Spartness

Besides our secondary, our LBs will have a work-out. A lot of TT's passes are very short and are like running plays. But I think we have the speed on defense now to disrupt their execution.

He also didn't say Mizzu was better -- there were two teams battling, he said. I didn't take offense to it. I'm sure some of our players in the past have made similar statements.

He closed the deal -- that was the most important thing. Keep in mind, until this year, he hasn't played that much, and he still has a learning curve. Plus the fact that the ball was wet and Missouri was very aggressive on defense, it as a tough situation. As to why we weren't running the ball more, didn't MU have eight men in the box? And later in the second quarter when we tried to run the ball, Mizzu stuffed it. It wasn't until the last drive when the Tiger D ran out of gas that we were able to run on them -- it appeared we wore them down. We were throwing most of the time to spread out their defense, but we just couldn't connect on them a lot of the time.

This 53-year-old has been going to games for the most part for over 40 years. Unfortunately, my 85-year-old father can't go anymore. The ramp is too much for him, and he has some other issues that I won't share with you. I've seen them all: Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers, Rich Glover, Willie Harper, John Dutton(sp?), Mike Rozier, Irving Fryer, Turner Gill, etc. My fondest memory was actually an away game with my mother, father and sister in Lawrence, KS in 1970. This was Bob Devaney's first N.C. team. We got a quick 10-0 lead over the Jayhawks in the first half, but Kansas stormed back with lighting-fast 20 points. The Kansas fans were going wild, while us Husker fans were in deep shock. After the last KU touchdown, I thought our great season was crashing down. But something happened. The first offensive play, after the last T.D., on our 20, OB Van Brownson threw a bomb to Guy "The Fly" Ingles, who had beaten a faster DB for a 80-yard touchdown. Man did that turn the game around. We took a 24-20 half-time lead and went on to win 41-20. That play has to rank as one of the biggest game changers in Husker history.

All I can say is I expect a dog fight in Columbia -- actually probably a cat fight. I don't expect Mizzu to dominate us like they have in the last two years when it had a noticeable talent advantage. I think both teams now match up pretty well. As for catmanzou, yes, we haven't done that much for several years, but we are talking about the future now. It appears we have the right coach who fits perfectly into the Husker culture. Maybe this won't be our year, but it will be sooner than later. This 53-year-old will see Big Red at a BCS bowl before I am buried underground. In fact, I expect at least several of them.

I don't think Gerry Gdowski had Lee's arm strength. I remember him as being not great but a very solid, steady QB.

It appears like they hired the wrong coach from Boise State. I have a buddy -- a Husker fan -- who wanted Hawkins after the Solich firing. But again, it must be the other guy who is the brains of Boise State.

FSU needed to do a much better job of managing the clock! They wasted over 20 seconds. That may have cost them the game. It has to suck being a FSU fan. How many times have they been in tight games with Miami and been on the short end of the stick? A lot! Throughout his career, Miami has been a real thorn to Bobby Bowden.

They are 0-1, not 0-6. If CU ends up better than 500, Hawkins probably will be back next year. Now I agree he has problems with his program, and his team will have to step it up or he will be gone. I'm just saying there is no point to this discussion yet. There's a whole season of football left.

I think you all are correct about Green playing this year. However, what about the 2010 season if Washington is still at QB and improves a lot with just that year left? And Lee, Green and Spano are all healthy. Do you then consider redshirting Green?

Again, what I posted was already said -- edit. But Lee could use Green in the slot for a half-back pass. Sorry Blackshirt316. I missed your post about Bill Jennings' two QB system. Yeah, that wasn't such a hot idea.

If they occasionally line Kyler Reed at Fullback, I hope the coaches are considering handing him the ball a couple of times to surprise the defense. It seems like the potential is there for a big play. Hopefully the coaches save it for one or two of the bigger games. As far as using two QBs, didn't Bill Jennings try something goofy with two QBs? I know that's going far back, but I remember reading something about him trying two QBs at the same time.

OK, the first question has been answered by some posters, and the staff cooling off on Sloan could be the reason. But I still have the second question I would like a reply to. What we won't know for a couple of years is if Pelini's first recruiting classes are solid enough that combined with development would produce a number of players who can make a difference for this program. I guess the other big question is: In today's world, can you develop a solid group of high school players into great players who can match the likes of UT, OU, or even OSU and UTT?

On the flip side to all of this, is it possible that the staff cooled off on Sloan because he didn't visit NU or for some other reason? Is it possible that the reason the coaches have not contacted those other prospects is because they feel those players don't fit the Husker system? Folks, I'm not expressing an opinion here. I'm not sugar-coating anything. I am a bit concern when I hear feedback from a number of prospects who say they can't get a hold of the coaches. But regardless, this is a question that should be asked. His previous two recruiting classes perhaps weren't great but appear to be solid. Pelini has admitted that reaction from high schools regarding the Husker program has been good but not great. As others have posted, winning should improve our situation.

I assume he has good hands, and could be used as a receiver coming out of the backfield, like Lucky. So I suspect Watson has plans for him in the passing game regardless if it's RB or WR.

It appears that his bonding with Coach Brown is very strong. And it seems that his relationships with other coaches can't compare. Anything can change, but for the time-being, he is coming to NU.

In the music world, he is among the most shocking deaths in the last thirty-some years. Of course there is Elvis, who died like Jackson. And then you have John Lennon, who was shot to death, and Jerry Garcia, who died of an overdose. I guess you have to throw in Curt Cobain(sp?), too. The weird thing about Cobain is he is among many rock stars who died at age 26: Jim Morrison, Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, "Pig Pen" (original keyboard player for the Grateful Dead), etc. Age 26 has been a bad age for a number of rock stars.

Guys: I know I'm going way back in time, but you have to throw in Bobby Reynolds to the mix. Anybody who has read about the history of Husker football should know that name. He rushed for over 1,300 yards during his sophomore year. Wasn't 1950?

I disagree. I don't think there will be much triple option due to the lack of experienced depth behind Lee. If Lee gets hurt, are they going to burn Cody Green's redshirt? Throw in a former linebacker? Will Kody Spano be ready to play health-wise? More importantly, is he any good? I just don't see it. I look for the Huskers to run some more I-sets to utilize the strength of the team which will be Castille/Helu running behind a seasoned line. Hopefully the surplus of fullbacks is because of this goal in mind, otherwise it is a waste of roster spots. I agree with DGR13, but also for an additional reason. Have any of you seen Lee's statistics of his second Juco season? He had a lot of passing yards. But if I recall, he had no more than 50 net yards rushing -- maybe even less than that. While Lee may be very athletic, he apparently doesn't run unless he has to, and is probably a drop back passer first and foremost, like T Gabbert. I see a little option to keep the defense honest, but not a lot.

Sorry I am so late to replying to this. I haven't checked this area out for a quite awhile. How's the insurance shopping going, "I See Red People"? I am an agent in Omaha. There's no easy answer, especially if you have a family member or two with pre-existing conditions. There's one carrier (not sure if I am allowed to give out the name on this board) that has pretty decent rates with its Health Savings Account plan, but this outfit has a tendency to either exclude pre-existing conditions, rate you up, or easily decline you. When you are shopping, make sure the health plan reads major medical. There are now several limited medical plans that are guaranteed issue. They look good on the front end, but are terrible on the back. I was online sometime back, and someone was inquiring about one of these plans. A former employee of this particular company replied and said a policyholder got stuck with a $36,000 impatient hospital bill as a result owning a plan from this company. Major medical plans are not perfect, but is protects you well from the big hospital bill. In order to lower the premiums, expect to have annual out-of-pocket expenses at least in the $5,000-$10,000 range. I am not here to commercialize this board, so if you have further questions, you can p.m. me. Good luck. -- Spartness

Why Parents Drink A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an Envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to 'Dad.' With the worst premonition he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter. Dear Dad: It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it' s not only the passion.....Dad she's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She deserves it. Don't worry Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren. Love, Your Son John PS. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house. I Just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than a Report card That's in my center desk drawer. I love you. Call me when it's safe to come home

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure it doesn't hurt for a commitment to try to recruit others. Just be aware that this isn't anything unusual. Harrison Beck was contacting other kids, as was Tyler's brother and others. And, like anything else, there are some kids who have better communication skills than others and get better results. I hope Tyler is among those with better sales abilities.

Getting back to the topic, it was refreshing to see a team the media didn't respect, as another poster pointed out, beat a SEC team. With the media, it's SEC this and SEC that. This is what makes college football great. You just never know what can happen. As long as it isn't Nebraska in the future that has a stunning defeat. But seriously, the better we get, the more likely we are going to have our share of heart-breakers. Just ask OU. Ask Dr. Tom.

If he can't catch, he won't play. Let's hope he has improved in that area. Otherwise, he will be a zero factor, unless he's a good enough blocker and use him only for that purpose.

Yes, I would have said it differently, but this is his way of trying to be positive, confident and believing in his team.