This Season Seems Hollow . . .

[kansas husker]

We set such high goals I think. Set obtainable goals, bringing less chance for failure, and build those goals to reach the top. We set ourselves up for this every single year. That I guess is our job. Win every game, win every NC, no chance of it not happening in August.

 

We all knew it would be hard this year. We took on a beginner OC, changed some others around. Bought into the hype of being one of the top defenses in the country on paper.

 

We need honesty coming from the coaching staff, and an actual report of what goes on in practice, honesty about injuries, would help us understand why certain things happen the way they do.

 

We are a young team, and with that comes inconsistency, but should never bring lack of motivation. I think we all see this as a major problem with this program right now.

 

That is why I have lowered my expectations of Nebraska at this time. I do not expect a Big Championship this year. I only hope that we win the rest of the games we play, end this season on a positive note, and hope next year will be better.. These young kids need to end knowing they are improving. Take a little less this year to strengthen their drive for next year.

 

Why would the coaches change what they do, coach talk is a part of strategy, just so the fans can set expectations? If the Huskers win, I'm happy. If they don't, I'm not happy. Regardless of what my expectations were.

[Another Poster Named Bob]

Something has been missing from this season. It just seems hollow. I think the Wisconsin and Penn State games just emotionally wiped us out. I spent an incredible amount of energy getting up for Wisconsin, only to be knocked out cold. That game showed us that we were nowhere near the top. Sad. Also, the weirdness around Penn State made the season more strange. It just seems like something has been missing from this season. The reality is that I wanted us to compete for the National Championship, but we had way too much change and inexperience to get there. Don't get me wrong: glad to be in the Big 10 and love the new venues, but something has been missing. Still several cool games to play, so maybe that will change. Next year is aiming to be something special. Would like to end this year on a good note.

Before the season I thought 8-4 would be reasonably successful. I am not disappointed overall. Actually...I am very encouraged as Taylor Martinez is playing a lot better than I ever thought he would be capable. I'm pleasantly suprised with being wrong about him. I guess it's all a matter of perspective and expectations.

[kchusker_chris]

Something has been missing from this season. It just seems hollow. I think the Wisconsin and Penn State games just emotionally wiped us out. I spent an incredible amount of energy getting up for Wisconsin, only to be knocked out cold. That game showed us that we were nowhere near the top. Sad. Also, the weirdness around Penn State made the season more strange. It just seems like something has been missing from this season. The reality is that I wanted us to compete for the National Championship, but we had way too much change and inexperience to get there. Don't get me wrong: glad to be in the Big 10 and love the new venues, but something has been missing. Still several cool games to play, so maybe that will change. Next year is aiming to be something special. Would like to end this year on a good note.

Before the season I thought 8-4 would be reasonably successful. I am not disappointed overall. Actually...I am very encouraged as Taylor Martinez is playing a lot better than I ever thought he would be capable. I'm pleasantly suprised with being wrong about him. I guess it's all a matter of perspective and expectations.

I would say 8-4 would be pretty dissapointing because it means, yet again, we went 1-3 to finish the season. Yet again, we skated through our non-con schedule to lay an egg once things get tough. there are 5 wins built into our schedule every year. that leaves 7 other games. those are the ones that count. I'm not happy going 3-4 during the 7 games against teams that have a practice field and don't ride in on a yellow school bus. We have to finish better.

[AustinHuskr]

Something has been missing from this season. It just seems hollow. I think the Wisconsin and Penn State games just emotionally wiped us out. I spent an incredible amount of energy getting up for Wisconsin, only to be knocked out cold. That game showed us that we were nowhere near the top. Sad. Also, the weirdness around Penn State made the season more strange. It just seems like something has been missing from this season. The reality is that I wanted us to compete for the National Championship, but we had way too much change and inexperience to get there. Don't get me wrong: glad to be in the Big 10 and love the new venues, but something has been missing. Still several cool games to play, so maybe that will change. Next year is aiming to be something special. Would like to end this year on a good note.

Before the season I thought 8-4 would be reasonably successful. I am not disappointed overall. Actually...I am very encouraged as Taylor Martinez is playing a lot better than I ever thought he would be capable. I'm pleasantly suprised with being wrong about him. I guess it's all a matter of perspective and expectations.

I would say 8-4 would be pretty dissapointing because it means, yet again, we went 1-3 to finish the season. Yet again, we skated through our non-con schedule to lay an egg once things get tough. there are 5 wins built into our schedule every year. that leaves 7 other games. those are the ones that count. I'm not happy going 3-4 during the 7 games against teams that have a practice field and don't ride in on a yellow school bus. We have to finish better.

Couldn't have said it any better!

 

People always talk about "November"....... Every team is beat up in Nov. but the good/great teams can dig in and find ways to win (although I'm not sure whether the NW required much digging in)

[knapplc]

People always talk about "November"....... Every team is beat up in Nov. but the good/great teams can dig in and find ways to win (although I'm not sure whether the NW required much digging in)

 

So you're a huge fan of Bo's, right? After all, his November record is 11-3.

[Enhance]

Something has been missing from this season. It just seems hollow. I think the Wisconsin and Penn State games just emotionally wiped us out. I spent an incredible amount of energy getting up for Wisconsin, only to be knocked out cold. That game showed us that we were nowhere near the top. Sad. Also, the weirdness around Penn State made the season more strange. It just seems like something has been missing from this season. The reality is that I wanted us to compete for the National Championship, but we had way too much change and inexperience to get there. Don't get me wrong: glad to be in the Big 10 and love the new venues, but something has been missing. Still several cool games to play, so maybe that will change. Next year is aiming to be something special. Would like to end this year on a good note.

Before the season I thought 8-4 would be reasonably successful. I am not disappointed overall. Actually...I am very encouraged as Taylor Martinez is playing a lot better than I ever thought he would be capable. I'm pleasantly suprised with being wrong about him. I guess it's all a matter of perspective and expectations.

I would say 8-4 would be pretty dissapointing because it means, yet again, we went 1-3 to finish the season. Yet again, we skated through our non-con schedule to lay an egg once things get tough. there are 5 wins built into our schedule every year. that leaves 7 other games. those are the ones that count. I'm not happy going 3-4 during the 7 games against teams that have a practice field and don't ride in on a yellow school bus. We have to finish better.

What, in your opinion, are the "five wins" that were built into our schedule this year? Looking through the schedule, I see four games that we shouldn't have lost, and of those four only three that we definitely shouldn't have lost (UTC, Wyo, and Minn.)

 

We need to finish well, and for the most part Bo's teams have had pretty good Novembers. But I'm holding many criticisms back because no matter how frustrating it is to hear it, we need time. Several new coaches and young guys at a lot of positions. It's Bo's fourth year but every coach has those rebuilding years. It's probably just more frustrating to us because we had to sit through Pelini stamping his approach on the program, and then when things could have really skyrocketed we got hit with a rebuilding year.

[Undone]

Oh and you guys beat OSU at home, stomped a MSU team that may be in that programs golden years and traveled to Penn State and won in Happy Valley in a game that most CFB fans will remember for a very very long time...

 

Totally agree that those are great wins. tofu (I've always wanted to type tofu instead of tOSU...get it? tofu?! ok...) and Penn State have as much history as Oklahoma or Texas. But I'm sure you can understand that if someone was giving us as die hard NU fans the option of beating Oklahoma at home in a 21 point come-from-behind victory or beating tofu, 10 times out of 10 we're going with Oklahoma.

 

So for me, "hollow" is too far. But "settled in" is just as far off the mark. I miss the old rivalries. The only thing that really made it easier to handle was the fact that, as I'm sure has been stated 1,000 times, our true yearly rivalry with Oklahoma ended when the un-fabulous four crashed the Big 8's party a long time ago. And as always, [insert jaded stab at Texas].

[VectorVictor]

Face the facts...the season is hollow because there is no Texas or K-State or other traditional opponents to hate this year. After over a hundred years of facing off against a Missouri or Kansas and after a hundred years of built up animosity between fan bases from real or perceived slights these games weren't just games...they were vindications that Nebraska was Nebraska and all was well with the world after stomping an Iowa State or Texas Tech.

 

This years? Oh yah! We beat Minnesota! Good...cuz we sure do hate those Gophers! That'll teach em for disrespecting us back in...uh...well...that'll teach em anyway! Why we'll show those dang Hoosiers! We need to teach them a lesson after they...uh...well...I guess they haven't really ever done anything to us but we'll teach em anyway!

 

Really...who cares? Do you really want to be playing in a Big 10 championship game against Penn State or would you REALLY like to be playing Oklahoma in the Big 12? And are the fans really that excited about playing Northwestern...or Illinois...or Purdue EVER? Tell the truth...how many of you still check out the standings and results from the Big 12 games and really wish you had a chance to blast K-State or OSU again?

 

But...such is life. The powers that be picked money over tradition so you got what you got and all the baggage that comes with it while the Big 12 has what is has including the entry of some really top-flite football schools. Hopefully the Huskers can keep the sell-out record intact after most of the blue-hairs move on to the nursing homes but I have a feeling interest just won't be the same in the Big 10 and that, too, shall come to an end.

 

Ummm, no, but thanks for playing. The Big 10 season, as a young fan, has been anything but hollow or boring. Quite the opposite, actually.

 

Then again, most of the fans aren't as negative, pessimistic, and maudlin as AustinHusker is, so they can actually enjoy the new teams and new challenges. Sure, not playing in the Big 8/XII is sad, but it was a failure of the conference and the greed of one school eclipsing the greater good--both solid reasons for leaving that have us in a much better position for the future than, say, all but two of next year's Big XII schools.

[Not since 97]

Face the facts...the season is hollow because there is no Texas or K-State or other traditional opponents to hate this year. After over a hundred years of facing off against a Missouri or Kansas and after a hundred years of built up animosity between fan bases from real or perceived slights these games weren't just games...they were vindications that Nebraska was Nebraska and all was well with the world after stomping an Iowa State or Texas Tech.

 

This years? Oh yah! We beat Minnesota! Good...cuz we sure do hate those Gophers! That'll teach em for disrespecting us back in...uh...well...that'll teach em anyway! Why we'll show those dang Hoosiers! We need to teach them a lesson after they...uh...well...I guess they haven't really ever done anything to us but we'll teach em anyway!

 

Really...who cares? Do you really want to be playing in a Big 10 championship game against Penn State or would you REALLY like to be playing Oklahoma in the Big 12? And are the fans really that excited about playing Northwestern...or Illinois...or Purdue EVER? Tell the truth...how many of you still check out the standings and results from the Big 12 games and really wish you had a chance to blast K-State or OSU again?

 

But...such is life. The powers that be picked money over tradition so you got what you got and all the baggage that comes with it while the Big 12 has what is has including the entry of some really top-flite football schools. Hopefully the Huskers can keep the sell-out record intact after most of the blue-hairs move on to the nursing homes but I have a feeling interest just won't be the same in the Big 10 and that, too, shall come to an end.

I think you're a decade and a half off with this post, once OU decided they had become our yearly doormat and decided to end our Traditional series that determined more National Championships than any other rivalry over the last 40 years...........that hollow feeling has hung around for a LONG time. No one gets up for OU lite since Barry Sanders. Sure Bill Snyder punked Solich but the yearly KSU game meaning much to anyone North of Pawnee City or Wymore Nebraska is ridiculous. Colorado was pretty much it for the Huskers and I would trade them for Michigan, PSU, tOSU and even lowly Iowa which is basically a wash. The Hollow feeling is watching boring games, getting beat by Northwestern due to horrible coaching, getting smoked by Wisconsin.....sigh....and having your destiny decided by MSU????

 

It's year 4 in the Pelini era and we have terrible coaching including obvious recruiting flaws, game management ( timeouts used up by defense, end of Northwestern game???) Not getting Backups in in garbage time, no depth or lack of playing certain people due to vendettas, buddy hires gone wrong (also known as Cosgrovean Cottonism) and playing like crap over the last 2 years against arguably the easiest schedules in YEARS. When Wisconsin and MSU are the biggest games of the year you know you have a NC schedule on your hands. We tried as hard as we could to let a dysfunctional PSU beat us, a decent team would have hung a half a hundred on them last week and emptied the bench after the turmoil they went through. We canned Callahan after 4 years, our 3 million dollar man better step up to the plate SOON. Remember that Callahan was playing KU,Missou, Leached TT's teams that were battling for BCS bowls not to mention strong Texas/Sooners/USC teams. At least we saw talent being recruited

[knapplc]

I'm as settled in with the Big Ten as I can be. Shockingly settled in. I didn't anticipate feeling so at home so quickly, but it's been like moving to a new town and discovering your neighborhood is full of Nebraskans. Sure it's different, but much of it is the same. The Big Ten feels like my favorite old sweatshirt I forgot, only to dig it out of the back of the closet and find out the fit is just like the old days.

 

I just never felt any "magic" playing Iowa State or Missouri. They were like gnats, games you had to get through to get to the real prize at the end of the season, the Oklahoma game and the Bowl. Everything before that was just going through the motions. It was more an exercise of watching every guy on the roster play than anticipating a great game all week. Really, how juiced were people for Kansas most years? Or for Iowa State, or Missouri? To me, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Iowa easily trump those games. It's not even a question.

 

I'm as stodgy and conservative as most Nebraskans, but when it comes to football enjoyment, the Big Ten is without question more fun than the Big XII.

[knapplc]

It's year 4 in the Pelini era and we have terrible coaching including obvious recruiting flaws, game management ( timeouts used up by defense, end of Northwestern game???) Not getting Backups in in garbage time, no depth or lack of playing certain people due to vendettas, buddy hires gone wrong (also known as Cosgrovean Cottonism) and playing like crap over the last 2 years against arguably the easiest schedules in YEARS. When Wisconsin and MSU are the biggest games of the year you know you have a NC schedule on your hands. We tried as hard as we could to let a dysfunctional PSU beat us, a decent team would have hung a half a hundred on them last week and emptied the bench after the turmoil they went through. We canned Callahan after 4 years, our 3 million dollar man better step up to the plate SOON. Remember that Callahan was playing KU,Missou, Leached TT's teams that were battling for BCS bowls not to mention strong Texas/Sooners/USC teams. At least we saw talent being recruited

 

Nice first post. If you're here to troll, don't get comfortable. You won't be here long.

[Another Poster Named Bob]

Something has been missing from this season. It just seems hollow. I think the Wisconsin and Penn State games just emotionally wiped us out. I spent an incredible amount of energy getting up for Wisconsin, only to be knocked out cold. That game showed us that we were nowhere near the top. Sad. Also, the weirdness around Penn State made the season more strange. It just seems like something has been missing from this season. The reality is that I wanted us to compete for the National Championship, but we had way too much change and inexperience to get there. Don't get me wrong: glad to be in the Big 10 and love the new venues, but something has been missing. Still several cool games to play, so maybe that will change. Next year is aiming to be something special. Would like to end this year on a good note.

Before the season I thought 8-4 would be reasonably successful. I am not disappointed overall. Actually...I am very encouraged as Taylor Martinez is playing a lot better than I ever thought he would be capable. I'm pleasantly suprised with being wrong about him. I guess it's all a matter of perspective and expectations.

I would say 8-4 would be pretty dissapointing because it means, yet again, we went 1-3 to finish the season. Yet again, we skated through our non-con schedule to lay an egg once things get tough. there are 5 wins built into our schedule every year. that leaves 7 other games. those are the ones that count. I'm not happy going 3-4 during the 7 games against teams that have a practice field and don't ride in on a yellow school bus. We have to finish better.

At this point 8-4 would be a mild disappointment...but if you actually read my post you would see that it states "Before the season I thought 8-4 would be reasonably successful" (Key hint being..."BEFORE THE SEASON"). It's kind of funny that it is always the "Homer" fans with out of whack expectations at the beginning of the year that are the ones that are quickest to "turn" when reality hits. And in the classic "Homer's" mind's eye...if you aren't as upset over all of this as they think you should be...you aren't a true fan.

I also find it kind of funny that when Pelini was hired, I was a little disappointed that Osborne didn't hire Turner Gill as I thought he was a better fit for NU. It is absoulutely ironic, and a little hilarious how a good many Husker fans that were such Pelini "Homers" when he was hired, are the ones that are most disappointed in him now. Imagine that...unreasonable college football fans. lol

[Not since 97]

I think every Husker fan wishes we were farther along in the process of "getting back." But Osborne didn't get us "back" right away, either. Took him a dozen years to vie for his first MNC. Nobody is ready to etch Pelini's name next to Osborne's yet, but the takeaway from this lesson is: Patience.

Wait, what? You mean Devaney right? Osborne didn't have to get us Back from anything, he was handed a Dynasty

[Undone]

It's year 4 in the Pelini era and we have terrible coaching including obvious recruiting flaws, game management ( timeouts used up by defense, end of Northwestern game???) Not getting Backups in in garbage time, no depth or lack of playing certain people due to vendettas, buddy hires gone wrong (also known as Cosgrovean Cottonism) and playing like crap over the last 2 years against arguably the easiest schedules in YEARS. When Wisconsin and MSU are the biggest games of the year you know you have a NC schedule on your hands. We tried as hard as we could to let a dysfunctional PSU beat us, a decent team would have hung a half a hundred on them last week and emptied the bench after the turmoil they went through. We canned Callahan after 4 years, our 3 million dollar man better step up to the plate SOON. Remember that Callahan was playing KU,Missou, Leached TT's teams that were battling for BCS bowls not to mention strong Texas/Sooners/USC teams. At least we saw talent being recruited

 

Strong troll is trolling.

[knapplc]

I think every Husker fan wishes we were farther along in the process of "getting back." But Osborne didn't get us "back" right away, either. Took him a dozen years to vie for his first MNC. Nobody is ready to etch Pelini's name next to Osborne's yet, but the takeaway from this lesson is: Patience.

Wait, what? You mean Devaney right? Osborne didn't have to get us Back from anything, he was handed a Dynasty

 

No, I mean Osborne. He was "handed a dynasty" and held the status quo with it for more than a decade. He didn't improve upon what Devaney gave him, he regressed. But he was a first-time head coach, and that's not unexpected. Kinda like someone we have now....