Syzygyone

There are always 11 guys with different colored jerseys trying to win. and their coaches are trying to figure out somehting that works. It IS a chess match! The seeming slowdown is the result of our offensive scheme being figured out. Hence, the Huskers need to adjust to the adjustments. You always take what a defense will give you. Perhaps the BC staff needs to do a better job of in-game analysis to find out what the defense will allow. In any event------->

Offensive plays have a shelf life. They must be set up, and then used at the appropriate time. But, you seldom get to use them multiple times. BC did a great job using the end around to set up the half back pass. Certainly it caught opponent off guard. And certainly a "trick" play is usually very risky as it requires significantly more ball handling, i.e. two or more hand offs, a pass, a blown defenseive coverage and a catch. It makes for GREAT spectating but, this gives me pause. Does the resort to "trick" plays mean you don't think you can grind it out and power your way to scores. Is it a realization that you don't have the offensive punch to get the job done in regular fashion. I'm not casting stones here. Just real curious as to how those plays are perceived. Do we need them to score?

You can't stop every play. You just have to stop them when you need to and the Huskers did that. And, even if the opponent makes a mistake that ultiamtely stops the drive, it's still a part of playing aggressive defense. Aggressive defense is risky business. It does give up some yards, especially against a talented opponent. But, it does cause mistakes and that's where defense stops the drive.

Points well made. Anybody that is think aTm is a walkover is drinking red KoolAid. This wilbe one of the toughter games the Huskers have this year, period. Can they win it? I can't wait to see!

Uh, let's not forget Mack Brown.... I know he's the enemy but to bring UT back as strong as he has with as young a QB, I say he should at least be considered.

I wish he'd said they were working on winning the next four, as opposed to just hoping.

Is it just my perception or do all commentators take the side of whoever Nebraska is playing? The color commentary never seems to be how well the Huskers are moving the ball or how good an offensive scheme is being deployed. Rather, it's about how the opponent has failed to make adjustments, or has to mature a bit more. The color commentary is never about Nebraska. It's never about how great a play a Husker just made. I think this is a sympton of the vast left wing liberal media conspiracy, led by Brent Musberger, that just can't bring itself to believe that the Husker program is world class. Or maybe it's just me.

A shot at the Big 12 Championship and a BCS birth are both on the line this week. They control their own fate. This is where we see if this team, these coaches, have turned the corner. This is where we see if the Husker program has learned how to be a championship program. This is where we see if BC has succeeeded in re-instilling the champion's mind set to the Huskers. A champion doesn't just expect to win. That's just smack talk. Rather, a champion respects the opponent's ability to beat him but knows in his heart that he will be able to do whatever is necessary to stop that from happening. It doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to get done but getting it done is a certainty. After almost four decades of being a red-bleeding, choke fearing, unabashed fan of the Children of the Corn, the elements are there again. Now, we get to see if they have the heart for it. If they get it done, it's more than not just restoring the order. It's restoring the expectation that when you play the Huskers, it is going to be an L for your team. Win lose or draw, I'll always be a fan. But this week they stand on the cusp once again. Man, it's going to be hard to wait until next Saturday.

I SINCERELY HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT!!!!!

Keith Jackson was, IMHO, the single most biased football announcer I've ever heard, ESPECIALLY when it came to announcing Nebraska games. His bias against Nebraska was palpable. But, now, I've heard that he is the "voice" on the Tunnel Walk video. So, what do I know, eh?

Glad you feel better, and yes, "let's" beat Mizzou. But, the quoted post is not saying you have to have played in order to comment. It's saying that anyone with any experience, at playing, coaching, watching, commenting, etc, can see that the coaching scheme is at fault because no one, no matter how talented, can succeed at outside containment when the coaches line you up on the inside shoulder, and you can't succeed at man to man 5 yard pass defense when the coaches line you up in a ten yard zone. At least that's how I interpret it.

So ABC is televising the Missouri game. I can just hear Musburger now. It will be all about Mizzou and how they are fantastic and building a program up to handle the likes of NU, and their coach is an awesome coach, and their god is an awesome god. Brent is just as bad, if not worse than Keith Jackson ever was.

Well, it seems now is an appropraite time. The coaching has to step up if the Huskers are to win the next three, so they can get another shot at UT and then the bowl game.

This is one of the most insightful posts I've seen and not just because I agree with it. It's not the talent. OSU was not more talented than the Huskers. I firmly believe it's the coaching, or lack thereof. For example, as this poster points out, despite being drilled relentlessly utilizing a 8 to 10 yard soft zone coverage scheme by the corners, (EVEN WHEN THE OPPONENT ONLY NEEDS 5 FOR A FIRST DOWN), the coaches don't make adjustments. It's like the defense is always in prevent defense, and all that does is prevent winning. It sure doesn't prevent big plays or even medium plays. For another example, despite being run ragged off tackle, with the same play a dozen times, the defensive scheme which has been beaten is left in place. Rush ends still slant inside and the LB doesn't scrape out to cover. Failure to adapt, failure to motivate, failure to lead. That's coaching.

Offensive Line play, both on the run and pass blocking, is very suspect. Defensive line and LB play is very suspect. Secondary Coverage is very suspect. Tackling fundamentals are very suspect. The team does not seem motivated nor to rise to the occasion. The team does not make adjutments from first half to second half or throughout the game. When a weakness is found and exploited by the opposition, nothing is done to address the discovery. To my way of thinking, these are all aspects of less than stellar coaching. Could I do better? Of course not. But, I can't believe that BC and crew are the caliber that the NU tradition deserves. With that said, I'll always root for the Huskers, no matter who leads them.

I've met Slauson's mom. She is the real deal. Knows football very well. In fact, knows it alot better than most folks on these fan boards. Sounds to me like she hit the nail on the head!

BC abandoned the run too early in the initial drive. It would have set the tone for NU, instead it allowed OSU to think the could (and did) stop NU. When you drive the filed in four plays and then for no apparent reason go to the pass, and then run passs routes that don't get the necessary yardage, that's coaching, not players. As far as linebackers, this is also the fault of the coaching staff. First, everyone in football knows NU has weak secondary. Now, whenever they through, they through against the corners. Why do you play your corners ten yards soft when the oppononets need 5 yards for a first down? That's coaching. And as for stopping the run, OSU ran the same dang play time after time after time. We did nothing to adjust. When we did try to adjust, they just countered in the opposite direction with equal success. This loss was a let down after the hard faught UT loss. I think the coaching staff allowed the team to take this group for granted and weren't mentally prepared. That's coaching. Remember, these are young men, between the ages of 18 and 23 mostly. They need leadership from the sidelines. The need to be instilled with a confidence that they can make the palys when necessary. After OSU went up, there was a visible slump in NU. They would lethargically walk to the line of scrimmage. They were mentally beat. Sorry but I think that's coaching. My penny's worth.

I am not so sure that Missou will be a W. They can pass and the entirety of NCAAF knows NU's secondary isn't the best. Here's hoping you are right though. With that said, if you are correct and I hope you are, and the Huskers do pull out the W, then we are only part of the way back. Achieving Big 12 North championsip is just the first step. NU needs to dominate the NATIONAL stage, not just the Big 12 North. I'll bet that's where THEY expect to be. The true telling of whether or not Coach Bill has the right stuff will come on December 2. Winning that will put NU back on the national stage and enable recruiting so we don't have to live and die by the JUCO (witness K. St.) Winning is nice, but putting together a program that dominates year after year should the the goal.

1) How long have you been a member of Husker Nation? Since I moved to Nebraska in 1970 2) What/who led you to The Nation? A thirst for knowledgable and respectful discsussion about Husker football. 3) Where are you from originally? Air Force brat, born in New Orleans. 4) Where do you live now? Colorado 5) Favorite Husker memory? Hard to say. 6) Worst Husker memory? Dropped Pass on two point conversion to lose NC. 7) Number of home games attended? Not since the late 80s. 8) Number of away games attended? Not since the late 80s. I utlize TV, Satellite, Watch Parties. Rarely miss any games. 9) Favorite Husker memorabilia/apparel? The N of knowledge. 10) Favorite place to watch a Husker game? (section in Memorial, bar, friends house etc.) I've always wanted to be on the sideline. 11) Favorite all time player? Too many quality young kids to name just one. 12) WCO or Option? Any running scheme with a blocking back. 13) Stevie Pederson or Billy Byrne? Neither 14) Lil Red or Herbie Husker? Neither please. 15) Favorite Husker play? Play action pass to wide open tight end. 16) Favorite game-day beverage? Jack and Coke 17) How did you find HuskerBoard? (referral source) Googled it when the Husker Pedia board wouldn't come up

This is all well and nice, but until we beat Texas and other top teams we aren't back Actually, the Huskers were 2 minutes and 19 seconds from being back. I can't fault the D. They made the stop. For the Huskers to have to rely on a pass to get two yards with the game on the line says volumes about why they aren't quite back yet. O-Line! My two cents anyway. Syzygyone

I am new to this board and would like to contribute to the discussion. I'm a LONG time Husker fans. I always temper any comments with the knowledge that we are generally speaking about young kids and I certainly couldn't do what they do, but here is what I see. I agree that the Huskers are moving forward, but are not there yet. Saturday showed that. On Offense, there was not much in the way of sustained drives. The run game was totally stymeid in the first half. O-Line, not at all dominating. Pass blocking is very soft and run blocking against aggressive defense seems confused. Is this coaching or talent or combination? On the up side, the running back committee is delivering, despite less than optmal blocking. Taylor is a solid quarterback that had a mediocre day and looked more like the rattled freshman than the grizzled veteran. That is probably more due to the team's inability to get the run going. The defense played an EXCELLENT first half but got handed their lunch in the second. I think that was coaching. However, Pass Defense weak on the corners - I've never seen corner back so willing to commit to a head fake. Any opponent who has spent ten minutes reviewing film can see the tendancy to backpeddle, and rather than stay square, the CB crosses legs and thus over commit, allowing a receiver to fake an out and go up. I also see very questionable tackling. The Husker are giving up a lot of yards after contact. There certainly are a LOT of huge hits, but not much wrapping up. Most tacklings are made it seems at and above the waist, especially in the secondary. Not so much arm tackling as it is tackling too high. Hence, the opponent gets a few more yards on each down. Anyway those are my initial thoughts. Lots of potential but more development needed. Heaven is trimmed in Scarlet and Cream!!!!! Syzygyone