knapplc

Haven't read this thread, but has anyone mentioned Nebraska? We seem to be our own worst enemy most games. Most of our losses in the Bo Pelini era can be directly attributed to self-inflicted wounds. 2008 VA Tech - Good team, but penalties at the end were too difficult to overcome Missouri - We just got beat. This was a Missouri win, not a Nebraska loss. Doesn't support this argument. Texas Tech - Several chances to win this game, but costly turnovers (including the game-ender in OT) were our worst enemy Oklahoma - Another win by the opponent that doesn't support this argument. 2009 VA Tech - Dropped passes, blown coverages, passive defense when aggression was called for, you name it. We did everything we could to lose this game. It worked. Texas Tech - One of the first lack-of-motivation games in the Pelini Era. We did not come to compete against this team. Iowa State - Turnover meltdown against a vastly overmatched opponent. A loss at home to a team barely over .500 Texas - The Big XII Championship loss based on horrible play-calling, and overall lack of will by the offense. A very winnable game. 2010 Texas - A complete meltdown on both sides of the ball. Poor execution everywhere. Texas A&M - zero offensive punch. A loss more on the coaches than the players, based on their insistence of starting an injured QB. Lack of effort by the O Line was key. Oklahoma - blew a 17-point lead in a game that we had in hand. Washington - one of the most embarrassing losses in the last decade. Zero effort on either side of the ball. 2011 Wisconsin - they just whupped us. While we did some dumb things, I give this win more to Wiscy than pin it as our loss. Northwestern - Total lack of preparation and effort by the coaches and team. Several team sources have openly stated we overlooked this team. Very embarrassing loss. By my count, that's 11 of the last 14 losses we've had where you can directly attribute the loss to our errors, lack of preparation, lack of motivation, lack of effort. That it comes from both the players and the coaches is the most troubling. So to answer the question, objectively, which team can't we beat? I'd say the team that tops that list is Nebraska.

With Boise St. going down there's a lot up in the air right now. If we and Michigan State both win out, they're saying it's possible we could get an at-large bid to the BCS. I think that's unlikely (that we get in) but if another Big Ten team gets an at-large, that puts us out of the Insight bowl, most likely. Representatives of the Capital One Bowl were at the Penn State game, so that's a possibility. I could see us going there or to the Gator Bowl, both of which will put us up against the SEC. Kansas State has to beat Texas and Iowa State to hold onto their #3 position in the Big XII. I would be surprised if they don't lose one of those games. I am stunned that A&M's defense caved like they did, or we'd be looking at a three-game skid for the Wildcats. Snyder has to be in contention for Coach of the Year - he's getting these guys to play WAAAAAAY above their talent level. But if we ended up playing them, I have no doubt we'd be able to take them down. The Big Ten Conference has eight bowl tie-ins. #1 Bowl Championship Series. As of the 2011 season, the winner of the Big Ten Championship Game gains an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game, preferentially the Rose Bowl. #2 The Capital One Bowl receives the second choice from the Big Ten, but must choose from remaining teams with the best overall record, or within one win of the best overall record. Starting in 2011, it may choose to take the runner up of the Big Ten Championship Game should its record be better than the league champion. #3 The Outback Bowl receives the third choice of Big Ten teams. #4 The Gator Bowl receives the fourth choice of Big Ten teams. #5 The Insight Bowl receives the fifth choice of Big Ten teams #6 The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas receives the sixth choice of Big Ten teams. #7 The TicketCity Bowl receives the seventh choice from the Big Ten. #8 The Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl will take the eighth choice from the Big Ten; if no remaining teams are available, the bowl will choose a Sun Belt team.

<---- Hat still looks on to me....?

I can point to some sky-is-falling threads on Ohio State boards, no less. It's rather hypocritical of you to come here and lecture us about thinking "the sky is falling all of the time" considering the "everyone hates us" mentality I see regarding the Tattoo/Tressel scandal, BOJ. If you don't like this board, nobody is forcing you to post here.

I get the theory behind what we're doing. But between theory and execution, the scrape technique doesn't work for us. It's game ten. I would presume by now the coaches would have self-scouted enough to see that we are not running this scheme correctly, and shelved it.

It seems our offensive identity is Mass Trickeration. It seems like we spend way too much time trying to set up plays for later in the game or later in the season. Only problem is, it seems like what we're trying to set up is pretty obvious. Everyone and their brother called the fact that Rex was running that toss-sweep play early in the game was setting up the Rex Pass, and it didn't fool Penn State at all. On fourth-and-one to seal the game, we ran the same play, but since the pass didn't work last time we just ran the sweep, and PSU was ready for it. Again. We don't fool anybody, and in fact our offense is predictable enough that Northwestern figured it out and shut it down - and that was the worst defense we'll see all year. Beck needs to stop being tricky and just put helmets on helmets.

Part of Reed's problem is his blocking is terrible. He had the DE on that fourth-and-one pitch to Rex, and if you notice, his man made the tackle, preventing Rex from getting the outside. Reed has significant lapses in blocking, and in this offense, that's a huge problem. However, I think we're misusing Reed, since we constantly put him in a key blocking position at the point of attack and not Cotton. Cotton is the best blocking TE, so we throw him the most passes. Reed is the best pass-catching TE, so we have him block all the time. Makes no sense.

I would agree with this. These guys have all made plays. If they button up their issues, which seem to be largely mental, they could be a formidable group.

No worries. I think nobody is really griping about Bell's "miss" or at least I'm not seeing those posts. I think we can all agree there have been too many drops on the year. There were more today. But not every missed catch was a drop.

Yoshi played hard today.

You did see who stonewalled their RB on 4th and 1 there at the end right? And that was after scraping off the block of the Center. Hell of an individual effort there.

Did we get any of those records you brought up in another post earlier today? Don't remember where I saw them... Rex surpassed 1,000 yards for the season, and I think he did that in the first half. If not then, early second half. Taylor passed some guys on the stats sheet, but I'd have to do some checking to see who and how many.

Compton has quietly had a series of good games. Solid plays, plays when we needed them. He's growing, clearly. His growth makes me feel a little more comfortable about losing Lavonte next year.

What are you basing that on? It seems like people are talking about drops - which you are pointing out, as well. Where are people focusing on the big show catches that aren't made?

Mods can I saw something and not get banned for it......please.......just for this one and only time lol Sorry, but no. This situation is being taken care of.

Offense: Taylor Martinez Defense: Lavonte David Special Teams: Brett Maher In the mess that happened in the fourth quarter, Maher's 61-yard punt put the ball on the PSU side of the field for the duration of the game. Saved our butts at the end.

Now let's get out of here and forget this whole situation.

Game should NOT have been this close.

If we win this, Brett Maher may have just locked up Player of the Game with that punt.

I will, once again, remind everyone that this thread is NOT the place for comments about the Sandusky scandal.

Announced attendance: 107,903. Second-largest crowd Nebraska has ever played in front of.

We got this. Smart play-calling, smart blocking and no turnovers and we win.

It is definitely scheme. When we go hat-on-hat we can make good blocks. But time after time they simply let the first man through and seek the second-level block. It's not being a numbskull, it's what they're told to do on a particular play.

I've never seen it mentioned before.

Meh. If any team in the history of college football had "an excuse," it's this Penn State team. Let's give them a pass this week, OK?