SnowBigRed

Wegher has been off the team for a while, hasn't he? And there is absolutely no way he comes here. That's what I thought too, but I also don't follow Iowa football, so who knows. The way I understand it, is that Wegher was off the team, but was still holding a scholarship, and was just recently officially released from his scholarship. Maybe he was just taking the season off for "personal" reasons, but had the option to return next year? I don't really have a good answer for you.

Received an email just a bit ago from a good friend that is a huge Hawkeye fan (why he would send this to a Nebraska fan is beyond me). The email stated that Hampton has been kicked off team for drug related incidents, and that a number of other starters have also failed drug tests (he mentioned names, but I don't want to make any assumptions just yet). He also told me that Brandon Wegher (Sioux City Heelan) has been granted a release from his scholarship, and that he is looking to transfer to NU. Although this kid is a real head case, he is a pretty nice player, and might be a decent addition if Heard never makes it to campus. We'll see what comes of it.

This was one hell of a read, except the death threat part.

Maybe I'm biased, but I sure thought Gomes had a 2nd team year.

for some strange reason this sounds similar, dispite sucess a fan base dislikes its OC. It might becuase any body who can pick up an xbox controller and throw for 1000 yards thinks they know the job of the OC better than the people who actually make the decisions. Really? I'd wager that no top-25 program has been held to fewer points against top-25 defenses than Nebraska has under Watson. Dude smashes face against crappy teams, no doubt. Sadly, we fold like a lawn chair against even remotely threatening defenses. How do you not score an offensive touchdown in four games against top-25 defenses in a two-year span? Mizzou was a top 10 team when we beat them and we ran all over them, believe it or not after the game people actually said that Helu didn't run enough. Okie state was also a top 10 team and we put up more points on them than anybody else this year. More points than A&M, more points than Texas Tech, name anybody that played them and the only offnese to put up over 40 was the offnese coached by Watson that put up 51. So yes that is success when you do thing offensively that other teams could not do than that is success. On another point do you know how many teams have put up more than 30 on Mizzou this year. hint: its one and it was a Watson coached offnese. Do you know who scored the least amount of pts against TAMU (don't give me this reffing crap either)? Nebraska, Stephen F. Austin scored 7. How about who scored the least on Texas? Wyoming with 7, then Nebraska with 13, 7 of which came from a special teams return, which essentially puts them at 6. Would you like to know the three lowest point totals that Kansas has given up this year? NoDakSt with 6, New Mexico St with 16, then Nebraska with 20. South Dakota State gives up 21 ppg to a 1AA schedule. Guess which team brought that average down? Nebraska, by only scoring 17. These are not elite defenses either folks. The sign of a good offensive football team is being able to score consistently, no matter the opponent. Every team has a game or two where they just suck that night (Oregon vs. Cal), but to really lay an egg on a pretty consistent basis is pitiful. I'm not trying to say Watson needs to go, but something on the offensive side of the ball has to change. Nebraska has a MNC caliber D with a 1AA playoff berth caliber offense (maybe). Do you know who scored the most on teams that we faced? OSU- 51 (NU) Missouri- 31 (NU) Kansas State- 48 (NU) Washington- 56 (NU) Oregon scored 53 Obviously our offense is feast or famine this year, but it's better than it was last year (by far), and will be better next year. This is my point. No consistency.

for some strange reason this sounds similar, dispite sucess a fan base dislikes its OC. It might becuase any body who can pick up an xbox controller and throw for 1000 yards thinks they know the job of the OC better than the people who actually make the decisions. Really? I'd wager that no top-25 program has been held to fewer points against top-25 defenses than Nebraska has under Watson. Dude smashes face against crappy teams, no doubt. Sadly, we fold like a lawn chair against even remotely threatening defenses. How do you not score an offensive touchdown in four games against top-25 defenses in a two-year span? Mizzou was a top 10 team when we beat them and we ran all over them, believe it or not after the game people actually said that Helu didn't run enough. Okie state was also a top 10 team and we put up more points on them than anybody else this year. More points than A&M, more points than Texas Tech, name anybody that played them and the only offnese to put up over 40 was the offnese coached by Watson that put up 51. So yes that is success when you do thing offensively that other teams could not do than that is success. On another point do you know how many teams have put up more than 30 on Mizzou this year. hint: its one and it was a Watson coached offnese. Do you know who scored the least amount of pts against TAMU (don't give me this reffing crap either)? Nebraska, Stephen F. Austin scored 7. How about who scored the least on Texas? Wyoming with 7, then Nebraska with 13, 7 of which came from a special teams return, which essentially puts them at 6. Would you like to know the three lowest point totals that Kansas has given up this year? NoDakSt with 6, New Mexico St with 16, then Nebraska with 20. South Dakota State gives up 21 ppg to a 1AA schedule. Guess which team brought that average down? Nebraska, by only scoring 17. These are not elite defenses either folks. The sign of a good offensive football team is being able to score consistently, no matter the opponent. Every team has a game or two where they just suck that night (Oregon vs. Cal), but to really lay an egg on a pretty consistent basis is pitiful. I'm not trying to say Watson needs to go, but something on the offensive side of the ball has to change. Nebraska has a MNC caliber D with a 1AA playoff berth caliber offense (maybe).

To the OP, Because we can't develop them, just like the rest of the offense. Let me do a comparison with the Oregon Ducks (because their offense is unbelievable). WR's recruited since 2007 2007 D.J Davis (4 star recruit)- 32 catches, 332 yds Rishard Matthews (2) - no longer on team (NLOT) Terrence Scott (4) - NLOT Aaron Pflugard (2) - NLOT Javes Lewis (0) - now a DB 2008 Ellis Krout (2) - NLOT Garrett Embry (3) - NLOT Blake Cantu (3) - no catches 2009 Tyreece Gaines (4) - NLOT Diante Jackson (4) - NLOT Nick Cole (2) - no catches Braxton Lane (2) - NLOT Lavasier Tuinei (2) - 33 catches, 321 yds 2010 No WR's signed What's my point with all this you ask (other than Oregon has a terrible time keeping WR's on the team)? They don't get much better recruits than we do in terms of stars, most of which arent on the team or not contributing. The only 2 recruited WRs in the past 4 classes that are contributing were a 4 star and a 2 star. What this tells me is that Oregon's coaches can actually coach kids who arent even recruited as WRs and turn them into serviceable players. They don't have a star on the WR corp, but they catch the ball when it is thrown to them, run good routes, and likely block well all at the same time. Hell, their best WR this year is a converted DB. This is development (thanks Mr. Frost). What we are doing is not development. Their QB and OL scenario is likely similar. I'm done ranting. Please discuss.

That's true, but my guess is the teams require the kids to register their accounts with the University, so my guess is this is pretty legit. Did not know this. Either way, we'll see them in the B12CG.

The softball field parking lot is a good place that typically has room for folks like yourselves. Short walk over bridge gets you to stadium. Also pretty close to baseball/softball field bathrooms. I can't remember what parking is because we usually have someone there already so we park somewhere free and walk.

Unless they go a lot deeper in investigation, there is no way to prove that these facebook accounts are run by these guys. I could go on facebook right now and start a profile with the name "knapplc". I'm not going to say they didn't write it, but to suspend them without truly knowing seems unlikely. With that being said, I expect to see Martin and Marlowe not playing until the Big XII Championship.

Maybe if we were playing Kellogg or Washington, I would consider this a viable excuse. However, Green has started football games for this team and was considered by many before the season to maybe be the starter. Offensive coaching staff has no clue how to utilize talent that they have on the field. They would rather just play it conservative and hope that all of us blame it on this, that or the other thing when they have a crappy outing. Green has some skill, but he is not fit for the zone-read scheme, therefore he struggles. Wildly inflated and unrealistic expectations for Green, who IS the #3 guy, does not change what he is. Green was a project the moment he walked on campus and has been thrown into the fire, and has perhaps not surprisingly, not progressed as much as he should have. Therfore he is not being coached up the way he needs to be, correct? That's my point. If he was such a big project, Watson should have recognized that, redshirted him (or whatever), and continued to coach him up to utilize the talent he does have. No matter how you look at it, Green does have talent. That 20 yard out he rifled in against A&M was an absolutely unbelievable throw. Green is not suited for a zone read offense that relies on quick decisions and quick feet to succeed. That is not his strength, yet this O staff thinks they can morph him into the next coming of Mike Vick. Not gonna happen.

Maybe if we were playing Kellogg or Washington, I would consider this a viable excuse. However, Green has started football games for this team and was considered by many before the season to maybe be the starter. Offensive coaching staff has no clue how to utilize talent that they have on the field. They would rather just play it conservative and hope that all of us blame it on this, that or the other thing when they have a crappy outing. Green has some skill, but he is not fit for the zone-read scheme, therefore he struggles.

I'd like to point you in the direction of this thread. Feel free to add your comments. LinkyDink

Unsportsmanlike conduct just nailed it on the head. How come KSU, Colorado, Cincy last year, etc. can put in a back up quarterback and still score a TD or two? I, and I'm sure a ton of others, aren't expecting 40 pts a game from the backup or hobbled quarterback. All we are really asking for is some type of production. Is 20-25 pts a game too much to ask? For the love of all that is holy in this world, I don't think so.

Might have to do something with the line. 5-7 of the biggest bad*sses a coach could put on the field. Well coached, disciplined, and just wanting to pound dudes's faces in the dirt.

How would you like to change that? Offenses revolve around the QB. If your QB is no threat to run and little threat to pass, what do you think is going to happen? It doesn't help that our talent at WR is mediocre at best, we even had Will Henry out there at one point on a 3rd down. How good do you think the Colts' offense would be without Peyton Manning? Or Auburn's without Cam Newton? I haven't done the research, nor will I take the time to do it, but I would like to ask someone to go back to even the KSU, Wash, or OSU games and take out the big TD plays (40-50+ yds) and tell me what the average yds per play are? Watson is too impatient to grind out an entire drive. He wants to get quick hitters like he did against the teams mentioned before, but if those aren't there, we're done. Passing every 3rd down, whether it be 7 or 2 yards? Give me a break. The O-Line isn't coached up well enough to make changes on the fly against D's that switch it up mid-game. Missed assignments, lack of discipline, lack of accountability are all coaching errors. Yes, we do have a decent game here and there, but these days I blame that on Watson and Co. getting lucky with their scheme that particular week. The very next week we lay an egg because the opposing D called Watson's bluff. We've seen it time and time again over Watson's tenure. I don't know who or what is the answer, but something needs to change. On a side note, no one fears the "Pipeline" anymore. The offensive line is young, and I get that, but they just don't maul people like they should. For a self-proclaimed running team, the offensive line seems soft across the board. They've got the size and strength I think, I just think they lack the fundamentals. Again, that is coaching. You put this same line under Oregon's tutelage for a year or two, and Oregon still puts up huge numbers. I believe there is a real lack of development on the offensive side of the ball (with the exception of possibly Martinez). 7th overall rushing isn't exactly "self-proclaimed." But besides that, I feel the same way. After some of those early, seemingly easy victories, I was kind of worried because of the dependence on the big plays. Watson's unwillingness to grind out a drive is very frustrating. I mean, the running game is pretty sound-- they can move the ball up the middle very well, but it's those annoying sprints to the sideline for a 30 yard long, 2 yard gain run that are ridiculous. But punch, punch, then on a 3 and 2 pass? Really? It's frustrating. I've heard the "keep 'em honest" theory, and I do buy it over the course of a game. But if you have a hot RB or if you're just able to reliably get 4, 5, 6 yards on a run, KEEP DOING IT! No, don't be an idiot and keep doing the same thing when it fails, but if you're having success at something, why take THAT time to "keep 'em honest"? Ugh. I don't know what I think about Watson... it just feels like he has to prove something and that he calls those power runs to placate the base and then says, "NOW WATCH THIS!!!" and works in some big bomb of a pass that eats a down. Yeah, maybe self-proclaimed wasn't the best choice for words.

Isn't this true of every team? Not so much the specific speed, but if your starting QB goes down that team is in trouble No. See, e.g., Oregon. Between 2007 and 2010, they've had three different starting QBs and their offense has consistently produced mega yardage. See also Cincinnati last year. I'm sure there are other examples. Yes, the offense might slow down if you change QBs, but it shouldn't just fold up like a lawn chair. In the past two seasons, how many TD-less games does Watson have? How many one-TD games does he have? It's just not okay. I would like to reiterate my previous post saying that these linemen would likely thrive in Oregon's offense just as Oregon's line does with a year (or maybe even a preseason camp) of coaching. Does anyone else believe this to be the case?

This might be the best post in this thread yet. See the Mizzou game for further support of Nebraska taking the foot off the neck when it is completely unnecessary.

Maybe I'm just blind, but I always thought that was a pizzaheadbunny.

I've thought about it a lot in this way too, and that's why I've tried to be so patient with Watson. Somewhere in the process of getting this team ready for games he needs to figure out a formula to score 20-25 ppg with the personnel that he CURRENTLY has. Yes, we do have some good talent coming in everywhere on offense, but we don't have these guys now. O-line is one of those positions where coaching and off season conditioning/strength work often go a lot further than talent. Nebraska has made a living off of taking tall, lanky kids with big frames that love football, redshirting them and developing them into animals by the time they are juniors and seniors. I understand that we haven't completed an entire recruit/redshirt/develop/animal as junior cycle yet with most of these guys, but does anyone really think that the 2 Jones's, Williams, etc. have gotten much better during their time here? I don't really see it. I hope the younger guys are getting developed the way they need to be, because it's hard for a defense to have much success when they are on their backs, no matter which direction Watson wants to take this offense.

You make a good point. A&M's D-line made red-headed step children of our O-line all night, and our passing game was too inept last night to challenge your questionable secondary. A&M played a great game defensively, and the point of this thread is to question the ability of our offense to make changes and put points on the board vs. average or better defenses. But your point is definitely valid. This thread is not just focusing on last night, but a culmination of this offensive staff's coaching, scheming and game planning on a weekly basis. A&M is a hot team right now, and I don't really want to play them again to be honest. Go ahead and plant Texas's d*cks in the dirt this week, and we'll be seeing ya'll around the bend.

Seems like a sure fire bet on Colorado at this point.

This post is mostly on the money. The only qualm I have is the playcalling. I truly thought last nights play calling was pretty poor. What was the run/pass ratio on 3rd down? Seemed like pass heavy to me. Hard slants versus man coverage are also a very hard pass play to convert, especially with the personnel we have. Wats should be able to recognize this and figure up something different. The route combos are downright simple, like he just uses a 1-9 passing tree. No double moves, no combo routes, nothing to confuse the secondary. Maybe this is because there is no protection, which sure could be the case. It just seems all to predictable. Last offensive play of the game (4th and 5?) and a corner route into triple coverage is the primary read? Come on. I'm no offensive genius, but maybe that's why it concerns me that I notice this kind of stuff. And don't get me started on Barney. He's the most overrated O-line coach in football. I want to believe that everything will end up alright and that the ship will be righted, but I'm not so sure anymore. Here's praying for another break out game next week and in the future. We can p*ss and moan all we want about the refs last night, but one (ONE!) touchdown wins that game. That, my friends, is unacceptable.

How would you like to change that? Offenses revolve around the QB. If your QB is no threat to run and little threat to pass, what do you think is going to happen? It doesn't help that our talent at WR is mediocre at best, we even had Will Henry out there at one point on a 3rd down. How good do you think the Colts' offense would be without Peyton Manning? Or Auburn's without Cam Newton? I haven't done the research, nor will I take the time to do it, but I would like to ask someone to go back to even the KSU, Wash, or OSU games and take out the big TD plays (40-50+ yds) and tell me what the average yds per play are? Watson is too impatient to grind out an entire drive. He wants to get quick hitters like he did against the teams mentioned before, but if those aren't there, we're done. Passing every 3rd down, whether it be 7 or 2 yards? Give me a break. The O-Line isn't coached up well enough to make changes on the fly against D's that switch it up mid-game. Missed assignments, lack of discipline, lack of accountability are all coaching errors. Yes, we do have a decent game here and there, but these days I blame that on Watson and Co. getting lucky with their scheme that particular week. The very next week we lay an egg because the opposing D called Watson's bluff. We've seen it time and time again over Watson's tenure. I don't know who or what is the answer, but something needs to change. On a side note, no one fears the "Pipeline" anymore. The offensive line is young, and I get that, but they just don't maul people like they should. For a self-proclaimed running team, the offensive line seems soft across the board. They've got the size and strength I think, I just think they lack the fundamentals. Again, that is coaching. You put this same line under Oregon's tutelage for a year or two, and Oregon still puts up huge numbers. I believe there is a real lack of development on the offensive side of the ball (with the exception of possibly Martinez).

I'm probably going to catch some crap for this. So be it. The entire time we've had this offensive coaching staff, I have always told myself, "they just need their players, they'll get things turned around, cut out the mistakes and we'll be fine, blah blah blah, etc.". I have always backed Watson. Stayed on his bandwagon all last season, and up until now in this season. But tonight, I've seen enough. Watson's playcalling and offensive schemes are neither creative nor effective. The offense is extremely undisciplined (see false starts, illegal formations, etc.), inconsistent, and doesn't seem to really have a knack for what is going on. Tonight, I actually had the chance to watch the game all by myself in the comfort of my living room. Now, as lame as that sounds, I did this for a reason. I really wanted to analyze what we are trying to do offensively. After dvr'ing the game and watching most of it twice, I still have no clue. The route combinations on passing plays are so simple that any defense (even bad ones such as A&M's, although they played lights out tonight, go figure) seem to be able to figure it out. Up front, we absolutely get manhandled more often than not (see the play in which Martinez gets stepped on, Caputo was getting absolutely b*tched). Watson is terrible at making adjustments on the fly when something isn't working. I could go on and on and on. All in all, as a staff, this offensive football team is not prepared to win a majority of football games. The Nebraska D played spectacularly against a very good offense tonight, but losing games like this seems to be the offense's specialty. Throw out the KSU and Washington game (and the 1st and half of the 4th quarters of the Mizzou game), this offense has been stagnant. Good coaching staffs can still score points when everything isn't ideal (Martinez not being 100%). Tonight was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I will no longer have any confidence in this offense to win a game. Colorado seems to be coming around in their own right, and this game is far from a guaranteed win as it can be. It's just frustrating to see a defense play as well as it did, only to lose the game due to an anemic offensive showing, most of which was on the coaching than anything else. We've got enough talent to score more than 6 pts on an average at best A&M, 20 on a bad Kansas, 17 on a bad SDSU, essentially 6 on a bad Texas, essentially 17 on a bad ISU, and so on and so forth. Here's to Watson turning it around, because this team is going to need it. Blackshirts, we pray for you.