quitou

But he should listen to Osborne's advice. Why? I would also ask this. I have all the respect in the world for Osborne, but he was a coach of a different era. He had success, but his ways to success aren't set in stone. The game changes, rules change, scholarships change... he's incredibly wise at football, but he's not without his own issues.

Let's be honest. If he doesn't have a few he could pull the trigger on now after discussing contracts, this is a very bad move on his part. The longer the coach's chair is empty, the more people will abandon ship.

I didn't get to watch the game, just listened to most of it on the radio. I have to ask because I never really heard this play being called... did they ever try and have Armstrong run the option? I know over this year he's shown to be outstanding with that play, so I'm wondering if they just decided Georgia's defense was too fast to try it, or if they just didn't add it to their playbook this game for some reason.

No, they don't. 3-9 last year Sorry, guess it was Alabama. My bad.

Something they keep talking about on the radio. Nebraska now has 6 seasons in a row with at least 9 wins. There's only two other teams who share those statistics right now: Auburn and Oregon. Despite it being a rather pointless stat, it makes me realize even moreso that things are NOT bad in this program.

I don't really think anyone's hoping to see TO come back. I think what most fans are hoping for is to see coaches that have the potential to reach that caliber. Bo wowed us fans for a while, but now that he's been around for a while... it's clear that his scheme has a distinct flaw. Any offense that has a mobile QB has a very good chance of embarrassing his defense. And the only time it didn't was when he had possibly one of the best linemen in decades in Suh running around like Wile E Coyote terrorizing QBs. Bo hasn't been able to catch that lightning in a bottle again since, and the longer he isn't able to find a suitable replacement, the longer that gaping hole in his defense can be exploited. Currently us fans have to hold our noses every time NE plays a tOSU or Northwestern, because there's a high chance the defense will stink against that kind of offense. I'll give Bo a while to find it again, but he needs to admit it's an issue and change the scheme to adjust for it. And if he fails to find linemen that can do the job long enough, we all have to start assuming that he either can't recruit them or they don't exist. And trust me, I like Bo and want him to stick around for a while. I want to believe in his system... but games like this make you wonder if he's still trying to coach and recruit LSU talent in an area where you're distinctly NOT going to get it. His system needs specific players, and he's clearly having trouble finding them. If he can't recruit them, then he has to change the scheme... instead of constantly trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. If he refuses to change, well... maybe he really wasn't meant to coach around here then.

Well, I learned that going and seeing Dredd in theaters was more fun than staying for the second half. It wasn't as much of a bloodbath, either. Seriously though, tOSU is clearly a very good team. We all knew Bo -just- has problems with mobile QBs... but boy do they make him suffer. A lot of the game showed me that the team's still progressing, and as long as I see steps forwards instead of backwards (that don't deal with losing seniors), I'll be happy with the results. The team and coaches have serious opponents in the B1G, and it's gonna take a top ten team to win the division... every year. Huskers aren't there yet, and it's gonna be a trial by fire... so buckle up. Two weeks, then we'll see if the Huskers are hungry enough to get some revenge on Northwestern.

Well, truth be told we all really liked Bo in the beginning because he DID get emotional. Remember who he followed... the guy who shall not be named... the guy who never seemed to get angry, and when he did made gestures he wouldn't admit to? Look, part of me digs that the losses get to him... it shows that he cares. But, he has to be more graceful about it, or at least more honest. By now he knows that he's expected to talk about the game, good or bad, and it's legitimately something he needs to get better at. Still want him as head coach for a while though, regardless of how crotchety he gets after a loss.

tOSU is ranked 12th, is the only team that's undefeated in the B1G, and I think today we saw why. They have a deadly quarterback with a deadly coach to back him up. Huskers were also playing at the Horseshoe, which is never an easy task... it almost makes me understand the number of fumbles and penalties. Almost. But you back the Huskers, even when they don't play their best, and you hope for better later on. Remember, criticism doesn't stop you from being a fan, but whining does. You've gone through far worse than this with far worse coaches, so you'll live.

Well, could be a LOT worse... take the half and see if you can get your defense swinging again, Bo.

There's some serious jawing going on the field right now. This game is gonna get ugly late... it's getting personal.

Defense is gonna have to start playing like they were in the first quarter. I'm not sure what they lost, but if they don't get their mojo back, NE's offense isn't gonna be able to keep up.

I learned that, like my father and my friend's father, a lot of people who post on this board suffer from a terrible affliction during college football season, known by me and my friends as 'Husker Tourette's Syndrome'. A bad quarter, or a bad drive, or a bad call will send grown men into full WHARRGARBL mode... usually leading to public embarassment as well as terribly misspelled and misjudged forum and Twitter posts. You know who you are. And you're ADORABLE for it. But do try to get better about this, and not let the primitive lizard part of your brain take over when watching teenagers play a sport. I swear they should be running adverts about this issue on most sports channels, as every sports team has their demographic that does this.

I think it's good to throw out some criticism at the players if they just don't do their job well. Sure they're students, but they're in front of millions playing a very important part of a game. They should be open to criticism, as well as the coaches who watch them play bad. You can say the kids didn't play well and still not have it be the end of the world. It's still a game, but you still want to win. I have plenty of family and old buddies that yell at the screen and have heart attacks watching football. Hey, it's great to be passionate, just remember they're a bunch of students playing a game. Watching the Huskers play shouldn't give you a case of the rages even if they do play terrible. Perspective.

Well... had this in the discussion thread, so I'll say the same thing. Martinez is not keeping that promise. He's clearly better, but chokes under pressure. And he's running out of time... he's clearly trying very hard, but he's a Junior. I find it ironic that he beat Cody Green to get the QB job, yet he seems to have the same kinds of faults... faults that just don't make you a great QB. DL is young... they have an excuse. The secondary should know better, and their tackling fundamentals are terrible. It's getting hard to watch... either teach them correctly, or get someone else who can. Maher just doesn't have his mojo... I dunno how much longer they can keep him in the top spot like this. Pelini's offensive scheme puts a TON of weight on ball position and points from kicks, PATs or FGs. Maher is not going to make Pelini happy at this rate. The O-line looked alright last week. Now... well, we see what happens when they play against a defense that's fast and tough. If they can't run, Martinez' entire playbook is shot, because he's not a pocket passer. Weirdly enough, I don't think they missed Burkhead. It's doubtful he'd have made a difference late in the game. I mean there were other RBs to try, and Beck apparently forgot they were there. There's trying to keep them fresh, and then there's leaving Cross on the bench the entire game. Beck should've switched them around more often, they all have their own strengths. And finally... I understand that the coaching staff as well as the head coach are lacking in experience and need time, but they're going to need some positive results here pretty quick. If it doesn't look like you're learning anything, then people wonder why they're giving you more chances. If you're still losing due to bad tackling and bad offensive calls... whoever's in charge of them clearly isn't working. I won't go so far as saying Pelini needs to go, but he's gonna need to shake up the personnel again if things don't improve. And he can only shake up the personnel so many times before people start to think it's not the personnel, but who hires them. Pelini's losing clout, I'm sure even he's aware of this.

Well... definitely learned a few things today. Martinez is still not clutch under pressure. Bo Pelini is clearly not God's gift to defense. This is his defense now, and it's not working at all. While I'll always take him over Watson, Beck is terribly inconsistent. There are times when he's brilliant, and times when he's pants-on-head retarded. You know I get that we have a set of young coaches, and they need time... but if it doesn't look like they're learning anything, it gets REALLY annoying fast.

gonna disagree with this... i think some people are forgetting how easy our big 8 schedule was DING! Seriously, the Big 8 of the 80's and 90's was like the SEC today... two powerhouses fighting for top spot while everyone else fought for scraps. The only difference is that the Big 8 recruited back when it was unlimited, and the SEC nowadays just overbooks scholerships and sends kids packing that don't make the cut. The Big 12 wasn't like that anymore, and the Big 10 is even less so. Stop thinking NE's always gonna be at the top anymore... the situation has changed several times now, so should your expectations.

Wow talk about being in denial. This team, from the head coach on down, is a mess. The way they fall apart is ridiculous. When you look at the way they lost those 4 games, it can't be denied that big change is needed. It needs to start with Bo. He's a loose cannon and can't control emotions. Players respond well and want a leader who is cool, calm and collected. Plus recruiting is taking a huge hit. If I was an out of state parent and my kid was thinking of going to play at NU, I would not let him. See, it's people like you that really don't understand what would happen if big changes happened now. You want to fire Bo after four 9-win seasons, you better be ready to get used to nothing but Callahan level coaches for the next 20+ years. No one worth their salt is coming to your state if they know that 9-win seasons gets them fired.You and everyone else that keeps spewing this nonsense needs to get off the internet and take a nap. If Bo starts dipping down lower, I think they might consider it... but not if he's consistent. Bo has flaws, and he needs to work them out sooner or later, but after 4 years of head coaching his experience in the field is... 4 years. Remember that.

I don't mind the season at all. There were a few disappointing games, but I think most people who saw the schedule were expecting NE to lose three games. Now, people were expecting a win over Northwestern and not MIchigan State, and I'm not sure if that change would help the season, but so far the only disappointing part of the season is how the games are played. And even that's not really surprising. NE has a brand new set of teams they have to play every year, they just shook up about half their coaching staff, the offense (and to a lesser extent the defense) have been revamped, and there were WAY more injuries this year than people were expecting. There's also a ton of younger players on the field gaining experience. I still give Bo 4 more years at least... he has a lot of adjustments to make yet, and a lot of growing... but he needs time to put all the pieces together. He only needs to really explain himself if he can't get those 9-10 win seasons anymore.

Ugh.....sucks that it hurts because it did feel like that type of comment. This is really a point I don't get. Bo has a total of about 4 years in his pocket as a head coach, every single one of those years is a 9 or 10 win season, and everyone's already in a 'what have you done for me lately' attitude. How soon we forget that just 5 years ago Callahan gave the Huskers their second losing season in four years. Maybe you should ask Kansas if they'd be okay with a 9-3 season right now, because their coach had zero experience coming in as well.NE just started in the Big Ten, just changed almost half their coaching staff, and just changed both their offensive and defensive schemes. And they're STILL going to give their fans a 9 or 10 win season. But no, it's NCG or bust for Husker fan... Huskers aren't officially back until we can have 1994-1997 all over again. You guys are pathetic... I don't remember TO having much different pressers other than him being a bit more cordial. He wasn't throwing self defamation out there that often unless he had to.STOP ASKING FOR MIRACLES EVERY SEASON, you spoiled brats...

Michigan played a good game, looking forward to the Huskers hopefully getting some payback when they play next year in Lincoln. The bowl games will be interesting to be sure. I'm looking forward to see where everyone ends up. Enjoy the win, but other than pride it makes little difference. The Wolverines aren't playing for the conference title unless the Spartans somehow lose to Northwestern.

This stuff is frustrating, because we all want so badly to be elite again. Being elite isn't a switch that reads 'press when you feel you're ready'. It's done either with a concerted effort from a good coach you hope will become great with time, or your program spending $5+ million a season for a veteran, proven coach. I'm sure no one really has to mention Doctor Tom and his first 15 years, but... yeah...

That a lot of people overreact. This is one of those singularities of a game that you can't learn anything from. All you can reasonably say is that anything can happen in the span of a season. Your Huskers are not a machine that consistently plays 100% of their talent level. Some games they poop the bed... this is one of those times. Stop thinking that anything you see this game is the norm. This is the exception, not the rule.

Hard to tell. Coaches do what they can with the talent they get. Bo has been consistent with his record, and tends to have a few games a year when the players just don't compete like they do the rest of the year. This isn't a rare thing for Bo or any other coach; you rarely see a football team that doesn't get tripped up once in an entire season, and those are usually done by outstanding top-5 coaches. Is Bo a top 5 coach? Not right now, but he's keeping Nebraska competitive and learning, getting personnel around him he likes while also recruiting to try and handle a brand new conference. Okie State just lost to Iowa State yesterday... does that make their coach suck? No, it just means they had a bad week, and it happens. I think you can blame either one and be correct, but you're talking about a grown man in his 40's trying to motivate and coach a bunch of college kids that want to drink and party just as much as they want to play football probably. Getting 19-23 year old students to concentrate for an entire year is clearly tough, otherwise you'd see every football team with 9 win seasons. Bo's a young coach in the grand scheme of thing... coaches that consistently succeed tend to have decades of experience and be in their 50's or 60's. I can't get mad at college kids that have an off week, though I can get mad if a coach calls a bad game, or leaves his players unprepared too many times a season. Bo's doing fine, so are the players. This is an off season, and transitional season both with the offense and with Bo changing the defensive scheme to play against Big 10 teams. You can be disappointed in the season, even pissed off, but don't go calling for the heads of staff when you're still getting 9 and 10 win seasons.

Scholarships weren't limited back then. College Football has changed... you should really get used to that before you become 'get off my lawn' guy.