ray233

I'd love to get involved with something like this if I had the time. I used to do web & graphic design for a living back in the day...and still freelance a bit. Well, that was a waste of a post.

Actually, it doesn't cost simply because you're not on a college campus. It's free, depending on your cable provider. As of September 30th, Cox is now on that list (for those of us in Omaha). I watched plenty of games on it over the weekend. College campuses and military-based ISPs get it for free as well. ESPN360 FAQ

Even Better.... Gillylen's 31.9 yds er catch leads the NATION.

PICK SIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In their defense, I think the recruiting stuff is still all Scout.com. Before they partnered up, I don't think CFN had any ties to recruiting info.

CFN saw enough of Nebraska in last Saturday's loss to Virginia Tech to move us up eight spots in their weekly rankings. 15. Nebraska 2-1 Last Week: L, at Virginia Tech 16-15 This Week: Louisiana-Lafayette Why the ranking is too high: In his first big game, QB Zac Lee sputtered and struggled. There were several chances to put Virginia Tech away, and Lee and the Husker offense didn't do it. The attack will have to be far more efficient to beat Missouri and Texas Tech in the next few weeks. Why the ranking is too low: It took a miracle for Virginia Tech to win at home. With the way the run defense played, the Huskers might be the better team and probably deserves to be in the top ten. A win over Missouri in Columbia on October 8 will bring that respect. CFN's complete Big12 rankings after Week 3: Texas: #2 Missouri: #13 Nebraska: #15 Oklahoma: #20 Oklahoma St: #23 Kansas: #26 Texas Tech: #29 Baylor: #51 Texas A&M: #64 Iowa St: #75 Colorado: #76 Kansas St: #102 This week we're ahead of USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Georgia. We started off in their preseason rankings at #17, but after the game against FAU, we dropped out of the Top 25 to #26. The following week, after beating up on Arkansas State, we moved back into the Top 25 to the #23 spot. Last week after showing up big for 58 minutes, we handed it over to Virginia Tech at the end in a tough loss, and leapfrogged to the #15 spot. CFN could have dropped us a couple of spots or left us alone in the rankings at that point, but I think they saw the story that was much deeper than the final score indicated. I think they saw a team that played nowhere near potential on one side of the ball, and still almost came up with a huge road win. If we can start getting out of our own way, we have the talent to win out. If this team continues to get better and find some consistency....we will be in every game. We have a lot of inexperienced but key players on the field. Don't forget how many players were starting in their first big game, including: Zac Lee Ricky Henry Curenski Gilleylen Jared Crick Will Compton Sean Fisher Prince Amukamara Get your cups out! LINK For entertainment purposes only. Mail-in a copy of this inside information along with 99 cents to redeem your free dollar.

Some of you guys are freaking ridiculous. These KIDS, work very HARD to PLAY for YOUR team. If you think a player isn't giving his best effort, that's one thing. Slacking off is unacceptable. But when these guys make mistakes while playing the best they can, show them some damn support. Most of you critics couldn't make it through a practice, let alone a game. I'm sure your EA Sports NCAA 2009 dynasty is doing pretty well, but our coaching staff is in charge of this team, not you. If you want to root for a team with perfect players and coaches, clone yourself....otherwise try considering that your TEAM played a hell of a tough game and dropped it in the end. There were plenty of positives to take away from Saturday too.

Being the best defensive player in the Sun Belt has been known to earn a first or second round NFL pick. Being the best defensive lineman in the Sun Belt isn't a hollow honor. Its not a hollow honor by any means, it is just much harder to evaluate. Carrington is projected as a 3rd-5th round pick right now. Last year, Nebraska had a runningback-turned-linebacker (who played half a season and got suspended) go in the 5th round. As of right now, NFL Scouts still have a tough job of trying to figure out Sun Belt stars in contrast to the level of talent they play against. I think the games they put on film against the major conference teams have to weigh a ton. Those games are a step closer to the caliber of guys he'll play at the next level. I'm certainly no scout, but that's the only logical way we have to size Carrington up. I don't care if he had 30 sacks against MVSU, I want to see how Carrington stepped up in the big-time games, because @Nebraska is a big-time game. So far, it looks like he doesn't generate good productivity against top talent and I bet the pro scouts are looking beyond his early-round measurements to zoom in on his late-round play. He's got 3 more chances to get his draft stock up, starting today. Good luck, Carrington.

Good luck 49. We have a reputation for respecting the visiting players and fans, regardless of the outcome. Besides, you guys bounce back from shutouts pretty well.

I was giving you an average height/weight of the ASU front four for a unit comparison. Yes, undersized. The size matchups by position are mostly in Nebraska's favor. We don't sacrifice size for speed. We have big, strong guys who are also fast enough to stretch the field (legit 4.4/4.5 speed). Collectively, NU is bigger, stronger and faster. This goes for the two-deep as well as the starters. If we play aggressive, we should be able to bully the overmatched ASU players, wearing them down considerably by the end of the 3rd quarter. I respect your coach's body of work, however, I don't think ASU has a chance to keep the final score close. NU's offense comes into the season ranked #12 in the nation. Our offensive coordinator, Shawn Watson, is regarded as one of the best OCs in the country. QB Zac Lee has much to prove, but all the offense needs to flourish is a capable manager, which Lee appears to be thus far. As for NU's defensive coaching, it's quick to explain: 2003 Nebraska Defense (year before Bo = #55, year with Bo = #11, year after Bo = #56) 2004 Oklahoma Defense (year before Bo = #3, year with Bo = #13, year after Bo = #13)....it is important to note that Bo was only a co-coordinator this year, splitting input with another co-coordinator and the head coach. 2005-2007 LSU Defense (year before Bo = #3, years with Bo = #3, year after Bo = #32) 2008 Nebraska Defense (year before Bo = #112, year with Bo = #55, year after Bo = #???) Same players, new coach, one season....defensive production skyrockets. The one time he wasn't in complete control of the defense, they didn't get any better.....go figure. The guy's track record for defensive production is ridiculous and he's managed to build his resume in the two best conferences in college football (SEC & Big 12). After man-handling FAU by 46 points, our coach publicly called out his defense, labeling their play as 'average' and 'soft'. We started two freshmen at linebacker, including at MLB (the QB of the defense). The biggest jump supposedly comes between weeks one and two. That thought should be scary enough on it's own, but did I mention Ndamukong Suh has a chip on his shoulder this week? Out. Coached. Against the 5 best defenses on ASU's 2008 schedule: Reggie Arnold's Averages = 61.2 YDS, 4.1 YPC, 0.4 TDs Corey Leonard's Averages = 50.6% COM, 192 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT (also added 1 rushing TD against Memphis) Not horrific...but I wouldn't call those 'nice' games, especially considering that 4 of those 5 games were losses. From the little I've seen, ASU does not appear to perform very well under fire. This Saturday, ASU will be under HEAVY fire.

DISCLAIMER This was compiled for entertainment purposes only. I'm usually wrong. ASU REALITY CHECK -They'll be under-sized, over-powered and out-coached. -ASU has an average quarterback (statistically). -Their star players have underwhelming stats in big games. -For example: Sun Belt superstar DE Alex Carrington averaged 4.4 tackles and a sack per game last year. However, in his career, he has yet to show up in a game against a BCS team: -2008 Alabama = 0 sacks, 2 tackles -2008 A&M = 0 sacks, 3 tackles -2007 Texas = 0 sacks, 0 tackles -2007 Tennessee = 0 sacks, 1 tackle -2006 Oklahoma State = 0 sacks, 1 tackle -Further hurting Alex's productivity is the fact that double-teaming him is not that costly...on the other side is a 6'1" 245 lb DE that managed just 1 sack last season. A guy that size is what Nebraska generally refers to as a 'linebacker'. -ASU is 1-14 against the Big 12 (the only win coming against a 114th ranked A&M defense in 2008). -ASU is a poor road team. They were 2-for-5 in road games last year and 0-for-6 in 2007. Last year, ASU squeaked by the 119th ranked defense of North Texas (5 points) and the 114th ranked defense of Texas A&M (4 points). -As was the case with Rusty Smith and FAU, the Sun Belt's in-conference success stories don't necessarily translate to the big stage. We were supposed to get tested by one of the Sun Belt's best passing attacks last week, headlined by pro-prospect Rusty Smith: 15 of 31, 0 TDs, 2 INTs. -The little guys who have a shot to knock off a ranked BCS team are typically the ones that consistently take care of business in their own conference (Boise State, Utah, TCU). Arkansas State does not meet the requirement by dominating their own conference. The Red Wolves are in the middle of the pack (pun intended) in a minor conference. They play aggressive defense with a solid running game, but lack the size and talent to go toe-to-toe with major conference teams. In 2007 they went 3-3 against Sun Belt competition. -Arkansas State tuned up against a horribly underpowered MVSU team. See for yourself. -Compare that to their game against Alabama last year, when they played scared and got overpowered in a definite role reversal. Check it out. NOT SO BOLD PREDICTION On defense, Nebraska will have a bit more time to get into the backfield than last week. Corey Leonard hangs on to the ball way too long to get through this game without taking some lumps. He is not an accurate enough passer to sit in the pocket and make plays with his arm all day. His indecisiveness will get him popped on more than one occasion, given Nebraska's speed up front. I still expect Pelini to play a fairly vanilla defense and hold off on blitzing. With Virginia Tech coming up next week, Nebraska still won't want to show too many cards. Nebraska will challenge Leonard to throw the ball by clamping down hard on their offensive strength; the run game. Suh and the boys will take being called 'soft' seriously and dominate the ASU line in the first half. The Nebraska secondary will punish the undersized receivers on short routes, creating an environment for several dropped passes and some potentially easy picks over the middle. - 3 Sacks - 3 INTs - 8 TFLs On Offense, the Big Red will come out with an emphasis on the running game again. Against an ASU defensive line that averages 6'2" and 275 lbs a man, Nebraska should be able to create holes at will. Their line backers are bigger-bodied guys that seem a good fit for goal line situations, but don't move terribly well laterally. Roy Helu could have a huge day against this bunch with his quick cuts and acceleration. Last year, ASU played four games against teams with a Top 50 running back (statistically). All were losses. Roy Helu should be a bigger challenge than any of those running backs this Saturday. The last line of defense is a rangy, but underweight, secondary unit that may have trouble bringing down Nebraska's running backs, tight ends or wide receivers one-on-one. With ASU averaging under 6 ft 180 lbs at the corner spots, NU's wide receivers have a significant size advantage. Half of the players in ASU's two-deep at secondary weigh in the 170's. The only starter over 182 lbs is hurt. The starting strong safety is 6'0 172 lbs. Nebraska typically calls these guys kickers (actually, Alex Henery put on some muscle this off season and is about 175 now). Luckily for ASU, the narrow veteran is one of their teams better tacklers and pass defenders. With ASU's smaller d-line, lack of linebacker speed and smaller defensive backs, NU may have the perfect storm for its shifty and strong running backs to go wild. If the holes are there like they should be, a quick cut may be all it takes to continually spring big runs of 10-12 yards or more. Zac Lee did not throw too many balls up for grabs last week and will hopefully avoid reckless throws this week as well. Even though Nebraska's receivers should be able to muscle through jump ball matches against ASU's corners, we will most likely see another conservative game with few unnecessary chances. If the passing game isn't clicking, Zac Lee may look to tuck and run a few more times this week in lieu of throwing the ball away. Nebraska's strong receivers should get some nice separation from ASU's small secondary. - Helu will run for over 100 yards for the second week in a row - Burkhead will run for over 75 yards - Menelik Holt will have a big receiving day (wide receivers will block very well again) - Zac Lee will throw another INT this week In the food chain of college football, ASU eats MVSU....then NU eats ASU. The coach speak says these guys are going to be a "challenge", but keeping things simple for ASU is an obvious part of the game plan for Virginia Tech. You'll see minimal blitzing and just a sampling of the playbook; no creativity. Any team can win on Saturday, but if we expected a truly challenging game here, we wouldn't be handing them a million dollar check and playing so vanilla. The coaches believe they can oppose their will on ASU and win the game soundly on base schemes and talent alone. They're saving the good stuff for VT. Aggressive play in the trenches and talented depth put this one away late in the 3rd. Final Score: Nebraska 48 Arkansas State 16

Didn't see this posted yet: Did anyone see that Gresham is out for the season? LINK

This coaching staff is not known for playing superior athletes who don't have a good grasp of the system on either side of the ball. -Were there more athletic options at WR than Todd Peterson last year? Probably, but who started? -Was Zac Lee a better athlete than Joe Ganz last year? Apparently, but who started? -Was Rickey Thenarse a better athlete than Matt O'Hanlon last year? Probably, but who started? We can speculate and have heated debates amongst ourselves all day, but we won't know until we know. There are several possibilities, but there will only be one truth. -Is it POSSIBLE that Cody Green could start this year? Yes. -Is it POSSIBLE that Zac Lee could start all year? Yes. -Is it POSSIBLE that LaTravis Washington could start this year? Yes, it's possible. Yes, Cody Green could be a special quarterback.....but how do you know Zac Lee won't be? Let's support our #1 guy until he gives us a legitimate reason not to. If you trust in the coaches, this is a moot issue. You'll see the best man for the job with the ball in his hand on Saturdays. Until further notice, that man is Zac Lee.

Agree with everything but this statement: "This guy is so good he deserves to be considered as the starter." According to Green himself, he's only comfortable with "maybe 15" out of 320 plays. That's 5% of the playbook at best. He also didn't get a chance to play as much as Lee, so outside of running, he could potentially be unexcellent in every area...as far as any of us know. You can't really evaluate him until he plays more. He won't play more until he learns more. He won't learn more until he has time to learn more. So basically, I think we'll all just have to wait and see, before we can legitimately recycle Zac Lee and go "Green"

Oh yeah, sorry....that was from July 14th. My mistake.

JONESBORO, Ark. -- Arkansas State cornerback Paul Stephens has been dismissed from the team. Stephens was hospitalized over the weekend with a gunshot wound to his midsection. A man told police that he shot an intruder trying to break into an apartment. Arkansas State announced Stephens' dismissal from the Red Wolves on Monday night, saying it was for "conduct detrimental to the team." Defensive back Leroy Trahan and wide receiver Jarriel Norman were also dismissed from the team for detrimental conduct. The school did not elaborate on those infractions. LINK From a personal/reality perspective, this is very unfortunate for these young men. They are paying dearly for poor decisions in their young lives. From a football perspective, this is a big hit to the depth of their team, with two of these players (Norman & Stephens) being Seniors.

knapplc, You almost broke my video card!!! Did that trigger anyone else's epilepsy?

If Cody Green is the #2, that means he goes in if #1 goes down. There's no 'OR' between him and Latravis Washington. He's listed as the clear cut #2 guy now. Green needs to get in and take every snap he can get, because whether his first NCAA start is tomorrow or next year, he needs experience. He's one mild concussion, sprained ankle, flu bug, etc. away from going from #2 to #1. If we don't have *mop-portunities for Green against FAU, Arkansas State, or UL Lafayette......I think we've got bigger problems. And if Lee isn't getting it done after a few games, we've got to give #2 a shot don't we? Who cares if he's a freshman. Robert Griffin wasn't too bad as a true freshman. The media talked frequently about his athletic ability, but I also heard a bunch about his poise, leadership and maturity. They say he was beyond his years in the intangibles department. I keep hearing buzzes about the poise, maturity and decision making of Cody Green too. I'm not saying that Green is better than Lee, or will be this year or next. I'm saying as long as he is an a position to potentially start (which he is as the #2 guy), he needs as much experience as he can get. The moment he became the backup, the redshirt became an afterthought. *Feel free to use the word 'mop-portunities', for a .02 cent surcharge per usage. Thanks.

In all reality, you have to have that sort of mindset to even have a chance...that you're going to win against the odds. I don't have any issue with this kid's attitude and energy for his team. That said, you just have to be smarter than that. Even his local media is looking for a good sound bite to sell papers. Nothing is local anymore in this day in age, so when you give something to a reporter that they can spin.....they're going to spin it. And everyone is going to hear about it in a matter of hours. He said "We are going to win."...no context is going to save that from being quoted as a guaranteed victory. As if the "N" burning wasn't bad enough, now they've given the players a guaranteed victory to ponder. Don't poke bears with sticks. Nu already feels like they have a lot to prove. Pissing off the defense is not going to help you in any capacity.

Didn't bother me at all...I just wish Schnellenberger would have openly questioned Pelini's toughness.

Not sure if this LINK has been shared yet.

We keep hearing that FAU is bringing a good team into Lincoln on Saturday. While I don't doubt the Owls have some punch and talent, I am one that believes they are heavily outmatched. In looking at what the Owls did last season, I did not come away impressed. Throw in the inexperience they have on both sides of the ball, and I see NU running away with this one by halftime. It goes without saying that you can't sleep on any team on Saturday, but that doesn't make your competition better than what they are on paper. FAU has some players, but they're just not ready to contend with the big boys. If talent alone doesn't kill them, depth will. I'm not buying into the 'close game' talk at all. I realize that FAU is doing some big things down in Boca Raton...they are coming on strong for a new program. However, the Sun Belt limelight does not translate into W's against the BCS boys yet. FAU BY THE NUMBERS: In 2008, the Owls played four Top 60 Defenses....all losses: #51 Texas, 52-10 #58 Michigan State, 17-0 #34 Troy, 30-17 #46 Arkansas State, 28-14 4 of those losses came in the first 5 games. However, FAU was able to win 6 out of it's last 7 games. I've heard most sources attributing that to the fact that Rusty was....well......a bit rusty. You'd think that the Owls suddenly 'woke up' and got it going mid-season, but there's a very telling number: 98 This is the average ranking of the defensive unit that the Owls faced in their 7 wins in 2008. That list consisted of #106 UAB, (unranked, but given a generous #70 ranking) Western Kentucky, #109 Louisiana Monroe, #119 North Texas, #105 Louisiana Lafayette, #71 FIU, #104 Central Michigan. Even as poorly ranked as those defenses were, FAU won 4 of those games by very narrow margins (4 points, 1 point, 7 points in OT, 3 points). Not to take anything away from FAU; they showed heart and won those close games. However, the way Florida Atlantic lost their games, leads me to believe that Florida Atlantic was not as good as their record claims. FAU won 7 games in 2008, by an average of 10.5 points....but they lost 6 games by an average of 20.1 points. The Owls beat up on the weakest defenses in college football, then got held to an average of less than 10 points in each loss by non-premier defenses. Rusty Smith may be a good quarterback in the Sun Belt, but he has been underwhelming against decent opposition. In 2008's losses, Rusty tossed out an average completion percentage of 45.75% (including 8 for 34 for 23.5% against Michigan State). By comparison, Joe Ganz threw for an average of 67.55% in Nebraska's 4 losses last year. NOT-SO BOLD PREDICTION: The FAU offense only returns 6 starters. Florida Atlantic's running game is relying on a sophomore (Alfred Morris) with 7 career carries, 4 of them coming against one of the worst rushing defenses in Division I football (#105 North Texas). Making his first start against NU (#21 in rushing defense in 2008) is not going to help matters. Nebraska's run defense may not be in prime form during game one, but I think the Blackshirts face a much better offense in practice on a daily basis. FAU has the ability to put up good pass numbers, but if last year was any indication, they will not be able to slow down Nebraska's above average pass rush. The lack of a proven running game will give Nebraska the opportunity to blitz early and often. No disrespect to FAU, but the owls are an okay team in a lower-tier conference. The defense should go from bad to worse with the loss of 8 starters. The offense appears to be one-dimensional until the young backs get some experience. Suh and company should be a bit more than a rookie running back can handle, forcing the stationary Rusty Smith to put the game on his arm. Rusty Smith's immobility (37 attempts for -82 yards in 2008) could be costly. If the running game doesn't take off out of the gate, Smith may be a sitting duck. If he can get the ball out quickly, the experience at wideout may be able to test NU's unproven secondary on the deep ball. Unfortunately, this strategy may be tough to get going without a running game to keep the pass rush honest. Nebraska has a legitimate Top 25 team in a premier conference, with a balanced attack on offense and a defensive group that is starting to gain momentum in year two of coach Bo Pelini's system. Look for NU's defense to hit the Owls in the mouth from the jump and own the game. I think any less than 4 sacks will be a disappointment. Expect to see heavy doses of the 2nd units early in the 3rd quarter. On offense, I think Zac Lee will put up spring game type numbers. FAU returns 3 starters from a defense that ranked #92 in 2008. That could be viewed as a good thing, but inexperience is going to be a huge challenge against Nebraska's attack...even with all of the major question marks at the skill positions. The run game should be able to carry the load if things aren't clicking in the air. Expect both Cody Green and Latravis Washington to get significant reps in the 2nd half. Burkhead should see plenty of action as well. All of the receivers should be in heavy rotation throughout the entire game (as the coaches have eluded). Special Teams should be solid, but NU probably won't do much kicking in the first half. NU by 24+ FAU held under 21 4+ sacks 2 INT 1 Defensive or Special Teams Touchdown (NU) Zac Lee - 3 TDs / 0 INT 3 days left!

Man, I am way too active on these damn look-alike threads... "I'm just a dude, postin' pictures of dudes, who look a lot like other dudes..."

Darian Williams Dwight Howard ------------------ Samuel McRoy Antonio Bell ------------------- Rod Huggins Ray Lewis

Howard Schnellenberger --------------------- Wilford Brimley