defense vs. sparty

[Husker from Kansas]

Does anybody think our defense will continue to improve this week. And also will the dline line up all standing up again like last year?

[walksalone]

Unless their QB has some semblance of wheels, it's not going to be easy for him...

[EZ-E]

I feel as though we have really improved stopping the run in recent weeks. That RB from Michigan that killed us last year was basically non-existent.

 

If you would have told me that we were going to be missing Burkhead for a good portion of the year to this point and we were going to be 6-2 with a win against Michigan and in the driver seat to win our side of the BIG, I probably would have been okay with that.

[walksalone]

I feel as though we have really improved stopping the run in recent weeks. That RB from Michigan that killed us last year was basically non-existent.

 

If you would have told me that we were going to be missing Burkhead for a good portion of the year to this point and we were going to be 6-2 with a win against Michigan and in the driver seat to win our side of the BIG, I probably would have been okay with that.

 

Ya know what, I'd have to agree with you on that completely...

 

perspective is a motherf'er

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I feel as though we have really improved stopping the run in recent weeks. That RB from Michigan that killed us last year was basically non-existent.

 

If you would have told me that we were going to be missing Burkhead for a good portion of the year to this point and we were going to be 6-2 with a win against Michigan and in the driver seat to win our side of the BIG, I probably would have been okay with that.

Michigan had a total of 95 yards rushing the ball. It's a far cry better than last year. If MSU's QB is more of a pocket passer, it could be a long night for him if our Linebackers and D-line repeat last nights performance

[Husker_x]

Michigan State is a beatable team. Nebraska is also a beatable team. Our situation is made scarier in that when we get beat, we tend to do it to ourselves, which makes it unpredictable.

 

On Burkhead--I was hoping we'd get a chance to see him peak, but it looks like the injury might prevent that from happening (does he have a stated timetable for returning?). In any case, between Ameer, Braylon, and Imani, I wasn't really that concerned to begin with. Disappointed, though, because I wanted to see if he had one more gear to hit before his time was done, and man did he look good early. Sad circumstance. I really wish there was some medical redshirt route still available (is there?).

[4skers89]

I like how our secondary has looked the last couple of games but see room for improvement. I'd like to see them get some tough picks on Maxwell. I've been thinking for a while that if he started to get more accurate and Sparty's receivers could catch, their offense would be dangerous. Hopefully we can continue to make it look bad. If our run defense maintains its UM game performance by keeping Bell in check, I like our chances.

[Danny Bateman]

I feel as though we have really improved stopping the run in recent weeks. That RB from Michigan that killed us last year was basically non-existent.

 

If you would have told me that we were going to be missing Burkhead for a good portion of the year to this point and we were going to be 6-2 with a win against Michigan and in the driver seat to win our side of the BIG, I probably would have been okay with that.

Michigan had a total of 95 yards rushing the ball. It's a far cry better than last year. If MSU's QB is more of a pocket passer, it could be a long night for him if our Linebackers and D-line repeat last nights performance

All of the QB's we face from here on out will be pocket passers.

 

Gray for Minny would've been the only dual threat, but he has apparently shifted to WR and they're going with a true frosh at QB, both to get the frosh some experience and showcase Gray as a WR to boost his NFL stock.

 

I'm not sure if the move is permanent, but I'm thinking it probably is. The rest of the QB's we face from here on out fit RIGHT into our wheelhouse. Feeling VERY good about the rest of our schedule.

 

Side note... Having grown up in Iowa, and paying more attention to their games then some... their QB is just god-awful right now. If I had to guarantee one win from here on out, it would be them. Even over Minnesota.

[whateveritis1224]

While our secondary isn't up to 2010's standards, it still is a superb secondary and I don't think there is a team on our schedule that has good enough WRs to beat us the whole game. Penn State has the best offense the rest of the way, but they run an offense with a QB that Pelini has feasted on in the past.

 

If we're able to keep out of our own way and don't shoot ourselves in the foot, I don't think we win by less than 10. But this team is way to schizophrenic to be able to count on anything. All I can say is the next 4 weeks will be interesting.

[B.B. Hemingway]

You would think their offense plays right into our hands.... Levon Bell doesnt worry me too much, because of the way we stopped him last year, and the way we've handled the RB's at Wisky, Northwestern, and Michigan.... Our play against really good RB's in conference is very encouraging.... Michigan St. defense is very good as well, so will our offense struggle? We'll see i suppose, but I have a feeling that we can beat them laterally.... I expect Abdullah to have another 120-150 yard game, but the score should be low... Somewhere around 17-10 or so....

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I feel as though we have really improved stopping the run in recent weeks. That RB from Michigan that killed us last year was basically non-existent.

 

If you would have told me that we were going to be missing Burkhead for a good portion of the year to this point and we were going to be 6-2 with a win against Michigan and in the driver seat to win our side of the BIG, I probably would have been okay with that.

Michigan had a total of 95 yards rushing the ball. It's a far cry better than last year. If MSU's QB is more of a pocket passer, it could be a long night for him if our Linebackers and D-line repeat last nights performance

All of the QB's we face from here on out will be pocket passers.

 

Gray for Minny would've been the only dual threat, but he has apparently shifted to WR and they're going with a true frosh at QB, both to get the frosh some experience and showcase Gray as a WR to boost his NFL stock.

 

I'm not sure if the move is permanent, but I'm thinking it probably is. The rest of the QB's we face from here on out fit RIGHT into our wheelhouse. Feeling VERY good about the rest of our schedule.

 

Side note... Having grown up in Iowa, and paying more attention to their games then some... their QB is just god-awful right now. If I had to guarantee one win from here on out, it would be them. Even over Minnesota.

I guess our only real concern would be the Huskers laying a big deuce during a game (Minney and Iowa worry me in that respect).

[Converted Red]

I think Bo's defense is flexible enough to defend a pro style offense and spread offense with the exception of a dual threat qb of course so I think our D will play lights out next Saturday against Maxwell/Bell. Really can't imagine Mich St. hanging more than 17 on us. It could be a low scoring fight and if so, I like our offense' chances.

[HuskerShark]

I was just thinking that I would love to see the amoeba look again that we showed on 3rd downs during the MSU game last season. It confused the hell out of Kirk Cousins, so I can only imagine what it would do to Maxwell.

[MSUFAN4320]

I think 21 offensive points is our ceiling for this game, with 13-16 being more likely. While the offense is steadily getting better, it's still not translating to points. The receivers are finally hanging onto the ball, and Maxwell has been delivering some nice throws and making good decisions, but something always ends up happening, and the drive stalls. Penalties have been a big killer. Bell hasn't been much of a factor because our run-blocking is abysmal. Our OL has been shuffling all year long due to injuries.

 

Fortunately, our defense is playing on another level right now. They are keeping us in games. If MSU is going to win this game, it's going to have to be another ugly, physical contest with the final score being something like 17-13.

 

I don't think we match up well with Nebraska. I see you guys winning the game by a TD, possibly more. Fatigue is also a concern for me. We don't get our bye week until AFTER our game with you. Only thing that gives me hope is home field advantage and a big win on the road over Wisconsin, which will hopefully give our offense a lot of confidence coming into this game.

[Mavric]

A couple weeks ago, many though Bo was crazy for saying we had to win out. Not trying to get to far ahead but that now looks like a real possibility.

 

I've said since before the year started that I didn't understand the hype for MSU. They are 93rd in rushing, 111th in scoring and they are 3-3 against non-MAC schools with those three wins coming by a combined 11 points. As has been said before, if we don't flush ourselves, I really like our chances this week.