How do we fix this Nebraska team?

[HuskerTrucker]

This team will never see a National Championship or even be in the top 5 teams with this coaching staff. Cotton is the first that needs to go. NOW.

[chamrocck]

I may have to start a topic on this and make its own thread. THE BIGGEST THING NEEDED TO BE FIXED IS LACK OF SPEED AND PRESSURE OFF THE EDGE BECAUSE WE CANNOT GET TO THE QB. With that amount of time I could complete passes against our defense. The Hail Mary play is exactly why this is vital...don't give the QB all day to throw it. I am over with the slow-prodding, huff-puffing, never going to get there D-Line we have...T Moore was the only one I saw today actually play with energy. Our DL is bad and it then exposes the weak links in our secondary...this has been going on ALL YEAR. Pelini needs to look at South Carolina's DL and get a clue.

 

Uh, we sacked the QB 4 times today and Connor Shaw ran for about 52 yards. He's a mobile QB and we bottled him up better than we had any mobile QB this year or in recent history.

Uh, check a little play by SCAR right before the half. Completely embarrassing to get beat like that in any game, let alone a major bowl game.

[ladyhawke]

I don't see how we can judge our players' apparent "lack of motivation or emotion in the game" Unless you are there and physically hear them say, "Man, I really don't care about that game," you have no grounds to judge motivation or emotion.

 

What would you call it? It's a semantic argument more than anything. It appears the team lacks something, whether you call it motivation, chemistry, "swagger," whatever. Choose a different word and go with that, if it's a more apt description for you.

Lack of stamina?

[lo country]

Quit being some methodical. Talking about execution and the process or the system. It is a game of emotions as well. Play and coach like that sometimes.

disagree...the team fell apart the same time Bo lost his cool. He needs to keep his composure so that the team will keep theirs

 

Not the sidelines demeanor. The whole "we didn't execute". we just need to fix ourselves comments. I want to see a "red letter" game. A game that Bo says is about revenge.

 

I also think the D lost its identity last year after Bo was emasculated by Pearlman after A&M. Let Bo be Bo. We seemed to play better.

[C N Red]

Martinez sucks!! Yes our line didnt play well at the end but they did okay most of day. But TM has no pocket awareness or toughness. His footwork and throwing is some of the worst ive seen and its not gonna get better. He wasnt the only reason we lost today but his lack of leadership does not help and is a big reason our team falls apart so easily. Complete embarassment today!! So, number 1 is finding an actual Qb that can throw first, run second and has good leadership. I dont care if hes a walkon or freshmen as long as he can throw the ball and has some cajones!!

 

Of all the things that went wrong today, you're focused on Taylor Martinez? Seriously. Just let it go.

I will be focused on that until TM is out or gone. Do you realize what a lack of leadership from the Qb position can do to a team? Its catastrophic as was seen in now 4 games this season. Also if you believe we wouldnt be better off with a Qb who can throw first and be effective running then i cant tell you anything. Of course its JMO. Dont get me wrong, its not all TM but it starts with him and then we need an upgrade at pretty much every line position on both sides of the ball.

[Hunter94]

well, obviously we aren't going to fire any of the coaches, for Pelini, i think the question should be how to make better coaches out of this bunch for next season.

or do you think he just blames the kids for lack of execution?

[ladyhawke]

Martinez sucks!! Yes our line didnt play well at the end but they did okay most of day. But TM has no pocket awareness or toughness. His footwork and throwing is some of the worst ive seen and its not gonna get better. He wasnt the only reason we lost today but his lack of leadership does not help and is a big reason our team falls apart so easily. Complete embarassment today!! So, number 1 is finding an actual Qb that can throw first, run second and has good leadership. I dont care if hes a walkon or freshmen as long as he can throw the ball and has some cajones!!

 

By the time Martinez was sacked 3 times the game was already over. Kind of a moot point there. His throwing has gotten better this year and he made a lot more wiser decisions than the year before. He's our guy as we move towards the future. He made plays today: pass to Kenny Bell, pass to Ben Cotton, 40 yard run, 20 yard run, etc...about the only mistakes he made today were that INT [which was completely inexplicable] and taking a couple of sacks when we didn't need them.

 

Otherwise, the WRs dropped balls when we needed receptions. The offensive line committed far too many penalties. Ameer fumbled the football. You want mistakes that cost you the ball game, you look there first, and not at Taylor. Rex is our leader and where was he the second half?

I think Rex got hurt in the second half.?

[It'sNotAFakeID]

One thing I should make clear: I am in no way defending the play of our team from quarter 2 to the end at all. It was bad, it was undisciplined, it was mistake-prone and it mirrored all of our other losses, but I think some of this "lack of heart" idea is unfair to the players.

 

You know they want to win, and you see that desire when we do win [in games against Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, etc...]. Do you honestly think they go out with the mindset of: "It's okay to lose"?

 

I'll do my best to throw evidence out but it's all opinionated and can be viewed in a different light, and I could be in the minority on this one but it's okay. In the words of Dan Beebe, "I can handle it, I'm a big boy."

 

First quarter Wisconsin, you know when we were ahead and productive. How many penalties were called on us? How undisciplined were we? We were fundamentally sound and were disciplined. What did you see? You saw that emotion and you saw that passion to win. Then the wheels started coming off: we lost fundamentals, we lost our discipline and Wisconsin began to pile it on. That emotion and desire vanished physically, but those players were hard on themselves and they knew that they could have given more--you think that shows a lack of heart?

 

Northwestern, our only loss that was a close game. I don't think for one second the players gave up their motivation or their desire to win. It wasn't a fundamentally sound game or a very disciplined game for that matter but those guys didn't quit and they didn't give up. When they made a play, they showed their pride. When things happened against them, they tried to correct them--you think that shows a lack of heart?

 

But like I said, it's just my opinion on the matter. Think what you want, it's fine.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

I may have to start a topic on this and make its own thread. THE BIGGEST THING NEEDED TO BE FIXED IS LACK OF SPEED AND PRESSURE OFF THE EDGE BECAUSE WE CANNOT GET TO THE QB. With that amount of time I could complete passes against our defense. The Hail Mary play is exactly why this is vital...don't give the QB all day to throw it. I am over with the slow-prodding, huff-puffing, never going to get there D-Line we have...T Moore was the only one I saw today actually play with energy. Our DL is bad and it then exposes the weak links in our secondary...this has been going on ALL YEAR. Pelini needs to look at South Carolina's DL and get a clue.

 

Uh, we sacked the QB 4 times today and Connor Shaw ran for about 52 yards. He's a mobile QB and we bottled him up better than we had any mobile QB this year or in recent history.

Uh, check a little play by SCAR right before the half. Completely embarrassing to get beat like that in any game, let alone a major bowl game.

 

That was a play made by a WR, had nothing to do with pressuring the QB.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Man Georgia players must have no heart...how could they let Michigan State block that kick and score on the final drive to force overtime.

[np_husker]

Hire a head coach who teaches discipline.

[ladyhawke]

I say we need to go back to basics. Teach these kids how to stand still on the line so that we don't get these stupid delay of game penalties. Teach them how to carry and catch the ball. So many dropped balls and fumbles because the ball wasn't secure. Teach these kids how to tackle. They missed so many tackles today-tackles that cost us. But most of all teach them to maintain focus. They need to stay in the game the entire game, not just when they are ahead.

 

 

that would fall under coaching.......

That's part of it but you 'can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink'. There is a point where the players have to take responsibility for their assignments as well. What I would like to see if during an actual game, when a player muffs up, take him out and put in someone else. I didn't see that this year. Yoshi should've been pulled. He was hurt, playing hurt. Put in another player. He couldn't have done any worse. Same with the WR and the QB. Everybody has a bad day. If they're not up to the task put someone else in.

[ladyhawke]

many folks here were not surprised by this loss......what does that tell you? what does that say about this team and these coaches?

 

Your right. it had nothing to do with the other team being a very solid team.

That was a 'solid team'? I'm sorry but I thought SC looked like crap. I was expecting them to walk on water the way some SC fans described them. We held their 'mobile qb' very well. The game was lost because we gave it to them. Sorry-that's funny. Solid team my eye!

[ladyhawke]

and oh no- Georgia intercepted

But they didn't win! Way to go Mich. St! (I don't mind rooting for them-we beat them during the regular season! Glad a B1G team beat an SEC team!) Wiscy leads 7-0 right now.)

[ladyhawke]

Disagree very much with the "heart is there" analysis. Teams with heart don't give up. We had heart against OSU this year. Against Wiscy, Michigan and now SC, not so much. It comes and goes, and that inconsistency is not OK.

Maybe that is the key-consistency. That and just plain old stamina. Sometimes I think our kids just give their all and then poop out! However, I wonder what would've happen had we ran the ball instead of TMart passing it when we came out and had that great series at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. Momentum shifted-we had an answer but play calling kept us from making that TD (imo)