Friday practice & Saturday Scrimage

[husker B-rent]

Indeed. His offers were from boston college, texas a&m, texas tech, houston, miss st, baylor, and okie state. Where was texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, USC, Florida, Oregon, Ohio State, Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, ---- big time recruits generate interest (and offers) from some, most, or all of these. So... Green was a solid but not a major recruit. And, I could be mistaken here, but I am under the impression that several (at least) of those who did offer him had him as an athlete with the notion that he might not end up a QB (or even begin as one).

 

This is not to take anything away from the young man --- it is however to take away the unrealistic expectations. Based on all first hand reports up to this point, Green does not appear to be a D1-ready QB. Maybe in a few years. But as of now, there is no reason to think that he can be a viable QB by Fall. Who knows, I might be surprised some day... but right now nothing would suggest that he'll contribute next year at QB.

I'm not on the CG band wagon, but some of you guys talk like you don't know who Tommie Frazier is. Florida and Miami recruited him to NOT play quarterback, two very dominant programs at the time. It's very possible that CG had conversations with current powerhouses but expressed no interest to play anything other than quarterback, therefore he dropped them off his list. Just because a guy wans't offered by a particular school, doesn't mean he isn't the perfect fit for another school.

 

Again, I'm not saying CG is amazing nor that he is the perfect fit. There is just more to his story than who he was recruited by.

 

people comparing him to tommie frazier are the reason that he was overhyped, he is no tommie frazier and he never was.....

[husker B-rent]

I had a unique privledge of being one of the many coaches to attend the UNL coaches clinic. We were allowed on the field for the entire Friday practice and Saturday scrimage, not to mention the numerous hours spent with the coaching staff. Here is just some of my observations from my time there.

 

O-line has along way to go, Smith appered to struggle alot during both practice and scrimage. Obviously he seemed comfortable when he was alowed to play guard but he often looked frustrated and just plain sloppy when having to manage the center duties. The staff is really working on basic techniques and procedures. The kids seem to be coming around but not everyone is catching on right away.

 

Expect single/double back read options for a base offense this year. They are hitting the A gap hard alot this spring and it is a big emphisis from the coaches about reading the ends and being able to pull back and run when needed. The QB's are working alot on reading the defenses and getting out into open space to make plays with there feet.

 

Martinez is the real deal! During practices and scrimage no one managed the offense better than Martinez. His ability to tuck and run at the right times and overall decision making had him hands down the number 2 guy. I would even go to say that his throws were better than Green's.

 

Zac Lee is still number one, alot of people might not like this but even though he wasn't allowed to throw he looked like the best QB on the field in drills and awareness. Now how that translates when he is back in the saddle could be different but he looked impressive when he did compete against the other QB's and you can just tell everytime he was supposed to throw that he really wanted to. I think that desire and drive is helping him in a big way this spring.

 

Cody Green, the kid has tallent and a presence. The only problem is that he is still inconsistent. He didn't show anything that says he improved since last season. His throwing ability leaves to be disired but you can tell he is working on that. His ability to tuck and run seemed slow compaired to Martinez. Cody spent the most time with the number 1 offense but didn't seam to be able to manage what the staff was asking him to do, yet.

 

I'll add more later since I'm out of character space...

 

If Green really has not improved over last season, as seemingly is the case --- you saw him --- then unless the Fall is a time of MASSIVE, MASSIVE, HUGE improvement, it is time to consider a position switch for Cody. If he is still reckless and clueless then (in fall) he still is characterized by bad decisions then I'd say TE or, well.... not sure where to put him... but QB, no.

 

I never did understand the Green hype. He really was not that big a recruit. Others had him as an athlete and not a QB and very few looked at him other than us. How is it that some are inclined to think that Green was a big national recruit. he was solid, but not big. he may pan out... but unless things really change, it is unlikely that he'll be a Qb of note for NU. Probably not even a QB at all.

 

he was a 4 rivals 250 prospect with offers from boston college, texas a&m, texas tech, houston, miss st, baylor, and okie state. So according to rivals he was #173 on the rivals 250. Thats a pretty solid recruit.

 

gotta agree with robsker on this one, Green was our biggest recruit two years ago but hell both carnes and turner appear to be better qb prospects.

 

from everything im hearing i would agree with the OP that martinez will be #2 by the time the season starts....

 

 

Indeed. His offers were from boston college, texas a&m, texas tech, houston, miss st, baylor, and okie state. Where was texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, USC, Florida, Oregon, Ohio State, Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, ---- big time recruits generate interest (and offers) from some, most, or all of these. So... Green was a solid but not a major recruit. And, I could be mistaken here, but I am under the impression that several (at least) of those who did offer him had him as an athlete with the notion that he might not end up a QB (or even begin as one).

 

This is not to take anything away from the young man --- it is however to take away the unrealistic expectations. Based on all first hand reports up to this point, Green does not appear to be a D1-ready QB. Maybe in a few years. But as of now, there is no reason to think that he can be a viable QB by Fall. Who knows, I might be surprised some day... but right now nothing would suggest that he'll contribute next year at QB.

 

The number of offers or who offered still doesnt take away the fact that rivals saw him as the 173rd best prospect in the country, which is pretty good. You were right he didnt have the Texas or Alabama or Florida but those also dont recruit like nebraska. Those schools offer maybe 50 kids a year, and thats a big maybe. You were right he wasnt a five star gotta have him prospect but he also asnt a question mark offer. Texas A&M offered him as a quarterback, and so did houston ond baylor.

 

 

Spot on. That was what I was trying to say as well. He was a solid recruit (solid by national standards --- and quite a significant recruit by NU standards, as NU does not compete well for national recruits). But it seems that people have the expectation that he is to be this great QB that everyone wanted. He was and is not such a player. The key things that, I surmise, made him as highly rated as he was (which was somewhat high, #173) was his amazingly mature frame and measurables at such a young age. To be a legit 6' 4" and 220+ pounds of basically solid muscle with a really nice array of track numbers (40 yard dash) etc. will draw some attention to be sure. However, even in watching his HS tapes one can legitamitly question whether he is a true QB or an athlete playing QB. I'd surmise that our coaches were hoping that they could develop him as a QB and that he would master the scheme and contribute. Like any recruit its somewhat a crap-shoot as to whether it will pay off. And with Green it may ultimately pay of --- but so far, that has not been the case (nor are things progressing in such a way as to predict much success).

 

Another in this thread mentioned that Carnes and Turner were better HS QB's. Such is almost certainly the case. I'd argue that Taylor Martinez was more successful as a HS QB as well. He won as much or more (as a team member), won more awards, had better numbers (I am reasonably sure) and looked better on film. But.... Martinez did not then (nor does he now) strike such an imposing figure (he is what, 6'0" and 190 vs 6'4" 220+). Pure arm strength goes to Green as well. The imagination is heightened when one sees the imposing figure of Green as a 17 year old --- where one wonders what an athlete like that might be able to do (which again is why he most likely was rated as high as he was --- as opposed to being ranked based upon concrete performance to that point. But if you look at success as a HS QB, Martinez was at least (if not more) successful both as a leader and as an individual, than Green. No, he did not have the physique or arm strength or power as a runner --- but as a package, he was at least the same caliber --- and yet even here, with Martinez, the question of QB vs athlete as QB is legitimate.

 

That Martinez is rising above Green at this point really should not surprise anyone.

 

One final note. It appears that judgment, decision making, and picking up scheme are still major problems for Green as the reports coming in are that he either hesitates, misses an opportunity, fails to pull the trigger or pulls the trigger when he should not. So... theoretically, these are problems that experience can fix. We'll see. But, at the very least folks, don't expect Green to emerge in Fall as "the man." he might... but nothing to date would suggest that he will.

 

As for Martinez... he has a better chance of emerging (as the #2). That said.... unless Zac Lee cannot (for health reasons), he almost certainly will be "the man" next year (as in #1). All this Green or Martinez stuff is for the backup and will have significance next year only if Lee gets hurt (or cannot heal well from his current injury). The year after will be a Green vs. Martinez vs. Carnes issue (if all are still QB's by then).

 

well said, couldnt have said it better myself sir

 

I'll give you a reason why Green was looked at as a savior....Josh Freeman and Blaine Gabbert. The Skers finally got a high profile QB to sign on the dotted line after 2(higher profile) QBs ditched us. We didn't have much of a choice than to label Green this way. Just a thought......

 

still doesnt make it right....

[Enhance]

Indeed. His offers were from boston college, texas a&m, texas tech, houston, miss st, baylor, and okie state. Where was texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, USC, Florida, Oregon, Ohio State, Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, ---- big time recruits generate interest (and offers) from some, most, or all of these. So... Green was a solid but not a major recruit. And, I could be mistaken here, but I am under the impression that several (at least) of those who did offer him had him as an athlete with the notion that he might not end up a QB (or even begin as one).

 

This is not to take anything away from the young man --- it is however to take away the unrealistic expectations. Based on all first hand reports up to this point, Green does not appear to be a D1-ready QB. Maybe in a few years. But as of now, there is no reason to think that he can be a viable QB by Fall. Who knows, I might be surprised some day... but right now nothing would suggest that he'll contribute next year at QB.

I'm not on the CG band wagon, but some of you guys talk like you don't know who Tommie Frazier is. Florida and Miami recruited him to NOT play quarterback, two very dominant programs at the time. It's very possible that CG had conversations with current powerhouses but expressed no interest to play anything other than quarterback, therefore he dropped them off his list. Just because a guy wans't offered by a particular school, doesn't mean he isn't the perfect fit for another school.

 

Again, I'm not saying CG is amazing nor that he is the perfect fit. There is just more to his story than who he was recruited by.

 

people comparing him to tommie frazier are the reason that he was overhyped, he is no tommie frazier and he never was.....

There is a difference between comparing him the way others have and me comparing to their respective recruiting processes, which has little to no affect on anything at all. I'm sure there are thousands of guys who were recruited by certain school to play a position they didn't want, and chose to go to other schools to be given an opportunity to play that position. Tommie Frazier just happens to be the most readily available example in mind.

 

Plus, I did not say nor did I insinuate that he is or ever could be Tommie Frazier. My point is that recruiting is a touchy area.

[husker B-rent]

Indeed. His offers were from boston college, texas a&m, texas tech, houston, miss st, baylor, and okie state. Where was texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, USC, Florida, Oregon, Ohio State, Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, ---- big time recruits generate interest (and offers) from some, most, or all of these. So... Green was a solid but not a major recruit. And, I could be mistaken here, but I am under the impression that several (at least) of those who did offer him had him as an athlete with the notion that he might not end up a QB (or even begin as one).

 

This is not to take anything away from the young man --- it is however to take away the unrealistic expectations. Based on all first hand reports up to this point, Green does not appear to be a D1-ready QB. Maybe in a few years. But as of now, there is no reason to think that he can be a viable QB by Fall. Who knows, I might be surprised some day... but right now nothing would suggest that he'll contribute next year at QB.

I'm not on the CG band wagon, but some of you guys talk like you don't know who Tommie Frazier is. Florida and Miami recruited him to NOT play quarterback, two very dominant programs at the time. It's very possible that CG had conversations with current powerhouses but expressed no interest to play anything other than quarterback, therefore he dropped them off his list. Just because a guy wans't offered by a particular school, doesn't mean he isn't the perfect fit for another school.

 

Again, I'm not saying CG is amazing nor that he is the perfect fit. There is just more to his story than who he was recruited by.

 

people comparing him to tommie frazier are the reason that he was overhyped, he is no tommie frazier and he never was.....

There is a difference between comparing him the way others have and me comparing to their respective recruiting processes, which has little to no affect on anything at all. I'm sure there are thousands of guys who were recruited by certain school to play a position they didn't want, and chose to go to other schools to be given an opportunity to play that position. Tommie Frazier just happens to be the most readily available example in mind.

 

Plus, I did not say nor did I insinuate that he is or ever could be Tommie Frazier. My point is that recruiting is a touchy area.

 

ok yeah obviously you didnt and i dont think i implied that you did. that was a general statement directed at the people that do say "he is the next tommie frazier". that is why i said "people" and i did not say enhance89. your post was quoted because you said tommie fraziers name and that typically gets people started with those comparisons.

[ESPY]

Zac Lee is still number one, alot of people might not like this but even though he wasn't allowed to throw he looked like the best QB on the field in drills and awareness. Now how that translates when he is back in the saddle could be different but he looked impressive when he did compete against the other QB's and you can just tell everytime he was supposed to throw that he really wanted to. I think that desire and drive is helping him in a big way this spring.

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

[carlfense]

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

 

Regarding the bold:

I think people are down on Lee because he is, at best, an average Division I quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that the offensive line and wide receivers did Lee few favors. That said, his decision making is below average and he tends to lock onto receivers. That has nothing to do with his arm injury. Also, for all the hype in the off season about Lee's speed he runs robotically with no wiggle or vision. Lee will never make anyone miss a tackle.

 

Before I get accused of being too harsh, Lee does have some strengths. Lee throws a decent long ball. Lee is adequate at hitting timing slant routes. Finally, Lee might be the best quarterback on the roster. I'm hoping he improves his game significantly from last year before we hit the conference games.

 

(Also, don't focus too much on Lee's performance in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was absolutely shell shocked from the first series on. Honestly, Nebraska probably didn't even have to throw a pass to win that game.)

[husker B-rent]

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

 

Regarding the bold:

I think people are down on Lee because he is, at best, an average Division I quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that the offensive line and wide receivers did Lee few favors. That said, his decision making is below average and he tends to lock onto receivers. That has nothing to do with his arm injury. Also, for all the hype in the off season about Lee's speed he runs robotically with no wiggle or vision. Lee will never make anyone miss a tackle.

 

Before I get accused of being too harsh, Lee does have some strengths. Lee throws a decent long ball. Lee is adequate at hitting timing slant routes. Finally, Lee might be the best quarterback on the roster. I'm hoping he improves his game significantly from last year before we hit the conference games.

 

(Also, don't focus too much on Lee's performance in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was absolutely shell shocked from the first series on. Honestly, Nebraska probably didn't even have to throw a pass to win that game.)

 

i look at it as Lee was healthy for the first 3 games of the season and then he had rest before the holiday bowl. those were his best games.....BY FAR. you can say that the first 3 games were also the worst teams we played and thats true but it doesnt take away from how good he looked. and then arizona like it or not was a GOOD team, they had just beaten USC as well. arizona was one of the 4 best teams we played all season and they were only one game away from being pac10 champs and we absolutely pushed them around. might i also add that was the healthiest that our Oline had been since the first 3 games last season also and they were absolutely dominating a good arizona Dline. those 2 factors right there show me that Lee has the potential to be a very very good d1 starting qb.

[carlfense]

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

 

Regarding the bold:

I think people are down on Lee because he is, at best, an average Division I quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that the offensive line and wide receivers did Lee few favors. That said, his decision making is below average and he tends to lock onto receivers. That has nothing to do with his arm injury. Also, for all the hype in the off season about Lee's speed he runs robotically with no wiggle or vision. Lee will never make anyone miss a tackle.

 

Before I get accused of being too harsh, Lee does have some strengths. Lee throws a decent long ball. Lee is adequate at hitting timing slant routes. Finally, Lee might be the best quarterback on the roster. I'm hoping he improves his game significantly from last year before we hit the conference games.

 

(Also, don't focus too much on Lee's performance in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was absolutely shell shocked from the first series on. Honestly, Nebraska probably didn't even have to throw a pass to win that game.)

 

i look at it as Lee was healthy for the first 3 games of the season and then he had rest before the holiday bowl. those were his best games.....BY FAR. you can say that the first 3 games were also the worst teams we played and thats true but it doesnt take away from how good he looked. and then arizona like it or not was a GOOD team, they had just beaten USC as well. arizona was one of the 4 best teams we played all season and they were only one game away from being pac10 champs and we absolutely pushed them around. might i also add that was the healthiest that our Oline had been since the first 3 games last season also and they were absolutely dominating a good arizona Dline. those 2 factors right there show me that Lee has the potential to be a very very good d1 starting qb.

 

You're right that Lee looked impressive against Sun Belt defenses . . . but as you noted they were Sun Belt defenses.

 

I stand by what I said about Arizona. I agree that they were a good team over the entire year. BUT they were 2nd best in a below average Pac 10. Plus, we did NOT get Arizona's best shot. Nebraska was by far the better team . . . but Arizona hardly even showed up. It was the strangest and most complete collapse I've ever seen in person. O'Hanlon picked that first pass off . . . and the whole Arizona sideline stared at the ground for the rest of the game. Even the Arizona fans shut up. Just odd. Also, Lee's numbers from that game were far from great. He was 13 for 23 (56%) and should have had at least 3 passes intercepted. The Arizona secondary must have decided to contribute to the collapse because they straight up dropped those balls.

 

Edit: Continuing on my Holiday Bowl train of thought . . . part of the reason for the offensive success is that the Arizona defense prepared exclusively for the pound it up the middle/ten passes a game offense that Nebraska showed in the Big 12 championship game. Think about that. Their defense prepared for a full month to stop a pure rushing attack . . . and we threw a wide open spread offense with zone reads and a wildcat formation at them. How much of the offensive success was because of Arizona being utterly unprepared for that offense? Think about it like Nebraska spent a month preparing to face Kansas State and Missouri showed up on game day. You can argue otherwise, but I attribute very little of our offensive success against Arizona to Zac Lee's ability as a quarterback.

[husker B-rent]

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

 

Regarding the bold:

I think people are down on Lee because he is, at best, an average Division I quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that the offensive line and wide receivers did Lee few favors. That said, his decision making is below average and he tends to lock onto receivers. That has nothing to do with his arm injury. Also, for all the hype in the off season about Lee's speed he runs robotically with no wiggle or vision. Lee will never make anyone miss a tackle.

 

Before I get accused of being too harsh, Lee does have some strengths. Lee throws a decent long ball. Lee is adequate at hitting timing slant routes. Finally, Lee might be the best quarterback on the roster. I'm hoping he improves his game significantly from last year before we hit the conference games.

 

(Also, don't focus too much on Lee's performance in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was absolutely shell shocked from the first series on. Honestly, Nebraska probably didn't even have to throw a pass to win that game.)

 

i look at it as Lee was healthy for the first 3 games of the season and then he had rest before the holiday bowl. those were his best games.....BY FAR. you can say that the first 3 games were also the worst teams we played and thats true but it doesnt take away from how good he looked. and then arizona like it or not was a GOOD team, they had just beaten USC as well. arizona was one of the 4 best teams we played all season and they were only one game away from being pac10 champs and we absolutely pushed them around. might i also add that was the healthiest that our Oline had been since the first 3 games last season also and they were absolutely dominating a good arizona Dline. those 2 factors right there show me that Lee has the potential to be a very very good d1 starting qb.

 

You're right that Lee looked impressive against Sun Belt defenses . . . but as you noted they were Sun Belt defenses.

 

I stand by what I said about Arizona. I agree that they were a good team over the entire year. BUT they were 2nd best in a below average Pac 10. Plus, we did NOT get Arizona's best shot. Nebraska was by far the better team . . . but Arizona hardly even showed up. It was the strangest and most complete collapse I've ever seen in person. O'Hanlon picked that first pass off . . . and the whole Arizona sideline stared at the ground for the rest of the game. Even the Arizona fans shut up. Just odd. Also, Lee's numbers from that game were far from great. He was 13 for 23 (56%) and should have had at least 3 passes intercepted. The Arizona secondary must have decided to contribute to the collapse because they straight up dropped those balls.

 

Edit: Continuing on my Holiday Bowl train of thought . . . part of the reason for the offensive success is that the Arizona defense prepared exclusively for the pound it up the middle/ten passes a game offense that Nebraska showed in the Big 12 championship game. Think about that. Their defense prepared for a full month to stop a pure rushing attack . . . and we threw a wide open spread offense with zone reads and a wildcat formation at them. How much of the offensive success was because of Arizona being utterly unprepared for that offense? Think about it like Nebraska spent a month preparing to face Kansas State and Missouri showed up on game day. You can argue otherwise, but I attribute very little of our offensive success against Arizona to Zac Lee's ability as a quarterback.

 

Lee also rushed for 65 yards in that game. you just cant tell me that a team that looked as good as arizona had all season just decided to up and quit for the last game of the season either. they played as well as they could and we just plain shut them down and ran right through them. besides all of that, Lees demeanor was a big part of why he looked so much better in that game. he led the offense with authority and people were following him because they knew that he was giving it his all.

[carlfense]

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

 

Regarding the bold:

I think people are down on Lee because he is, at best, an average Division I quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that the offensive line and wide receivers did Lee few favors. That said, his decision making is below average and he tends to lock onto receivers. That has nothing to do with his arm injury. Also, for all the hype in the off season about Lee's speed he runs robotically with no wiggle or vision. Lee will never make anyone miss a tackle.

 

Before I get accused of being too harsh, Lee does have some strengths. Lee throws a decent long ball. Lee is adequate at hitting timing slant routes. Finally, Lee might be the best quarterback on the roster. I'm hoping he improves his game significantly from last year before we hit the conference games.

 

(Also, don't focus too much on Lee's performance in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was absolutely shell shocked from the first series on. Honestly, Nebraska probably didn't even have to throw a pass to win that game.)

 

i look at it as Lee was healthy for the first 3 games of the season and then he had rest before the holiday bowl. those were his best games.....BY FAR. you can say that the first 3 games were also the worst teams we played and thats true but it doesnt take away from how good he looked. and then arizona like it or not was a GOOD team, they had just beaten USC as well. arizona was one of the 4 best teams we played all season and they were only one game away from being pac10 champs and we absolutely pushed them around. might i also add that was the healthiest that our Oline had been since the first 3 games last season also and they were absolutely dominating a good arizona Dline. those 2 factors right there show me that Lee has the potential to be a very very good d1 starting qb.

 

You're right that Lee looked impressive against Sun Belt defenses . . . but as you noted they were Sun Belt defenses.

 

I stand by what I said about Arizona. I agree that they were a good team over the entire year. BUT they were 2nd best in a below average Pac 10. Plus, we did NOT get Arizona's best shot. Nebraska was by far the better team . . . but Arizona hardly even showed up. It was the strangest and most complete collapse I've ever seen in person. O'Hanlon picked that first pass off . . . and the whole Arizona sideline stared at the ground for the rest of the game. Even the Arizona fans shut up. Just odd. Also, Lee's numbers from that game were far from great. He was 13 for 23 (56%) and should have had at least 3 passes intercepted. The Arizona secondary must have decided to contribute to the collapse because they straight up dropped those balls.

 

Edit: Continuing on my Holiday Bowl train of thought . . . part of the reason for the offensive success is that the Arizona defense prepared exclusively for the pound it up the middle/ten passes a game offense that Nebraska showed in the Big 12 championship game. Think about that. Their defense prepared for a full month to stop a pure rushing attack . . . and we threw a wide open spread offense with zone reads and a wildcat formation at them. How much of the offensive success was because of Arizona being utterly unprepared for that offense? Think about it like Nebraska spent a month preparing to face Kansas State and Missouri showed up on game day. You can argue otherwise, but I attribute very little of our offensive success against Arizona to Zac Lee's ability as a quarterback.

 

Lee also rushed for 65 yards in that game. you just cant tell me that a team that looked as good as arizona had all season just decided to up and quit for the last game of the season either. they played as well as they could and we just plain shut them down and ran right through them. besides all of that, Lees demeanor was a big part of why he looked so much better in that game. he led the offense with authority and people were following him because they knew that he was giving it his all.

Are you suggesting that Arizona played to their full potential? If so . . . I don't know what to tell you. Go watch the game again, I guess.

 

You didn't address the problem of Arizona's defense practicing for a full month to shut down an entirely different offense than the one we fielded. Think that might be difficult to adjust to?

 

Let me put it this way: Lee is not as good as he looked against the Sun Belt teams and Arizona. Similarly, Lee is not as bad as he looked against ISU, Texas, and Oklahoma. He's somewhere in the middle. Average.

[skersfan]

Lee is the Nebraska QB.

 

I was one of the first to say I was not excited about him being that last year Third string at best the year before. Never hardly saw the field, and now he was this great QB.

 

He did not display the greatest traits of a All American QB last year. But he was and is a leader, playing with tremendous pain, playing behind a wounded and sive like Oline. Never complaining, never making excuses, while in fact he had a very good one. Gutting it out to the end of the season, after being hurt prior to the VA Tech game. These kids will follow him, no matter his ability to dazzle the Nebraska fan.

 

He played very well against a very good Arizona team. A team that came within seconds of being the Pac 10 champion, beating SC on their home field. We may have fooled them the first few minutes of the game, but Stoops is a good coach, he faced other teams that ran similar offenses in the Pac 10. They were beaten by a better team, that for the first time in a long team was mostly healed and believed in themselves and THEIR quarterback.

 

A leader, is far more important than just skills. You have to have some, and obviously he does, but he is a leader and a lot of very skilled athletes are not leaders.

 

I think he will do a fantastic job for Nebraska this year. I also agree with Robsker, and as I have said since day one, Green will never be a major factor at Nebraska as a QB. Martinez is the next QB at Nebraska, again for the same reasons that Lee is this year.

[husker B-rent]

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

 

Regarding the bold:

I think people are down on Lee because he is, at best, an average Division I quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that the offensive line and wide receivers did Lee few favors. That said, his decision making is below average and he tends to lock onto receivers. That has nothing to do with his arm injury. Also, for all the hype in the off season about Lee's speed he runs robotically with no wiggle or vision. Lee will never make anyone miss a tackle.

 

Before I get accused of being too harsh, Lee does have some strengths. Lee throws a decent long ball. Lee is adequate at hitting timing slant routes. Finally, Lee might be the best quarterback on the roster. I'm hoping he improves his game significantly from last year before we hit the conference games.

 

(Also, don't focus too much on Lee's performance in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was absolutely shell shocked from the first series on. Honestly, Nebraska probably didn't even have to throw a pass to win that game.)

 

i look at it as Lee was healthy for the first 3 games of the season and then he had rest before the holiday bowl. those were his best games.....BY FAR. you can say that the first 3 games were also the worst teams we played and thats true but it doesnt take away from how good he looked. and then arizona like it or not was a GOOD team, they had just beaten USC as well. arizona was one of the 4 best teams we played all season and they were only one game away from being pac10 champs and we absolutely pushed them around. might i also add that was the healthiest that our Oline had been since the first 3 games last season also and they were absolutely dominating a good arizona Dline. those 2 factors right there show me that Lee has the potential to be a very very good d1 starting qb.

 

You're right that Lee looked impressive against Sun Belt defenses . . . but as you noted they were Sun Belt defenses.

 

I stand by what I said about Arizona. I agree that they were a good team over the entire year. BUT they were 2nd best in a below average Pac 10. Plus, we did NOT get Arizona's best shot. Nebraska was by far the better team . . . but Arizona hardly even showed up. It was the strangest and most complete collapse I've ever seen in person. O'Hanlon picked that first pass off . . . and the whole Arizona sideline stared at the ground for the rest of the game. Even the Arizona fans shut up. Just odd. Also, Lee's numbers from that game were far from great. He was 13 for 23 (56%) and should have had at least 3 passes intercepted. The Arizona secondary must have decided to contribute to the collapse because they straight up dropped those balls.

 

Edit: Continuing on my Holiday Bowl train of thought . . . part of the reason for the offensive success is that the Arizona defense prepared exclusively for the pound it up the middle/ten passes a game offense that Nebraska showed in the Big 12 championship game. Think about that. Their defense prepared for a full month to stop a pure rushing attack . . . and we threw a wide open spread offense with zone reads and a wildcat formation at them. How much of the offensive success was because of Arizona being utterly unprepared for that offense? Think about it like Nebraska spent a month preparing to face Kansas State and Missouri showed up on game day. You can argue otherwise, but I attribute very little of our offensive success against Arizona to Zac Lee's ability as a quarterback.

 

Lee also rushed for 65 yards in that game. you just cant tell me that a team that looked as good as arizona had all season just decided to up and quit for the last game of the season either. they played as well as they could and we just plain shut them down and ran right through them. besides all of that, Lees demeanor was a big part of why he looked so much better in that game. he led the offense with authority and people were following him because they knew that he was giving it his all.

Are you suggesting that Arizona played to their full potential? If so . . . I don't know what to tell you. Go watch the game again, I guess.

 

You didn't address the problem of Arizona's defense practicing for a full month to shut down an entirely different offense than the one we fielded. Think that might be difficult to adjust to?

 

Let me put it this way: Lee is not as good as he looked against the Sun Belt teams and Arizona. Similarly, Lee is not as bad as he looked against ISU, Texas, and Oklahoma. He's somewhere in the middle. Average.

 

any good coach knows that teams are going to add to their playbook and be rested in between the last game of the season and the bowl game. stoops knew that and so did most fans. we already knew that we had practiced some wildcat so you can bet your ass that stoops knew that we had too. yes i do think that arizona played to their full potential, it may not have looked that way to the untrained eye but the fact is that we were just manhandling their "full ability".

 

they tried to stop us and they just plain couldnt. simple as that.

 

you are correct though, his skill lies somewhere in between those groups of games however i tend to think that his skill lies closer to the higher tier grouping. Lee has the "it" factor and you can see it in his face, the players love the guy! if you cant see that then go back and watch the MU game and see his face light up after he takes that big hit!

[carlfense]

any good coach knows that teams are going to add to their playbook and be rested in between the last game of the season and the bowl game. stoops knew that and so did most fans. we already knew that we had practiced some wildcat so you can bet your ass that stoops knew that we had too. yes i do think that arizona played to their full potential, it may not have looked that way to the untrained eye but the fact is that we were just manhandling their "full ability".

 

they tried to stop us and they just plain couldnt. simple as that.

 

you are correct though, his skill lies somewhere in between those groups of games however i tend to think that his skill lies closer to the higher tier grouping. Lee has the "it" factor and you can see it in his face, the players love the guy! if you cant see that then go back and watch the MU game and see his face light up after he takes that big hit!

We're just going to have to agree to disagree.

 

We didn't just "add" to the playbook. We used a different playbook entirely. Even the announcers said that they spoke to the Arizona DC who said basically that "Nebraska isn't fancy. They just run it at you." It's safe to say that they were surprised.

 

And you can drop comments about "untrained eyes" but it doesn't take an expert to see that Arizona was down for the count after the first punch.

 

Hopefully Lee proves me wrong this year. I think he is average trending to the lower extreme.

[Oltmer]

O-line has along way to go, Smith appered to struggle alot during both practice and scrimage. Obviously he seemed comfortable when he was alowed to play guard but he often looked frustrated and just plain sloppy when having to manage the center duties. The staff is really working on basic techniques and procedures. The kids seem to be coming around but not everyone is catching on right away.

 

Who was lined up with the #1s on offensive line? Who first to rotate in/out?

 

 

Great info, btw. Many thanks for posting.

 

Sorry I cant answer this better but I know for a fact that Yoshi, Caputo, K. Williams, DJ & Marcel Jones all were the primary OL for the 1's but Qvale, Smith and Sirles all rotated in with the 1's. The one that was most impressive was Sirles he just looked the part and benifited nicely from the redshirt. It's realy a shame though that Smith is having troubles transitioning into a starting spot. During the practice he was just beat up and picked on by the D, I suppose it was a bad day cause he looked ok against the D during the scrimage.

[Oltmer]

IMO this was the most positive thing I saw in Oltmer's report. I can't wait to see the difference a 100% healthy Zac Lee will make on our offense. I really don't see why people are so down on him being our #1. Is it because he's doesn't have the flash/speed of a Martinez or Green? Tell you what, if that bowl game was a glimpse of what we'll see this year, then I'm all in with Lee as QB1 & you should be too b/c we just made AZ look silly w/ him at the helm.

 

Regarding the bold:

I think people are down on Lee because he is, at best, an average Division I quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that the offensive line and wide receivers did Lee few favors. That said, his decision making is below average and he tends to lock onto receivers. That has nothing to do with his arm injury. Also, for all the hype in the off season about Lee's speed he runs robotically with no wiggle or vision. Lee will never make anyone miss a tackle.

 

Before I get accused of being too harsh, Lee does have some strengths. Lee throws a decent long ball. Lee is adequate at hitting timing slant routes. Finally, Lee might be the best quarterback on the roster. I'm hoping he improves his game significantly from last year before we hit the conference games.

 

(Also, don't focus too much on Lee's performance in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was absolutely shell shocked from the first series on. Honestly, Nebraska probably didn't even have to throw a pass to win that game.)

 

i look at it as Lee was healthy for the first 3 games of the season and then he had rest before the holiday bowl. those were his best games.....BY FAR. you can say that the first 3 games were also the worst teams we played and thats true but it doesnt take away from how good he looked. and then arizona like it or not was a GOOD team, they had just beaten USC as well. arizona was one of the 4 best teams we played all season and they were only one game away from being pac10 champs and we absolutely pushed them around. might i also add that was the healthiest that our Oline had been since the first 3 games last season also and they were absolutely dominating a good arizona Dline. those 2 factors right there show me that Lee has the potential to be a very very good d1 starting qb.

 

You're right that Lee looked impressive against Sun Belt defenses . . . but as you noted they were Sun Belt defenses.

 

I stand by what I said about Arizona. I agree that they were a good team over the entire year. BUT they were 2nd best in a below average Pac 10. Plus, we did NOT get Arizona's best shot. Nebraska was by far the better team . . . but Arizona hardly even showed up. It was the strangest and most complete collapse I've ever seen in person. O'Hanlon picked that first pass off . . . and the whole Arizona sideline stared at the ground for the rest of the game. Even the Arizona fans shut up. Just odd. Also, Lee's numbers from that game were far from great. He was 13 for 23 (56%) and should have had at least 3 passes intercepted. The Arizona secondary must have decided to contribute to the collapse because they straight up dropped those balls.

 

Edit: Continuing on my Holiday Bowl train of thought . . . part of the reason for the offensive success is that the Arizona defense prepared exclusively for the pound it up the middle/ten passes a game offense that Nebraska showed in the Big 12 championship game. Think about that. Their defense prepared for a full month to stop a pure rushing attack . . . and we threw a wide open spread offense with zone reads and a wildcat formation at them. How much of the offensive success was because of Arizona being utterly unprepared for that offense? Think about it like Nebraska spent a month preparing to face Kansas State and Missouri showed up on game day. You can argue otherwise, but I attribute very little of our offensive success against Arizona to Zac Lee's ability as a quarterback.

 

Lee also rushed for 65 yards in that game. you just cant tell me that a team that looked as good as arizona had all season just decided to up and quit for the last game of the season either. they played as well as they could and we just plain shut them down and ran right through them. besides all of that, Lees demeanor was a big part of why he looked so much better in that game. he led the offense with authority and people were following him because they knew that he was giving it his all.

Are you suggesting that Arizona played to their full potential? If so . . . I don't know what to tell you. Go watch the game again, I guess.

 

You didn't address the problem of Arizona's defense practicing for a full month to shut down an entirely different offense than the one we fielded. Think that might be difficult to adjust to?

 

Let me put it this way: Lee is not as good as he looked against the Sun Belt teams and Arizona. Similarly, Lee is not as bad as he looked against ISU, Texas, and Oklahoma. He's somewhere in the middle. Average.

 

any good coach knows that teams are going to add to their playbook and be rested in between the last game of the season and the bowl game. stoops knew that and so did most fans. we already knew that we had practiced some wildcat so you can bet your ass that stoops knew that we had too. yes i do think that arizona played to their full potential, it may not have looked that way to the untrained eye but the fact is that we were just manhandling their "full ability".

 

they tried to stop us and they just plain couldnt. simple as that.

 

you are correct though, his skill lies somewhere in between those groups of games however i tend to think that his skill lies closer to the higher tier grouping. Lee has the "it" factor and you can see it in his face, the players love the guy! if you cant see that then go back and watch the MU game and see his face light up after he takes that big hit!

 

I think you hit the nail right on the head there. Lee isn't the best QB out there but he has the it factor. Even though he couldn't play everytime I saw him out there everyone respected and accepted that he is the leader of the offense. Even during drill with the other QB's he had that swagger that put everything together. I think we will succeed this year with Lee, not a MNC but be successful and competative. If he goes down I can see the O taking a step backwards with any of the other QB's. But the authletism gap between Lee, Green, Martinez is not that big and it all comes down to leadership.