How will Nebraska fare next year.

[2ndNnine]

I think there is a BCS berth waiting for us on the other side of the fence...

 

 

[Chaddyboxer]

I think there is a BCS berth waiting for us on the other side of the fence...

 

 

I think we go 10-2 and get a BCS berth....and don't make it to the BIG10 championship game (get passed up by Mich)

[bshirt]

11-1 or 10-2 regular season. Martinez looked good in that last game, compared to what he was earlier in the season. Passing was good, and his running speed seemed to be back. Offense should be fine next year, if we can just stop shooting our selves in the foot. Liked the defense in the last game, till the the wheels fell off again. Bone head mistakes that CAN be fixed, is what is keeping this team back. Of course having our receivers catch the ones that hit them in the hands, helps the defense also. Cut down on 60% of those mental lapses on both side of the ball, will get the Huskers in to the B1G title game. The players are already in the program, just need to take that next step in execution and concentration. IMO

 

GBR!!!

 

You're right, Tmart's acceleration did look like last year in the bowl game. Maybe the injury is finally about cured? Or maybe he and/or Bo/Beck just decided to go for it? Who knows but either way is good news.

 

Now, if the Oline just comes around a little.....and the wrs decide to catch passes......

[zoogs]

We have been such a random team I don't know. I'm also less familiar about all of the other teams on the schedule as some of you. So it's hard for me to put it in the context of a schedule.

 

Talent-wise, I feel the offense is, or should have, matured. Not something we can count on yet.

 

Defense should be a roller coaster ride, though. We are losing big, big pieces here. It will need to be rebuilt, because I don't think we'll reload without a few jams. Losing Dennard is bad enough, but David was critical. He was not just a phenomenal player and leader on the team, he enabled the entire defense to go. Without him, the D would have a gaping hole in it, a weakness that would have been absolutely crippling.

 

Next year can go very well if the new pieces transition in seamlessly. But we lost less this past season and the transition has been less smooth. If we have that same kind of transition while the existing pieces improve without superstars emerging...then we could be in for a very difficult year.

 

On offense, the OL and the skill positions all seem to be set up with pretty promising talent. It's young enough that it could go either way yet, but all eyes should be on Taylor now. QB and C are the biggest concerns - or let's be moderate and say 'x-factors' - to me.

 

I feel really good about RB, and TE (not for '13, but for '12), and pretty excited about the WRs. We have both the blockers and the speedsters there. The line is shoring up their game, and the young talent is coming up. We have many more options at guard now, with the emergence of guys like Cotton and Choi and Long.

 

We will really need to count on the passing game next year. We know what the rushing game can do, and we've seen it put up good numbers over an average season. I think the offense will need to start pulling at least equal weight to the D, so the real question is if we can make use of the WRs, TEs, and RBs in the passing game. All three of those groups have shown real playmaking promise.

[Enhance]

It's ok, everybody. I got a fortune cookie today that said my favorite sports team is going to have a very successful year.

[ronsss]

i think nu will do worse in the big 10 that big 12....from top to bottom, i have allways thought the big 10 was stronger...so it would not surprise me to see mu with 3 loses every year.

[corncraze]

i think nu will do worse in the big 10 that big 12....from top to bottom, i have allways thought the big 10 was stronger...so it would not surprise me to see mu with 3 loses every year.

 

Well thank God! It'll sure help us in the Legends division if Michigan has 3 losses every year!

[melscott62]

i just dont see bo rolling out another sub par defense next year. I think he will make adjustments to the new league in the offseason and we will see a bo type D again

[bshirt]

We have been such a random team I don't know. I'm also less familiar about all of the other teams on the schedule as some of you. So it's hard for me to put it in the context of a schedule.

 

Talent-wise, I feel the offense is, or should have, matured. Not something we can count on yet.

 

Defense should be a roller coaster ride, though. We are losing big, big pieces here. It will need to be rebuilt, because I don't think we'll reload without a few jams. Losing Dennard is bad enough, but David was critical. He was not just a phenomenal player and leader on the team, he enabled the entire defense to go. Without him, the D would have a gaping hole in it, a weakness that would have been absolutely crippling.

 

Next year can go very well if the new pieces transition in seamlessly. But we lost less this past season and the transition has been less smooth. If we have that same kind of transition while the existing pieces improve without superstars emerging...then we could be in for a very difficult year.

 

On offense, the OL and the skill positions all seem to be set up with pretty promising talent. It's young enough that it could go either way yet, but all eyes should be on Taylor now. QB and C are the biggest concerns - or let's be moderate and say 'x-factors' - to me.

 

I feel really good about RB, and TE (not for '13, but for '12), and pretty excited about the WRs. We have both the blockers and the speedsters there. The line is shoring up their game, and the young talent is coming up. We have many more options at guard now, with the emergence of guys like Cotton and Choi and Long.

 

We will really need to count on the passing game next year. We know what the rushing game can do, and we've seen it put up good numbers over an average season. I think the offense will need to start pulling at least equal weight to the D, so the real question is if we can make use of the WRs, TEs, and RBs in the passing game. All three of those groups have shown real playmaking promise.

 

 

What??? Hey, I'm honestly not trying to pick on you old friend but.....the rushing numbers are way down from the previous year.

 

2011...217 yds per game

 

2010...248 yds per game

 

Also.....

 

2011....4.62 ypc

 

2010....5.47 ypc

 

Clearly, the Oline and rushing game took a step backwards this year. As far as the passing game....

 

2011....163 ypg @ 56% completion ratio, 13 TDs, 8 interceptions

 

2010....151 ypg @ 58% completion ratio, 16 TDs, 8 interceptions

 

.....it looks pretty much like a push.

 

The numbers to me say our first priority is to get the big uglies up & ready for the run game. When programs like NW totally stuff your Oline, you've got problems. Secondly, Tmart (run & pass)& the wrs (catching the ball) also need to improve

[mrandyk]

For some outside perspective.............(since the inhabitants of this board are all pretty frustrated right now with the lingering images of the bowl game still fresh)...............

 

I heard today on the Zone (haven't checked it out, but THEY were saying...........) that Vegas has us at 30-1 to win the Mythical National Championship.............which is second only to Michigan in the B!G.......!!

 

Now I'm not running out to bet the mortgage on it, but obviously outsiders (who may have more of an objective view than we do)............think we will be pretty decent.....

I think that us being second favorite is nothing more than a testament to just how weak the Big 10 is. Who would you put ahead of us? Wisconsin and Michigan State lose huge pieces and Ohio State isn't bowl eligible.

[zoogs]

What??? Hey, I'm honestly not trying to pick on you old friend but.....the rushing numbers are way down from the previous year.

 

I think, as always, stats only tell one side of the story. There was a clear, subjective improvement from the OL this season. The transition at center notwithstanding, there is a lot of promise headed into '12, in my opinion.

 

I think the trio of young RBs we have is dynamite. But even without that, we have a HOSS to hang our hat on in Rex Burkhead. He'll run it into 9-man stacks, he don't care. Will we have an elite world running game? I don't think so. But she will be Ole Reliable, and if the key question of how to better incorporate the QB (scheme wise) as a different dimension within the attack, she may just head into Feral Beast territory. I am a fan of the zone-read and Wildcat (Rex? Jamal?) there.

 

Whereas, in the passing game, the concerns are a lot more basic. We do not have the kind of passing game that stresses a defense. Instead, it keys off of the running game and relies on being able to go deep on heavy run fronts. That happens sometimes, sure...but when it doesn't and when it isn't set up, it's a basic attack that is easily shut down. Even when it does happen, it's hard to sustain, because it doesn't really stand on its own, something the run game is asked to do regularly.

 

That makes it a limiting factor. The pass is almost a gadget play, something to hopefully catch the D off guard with every now and then. We have the playmakers to get a lot more mileage out of the passing game and I think Beck wants that. We are simply right now unable to unlock it from a scheme standpoint (imo).

 

This is what I think we could have. A great set of pass-catching RBs (would make a living off of those rollouts). A WR group that includes deep threat burners, the YAC guys, and a physical presence. A consistent, solid TE in Cotton and an Aaron Hernandez, are-you-kidding-me mismatch in Kyler Reed. In other words, a lot of different aerial directions to go to. That puts a lot of stress on the defense because we are able to exploit it in any direction, and it would allow the Pass and Run to feed off of one another, rather than be in a provider-dependent relationship.

 

That all hinges on if we can open up the passing game, from a scheme standpoint. Unquestionably everyone has to get better, but I focus on this just because it would have such a transformative effect on the offense. It would raise production across the board, and have an enabling effect on a number of different positions.

 

If we can do that, the sky is the limit. If not, there will almost guaranteed be "those" games. You know what I'm talking about. Something or other isn't working to perfection and it snowballs into nothing running at all, because we can't give it a spark from a different direction.

[NoLongerN]

Agree Zoogies. Wish others saw it this way as well. In the end, I think the coaches see it. Even how good the offense is, it has major upside. It's the DL that worries me at this point. We need to get a push.

[Hunter94]

Burkhead left, Burkehead right......Abdullah and others will get very few touches....once again.

[kchusker_chris]

Burkhead left, Burkehead right......Abdullah and others will get very few touches....once again.

not sure I really have a major problem w/ this. I don't think he should touch the ball 35 times a game next season...but I don't think he'll have to. Martinez will be able to carry a larger load. in theory the WR group should be improved. Look to see the offense distribute the ball a little more out of the backfield. I see Rex's carries dropping, but his catches increasing - see Lucky's senior year.

[knapplc]

not sure I really have a major problem w/ this. I don't think he should touch the ball 35 times a game next season...but I don't think he'll have to. Martinez will be able to carry a larger load. in theory the WR group should be improved. Look to see the offense distribute the ball a little more out of the backfield. I see Rex's carries dropping, but his catches increasing - see Lucky's senior year.

 

This sounds suspiciously like sunshine-pumping, and I'll have you know that that's my job. You'll have to speak to the Union about this if you keep it up.