Carl Pelini not going to hit panic button

[Husker Z]

Maybe we shouldn't press the panic button on defense. Should we for offense? Against SDSU when we had to and our backs were against the wall, our defense rose up to the challenge and stopped SDSU from scoring. They were able to up their level of play. You can't say the same for the offensive side of the ball. Our offense showed that if someone game plans to take out that zone read, we have no answer for it. For all intents and purposes we were in a dog fight with the game very much on the line in the waning minutes of the 4th quarter and all our offense had to show for it were punts and picks and to put the win back on our defense. This is a red flag for 2009 repeat.

 

 

Didn't they have a 96 yard drive one of those times they were backed up?

 

I'm not ready to panic on the offense, quite yet. Sometimes you'll get a weird game where you aren't ready to play, whether you gameplanned wrong, you overlooked the game, you weren't jacked up to play, strange things happen during the game with ball control/ball security and everything all of a sudden snowballs and you can't make it stop. It happens to the best teams out there, almost on a weekly basis.

 

I think the offense has some things to address, no doubt, but I think they will and I think they will get back on track next Thursday. Our boys like the spotlight and they like playing on the road where everyone hates them, demoralizing an opponent and their fanbase in THEIR HOUSE is something our coaches and our players take pride in, they LOVE IT!

[Huskerfan1985]

The offense concerns me as well, but I feel like we have many more positives this year, even after the SDSU game. Recievers were definately open, we have a "homerun threat", we have RB depth that serves a good change of pace, and our O-line has shown flashes of dominance. To me, it's just getting Martinez to improve his throwing accuracy on a consistant basis. While T-Mart has had a tendancy to underthrow longer passes, he's been pretty accurate with the short game. However, that was not the case vs. SDSU. From what we have to gauge his performances on, I believe we'll be several notches better than '09. The reality is though, with any RS Freshman at QB, you're going to have ugly games and need help from the D. Fortunately, we have that luxury.

[Billyball]

The offense concerns me as well, but I feel like we have many more positives this year, even after the SDSU game. Recievers were definately open, we have a "homerun threat", we have RB depth that serves a good change of pace, and our O-line has shown flashes of dominance. To me, it's just getting Martinez to improve his throwing accuracy on a consistant basis. While T-Mart has had a tendancy to underthrow longer passes, he's been pretty accurate with the short game. However, that was not the case vs. SDSU. From what we have to gauge his performances on, I believe we'll be several notches better than '09. The reality is though, with any RS Freshman at QB, you're going to have ugly games and need help from the D. Fortunately, we have that luxury.

 

"to me, it's just getting Martinez to improve his throwing accuracy on a consistent basis".

 

Not picking on you man, but if wishes were horses beggars would ride. If one could have turned Martinez into a John Elway, it would have been done. Doing that does not happen to a college QB during a season and usually not in their college career. Don't count on vast improvement in the passing game as we begin playing teams several rungs up from our noncon competition. It really did not matter IMO until SDSU. I thought our OL and running game would overcome the lack of a passing game (not all on Matinez btw, as our receiving corps is average at best).

 

We should have installed an offense that played to TM strength in the spring if we were going this direction. A true option game that would have been the only one our opponents saw. As it is, stacking the box and forcing TM to beat you will be the way our opponents approach D. Can he throw well enough to overcome it? Maybe, but there is no evidence of it.

 

I was snookered against an easy schedule last year that our O could throw on and rack up points on anybody. I bought the koolaid thinking that Vtech was an aberration. I am not buying into the hype that we can run on everyone left on our schedule or TM can throw the rock to victory. I fear musical qbs coming. Hope I'm wrong.

[junior4949]

I'm a little concerned about our OL. While I didn't get to see the game, I did listen to it on the radio. It seemed like everytime we handed the ball off, there was a defender to smack them down for a loss or no gain. For those that saw the game, were we getting beat this bad off the ball or was it just a series of screwups all night long?

[JOEY]

I'm a little concerned about our OL. While I didn't get to see the game, I did listen to it on the radio. It seemed like everytime we handed the ball off, there was a defender to smack them down for a loss or no gain. For those that saw the game, were we getting beat this bad off the ball or was it just a series of screwups all night long?

Our O-line will be fine people are just overreacting about 1 game.We simply overlooked them and didn't give them enough respect we thought that they would come in and lay down and take the beating.To SDSU this pretty much was there bowl game and they all played with a chip on there shoulder.

[Huskerfan1985]

Not sure if I follow you. John Elway couldn't run a zone read, run based offense, which is clearly our focus. Are we going to need to pass? Absolutely. Does Martinez's skills as a passer leave something to be desired, you bet. I guess my point is that Martinez had his worst game, as a passer and rusher, against the worst oppenent we have faced. I really think it had less to do with the SDSU defense than Martinez's accuracy. I did not watch the whole game, but from what i saw, he was throwing to open receivers. His passes just weren't accurate. Against our previous, more talented (I know, not saying much) opponents, he seemed to fair much better.

 

As for Bix XII competition, i won't disagree much with you. No way we run all over everyone or count on T-mart's arm to lead us to victory. But, I think you will see him develop as a better passer. He's only a freshman with 4 games total of experience. It's a little short sighted to say he cant improve from his worst game this season, let alone his whole career.

 

Also, make no mistake, this team, just like last year, is all about the defense. Our defense will keep us in every game, just like last year. Our offense needs to only score more than the defense gives up. With T-mart, Helu, and Burkhead ready to break a long run at any moment, i like our chances. I'm not saying we'll put up 50 on every team in the big XII, but the opportunity for big plays on offense this year is at least possible.

[Billyball]

Not sure if I follow you. John Elway couldn't run a zone read, run based offense, which is clearly our focus. Are we going to need to pass? Absolutely. Does Martinez's skills as a passer leave something to be desired, you bet. I guess my point is that Martinez had his worst game, as a passer and rusher, against the worst oppenent we have faced. I really think it had less to do with the SDSU defense than Martinez's accuracy. I did not watch the whole game, but from what i saw, he was throwing to open receivers. His passes just weren't accurate. Against our previous, more talented (I know, not saying much) opponents, he seemed to fair much better.

 

As for Bix XII competition, i won't disagree much with you. No way we run all over everyone or count on T-mart's arm to lead us to victory. But, I think you will see him develop as a better passer. He's only a freshman with 4 games total of experience. It's a little short sighted to say he cant improve from his worst game this season, let alone his whole career.

 

Also, make no mistake, this team, just like last year, is all about the defense. Our defense will keep us in every game, just like last year. Our offense needs to only score more than the defense gives up. With T-mart, Helu, and Burkhead ready to break a long run at any moment, i like our chances. I'm not saying we'll put up 50 on every team in the big XII, but the opportunity for big plays on offense this year is at least possible.

 

How do we know that "our defense will keep us in every game just like last year". The personnel is certainly different and we have played nobody thus far. Similarly there is no proof that a zone read run based offense will get it done without a qb that can make good decisions and throw accurately. I am hopeful that we can win the north, but not so confident that we won't be revamping what we do on off during the season and not nearly as stout defensively. But in three weeks I'll be happy if those fears exacerbated by watching Sat nights game are gone.

[HUSKERHAMMER]

It's not like there's anything else he could say, but SDSU running up our gut bothers me tremendously. Our D line has performed at a B- level so far, but our gap responsablity from our linebackers has been HORRIBLE. LD is fun to watch, but if he doesn't start taking his assignments seriously we're gonna have a real problem. Thomas might be a smidge better than SDSU's backs.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

I believe Coach Pelini has a sound strategy and have the ability to adapt.

 

Yet with the current state of the rush defense I recall a couple articles I read in the pre-season on Husker Locker in which the writer expressed concern over the interior D-Line having two towering players like Crick and Steinkuhler and whether that would be a handicap in getting leverage on the O-Line and leave the middle vulnerable. At the time I dismissed it but until things turn around I have to wonder if this is a factor.

[irafreak]

"But the bottom line is, we're not going to allow people to have quick strikes against us. We're going to force them to execute all the way down the field. It's a defensive philosophy. Plus, as we become more experienced, we get better defending the run the way we defend it, without panicking and saying, 'We have to load everyone in the box to stop the run.'"

LINK

 

 

Couple thoughts on this. I think what our D is doing is the best thing. Interesting stat - In the three great games DT has had for KSU he has broke off runs of 44, 45, and 23. All above that 20yd mark that they preach about. In the game against UCF DT only had 76 yds on 22 carries. I don't know if UCF stacked the box or not, but its a pretty telling sign that if we can hold him to carries less then 20 yds, we have a good chance in holding him in check.

 

Did anyone watch the UCF game? What did they do to keep him in check?

 

UCF has a similar D to ours, it's smaller, yet FAST. They continuously held their ground with the front 4 and basically dared them to run outside. When they did, DT couldn't get the corner on them, he's just not a strong back doing that. Coffman CANNOT beat anyone through the air, flat out. We may not "stack the box" like they say, but I have a feeling we'll do what we've been best at in the past, clog the middle, spread out the runs and bring pressure off the edge in passing downs.

 

KSU will have no answer next Thursday, offensively or defensively, they are flat out out-manned at every position, they just are. It will take a collapse by the Skers to lose this game.

This was pretty much what I was going to say.