Lee Barfknecht

[Nebula]

Omaha.com

 

LINCOLN — The “American Society of Second-Guessers’’ heartily thanks Missouri coach Gary Pinkel for his work in Saturday’s 31-17 loss to Nebraska.

Our cup runneth over with material after that showing.

We had been led to believe this was a new and improved Tiger team, with poise and chemistry and not haunted by previous poor showings under pressure. But Pinkel, instead of traveling with his undefeated and Top 10 team, brought ol’ Mizzou to town.

The same ol’ Mizzou that can’t run — and rarely tried — against an opponent ranked 79th nationally in rushing defense.

The same ol’ Mizzou that was outsnookered by a simple wrinkle in Nebraska’s defensive front.

The same ol’ Mizzou that couldn’t take advantage of NU’s best offensive weapon (quarterback Taylor Martinez) and top coverage man (cornerback Alfonzo Dennard) leaving the game for good with injuries in the first half.

And the same ol’ Mizzou that operated in such confusion that it used all three second-half timeouts in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter — and tried to call a fourth.

To speed things along, let’s boil down Missouri’s mess to a four-play sequence with the ball 6 inches from the Nebraska goal line. This was after the Tigers had cut a 24-point deficit to 31-14 in the third quarter.

I asked for an explanation of that sequence of play calls and formations.

“I don’t understand the question,’’ Pinkel said.

OK. Let’s try again. You tried a quarterback sneak with 6-foot-5, 240-pound Blaine Gabbert under center, and it failed. You backed into the shotgun on second and third down, and two more runs failed. Then you moved Gabbert back under center on fourth down, but an illegal-procedure penalty led you to try a field goal.

“We just call plays,’’ Pinkel said. “We try to get the ball in and call plays. We think it’s the best plays. We analyze a lot of film and do what we think is best.’’

That’s known as a tap dance to protect MU offensive coordinator David Yost, who had a bad, bad day.

Last week, Missouri used a strong game from its running backs to dash for 178 yards in a win over then-BCS No. 1 Oklahoma.

So what does Yost call against Nebraska, which has struggled against the run?

Five wide receivers and no backs on the first three snaps. That led to a three-and-out. Then came another. Then after one first down, another. By the end of the first quarter, Missouri trailed 24-0 and its running backs had all of four carries for 1 yard.

“We were planning on having a few different running attacks,’’ center Tim Barnes said. “But Nebraska came out and lined up a little differently than they had shown in any games.

“The way they were lined up (defensive tackles head to head over offensive tackles) changed the approach we had all week. It took away our focus on the run.’’

It should cause every Missouri fan major discomfort to know five days of practice can be negated by a routine front-four tweak.

Gabbert gamely tried to make something out of the stubborn play-calling from the spread.

But his happy feet in the pocket returned after a two-game absence. It was understandable. Gabbert was sacked six times after going down only seven times in the season’s first seven games. He completed just 18 of 42 passes (42.9 percent).

Did the better team win?

“I don’t know,’’ Gabbert said. “Football is football. You’ve got to come out and play your ‘A’ game.’’

Missouri, with a victory Saturday, would have had a Grade A chance for direct involvement in the national championship race. Instead, the Tigers lost control of their destiny, need Nebraska to lose to even have a shot at the Big 12 title and look headed to another non-BCS bowl.

Same ol’ Mizzou.

 

My first attempt at linking an article and if I did poorly I apologize.

 

So...we didn't win the game, Missouri simply lost it? Am I overly sensitive, or does it seem like Lee Barfknecht prefers dental surgery over writing positive things about NU? I'm not looking for some dishonest optimistic spin on everything Husker related I read...I'm all for journalistic integrity. But this guy kills me. I read that part in bold, and I feel like I've got a pretty good idea what Lee thinks the answer is to that question. His coverage of NU football just always seem to lean toward the negative, imho.

 

Is it just me? What do you guys think?

[DJR313]

Vomitneck was just trying to illicit a response with some passion from Gabbert. MU has a good team this year, probably about as good as NU, but Pelini flat-out outcoached Pinkel and his staff today. That was the difference. NU came ready for the challenge, MU was not.

[Husker_x]

I don't see what was unfair in the article or the approach. Missouri was undefeated, a top ten unit, coming off a huge win over the then #1 team in the land, and they come in and play like garbage in the biggest game of their season. I think it's pretty reasonable to make what happened with the Tigers that allowed Nebraska to smoke them.

[TigerNuts]

So...we didn't win the game, Missouri simply lost it? Am I overly sensitive, or does it seem like Lee Barfknecht prefers dental surgery over writing positive things about NU? I'm not looking for some dishonest optimistic spin on everything Husker related I read...I'm all for journalistic integrity. But this guy kills me. I read that part in bold, and I feel like I've got a pretty good idea what Lee thinks the answer is to that question. His coverage of NU football just always seem to lean toward the negative, imho.

 

Is it just me? What do you guys think?

 

Is that really what you took from that article? Overall, it was a big, fat cheap shot at MU, the kind of which other posters on this forum have been critical of when it was about NU. He basically said MU sucked so bad that they couldn't even adjust to a simple alignment change up front. That's about as red-tinted as it comes.

[Nebula]

So...we didn't win the game, Missouri simply lost it? Am I overly sensitive, or does it seem like Lee Barfknecht prefers dental surgery over writing positive things about NU? I'm not looking for some dishonest optimistic spin on everything Husker related I read...I'm all for journalistic integrity. But this guy kills me. I read that part in bold, and I feel like I've got a pretty good idea what Lee thinks the answer is to that question. His coverage of NU football just always seem to lean toward the negative, imho.

 

Is it just me? What do you guys think?

 

Is that really what you took from that article? Overall, it was a big, fat cheap shot at MU, the kind of which other posters on this forum have been critical of when it was about NU. He basically said MU sucked so bad that they couldn't even adjust to a simple alignment change up front. That's about as red-tinted as it comes.

 

Yeah, that's why I asked if I was being overly sensitive. It really isn't about this one article, it is a culmination of slights that I have perceived (whether real or imagined) from Lee over the years. My real intent with this post was to gauge the perception Husker fans have of Lee's NU football coverage.

 

I could be way off base. It wouldn't be the first time in my life that has happened.

[TigerNuts]

So...we didn't win the game, Missouri simply lost it? Am I overly sensitive, or does it seem like Lee Barfknecht prefers dental surgery over writing positive things about NU? I'm not looking for some dishonest optimistic spin on everything Husker related I read...I'm all for journalistic integrity. But this guy kills me. I read that part in bold, and I feel like I've got a pretty good idea what Lee thinks the answer is to that question. His coverage of NU football just always seem to lean toward the negative, imho.

 

Is it just me? What do you guys think?

 

Is that really what you took from that article? Overall, it was a big, fat cheap shot at MU, the kind of which other posters on this forum have been critical of when it was about NU. He basically said MU sucked so bad that they couldn't even adjust to a simple alignment change up front. That's about as red-tinted as it comes.

 

Yeah, that's why I asked if I was being overly sensitive. It really isn't about this one article, it is a culmination of slights that I have perceived (whether real or imagined) from Lee over the years. My real intent with this post was to gauge the perception Husker fans have of Lee's NU football coverage.

 

I could be way off base. It wouldn't be the first time in my life that has happened.

 

No worries, I wasn't trying to harass you, or anything. It's just amazing how two different people can read the same article and come away with totally different interpretations based on their perspectives. The whole thing sounded like a tongue-in-cheek joke, to me.

[rawhide]

Vomit head is a negative news spinner. Not to be confused with a defensive spinner what ever that is

 

He sucked before and he sucks now. He is probably just practicing for a stint in the Big 12(-2) head office.

 

He would luv to be bevobeebes' luvchild probably

 

 

GBR

 

 

this opinion is of the originator not of the administration though they may feel the same way

[zoogs]

If we lost a game like that, we would be saying we gave it away rather than credit the other team for beating us. That's usually how it goes. Not sure about the tone of the article, but hopefully it is well-intentioned as a call of moderation, rather than over-giddyness in response to a huge win like this.

 

Are we the better, more talented team? I don't know, but we were by FAR the more motivated and prepared team Saturday. Most weeks, that makes all the difference in the world.

 

That, and our defense is sick

[Enhance]

I think Lee is just more objective than your average writer. That question is a really good question, because it has potential for a fantastic response that could leave a sour taste in someone's mouth.

[BOskers]

I remember not to long ago. like Oct. 16th, Next week will be more fun.

[broganreynik]

Well I don't think Barfknect will ever shake the tag after voting Michigan #1 in 1997, but he sure as hell doesn't try to shake it either.

[schuhbdoo]

So...we didn't win the game, Missouri simply lost it? Am I overly sensitive, or does it seem like Lee Barfknecht prefers dental surgery over writing positive things about NU? I'm not looking for some dishonest optimistic spin on everything Husker related I read...I'm all for journalistic integrity. But this guy kills me. I read that part in bold, and I feel like I've got a pretty good idea what Lee thinks the answer is to that question. His coverage of NU football just always seem to lean toward the negative, imho.

 

Is it just me? What do you guys think?

 

Is that really what you took from that article? Overall, it was a big, fat cheap shot at MU, the kind of which other posters on this forum have been critical of when it was about NU. He basically said MU sucked so bad that they couldn't even adjust to a simple alignment change up front. That's about as red-tinted as it comes.

I read it as a cheap shot at MU too. Pinkel being asked to splain himself for sharding on the 1st and goal sequence and saying he doesn't under the question. Are you a head football coach or a soccer coach? Then he was trying to get Gabbert to admit that he was beat by a superior team. Gabbert can't and would not admit that was the case. Why? It would question his decision to decommit from NU and that is not something Gabbert is willing to do. I don't have a problem admitting when I get my butt kicked by a superior team. Good thing Gabbert did leave since he doesn't know what getting beat really means. The better team won, it wasn't a fluke or it wasn't luck. I called 34 to 17 and I was one missed FG from calling it. The domination of MU by NU was not by a little bit. It was complete.

[dutch91701]

He seems to be bitter, but understandably so after the loss. I don't know if it's anything to freak about. And is his name seriously Barfnecht?

[TripleOption]

I agree that the article seemed like a cheap shot against MU. Why do we need to read trash talking articles about a team we just beat? A team we beat with a truly inspired team performance (O-line, D-line, Secondary, Helu, overcoming injuries, etc.) It's true that Pinkel seems to have been out-coached, but they've still had a great season.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

With many it is either love him or hate him regarding Barfy. I choose hate.