TheCheshireCat

Ohio State and Michigan State are no LSU or Alabama, but they are tough, talented, aggressive defenses that we have run all over. I can see a big difference between this year and the last couple on that alone - these weren't 80 yard bursts followed by nothing. They were sustained drives that wore the opponent down. I am very excited about the future of this offense. You can't expect miracles overnight, but the fact that we are improving and establishing a method should be very encouraging.

Ouch. But funny. And true. Don't get me wrong. There is a lot I admire about Martinez, and I believe he has a skill set not a lot of quarterbacks have, but his throwing motion is just awful. I really wish he could throw a better ball - quicker and more fluid - because with the receivers we have this year, it would open a whole new level in our offense.

Look at it this way - his throwing can't get any worse.

We would have a hell of a time defending against Arkansas.

An all time Miami or USC team would probably blow most programs out of the water. I agree it starts up front on the trenches, and Nebraska has the edge over many programs. But stop and think about the sheer talent of Miami's program... don't know if any all-time assembled team could compete with that.

I've seen little this year to show that we can win this game. They are very aggressive on defense and have many weapons at the skill positions on offense. We have had trouble all year at DB, and they have good receivers and a QB who can get it to them. They also have good RB, so we can't sell out against the pass. And their defense is probably the best we have played so far. The only thing that gives me hope is how we finished the OSU game. If we can run it on them like we did and wear them down, we might stand a chance. I give us about a 25% of winning this game.

Charles Starkweather would have been a good one

Whoever has a sh**ty offense.

So far Beck has impressed me a lot more than Watson ever did. We put up 34 (and likely 41 without a kneel) against a good defense. tOSU isn't where they used to be on defense, maybe, but when was the last time we put up that many points on at least a decent defense? We had what... 17 last year against KANSAS? Yes, Martinez was injured, but our offense as a whole looks so much more dynamic. Our receivers are awesome, just inexperienced. We have a good stable of backs that are developing behind Burkhead. Our line seems to be gelling. Most of all, he seems to understand adjustment, adaptation, and playing to strengths. He hasn't been perfect - see Wisconsin - but you can tell he completely thought up a new gameplan this week. I don't mind mistakes, as long as they are understood and dealt with. A fast-tempo offense that prioritizes running and speed is perfect for our personnel. Can't wait to see how we progress this year and into the next couple. Once the defense solidifies, as it most definitely will under Pelini bros, we'll be scary.

If this year is similar to 2008, our defense will get better and better as we go along. By the end of 2008, we held Thunder and Lightning to what... 7 combined rushing yards? Yeah we had Suh, but the defense as a whole matured. I expect positions to be cemented and our defense to solidify. Our offense was awesome last night. We put up 34 points on one of the best traditional defenses in the country. No kickoff returns, no interceptions returned to the 5 yard line, no 80 yard burst by Martinez. We drove, we scored, and that is extremely promising.

Wow, the Big Ten bloggers on ESPN actually retweeted that? That's trash. Shame on them. Although, coming from ESPN, it doesn't really surprise me. Travis Lewis shouldn't be talking at all. He plays for a team that has choked in every major bowl game of the last decade. We'll see how cocky he is after Trent Richardson bowls him over 15 times, and that's IF Oklahoma even makes it that far.

When you throw three interceptions the way Martinez did, you should be benched. They weren't even close. It wasn't like the defenders made an aggressive move or the WRs didn't complete the route or Martinez didn't time it correctly. Those are errors that can be corrected. He threw it right the f#*k to them. The third one, the Wisconsin DB didn't even have to move. He sideslings it like he's Billy the f'ing Kid shooting from his hip. Watching him throw on the run is enough to raise even an adrenaline-junkie's blood pressure. He panics, tries to make a heroic, spectacular move, and ends up eating sh#t 9 times out of 10. He's not even a good runner. The only time he is dangerous is when there is a massive gap you could drive a truck through, and only because he has superior acceleration. He can't dodge, he can't weave, he can't run laterally for sh#t. He needs to be taking screen passes and zooming up the field, not launching sidearmed shitrockets.

Here's the direction of our program as sung by Lee Hazlewood:

This is probably what will keep me on Huskerboard for the next few days. I'm really looking forward to this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is true, it's going to get crazy. But at some point the TM backers are going to have reality. He's not improving. It's time to at least take a look at Brion and see what he can do. To those that say we wouldn't be where we are without TM, I'm not sure anymore. But I am sure we aren't going anywhere against better teams, much like last year. Yes, tonights play calling was horrid (was Watson up there), but the throws were SO bad, and I was ready to really to admit maybe I was wrong after a couple of his early throws, but like someone said earlier, once something bad happens, he just seems to lose his composure and it gets really, really ugly. My God, at least give a series off and try to get him calmed back down, do something to change things up. Well if people say that, they are wrong. We wouldn't be where we are without Burkhead, not Martinez. When was the last time Martinez broke off a run for a TD vs. a conference opponent. Kansas State? His running has not been a threat for a long, long time. Sure he'll get one now and then vs. some FCS school or cupcake noncon, but we should roll those teams anyway. His running has never once made the difference in an important game. He can't pass for sh#t and has shown NO improvement. Put in Brion and have him get his experience. Burkhead is our running game anyway, and you can't do worse than Martinez' passing. Even Brion's option pitches looked better, and he actually makes the defender commit first.

Brion should have begun playing after Martinez' third interception. Those weren't interceptions based on miscues or a defender wrestling it from a receiver or a bad bounce, those were telegraphed, gift-wrapped shitrockets right into defender's hands.

I think we are better on offense, or at least will be by the end of the season. Our young players, like Turner and Bell and Abdullah, are really impressing me. They play very well considering their inexperience. I am very excited to see their full potential. Our defense is hard to judge... we did better than I thought against the run, until the end that is. Our secondary got raped, but once again, young players. We need linebackers, Fisher ain't cutting it.

Martinez will NEVER be a good passer. Or a good quarterback. Everyone was so enthralled because last year, he opened up and showed great acceleration against mediocre teams. Yet we all thought this somehow made him a good quarterback. His passing has not improved in the least and never will. His running threat is no longer a threat because teams are not surprised by it anymore. He has extremely poor decision making and poor mechanics. He needs to be a slot receiver, not a signal caller. I would love to hear anyone defend him after this shitfest of a game. Good quarterbacks do not make the mistakes he made tonight. Period. And it's not even so much the mistakes, it's the complete lack of improvement in every facet. Mechanics, interceptions, motion, putting the ball on the ground. What exactly does he do well besides burst through a huge gap?

While Nebraska does play to competition, no-name running backs behind mediocre offensive lines have ripped off huge chunks against us. QBs are picking our secondary apart. Our tackling is piss-poor. And all these teams have inferior talent compared to Nebraska. Now put some of the better RBs in the nation behind one of the best offensive lines, and they're going to mow us down. Our D-line has no penetration against Wyoming, they sure as hell aren't going to start against Wisconsin. We have got some serious issues, and anyone who isn't acknowledging that is in denial. We do have a talented offense, but unless you have a solid O-line, it isn't going to matter against better teams. Taylor's long balls are going to get picked off by better CBs, they hang way too long, and they're way underthrown. We will struggle to move the ball like we have for the past 2 years other than the occasional big play. I'm excited about the future of this offense, but wish we could get a QB who can throw. As for the defense, I'm just downright disgusted at this point.

Paul Meyers?

And let's be fair here, Nebraska is going to make fun of Wyoming when it comes to landscape? Wyoming is an absolutely beautiful state, and in my opinion has the best of both worlds between Nebraska and Colorado. The country, blue-collar, low-key lifestyle and good people of Nebraska and the beauty and pristine wilderness of Colorado. Granted, the eastern part of the state is pretty boring but, Yellowstone? The Grand Tetons? Jackson Hole (one of the best ski areas in the world)? Come on.

Just keep in mind they hate BYU more..

I've been to games in Laramie and their crowd can get pretty rowdy and rude. Sounds like with the amount of Husker fans going, staying in packs shouldn't be a problem though.

I can understand coming off to a slow start, problems with execution, and jitters from players in their first game. What I don't understand is continuing to try the option over and over again. Yes, I realize we scored 3 TDs or whatever, but if we plan to run the option all year, we're in deep sh#t. Chattanooga had it figured out and shut it down over and over, the only reason we scored is because we were much more athletic. The zone read looked good at first too, then it was easy for defenses to stop. The same thing will happen with the option. Also, brilliant thinking - let's take a team that had a horrendous fumble problem last year, a QB who makes awful decisions under pressure, and put that together for continued pitching to our true freshman running backs. Real smart.

I am tired of not coming out with everything we have. When will the coaches learn their lesson? If you wait to unveil your offense on tougher competition, that's taking a huge gamble. And the last two years, it really hasn't paid off. The option looked like complete sh#t. This isn't 1995, and anyone who is trying to fool themselves into thinking this can work for us is in denial. If this is the "attacking, up-tempo" offense we've been working on, we'll be lucky to win 8 games.

Hard to tell so far, but at least Watson made me think the offense was good in the first few games.