Karawithasmile

Great article. But it's also important to take into account how close the losses were in each of the slump years. Were they close? Or were they blow-outs where players appeared to give up? The way you lose matters.

I think you're right there. Very Watsonian strategy too.

I love power football. But, c'mon, our wide receivers are too talented not to be utliized. I've been impressed watching the improvement the wide outs have made since we really struggled with finding guys that could catch the ball a few years back. It's a great sight to see some of the difficult catches Bell, Enunwa, and others have made. We need to run an offense that plays to the strengths we have. A good balance is needed because it makes us multi-dimensional and more difficult to defend. Not to mention, I don't know that I've ever seen Martinez run the option well. He pitches way too late most of the time (not to mention the fact that he fumbles so much the option seems like a more risky play). That said, Martinez should have more designed keeps and rollouts where he has the option to run or pass. It seems to me that we under-utilize his running skills (probably for his protection, but still he's not out there for solely his passing skills).

These statistics might be the most depressing thing on Huskerboard right now Especially taking into account the skill level of the teams we have played thus far. The problem with turnovers is systemic. Almost like a Pelini trademark. It's even worse considering that it extends from our guys with less experience (Abdullah) to our guys with lots of experience (Martinez), which to me indicates no improvement even after practice, coaching, and playing time. I had no idea the secondary was playing so well. A tiny bright spot. Of course why throw the ball when all you have to do is run it right over our front four or around the edge where our guys get continually burned....

We have to score on every possession. The defense is going to struggle.

Maybe not an apology, but aren't the fans entitled to something? We support this team by paying money for tickets, parking, gear, etc. Sure, I know the players play for their team, for the love of the sport, for themselves, some for education, and some for NFL prospects - and they should do all those things. But they also play for us. It would be nice to see a little more fire and passion from him. Some conviction.

I heard Turner Gill isn't at Kansas anymore.

You didn't even give us a spoiler alert warning. How dare you give away the ending.

This. Like it or not, there's a good chance that Armstrong would look very similar to the freshman Martinez - inexperienced. I think giving him time and not forcing him into the game too early (or burning his redshirt) will benefit the team in the long run. We've all watched how Martinez has struggled since playing as a freshman. Had he had more time to develop, perhaps he'd more a more lethal passer at this point. Also, I disagree that we'd be better off taking Martinez out right now, even if that meant a losing season. It's important we don't treat this season as a total waste at this juncture, especially for recruiting purposes. We need to play the guy who gives us the best chance to get a "W" and that guy is Martinez at this point. THAT SAID, our offense needs to run stuff more to his strengths. More play action passes, more pistol, more roll-outs. Less straight back drops.

I do think Pelini has an excellent defensive mind. I am starting to question whether he has the same kind of knack for running the entire team. Perhaps it comes down to being spread too thin or just a lack of experience. I think the most telling part of your comment is the section I've underlined. Either the system is too complicated for the players or the players lack the physical skills to implement the plays with success. I think it's probably a mixture of both problems. Either way, the defense is in tatters and has completely regressed since its peak Suh's senior year. I think a large part of this is the relative weaknesses in our recruiting classes, Bo has shown that when he has quality players, he can command a dominating defensive force. See our 2009 squad. But I think you hit the nail on the head when you pointed out that Bo doesn't care to adapt around his players' abilities and weaknesses. He's a stubborn guy. I like that about him. But I feel like he's hitting his head on a brick wall repeatedly sometimes, knows it, but keeps thinking that one more hit will bring down the wall.

It doesnt matter who there QB is... with this defense, coaching staff and O-line... We will never sniff the top 10. +1

I don't think Martinez is generally the whole problem with our team this season. In this particular game, he definitely contributed significantly to the problem. Turnovers like the ones he committed change the momentum of the game, in this case to our disadvantage right away with a pick-6. His mental errors and poor judgment gave electricity to a crowd. Had he made good reads and accurate passes, we could have marched down the field and scored right away to take the wind out of the stadium's sails. If we had been able to hold onto the ball and score on those possessions we turned it over, we would have had at least the opportunity to put up a score. And, had we scored more points, that would have changed Ohio State's game plan - possibly forcing more in the passing game which is more Mr. Miller's weakness. Now I know this is a lot of assumptions, but the point is, turnovers matter. Now, if you're talking Taylor's effort I whole-heartedly agree that he tried his best to keep us in the game. Maybe that was the problem and he shouldn't have forced it.

Husker_X, I love your posts. They're always insightful and a fun read. You're spot on in your analysis this time, too. It has gotten to the point where I've come to expect the breakdowns, turnovers, and fundamentals errors we have consistently made over the past few years. Like you, I came into this season with no expectations. Hoping for the best, but suspecting much worse. It's like the entire mentality of the program has shifted. The confidence is gone when we step out on the field. We wither under the bright lights and the expectations in nearly all the "big time" games we play. And the worst part is, we do it to ourselves because of those breakdowns, turnovers, and fundamentals errors. I've been optimistic about Pelini & Co. for every season up until this one, but this comes down to coaching and strategy decisions (who to recruit, who to promote, who to play). The consistency in our shortcomings the past 2-3 seasons signals coaching problems. It's time for Pelini to clean house.

I see. I'm embarrassed. Usually my knowledge of the horn section is much more accurate.

Maybe I can't see it clearly, but the video above makes it look like the "i dotter" is a member of the band- namely, a tuba player judging by the shape and size of the instrument. It's unfortunate it happened nonetheless, but I'll feel better about it if that's the case.

:cowbell: :cowbell: :cowbell: :cowbell:

+1

Just wanted to contribute a post to the hysteria. Now I will add my favorite emoticons: There, now my ridiculous post fits in nicely with this ridiculous thread.

If you think we're bad at Nebraska, go talk to some Canes fans. I'm in a fantasy league with a guy from Miami. He's been harshing on Shannon ever since he was hired. The stuff Bo gets here is child's play from what he'd get most anywhere else. No, that's not a license for Husker Fan to act like a pack of asshats, but you can't just look at our behavior in a vacuum. In the grand scheme of things, we're among the most tame folks out there. I agree with you totally, but being the coach here is worse in my opinion. There is nothing else of any scale in Nebraska like Husker Football. At least in Miami, there's pro sports and several other high profile college programs in the state. I just think we expect too much and act like ungrateful idiots a lot. 10 wins is a damn good season and most schools would be happy with that year in and year out. I'm all for high expectations and holding people acountable, but we need to be realistic. It's the week to week change in attitude that kills me about most Husker fans. That and the idiotic questions that our local media tends to ask at press conferences. I'm just saying that it starts with us as fans to show support and respect to our coaches and players if we want to keep them happy and productive. From what we've seen of Bo, he doesn't need us to call him out on stuff. He is his own toughest critic. We complain too much. I hope he stays for a long time. IMO Bo doesn't care what standard we hold him to or how much we complain. Can you even imagine what that man's standards for this program are? Do you think 10 wins were enough for him this season? Of course not. He's one of the best and the best want championships. The best have their own drive. They could care less what the peanut gallery fans have to say or what our expectations are.

Now the remaining members of the Big 12 can rub this in our faces too. Our program and players deserved better than this.

Any concerns that Watson leaves and takes some of those shiny new QB prospects (or other prospects for that matter) with him???