Toe

I was wondering if maybe it was something said to a recruit or something.

You're surprised that some people get butthurt over a little language like that? Did you sleep through the Pelini era or something?

@BetterDayByDay I think almost all of us are in agreement that most of our problems stem from the O-line. (But then there's guys @huskerfan74, who blame Verduzco for Adrian never having a chance to get comfortable in the pocket, lol.) They hesitate so much, like they're trying to sit back and play reactively. And then the D-line has no problem pushing them around because the O-line isn't meeting them with any forward momentum. I don't know if they're being coached that way or what, but whatever they're doing obviously isn't working. And it's funny that you mention Riley and a lack of aggressiveness from the O-line, I even remember Cavanaugh saying something like "I just don't think we've got that killer attitude!" I've been harping on our OLBs being the biggest problem on defense for over a year now, so no argument from me. The ILBs ain't exactly stellar, either. And what worries me even more is that our LB recruiting doesn't look too promising, either. We largely whiffed on OLBs in our last class. Gunnerson is a great get for this class, but right now he's our one and only LB commit. And yeah, I think we can say that Noa is a bust, he's certainly not what you'd hope you're getting when you bring in a grad transfer...

I pretty much consider this a team of nothing but freshmen and sophomores - it's not like Riley developed the current upperclassmen much.

@I am I Not everyone winds up like that, though. I mean, let's not forget that Washington's replacement as the starter is a guy who was kicked off the team following repeated rules violations and suspensions at Georgia Tech, and so far I haven't heard of any issues with him...

And if you really listen to what they're actually saying (and not just some snippet that gets pasted on a forum), they often do throw little negatives in the mix during interviews. Like the other day, Ruud said "we have an execution issue" while not mentioning anyone or anything specific. Coaches usually prefer to balance acknowledging issues and trying not to throw guys under the bus. It's called coachspeak, and most coaches are fairly fluent in it.

Need some more Quincy Enunwa types: "If I lay somebody out, that guy’s going to feel terrible if it’s a linebacker, you know? He’s gonna get up and be like, ‘That’s a receiver that knocked me on my a$$.'"

The Randy Gregory maneuver, from the sound of it. (Though I hesitate to compare their situations.)

True, they do have to play #6 Penn State this weekend, who is favored by six. So by Vegas odds, we have a better chance of reaching five wins this weekend than Michigan State.

Or if you want to skip the hyperbole and go by actual current W/L records, we're the Michigan State of the West - both 2-2 in conference and 4-3 overall.

They used to include an injured list on the depth chart, but yeah, that's gone now...

Is there reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last?

Anybody keeping an eye on the transfer portal?

Yep, Callahan took over play-calling from Cosgrove, and called blitzes almost every down. Still a loss, though...

Sure, I guess, if you wanna pretend that inheriting 9-4 team is "nearly the same" as inheriting a 4-8 team.

Problem is, he can also do less with more....

I wondered if he might end up leaving, but I didn't think it would be mid-season! But given that we know of two off the field issues, plus apparently some stuff handled in-house, well, he might not be the most upstanding guy...

Illinois out there looking like 2015 Nebraska vs #7 Michigan State.

Sooo another year where we've got 60% underclassmen on the field, then?

Desktop-sized ads on mobile screens, what's not to love?

If that's true, any idea who he talked to? I know they have to be careful with guys who have previously been a part of the program (like Osborne) teaching guys stuff due to potentially violating NCAA rules on things like the number of coaches you can have. OU loses players to the NFL, Nebraska loses entire classes to Mike Riley...

What did that poor cook do to deserve to be eaten? Does eating a great cook transfer their culinary powers to you? Are you friends with Jeffrey Dahmer?

Is Noa officially the biggest dud of the new guys this year? You usually expect a grad transfer with pretty good stats to be a day-1 contributor, but here we are talking about ditching him for a walk-on with no offers.