Nebraska needs to be competitive again

[The Duke]

First of all I am a Bo Pelini supporter. Compared to his predecessor, he has done a great job for Nebraska thus far. We have won at least 9 games every year since he's been here, and we have been to a bowl game each of those years. Yes, he hasn't won a conference championship yet, but I think in another year or two that will change.

 

One thing that does concern me to this point about Bo Pelini's Nebraska teams has been a lack of discipline. However, what is more troubling is a lack of competitiveness. What I mean by that is when a game begins to not go our way, our team slowly loses focus as the game continues and we get stuck on that slippery slope of giving up, folding it in, and calling it a day. It doesn't anger me if Nebraska loses a game or two each season, you can't win them all every year. What does concern me is when we have the blow-out losses or losses where we just flat give up.

 

I came across some interesting bit of information about Tom Osborne's tenure at Nebraska that I would like everyone to review:

In his quarter-century as head coach, Osborne was a model of consistency. His teams never won fewer than nine games in a season, finished in the top 15 of the final AP poll 24 years out of 25 (having finished 24th in 1990), and were ranked in every single weekly AP poll barring one week in 1977 and two in 1981.

 

Lately, Nebraska has been lucky to have been in the bottom Top 25 over the last few years. In order for Nebraska to become a perennial Top 15 team every season once again it is my belief that the blow-out losses must come to an end. Nebraska has to become competitive again in every game they play.

 

In Bo Pelini's tenure at Nebraska he has already had 6 blow-out losses:

 

2008

October 4 Missouri vs Nebraska Missouri 52 Nebraska 17

November 1 Nebraska vs Oklahoma Nebraska 28 Oklahoma 62

 

2009

October 17 Texas Tech vs Nebraska Texas Tech 31 Nebraska 10

 

2010

No blow-out losses

 

2011

October 1 Nebraska vs Wisconsin Nebraska 17 Wisconsin 48

November 19 Nebraska vs Michigan Nebraska 17 Michigan 45

January 2 Nebraska vs South Carolina Nebraska 13 South Carolina 30

 

 

 

Now I know that this is not exactly a fair comparison between Bo and Coach Osborne, I know that Osborne had his share of blow-out losses as well during his 25 years. In my opinion though, if Nebraska is going to take that next step to being among the nation's elite we have to turn the tide away from having these kind of blow-out losses every season. Even more important team discipline needs to increase from both the players and coaches. Finally, I still say that we must bring back naming permanent team captains for the entire season.

 

I know there will be many different view points and opinions on this topic, I am just throwing this all out there for discussion, and I am looking forward to reading the responses.

 

GO BIG RED!

[n.e.husker]

I wouldnt call the USC game or texas tech 09 game blowouts. I agree with the others.( I'd cut him some slack in 08, he had to change the culture around)

[The Duke]

I wouldnt call the USC game or texas tech 09 game blowouts. I agree with the others.( I'd cut him some slack in 08, he had to change the culture around)

I will grant you that. The South Carolina game and Texas Tech game in 2009 were not major blowouts, but they were not exactly competitive either. I will definitely grant you the fact about 2008 and changing the culture. As I said I knew it wasn't exactly a fair comparison, but I do think you could agree that in our biggest games recently we have lacked that focus, toughness, and competitive will power that many of the nation's elite teams have.

 

I appreciate your viewpoints and the discussion. I look forward to hearing what you & others have to say on this topic.

[Stickney]

I wouldnt call the USC game or texas tech 09 game blowouts. I agree with the others.( I'd cut him some slack in 08, he had to change the culture around)

 

Has the culture changed? NU still seems remakably mistake-prone, penalty getting, undisciplined, and most problematic, unable to get out of its own way. When problems mount, they just keep mounting.

 

 

That The OSU comeback is looking more and more like a complete aberration.

[n.e.husker]

I wouldnt call the USC game or texas tech 09 game blowouts. I agree with the others.( I'd cut him some slack in 08, he had to change the culture around)

I will grant you that. The South Carolina game and Texas Tech game in 2009 were not major blowouts, but they were not exactly competitive either. I will definitely grant you the fact about 2008 and changing the culture. As I said I knew it wasn't exactly a fair comparison, but I do think you could agree that in our biggest games recently we have lacked that focus, toughness, and competitive will power that many of the nation's elite teams have.

 

I appreciate your viewpoints and the discussion. I look forward to hearing what you & others have to say on this topic.

I think our teams lack of focus starts at the top, the head coach. Once he loses his cool, the teams follows.

 

Bo will grow, he has shown better restraint this year. I love his fire, i just hope he can channel it into better performance, not meltdowns.

[n.e.husker]

I wouldnt call the USC game or texas tech 09 game blowouts. I agree with the others.( I'd cut him some slack in 08, he had to change the culture around)

 

Has the culture changed? NU still seems remakably mistake-prone, penalty getting, undisciplined, and most problematic, unable to get out of its own way. When problems mount, they just keep mounting.

 

 

That The OSU comeback is looking more and more like a complete aberration.

 

Yes the culture has changed 180 degrees from the teams that the previous coach put on the field.

[Hoosker]

I agree with the blowouts. You never really see good teams get an a$$ kicking like we did a couple times this year. I would say that majority of those blowouts (at least the ones this season) have been because of our screw-ups, not because we just get plain beat. This is what I can't stand. I'm on your side about being satisfied with not going undefeated every year. It just isn't a fair thing to expect of a program. I would be fine with 1 or 2 losses each year, but it's the way they lose those games is what frustrates me the most.

 

I don't mind Bo getting a little animated on the sideline if our team can use that anger to motivate them to do better and rally around him, but the results on the field have been the exact opposite. They seem to lack discipline and they don't handle adversity well. I think the performance in the bowl game was very disheartening for many reasons. I also don't think that Bo should go anywhere. He has proven that he can put a team on the field that can win 9-10 games a season and that, if not for the mental errors and a little jobbing by the officials, was capable of winning more than that.

 

My thoughts on the entire state of the program are that we aren't an elite team. We are a top 25 team, but we do get blown out just enough to not be considered elite.

[Hunter94]

I wouldnt call the USC game or texas tech 09 game blowouts. I agree with the others.( I'd cut him some slack in 08, he had to change the culture around)

 

Has the culture changed? NU still seems remakably mistake-prone, penalty getting, undisciplined, and most problematic, unable to get out of its own way. When problems mount, they just keep mounting.

 

 

That The OSU comeback is looking more and more like a complete aberration.

 

 

exactly, these mistakes and penalities seem like issues Bo cannot get his kids to overcome......it's coaching folks!! good teams don't lose their composure like Pelini's kids.......i have little faith this will get fixed under Bo.

[Excel]

I don't know about those Big XII games but in those Big Ten blow outs Nebraska WAS competitive....for a while at least. 17-10 against UM at half and 7-7 against UW going into the second quarter. Yea, they turned into blowouts but they weren't destined to be that way from the start. I think the problem must be discipline, motivation and resiliency...not talent. Maybe there are some depth and conditioning issues as well but I don't know anything about NU's situation there...

[majech]

I don't know about those Big XII games but in those Big Ten blow outs Nebraska WAS competitive....for a while at least. 17-10 against UM at half and 7-7 against UW going into the second quarter. Yea, they turned into blowouts but they weren't destined to be that way from the start. I think the problem must be discipline, motivation and resiliency...not talent. Maybe there are some depth and conditioning issues as well but I don't know anything about NU's situation there...

 

Nebraska doesn't play football to be close in the 1st half, we play to win...every game. 48-17 is an ass-kicking, don't sugar coat it. I don't care if it is tied at the end of the 3rd, 48-17 is an ass-kicking. A win is a win, a loss is a loss, and an ass-kicking is an ass-kicking. We've gotten our asses kicked at least twice this season and have 2 more losses that we were good enough to win, but choked it away. Not acceptable. Maybe that gets it done in Cheese land, but not Husker land.

[Excel]

I don't know about those Big XII games but in those Big Ten blow outs Nebraska WAS competitive....for a while at least. 17-10 against UM at half and 7-7 against UW going into the second quarter. Yea, they turned into blowouts but they weren't destined to be that way from the start. I think the problem must be discipline, motivation and resiliency...not talent. Maybe there are some depth and conditioning issues as well but I don't know anything about NU's situation there...

 

Nebraska doesn't play football to be close in the 1st half, we play to win...every game. 48-17 is an ass-kicking, don't sugar coat it. I don't care if it is tied at the end of the 3rd, 48-17 is an ass-kicking. A win is a win, a loss is a loss, and an ass-kicking is an ass-kicking. We've gotten our asses kicked at least twice this season and have 2 more losses that we were good enough to win, but choked it away. Not acceptable. Maybe that gets it done in Cheese land, but not Husker land.

Didn't mean to sugar coat it...you guys got your asses handed to you without a doubt but I was saying you need to work on the mental areas of the game...the intangibles. You can play with these teams for a quarter or two but then fall apart....why? I think its mental.

[majech]

I don't know about those Big XII games but in those Big Ten blow outs Nebraska WAS competitive....for a while at least. 17-10 against UM at half and 7-7 against UW going into the second quarter. Yea, they turned into blowouts but they weren't destined to be that way from the start. I think the problem must be discipline, motivation and resiliency...not talent. Maybe there are some depth and conditioning issues as well but I don't know anything about NU's situation there...

 

Nebraska doesn't play football to be close in the 1st half, we play to win...every game. 48-17 is an ass-kicking, don't sugar coat it. I don't care if it is tied at the end of the 3rd, 48-17 is an ass-kicking. A win is a win, a loss is a loss, and an ass-kicking is an ass-kicking. We've gotten our asses kicked at least twice this season and have 2 more losses that we were good enough to win, but choked it away. Not acceptable. Maybe that gets it done in Cheese land, but not Husker land.

Didn't mean to sugar coat it...you guys got your asses handed to you without a doubt but I was saying you need to work on the mental areas of the game...the intangibles. You can play with these teams for a quarter or two but then fall apart....why? I think its mental.

 

Without question. That is what frustrates me the most. I'd rather get beat by a better team than give it away. I don't think we were better than Wiscy, but we should have been a hell of a lot closer than 48-17. Embarrassing.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

So wait, you're telling me we're a few 2nd half meltdowns away from being 12-1?

[junior4949]

I don't know about those Big XII games but in those Big Ten blow outs Nebraska WAS competitive....for a while at least. 17-10 against UM at half and 7-7 against UW going into the second quarter. Yea, they turned into blowouts but they weren't destined to be that way from the start. I think the problem must be discipline, motivation and resiliency...not talent. Maybe there are some depth and conditioning issues as well but I don't know anything about NU's situation there...

 

We have a winner. In 2011 we showed very little resiliency at all. An INT against Wisconsin set the stage for a massive blowout. A hail mary pass against South Carolina set the stage for another one. I really have no answer for why this is. Watching Clemson implode last night reminded me a lot of watching us this season.

[Blaze1up]

What gets me was all this talk about how brutal our schedule was then losing some games like 99.9% of all teams do every season most of them much worse then us and suddenly we have a Billy C crisis. Really not a bad season dealing with the many injuries and a 2 year QB. We lose a bowl game to a very good SC team, if it wasn't a NC or playoff does it really matter. We need to improve we all know that a 9 win season is unexceptable, I stand by my team, take my medicine and pray for better football next season.

 

This article says it best

 

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/sports/football/college/huskers-humbled-by-st-big-ten-season/article_a69d3e3a-becb-5597-bfa3-5f608f91c782.html