dlrn64

When you get the ball at the opponents 10 yrd line, you need to score a TD. When you get the ball at the opponents 37 yrd line, you should have a reasonably good shot at a TD (we barely gained another yrd). I just don't get why our offense is as bad as it is. Sure, you could play conservatively, but I have never seen such a poor display of playcalling. It seemed like the majority of the runs were designed to slam into the line, with no possible outside plays. There were no misdirection plays...very few screens to the I-backs or TE's. It was probably the worst year I have ever seen as far as actual playcalling on offense. How could anyone play as poorly as we did offensively in this game? If Zac struggles that much throwing the ball, then we had better hope that Spano and Green are better next year. And we better hope we have a better O-line and WR's to help us. It could be another ugly offensive year if something doesn't happen. If I was an offensive recruit like Gabbert, this offensive philosophy might give me pause as to what I am getting myself into. It sure doesn't look like a good QB type offense.

i'm looking forward to seeing hoe Rex Burkhead does. It will be an interesting year.

i live in florida and it would be (will be) sweet to go the game in jax. i've already applied for a few volunteer roles on the gator bowl events so i can get a free ticket and actually see the players at an event which would be awesome.

i live in florida and it would be (will be) sweet to go the gator bowl game in jax. i've already applied for a few volunteer roles on the gator bowl events so i can get a free ticket and actually see the players at an event which would be awesome.

i live in florida and it would be (will be) sweet to go the game in jax. i've already applied for a few volunteer roles on the gator bowl events so i can get a free ticket and actually see the players at an event which would be awesome.

Seann William Scott would be my choice. He looks very similar to Jason and is a good young actor. Anyone else have an opinion? After reading his book, I would think that someone in Hollywood might take a stab at the story. It has quite a lot in it with comedy, dramedy, etc... seann.bmp

What would you do to defend the Spread Offense? I would mix it up more defensively I think. One plan that I would do is have 4 DL guys, and then have the DB's play close to the line of scrimmage and tell them to really knock the guys going out for passes off their routes and make them pay before they ever get into their route. That would give the rushers time to get to the QB and you would possibly tire out the WR's and RB's a little bit more. You have to disrupt the patterns and you have to do it ebfore the players get into it to have a chance. Then you mix in a Safety or LB blitz almost every down (disguise it well though). Too many times I see the WR's (and TE's and RB's) just get off the line of scrimmage too easily and you have to be on those guys before they get going. It certainly couldn't be any worse than what we saw last night, could it? That would be something I would try at least for a series to see if it worked. Any other ideas?

What would you do to defend the Spread Offense? I would mix it up more defensively I think. One thing that I would do is have six guys close to the line of scrimmage and tell them to really knock the guys going out for passes off their routes and make them pay before they get into their route. That would give the rushers time to get to the QB and you would possibly tire out the WR's and RB's a little more. Too many times I see players just get off the line of scrimmage too easily and it is much easier for a passing team to get into the rhythm when they aren't knocked off their route from the start. That would be something I would try at least for a series to see if it worked. Any other ideas?

Playcalling was poor last night...very predictable in both running and passing. Very little mis-directions or anything to keep defense honest. I thought that was one of the main reasons we lost. Ganz couldn't find anyone open down field and the reason given by the broadcasters were that we don't have any speed receivers that could get separation from DB's. I totally agree with that. We are sunk with WR's that are not in the same league as other teams. Agasint good defensive teams like, VT and Oklahoma, we are really sunk. We may be a little more competitive with the TTechs and Missouri teams as their defenses are not elite, but we will still struggle offensively. Lets face it, we have a ways to go to get back to 2-3 loss seasons, like it or not.

Big mistake by Bo. You cannot compound a penalty in that situation with another one. It speaks to Bo's passion but also his control and temper. To those who say "it didn't cost us the game", it certainly didn't help, did it? There was no good that could come of that display because the penalty on Suh wasn't going to be changed by Bo's outburst. So, it costs us another 9 yrds, but the bigger picture is that it makes one wonder how often Bo will lose his cool in pressure filled situations. It certainly could have been a difference in this game too...you will never know now. I hope Bo realizes that he can't do that type of thing and be a good role model for the Husker team and coaches.

I think you are way too pessimistic to think we are not going to be competitive against Missouri and Texas Tech. Granted, they will be difficult games to win, but I expect the Huskers to be within 14 points of the opponents. I think you are thinking of last years team more than this years team effort. I do think it is a good idea to get in Witt or Lee if time permits, but only if the game is either way out of reach either way...winning or losing by over 21 in the 4th quarter. Otherwise, I keep Ganz in and keep woking on plays.

I thought the team was competitive last night, but I was disappointed in all phases at different stages. The Defense consistently played poorly against WR's...waaaay too many open VT WR's. Our offense playcalling was odd too. I think misdirection would have opened up some more lanes for running and we were pretty predictable in both running and passing plays. Let's face it...our WR's cannot get open that well because they aren't up to snuff. They are OK for possesion receiving but for big play capabilities, you need a Purify. Obviously the dumb penalty against Suh was an absolute killer and then to have Bo top it off with his own, was assinine. I don't care how mad you are about it, as a Coach, you have to watch your temper in that situation and not make a bad situation worse. It was a winnable game and the Huskers didn't play well. Lot to improve upon to play at an elite level again, guys. Keep working on it.

B- Offense The passing game was good all night, but the running game wasn't the best. Good pass protection though. Ganz two interceptions were sort of "deja vu" from last year. Reminded me of the Colorado game. Memo from Joe's brain to his hands-don't throw the ball in situations where the guys are well covered and we have a comfortable lead. Better to go to the next play rather than trying to make something happen that isn't there. For some reason Ganz threw behind Todd Peterson alot. He was pretty on target with the other guys...just off on throws to Peterson...weird. C+ Defense Yes, it looked like Bo dialed down the pressure in the 2nd half as did the players. I liked the energy and enthusiasm. Much surer tackling this game than last years Defense. I would have liked the front four to get more pressure on the QB. Also thought the safety play hurt more than in anything in the secondary (Cody Glenn not getting top help on that one bomb from Asante; the other safety caught flat footed on a fake and having to drop back into coverage too late to catch the WR are just two examples). Overall, a good effort. But we clearly are not at Blackshirt levels yet. A Special Teams Making four 44 yrd FG's is huge for any team...pro or college. It is pretty hard to do that so hats off to the kicker and long snapper and FG holder who saved the one hike to him that was high so Henry could kick it in stride. GREAT EFFORT by those guys. A Coaching...Solid coaching and good prep work apparently as the team adjusted to what was being done on both sides of the ball. The team started strong by not allowing any points in the 1st QTr 9which after last year was a nice way to begin). The team played together and seems to have the fundamentals down. I like that the defense looked back for the ball on pass coverages which allowed them several times to knock balls down instead of simply watching the opponents catch them while they had their eyes glued on them. That was one of the best differences I saw in coaching.

If I were the coaches, I'd tell the players that they would get Blackshirts when they felt they deserved them as a team. Put it to a vote and see what the entire team thinks. The team probably would never think they truly deserve the Blackshirts unless they came off a tremendous effort...like holding a team to under 14 pts in a game.

There is no way I would consider a 6-6 season as acceptable this year or any year to be honest. This year we have 8-9 home games and we should win 6 of them..at least. If we just have better defensive play this year (which we surely will do because it wont get worse than last year), we will win those 8-9 games. I think Pelini knows what needs to be done defensively to lead us to more victories. I put us down for 8 plus wins this year...and that is my low number. We may win more than that, but not less.

goos comments on my posting here about Ganz. I have been a husker fan my entire life (44 yrs old now) and I do not hate Ganz or any player on the Huskers. I appreciate every single one of the guys, whether they start or not during their careers. I'm glad that each and every one of them chose to come to Lincoln to play ball here. Ganz is a likable guy. I thought he handled last year extremely well after the disappointment he undoubtedly felt after losing out on the starting QB job during the Fall practices. When he got his chance to play, he played with fire and passion. I think that is certainly one of his best qualities...he is a guy who will do anything for the team. I felt that about Keller too. That guy did everything possible to get us victories last year. I do think Keller beat Ganz out fair and square during the practices leading up to the season and was a legitimate #1 QB last year. Ganz was very close behind...kinda like when we had Frazier and Berringer, don't you think? Berringer played great when he got in during Frazier's injuries with perhaps better passing than Frazier. Both were equally good and we could win with either guy. That kind of how it was last year I think with Keller/Ganz. Both had certain things they brought to the table. I do hope that Ganz has improved his passing because I sure love his mobility and freelancing and we need him to be successful if our team is going to win. He may not have the best arm, most accurate arm, and decision making, but he can improve all three if he works hard and he seems like the kind of guy who will. I appreciate his fire and want him and the other players to feed off each other's enthusiasm. If Joe gets the starting nod, I'm rooting him on big time...as I will for any Husker. I can't wait til the real games start. I think we have a good team of guys this year.

Nice to read the comments..agreeable or not...on my original posting. I do think Ganz is an alright QB. But he needs to do what many of you have said and just concentrate on getting better instead of commenting on "slights" that he perceives from fans and previous coaches. We all want the same thing..the best player to play PERIOD. If it is Ganz...great. If it is someone else..great. I don't second guess coaches pulling the trigger on who starts. They have more riding on their decisions than we do after all. To those of you who think Callahan started Keller last year because of his friendship with his father, I disagree. I honestly believe that Callahan thought Keller outplayed Ganz in the practices. For Callahan to risk his coaching career by playing someone who he thought was not the best QB (Keller in this case) would be odd. I remember that Keller played pretty well in the Spring game last year and certainly looked like he was good enough before his injury. As many others have said, Keller was in the same boat that Ganz was in as far as playing from behind in almost every game and having to try to score. It just didn't seem like it earlier in the year because you had higher expectations for the team and defense. Was it either Keller's or Ganz's fault that the Defense was so horrendous that they felt so much pressure to score every time to compensate? I would say Ganz was just below Keller on the depth chart and something that helped Keller (and is helping Ganz this year) is his EXPERIENCE in playing in D1 games. If not for that, Ganz would have more of a fight on his hands. I still think Zac Lee is a better QB and will probably show it when it is his time to start...whether that be this year or next year. It could be Witt too by then. I just want Ganz to stop talking about any "slight" he feels and play the best he can. Or actually better than that.

I am a little tired of Ganz whining about not getting any respect last year or in previous years because he wasn't deemed good enough to be the starter. "Oh...fans and media thought Keller and all the 4 & 5 star recruits were better than I am"...wah wah....I have news for Ganz...he may not be good enough to start this year either if we have someone with more talent and more experience under their belt. He is very fortunate that Zac Lee was injured last year and is only now getting quality reps this Spring or he could easily unseat Ganz. Witt could probably do the same. The one thing Ganz has going for him this year is the experience in the offense. I think he is an average QB ...at best. That is the reason why he better look over his shoulder. He certainly isn't one of the top notch QB's in the Big 12 based on what he did last year (in my opinion). He is quick to tell how many records he broke last year in the 3 games he played. He went up against one decent defense in the three games (Kansas) and threw some pretty pathetic passes that were INT's or right to opposing players that could have been even more INT's. And he was off the mark on so many passes, it wasn't funny. The guy has got to get a grip. He is not the best thing since sliced bread. Geez.

I think Ganz worshippers need to evaluate a lot more film of him. The guy is OK, but certainly not above reproach and is no "lock" to be the starting QB based on last years games. I saw him throw way too many bad balls...off target and many that were intercepted or could have easily been intercepted but for the defenders dropping the balls. It happened quite a bit if you would look at the games he played. That said, I'm sure he learned alot and will get better. I love Joe's mobility and he certainly had fire and passion that was missing on the offense last year. In the end (of Fall practices that is...) I think Zac Lee will prove to be the best QB as he has a stronger arm...better accuracy..and is mobile to boot. Don't knock his tenure at the JC he played at. I'd take that experience more than Joe's at this stage as he played in more games. Ganz games were against average defenses. Let's just see what happens in the Spring and then the Fall. If all things are considered even going into both camps, we'll have a leader come out of this that will lead us to some wins this coming year.

I voted for Zac Lee. I think once people see Lee in the Spring game they will draw the same conclusion even then, that he is the QB that can best lead the team to victories. I like Ganz too and also think he could do a good job. But I still think he has a tendency to throw the ball up for grabs and be quite often off target on many of his throws (watch his play in the games last year to see that). He had interceptions and quite a few more passes that were right to the opposing teams defenders that were luckily dropped, but it didn't negate the fact that Ganz threw some bad balls. If he does that this year, it will absolutely kill the team because our Defense is in rebuild mode and we cannot afford turnovers. This isn't the kind of team that can overcome turnovers. To me that is Ganz downfall. He isn't Joe Daily-bad...no one could be, but just once or twice a game will kill us. Lee has a great arm and is mobile too. He is the real deal.

I think Bo inherited talent. The coaches last year are the most to blame for the teams collapse defensively. I am sure that after the 2002 season most people would have said the same thing about the talent of that team prior to Pelini coaching them the next year. That 2002 team didn't have as good of coaches and didn't play well as a result of that. They got Bo the next year and played markedly better by all accounts. This Nebraska team, especially defensively, has some good players that will excel now that Bo Pelini is their coach, along with the new Assts. They seem to have more fire and youth, for the most part, that will create more enthusiasm and fire in their play. I think I am most interested in seeing the D-Line since they are basically the same guys who were pretty awful last year. I am anxious to see what they play like after last year. Since the DB's and LB's are almost a complete change, they are more of a question mark...although I think in a good way. Our LB play last year was atrocious. Again, I think that was more because of coaching then the players themselves. I look forward to seeing how Bo and his staff coach these guys and what they play like this coming year. After last year, there is no where to go but up. I think in this case, we will all be surprised at how much better they play because of the coaching philosophy that Bo brings.

I just want the competition to be open and fair. Joe Ganz rightfully starts the competition in the #1 role because of his experience playing the last three games. A real vetting and determination has to include Zac Lee and Patrick Witt though because I don't think Ganz was steller enough in the games he played to cement him as the starter for the year. To anyone who touts Joe as THE #1 QB for the coming year based on the last three games, I would ask you to go back at those games and watch them again. Again, I love Joe's mobility...his big strength in my opinion, because it can turn a 3rd and 4 into options of scrambling for a 1st down or just a quick roll out pass/option to get the 1st downs and chains moving. In this offense, that is what you want...just get 1st downs, run the clock, wear down the opposing teams Defense and score TD's. But, and it is a huge BUT, I saw too many errant passes from Joe that were waaaaay off target and many that were straight into opposing players arms and were luckily not intercepted, though of course, he did have too many INT's as it was anyways. Turnovers will absolutely kill this Nebraska this coming year with our defense being less tahn a strength of the team. We will need to capitalize on field position and have opponents have to drive the field 70-80 yrs...at least 60 to beat many of the teams we play because offenses are so explosive in the college game today, especially the Big Spread conference (my new nickname for the Big 12). If Joe throws INT'S at the rate he did in those three games, we are totally screwed. That is what he needs to work on...accuracy and decision making. If either Witt or Lee do a better job in the competition, I think they should start. Don't turn the ball over...win the QB job.

I think that the attitude will be there, remember these players voluntarily gave up their blackshirts last year instead of staining them with bad performances. Actually only Zach Bowman was the ONLY defensive pplayer to voluntarily hand in his Blackshirt, saying that he didn't feel that he was playing well enough to wear it. The other defensive players shrugged their shoulders at his gesture of leadership be example and continued to wear their Blackshirts for a few more weeks. Then, a few more weeks of poor displays be the Defense, Zach Bowman asked McKeon one day at a practice why no one was wearing their Blackshirts and he told Bowman that the coaches took them away from the players. We had a Defensive team last year, at least Starters, who were nothing but big babies and clung to their Blackshirts with no reservations. Only Bowman was a Leader and took his off long before the others were forced to by coaches. You wonder why our team was so bad last year? That is probably the best example. Poor leadership (Only Bowman led by example)/Crappy play.

I lived in O'Neill NE during the early 70's (70-73). I was only 5-7 yrs old then, but that is where and when I began being a lifetime fan of the Huskers. I went to college at Arizona State, but Nebraska Cornhuskers has always been my favorite football team...way above my alma mater ASU. I went to the game that Huskers had at ASU when I was going to school there and I was rooting wildly for the Huskers;-)

It'll be interesting to see who gets the QB job. I just hope that it is not biased in favor of Ganz for what he did at the end of the season in those three games. I liked how the offense played in those games and Joe definitely has potential and I love his mobility. I thought his passing needed work though. If you go back and look at those games, he was off target quite a few times and he could have had several more interceptions that were inexplicably (and luck for us) dropped by the opponents. That is the troubling aspect of Joe. I don't want a return to Dailey type days where every pass left me wondering if it was going to be intercepted. I don't think we can win if Ganz has that many interceptions this coming year. That is my biggest takeaway from his performance. If he minimizes those, the guy is adequate. He probably isn't the "All Conference" candidate like other teams have though. I'm anxious to see how Ganz, Witt, and Lee do and let the best man win the job.