Nebraska is the best team in the North

[TheCheshireCat]

I addressed that directly in my post. I'm sure your fine university offers a reading comprehension course.

 

Most people learn to read before they get to a University. I guess I don't know about the people where you live. And actually, I searched your post again and found no mention of VT's schedule when you mentioned how much better Mizzou's offense was.

 

Try again.

[TheCheshireCat]

I addressed that directly in my post. I'm sure your fine university offers a reading comprehension course.

 

Most people learn to read before they get to a University. I guess I don't know about the people where you live. And actually, I searched your post again and found no mention of VT's schedule when you mentioned how much better Mizzou's offense was.

 

Try again.

[husker B-rent]

just another delusional MU fan making thing up to try and prove a nonexistent point!

 

i dont think this guy even knows what a good offense or defense is........let alone what a football looks like! is it the little green round ball with the white stripes that they hit with raquets?

 

goodness man, if you are going to come on here talking crap then please at least know what you are talking about!

[husker B-rent]

oh and keep in mind that this DOC guy is a mod over on the famous tiggerboard! we all know what kind of delusional people roam over there...

[Enhance]

Can we please not have another thread turn into a MU v. NU fan "Who's d*ck is bigger?" argument? It's old and annoying. If you guys have comments about another post then comment the right way. Don't turn this into Tigerboard May as well hear it from me before a MOD.

 

Anyways, it is my honest opinion as well that Nebraska is the best team in the North. Nobody is playing defense as well as Nebraska is. Nobody. Nebraska's offensive and defensive lines are the best units in the North, and I'm not just speculating. It is obvious from the way they play. The blow off the line, are extremely physical and extremely quick. Suh hasn't been shut down one game this year and has posted at least 5 tackles every game this year.

 

Offensively, Nebraska is inexperienced but you wouldn't know it had you watched their non-con games. They played very well the last two games and have seemed to correct their dropped ball issues. I would give Kansas they edge offensively, but you can't go through a season playing for shoot outs. Eventually your offense is going to hit a rough patch and you're going to need to rely on your defense. Great defenses are always there, great offenses are not.

 

Special Teams have also been electrifying for Nebraska. With the exception of VaTech's big opening kick off return, Nebraska has dominated Special Teams. Alex Henerey is the best field goal kicker in the Big 12 and probably one of the favorites for the Lou Groza Award. He is also punting like he's been doing it for years. Kunalic has also sent more kicks out of the endzone this year then he has had returnable. Very impressive.

[DocNice]

I addressed that directly in my post. I'm sure your fine university offers a reading comprehension course.

 

Most people learn to read before they get to a University. I guess I don't know about the people where you live. And actually, I searched your post again and found no mention of VT's schedule when you mentioned how much better Mizzou's offense was.

 

Try again.

 

Apparently that's a graduate course where you live:-)

 

"VT's offense is ranked 77th in the country. Mizzou's 16th. It may be early, but expect that to hold up. And to be honest, if you can't see the difference in their offensive capabilities, even against disparate competition, then it doesn't lend credence to your opinion."

 

See if you can find the word in there that talks about the difference, or "disparity" in competition.

 

My point was, anyone with eyes and a little football knowledge can see that Virginia Tech only marginally knows how to throw a forward pass. I don't care if you're running the triple option like the glory days of the Nebraska 90s, if you're one dimensional, you can't win against a competent defense. Virginia is 115th in passing offense. Ironically, their highest output, by far, was against Nebraska. Without that 80 yard pass play, they would be (barely) ranked only ahead of Navy, Army and Air Force, who combined average 12 attempts per game.

 

Meanwhile, Mizzou is led by one of only 2 QBs to be top 10 in passing, QB rating and total offense. He's the only first year starter to be in the top 10 of any of those categories. And he's surrounded by all conference talent. No, I feel pretty comfortable saying Mizzou has a better offense.

[HuskerJosh]

LOL. How can you possibly say the Nevada score wasn't in question?

[DocNice]

Can we please not have another thread turn into a MU v. NU fan "Who's d*ck is bigger?" argument? It's old and annoying. If you guys have comments about another post then comment the right way. Don't turn this into Tigerboard May as well hear it from me before a MOD.

 

Anyways, it is my honest opinion as well that Nebraska is the best team in the North. Nobody is playing defense as well as Nebraska is. Nobody. Nebraska's offensive and defensive lines are the best units in the North, and I'm not just speculating. It is obvious from the way they play. The blow off the line, are extremely physical and extremely quick. Suh hasn't been shut down one game this year and has posted at least 5 tackles every game this year.

 

Offensively, Nebraska is inexperienced but you wouldn't know it had you watched their non-con games. They played very well the last two games and have seemed to correct their dropped ball issues. I would give Kansas they edge offensively, but you can't go through a season playing for shoot outs. Eventually your offense is going to hit a rough patch and you're going to need to rely on your defense. Great defenses are always there, great offenses are not.

 

Special Teams have also been electrifying for Nebraska. With the exception of VaTech's big opening kick off return, Nebraska has dominated Special Teams. Alex Henerey is the best field goal kicker in the Big 12 and probably one of the favorites for the Lou Groza Award. He is also punting like he's been doing it for years. Kunalic has also sent more kicks out of the endzone this year then he has had returnable. Very impressive.

 

I happen to like Tigerboard a lot. It's probably the best independent board out there, and certainly the most original. That's not just my opinion either, I've seen sportswriters give it props. Most people are thrown by the color scheme and thread organization, but it's actually superior once you're used to it. Much easier to follow a debate. But to each his own.

 

My point is, what are you basing your opinion of Nebraska on? Your defense has played well. No doubt about it. And your offense played very well until it met real competition. But that sort of proves my point. Your defense hasn't really met real competition yet, and your offense already failed its only test against real competition. Virginia Tech is one dimensional (115th in passing offense) and played into your strength.

 

Putting all smack aside, I'm impressed with NU this year. I honestly thought going into the season, no offense, that you were WAY overrated. I thought you were getting attention based on name alone (still think that as far are preseason anyway) and that your "streak" was against inferior competition (also still think that). Sorry if I offended. BUT, to this point, you have been sharp on offense except for one game, and very sharp on defense. I still think you're not as talented as Mizzou nearly across the board, but Pelini does appear to be a very good defensive coach and the players buy into it. And the offense is competent enough. You are without a doubt a legit top 25 team and a threat in the North.

 

Quickly, I know my talent comment will raise some hackles. But look at the speed differences on the field the last few years. It's not close. Now, I know you've got some nice new bodies, especially in the front seven, that are upgrading your speed. But Mizzou has done the same. We have hands down the fastest defense I've ever seen at Mizzou, including the 2007 defense that had about half of them get drafted.

[Enhance]

My point was, anyone with eyes and a little football knowledge can see that Virginia Tech only marginally knows how to throw a forward pass. I don't care if you're running the triple option like the glory days of the Nebraska 90s, if you're one dimensional, you can't win against a competent defense. Virginia is 115th in passing offense. Ironically, their highest output, by far, was against Nebraska. Without that 80 yard pass play, they would be (barely) ranked only ahead of Navy, Army and Air Force, who combined average 12 attempts per game.

 

Meanwhile, Mizzou is led by one of only 2 QBs to be top 10 in passing, QB rating and total offense. He's the only first year starter to be in the top 10 of any of those categories. And he's surrounded by all conference talent. No, I feel pretty comfortable saying Mizzou has a better offense.

 

If I'm not mistaken, isn't the Triple Option what Georgia Tech runs? We had more of a power run game in the 90's, utilizing our running backs more often then running the option. And we also didn't make it a point to fake hand off to the fullback a lot. I might be wrong but if somebody could clarify that would help.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that Missouri is going to gain yards through the passing game. That is their bread and butter. The trick is confusing the QB and applying enough pressure in order to force bad throws and limit the QB to short passes. If Nebraska can do that, Missouri isn't going to have an overly successful day and they won't be able to burn NU in the rushing game. Of course, that's just how I see it.

 

And before I say this next point, know that I believe Gabbert is a fantastic quarterback who will be better than Daniel. Having said that, Gabbert has played very unimpressive defenses. It is great that he has had the numbers he has had, but I want to see how he plays against Nebraska. Zac Lee was playing like a beast his first two games, and then he played a good defense and didn't have his best game. Something similar may very well happen for Gabbert.

[DocNice]

LOL. How can you possibly say the Nevada score wasn't in question?

 

Because Mizzou was clearly superior. We were marching up and down the field in the second half, and Nevada was squeaking out first downs just barely. After the first possession, they had no drives over 70 yards and only 2 over 50. They were moving the ball with the up the gut run, but that's about it, and it's the easiest adjustment in college football, which we didn't even need to make to stop them.

[Enhance]

I happen to like Tigerboard a lot. It's probably the best independent board out there, and certainly the most original. That's not just my opinion either, I've seen sportswriters give it props. Most people are thrown by the color scheme and thread organization, but it's actually superior once you're used to it. Much easier to follow a debate. But to each his own.

 

My point is, what are you basing your opinion of Nebraska on? Your defense has played well. No doubt about it. And your offense played very well until it met real competition. But that sort of proves my point. Your defense hasn't really met real competition yet, and your offense already failed its only test against real competition. Virginia Tech is one dimensional (115th in passing offense) and played into your strength.

 

Putting all smack aside, I'm impressed with NU this year. I honestly thought going into the season, no offense, that you were WAY overrated. I thought you were getting attention based on name alone (still think that as far are preseason anyway) and that your "streak" was against inferior competition (also still think that). Sorry if I offended. BUT, to this point, you have been sharp on offense except for one game, and very sharp on defense. I still think you're not as talented as Mizzou nearly across the board, but Pelini does appear to be a very good defensive coach and the players buy into it. And the offense is competent enough. You are without a doubt a legit top 25 team and a threat in the North.

 

Quickly, I know my talent comment will raise some hackles. But look at the speed differences on the field the last few years. It's not close. Now, I know you've got some nice new bodies, especially in the front seven, that are upgrading your speed. But Mizzou has done the same. We have hands down the fastest defense I've ever seen at Mizzou, including the 2007 defense that had about half of them get drafted.

Well, as to your first paragraph, I think I have a few ways to explain why my opinion is what it is. Virginia Tech has better athletes than both Nebraska and Mizzou (I think we can at least agree on that?), and despite the fact that they are a run first team, we held them to less than 100 net yards rushing. I will give you the fact that Nebraska hasn't played a better than average passing attack, but I think they have held their own so far. I would argue at the same time that Mizzou hasn't played a better than average secondary.

 

I think our teams are close in talent, and I don't think you can really say that Mizzou has better talent way across the board because they haven't played any legitimate team yet. Illinois did surprise me, but even I assumed pre-season that Illinois wasn't going to have a good year this year. The biggest edge is on the lines. From the games I have watched of Mizzou and NU, Nebraska's lines have been far better. Suh hasn't been shut down once this year, even against a great VaTech o-line.

 

And nice save there bringing up past years and then saying we have nice new bodies Almost had ya! But as to your final paragraph, I just refer to my comments about the defensive and offensive lines. In the back seven you are probably faster and more athletic, but on the D and O lines I see no reason to believe Mizzou is anywhere near as good. Just how I see it though.

[DocNice]

 

If I'm not mistaken, isn't the Triple Option what Georgia Tech runs? We had more of a power run game in the 90's, utilizing our running backs more often then running the option. And we also didn't make it a point to fake hand off to the fullback a lot. I might be wrong but if somebody could clarify that would help.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that Missouri is going to gain yards through the passing game. That is their bread and butter. The trick is confusing the QB and applying enough pressure in order to force bad throws and limit the QB to short passes. If Nebraska can do that, Missouri isn't going to have an overly successful day and they won't be able to burn NU in the rushing game. Of course, that's just how I see it.

 

And before I say this next point, know that I believe Gabbert is a fantastic quarterback who will be better than Daniel. Having said that, Gabbert has played very unimpressive defenses. It is great that he has had the numbers he has had, but I want to see how he plays against Nebraska. Zac Lee was playing like a beast his first two games, and then he played a good defense and didn't have his best game. Something similar may very well happen for Gabbert.

 

Yeah yeah, fair enough on all counts. If NU makes us one dimensional, it hurts our chances, but it depends on how you do it. If you drop 8 into coverage, we'll run on you, even with Suh. If you drop 7, you'd better have a pretty good pass rush with your front 4, and I'd say it's a tossup whether the run works.

 

Honestly, I see Gabbert getting happy feet under a 4-5 man rush, but still pumping out +/-300 yards and 2-3 TDs. If we can add 75-100 yards rushing, we win going away. If we don't, then it comes down to defense. I personally think our defense is monumentally improved this year. We've faced 3 talented passing offenses already, and a good rushing attack. We solid if not spectacular against the pass, excellent against the outside run, and moderately weak against misdirection and up the gut power running.

 

We will make Zac Who (man, that was classic) beat us with the short and mid-range game and execute over and over. That means there's two paths of success for NU for SCORING (not yardage). Strong running game up the middle combined with misdirection leading to 3rd and short and long sustained drives. Or, Lee is good enough to chip away all day without incompletions and mistakes (I wouldn't put my money there).

 

So the question is, how well can NU punch it up the gut? And is it enough to keep up?

[Enhance]

Yeah yeah, fair enough on all counts. If NU makes us one dimensional, it hurts our chances, but it depends on how you do it. If you drop 8 into coverage, we'll run on you, even with Suh. If you drop 7, you'd better have a pretty good pass rush with your front 4, and I'd say it's a tossup whether the run works.

 

Our pass rush has been 'acceptable' in my eyes, but nothing spectacular. They had their best game against Tyrod Taylor, but mobile running quarterbacks are susceptible to a lot of sacks considering how often they move. I know we will be able to stuff the run and apply some pressure, but the trick will definitely be whether or not we can do it consistently enough to win.

[DocNice]

 

Well, as to your first paragraph, I think I have a few ways to explain why my opinion is what it is. Virginia Tech has better athletes than both Nebraska and Mizzou (I think we can at least agree on that?), and despite the fact that they are a run first team, we held them to less than 100 net yards rushing. I will give you the fact that Nebraska hasn't played a better than average passing attack, but I think they have held their own so far. I would argue at the same time that Mizzou hasn't played a better than average secondary.

 

I think our teams are close in talent, and I don't think you can really say that Mizzou has better talent way across the board because they haven't played any legitimate team yet. Illinois did surprise me, but even I assumed pre-season that Illinois wasn't going to have a good year this year. The biggest edge is on the lines. From the games I have watched of Mizzou and NU, Nebraska's lines have been far better. Suh hasn't been shut down once this year, even against a great VaTech o-line.

 

And nice save there bringing up past years and then saying we have nice new bodies Almost had ya! But as to your final paragraph, I just refer to my comments about the defensive and offensive lines. In the back seven you are probably faster and more athletic, but on the D and O lines I see no reason to believe Mizzou is anywhere near as good. Just how I see it though.

 

 

Well, I think you've got a good point about the lines, and as much as I hate to say it, you've got a strong enough argument that most people would probably agree. Clearly, you are better at DT, and your rushing attack produced well enough at Virginia Tech to suggest the offensive line is better as well (particularly given MU's rushing attack vs Nevada).

 

However, I don't think it's clear cut, and I don't know that even if NU is better, it's by a lot. I'm open to the argument though. Mizzou has quite a bit in its favor though.

 

A lot of people see that we lost our 2 starting DE's and slid back. Not so. These DE's are beasts. Coulter is playing like the heralded recruit we expected. Jacquies Smith is showing why he saw action as a frosh last year, and Aldon Smith is looking like he won't make it to his senior year before the pros cherry pick him. This is easily our best DE rotation since I've been watching Mizzou, and they're so good that sometimes we put 3 on the field at the same time in place of a tackle.

 

We have gone back some at DT. I'd still say we're average there. We're quick and have good size, but the technique hasn't been consistent. Nevada exposed us a little there, but they've been solid aside from that, so I wouldn't call them below average.

 

On offense, I don't know what to think. I'd say we're about the same as last year. We were supposed to be better, and maybe eventually we will be. Most plays that break up seem to be more from errors than getting beat, but they also don't seem to move people out. We were AWFUL against Nevada in rushing, but good against a supposedly wicked pass rush. We were AWFUL in pass protection against Illinois, but dominated stretches of most of our games in the running attack, especially the second half. We've generally beaten up on smaller lines and gotten mixed results against better lines, so I expect the same against NU. If they show up with the same effort they gave against Nevada, it will put a lot of pressure on the passing game, but I don't think we should expect that necessarily.

[HuskerJosh]

LOL. How can you possibly say the Nevada score wasn't in question?

 

Because Mizzou was clearly superior. We were marching up and down the field in the second half, and Nevada was squeaking out first downs just barely. After the first possession, they had no drives over 70 yards and only 2 over 50. They were moving the ball with the up the gut run, but that's about it, and it's the easiest adjustment in college football, which we didn't even need to make to stop them.

Where you buy those rose-colored glasses? Nevada ran all over Missouri. So Missouri's coaches didn't make the easiest adjustment in football? Damn, that's sad.