HuskerNMO

Dennard, defense was different with him in the lineup, especially as he got healthier

I don't like Taylor as our quarterback, but with that said, up until the Michigan game he was making strides as a quarterback and looked very good at times, but when the poo hit the fan against Michigan he was back to confused, over-thinking and poorly executing Taylor. It was painful to watch him on Saturday along with our o-line that was completely lost with what Michigan was doing with their blitz packages.

 

Singling Martinez out against Michigan makes about as much sense as singling anyone else out in that offensive meltdown. It wasn't ONLY Martinez' fault that we failed against Michigan. It was systemic, from Beck down to the last guy on the travel roster.

Who was singling out Taylor? I never said he was the reason we lost, and also mentioned the o-line. Anyone who can go back and watch that game film can easily see Taylor played one of his worst games.

You know there an awfull lot of people citing TM's being a sophmore as a reason for whatever they want to list, but no one is giving Turner any latitude on his blocking due to his age. I know blocking and playing QB are worlds apart, but remeber Turner is freshman who most likely as never blocked any one at any time in his career. And good blocking is a skill also, it takes time to learn how to do it effecitively, and at his size, not get killed while doing it. Like Knapplc says, you try to avoid putting him into situations where his getting an effective block is instrumental to the effectiveness of the play. If at some point he gets a block downfield that springs a ball carrier for an extra few yards, bonus, but don't rely on him at the point of attack.

 

As to TM (and I was as critical of him as anyone early on), I think he has made tremendous strides in managing the game. I love that he has shown a little pocket presence and has stepped up into the pocket (on the rare occasion when there is one), kept his eyes downfield, and most importantly, found that dumpoff guy. If he improves as much this offseason as the did during this season, he really could be something special.

 

I don't think though that he has ever been elusive. He's rarely made a defender miss out in space. His game to me is his explosive speed to the edge and it appears to me that defenses are taking away that straight sprint to the edge. I think if you look back at most of his long runs, he was rarely even touched. He just hit the corner so fast that he was gone before anyone really had a chance to make a play on him. And for whatever reason, I don't think he does look quite as explosive this year, it's not two steps and top speed. Still pretty effective though if he has a little daylight.

Taylor ran well early last year, when teams rarely hit him and he rarely had any real athletes on the opposing D. Opposing teams have commented that if you hit Taylor he starts to get a little apprehensive, he doesn't like to be hit. Taylor is spending so much time worrying about getting hit and being knocked out (also coached that way) that he doesn't commit to his lane or run all out.

I don't like Taylor as our quarterback, but with that said, up until the Michigan game he was making strides as a quarterback and looked very good at times, but when the poo hit the fan against Michigan he was back to confused, over-thinking and poorly executing Taylor. It was painful to watch him on Saturday along with our o-line that was completely lost with what Michigan was doing with their blitz packages.

I think the reason we've seen less Turner is because of Turner. I believe it was his first play he was into the game he totally whiffs on a block and our runner gets blown up. This is why we've seen little of him the past few weeks. You can possess all the athletic ability in the World, but if you don't do your job then ride the pine.

 

But the simple answer to that is, "Hey Offensive Coordinator, don't expect your 6'1", 175lb wide receiver to block."

 

I saw Jamal again last night. If he's 6'1" then I'm 6'7". He probably weighs about a buck-eighty, and that's generous. The guy simply isn't a blocker. He's not built for it, he's not good at it, and putting him in situations where you need him to make a critical block on a run is stupid, especially when you have Brandon Kinnie and Quincy Enunwa on your roster.

 

Turner has game-changing speed and moves, but we seem unwilling or incapable of putting him in situations where he can affect the game. That is a failure on Beck's part, not Turner's.

 

You didn't recruit Jamal Turner to level DBs on Option plays. You recruited him so that, when you get him the ball in space, he runs and runs and runs. So frickin' DO THAT, Beck.

Of course you also have Kenny Bell, who is listed at the exact same 6'1 180 as Turner and he is magically able to make blocks and lock onto his man.

Nobody is asking Jamal to level DB's, blocking on the edge doesn't require tons of physical strength, all it takes is effort to run towards your man who is backpeddling, get your hands on him and keep him occupied for 4-6 seconds. If Bell and Marlowe can do it, so can Jamal.

Watch this video and you will see Kenny getting his man, and Marlowe coming down and pinning the edge. Turner is just as capable physically as these two to make those blocks, it comes down to effort.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnep...c4?hd=1&t=6m22s

In fact watch that whole video, it's every offensive snap for the Huskers agaisnt Michigan, I think it shows poor line play and very poor decision making by Taylor in the game, picking the wrong lanes, happy feet in the pocket, poor reads in the passing game.

If Jamal is too lazy to block, causes substitution penalties, gives half effort on routes what about that would make you trust that he would protect the ball and make the right play?

If you have two guys in the office, one who's a really smart guy, but gives about 50-60% effort do you keep rewarding him? When a big project comes along do you give it to him or do you trust someone who may not be as talented, but you know will give the effort and do things the way they should be done?

And if we're insisting on putting the best players on the field in situations, why not pull Martinez on third and long and obvious passing situations? It's been obvious for 2 years that isn't his strong point, and Carnes or Kellog would likely be better in those situations, so why is Taylor out there? Why aren't you clamoring for the guy who throws the ball the best when we have to pass?

Check out Martinez's first two years compared to some other bum quarterbacks that used to play for Nebraska.

 

 

 

Good post!

 

Then, if one could quantify and add in Crouch's & especially Frazier's MASSIVELY better Olines, better OC (TO) & reliable wrs who caught the ball. Heh, of course this won't change anybody's mind but numbers don't lie.

I don't think this stat works. We were an option team then. I think total team offense is the only to compare. Plus, where's the fumble category and Tommie started in the Iowa State game- the first or second week of November of his freshman year. TMart started in the first game of his freshman year. I don't remember when crouch started

98 Season

Louisiana Tech- Newcombe

UAB- Crouch

Cal- Crouch

Washington- Newcombe

OSU- Newcombe

A&M- Newcombe

Kansas- Newcombe

Missouri- Newcombe

Texas- Christo (pulled for Crouch)

Iowa State- Crouch

KSU- Crouch

Colorado- Crouch

Arizona- Crouch

1999

Newcombe started the first two, Crouch started the last 10

This is not a knock on Frank, but wasn't the main problem with recruiting during his time as HC that our offense was out dated, and most kid's want to play in a pro style offense.

No, the main problem was they didn't recruit very hard at all by most accounts, much like Bo's staff has gotten the blame over the first couple of years.

Let's look at Rivals recruiting top 10 classes and non southern states over the past 4 years, guess every team in the North has the same problem as Michigan is the only team in the past 4 years to make the top 10 twice.

2012- Michigan only non south team in top 10

2011- Oregon and Notre Dame

2010- None

2009- Ohio State, Michigan

Busch? If he's so great why is he stuck at Utah State? Why did a coach under him move into a staff role at an AQ school in Raymond?

This question gets beat to death. TO was basically handed a team that had become accustomed to winning a NC when Devaney retired. How did his first four years go? Bo was handed a team that just accomplished what no Nebraska team had accomplished since the early 60's. If you want to join the likes of Notre Dumb with their coaching carousel, so be it. Personally, I don't. How many people thought it would take TO two decades to win a NC when he took over? I don't know that we need to give Bo two decades, but he needs at least one.

Aha. Bo needs 10 years to come close to (or win) a championship. I'm guessing by your response it's a B1GC that you're talking about....

 

Wow.

 

At $3million/year?

 

You do know that every time people like you bring up TO and Bo it's apples to oranges, right? If I need to explain what I mean by that I'm wasting my time really.

Yes, not a single school outside of the SEC has won a title in the past 5 years with only 1 of those games being less than a 2 posession game, Mack Brown got the the NCG in his 8th year at Texas and his 19th year at a BCS level school. Les Miles took 7 years between OSU and LSU, then immediately went 8-5 and 9-4 the two years after he won the title, he is now got a team with his players to that level.

Nebraska was very down, if you fire Bo for 10 win seasons you get another Bill Callahan to replace him, a good coach will NOT come to Nebraska under those expectations.

We lost because we didn't run it enough? I think we lost because we didn't pass it enough. It was effective all day long, yet we continued to go back to a failing power run game. I think we lost the game for the exact opposite reason that you said in the OP.

 

Go be a fan somewhere if you call for a coaches head EVERY single loss. We can't go undefeated every single year, and guess what the college football world is much different than it was 15 years ago. Teams are much more balanced now then they were back then.

 

Not to mention, NORTHWESTERN HAS A GOOD TEAM. We knew they were good all week, and if this loss surprised you than you don't know wtf you are talking about. I'm sick of these "fans" that know absolutely nothing about our program other than what the listen to on the radio and see on saturdays.

 

The University of Nebraska doesn't want you as a fan anymore, please go be a fan of Boise St, where you only have to pay attention to 1 game a year like we did 10 years ago.

I usually don't consider teams that are 3-5 headed into a game good teams, they lost 5 straight games at one point. Their defense gave up 38, 42, 41, 34 and 38 in their first 5 Big Ten games this year and we somehow only managed 25 points?

This game was lost in the first half by mistakes and an attitude across the entire team of playing passive, they never attacked Northwestern's defense until really late in the 3rd quarter and the defense just let Northwestern run the ball down the field in the 4th while playing Peso or Dime the majority of the time.

Here's a scary stat, not counting the final kneel down, Northwestern ran 16 plays in the 4th quarter, 15 runs and 1 pass- they ran 15 times for 71 yards, or 4.7 YPC in the 4th when everyone knew what they were going to do. The lone pass was of course the 81 YD TD pass, in that situation you have to stack the box and stop the run, yet we primarily played 4 down with 1 LB, against 5 linemen, a TE, a QB and a RB. Northwestern was able to block everyone in the box and constantly gain positive yards because of Bo's decisions not to stack the box. Add in the clock management and it was a pretty poorly coached game.

Man, the computers really hate the Big Ten, but love the Big 12.

 

Computer Rankings as follows

 

1. Oklahoma State

2. Alabama

3. LSU

T-4. Clemson

T-4. Kansas State

6. Oklahoma

7. Arkansas

8. Stanford

9. Virginia Tech

10. Texas A&M

.

20. Nebraska

 

Computers rate the Big 12 as follows

Michigan State

Penn State

Michigan

Nebraska

Wisconsin

Freudian slip?

Not proofreading before I hit the post button

http://espn.go.com/college-football/bcs/_/week/9/year/2011

1. LSU

2. Alabama

3. Oklahoma State

4. Boise State

5. Clemson

6. Stanford

7. Oregon

8. Kansas State

9. Oklahoma

10. Arkansas

11. Michigan Stte

12. Virginia Tech

13. South Carolina

14. Nebraska

15. Wisconsin

16. Texas A&M

17. Houston

18. Michigan

19. Penn State

20. Texas Tech

21. Arizona State

22. Georgia

23. Auburn

24. Texas

25. West Virginia

Man, the computers really hate the Big Ten, but love the Big 12.

Computer Rankings as follows

1. Oklahoma State

2. Alabama

3. LSU

T-4. Clemson

T-4. Kansas State

6. Oklahoma

7. Arkansas

8. Stanford

9. Virginia Tech

10. Texas A&M

.

20. Nebraska

Computers rate the Big Ten as follows

Michigan State

Penn State

Michigan

Nebraska

Wisconsin

Nebraska gets jumped by Michigan State and South Carolina, but Wisconsin falls from 6th to 15th.

We are now 14th.

Think he tweaked a knee in practice, no point in risking further injury against Minnesota.

Yes, the obvious solution is to scrap a gap technique that has been used for top 10 defenses and teams that got to national title games. Great idea.

It amazes me that people really think it's as simple as telling the d-line to go play a completely new scheme and thinking it will work. Why not call for a 3-4 or 5-2 alignment while you're at it?

I promise if one of the best minds on the defensive side of the ball is struggling to figure it out, there isn't a single person on this board that can figure it out.

It's pretty simple to see what is happening, we don't a have dominant d-line like we had in the past, and we have a young secondary that is struggling without safety help as the safeties are having to stack the box to help stuff the run.

I think it will take an offseason to fix our defense in all honesty, we tried to get bigger and stronger across the board on D and it hasn't worked. Our front 7, minus David,is slow and weak, which is frustrating. Despite the rotating that we've seen on the d-line, they constantly look winded and wore out. I think you'll see some weight come off the front 7 next year some and us get back to a faster more attacking scheme.

One of my favorite speaches that i've read of all time.

Other great parts

There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement. A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticise work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life's realities - all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. They mark the men unfit to bear their part painfully in the stern strife of living, who seek, in the affection of contempt for the achievements of others, to hide from others and from themselves in their own weakness. The rôle is easy; there is none easier, save only the rôle of the man who sneers alike at both criticism and performance.

Too bad this wasn't up earlier, still tempted to make the drive to Lincoln, but the wife would kill me.

People wI understand many of us need something to point our fingers at to explain that pitiful game yesterday, but many of you are unhinging the blame on one problem for a game that had numerous problems.

 

The 3 INTs were AWFUL, but so was the secondary's play, the defense in general, the play calling, the team's motivation and inability to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

 

This team's problems go much further than Taylor's throwing motion and we all know that. In all honesty, I don't think our offense has performed much different than has the last 2 seasons (actually I think they're a little better). THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS ON DEFENSE! We counted ourselves lucky to even get off the field yesterday! The numbero uno problem to fix is this team's lack of fundamentals on defense. From tackling, to play reading, to pursuit angles, to coverage, there are problems across the board! THe D-Line has consistently missed tackles all season while the entire secondary has been consistently confused and shaked and baked.

 

Just remember this folks. THis was the biggest reason we lost by the amount we did yesterday.

Turning the ball over 3 times is a huge part of losing the game, it keeps the defense on the field and wears them down at the game goes on. That's the biggest problem with what Beck did throwing the ball, it didn't keep the offense on the field and led to the D wearing out.

Here's what happened once we got the ball back with a 1 point lead

1st down- Burkhead gains 7 yards, but called back for illegal formation

1st down- Taylor sacked

2nd down- Taylor runs for 1 yard

3rd and 14- Rex catches a 9 yard pass

Punt

So now the D hits the field and stops White for a 1 yard loss on 3rd, Toon catches a 4 yard pass then Wilson gets sacked, punt back, D stepped up.

Offense gets the ball back

1st- Burkhead stuffed for a 1 yard loss

2nd- Incomplete to Cotton (dropped)

3rd- False start on Reed to get us to 3rd and 16 at the 41, rather than check down Taylor forces it and Wisconsin gets the ball back at the 46 (TOP, 45 seconds)

UW gets the ball back, 5 yard pass, incomplete, 6 yard pass 1st down, 5 yard run, 2 yard run, playaction over the top on 3rd and 3 for a TD

So now you're down 20-14 with 2:00 left

1st down incomplete

2nd down 26 yards to midfield to a wide open Turner

1st, 4 yards to Kinnie, OB to stop clock

2nd incomplete

3rd picked again

TOP 41 seconds

So in that swing the Huskers held the ball for 2 possessions under 1 minute, and the D was forced right back on the field and gave up two long throws.

Hindsight is 20/20, Beck got greedy since Taylor had thrown it pretty well up till then and it bit us, we could have ran the ball and probably made it into half within 3 or even in the lead.

Then the start of the half was just greedy, once that pick was made it was over

The loss of Coach Sanders is the biggest reason why the secondary is down. With him, our secondary imposed it's will. Without him, our secondary is complacent and just "reads and reacts".

Go back and look at our secondary in 2008, this defense is very similar to 2008.

Western Michigan- 24 points given up, 342 yards and 2 TD's

San Jose State, squeeked by- outgained 353 yards to 315 yards, were only up 14-12 until Paul returned a kickoff then a couple more TD's in the 4th

35 points to Virginia Tech, 52 to Missouri, 37 to Texas Tech, 62 to Oklahoma, 35 to Kansas, 31 to Colorado.

People take the last two years where Marvin was loaded with talent and had solid pressure from the front 4 typically and forget 2008.

Raymond will be fine, he's in his first year and has a lot of inexperience in his group.

Here are videos of the postgame

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111001/BIGRED/310019884

This quotes an unbelievable tweet by Antonio Bell that he's since deleted. Way to go.

http://twitter.com/#...352605582012416

 

Can you translate for me?

Here's what he deleted

"@YoungDuece_2: My bro fonzo is a beast the rest is ass str8 up"

Translation, Dennard is great, the others suck in Antonio's opinion.

ESPN threw this up, and it's very telling

From ESPN

Since 2000, Nebraska is 2-16 against top-10 teams (1-6 under Bo Pelini), allowing more than 33 PPG, while scoring fewer than 20. Eleven of those 16 losses have come by double digits including six by at least 20 points.

They haven't won a road game against a top-10 team since beating Washington 27-14 on September 20, 1997