believe that they alone would have caused the Big Ten to reverse the decision. Annoying? Sure, we'll take that. I'd rather we get back to associating ourselves with the top of the league anyways like we did with Oklahoma in the Big 8/12 days. Now we just have to get back to where it matters, on the field.

I think ordering college kids to stay in place is a fruitless exercise as shown at nearly every public university in the country. As to your exact question, no a health department doesn't control football or any sport. I do find the timing of these directives interesting however.

Of course! Two weeks of stay in place orders for the college kids. Definitely going to be followed by all of those reliable students. Total coincidence that this order gets lifted Nov. 4th too! At this point, I wonder why some of these schools don't just opt out if they're so hell bent on giving themselves every excuse not to play.

Bingo, there is no harm in sometimes taking 3-4 yards up the middle if it's available. Not every play will be a homerun or first down. Being able to continuously plow up and down the field wears a defense out over four quarters and can be helpful to our defense by winning some of the time of possession battle.

Yes... however this will be their first game of the season too. I believe they may have some moments of struggle as well this first week. Ohio State is replacing quite a few players from last season including a couple linemen, Dobbins & receivers. No doubt they have talent to replace those guys but might not be a finely tuned product yet. (we can hope)

You forgot to mention bubble screens ...

Agreed, I don't recall the last time we could consistently hold onto the ball and move the chains. Unlikely to hit 4-5 homerun plays each game so having some plays where we can pace ourselves moving the chains and give the defense a break is huge. Intricate plays can be neat but we need to have some series where we just grind out first downs in order to set up the big plays to pop.

Could also mean that now that they have the personnel they want at receiver (bigger guys, willing blockers, etc.) they can actually build in some of their go to options they might have lacked last year.

We see eye-to-eye. Linebackers have been probably the most disappointing position on the defensive side since Bo left. I was really hoping Ruud would be a savant out there and be able to coach the guys up but there's been a learning curve. It will help once some of these young guys get on the field but until then we're stuck with who we have.

Do you attribute this to inexperience or could it be personnel (talent/abilities)? I might be too optimistic but I think we'll see progress as they get more of the talent they wanted developing in the program.

Agreed, for the run-heavy Big Ten it does feel like 4-3 would be more appropriate. Your comment about the pace of play is spot on for Wiscy. Our defense gets a lot of flack (some deserved) for the team's shortcomings last year. Our stagnant offense kept the defense on the field for far too long many games. There must be a balance in order for the staff's philosophy to work as we can't lose the time of possession by +20-30% each game unless we're scoring hand over fist. Also agree that Wisconsin has been stout up front but their moneymakers are the linebackers as I see only two Wisconsin defensive linemen in the NFL (Watt & Beau Allen) and two in the secondary (Dixon & Jamerson). My understanding of the Wiscy defensive philosophy is to gum up the line with big boys, try to umbrella defend with the secondary and let the backers make the plays. I think we're slowly adopting the d-line philosophy with the big boys and gumming up the interior but we also are wanting playmakers in the secondary, not just guys to contain. It isn't a bad thought process but requires the right personnel and linebackers who can tackle when needed.