BIG 12 NORTH PRESEASON FORECAST

[tattooedhusker]

it's easy:

 

 

 

I'm just kidding cave!

[jayhawker]

 

I am not how they will be better THIS year. I agree the young players you have on the O-Line look promising, but if you are going to tell me that 2 RFr. (one who was a TE and DE and has no meaningful time as an O-Lineman dating back to HS), 2 RSo. (one of which is switching positions), and a Jr., I don't see how they could be better than the experienced Seniors that played last year? I think Hatch may be pretty good at Center, but that position is unique in that you have to be able to read defenses to call pass protection. He doesn't have any experience doing this, at least in college, and it isn't something you just pick up over night. You only get that through experience, go ask the Colts if they missed Saturday last year. If you want to tell me that in 2010 or 2011 this unit will be good, then I will agree with you. 2009 will not be a great year for the KU O-Line IMO.

The TE/DE Hawkinson has above average blocking skills from what I hear, I have my doubts about him but if he can give Reesing even 2 more seconds to read the D i will take that this year. Hatch says that he prefers to play C and it is more comfortable for him. I've never once said this line will be great at all this year, but they just need to be average, that is the point of us being so excited about the punch of Reesing, Meier, Briscoe, Wilson, and Sharp. Just give these guys a chance to do something and it will add up to more W's then L's. Our line last year was not very good and they still won 8 games and pulled off an upset over MU in KC. Then absolutely rocked Minnesota in the bowl game. Average on the OL is all we need. If it is below average again, then KU is looking at another 8-9 win season still. The D is a different story but we have coaches that should have them playing with more intensity and we will have more talent on the D this year, young and inexperienced in 4 positions, but those young guys are very talented and hopefully they play over their potential, something Mangino is great at getting kids to do.

[jayhawker]

My thoughts:

 

Kansas...I know I picked you to finish first in the North but, lets face it, your O-line was not one of the reasons, no matter how many freshmen you throw in there. This is a reworked line that I watched Iowa State tear to shreds for 3 quarters. The biggest asset your team has (both figuratively and literally) is Mangino. He and his coaching staff are experienced enough to make adjustments on the fly that enable KU to stay in ballgames. Your whole season is going to rise and fall on the passing game. If Reesing and company can't score boatloads of points then you won't be going anywhere because, frankly, your running game isn't all that and in a conference where passing seems to be the norm, your passing defense really isn't all that impressive either.

 

 

this is not the same line you saw last year and that is a good thing. we can disagree on how well they are going to play but neither of us can say how this years line is going to be. The staff seems to be excited about 7 guys which is a good sign. There was a different attitude coming out of spring ball last year about the line, so most fans had a feeling it was going to be bad.

Say what you want about the running game. Sharp did not play much the first 6 games and he still finished as the #8 RB in the B12. Ahead of both of UNL's RBs and ISU's. Behind last years line. He averaged 8.6ypc against OU in Norman with that line. Imagine had he been the featured back the first 6 games. you can also look it up and see how the running game was better towards the end of the season. He is a very, very underrated RB because of his size. He averaged 6 points per game, tied with Jordan Shipley and Cody Johnson of TX and Jermaine Gresham of OU. The first non-kicker on the list from nebraska is Swift with 5.04 points per game and ISU's is R.J. Sumrall with 3.50ppg. Just looking at Scoring RB's in the B12 it looks like this;

 

 

#20 Sharp - 13 games 6.0ppg.

#46 Robingson - 11 games 3.27ppg

#47 Roy Helu Jr. - 13 games 3.23ppg

#54 Castille - 13 games 2.77ppg

 

I'll keep Sharp. By the end of this next year I expect to see Helu up around 5.00 - 6.00

 

in case you were wondering

#38 Lucky - 12 games 4.0 ppg

[MVPujols]

Helu didn't even play that much until near the end of the season, around the OU and KU games.

[jayhawker]

Helu didn't even play that much until near the end of the season, around the OU and KU games.

Not trashing on Helu at all. I think he has the potential to be a great back. I said I expect his ppg to go up to the 5.0 - 6.0 mark. Possibly even up to 7.0

[RedDenver]

A bunch of FR and SO on the oline usually spells disaster. Even the two most experienced players (Spikes and Hatch) only started last year as frosh. At least most of them have redshirted - that helps. I thought KU was a slim favorite for the north, but now I'd have to say I'd give the get to MU and NU.

[RedDenver]

Here's the RB comparison:

RUSHING GP-GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G

--------------------------------------------------------------

Sharp, Jake 13-10 186 888 28 860 4.6 12 47 66.2

Helu Jr., Roy 13-2 125 839 36 803 6.4 7 57 61.8

Castille, Q. 13-1 106 505 38 467 4.4 6 58 35.9

 

Helu put up almost as many yards as Sharp with 60 less carries. Which shows up in the ypc: 6.4 for Helu and 4.6 for Sharp. Sharp had 12 carries for 103 yards and 1 TD for 8.6 ypc against OU, which jayhawker keeps touting. Helu had 16 carries for 157 yards and 1 TD for 9.8 ypc against OU. I'm very certain I'd take Helu over Sharp given these stats, and I'd bet most other people would too. Castille wasn't far behind Sharp's number either.

[huKSer]

Here's the RB comparison:

RUSHING GP-GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G

--------------------------------------------------------------

Sharp, Jake 13-10 186 888 28 860 4.6 12 47 66.2

Helu Jr., Roy 13-2 125 839 36 803 6.4 7 57 61.8

Castille, Q. 13-1 106 505 38 467 4.4 6 58 35.9

 

Helu put up almost as many yards as Sharp with 60 less carries. Which shows up in the ypc: 6.4 for Helu and 4.6 for Sharp. Sharp had 12 carries for 103 yards and 1 TD for 8.6 ypc against OU, which jayhawker keeps touting. Helu had 16 carries for 157 yards and 1 TD for 9.8 ypc against OU. I'm very certain I'd take Helu over Sharp given these stats, and I'd bet most other people would too. Castille wasn't far behind Sharp's number either.

Yes, but to be fair, Sharp had "nobody" blocking for him, so that does give him a point in his favor.

 

GBR

[caveman99]

it's easy:

 

 

 

I'm just kidding cave!

oh man born! I leave for a little bit and see what happens! I am humbled.

[Bear1979]

duplicate. see below.

[Bear1979]

My thoughts:

 

Kansas...I know I picked you to finish first in the North but, lets face it, your O-line was not one of the reasons, no matter how many freshmen you throw in there. This is a reworked line that I watched Iowa State tear to shreds for 3 quarters. The biggest asset your team has (both figuratively and literally) is Mangino. He and his coaching staff are experienced enough to make adjustments on the fly that enable KU to stay in ballgames. Your whole season is going to rise and fall on the passing game. If Reesing and company can't score boatloads of points then you won't be going anywhere because, frankly, your running game isn't all that and in a conference where passing seems to be the norm, your passing defense really isn't all that impressive either.

 

Nebraska...The defense, I think, is going to work out IF the secondary comes together. I'm not too worried about stuffing the run as the line seems pretty capable of handling that. What I am worried about if the youth of the LB and the lapses into idiocy in the secondary that I saw last year. Mainly though, it's the LB's. They'll be looking at a lot of spread formations with quick hitters on inside slants and to the sidelines. They have to be ready. On offense, my thoughts are that if NU bucks the odds and goes back to pounding the ball on the ground with the occassional pass to keep defenses honest, they may be unstoppable. Looking around the league, I don't see a lot of nose tackles that going to be able to stand up to four quarters of pounding...and with some teams switching to gimmicky 4-2-5 defenses, there's going to be a lot of open ground available for bruisers like Castille once they get by the line. Plus, it gives time for Lee to acclimate himself. A few more forced turnovers by the defense and a few less by the offense would help. NU is a legitimate North champion.

 

The last comments I have are reserved for Baylor. I have nothing against Baylor mind you, but I've seen lots and lots of freshmen phenoms like Griffin over the years who look real good in their first year but then manage to sink or get pounded into the background their sophomore year. This might not be the case but it'll all depend on the supporting cast. Finley appears to be a decent back and Wright had his moments receiving (mostly against ISU...the idiot) but you lost a big part of your D-line and a couple of guys out of your defensive backfield and O-line. You have no depth at QB and the whole team is going to be pretty much rebuilding (even if you still have Sledge...and you gotta love a player named Sledge) if you lose Griffin or he has a bad year, Baylor is pretty much finished. Nothing personal but one player, even if he is a QB, is not going to bring a team from the loser catagory to the contender status...unless his name is Seneca Wallace.

 

Kansas: Oline is a question no doubt. But I don't doubt the amount of points they'll score. Passing game will be as stout as ever. The rushing game will be the key to them finishing either 1st or 2nd in the North. As for defense, it's not the Big 12's best, but have you ever heard of Darrell Stuckey? We'll see him playing in Sunday's after this season. I agree with most of your analysis though.

 

Nebraska: Secondary is not as important when you have Suh up front. You could have mediocre DB's and still have a defense in the top half of the Big 12 with Suh in the line up. I think your analysis of Nebraska is completely the opposite. Offense unstoppable with 4 returning starters? No. Defense unstoppable. Yes. Absolutely YES.

 

Baylor: I respectfully disagree Cy. Rebuilding........really? We haven't had this deep of a roster since the inception of the Big 12. There are 18 returning starters! If you add in the kicker and punter it's actually 20. Our defensive line is vastly improved. We have Phil Taylor who is a Penn State tranfer that started there as a true freshman! 6'5" 355 pounds?!?! Briles openly stated that he is a larger defensive version of Jason Smith. We have our entire defensive backfield back (incorrectly stated in your post), and Phil Steele has our FS and MLB on his 1st Team all Big 12 Team. Oline is deep...but not as talented and is severely lacking experience at Tackle. Our Center is predicted to be a 1st day draft pick. Receiver Gettis is predicted as a 4th round draft pick, although I believe he has underachieved. You're right about our RB Finley. No depth at QB is arguable. Baylor's backup QB holds half of the schools statistical passing records including most passing yards in a season with 2,800+ yds. Also has 13 starts, but no where near Griffin's talent.

 

People focus too much on Robert Griffin, and automatically asume our success (ok, expected success) alone is due to his ability as a playmaker. He's a huge reason for our competitiveness, but this strong QB play is essential for most successful teams. We likely wouldn't go bowling w/out Griffin, but we'd still be close. I don't know where your information came from, be we ar faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from rebuilding with 20 returning starters.

[HuskerGBR]

1. Nebraska - We have the most talent, better coaches, and no big XII team will put up the same offensive numbers which is good for us.

2. Missouri - They have a good team and will be a lot better then people give them credit for, however, they need to establish a run game to beat out Nebraska. Which isn't going to happen.

3. Kansas - Good team, but lack of experience and talent this year is going to set them back to .500 status which is what Mangino is used to.

4. Colorado - They still suck. But they will hurt someone's chances of getting to the Big XII championship game.

5. Kansas State - Enough said.

6. Iowa State - Feel free to interchange 5 and 6, because in the end no one cares about these programs this year.

[caveman99]

My thoughts:

 

Kansas...I know I picked you to finish first in the North but, lets face it, your O-line was not one of the reasons, no matter how many freshmen you throw in there. This is a reworked line that I watched Iowa State tear to shreds for 3 quarters. The biggest asset your team has (both figuratively and literally) is Mangino. He and his coaching staff are experienced enough to make adjustments on the fly that enable KU to stay in ballgames. Your whole season is going to rise and fall on the passing game. If Reesing and company can't score boatloads of points then you won't be going anywhere because, frankly, your running game isn't all that and in a conference where passing seems to be the norm, your passing defense really isn't all that impressive either.

 

Nebraska...The defense, I think, is going to work out IF the secondary comes together. I'm not too worried about stuffing the run as the line seems pretty capable of handling that. What I am worried about if the youth of the LB and the lapses into idiocy in the secondary that I saw last year. Mainly though, it's the LB's. They'll be looking at a lot of spread formations with quick hitters on inside slants and to the sidelines. They have to be ready. On offense, my thoughts are that if NU bucks the odds and goes back to pounding the ball on the ground with the occassional pass to keep defenses honest, they may be unstoppable. Looking around the league, I don't see a lot of nose tackles that going to be able to stand up to four quarters of pounding...and with some teams switching to gimmicky 4-2-5 defenses, there's going to be a lot of open ground available for bruisers like Castille once they get by the line. Plus, it gives time for Lee to acclimate himself. A few more forced turnovers by the defense and a few less by the offense would help. NU is a legitimate North champion.

 

The last comments I have are reserved for Baylor. I have nothing against Baylor mind you, but I've seen lots and lots of freshmen phenoms like Griffin over the years who look real good in their first year but then manage to sink or get pounded into the background their sophomore year. This might not be the case but it'll all depend on the supporting cast. Finley appears to be a decent back and Wright had his moments receiving (mostly against ISU...the idiot) but you lost a big part of your D-line and a couple of guys out of your defensive backfield and O-line. You have no depth at QB and the whole team is going to be pretty much rebuilding (even if you still have Sledge...and you gotta love a player named Sledge) if you lose Griffin or he has a bad year, Baylor is pretty much finished. Nothing personal but one player, even if he is a QB, is not going to bring a team from the loser catagory to the contender status...unless his name is Seneca Wallace.

 

Kansas: Oline is a question no doubt. But I don't doubt the amount of points they'll score. Passing game will be as stout as ever. The rushing game will be the key to them finishing either 1st or 2nd in the North. As for defense, it's not the Big 12's best, but have you ever heard of Darrell Stuckey? We'll see him playing in Sunday's after this season. I agree with most of your analysis though.

 

Nebraska: Secondary is not as important when you have Suh up front. You could have mediocre DB's and still have a defense in the top half of the Big 12 with Suh in the line up. I think your analysis of Nebraska is completely the opposite. Offense unstoppable with 3 returning starters? No. Defense unstoppable. Yes. Absolutely YES.

 

Baylor: I respectfully disagree Cy. Rebuilding........really? We haven't had this deep of a roster since the inception of the Big 12. There are 18 returning starters! If you add in the kicker and punter it's actually 20. Our defensive line is vastly improved. We have Phil Taylor who is a Penn State tranfer that started there as a true freshman! 6'5" 355 pounds?!?! Briles openly stated that he is a larger defensive version of Jason Smith. We have our entire defensive backfield back (incorrectly stated in your post), and Phil Steele has our FS and MLB on his 1st Team all Big 12 Team. Oline is deep...but not as talented and is severely lacking experience at Tackle. Our Center is predicted to be a 1st day draft pick. Receiver Gettis is predicted as a 4th round draft pick, although I believe he has underachieved. You're right about our RB Finley. No depth at QB is arguable. Baylor's backup QB holds half of the schools statistical passing records including most passing yards in a season with 2,800+ yds. Also has 13 starts, but no where near Griffin's talent.

 

People focus too much on Robert Griffin, and automatically asume our success (ok, expected success) alone is due to his ability as a playmaker. He's a huge reason for our competitiveness, but this strong QB play is essential for most successful teams. We likely wouldn't go bowling w/out Griffin, but we'd still be close. I don't know where your information came from, be we ar faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from rebuilding with 20 returning starters.

3 returning starters on O for NU? I have to question where you are getting your info from! I agree about your issue with Cy's assessment of Baylor, but come on after that comment it is like the pot calling well you know what I mean. NU returns 3 starters on the Oline, 1 at WR, 1 at TE, and 1 at IB (you may think Marlon Lucky was the starter but fact is the last third of the season Helu was the starter). New starters are 2 WR, 2 Olinemen (RG and RT, though Jones at RT got starts last year), and QB. The Oline should be very good and the IB's are very good, Castille could be a starter on most teams but is the back up to Helu. NU will have a good ground game as Cy mentioned and this will lead to a very good O overall. Lee has a lot of talent (big time arm and really really fast, ok not as fast RGIII) and a good to great ground game will ensure success in the passing game.

[Bear1979]

My thoughts:

 

Kansas...I know I picked you to finish first in the North but, lets face it, your O-line was not one of the reasons, no matter how many freshmen you throw in there. This is a reworked line that I watched Iowa State tear to shreds for 3 quarters. The biggest asset your team has (both figuratively and literally) is Mangino. He and his coaching staff are experienced enough to make adjustments on the fly that enable KU to stay in ballgames. Your whole season is going to rise and fall on the passing game. If Reesing and company can't score boatloads of points then you won't be going anywhere because, frankly, your running game isn't all that and in a conference where passing seems to be the norm, your passing defense really isn't all that impressive either.

 

Nebraska...The defense, I think, is going to work out IF the secondary comes together. I'm not too worried about stuffing the run as the line seems pretty capable of handling that. What I am worried about if the youth of the LB and the lapses into idiocy in the secondary that I saw last year. Mainly though, it's the LB's. They'll be looking at a lot of spread formations with quick hitters on inside slants and to the sidelines. They have to be ready. On offense, my thoughts are that if NU bucks the odds and goes back to pounding the ball on the ground with the occassional pass to keep defenses honest, they may be unstoppable. Looking around the league, I don't see a lot of nose tackles that going to be able to stand up to four quarters of pounding...and with some teams switching to gimmicky 4-2-5 defenses, there's going to be a lot of open ground available for bruisers like Castille once they get by the line. Plus, it gives time for Lee to acclimate himself. A few more forced turnovers by the defense and a few less by the offense would help. NU is a legitimate North champion.

 

The last comments I have are reserved for Baylor. I have nothing against Baylor mind you, but I've seen lots and lots of freshmen phenoms like Griffin over the years who look real good in their first year but then manage to sink or get pounded into the background their sophomore year. This might not be the case but it'll all depend on the supporting cast. Finley appears to be a decent back and Wright had his moments receiving (mostly against ISU...the idiot) but you lost a big part of your D-line and a couple of guys out of your defensive backfield and O-line. You have no depth at QB and the whole team is going to be pretty much rebuilding (even if you still have Sledge...and you gotta love a player named Sledge) if you lose Griffin or he has a bad year, Baylor is pretty much finished. Nothing personal but one player, even if he is a QB, is not going to bring a team from the loser catagory to the contender status...unless his name is Seneca Wallace.

 

Kansas: Oline is a question no doubt. But I don't doubt the amount of points they'll score. Passing game will be as stout as ever. The rushing game will be the key to them finishing either 1st or 2nd in the North. As for defense, it's not the Big 12's best, but have you ever heard of Darrell Stuckey? We'll see him playing in Sunday's after this season. I agree with most of your analysis though.

 

Nebraska: Secondary is not as important when you have Suh up front. You could have mediocre DB's and still have a defense in the top half of the Big 12 with Suh in the line up. I think your analysis of Nebraska is completely the opposite. Offense unstoppable with 3 returning starters? No. Defense unstoppable. Yes. Absolutely YES.

 

Baylor: I respectfully disagree Cy. Rebuilding........really? We haven't had this deep of a roster since the inception of the Big 12. There are 18 returning starters! If you add in the kicker and punter it's actually 20. Our defensive line is vastly improved. We have Phil Taylor who is a Penn State tranfer that started there as a true freshman! 6'5" 355 pounds?!?! Briles openly stated that he is a larger defensive version of Jason Smith. We have our entire defensive backfield back (incorrectly stated in your post), and Phil Steele has our FS and MLB on his 1st Team all Big 12 Team. Oline is deep...but not as talented and is severely lacking experience at Tackle. Our Center is predicted to be a 1st day draft pick. Receiver Gettis is predicted as a 4th round draft pick, although I believe he has underachieved. You're right about our RB Finley. No depth at QB is arguable. Baylor's backup QB holds half of the schools statistical passing records including most passing yards in a season with 2,800+ yds. Also has 13 starts, but no where near Griffin's talent.

 

People focus too much on Robert Griffin, and automatically asume our success (ok, expected success) alone is due to his ability as a playmaker. He's a huge reason for our competitiveness, but this strong QB play is essential for most successful teams. We likely wouldn't go bowling w/out Griffin, but we'd still be close. I don't know where your information came from, be we ar faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from rebuilding with 20 returning starters.

3 returning starters on O for NU? I have to question where you are getting your info from! I agree about your issue with Cy's assessment of Baylor, but come on after that comment it is like the pot calling well you know what I mean. NU returns 3 starters on the Oline, 1 at WR, 1 at TE, and 1 at IB (you may think Marlon Lucky was the starter but fact is the last third of the season Helu was the starter). New starters are 2 WR, 2 Olinemen (RG and RT, though Jones at RT got starts last year), and QB. The Oline should be very good and the IB's are very good, Castille could be a starter on most teams but is the back up to Helu. NU will have a good ground game as Cy mentioned and this will lead to a very good O overall. Lee has a lot of talent (big time arm and really really fast, ok not as fast RGIII) and a good to great ground game will ensure success in the passing game.

 

 

I was off on that one.....There are 4 returning starters on offense according to all the preseason mag's (just corrected it). I know there are some players with experience that you can add to that list too, but not considered returning starters. Nebraska has a great shot at winning the North. I just think your defense will be winning you games more than Zac Lee will be throwing game winning TD's. You're O-line shouldn't miss a beat either with 3 returning. I just don't think teams are trembling at the thought of Nebraskas potent offense. They are going to be trembling at the thought of that stingy defense though....IMO.

[caveman99]

My thoughts:

 

Kansas...I know I picked you to finish first in the North but, lets face it, your O-line was not one of the reasons, no matter how many freshmen you throw in there. This is a reworked line that I watched Iowa State tear to shreds for 3 quarters. The biggest asset your team has (both figuratively and literally) is Mangino. He and his coaching staff are experienced enough to make adjustments on the fly that enable KU to stay in ballgames. Your whole season is going to rise and fall on the passing game. If Reesing and company can't score boatloads of points then you won't be going anywhere because, frankly, your running game isn't all that and in a conference where passing seems to be the norm, your passing defense really isn't all that impressive either.

 

Nebraska...The defense, I think, is going to work out IF the secondary comes together. I'm not too worried about stuffing the run as the line seems pretty capable of handling that. What I am worried about if the youth of the LB and the lapses into idiocy in the secondary that I saw last year. Mainly though, it's the LB's. They'll be looking at a lot of spread formations with quick hitters on inside slants and to the sidelines. They have to be ready. On offense, my thoughts are that if NU bucks the odds and goes back to pounding the ball on the ground with the occassional pass to keep defenses honest, they may be unstoppable. Looking around the league, I don't see a lot of nose tackles that going to be able to stand up to four quarters of pounding...and with some teams switching to gimmicky 4-2-5 defenses, there's going to be a lot of open ground available for bruisers like Castille once they get by the line. Plus, it gives time for Lee to acclimate himself. A few more forced turnovers by the defense and a few less by the offense would help. NU is a legitimate North champion.

 

The last comments I have are reserved for Baylor. I have nothing against Baylor mind you, but I've seen lots and lots of freshmen phenoms like Griffin over the years who look real good in their first year but then manage to sink or get pounded into the background their sophomore year. This might not be the case but it'll all depend on the supporting cast. Finley appears to be a decent back and Wright had his moments receiving (mostly against ISU...the idiot) but you lost a big part of your D-line and a couple of guys out of your defensive backfield and O-line. You have no depth at QB and the whole team is going to be pretty much rebuilding (even if you still have Sledge...and you gotta love a player named Sledge) if you lose Griffin or he has a bad year, Baylor is pretty much finished. Nothing personal but one player, even if he is a QB, is not going to bring a team from the loser catagory to the contender status...unless his name is Seneca Wallace.

 

Kansas: Oline is a question no doubt. But I don't doubt the amount of points they'll score. Passing game will be as stout as ever. The rushing game will be the key to them finishing either 1st or 2nd in the North. As for defense, it's not the Big 12's best, but have you ever heard of Darrell Stuckey? We'll see him playing in Sunday's after this season. I agree with most of your analysis though.

 

Nebraska: Secondary is not as important when you have Suh up front. You could have mediocre DB's and still have a defense in the top half of the Big 12 with Suh in the line up. I think your analysis of Nebraska is completely the opposite. Offense unstoppable with 3 returning starters? No. Defense unstoppable. Yes. Absolutely YES.

 

Baylor: I respectfully disagree Cy. Rebuilding........really? We haven't had this deep of a roster since the inception of the Big 12. There are 18 returning starters! If you add in the kicker and punter it's actually 20. Our defensive line is vastly improved. We have Phil Taylor who is a Penn State tranfer that started there as a true freshman! 6'5" 355 pounds?!?! Briles openly stated that he is a larger defensive version of Jason Smith. We have our entire defensive backfield back (incorrectly stated in your post), and Phil Steele has our FS and MLB on his 1st Team all Big 12 Team. Oline is deep...but not as talented and is severely lacking experience at Tackle. Our Center is predicted to be a 1st day draft pick. Receiver Gettis is predicted as a 4th round draft pick, although I believe he has underachieved. You're right about our RB Finley. No depth at QB is arguable. Baylor's backup QB holds half of the schools statistical passing records including most passing yards in a season with 2,800+ yds. Also has 13 starts, but no where near Griffin's talent.

 

People focus too much on Robert Griffin, and automatically asume our success (ok, expected success) alone is due to his ability as a playmaker. He's a huge reason for our competitiveness, but this strong QB play is essential for most successful teams. We likely wouldn't go bowling w/out Griffin, but we'd still be close. I don't know where your information came from, be we ar faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from rebuilding with 20 returning starters.

3 returning starters on O for NU? I have to question where you are getting your info from! I agree about your issue with Cy's assessment of Baylor, but come on after that comment it is like the pot calling well you know what I mean. NU returns 3 starters on the Oline, 1 at WR, 1 at TE, and 1 at IB (you may think Marlon Lucky was the starter but fact is the last third of the season Helu was the starter). New starters are 2 WR, 2 Olinemen (RG and RT, though Jones at RT got starts last year), and QB. The Oline should be very good and the IB's are very good, Castille could be a starter on most teams but is the back up to Helu. NU will have a good ground game as Cy mentioned and this will lead to a very good O overall. Lee has a lot of talent (big time arm and really really fast, ok not as fast RGIII) and a good to great ground game will ensure success in the passing game.

 

 

I was off on that one.....There are 4 returning starters on offense according to all the preseason mag's (just corrected it). I know there are some players with experience that you can add to that list too, but not considered returning starters. Nebraska has a great shot at winning the North. I just think your defense will be winning you games more than Zac Lee will be throwing game winning TD's. You're O-line will shouldn't miss a beat either with 3 returning. I just don't think teams are trembling at the thought of Nebraskas potent offense. They are going to be trembling at the thought of that stingy defense though....IMO.

4 is way off also as I pointed out before, 6 returning of 11 off of an offense that was 12th in the nation last year. NU was 3rd in the conference in rushing O last year, expect that to be even better next year. I agree that D will be NU's ticket but don't think NU's O will be underwhelming.