BIG 12 NORTH PRESEASON FORECAST

[caveman99]

Bear, where are you seeing that Juco QBs are busts more often than not? Is this your own anecdotal experience or do you have some basis for this?

 

Nearly every QB Baylor has had in the past decade was a 3 or 4 star JuCo transfer (aside from Shawn Bell, and Blake Szymanski). Examples: Dane King, Greg Cicero, Josh Zachry, Michael Machen. They were all God awful and all were 3 and 4 star recruits from successful JuCo's. We were always excited...they were always terrible. Granted, you likely have a much better supporting cast, so I think Lee will be good enough after a few games are under his belt.

 

Here's an interesting article on recent JuCo transfers:

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/29534-c...-to-make-impact

 

Summary: It's possible get a star, but don't get your hopes up. One positive Lee has though is that he does come from an NFL pedigree.

 

 

I think the keyword in your post is "Baylor." Anecdotal evidence from one school is not a trend. Not to be rude, but the Bears haven't been known for getting and developing QB talent over the years.

 

Luckily for you that trend is changing with young Mr. Griffin.

Yeah I think the biggest difference is that Watson has a history of developing QB's into quality players. I don't think Baylor had anyone of Watson's caliber until just recently on their staff coaching up those players.

[Bear1979]

I think the keyword in your post is "Baylor." Anecdotal evidence from one school is not a trend. Not to be rude, but the Bears haven't been known for getting and developing QB talent over the years.

 

Luckily for you that trend is changing with young Mr. Griffin.

 

 

I agree with you. We've never had a QB that end their career on a high note really. This is just my experience w/ JuCo's. Kstate developed some decent QB's in Snyders early years. I can't think of any JuCo QB's that won any NCAA awards, All-American Honors, or have been an NFL starter though. Not that Nebraska needs that out of their QB to be successful. I'm just raising questions about this since Lee is obviously lacking in experience at a higher level of play. But I guess there's always exceptions eventually.

[knapplc]

Well, it's a valid point. Lee is a huge unknown. QB is a really shaky position for the Huskers if Lee can't run the show.

[Bear1979]

Bear, where are you seeing that Juco QBs are busts more often than not? Is this your own anecdotal experience or do you have some basis for this?

 

Nearly every QB Baylor has had in the past decade was a 3 or 4 star JuCo transfer (aside from Shawn Bell, and Blake Szymanski). Examples: Dane King, Greg Cicero, Josh Zachry, Michael Machen. They were all God awful and all were 3 and 4 star recruits from successful JuCo's. We were always excited...they were always terrible. Granted, you likely have a much better supporting cast, so I think Lee will be good enough after a few games are under his belt.

 

Here's an interesting article on recent JuCo transfers:

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/29534-c...-to-make-impact

 

Summary: It's possible get a star, but don't get your hopes up. One positive Lee has though is that he does come from an NFL pedigree.

 

 

I think the keyword in your post is "Baylor." Anecdotal evidence from one school is not a trend. Not to be rude, but the Bears haven't been known for getting and developing QB talent over the years.

 

Luckily for you that trend is changing with young Mr. Griffin.

Yeah I think the biggest difference is that Watson has a history of developing QB's into quality players. I don't think Baylor had anyone of Watson's caliber until just recently on their staff coaching up those players.

 

Agreed. Briles and his son are now the QB coaches, so I'm happy with that.

[Bear1979]

Well, it's a valid point. Lee is a huge unknown. QB is a really shaky position for the Huskers if Lee can't run the show.

 

 

I hear he had a good spring game from my friends that went. Also that MLB turned Qb supposedly put on a show.

[caveman99]

Well, it's a valid point. Lee is a huge unknown. QB is a really shaky position for the Huskers if Lee can't run the show.

In Watson I trust. One thing I think is great about the current staff is that you can pretty much tell who is playing well and who isn't as well. It isn't hard to figure out if the staff has confidence in the team going into the game based on how they practiced, and you can get the same inference by who they think is doing well in practice individually. Nothing but really positive vibes coming out this past Spring about QB. I am not too worried right now about Lee.

[knapplc]

Bear, I was at the Spring Game. LaTravis Washington is that MLB turned QB you're talking about, but he was a QB turned MLB before that, so he's not completely inexperienced at the position. Washington showed the most athleticism of the three. Cody Green is VERY raw and should redshirt this year.

 

It was really hard to get a read on the QBs this year. They wore hands-off green jerseys, of course, and they couldn't do much running. Lee looked OK throwing and in limited running. Washington has wheels and a cannon for an arm - he just never knows where that cannon is going to shoot. =) Green was the clear #3 to me, and barring injury I would be surprised to see him on the field this year.

[SOCALHUSKER]

 

 

UNL is losing 234 points (39tds) this year and MU is losing 439 (50tds)(losing their kicker) points. KU will be losing 30 points (5tds). I know some players will step up and earn back some of these points but I do not see how UNL or MU is going to be able to come close to matching the points totals from last year with your and MU's talent level on O currently.

 

Very easily. As I stated in a previous post.

 

Offensively, the Huskers will employ a steady stream of power running, play-action, rollouts, option, screens and an occasional deep ball. Not so much either the west coast or the spread, but a simpler, condensed version of both with a touch of classic smashmouth. This will play to the strengths of Lee, as well as the strengths of the entire Husker offense. Helu, Castille, Mendoza, Paul, Holt, Brooks, the corps of tight ends and the entire O-line have way too much experience and speed to falter with this type of game plan. Add in the newcomers and things appear much brighter than the haters would have you believe. If Lee gets comfortable early, look for Watson to open up the playbook a little, which will make the team even more explosive and harder to defend.

I think you are going to need to score more than that. I know your D is going to be pretty good. But pretty good is still #80 in scoring D. I still am on record as saying that KU will win 2 of the 3 from the south.

 

More than what? Last year? I doubt it. As long as we score more than our opponents we'll be just fine.

 

You keep bringing up scoring defense as if it's the most telling stat. Which it isn't. Maybe if it took into consideration each specific game or even a win or a loss, it might. However, since it doesn't, we can only assume that it is merely another useless stat. If you believe it to be telling shouldn't KU have beat Nebraska last year and not finished 3rd in the Big 12 North.

 

As for your pick, which 2 do you think they can beat? Maybe Tech, but definitely not Texas or OU.

[husker B-rent]

agreed. The big difference between moo, nub, and ku last year was baylor. There would have been a 3 way tie at the top if all three played the same schedule.

Probably. Another very important difference was that Nebraska was cutting in a new, first-time head coach and new schemes on offense & defense, while Missouri and Kansas were playing with long-term coaching staffs in place, with the same schemes they've been running for years. That cannot be discounted.

it cannot be discounted at all, but neither can the fact that MU and UNL are cutting in new WR and QB's this year, while KU will have one of the best groups in the nation.

 

UNL is losing 234 points (39tds) this year and MU is losing 439 (50tds)(losing their kicker) points. KU will be losing 30 points (5tds). I know some players will step up and earn back some of these points but I do not see how UNL or MU is going to be able to come close to matching the points totals from last year with your and MU's talent level on O currently.

 

an even more important stat for anyone that knows ANYTHING about the great game of football is that KU returns the fewest starts along its offensive line in the entire big 12. NU is #3 and the guys that will now be starting that did not before all have plenty of in game action.

 

You can have Dan marino, barry sanders, and randy moss running your offense but if they have a bunch of high school kids blocking for them then they arent gonna be able to muster a whole heck of a lot of points.......

[huKSer]

I think the keyword in your post is "Baylor." Anecdotal evidence from one school is not a trend. Not to be rude, but the Bears haven't been known for getting and developing QB talent over the years.

 

Luckily for you that trend is changing with young Mr. Griffin.

 

 

I agree with you. We've never had a QB that end their career on a high note really. This is just my experience w/ JuCo's. Kstate developed some decent QB's in Snyders early years. I can't think of any JuCo QB's that won any NCAA awards, All-American Honors, or have been an NFL starter though. Not that Nebraska needs that out of their QB to be successful. I'm just raising questions about this since Lee is obviously lacking in experience at a higher level of play. But I guess there's always exceptions eventually.

From Wikipedia

 

Heupel began his collegiate playing career at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and spent one season at Snow College, a junior college located in Ephraim, Utah, before transferring to Oklahoma.

 

He was the Heisman Trophy runner up in 2000. He was also an All-American (2000), the AP Player of the Year, and Walter Camp Award winner in 2000. Heupel led the Sooners to an undefeated regular season and a national championship victory over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.[1][2]

[Overland Park Husker]

yes, your vaunted D. Here is the most telling stat from the B12 last year

 

Scoring D.

Nub 28.54 p/game

KU 28.85 p/game

and remember you had baylor as compared to Texas on the schedule. You can say all you want about how nubs D is going to be great and you were way better then KU's D last year. I don't see it, you gave up just as many points, with an easier schedule. You return 7 on D we return 7 on D.

So our vaunted D isn't good enough to win the North, but your vaunted D is good enough to win 2 of 3 against TT, UT and OU? Wow, you're using some great logic here.

[SOCALHUSKER]

I think the keyword in your post is "Baylor." Anecdotal evidence from one school is not a trend. Not to be rude, but the Bears haven't been known for getting and developing QB talent over the years.

 

Luckily for you that trend is changing with young Mr. Griffin.

 

 

I agree with you. We've never had a QB that end their career on a high note really. This is just my experience w/ JuCo's. Kstate developed some decent QB's in Snyders early years. I can't think of any JuCo QB's that won any NCAA awards, All-American Honors, or have been an NFL starter though. Not that Nebraska needs that out of their QB to be successful. I'm just raising questions about this since Lee is obviously lacking in experience at a higher level of play. But I guess there's always exceptions eventually.

From Wikipedia

 

Heupel began his collegiate playing career at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and spent one season at Snow College, a junior college located in Ephraim, Utah, before transferring to Oklahoma.

 

He was the Heisman Trophy runner up in 2000. He was also an All-American (2000), the AP Player of the Year, and Walter Camp Award winner in 2000. Heupel led the Sooners to an undefeated regular season and a national championship victory over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.[1][2]

 

...Or does the name Michael Bishop ring a bell.

 

Michael Bishop

 

Michael Paul Bishop (born May 15, 1976 in Galveston, Texas) is a professional football quarterback who is currently a member of the Corpus Christi Hammerheads of the Indoor Football League. He was drafted in the seventh round (277th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.

 

Bishop was a member of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts from 2002 to 2008. He also previously played with the National Football League's New England Patriots during the 2000 season and also played in the Arena Football League, most recently with the Grand Rapids Rampage. He was also one of the best college quarterbacks in the country during his career at Kansas State, beating out UCLA's Cade McNown for the 1998 Davey O'Brien Award.

 

Bishop initially attended Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas, where, as a freshman, he led the Buccaneers to a 12-0 record and the NJCAA National Championship. He rushed for 387 yards including three scores and passed for 1,712 yards and 18 touchdowns. His sophomore year, he once again led Blinn to a 12-0 record and an NJCAA National Championship to become the first team to ever to win back-to-back titles. He was voted honorable mention All-Conference and controlled an offense which recoreded 3,086 yards rushing, including 47 touchdowns and scored a total of 438 points (36.5 avg. per game). He passed for 972 yards, including nine touchdowns, and rushed for 265 yards and four scores. After his two years at Blinn, he played baseball for one season at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas in the spring of 1997.

[knapplc]

Bear was pretty clear that he was mostly referring to his experience as a Baylor Bear fan. I'm sure there are lots more.

 

I would say Zac Taylor was pretty darned successful at Nebraska - all things considered. If Zac Lee plays as well as Taylor, we'll be fine.

[Bear1979]

I think the keyword in your post is "Baylor." Anecdotal evidence from one school is not a trend. Not to be rude, but the Bears haven't been known for getting and developing QB talent over the years.

 

Luckily for you that trend is changing with young Mr. Griffin.

 

 

I agree with you. We've never had a QB that end their career on a high note really. This is just my experience w/ JuCo's. Kstate developed some decent QB's in Snyders early years. I can't think of any JuCo QB's that won any NCAA awards, All-American Honors, or have been an NFL starter though. Not that Nebraska needs that out of their QB to be successful. I'm just raising questions about this since Lee is obviously lacking in experience at a higher level of play. But I guess there's always exceptions eventually.

From Wikipedia

 

 

Heupel began his collegiate playing career at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and spent one season at Snow College, a junior college located in Ephraim, Utah, before transferring to Oklahoma.

 

He was the Heisman Trophy runner up in 2000. He was also an All-American (2000), the AP Player of the Year, and Walter Camp Award winner in 2000. Heupel led the Sooners to an undefeated regular season and a national championship victory over Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.[1][2]

 

Hey...I said there is always an exception. Heupel and Bishop are the exception, not the rule. Good find though. Heupel was a hell of a player. To my credit, I did mention that Bill Snyder had a couple of successful JuCo QB's in his tenure in my prevous post.

 

 

knapplc is right...if Lee can perform like Taylor, the Huskers will be just fine.

[jayhawker]

No way KU beats two from Texas, Texas Tech or Oklahoma. I don't see a win there at all. No matter how improved you are on DEF, you still gave up nearly 50 points a game to these three teams, and two of those games were at home. You play Tech and the Horns on the road this year.

 

Kansas ended the season 89th in Total Defense and you're replacing all three linebackers. Yes, you have a solid D-Line and experience in the DEF backfield, but let's be honest here - two wins? Not happening, not with those offenses playing that defense.

how come your newcomers can improve your team, but ridiculous that our will help us?