Danny Bateman

Ross Els. The same dude who was responsible for the dumpster fire of a special teams unit we'd seen all year. Luckily, he seems to have gotten his ish in gear the past couple weeks. LB play has definitely improved and ST's looks good. Maher's bangin' em through again and the kick coverage doesn't resemble a my John Brown hindparts anymore. Kudos to Els.

This is why I b*tched in the ranking thread. I think right about the time we start getting into the Top 20 and making our way up the polls... is right about when the team starts playing like the bolded. Somehow, the ranking definitely goes to the players' heads, and they play like they're entitled to the win based on what they've done in the past few games. They seem to lose their hunger and expect to win based on reputation-- the exact same problem plagues my beloved Eagles, and it's hard to watch as a fan. We're definitely good enough to win out. The match-ups are DEFINITELY in our favor-- 3 pro style offenses and a spread with a true frosh QB at our place. But the players have to remain grounded, and play like every game is their last, as cliche as that sounds. 100% focus, play smart, aggressive Nebraska football, and limit your mistakes. Even with a favorable schedule to round out the year it's necessary. Do that, and NU WILL earn trip to Indy.

Bo's always kind of favored his starters. You see it with Taylor a lot-- he stays in the game during blowouts, doesn't come out if we're losing big, etc. I don't know if it's on Bo or Beck, but I wish Braylon got more touches too. As good as AA is, I think Braylon is more of a natural runningback. I think he's got a little better vision and follows his blocks better. And the fact that he tried so hard to get here, has switched positions multiple times, and still doesn't get more carries with Burk down would be maddening if I were him. Ultimate team player. I've got a lot of respect for the kid.

Watch the hand placement buddy. This is a family forum.

McGahee's was worse. Go back and watch that one (it will be one of the one's cued up after the Lattimore video if you watch it all the way through). IMHO, McGahee's is more apt to make someone sick than Latt's.

What's that? If we get to the point in our schedule where we only have Minnesota and Iowa we're good?

I reckon I'd love to see an 11-2 NU team play a highly ranked ND team who's strength is their defense. Strength on strength. K-state or OU would be just fine too. I'd love to play one of the ole B12 foes. Especially OU. But right now, I just really want to beat Sparty Saturday.

On paper the matchup suits us. Strength versus strength (Our O vs. Their D) and I like our perceived weakness a LOT better than theirs right now (Our D vs. their O). Tie breaker-- Special Teams, definitely goes to us. If we could just go back to playing focuses and with that "us against the world" mentality on the road like we did that first year under Pelini (yes, oddly as it seems, it used to be a strength) and eliminate mistakes, we'd beat this team with an arm tied behind our back.

Hmm... The fact that most of us think we should win this game is enough to make me feel uncomfortable about it.

Yeah, except Shawn Watson legitimately did need to go. It really is the same here when we lose. Everyone FREAKS OUT and the machine that churns out all the "Fire Bo" threads fires back to life... But come on, Borges had to know Gardner could do better the Bellomy. The kid couldn't throw a 3 and out. That is like the first throw they ask you to make when they're evaluating your as a college QB.

I too want to see them in the championship game. But not to root for them. I fully expect them to lose by more than 3 TD's against Bama or Oregon. So, you want KSU to get to the MNC, and then you're going to turn around and don your Roll Tide gear and cheer on Bama? I guess I don't see the logic there...

Man I hope K-State takes care of business and makes it to the MNC. I'd feel like there'd finally be a team in the championship I could actually cheer for. I am too young to remember K-State when they were good, so I really can't hate them.

Well that sucks... You're serious, right? Bahahahahaha!

My concern with this type of D is just that when you give the QB so much time to throw, eventually there are going to be breakdowns in coverage and the offense is going to hit something big. I just believe that you cannot give a QB that much time to set back there. We played it really well, but if he doesn't get hurt, there is a strong probability we go into halftime trailing (it was 7-3 when he went down wasn't it?). I think you have to at least have someone making it uncomfortable for him back there. But it obviously worked pretty well, so what do I know? I swear it was 7-6 when he went out. Being old, my memory is fleeting. So we must have trailed 6-9 at halftime. If he doesn't get hurt it's probably 50-50 they punch in in for the TD. Trailing 13-6 then at half. Who knows. The score at half time was 7-6 good guys.

Well dang. We need DL players, period. So either way, we just lost a future DE or DT. That said, no real sense in getting too upset about losing a kid before they are even on the team. If he's a tool and/or not athletic enough for the type of player we want, I've got no problem letting him go elsewhere.

I hate these kind of posts.... Why does it matter what the fans are focused on? I mean, I've already thought about the possiblility of a National Title run next year with the returning talent on offense, and the improvements on D, along with the easier schedule.... If the team is focused, it doesn't matter what the fans are thinking about.... As have I. I was merely indicating that whenever I start thinking about what MIGHT happen should we win out, how high we might get... I just tend to feel foolish when the team comes out and plays flat like they have a penchant for doing. It doesn't really bug me that much. Just feels sometimes like thinking about polls is jinxing us. But I bet I"m the best person to ever combine the concepts of superstition and sports. Silly me.

dude we better... our recruitment is moving slower than a fat constipated chick trying to take a dump after eating McDonalds for a week..... In a public stall when she's really self-conscious about stinking the place up and making a racket.

Michigan had a total of 95 yards rushing the ball. It's a far cry better than last year. If MSU's QB is more of a pocket passer, it could be a long night for him if our Linebackers and D-line repeat last nights performance All of the QB's we face from here on out will be pocket passers. Gray for Minny would've been the only dual threat, but he has apparently shifted to WR and they're going with a true frosh at QB, both to get the frosh some experience and showcase Gray as a WR to boost his NFL stock. I'm not sure if the move is permanent, but I'm thinking it probably is. The rest of the QB's we face from here on out fit RIGHT into our wheelhouse. Feeling VERY good about the rest of our schedule. Side note... Having grown up in Iowa, and paying more attention to their games then some... their QB is just god-awful right now. If I had to guarantee one win from here on out, it would be them. Even over Minnesota.

I hate these threads. We shouldn't be focused on anything but who we play next week. Anytime I start to think about how high we could climb in the polls... We lose. I guess for me thinking about the polls is just bad luck.

I'm gonna nitpick here, but does anyone else remember the play where Taylor followed Ameer out of the shotgun on what appeared to be a designed QB draw to the outside right and lost ~3 yards? Seemed like a very odd call to me. Obviously getting Taylor to the edge is a good thing, but following Ameer? And Michigan just flat out strung him out, contained him, and we lost good yardage on the play. Beck has taken big, big steps forward this year as a playcaller, but it would still be great to eliminate some of these "WTF" plays.

F*ck suspended. He attacked someone. I hope this guy gets straight up canned.

My roommate and I complain about this every time we have a big game on national TV. For the love of Pete, can we please stop reinforcing the stereotype that all we do in the Midwest is play in corn?!

I'd rather stick my head in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees until crispy and golden brown than cheer for that weasel of a coach they've got over there... But if we manage to drop another game, my noggin might be safe.

We BETTER fill his spot with a stud DE... We need help there quite badly right now.