Huskerfan1985

nm read that wrong, they meant the helmet in the logo. yawn.

If no one notices a slight imperceptable change, did it actually happen....... anyone have any idea what change to the helmets they were talking about?

Landry Jones in the CCG a few years ago, the TT QB "Sticks", can't remember his real name. Otherwise, that's about all i could come up with.

I tend to agree with Zoogies, at this point that the players feel so much pressure and play tight that it leads to these mistakes. Its possible they feel more stress / pressure because they aren't prepared like they should or could be, but none the less the vast majority of the mistakes fall on the players. As for penalties, look at depth. If we had depth at O-line we wouldn't be starting walk-ons, Sirles or Qvale every game. Point being, if player A makes a mistake, you yank him and put someone else in. However, who do you put in on this line to replace Sirles or Rodriguez who cant line up properly at times? O-line has played decent this year, but they leave a lot to be desired. I assume this is the same approach with Stafford at safety who's seems to be good for a PI or PF every game, but who knows, Cassidy basically started for 2 years at safety.

I don't have any "inside" information, but i felt going into this game that if we lost, Bo was gone at the end of the year. Not saying i was calling for his job, but that was just kind of the feeling i had. Although it was an ugly win, we COULD still win out. On a positive note, it is nice to see a talent gap between NW and NU. That may not be saying a lot, but it is pretty clear that we've got talent on the field. The thing that bugs me is that its easy to "blame" the coaches without offering solutions to the problems. What is Bo and co supposed to do different? nobody but ameer and kenny are going to catch those punts. Do we just let the ball roll? IDK, asking your opinions. The Kyler Reed fumble was just a football play. He made a nice catch, got hit hard, and dropped the ball. The more frustrating thing is that each week it we just find new ways of self destructing. I would guess the players just press too much and need to relax. Easier said than done. It just happens to be one of those things that the only people that can fix the issues are the players, but Bo is gonna take the heat for it, right or wrong.

I sincerely did not expect a win vs. NW based solely on our inability to stop the spread / mobile QB. We couldn't stop them last year, and this year we have been worse, so getting the win is a pleasant surprise despite how ugly we played. The MICH game feels like MSU, last year. from the outside it looks like an easy bet on MICH, but by sheer dumb luck we will probably play mistake free football and finally play well.

I thought Cam did OK, was anyone else freaking out watching the final play of the game thinking Cam had a late hit? Watched it a couple times last night and I think he got away with one. If anyone is bored, rewatch the final play and watch Ankrah, you'll get a chuckle.

Zoogies, I still feel that this is non-issue, but to take your side a bit, maybe Taylor does need to be more accountable in the media. I would hope as Junior he is not a finished product and that this is something he can work on going forward. Fortunately, the season isn't over, so i don't see any reason this behavior couldn't change if it is addressed. I just have a hard time placing judgement on someone's leadership as a result of pressers. I guess they way I read it, he provides honest answers, not coach speak and that is the biggest fault. And to be completely fair, even if Taylor doesn't say it, the questions that he's going to get asked regarding penalties, protection problems, etc. are going to be heard by the people responsible regardless of Taylor giving a canned response. At the end of the day, you're right. He could be more accountable, however imo i don't see anything wrong with how he handled it.

I get the leadership point, but does that really "fix" anything on the field? I mean, maybe he didn't answer exactly like you wanted, but whether he admits to the mistakes or not he still plays his guts out. It's a complex issue because if the game isn't a shootout, maybe he doesn't force as much. But, if that's get brought up, it turns into finger pointing on the d. I guess i just feel he's been thrown under the bus since he was a freshman. If i saw an ounce of "quit" in the guy, i'd feel different. My point is that despite the difficiencies on this team he leaves it all on the feild and that is his style of leadership, not just saying its all my fault.

re-watched the game last night and totally agree. Or, he could say, "i have no idea why it is so hard for Sirles or Rodriguez to block the guy in front of them" Watch the game again and watch how poorly the tackles played. Its miraculous they haven't got taylor hurt or there weren't more turnovers. Taylor bailed the o-line out a lot. Don't get me wrong, he made some poor decisions but they responded fromt he first 2 picks. NU reclaimed the lead 24-21 after the second pick and also scored to start the half. NU closed the gap to 31 - 35 to start the second half. To be fair, the half-time score should have been 24-28 or 24-31 worse case had the D not given up a trademark pelini end of half td.

So you can see we basically rebuilt the entire staff prior to 2011. That's like starting over in 2008. Not to mention the youth and inexperience we had on D after the departure of NFL talent galore. Then prior to this season we have to replace the DC becuause Carl is forced out, that's a promotion so we have to replace a Dline coach. Raymond leaves so we have to replace a secondary coach. So again, this year the Defense is working with 3 coaches in new positions out of 4. Ross Els is the only one continued. Take away the talent and experience of Dennard and David, and it's obvious why we're having issues. We really need to give this time, esp if we stay in the 8-10 win category. I truly believe that Bo has his guys in place right now, and barring any other shakeups-which I doubt because these guys seem to really want to be here-and should stay together for the long term, there's no reason we shouldnt see a nice run brewing. As far as Bo promoting and hiring buddies, this concept is so overblown it makes me sick. This happens everywhere. Hell, Bob Stoops just threw his brother a bone in the offseason, the guy we all "wanted". Every coach wants to surround himself with guys he knows, has worked with, or shares common ground in philosophy with. Bo's guys just happen to be very young. I'm willing to let them figure it out. You're probably right in regards to coach turnover. I'm sure that makes continuity a challenge. But, isn't that partly the "new" college football. Assistants are always going to look to make more money and promote. Right or wrong, the defense will always be tied to Bo. If Bo doesn't have adequate assistant coaches right now, its because he didn't hire good enough coaching talent to begin with. I'm not in the camp that bo just hires his buddies, but I feel he might not be using one of his biggest assets at Nebraska, the CHECKBOOK. Yeah, Yeah, nobody wants to come to Nebraska, but everybody has a price. NU has the money, use it.

We could start Armstrong and then complain about him not being enough of a leader

Here's the other thing you get with Martinez. Long, sustained drives and touchdowns, opposed to field goals, in the red zone. Again, if our d ever forced turnovers and created a short field against anyone this offense would be lethal.

Completely disagree with you here. I just feel that Abdullah is more elusive and seems make up for any production lost with Burkhead. Not really a knock on Burkhead either, more that we have good depth at rb.

I'm losing my mind over the Martinez haters. For some reason, people feel compelled to blame this kid. He threw 3 int's and lost a fumble. Why do these turnovers happen? More often than not it is a result of pressure from the defense. How well did the o line, especially the tackles, play in pass blocking? He probably should have been pulled to save injury more than anything. Martinez is what makes this offense go. Burkhead is everyone's favorite, but honestly, this offense is fine without him. Besides, go back and look at the actual turnovers. Pick 6, ok, on Taylor 100%. the next one looked kind of iffy. Looked like he thought bell was working inside when he went outside. The third pick was abolutely meaningless and it was just under thrown. He was forcing it, but it was as good as a punt. The fumble, again trying to make something happen. Any other qb fumbles in the same situation.

One other issue that's been bugging me for awhile is the defensive "guru" label on Pelini. I mean, the media can call him whatever they want, but it seems apparent to me, that bo's defensive issues are systemic. As a coach he can run whatever system he wants. I'm fine with that. But, when you don't have the right personnel to run your system, why dont you adapt your system to your personnel? Suh, gomes, hagg, etc. are coming back. If that's the caliber of talent needed to effectively run this "scheme" it's not going to change anytime soon either. So what does that mean for the defense? Would Bo hire a DC to "fix" the d? Would that be like Bo firing himself? What does Papuchis actually do? Just questions i've been thinking about. Lastly, looking at the points tOSU has put versus other teams does that make our the defense the worst they have played this year? I know points can be skewed by pick 6's and punt returns, but honestly, why is it every other team holds tOSU to fewer points?

+1 Husker_x Good Post. This was one of the few "bad" losses that was not even upsetting to watch. It's not the loss that's alarming, rather its the way they lost. How does a team that leads 17 - 7 at one point, score 38, still get blown out? I just feel that the program under Pelini has "peaked". Sadly, the high point was probably after the holiday bowl vs Arizona. Like Husker_X, not calling for his job, but very set in the understanding that this is what you get with Bo. 8 - 9 wins over cupcakes, 2 -3 embarassing losses, and 1 loss to someone you shouldn't lose to.

Nebula, I like your spin on things. Opposed to the "players are running out the door and the program is headed in the wrong direction". I totally agree with your assessment of the players who chose to leave and the way we handled it. As for Rome, I'm glad he's back and was allowed to come back. We've all been there and there is no doubt he can help this team. Maybe he just didn't want to risk injury against idaho st. I have no idea why he actually left, but at least he didn't string it out or take long to come back. I have no real reason to think this, but i think the D plays inpsired and gives a "blackshirt" performance saturday. I guess time will tell.

Totally agree. There are so many variables at play. It basically comes down to execution.

And I do understand being hard assed and not I'm necessary saying he's wrong in how he probably feels, but I think no matter whate does he will ever "defeat" the media. Somethings are just better left un-said. As zoogies mentioned, it probably leads to a worse situation down the road. Winning cures everything. I just wish Bo would make a statement like that after an 10, 11, 12 win season instead of a comeback win over Wisonsin.

To clearify, i'm not trying to bash Bo and criticize his coaching ability, but I just don't agree with the sentiment that because he's the coach at Nebraska he does everything perfect. Heck, i'm not asking him to be. but, his dealing and reactions to the media still leave something to be desired.

Didn't listen to it and honestly I wasn't really commenting about him going back to Ohio State. The "loaded" statement that should not have been made was the one about him not forgetting how to coach defense.

Seriously Accountability? I guess I would go so far as to call Bo a prick like guy, but true to form just as Bo has done in the past, he acts like a baby in front of the media. They talked about this on "the show" on am 590 espn radion out of omaha. Why on earth can't Bo just celebrate a good win without some kind of "look at me" or "i showed you" response (see ohio state last year). Instead, it's like Bo picking fights with the media. The media will write whatever they care to write. That should be of no concern to Bo, because they do not matter. All that should matter is the next game. I don't understand how as a coach you're telling your players not to worry about the media, but you turn around and make matters worse, AGAIN. Look at Martinez for example. How would it look if he came out and said, "see, told ya i could pass" after the southern miss game. First, it proves nothing because there is a lot left to prove the rest of the season and second, if you don't like people criticizing your defense, then call/coach a better d. Let your body of work do the talking. I like bo as a coach for the most part, but the way he chooses to deal with the media is a little sad. But, some people fall in love with a coach/player and deflect all scrutiny and make it someone else's fault (the media, position coaches, the fans, etc.).

Who the hell is Quicy? whats an "on challenge"? Crazy how we all see things a little different. I thought it was a catch, but i also thought taylor's was clearly a fumble. Splitting hairs, but they often determine outcomes of games.

I don't think its crazy at all. We could come out on fire and win 44-17. I think that is pretty unlikely, but i really believe we have the best offense in the big 10, hand down. If we are able to put points up, i dont think tOSU can keep up. Something tells me that we will steal a close win.