tmfr15

No doubt this offensive stuff has been beat into the ground, but consider this for a second. Maybe we are just one big time difference maker short of greatness. If Brandon Kinne, Niles Paul or some other guy were to develop into a scarry dangerous guy....would the pressure be relieved. If Kinne for instance becomes an almost impossible to cover guy, does that make the other receivers get open easier? Does it create chances for the tight ends? Could our RBs go from good to dangerous? Would our QB and O-line look a lot more skilled? Or, would one guy make some plays...and the rest of the offense continue to stall?

Honestly, I don't believe Watson has a way to begin with. He ran other people's systems at both Colorado, under Barnett, and Nebraska, under Callahan. The 2008 season was Watson's first running "his" system. I don't think he really knows what that might be. We are not good at much right now, so its hard to create a system. We don't pass protect well or run routes well or make good decisions with the ball, so that pass game is limited. We don't run the ball very well and we get into second and third and long so we don't have much of a power game either. Don't forget what the goal of an offense is....SCORE. This offense doesn't have very many explosive plays in the run or the pass and those plays are what dictates what system you go with. I think we can develop the running game, but it will take work. I don't know if Watson will put that work in because I don't know if he believes in the run. Then again, I am not so sure he believes in the pass either. It's a mystery. But make no mistake, the caoches have to work with Watson, narrow the focus and then drive forward with a specific philosophy or we will never be good at ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whatever the offense is....just run the damn TOSS PLAY!!!!!! Get the front seven moving left and right so our backs can cut back to daylight. And when the toss works, the fake toss is flat out DEADLY!!!

Assume that one of the following happens. Either Watson flat walks out feeling as though he is being unfairly targeted as the reason for the O woes. Or, he gets into a knock down drag out yelling match with the Pelinis and is fired. Now you are Pelini. What now? I am not looking for a person to hire, but a plan. What kind of an offense do we want now and how do we start to set the foundations? Give specifics...not just run more, but what kind of runs do you want to see. Not just be balanced....define that more. Feel free to assume this happens before or after the bowl game. Of course before the bowl game would be very interesting since the whole apple cart would be upset with one game left to play in 09-10 season.

What grand evidence do we have that the previous coaches knew what they were doing? Was it our continual great play in the run game...wait no. In fact our rush game was a historic embarassment to the Husker tradition. Must have been our ability to always keep the quarterback clean so that he could make throws down the field. Right? Wait a second, Zac Taylor was constantly getting drilled. Sam Keller left the lineup after being drilled at Texas. Joe Ganz had success because he could successfully run around, elude the rush and make something out of nothing. So, back to the original point. Who says our previous coaches were good? Make a defense for these guys, because I don't believe one exsists.

I've got to say that the biggest problem that I see with this offense is that the receivers can't get open. Tight ends are good, but you can't rely on tight end play. We can all name teams that had great tight ends, but name me one team that hung thier hat on throws to the tight end. The tight end was always that extra element that made good defenses harder to defend. Backs coming out of the backfield, i.e. Brian Westbrook, create nightmares for people too, but w/o a good wide out, well, check out the Eagles offense year in and year out. The biggest case for Watson to stay is that we were VERY green at WR this year. We didn't realize how much we would miss Nate and Todd. Let's face it, if they were still on the team, we might be unbeaten and taking a trip to play the Crimson Tide. Nate and Todd simply know how to get open. They saw weaknesses in the D and exploited them. We saw a little flash of Brandon Kinne last night in the late going. Niles has shown flashes as well. If those guys develop into go-to guys and other guys work hard enough to push them, well, maybe the O will take a major leap forward. You guys have any ideas on who might be ready to step up after an intense offseason? Maybe a recruit that you guys think might come up big quick?

Mack did nothing wrong. Watson on the other hand. Well, that's another story now, isn't it. I for one am seriously thinking about saying the hell with the bowl game. I can't stand to watch horrid offense like that. It was like someone had a knife in my gut and everytime we ran an offensive play, they twisted it around about 10 times.

I just want consistency from refs. That is all. Is it OK for a defender to face guard in college ball? Prior to tonight, I understood the answer to be yes. The ball can hit a defender in the back of the head and as long as he doesn't contact the receiver....no flag. Also, when the ball is overthrown, no pass interference should be called....it was tonight. Lastly, I watched a game just recently where the ball went through the uprights with two seconds left to go in the game. That should stop the clock. It did not and the clock ran out. No one blinked. Tonight, the game official thought the clock ran out while the ball was sailing out of bounds. Suddenly there is a review. What gives!?!

Nebraska can't lose this game. Texas can finish with more points, as they are expected by the ENTIRE WORLD to do. If they win by a lot, well, no one will blink. If the score is tight, the scrutiny of the Texas program will be higher. They know this. Texas has everything to lose. We have nothing to lose. I don't expect Nebraska to win. If they end up winning. Well, after I stop jumping up and down and grinning from ear to ear from about 48 hours or so, the world will return to normal.

Nebraska 13, Texas 10 Rushing 145 Passing 145

WHO cares? The game must be played, so it doesn't matter what the line is, unless you plan to gamble, which I don't.

This game against Texas looks awesome to me because I already consider this season a success. Nine wins in the regular season, a win over OU, and, for the second year, an ability to bounce back after disapointment and keep going toward a solid season. The Big 12 title game will be great. I don't hate Texas and they have had a great year, so it won't bother me too much if we lose. Even if we get blasted. Texas is playing hot right now and is blasting a lot of folks. Look how many points they put up on TAMU. If Nebraska plays close, that's even better. A win would be, well, euphoria. And the bowl implications. Lose and go to the Holiday Bowl, get a match up with Pete and USC and score a win....YES. Win and go to the Fiesta to blast Boise, TCU or Iowa. YES. I look forward to Saturday and the Texas Longhorns. In order to be the champs, you have to be in the champ game. We are there, and, considering a history of close ones against Texas... ya just never know

I apply the same standard to Nebraska that I apply to all other programs. When Nebraska "kept fighting" against USC a few years back, well, it was almost repulsive. The Trojans lead was insurmountable. NU got a few scores so that it would "look better". For those who know anything about football, it doesn't. The late score by the Buffs meant nothing. And If I was a Buffs fan I would not even acknoledge that the score occured. I would have a major rant going for the OC or the QB coach and whoever coaches the special teams.

Who have the Huskers beaten this year that's any good? Nobody that's who. And don't tell me Oklahoma because they stink up the field. The Huskers have NOT beaten 1 Single team in the top 25. NOT 1. That is why 9 wins does not mean Jack. We have eight wins now, same as last year. In order to progress, we must at least win that ninth game on Friday and then take care of the bowl game to get to a 10-4 mark overall. When we beat Missouri, on the road, that was a big win. When we beat Oklahoma, that was big because it helped erase the nightmare that was Iowa State. Be honest now, did you think we would beat OU? My point exactly. You make the point that we really haven't beaten anyone whose very good. True. But we've got to find ways to get wins over teams that we are capable of beating and do so on a consistent basis. Nine wins represents some return to the consistency we seek.

Remember when the minimum goal for a regular season was nine wins. There was a time in the history of this program...not that long ago, where this would be a week filled with nine win talk and what a disapointment it would be to finish with eight wins and how Texas is tough and if we lost to Colorado and fell to Texas we wouldn't meet the program standard. Where is this talk now? Nine wins represents a return to consistency and you have to return to consistency before there is much belief that you can take the program where we all want it to go.....ALL THE WAY

Arguing rival or not rival with any NU fan is hopeless. All of us have an opinion about it and won't change our minds. I will say, however, that the number of people who say rivalry now are a lot higher than they were back in the 90s or late 80s.

What's it matter.... simple, progress. We had eight regular season wins and four losses last year. A win Friday gives us a mark of 9-3. Not only would it be an improvement, that would represent the first nine-win regular season since Frank left. It is a big deal. As for the Big 12 title game....well, we will certainly go down there to Texas and give em hell, but if doesn't work out, it would be nice to have nine wins to fall back on. Plus a decent bowl. A loss to CU would change our bowl prospects.

Things that make you go....

This season ain't over yet. Follow this.... Boise State goes unbeaten. We top Texas in the Big 12 title game and earn an auto bid. TCU takes the place of Texas in the BCS title game. Boise State and Nebraska clash down at the Fiesta. Texas goes to the Orange Bowl. Crazy? Yes, we would have to beat Texas, but the other two parts of that are not all that far fetched.

Call me jaded....but I just don't believe Wats... I don't think his sentiments are sincere.

Oh yea.... that O was OUTSTANDING. Did you see that slip screen....if the KU guy dOesn't grab COOper's facemask, well, OBVIOUSLY he wOuld have scOred

We ran the toss play precious few times, but we got good yards everytime and we locked up the contest with the last one. I kept begging for the toss play. The last time we ran the toss fake, I wanted to brain Watson.... You have to run the toss before you can fake anyone out. Obviously #90 was less than fooled on that last toss fake. I screamed at the TV when Frank refused to run the toss. That continued with Billy C. Now Wats. Please run the toss more.... not saying every down, but a few more times.... PLEASE!!!!!!!

Oklahoma could have beat NU. The Sooner should have beat NU. Landry is way better than what he showed against the Huskers. OU moved the ball between the 30s. The Sooner kicker is terrible and if Tress Way wasn't in there, why OU would have won easily. What's that all worth for OU fan. A big fat.................. L Man that was sweet. :0)

Nebraska is opening up the offense again accorind to the OWH. That's enough to make all of us nervous. Shawn Watson....with a blank check in the playcalling department.....NOOOOOOOO

What is annoying is that, most of the time, one call builds on the success of another call. Short completions should open up the vertical game. We never run double moves....first a comeback route, then a stutter-go...etc.