Assessment

[sd'sker]

TMart - it's clear that nobody is in Bo's doghouse, but that Martinez earned the starting job. He looked great out there, in command and a true weapon. Not a bad game at all for a RFreshman.

 

Taylor had 22 plays for 263 yards and 3 scores. He did well, but let's keep in mind that he's not going to average 18 yards a carry once the competition ramps up. We'll see if he can keep up that yards-per-play ratio.

 

Regardless of Taylor's performance, I don't think you can look at it and authoritatively declare the doghouse talk dead. But it's also talk that nobody really wants to hear, so let's just shut it down for the moment, I suppose.

 

I was WTF when Cody Green entered, but was happy to see him (well, 'hear' him) deliver that touchdown pass to Paul. I'm happy that Green is showing improvement, but really, what are we doing here at QB. Green entered the game in the second quarter's beginning; where does that show Martinez really grabbed the job by the horns? QB is not a position we can rotate around like defensive tackle. Well, maybe it is, and Bo's breaking ground in this area.

 

But keep in mind this means Green is not getting a redshirt this year. Why, why, why...yeah, he got some snaps against WKU, but how many snaps are in the cards for him this year?

 

I think Tmart did far better than "well". He was pure electric out there. You need to get over the fact Lee simply got beat out for #1 and for very good obvious reasons. Everybody wishes the best for Zac and he'll play this year. But Tmart & Green just bring more to the table. That's all it is.

 

bshirt, we head into Big 12 play and Taylor will be running the ball very well if he has half of that ypc.

 

His passing is really going to need to come into his own. Hope he grows into it over the year.

i was most impressed with t-marts ability to throw the short outs and slants, that is extremely valuable, especially if you can run. he also had really good pocket presence and patients, i am concerned about his ability to throw the deep ball, he needs to develop that.

 

green looked like a pretty decent passer, maybe as good as lee. it is going to be an interesting/exciting year, fellas.

[bshirt]

TMart - it's clear that nobody is in Bo's doghouse, but that Martinez earned the starting job. He looked great out there, in command and a true weapon. Not a bad game at all for a RFreshman.

 

Taylor had 22 plays for 263 yards and 3 scores. He did well, but let's keep in mind that he's not going to average 18 yards a carry once the competition ramps up. We'll see if he can keep up that yards-per-play ratio.

 

Regardless of Taylor's performance, I don't think you can look at it and authoritatively declare the doghouse talk dead. But it's also talk that nobody really wants to hear, so let's just shut it down for the moment, I suppose.

 

I was WTF when Cody Green entered, but was happy to see him (well, 'hear' him) deliver that touchdown pass to Paul. I'm happy that Green is showing improvement, but really, what are we doing here at QB. Green entered the game in the second quarter's beginning; where does that show Martinez really grabbed the job by the horns? QB is not a position we can rotate around like defensive tackle. Well, maybe it is, and Bo's breaking ground in this area.

 

But keep in mind this means Green is not getting a redshirt this year. Why, why, why...yeah, he got some snaps against WKU, but how many snaps are in the cards for him this year?

 

I think Tmart did far better than "well". He was pure electric out there. You need to get over the fact Lee simply got beat out for #1 and for very good obvious reasons. Everybody wishes the best for Zac and he'll play this year. But Tmart & Green just bring more to the table. That's all it is.

 

bshirt, we head into Big 12 play and Taylor will be running the ball very well if he has half of that ypc.

 

His passing is really going to need to come into his own. Hope he grows into it over the year.

i was most impressed with t-marts ability to throw the short outs and slants, that is extremely valuable, especially if you can run. he also had really good pocket presence and patients, i am concerned about his ability to throw the deep ball, he needs to develop that.

 

green looked like a pretty decent passer, maybe as good as lee. it is going to be an interesting/exciting year, fellas.

 

I agree....it's gonna be a blast! Tmart/Green being able to make throws and with their feet making plays will have opposing DCs going crazy. But yeah, Tmart still needs work with his long passing to be sure. Imo, that's a small price to pay for the other things he brings. Those two will just get better and better.

 

Now, if we can just somehow get Paul to hold on to the ball.....

[Foppa]

Hey it's the first game but I saw alot of team unity which is always great a 49-10 win is solid I expect to see more of concrete d and o next games and then we will see but overall I'm proud to raise a beer to the huskers tonight and I hope everyone will raise one with me

 

Cheers!

[BigWillie]

 

TMart - it's clear that nobody is in Bo's doghouse

 

 

 

Yes? Martinez clearly offered something Lee does not. I have NOTHING against Lee, but there is a clear difference in the abilities these guys displayed. Even if Lee wasn't in Bo's doghouse, there's no reason to believe Martinez wouldn't have beaten him for the job.

 

What does a doghouse matter in the face of greater ability?

 

That's an opinion, based solely on who you ask.

 

Let me ask you or anyone this - before the 2nd half of the VA Tech game last year, what was your opinion of Zac? I guarantee that you, along with the vast majority of Husker fans liked Zac Lee. He beat up the competition he was supposed to.

 

Suddenly, after an injury, and facing tough defenses, he was 'exposed', and all that talent he had against FAU and Arkansas State was no longer there.

 

Keep in perspective that Taylor did just as I, and many others said he would do. Be electric in the running game, and be a shaky passer. The offense geared itself down to be quick, short reads so that Taylor could get the ball out and not become that pocket QB. Every 'big' throw Taylor had was due to broken tackles and RAC yards.

 

Look how that changed when Cody came into the game. Niles got behind the defense rather easily for a big TD throw.

 

Some will see that as a knock, but you have to keep in perspective we were playing a team that was 0-12 last year. That and we had a very vanilla passing game that was suited to simply build Taylor's confidence tonight.

 

Running game - just as everyone has expected for a while. Passing - just as everyone expected for a while.

 

 

--

 

As far as the 'doghouse', you can believe what you want when it comes to that I guess. But myself and others have talked about that for nearly a year, even when Zac was our clear starter with no challenge from anyone else.

 

That wasn't some overnight rumor that popped up just because, as it has been something that has been out in the public for quite a while.

[huskerswrkhavoc]

They looked a lot better after 1 game than they did last year--especially on D, if you can believe that. What I saw today were mental lapses and a lazy defensive attitude due to the team we were playing, but on the upside I saw the same ability as the team that throttled Arizona in the bowl. Did you notice that Bo wasn't blowing a gasket tonight? That should say something, yes?

 

I really think that the D is going to step up with the quality of our competition. Baker really looked good. I'll bet Dean is proud of him. As for the kid .....he showed a lot of poise (and moves) for a freshman qb. Keep in mind that Frazier, as great as he turned out to be, didn't show that kind of poise in his first outing.

 

As I said earlier, for the first time in a decade, I don't feel too nervous about this team. They're going to shape up nicely after Bo gives them the whip.

 

 

Sorry to keep quoting you but your posts ring true to me. I hope you're right about the defense and completely agree that Tmart was awesome for a freshmen in his 1st start.....totally awesome. Green looked terrific too. It's just great to have "three" capable qbs.

 

Another good point about Bo not going nuclear. He wasn't happy at all but for "him"....it was about as laid back as it gets.

 

All things considered....a GREAT day!

 

Green looked terrific? Apparently you missed the throw right BEFORE the TD pass? He looked better than last year, but not terrific. Also, Tmart needs more than a little work on his long throws. He will get ate alive the way he is against Big 12 competition. I think the legs were a great plus, better than I thought they would be for sure, but in the little time Lee was in there, he showed better moves with his legs. Hopefully he can throw the ball better than what it was tonight...

 

 

And as far as the defense go, I wasn't overly impressed at all.

[zoogs]

Keep in perspective that Taylor did just as I, and many others said he would do. Be electric in the running game, and be a shaky passer. The offense geared itself down to be quick, short reads so that Taylor could get the ball out and not become that pocket QB. Every 'big' throw Taylor had was due to broken tackles and RAC yards.

 

Look how that changed when Cody came into the game. Niles got behind the defense rather easily for a big TD throw.

 

That is the biggest question for me.

 

Niles is a fantastic receiver, and a good deep threat. We could be utilizing that ability, but we're taking time away from that to build around a young QB that - well, can he? How is his arm strength on a scale of Joe Ganz to Jamarcus Russell?

 

Taylor ran the ball 7 times this game, and very well.

 

We could be giving Taylor 10 Wildcat snaps a game, and having him run that zone read - and even throw some to keep defenses honest - and have that electric, lightning in the bottle as a feature of the offense. And for the other 50, 60 snaps a game, we could be putting a guy out there that will stretch the field and use our star wide receiver.

 

Instead, we are building around Taylor.

[roadrat]

Offense-I say B+. At times we looked sharp and at times we were sleep walking. That could be from the different combinations of players we had on the field. Martinez threw the ball better than I thought he could. When defenses start keying on him and knocking him around it'll be interesting to see how he reacts. Burkhead looks to be the same slashing runner and good receiver. McNeill dropped some passes tonight. Rodriquez played quite a bit and Yoshi got shoved all the way back to QB on one play so right now he just looks fat.

 

Defense-I say C. We looked good in the first half. WK pushed the blackshirts around pretty good in the second half (200 yds). It's hard to judge when you play vanilla defense most of the game. Late hits out of bounds and facemask penalties are just dumb plays.

I think we gave up points in our opener last year so I look for Bo to "fix things" as he said.

[Ziebol]

It's a cobweb game people don't make a judgement till washington game where we will get our feet wet in competition. Don't over analyze it's a glimpse of what we should expect. Can I please get a Husker Power?!?

[HuskerGBR]

I am sure things will get better on defense, but earlier in the week I was watching some of last years games and Suh was a major factor for why people couldn't run on us. He would run them down from behind if they got past the line. So it will probably just take some tweaking by the coaches, but we should be fine there. I sure hope so anyways, because Daniel Thomas will have a huge day if things don't get fixed.

[bshirt]

They looked a lot better after 1 game than they did last year--especially on D, if you can believe that. What I saw today were mental lapses and a lazy defensive attitude due to the team we were playing, but on the upside I saw the same ability as the team that throttled Arizona in the bowl. Did you notice that Bo wasn't blowing a gasket tonight? That should say something, yes?

 

I really think that the D is going to step up with the quality of our competition. Baker really looked good. I'll bet Dean is proud of him. As for the kid .....he showed a lot of poise (and moves) for a freshman qb. Keep in mind that Frazier, as great as he turned out to be, didn't show that kind of poise in his first outing.

 

As I said earlier, for the first time in a decade, I don't feel too nervous about this team. They're going to shape up nicely after Bo gives them the whip.

 

 

Sorry to keep quoting you but your posts ring true to me. I hope you're right about the defense and completely agree that Tmart was awesome for a freshmen in his 1st start.....totally awesome. Green looked terrific too. It's just great to have "three" capable qbs.

 

Another good point about Bo not going nuclear. He wasn't happy at all but for "him"....it was about as laid back as it gets.

 

All things considered....a GREAT day!

 

Green looked terrific? Apparently you missed the throw right BEFORE the TD pass? He looked better than last year, but not terrific. Also, Tmart needs more than a little work on his long throws. He will get ate alive the way he is against Big 12 competition. I think the legs were a great plus, better than I thought they would be for sure, but in the little time Lee was in there, he showed better moves with his legs. Hopefully he can throw the ball better than what it was tonight...

 

 

And as far as the defense go, I wasn't overly impressed at all.

 

Lee showed better moves with his legs than Tmart?

[irieboy8]

Lavonte David is a straight savage......

[TheCheshireCat]

I thought Taylor Martinez looked damn good for his first outing. Obviously he was incredible with his feet, but more important I think was how comfortable he looked in the pocket. He didn't seem nervous or intimidated, and when there was nothing there he took off on the run. We could have really used that last year at games like VT, ISU, Missouri, and Texas. Lavonte Davis is a beast and I was very impressed on his first outing as well. Gomes was and still is my favorite defensive player - awesome chase-down and strip by him. He is a monster.

 

As far as the defense, I was less than impressed and noticed there wasn't a lot of pressure. However, I specifically remember the first two games last year as being the same way, and I kept wondering why we weren't getting more sacks. I think it was partly because of the first game and partly because you had new guys out there. I think we'll fix it up as time goes on. When you look at teams like USC, Texas, Florida (8 fumbles), and OU, even the powerhouses had bad days. We're not alone and I expect to improve.

[Ponderosa]

I thought they looked good. Very good.

 

To me the defense has to adjust to the "problem" of the offense scoring quickly.

After the first quarter the TOP was WKU 11:16 to Neb 3:44. Two 3-play drives - each drive was barely over minute. Up 14-0.

 

End of 3: TOP 26:21 to 18:39 in WKU's favor.

Still WKU doesn't score the TD until the 4th after it is already 35-3.

The game is won and the defense is perhaps a little tired so they let their focus wanders. Bo won't let them forget it.

 

I'm good with a 39 point victory. It could be much worse. OU only won by 7.

 

 

 

[wilber24]

I agree, we need to work on alot of things, but overall it was a pretty impressive performance for the first game of the season. Martinez was very impressive for a true freshman, Cody played well, and Niles is still a stud.

yea, he is a stud, nice fumble.

[HuskerNMO]

They looked a lot better after 1 game than they did last year--especially on D, if you can believe that. What I saw today were mental lapses and a lazy defensive attitude due to the team we were playing, but on the upside I saw the same ability as the team that throttled Arizona in the bowl. Did you notice that Bo wasn't blowing a gasket tonight? That should say something, yes?

 

I really think that the D is going to step up with the quality of our competition. Baker really looked good. I'll bet Dean is proud of him. As for the kid ™.....he showed a lot of poise (and moves) for a freshman qb. Keep in mind that Frazier, as great as he turned out to be, didn't show that kind of poise in his first outing.

 

As I said earlier, for the first time in a decade, I don't feel too nervous about this team. They're going to shape up nicely after Bo gives them the whip.

 

 

Sorry to keep quoting you but your posts ring true to me. I hope you're right about the defense and completely agree that Tmart was awesome for a freshmen in his 1st start.....totally awesome. Green looked terrific too. It's just great to have "three" capable qbs.

 

Another good point about Bo not going nuclear. He wasn't happy at all but for "him"....it was about as laid back as it gets.

 

All things considered....a GREAT day!

 

Green looked terrific? Apparently you missed the throw right BEFORE the TD pass? He looked better than last year, but not terrific. Also, Tmart needs more than a little work on his long throws. He will get ate alive the way he is against Big 12 competition. I think the legs were a great plus, better than I thought they would be for sure, but in the little time Lee was in there, he showed better moves with his legs. Hopefully he can throw the ball better than what it was tonight...

 

 

And as far as the defense go, I wasn't overly impressed at all.

 

Lee showed better moves with his legs than Tmart?

 

I think he meant 2010 Lee looked better than 2009 Lee, if not...

 

Here's my Martinez assessment after the first game.

 

Jammal Lord with a bit more speed, and a bit less power?