Jeremy

I just hope his shortlist is made up of guys that could actually turn it around. We definitely don't need another NFL washout.

So, new coaching search. Option guy this time? Please?

The only exciting part of this season will be the coaching search rumor mill. I wonder where Trev is leaning - an NFL washout, or an up-and-comer? Personally, I would go after an established guy like Chadwell, Monken, or Calhoun.

Yeah, this could be an issue. Maybe he could play inside linebacker? I don’t like Tannor off the field a lot

We wouldn't have that much trouble. We'd be paying our guy a lot less than Ohio State is paying their blue chip no matter what.

Kind of a chicken/egg problem. Frost can't win without the better athletes, but the better athletes won't come/stay unless he wins. I say, put the money out there, get the 4/5 stars, and if we still don't win much, Frost is the problem.

[Eyeroll] Okay, fine. Let's forget NIL, and keep going 3-9. That'll be fun, won't it? Additionally, aren't we already subverting that quote with all the money some of the volleyball players are making, not to mention Casey Thompson?

I don't know. Selfishly, I would think this would put us in a good position. Not many athletic departments are as cash rich as UNL. We used to have the weightlifting/training edge for decades, then everyone caught up. We've been needing a new edge since the Solich days, and this could be it. Pump the cash into the collective, hype it up, and watch the 4/5 stars come calling. Do you guys wanna win or not? If you donate, they will come.

Ohio State literally has a collective that everyone and their dog can donate to for basketball and football. I think we JUST started something like it, but we're playing catch up regardless. Think about the numbers that could be generated. I wish I had a lot to give, but I don't. As a fanbase, we need to pony up and put our money where our mouths are. Do we want to be back or not? Cough it up, Husker Nation!

We aren't chicken littles. The sky fell a long time ago, especially last year when we went THREE AND NINE. No bowl game for 5, mostly likely 6 years in a row now? Yeah, the sky is a quaint, distant memory.

Good gawd, it's just never ending.

Yeah, our practices have been GREAT. Best practices ever, actually. In fact, I'd say we're the best practice team in the nation. Name dropping doesn't help when you barely average 24 points a game over 4 years and go 2 straight seasons with just 3 wins. And I already mentioned Osborne, a coach that Frost isn't taking much of anything from offense-wise.

double post or something

Yeah, everyone knows we sucked at running the ball. That's the point. The gripe we have is about scheme, technique, and overall philosophy - what they focus on. What they focused on in the offseason, fall practice. What kind of running plays are we running? What's effective, and what isn't? As a coach, if something isn't working, you have to simplify to the basics. You HAVE to pick a few plays, and drill them ad infinitum. You can't just keep adding more plays and more formations. These kids are struggling to keep up as it is. Sometimes Frost talks almost condescendingly about his playing days in Osborne's offense, as though it were a simpler time, beneath him. No, Scott. There's a REASON why that offense was effective. Osborne was a repetition FANATIC, and I wonder if Frost has just forgotten what it takes to get 11 guys to work as one. Everyone, including him, is bashing 3 yards and a cloud of dust. What's wrong with that offense, if we move the ball down the field? Our linemen are big and strong enough, right? Why can't they effectively block smaller defensive linemen and linebackers? Why are there always unblocked defenders shooting through or waiting at the line of scrimmage for our backs? Personally, I think it had a lot to do with scheme, overall technique, and the fact that our stuff isn't much different than much of the B1G. It's not hard to prepare for Nebraska if the last 2 or 3 teams run similar stuff. Maybe Raiola and Whipple will turn things around. I sincerely hope so. If Thompson comes out firing, and we look like the Kansas City Chiefs, I'll be the first to eat crow. I just don't see that happening. Until I'm proven wrong, I will contend that Nebraska will never be 'back,' or even close to it, until we COMMIT to running the ball, where our identity is based on the running game. I don't want to be Iowa. I want to be 9-4 Army or 10-3 Air Force.

I hope Thompson works out and slings TDs game after game. It seems like we have a bunch of passing talent now. In the 70s, however, Nebraska won because they ran over everyone. Not to say we couldn't throw the ball at all, but most of the offensive success came via the run. Eventually, Osborne implemented option with option QBs because Oklahoma was KILLING us with the Wishbone.

They EASILY ran the ball 65% of the time back then, if not more.

Preach, brother. Couldn't have said it better myself.

1. Every schedule-adjusted metric? What does that mean? I'll concede that the ST were horrible, but MAYBE we would have won more if we scored more touchdowns, which were few and far between. 23 per game against FBS teams just isn't good enough. 2. While the service academies play lesser competition, they DON'T RECRUIT. Every team they play is vastly more talented than they are. Yet, somehow, they win WAY more than we do. And no, they don't get blown away, not all the time at least. This year, Air Force beat Nevada, Boise State, and Louisville, 3 teams with a lot of potential NFL talent. I already mentioned Navy's win over KSU a couple years ago. They admittedly struggled this year, but still beat UCF, another team WAY more talented athletically than they are. Army did give up 70 to Wake Forest, but still dropped 56 on the Demon Deacons, which I seriously doubt we could have done. Army played Wisconsin, and lost 20-14. 3. This just further proves my point. Air Force beat the near-Pac 12 champion. 4. Why couldn't Nebraska run the ball like they did in 2001? Have the rules changed?

What data? The data I have shows that since September 4th, 2004, when Nebraska football made a drastic departure away from what we were known for offensively, we've gone 127-98. Why do we care where we rank in the B1G in terms of rush/pass ratio? We used to nearly lead the nation in all the rushing categories, and it was a source of pride. If anything, all the data shows that what we've done recently, and where we seem to be going are quite inefficient.

It would appear that you can NOT be successful doing what we're doing. Once again, 3-9. (After a 3-5 season the year prior.) Yeah, I know, we 'fired the coaches responsible for the shortcomings.' Sure. I seriously doubt that passing MORE is the answer, but with Whipple, the great offensive mastermind, maybe we'll be Pitt 2.0. How do you explain the success that that the service academies have had in recent years? Winning WAY more games than we have? They alone prove you wrong. Navy won 11 games and beat a good Kansas State squad in Liberty Bowl in 2019. ELEVEN. WINS. Air Force won 11 games in 2019, too, beating Mike Leach, the Air Raid guru in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Falcons just finished with 10 wins this year, Army with 9. The last time we won 11 games in a season? 2001. Guess what our run/pass percentages were. 70.4% run to 29.6% pass.

Yes and no. In the Flexbone model, there is way less pressure on the QB to be a dual-threat because he’s one of 4 in the backfield that the ball could be going to. It's a BIG difference from what we're doing now when nearly everything is dependent upon the QB and the myriad of decisions he has to make on any given play. A Flexbone QB has to make quick decisions, but there are less of them, and they're easier. Since not as much is expected of the QB, the general trend is that backups can come in and be nearly as effective as the starter if needed. A QB running the Flexbone is not even close to the same as what Frost has tried to do the last 4 years.

Who cares what everyone else is doing? Are we going to win doing the same thing as everyone else? Did Osborne care about the offense that Florida State was running? The coaches in Lincoln went 3-9. That record speaks for itself.

True. However, they are absolutely committed to running the ball, and doing so effectively. This is what I want.

You're half right. We have recruited some guys that can catch the ball. What we haven't gotten is a guy that wins games by throwing the ball very well, nor have we recruited guys to protect him. I mean c'mon. It's been 7 years now. Do you see a Kenny Pickett on our roster? 5 star offensive tackles? It just ain’t gonna happen.

In this millennium, we have zero conference championships trying to be 'balanced.' Wisconsin can throw a little bit because they have Allen running behind some great blockers to batter defenses and get them in the box. They can throw because they establish the run. That scheme has been around as long as the forward pass itself.