Morrison

I don't think you come back and win the type of games we did this year without leadership of some sort. I couldn't tell you who it is because I'm not in the huddle or in the locker room (most likely Cotton on offense and Compton defense), but judging by the results of the season as a whole there was plenty of leadership on the team. Also what accountability said.

While I agree with you that that Beck has been very good this year, let's be fair here. In the three blowout games, our offensive miscues have lead to quite a few points scored by the other team: (Just going off of memory here, so I might miss some...) Consider: UCLA: Offense miscues lead to 12 points (maybe 19 points, depending on your viewpoint) Ameer fumbles our first possession of the 2nd Half inside our own 20 - FG Taylor throws an interception inside our own 30 - Missed FG (?) Taylor takes a sack in the endzone late in the game - Safety/TD on ensuing UCLA possession (good field position...not sure if you pin that on the Offense, frankly) Taylor throws a pick in crunch time, giving UCLA the ball inside our 20 - TD Ohio St.: 14 Points Taylor throws a pick 6 early - TD Taylor throws another INT inside our own 20, returned inside the 10 - TD Wisconsin: 14 Taylor throws a pick six on the first offensive snap - TD Taylor throws an interception inside our 20, returned inside the 5 - TD I think the most important thing we can improve on offensively moving into next year is the consistency in these big games. Sure, we can put up some points, but the offense has really put our D in some horrible positions in these games as well. I like Taylor - I admire the heart and work ethic he's shown as a Husker - but as long as he is our quarterback we will turn the ball over, be it by fumbles or interceptions. Secondly, the blame for this goes on the O-line. They have done a pretty bang-up job in terms of the run game this year, there's no denying the stats. In pass pro, however, they have really struggled against the more athletic defensive lines we've faced (e.g. Ohio St. and UCLA), which has directly led to some of Taylor's poor decisions and TOs. Also, I don't have the stats in front of me, but I think our conversion % on third and less than two was pretty abysmal, something i attribute almost exclusively to the o-line and the OC. This doesn't even take into account the propensity for the Offense to inexplicably go 3 & out after running 12 seconds off the clock. With more consistency on the offensive side of the ball we should be able to limit the other team's possessions and eat some clock. In most of these games, we rarely let our defense rest and regroup after a long drive - something that the offensive playcalling (and execution) needs to take into account when things start slipping. So sure, we gave up alot of points in a few games this year, and most of the blame is rightfully on the defensive coaches and players. But don't forget the offense didn't do our D any favors in these games either. While I find most of the criticism of Beck to be irrational, there are some things he does need to improve on moving forward. The good news is that I think he will. He's shown a TON of potential in his first two years - the improvement of our offense has been tremendous. Hopefully we can keep the guy around for the next couple of years - can't wait to see what he can do with Armstrong/Stanton and some of the young talent we'll have coming through. GBR

Amen to that! Hopefully the pity party is about over and we can get back to talking some football...

It's funny how you can rationalize each one of these games away individually to make them seem not as bad. But, in their totality, the only logical conclusion that is possible is that Watson is the problem. I don't have any personal animosity towards the man - I am sure he has tried his best to make it work. Further, saying he needs to go simply because he was "part of the Callahan regime" is ignorant. That being said, he simply has not gotten it done when we needed him to. It's time for a change. Our offensive performances in those losses makes me sick.

We're closer to being "back" than you think. Get the offense turned around (there's talent there, it just needs to be utilized) and we're a top 5 to top 10 team easy. Hang in there!

Yeah, the D gave up alot of yards tonight, but when the damn offense cannot stay on the field, it gives an explosive team like Oklahoma way too many opportunities to make big plays, which they unfortunately did. Oklahoma had 5 (!) possesions in the first quarter alone. (in which they were mostly stymied). That should have been enough for a half. The defense wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. Holding them to 23 points, especially considering field position due to the turnovers and punt returns, should have been enough to win the damn game.

I am done with Watson as well. I have supported him in the past, as I think it is possible to rationalize away some of our struggles, but this is just too much. We are a top 5 team, easy, if we had even a mediocre offense.

Err didn't this thread already happen?

Damn, between McKewon and Chatelain there is some really good writing going on in this state.

You should've been around earlier this season! We were getting some pretty good hype Unfortunately, the Texas game pretty much ended that....

In some ways, I really want to agree with this. But, alas, I cannot. Having class does not mean allowing oneself to be run over without complaint. In fact, taking principled stands (however unpopular the perception) is one of the hallmarks of class. If standing up for ourselves by raising holy hell about this situation damages our reputation to people hundreds of miles away who will never set foot in this state, so be it. That is an acceptable cost for standing up for those kids who give their blood, sweat, and tears every Saturday for the people of this state and for each other. So, sure, call it "whining". But if it puts the spotlight on the Big 12 (as it surely has) and helps to ensure a fairly-called game in the CCG, we're willing to take the jabs so those kids out there aren't punished for the petty hubris of the powers that be(ebe) in this conference. Best of luck to the Aggies in the future

I tend to agree, we do not match up with them very well at all. That being said, Compton is back to being a major contributor which should help stiffen up our D against the run. Nevertheless, I'd still prefer to play a spread-type offense.

That is a travesty. An absolute freaking travesty. Arguably the greatest FG kicker in NCAA history and he doesn't even sniff a Groza. What a joke.

I think you're deluding yourself a little bit here. Your win against Oklahoma was as much a by-product of Oklahoma's pitiful short yardage game as it was by "you playing well enough to take the game out of the ref's hands." I mean, I'm willing to give you credit for one, maybe two, stands at 1st and Goal from the one, but how many did they botch? Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe it that happened at least three times. Furthermore, they dropped a sure touchdown on the fake field goal through no action on your part. I don't care how good you are, for something like that to happen, you need the other team to help you out. And I give you credit for last night - your team played a clean game from an execution standpoint. No fumbles, interceptions, missed field goals, dropped passes in the endzone, or other unforced miscues which would allow us to make up for the harm inflicted upon us by the referees. If only Oklahoma could say the same. You'll find plenty of those threads cropping up, though to be frank, I'd like to see you put your 3rd string QB out there for half the game and see how well your offense moves the ball. Then, roll out Tannehill with a broken ankle (goodbye bootlegs, QB draws, pocket elusiveness) and try some more. It wouldn't go well for you, just as it didn't go well for us. Sure would have been nice to block without fear of even the possibility of a holding call. Also, it would've been nice if we could have received two 3rd and Long PIs and a 3rd and long Roughing the Passer (a la your last two possessions). Youcouldn't move the ball against us without significant assistance in crunch time either - I wouldn't come here talking about failing to produce points when necessary. Agree on this...to a certain extent. But still, we shouldn't have to get off the field 2,3,4 times per possession. Eventually you are going to catch a break (as you did with Gray's 20+ yard run). The tough part to take about the "we could have done something more to overcome" the referees argument is that you did not do anything more to win the game than we did. The game is a freaking statistical dead heat. You may have caught some rough calls against Oklahoma, but those were nullified by Oklahoma's gifts right back to you. Unfortunately for us, you didn't pay it forward last night. Simply put, you didn't do enough to lose the game, and that won you the game. I don't begrudge you that - I'd take it in were I in your position, but I also would realize what a gift we received.

you didn't play well enough to win last night. Neither did you...

Hujan, I included the Nebraska game in those stats, I don't think it skews the numbers terribly over 11 games (plus I'm too lazy to go back and re-calculate). Does anyone else think it's weird that we seemingly got the most help against the two best teams we've played?

Did the research, its not as damning as you would think: Sorry for the formatting, don't know how to fix it Team: Penalties vs. NU - Yards Season Avg - Yards Kansas St. 4-30 5.18 - 41.3 Texas 4-53 6.45 - 58.1 Oklahoma St. 8-84 6.09 - 63.6 Missouri 7-40 5.91 - 52.9 Iowa St. 3-40 6.45 - 51.3 Kansas 1-9 6.36 - 60.5 Texas A&M 2-10 8.7 - 68.8 As you can see, things start to get weird after Missouri. I'm not sure what to make of this - three games doesn't seem to be a big enough sample size to draw a conclusion. On the other hand, put into the context of when we became likely Big 12 North Champs (i.e. after we beat Missouri) things do look a little bit murkier. Furthermore, raw stats don't take into account the sheer number of calls that are just plain weird (Gabbert forward-progress, Rex Burkhead's exorcist impersonation, the Eric Martin Suspension)or simple no-calls (i.e holding). So anyways, for those who are curious that's how this breaks down.

Do you really think Auburn/Oregon/Boise/TCU/etc. would have been more succesful against a defense that good, with a crowd that crazy, with the calls the way they were, with their 3rd string QB playing for half the game and their starter barely able to walk? Without Heart? Did you see Rex Burkhead carry the ball 7 straight times in the 4th Quarter? Did you see Taylor Martinez - barely able to freaking stand - try to scramble and stand tall in the pocket? Did you see Roy Helu break about 5 tackles before scampering for 30 yards? Did you see Niles Paul make catches in traffic? I can understand the frustration with our scoring output, but to question the heart of the players in light of the adversity they faced tonight is childish.

I've been thinking much the same thing...

I could not agree more. My heart tells me that this is something we could/should have overcome to win - as a competitor you always want to believe that you control your own destiny. Unfortunately, I simply cannot deny what I saw right in front of my eyes tonight. I honestly wish I could, but I simply cannot. There is no way around it - the fix was in. That being said, I was incredibly proud of the grit the team showed tonight. There was a ton of adversity stacked against us, the refs themselves notwithstanding. When you consider Martinez's gimp ankle, our 3rd string QB's admirable (if inadequate) effort, a rowdy crowd, and a tenacious opponent, I thought the Huskers really fought back hard in that 4th Quarter. That drive from our own five might be one of my favorite Husker drives ever, and Burkhead's run to start it off was a thing off beauty - as if he was channeling the frustration of the entire husker nation. In any event, if we take care of business we still have a great shot of getting the last laugh at this piss-poor conference. This might be just the extra motivation the team needed to get over the hump.

Yes he does, Bo really looked like a Jack A$$ for chewing out Legate. I'm pretty sure at the time Bo didn't know the circumstances, there was no way he could've seen what was going on from the sidelines. That being said, I'm sure when he goes back and looks at the tape and realizes what happened, he will make things right with Legate.

I thought it was the right call by CPR to go for the win. I agree with some people questioning the way he went about it, but in general I agree it was the right call. I look at it this way: The longer the game goes on, the more likely it is that Nebraska, the deeper, more-talented team with a far better kicker than Iowa State eventually assumes control. Compounding this problem, Arnaud had been inconsistent all game long and appeared to have an injured wheel - a bad match-up against our ball-hawking defense. That being said, at that point in time of the game, ISU had all the momentum, and was playing at at least as high a level, if not more so, than NU. With those factors in mind, the odds of ISU executing the two point conversion are much better than them standing toe-to-toe with us for 2-3 more rounds in an overtime situation. It's the same principle applied by Boise St. against Oklahoma in the 06 Fiesta Bowl: When you have the momentum against a superior team, you don't extend the game any longer than you have to. Instead, you capitalize on Big Mo when you have it and are in a position to win the game - where you only need to be better than your opponent on one play, not on a series of them. Thankfully it didn't work in this particular instance, but, on balance, it was the right call to make when you consider the odds.

The awesomeness of this post made me decide to take the plunge and register!