This is probably a stretch

[walksalone]

Go ahead and just tear this one up...

 

Has the first three games all been a warm up for when we enter conference play? Have the flying Pelini Brothers been playing mad scientist for the first 3 games? Maybe trying to get the team into different situations to see how they'll react?

[Foppa]

Probably a little bit of truth to that, but you still have to run some core plays and use your top players, and it hasn't always looked pretty. But you hope it gets better by the week.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Nope, were just not as good as expected.

[DaveH]

I think there was some truth to that in the first game. I don't think that's as true for Washington and Fresno.

[wildman]

The Chattanooga game most defenately I think it was even Beck that came out and admited to it on offense. The first half of the Fresno game we had a similar game plan that changed at halftime when we realized they came to play. Washington I think the offense actually played more to where we are to expect to see the rest of the year.

 

As for the defense who knows what the Pelini brothers are thinking they could be doing something just enough to contain their offense and put ours into situations to see what they are capable of like your suggesting. Or it could be testing young players and getting them reps for next year. But knowing the history of the Pelini's i'd say our defense will be way different come the Wisconsin game and be more along the lines of what we have been use to from them.

[VA Husker Fan]

Possibly. McBride used to go pretty vanilla as long as he could and then unleash different things in big games. I think Osborne would hide a few things in the playbook as well.

[Stumpy1]

I have heard this same question asked. The guys response to it was, Pelini has been trying new schemes out while putting in different players to see how they react to it. The guy said that in each game, Pelini has had one group(DL, LBs, or Sec.) play a different scheme then what the others have played to see how they react. He went on to say that Pelini will put them all together for the Wisconsin game. He said that is what we done for the Mizzou game last year.

 

Personaly, I think the guy is full of sh!t.

[knapplc]

I think it's true on the offense. We're starting a very young offensive team, running a different offense with a different OC, RB coach and WR coach from last year. Look at the guys we started for Washington:

 

QB - Sophomore

RB1 - Junior

RB2, 3 & 4 - true Freshmen

LT - SR

LG - JR (first start of career)

C - SR

RG - SO

RT - true Freshman

TE1 & 2 - Juniors

WR X - Redshirt Freshman

WR Z - SO

WR A - true Freshman

 

That is a YOUNG offense. Two Seniors, three/four Juniors (depending on the set) and a bunch of Sophomores and Freshmen.

 

 

On defense I don't see many excuses for the D Line. I know we've had the whole playbook emptied on us from the last two opponents, and that Bo's defense isn't a "pin your ears back and blast 'em" kind of defense, but even still, we've given up a BUNCH of first downs and yards that guys of this caliber shouldn't be giving up. I doubt very seriously if they're holding back - I think it's simple underperformance.

 

The LB corps features one guy who missed all of last year with a broken leg, who is still clearly concerned about it, another who missed half of last season with a foot injury and who still seems tentative, and David who is having a fine enough year so far, but isn't the brilliant guy we saw late last year. I'll give these guys a break to a large degree - there's more going on here than just lining up and playing football. They're also adjusting to a new position coach, which may mean some things are getting lost in translation.

 

The secondary was shelled by the NFL draft, they lost their position coach, then they lost Dennard. The fact that we're in the top 50 in the nation at this point, especially after all the looks and schemes teams have thrown at us, is amazing. This is a young bunch as well, and they're playing without the best cover corner in the country.

 

 

Overall, I'd say we're seeing a mix of youth, poor play (by the D Line) and unfamiliar schemes. Combine that with three teams for whom we are THE GAME, at least in their non-conference schedule, and you get some uncomfortable results. We're by no means dominant, but we are very young, and there is definitely hope for the future.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

IMO, Compton and Fischer are just getting in the way of David, but that's another conversation.

[Hunter94]

what i see is an offense that finally started to gel a bit in the 2nd half of the last game and a D that has failed to get better and make adjustments.....the secondary especially is of concern, young and lacking some experience is understandable, but i don't see much improvement from game to game. except for

David, our LB's are weak, very weak........front 4 are average at best.....D this year is not what we expected so far....no, i don't think we are holding back anything.

[Hunter94]

IMO, Compton and Fischer are just getting in the way of David, but that's another conversation.

 

 

+1

[walksalone]

Whole reason I mentioned this, I was watching BTN live, and they were talking about the Wyo game. They mentioned Wyo, but seemed to focus just as much, if not more, on the upcoming Wisc and tOSU.

[HuskerShark]

IMO, Compton and Fischer are just getting in the way of David, but that's another conversation.

I think Compton is a pretty good player, but I have been unimpressed with Fisher his entire career. He's really done nothing noticeably positive so far. However, I was at the season opener and Trevor Roach looked really good! I'd like to see more of what he can do.

[GM_Tood]

Whole reason I mentioned this, I was watching BTN live, and they were talking about the Wyo game. They mentioned Wyo, but seemed to focus just as much, if not more, on the upcoming Wisc and tOSU.

[knapplc]

Whole reason I mentioned this, I was watching BTN live, and they were talking about the Wyo game. They mentioned Wyo, but seemed to focus just as much, if not more, on the upcoming Wisc and tOSU.

 

That's pretty understandable for BTN, though. That first Big Ten game is a huge deal. The Wyoming game should be - should be - a quick and easy bloodletting. As long as the team goes up there expecting to battle we should come out with a W, and then it's on to the big-time.