Year Four

[wiuhusker]

People keep referring to our anemic offense in the big games the last few years...its hard to predict what would happen but where would we have been with an even remotely competent offense??

[OH HSKR FAN]

I kind of felt like we got our teeth kicked in against Washington in the bowl game.

 

19-7? If anything, I felt that the team "mailed in" their performance against the Huskies.

[kchusker_chris]

...and think about where we have to be to consistently play for MNC's. We aren't there yet. Last year was proof that we aren't, and in no way supportative of being close[/size]

Last year we played under huge turmoil with a clueless offensive coordinator, a hurt and young OL, and an injured freshman quarterback. We were 3 points away from playing in a BCS bowl. We really aren't that far away.

Connecticut played in a BCS bowl too. So did Virginia Tech. Playing in a BCS bowl is great, but it just means we're a popular top 10-16 team. I don't think we're a top 5 team though. Most are picking Wisconsin to go to a BSC game after losing to us in the B1G championship. Would u be happy w/ that? Win a couple big games and I'll change my mind...but I'm tempering expectations. Bo's helped me w/ that. In the last 2 years I think we've been favored in all but maybe 2-3 games? We have 8 losses.

[Skull&Bones]

We play the big ones close but we can not finish the game.

 

Sounds like a Husker fan from the late 80s early 90s.

 

The proof is in the big red puddiNg.

[walksalone]

Since this is our first year in the B1G, I'm not sure how much of all that actually applies.

 

Don't we have to wait until next year to really gauge things. It's a bit like us starting from scratch. We've got more familiarity with Washington than we do with teams in our own conference. On top of that one of the best teams in the conference has for all purposes neutered itself. We have to play, hurry up and wait, on a week by week basis to know how all this is going to play out. We'll be facing completely different offensive and defensive scheme's (outside of Northwestern and maybe Penn St). We may have to go back to a modified Big 8 style of football.

 

This year might be Bo's toughest yet, just due to the fact of the unknown.

[zoogs]

QB play has been the biggest concern and a make-or-break for me. It will be up to Taylor to make that 2nd year quantum leap.

 

But I'm with you on the OL. The fact that this is becoming a bigger concern speaks to the really questionable situation we find ourselves in regarding OL. It doesn't diminish the QB concerns, but OL is going to be another trouble spot potentially.

[walksalone]

QB play has been the biggest concern and a make-or-break for me. It will be up to Taylor to make that 2nd year quantum leap.

 

But I'm with you on the OL. The fact that this is becoming a bigger concern speaks to the really questionable situation we find ourselves in regarding OL. It doesn't diminish the QB concerns, but OL is going to be another trouble spot potentially.

 

I concur, I think this almost completely hinges on the OL.

[Hunter94]

we have become competitive under Bo, we have not become champions as of yet......until we have continuity in coaching and a proven offensive system, we are still aspiring to be a top 10 team. honestly, we have no idea if we have the nucleus of coaches required to be champions, that will take another couple seasons to be sorted out...getting better is part of the process...it takes time.

[tschu]

Connecticut played in a BCS bowl too. So did Virginia Tech. Playing in a BCS bowl is great, but it just means we're a popular top 10-16 team. I don't think we're a top 5 team though. Most are picking Wisconsin to go to a BSC game after losing to us in the B1G championship. Would u be happy w/ that? Win a couple big games and I'll change my mind...but I'm tempering expectations. Bo's helped me w/ that. In the last 2 years I think we've been favored in all but maybe 2-3 games? We have 8 losses.

You don't think that winning the Big 12 is different from winning the Big East?

 

Also, being favored to win all those games doesn't mean much. Being favored to beat Oklahoma State 55/45 is a lot different than being favored to beat Kansas 97/3. If teams won every game they were favored in, there would be probably 35 2-loss or less teams every year. And in terms of Vegas odds, the line is often swayed in Nebraska's favor by the large number of pro-husker gamblers.

[robsker]

Hit the nail on the head. I agree with everything EZ said in his post. We actually talked at length about that. To say that a team like Alabama or TCU wouldve rolled us last year because we lost 2 games to unranked teams is a little off base. We have seen it time, and time again were good teams lose to teams they shouldnt. We are not elite yet, but we are getting there. Think about where we were 3 years ago, and then think about where we are now.

...and think about where we have to be to consistently play for MNC's. We aren't there yet. Last year was proof that we aren't, and in no way supportative of being close.

 

Where we were 3 years ago makes little difference.

 

 

NU is nowhere near consistent enough as a team to be a serious national contender (or, at least we have not been up to this point). We sometimes show up focused and other times not --- you can only guess what NU team shows up --- the unprepared, unfocused, listless team with almost laughable lack of preparation [penalty after penalty, fumble after fumble, confusion at the line of scrimmage, poor fundamentals]or the intense team that is focused and playing with discipline... or something in-between. Because this staff has not put together any consistency in the past, even though we may hope and wish that we will be consistent in the future...well... we'll see.

 

So, for me the biggest question in year four of the pelini era is can coach pelini produce a team that plays disciplined, focused football 4 quarters every game all year? If so, we will be in great shape and have a real shot at a great record. If not... if NU is like it has been... a "lets see who shows up" kind of team... then NU losses a rash of games this year. I contend that NU will dictate its record more so than will their opponents --- it is simply a matter of how disciplined and focused NU can be.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

I'm not worried at all...and it has nothing to do with the offense, defense, or special teams. It has to deal with who we play. Check out this interesting fact:

 

UT-Chattanooga has started it's past 4 seasons playing traditional powerhouses of Oklahoma (2008), Alabama (2009), Auburn (2010), and now Nebraska (2011).

 

Let's take a look at the past 3 National Championship games and who has played in them:

 

Oklahoma vs. Florida

Alabama vs. Texas

Auburn vs. Oregon

 

Hmm...could a national title game be in the future for the Huskers. Recent history says yes.

[tschu]

Oh god thats some Nostrodamus sh#t

[EZ-E]

To say that ANY program is head and shoulders ahead of us is crap. A lot of guys have hit it on the head with what I was trying to say.

 

Main point on what a lot of people are calling me out on: We are to the point in our program where our goal should be to win every single game. There is not a team on our schedule like when we played USC where I would be pleased with a "good showing" and neither should our guys. We will have to just agree to disagree on some of the other points. I really find it hard to believe that Oregon or Auburn were THAT much better than us. The only program I am consistantly afraid to play these past few years is Bama. That holds true this year.

[jsneb83]

I'm not worried at all...and it has nothing to do with the offense, defense, or special teams. It has to deal with who we play. Check out this interesting fact:

 

UT-Chattanooga has started it's past 4 seasons playing traditional powerhouses of Oklahoma (2008), Alabama (2009), Auburn (2010), and now Nebraska (2011).

 

Let's take a look at the past 3 National Championship games and who has played in them:

 

Oklahoma vs. Florida

Alabama vs. Texas

Auburn vs. Oregon

 

Hmm...could a national title game be in the future for the Huskers. Recent history says yes.

Yeah well in our first two series with Washington, the away team in the first game of the series won the National Title, but we blew that last year.

[bigg10]

Big difference betweeen running QBs and RBs in my opinion. RBs tend to get wrapped up or leg tackled because of how they run and where the contact comes from - LB shedding a block at the 2nd level or flat out running into the line. QBs on the other hand typically take shots from a full speed running corner or safety as they round the edge. Also - the defensive mindset is to tackle the RB, not risk a big play by trying to get the big hit, but when they have a shot at a QB they take it full bore.

Nobody here wants to respond, but I think you are right and those hits are not always pad to pad.

That said, I posted one time about taking it easy on Bo, first off it takes a coach 5 years to get all his recruits and such in place, and as was said, now he gets thrown into a new conf, where it's sort of like every week is a bowl game. Maybe not quite that bad as they did some work on the other B10 teams this summer.