Jeremy

Thanks, bshirt. You seem like a gentleman and a scholar. There are so few of us left.

I find it interesting that most of the Husker fan base is starting to come around to what I've known for years. Texas is the best. At everything. No really, they are. I say this because I lived in the state for 5 years, and I learned a good deal from the humble folks down there. First of all, Texas is the biggest state. By far. Alaska? Just a myth - actually a part of Canada, and most of it is ice anyway, so how does it count as actual land? Secondly - Texas could be it's own country if it wanted to. They don't really NEED the United States, but stick around for our sakes. They even beat the Mexicans at the Alamo to claim their own independence. Thirdly - 'Chuck Norris', whose actual name is Walker, is from Texas. Fourth - George Bush is from Texas. He had the most dignitude of any president. Fifth - More people are killed by the death penalty in Texas than most other states combined. So Don't Mess with Texas, America. 6 - The Texas flag can fly at the same height as the American flag. Everyone knows this and cares about this. Because it matters. 7 - When UT fans come to Lincoln in their bright burnt orange, a lot of them like to get out their red, white, and blue Texas state flags (of the 9 FBS schools in Texas, they are the only true representative) and wave them in our faces, just to show us the 1)All those colors coordinate perfectly and 2)Nebraska was once a part of Texas, if we know our history at all. 8 - UT fans always cheer when BEVO takes a dump on the Alamodome carpet - it's a tradition. 9 - Nebraska didn't deserve their share of the 1970 National Championship, because they didn't lose the Cotton Bowl to Notre Dame. (24-11) 10 - Texas is a better state than Nebraska, and last year's Big XII Championship game proves it. "Don't you dare take the name of Texas in vain!" -Sandy Cheeks

Shatel: (For what it's/he's worth) "A few years ago, I had asked Tom Osborne which teams he liked to watch. Nebraska's winningest coach said, “Utah. I really enjoy their offense. It reminds me of some things we did. And there's a couple things where I said, ‘I wish I'd thought of that.'” Osborne was referring to Meyer's zone-read, where the quarterback is in the shotgun, takes the snap, reads the defensive end and decides whether to hand off or run through an open gap." Osborne likes the spread and zone read. In the defense-dominated 90's (and prior) common football thought was that the harsh weather in late October and after would negate any real success in a pass-happy offense. Since Osborne's day, though, things have changed. Linemen are blocking downfield far earlier in screen plays, PI has had a lot more focus (granted, offensive PI as well), and what exactly constitutes holding has changed drastically over the last decade. Add all this together, and we have TT, MU, KU, OU, UT, aTm, OSU, and even Baylor taking advantage, cold weather or not. Now, I'm not saying that Osborne is directing Watson or the offense in any way. However, it is public knowledge that Watson did go to him last year, and Osborne simply gave them some film from the option glory days. I will say that if I was in Watson's position, I'd put 2 and 2 together - what is working, and what kind of athletes do I have that can make it work. The Holiday Bowl and the Spring Game are exhibits A and B for me as to what we will be seeing. We saw true triple option out of the gun, zone read, QB Iso, Midline, and the Wildcat. It looks like that though we want to spread the field (even wider lineman splits), we want to be a run first team, and play action out of it, good old Osborne staples.

Before every season, I'm always trying to figure out how well we'll do. Over the years, I've learned that while there are some things we can base our predictions on, we really don't have a freaking clue as to how things will pan out. Before the '07 season, I was certain we'd be good enough to play in a BCS game, what with gun-slinger Keller, big-time Mo Purify, and future NFL star Marlon Lucky in the backfield, not to mention we were good enough to win the Big12 North in '06. All of us were thinking pretty much the same thing - '07 is the year. We can beat USC, Texas, and be NEBRASKA again. But...we all saw how that panned out. Because of '07, I will always be hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. The biggest problem, of course, was our defense, or lackthereof. However, I'd say another huge thing we aren't taking into consideration is our competition. I don't think anyone saw the emergence of KU and MU in '07. So, while I am trying to get an angle on the Huskers and their chances, I also really want to know about the competition - who will break out and make life in football hard for the boys in red. As for the Huskers: Offensively, I believe we'll be more effective running the ball, given the O-line isn't facing injury and depth issues, at least initially. However, the QB situation is troubling. If Zac Lee isn't 100%, I hope Cody Green has improved 200%, because if we're to be competitive at all, we need MUCH better play at QB than we did for several games last season. I think the receiving corps is about as good as they were last year, and Niles has proven himself a formidable threat returning punts/kicks. The kicking game is as good or better, as long as Adi doesn't kick it OUT OF BOUNDS. Dang it. Defensively, there's a lot of talk about how the Blackshirts will stop teams without Suh. Will the Huskers be a defensive juggernaut again? I don't know. I think Crick, Steinkuhler, Cam Meredith, etc will do well, and we won't give up horrible amounts of rushing yardage. We should still be able to get pressure on the QB. However, a lot of us are forgetting about the loss of Phillip Dillard. Toward the end of the year, he was playing as well as any LB in the conference. He was a leader, and kept everyone in line during games. Now, we have some new really athletic guys like Eric Martin and Whaley, but I'm sure they need a good deal of game time to really be a force. As it is, we aren't Linebacker U. The secondary lost hardly anyone, so we should probably see no drop-off in their level of play. (Edit: Asante had his moments, but I think there are people that can be as effective or more than he was) How all this translates when the bullets are flying? I haven't the foggiest idea.

Yes. And how.

Not cool, but hey, we didn't stop them. I'm sure the boys in red watch a little ESPN, so this should put a little fire in their bellies when Texas comes to Lincoln. I hope Oct. 16th is a day with record cold, and windy. We can just knock the snot out of them.

Fake punt from your own 20 involving a double reverse by two non-skill position players when you're tied or leading the game? Not smart. That said, Pelini's fake FG vs. CU last year was just as dumb. The difference? Pelini owned it, calling it the 'bonehead call of the year,' while we all know Callahan was excellent in every area...

Texas doesn't deserve 5 National Titles, much less 4. Did all of you know that they claim to have a national championship in '70, splitting with us although they LOST to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, 24-11, while we defeated LSU in the Sugar? Whether Texas wins or loses, Nebraska's image is still solid, and final rankings don't mean that much to me, first of all because we lost 4 games - how high should we be ranked? 2nd of all - we're definitely not finishing number 1. I lived in Texas for 6 years - a majority of the horn fans I met had no clue who the coach was prior to Brown, nor the QB prior to Vince Young. Never did I meet a single person that had any respect for Nebraska football, or the state of Nebraska in general. Roll Tide.

The only thing that pisses me off about this is that he didn't let the kid sit down. Other than that, I don't see what the big deal is.

Look, I think he's a great kid and all, but Zac Lee is NOT a running QB in any sense. He's not 'shifty' at all. In fact, he makes Berringer look like Barry Sanders. That said, I think he makes better reads in the passing game and doesn't try to do too much (with the exception of the Big 12 Championship). A more consistent offensive line and strong, healthy backs would make him look a lot better than he has. However, this is my reasoning for starting Green and sticking with him the whole game: He's a much better athlete, he's bigger, faster, and stronger. His 50 yard missile to Niles in the Baylor game was better than any completion Zac Lee had all season (sure, the bomb to Niles in the Missouri game was nice, but it was nothing compared to Green's). Green has shown ability to break tackles and make defenders miss, while Zac simply can't do this, and we desperately need that kind of play. I'm hoping to see Green play so we have another run threat in the sprint option, zone read, and even a wildcat look. Cody can do these things about 12 levels better than Zac (like I said, I like Zac, but it's just not his strength), and it will only help to open up the passing game. When the Zona linebackers are cheating up to stuff Helu, Green, and Burkhead, Niles and Kinnie will have a lot of space to work with for slants and post routes, not to mention the acres of green down the seam for McNeil, Cotton, etc. If the safeties want to come up, Green has definitely shown the ability to throw it deep, and the receivers will be wide open.

Thank god Troy State and Utah State were on the schedule. 9 wins is a myth, Nebraska was blasted by every good team they faced down the stretch thanks to an absolutely inept offense. The mistake was in not immediately promoting Pelini or Gill. 6-6 (now 7-6) Marshall beats Ohio 'Spose you could say thank god for Fla. Atlantic, Arkansas St., and La. Lafayette then, right? I suppose our 9 wins this year are a myth then, as well. Are all of Osborne's 9+ win seasons myths because he had patsies on the schedule? The mistake was firing Solich, plain and simple. It basically ruined one of the longest and richest traditions in all of college football. Nebraska couldn't even beat teams like Utah State/Troy State like they beat the teams you listed this season because Solich's offense sucked so bad. It took a monster performance by Demorrio Williams and the rest of the defense to hand NU's offense the ball at the goal line for his worthless QB left/QB right/QB draw pop-up playbook to get the ball in the end zone those games. Also, with the exception of TTU, Nebraska didn't get run off the field by the good teams they faced this season, and damn near BEAT Texas and VT. As soon as you let me know how Joe Dailey and Allan Evridge did after their transfers, I'll tell you how Nebraska's offense was going to do if Solich had been retained. As if 122 total yards against the nation's 80th ranked defense this afternoon isn't a big enough hint. Are you trying to tell me that the '09 Husker offense is better than the '03 offense? Really? Are you trying to tell me that the '09 Husker defense didn't completely and utterly carry the team to any and all success they had? At least in '03 we had a ground game, something we desperately needed this year. No, I'm telling you Solich is not a good enough head coach and Nebraska's offense would continue to be at '03 or '09 levels or worse as long he's around. His team could only manage 122 yards against Marshall's 80th ranked defense, let that crap sink in. With Pelini, at least he can change offensive coordinators and will have a comparatively limited influence on that side of the ball. And once again, the 2003 team played a weak schedule. They still averaged only 235 yards/game, 90 yards better than this year's team, which averages about 70 more yards passing per game. Basically, comparing '03 to '09 is like comparing crap to vomit. Versus Texas in '03: 40 carries, 53 yards. This year, 35 carries, 67 yards. Versus Kansas State: 41 carries, 195 yards. Of course on NU's only TD, Lord's knee was clearly down before he threw the ball, thus if replay existed Nebraska would have finished with a whopping 2 points, oh but without a shutout on the line, KSU probably doesn't take that safety, so you're looking at being shutout on Senior Day. Versus mighty Troy State: 47 carries, 186 yards, less than 4 ypc. I believe Iowa State went winless or close to it that year, NU couldn't even put up 300 yards rushing on them. Penn State finished 2003 with a 3-9 record, Pelini's defense forced 5 turnovers, yet Nebraska could manage only 4 field goals and one miraculous sustained drive for a TD (Michigan State racked up 41 on PSU, we saw how they did in the Alamo. . .) Of course, Nebraska rushed for 207 and 248 this year against VT and ISU so you can't blame those losses on a weakness in the ground game without making similar concessions for that abortion of a 2003 unit as well (8 turnovers is a fluke). While I'm at it, against Utah State in 2003, Nebraska trailed 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. They didn't put the game away until Demorrio Williams forced 2 fumbles and gave NU a short field. This year against Florida Atlantic, the defense didn't force a turnover until it was 28-3. There were 0 turnovers by Arkansas State, and against ULL it was 20-0 Nebraska before the cajuns turned it over. I could go over the defensive touchdowns/short fields in all of NU's other games in 2003, but I don't care. My issue here is not whether Nebraska sucks on offense in 2009, it's about which head coach is more likely to fix the problem: the guy who in his fifth year of his current job just got waxed on offense in a bowl game by a lousy Marshall team, or a guy in his second year as a head coach period who nearly destroyed the #2 team in the country's entire season. 62-36, that was the end of Nebraska's tradition. Okay, okay, I see what you're saying - it's really a Pelini/Solich issue, in that Nebraska is actually in better hands with Pelini than it was with Solich since 62-36. I would agree with that, except we HAD Pelini in '03. Do you think that the offense today has a brighter future now than it did then? We don't even know what kind of offense we'll run for the next game, much less next season. The coaches don't even seem to agree on it. My issue is that I'm always looking back through the Callahan era, and anything looks better than '04-'07 to me.

Thank god Troy State and Utah State were on the schedule. 9 wins is a myth, Nebraska was blasted by every good team they faced down the stretch thanks to an absolutely inept offense. The mistake was in not immediately promoting Pelini or Gill. 6-6 (now 7-6) Marshall beats Ohio 'Spose you could say thank god for Fla. Atlantic, Arkansas St., and La. Lafayette then, right? I suppose our 9 wins this year are a myth then, as well. Are all of Osborne's 9+ win seasons myths because he had patsies on the schedule? The mistake was firing Solich, plain and simple. It basically ruined one of the longest and richest traditions in all of college football. Nebraska couldn't even beat teams like Utah State/Troy State like they beat the teams you listed this season because Solich's offense sucked so bad. It took a monster performance by Demorrio Williams and the rest of the defense to hand NU's offense the ball at the goal line for his worthless QB left/QB right/QB draw pop-up playbook to get the ball in the end zone those games. Also, with the exception of TTU, Nebraska didn't get run off the field by the good teams they faced this season, and damn near BEAT Texas and VT. As soon as you let me know how Joe Dailey and Allan Evridge did after their transfers, I'll tell you how Nebraska's offense was going to do if Solich had been retained. As if 122 total yards against the nation's 80th ranked defense this afternoon isn't a big enough hint. Are you trying to tell me that the '09 Husker offense is better than the '03 offense? Really? Are you trying to tell me that the '09 Husker defense didn't completely and utterly carry the team to any and all success they had? At least in '03 we had a ground game, something we desperately needed this year.

Thank god Troy State and Utah State were on the schedule. 9 wins is a myth, Nebraska was blasted by every good team they faced down the stretch thanks to an absolutely inept offense. The mistake was in not immediately promoting Pelini or Gill. 6-6 (now 7-6) Marshall beats Ohio 'Spose you could say thank god for Fla. Atlantic, Arkansas St., and La. Lafayette then, right? I suppose our 9 wins this year are a myth then, as well. Are all of Osborne's 9+ win seasons myths because he had patsies on the schedule? The mistake was firing Solich, plain and simple. It basically ruined one of the longest and richest traditions in all of college football. No, Frank had our program going south. Our offense was going nowhere with the guys he was bringing in. You know, the transformation was a bit painful, but on the whole, not too bad. '05 and '06 were extremely entertaining, enjoyable seasons. '07 saw the Rise of the Ganz and his year-long campaign of putting up video game statistics. And then we got Bo and where we are now. I like that we have Bo now, coming off his LSU and Oklahoma pedigree, and I like that BC, in his four years, gave us the offensive overhaul that he did. We found a LOT of starters in that landmark '05 class, and now the future is looking very bright. We've had two bad years since Frank was fired, let's not act like it's all doom and gloom. The glory days of old will never return, and the post-Solich era has been a pretty fun few years of being a Husker fan, mostly. More fun than '02 and '03 for sure. 0-21 vs. Top 18 since Black 41 Flash. That's what I call doom and freaking gloom. Our offense is nowhere right now with guys Callahan brought in. With the '03 offense, the only game we lose this year is to Texico Tech. '04 10-70 vs. Texico Tech 21-45 vs. KSU 3-30 vs. OU NO BOWL GAME '05 15-40 vs. KU '06 10-28 vs. USC 29-41 vs. OSU '07 31-49 vs. USC 6-41 vs. MU 14-45 vs. OSU on Homecoming 14-36 vs. aTm 39-76 vs. KU 51-65 vs. CU NO BOWL GAME I don't know about you, but I didn't really consider these things enjoyable at all. It wasn't just a 'painful transition.' It SUCKED. I'm not asking for glory days. I'm asking for Husker play we can be proud of. Was I always proud of the way we played under Solich? Of course not, but I sure as hell didn't/don't enjoy seeing linemen playing patty cake in the trenches en route to a 60 point loss. That's not Nebraska. Never has been, never will be.

QUOTE(HuskersNC949597 @ Dec 26 2009, 03:14 PM) QUOTE(huKSer @ Dec 26 2009, 02:37 PM) Pedy initiated the downward spiral of death by firing him after a 9 or 10 win season. Thank god Troy State and Utah State were on the schedule. 9 wins is a myth, Nebraska was blasted by every good team they faced down the stretch thanks to an absolutely inept offense. The mistake was in not immediately promoting Pelini or Gill. 6-6 (now 7-6) Marshall beats Ohio 'Spose you could say thank god for Fla. Atlantic, Arkansas St., and La. Lafayette then, right? I suppose our 9 wins this year are a myth then, as well. Are all of Osborne's 9+ win seasons myths because he had patsies on the schedule? The mistake was firing Solich, plain and simple. It basically ruined one of the longest and richest traditions in all of college football.

Thank god Troy State and Utah State were on the schedule. 9 wins is a myth, Nebraska was blasted by every good team they faced down the stretch thanks to an absolutely inept offense. The mistake was in not immediately promoting Pelini or Gill. 6-6 (now 7-6) Marshall beats Ohio 'Spose you could say thank god for Fla. Atlantic, Arkansas St., and La. Lafayette then, right? I suppose our 9 wins this year are a myth then, as well. Are all of Osborne's 9+ win seasons myths because he had patsies on the schedule? The mistake was firing Solich, plain and simple. It basically ruined one of the longest and richest traditions in all of college football.

Speaking of bowl games - the refs are HANDING the Emerald Bowl to USC. Two huge calls reviewed and completely wrong both times by the officials. I guess I'm noticing horrible officiating more than ever since the Big 12 Title game. However - the Golden Eagles are playing tough, and Congdon just missed a pitching wedge shot from 35 - short. Glad we have Alex Henery.

This was my first game, too. The defense was on the field for over 100 plays, although they didn't look as horrible as they did for most of the other games. In person, Keller looked even slower than he did on TV, and Lucky never lowered his shoulder to take on hits. Ruud's INT was nice, and Grixby looked very athletic in his return game and on his INT's. The only other game I've been to was VT '08, so I guess my hopes of being a good luck charm are over... 1989 was first memory of the Huskers - I was 8, and my dad and I were listening to the radio in the Old Ford as we chopped wood. The dreaded Colorado Buffaloes held off a late rally by the Huskers, and my dad was PISSED. Naturally, so was I, but also hooked on the Big Red for good even after a loss.

OzBone with a taste of the new. Triple option out of the I, throw in zone read out of the gun. I like power with Burkhead and pitch/stretch with Helu. Open up some play action and matriculate the ball down the field. Oh yeah - start Cody Green.

0-21 vs. Top 18 since Black 41 Flash in '01. We haven't beat ANY good teams, defensive or not, in a LONG time.

Ed Weir Guy Chamberlain Bob Brown

My question is... Whose idea exactly WAS the Big 12? What was so wrong with the Big 8? I remember the Huskers running through the schedule year after year - and I don't think the Big 8 was exactly respected nationally, but...did anyone really CARE? I didn't. In '95 when we stomped through the conference thoroughly for the hundredth time, are they not still considered the GREATEST? I don't know 'bout you guys, but I personally liked not having to worry week to week about every freaking team we'd play. Wasn't it nice to have Missouri after Kansas State? Go ahead and talk about the spirit of competition and whatnot, but one of the reasons a lot of us harken back to the drubbings of yesteryear has to do with the good old Big 8. I would also disagree with anyone who said that the demise of Nebraska football started with Dr. Osborne giving up the whistle. Sure, '02 stunk, but Nebraska was in the BCS mix in '99, winning the Fiesta, should've been in '00, and we all know how '01 went down. '03 saw drastic improvement and a new attitude from the Blackshirts - I think we were on the way back even through a few setbacks vs. Missouri and Kansas State. The demise of Husker football was indeed triggered with the firing of Solich and the hiring of Callahan. Any argument Texas and her fans have against Prop 48 is specious at best. We all know what was going down. Calling Nebraska a prom queen living vicariously through the tiara for 10 years? Yeah, that's not arrogant at all. Incredibly humble - and the residents of Texas are known nationally for their humility (btw, I lived there for 6 years, so don't say crap to me about that). It's all good, though. Keep your asterisk. In fact, keep the 1970 MNC that you claim even though you LOST YOUR FREAKING BOWL GAME (while we won). Nebraska's not going anywhere - the fans, the program, the state itself - we're stronger than ever; stickin' together. 'I got some dirt on my shouldah, could ya brush it off fuh me?'

One more quick one: Last play of the '05 Alamo. Meechicken fans still gripe about the whole Nebraska sideline being on the field during the scramble... Thoughts?

1. Of course some do. Anecdotal evidence of kids you know doesn't make a trend, though, just like me citing Texas kids that played here in Nebraska in the 80s when we weren't playing Texas teams doesn't make a trend. That's an individual thing, not necessarily a truism of all recruits. I think we can take it for granted that a LOT of kids go several hundred miles away from home to play ball. 2. That's more a matter of dedication to the sport than anything else. Across the landscape of college football the majority of teams that want to succeed recruit across the gamut of High Schools, no matter where they are. They go get players no matter the state. That's why OSU and Michigan have 800+ wins and Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State, etc. don't. 3. That's as much to do with our philosophy back in the day than anything. We wanted those "big corn-fed farmboys" to earn our three yards and a cloud of dust. Nine wins per season, crushed by the fast teams - that was our M.O. Then Osborne got wise and recruited the speed players from Texas and Florida, and the 90s happened. Definitely - Callahan getting Lucky to come to Lincoln over USC was a magic act in my book. At the same time, I think looking at the '94 team sees a nice mix of native sons and good recruits. In this area, to find a good mix there is one of the keys to our success.

Saw that too, knapp. I'd say the clips they showed from the Cotton Bowl were some of the worst displays of sportsmanship, or lackthereof, ever. Not that I felt bad for Texas...

22 of the 132 players on the roster are from Texas. That's roughly 17%. That said, I really like the way Burkhead plays, and I'm glad he's a Husker.