Showdown in Stilly

[AAChucko]

Having been a Cowboys fan for 20+ years, let me say that I am looking forward to what should be a great ballgame this next weekend. We are excited about what this year's squad brings to the table: A mature quarterback in Weeden, a workhorse of a running back in Hunter, and arguably the best receiver in the nation in Justin Blackmon. We can score a lot of points in a short amount of time, however we haven't met a defense like what you're bringing to town. That will be fun matchup to watch.

 

From the outside looking in it seems like the two teams began the season on opposite ends of the spectrum. OSU was "rebuilding" with 7-5 or 8-4 on the horizon. NU wanted to run the table, win the Big 12, contend for the national championship and head on the the Big 10. I know that the coaching staff will have OSU ready to play and we have the talent to win this ballgame. The same goes for your side of the field. It will come down to execution and who can control the LOS.

 

Any word on Martinez status? I know Lee replaced him at the end of the last game. Will Martinez be back at the helm?

 

I look forward to your point of view on the game. Should be a good one. Go Pokes.

[Ratt Mhule]

Having been a Cowboys fan for 20+ years, let me say that I am looking forward to what should be a great ballgame this next weekend. We are excited about what this year's squad brings to the table: A mature quarterback in Weeden, a workhorse of a running back in Hunter, and arguably the best receiver in the nation in Justin Blackmon. We can score a lot of points in a short amount of time, however we haven't met a defense like what you're bringing to town. That will be fun matchup to watch.

 

From the outside looking in it seems like the two teams began the season on opposite ends of the spectrum. OSU was "rebuilding" with 7-5 or 8-4 on the horizon. NU wanted to run the table, win the Big 12, contend for the national championship and head on the the Big 10. I know that the coaching staff will have OSU ready to play and we have the talent to win this ballgame. The same goes for your side of the field. It will come down to execution and who can control the LOS.

 

Any word on Martinez status? I know Lee replaced him at the end of the last game. Will Martinez be back at the helm?

 

I look forward to your point of view on the game. Should be a good one. Go Pokes.

 

Ya, he will start on Sat.

 

If we play anything resembling what happened on Sat., you guys will kill us. Yes, from what I have seen, you guys have a very good offense. Its a positive that we have a good secondary to shut down the pass. Like you saw this weekend if you watched, our DL does not get much pressure on the QB so he will have lanes to run if we don't change something on defense. Gilbert had over 70 yards rushing Sat. after only having 14 this rest of the season. If we play like we did against KSU, it should be a close game. I'm not expecting to hold OSU to no points. You guys will put points on the board, our offense much match it. Another positive in NU favor, and I know this sounds incorrect but its at OSU. Our team has stated publicly they enjoy playing on the road better than at home. Here's to a great game

[Hercules]

Welcome.

 

I'm sure Martinez will be starting. I'm also guessing OSU will sell out to stop the zone read like Texas did until we prove we can throw (or catch) the ball.

 

On the other side, I'm guessing Will Compton will return to the starting lineup for the defense at linebacker, with Dejon Gomes moving back to safety in place of Rickey Thenarse after his poor showing at Texas. It's just a guess, but unless I hear differently during the week, I'd be surprised. This should make our defense a little stronger against the run. However, OSU should test the waters with the misdirection UT used against us in the first half. We made the adjustment in the second half, but it gave us a lot of problems early on.

 

Also, if you really want to win, you should just sell all your tickets to Husker fans so it feels like a Nebraska home game. Trust me, you'll have a better shot at the W.

[chamrocck]

Should be a good one. We get no pressure so your QB will have easy passes over the middle. Our CB's are great but you can't expect them to lock down every pass. I expect your experienced QB will have lots of time for the middle 12 yard pass which will be there all day. No telling how our offense will come out after Saturday's debacle. We must run it better no doubt. O-line needs to do their job and Martinez will be fine. As for our WR's...most are shaky at best.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

This game may cause me to have a heart attack............not looking forward to it right now, but I think it'll be a good game.

[RussianHuskerKCMO]

We should play like we played against Arizona. Unpredictibility on the offence. Just my .02 cents

[robsker]

We should play like we played against Arizona. Unpredictibility on the offence. Just my .02 cents

 

 

Our offense better score 33 points --- like they did against Arizona --- or we lose.

 

Texas was the first real defense NU faced. And, well... the NU offense fizzled.

 

OSU is the first real offense NU will face. And I'd think that if NU held OSU to under 28 points then that would be our best defensive showing of the season. I'd expect OSU to score in the low to mid 30 point range on NU. If NU has fumbles and interceptions and gives OSU some short fields to work with --- then OSu might score 40 on us.

 

The point.... the Husker offense must score a great deal to hang with OSU or NU is looking at two straight losses --- we need at least the 33 we hung on Arizona ... maybe 40+ points to win.

 

I hate to say it... but I don't think we win this one.

[andyokstate]

And likewise, Nebraska is the first real defense OSU will face. Weeden has thrown a lot of INTs (8) this year. He's got a great arm, and the 4 new OL starters have done a pretty good job protecting him. But when he's rushed, bad things can happen. I hope that Hunter will see some early success, as that will make Weeden's job a helluva lot easier.

 

I'm worried that Martinez will get back on track against us. I didn't get to see all of the NU/UT game, as it was the same time as our game against Tech. We did flip back and forth, and saw some nasty open drops by your receivers. I don't think they'll have another bad game like that.

 

My prediction is...I have no idea what to expect. Big 8 me says, "Oh crap, Nebraska is coming to town". 2010 me says, "Hey, a loss is not certain, we can play with these guys...exude cautious optimism."

 

Game day, as of now, is showing 40% chance of thunderstorms, with a high in the mid-70s. Speaking of that, what happened to that Mizzou poster here, "Tuff as rain"?

[ESPY]

We should play like we played against Arizona. Unpredictibility on the offence. Just my .02 cents

 

 

Our offense better score 33 points --- like they did against Arizona --- or we lose.

 

Texas was the first real defense NU faced. And, well... the NU offense fizzled.

 

OSU is the first real offense NU will face. And I'd think that if NU held OSU to under 28 points then that would be our best defensive showing of the season. I'd expect OSU to score in the low to mid 30 point range on NU. If NU has fumbles and interceptions and gives OSU some short fields to work with --- then OSu might score 40 on us.

 

The point.... the Husker offense must score a great deal to hang with OSU or NU is looking at two straight losses --- we need at least the 33 we hung on Arizona ... maybe 40+ points to win.

 

I hate to say it... but I don't think we win this one.

I know OSU has a great offense, but do you really think they're gonna hang that many on us? Yes, OSU's strength is their passing game, but that plays right into the primary strength of the Blackshirts. There's a long list of QBs with big arms who have been completely shut down by the Huskers, so I see no reason to believe our D won't step up and do it again, even against an offense as dangerous as the Cowboys.

 

Btw, our loss to Texas was NOT the Blackshirts' fault. In spite of the poor tackling and lack of forced turnovers, they played well enough for us to win, and that's saying something considering Texas' average field position against us.

 

Obviously we have to put points on the board to beat OSU because they will score. But, they won't put up 30 or 40+ against Bo's defense. That's just not going to happen. As much as our offense needs to score, OSU's defense needs to step up 'cause they're not going to be able to depend on tons of points from their offense like they have in every game so far this season.

[Hercules]

It's easy to get down on the offense, but to be honest, they were dropped balls away from blowing away a very good Texas defense. If we can catch the ball this week at Stillwater, look out. OSU will sell out to stop the zone read like Texas did, and we're going to have major opportunities to throw on 1st and 2nd down, especially early in the game. If we catch the ball, look out.

[AAChucko]

Obviously we have to put points on the board to beat OSU because they will score. But, they won't put up 30 or 40+ against Bo's defense. That's just not going to happen. As much as our offense needs to score, OSU's defense needs to step up 'cause they're not going to be able to depend on tons of points from their offense like they have in every game so far this season.

 

Herein lies the million dollar question. Can OSU's offense put up 30 or 40 points against Nebraska's defense? If you think that you are going to shut down both Hunter and Blackmon...you're crazy. Will that equate into points? I guess we'll see.

 

What has suprised the Cowboy nation this season (among other things) is our defense's ability to create turnovers. If we are able to continue that trend and create turnovers on Nebraska's side of the field, there is no question that we can turn those into TDs.

 

Our FG kicker, Dan Bailey is deadly inside 45 yards and has kicked two 50+ yard FGs this season. His golden foot will be put to use this weekend, no question.

 

If I had to make a prediction right now, I would say OSU will put 35 on the board this weekend.

[RussianHuskerKCMO]

Obviously we have to put points on the board to beat OSU because they will score. But, they won't put up 30 or 40+ against Bo's defense. That's just not going to happen. As much as our offense needs to score, OSU's defense needs to step up 'cause they're not going to be able to depend on tons of points from their offense like they have in every game so far this season.

 

Herein lies the million dollar question. Can OSU's offense put up 30 or 40 points against Nebraska's defense? If you think that you are going to shut down both Hunter and Blackmon...you're crazy. Will that equate into points? I guess we'll see.

 

What has suprised the Cowboy nation this season (among other things) is our defense's ability to create turnovers. If we are able to continue that trend and create turnovers on Nebraska's side of the field, there is no question that we can turn those into TDs.

 

Our FG kicker, Dan Bailey is deadly inside 45 yards and has kicked two 50+ yard FGs this season. His golden foot will be put to use this weekend, no question.

 

If I had to make a prediction right now, I would say OSU will put 35 on the board this weekend.

 

I'd predict you guys will be very conservative passing the ball. TX QB had 17 rushing yards before they came to Lincoln. I might be wrong cause I have not followed OSU except for the final scores.

[captain obvious]

If I had to make a prediction right now, I would say OSU will put 35 on the board this weekend.

 

That's a bold statement, friend.

[junior4949]

I watched Okie State play A&M. I'd have to say I wasn't impressed at all with the O coordinator at Okie State. With the game in hand, all they had to do was run the ball and pick up one first down. What do they do? They throw two incomplete passes on first and second down eating virtually zero clock at all. I think Nebraska wins this game, and I suspect we'll get at least one pick 6. Okie State doesn't have the athletes that Texas has, and I don't think they'll be able to stop our offense in its tracks like Texas did. Nebraska wasn't hungry before the Texas game, and it showed. I think we'll be very hungry this weekend.

[ESPY]

What has suprised the Cowboy nation this season (among other things) is our defense's ability to create turnovers. If we are able to continue that trend and create turnovers on Nebraska's side of the field, there is no question that we can turn those into TDs.

This is the best argument you've made yet. However, I would counter by shining the light on OSU's turnover woes as well because there's no doubt Nebraska's offense will be even more likely to score TDs with a short field. Bottom line - the turnover battle has huge implications in this matchup, just as it does in any game. But, I think Nebraska's D can withstand a short field much better (even against an offense like the Cowboys) than OSU's defense can against us.