**** What Did We Learn ****

[Manny Bob]

This Legends Division thing feels like the Big 12 North all over again...

[Landlord]

Can't remember a worse loss in my lifetime. 2008 OU was a rough one, but I knew going into the game that they were a great team and that we were adjusting to a new coaching staff. This, however, being year 5 of the Pelini regime with a defense full of upperclassmen stings worse than the 09 Texas game.

 

Neither can I. Unfortunately you are exactly correct--year 5 of the Pelini Project and this is what we do on national TV against an unranked team?? And don't try telling me about Osborne and patience, Osborne wasn't getting the wheels blown off his team by mediocre Iowa State or Kansas squads. I don't recall Osborne taking on a 7-5 team and losing by more than 10 points or so. Yeah you can fire Ross Els, but does anyone think Ross Els is the reason we suffered the worst loss in our history tonight??

 

 

Two things...

 

1. Tom Osborne is the greatest coach in the history of college football. How is it that we still use him as our base comparison?

 

2. This Wisconsin team is not even close to the same level as the patsy ISU's and KSU's of yesteryear. Their 5 losses were all incredibly contested football games, against good competition. They are a good football team too.

[knapplc]

Disagree. That game was more heartbreaking, but even today it's one of the greatest sources of pride for Nebraska fans. 30 years from now, fans are going to want to remove this game from the records like a wrinkly tattoo that your friend-nemesis tricked you into getting after slipping you some roofies.

 

Disagree all you want. In the aftermath of that loss, people wanted Osborne fired, they were down on the program, and this state was in a funk for a year. People will forget about this loss soon enough. It's just another of many for Pelini. But that 1983 loss stuck with people for a long time. It was different.

 

People aren't going to forget about this loss soon. You don't get humiliated like that in a conference championship game and forget about it. I'm not saying this is the worst loss ever, but it is really, really bad.

 

It's bad, I'll agree. But it's going to become just another blowout loss in time. Unless there's a noticeable downturn in the entire program after this, nobody is going to look back at this game as "the time" that the wheels came off. It's just one of many times the wheels have come off. That it happened in a CCG is not much different than when it happened on prime time TV in any other blowout loss. And there have been several of those to choose from in the recent past.

[Epic-Nemesis]

Disagree. That game was more heartbreaking, but even today it's one of the greatest sources of pride for Nebraska fans. 30 years from now, fans are going to want to remove this game from the records like a wrinkly tattoo that your friend-nemesis tricked you into getting after slipping you some roofies.

 

Disagree all you want. In the aftermath of that loss, people wanted Osborne fired, they were down on the program, and this state was in a funk for a year. People will forget about this loss soon enough. It's just another of many for Pelini. But that 1983 loss stuck with people for a long time. It was different.

 

People aren't going to forget about this loss soon. You don't get humiliated like that in a conference championship game and forget about it. I'm not saying this is the worst loss ever, but it is really, really bad.

 

I think this loss was really hard for us because we had some hope that things were changing and improving. Things were finally falling our way. We had a chance to be champions again and it has been a long time. We have been so close in the last 10 years but seems just a bit out of our grasp. A loss is a loss sure, but a blowout really is disheartening in that we were never close in the game. Yet another year goes by and another wait until next year. We do have the bowl game but this loss makes it seem a bit meh leaving us just hoping we make a somewhat decent showing.

[corncraze]

We learned that we are seen as a joke around the country.

[knapplc]

It's also important to note that we just came off yet another close win, in a season of close wins, full of gut-check performances. It's possible this loss isn't like the others, and that this has much more to do with the teams' emotional batteries being pretty much tapped at this point.

 

We played the six toughest teams in this conference and went 5-2 against them in seven games. That's not a minor feat.

[mquerry]

Disagree. That game was more heartbreaking, but even today it's one of the greatest sources of pride for Nebraska fans. 30 years from now, fans are going to want to remove this game from the records like a wrinkly tattoo that your friend-nemesis tricked you into getting after slipping you some roofies.

 

Disagree all you want. In the aftermath of that loss, people wanted Osborne fired, they were down on the program, and this state was in a funk for a year. People will forget about this loss soon enough. It's just another of many for Pelini. But that 1983 loss stuck with people for a long time. It was different.

 

People aren't going to forget about this loss soon. You don't get humiliated like that in a conference championship game and forget about it. I'm not saying this is the worst loss ever, but it is really, really bad.

 

I think this loss was really hard for us because we had some hope that things were changing and improving. Things were finally falling our way. We had a chance to be champions again and it has been a long time. We have been so close in the last 10 years but seems just a bit out of our grasp. A loss is a loss sure, but a blowout really is disheartening in that we were never close in the game. Yet another year goes by and another wait until next year. We do have the bowl game but this loss makes it seem a bit meh leaving us just hoping we make a somewhat decent showing.

I'm going to agree with that. We thought we had improved vastly from our first meeting whereas Wisky had lost several games. We thought our defense was much better. We thought our offense was the cat's meow. We thought Wisky was hurting and on the way down since they had to back into the championship game by way of default.

 

What we forgot was to game plan for anything other than Ball running up the gut. We got beat by a 7-5 team using their 3rd string QB. No other excuse.

[clyde40]

It's also important to note that we just came off yet another close win, in a season of close wins, full of gut-check performances. It's possible this loss isn't like the others, and that this has much more to do with the teams' emotional batteries being pretty much tapped at this point.

 

We played the six toughest teams in this conference and went 5-2 against them in seven games. That's not a minor feat.

No these teams are mediocre and we made them look better than what they are

[hskrpwr13]

Disagree. That game was more heartbreaking, but even today it's one of the greatest sources of pride for Nebraska fans. 30 years from now, fans are going to want to remove this game from the records like a wrinkly tattoo that your friend-nemesis tricked you into getting after slipping you some roofies.

 

Disagree all you want. In the aftermath of that loss, people wanted Osborne fired, they were down on the program, and this state was in a funk for a year. People will forget about this loss soon enough. It's just another of many for Pelini. But that 1983 loss stuck with people for a long time. It was different.

 

Knapp, normally you and I are on the same page, but I gotta agree with Hercules. That wasn't a "program changing" loss. Everyone still knew that NU was a quality, top-10 type program after that loss. That game definitely helped Miami's program, which probably led to NU losing some recruits to Miami. This loss is another indication that perhaps Pelini doesn't really know how to properly prepare or coach up a team when on the "big stage". This game 'could' be a killer in recruiting, thus retarding the progress so far under Pelini. That's why I'd define today as a worse loss than that one. But like Hercules typed, the '83 game was more heartbreaking. '83 didn't cause most to question the direction of the program, these 63/70 point embarrassments do.

[knapplc]

Aside from the fact that this happened about 90 minutes ago, what magically makes this a "program changing loss?"

[The Dude]

I don't think it's program changing.

 

It could have been program changing, had we won.

 

 

This is more of a business as usual deal, only a little worse than usual, and on a much bigger stage. Which is concerning.

[Count 'Bility]

 

We've gotten our asses handed to us several times in the past five years. If you're narrowing the sample size to only 'a stage such as this' then this loss stands alone. But this isn't even close to the first time we've lost like this.

 

Ok, let me rephrase the question.

 

Was this the worst loss in Husker history?

 

That was the spirit of the question anyways.

 

Without question, no. It was the 1983 Orange Bowl.

wow Knapp. what a swing. 70-31 loss to a one point last second loss. One extreme to the other. my land.

 

How did you feel after that loss? I guarantee that was worse for Husker nation than this.

I was only 2 months old. Wish I could tell you. haha.

[hskrpwr13]

 

 

Two things...

 

1. Tom Osborne is the greatest coach in the history of college football. How is it that we still use him as our base comparison?

 

 

Who should "we" use as our base comparison? How about Devaney? I'll never get on board with an attitude that implies that losses like today should be deemed acceptable because the current coach isn't Tom Osborne. If I were a 'Bama fan, I'd probably consider Bryant our best coach, but that wouldn't mean I'd not hold Saban to maintaining that standard (not necessarily W/L record).

[Landlord]

 

 

Two things...

 

1. Tom Osborne is the greatest coach in the history of college football. How is it that we still use him as our base comparison?

 

 

Who should "we" use as our base comparison? How about Devaney? I'll never get on board with an attitude that implies that losses like today should be deemed acceptable because the current coach isn't Tom Osborne. If I were a 'Bama fan, I'd probably consider Bryant our best coach, but that wouldn't mean I'd not hold Saban to maintaining that standard (not necessarily W/L record).

 

 

There is a middle road between "this is unacceptable because it's not as good as Tom Osborne did" and "this is acceptable because it's okay that it's not as good as Tom Osborne did".

 

Maxconvert is suggesting the former. I am not suggesting the latter.

[hskrpwr13]

Aside from the fact that this happened about 90 minutes ago, what magically makes this a "program changing loss?"

 

Knapp, the key word is "could". I think you'd be hard pressed to believe that Pelini needs better talent to make his scheme look competent against top competition. Embarrassing losses "can" affect recruiting. "Can" affect program support and perception. "Can" affect the bowl game performance. We won't know til the future, but I don't think its a leap to assume that a rousing win would've done much more for the entirety of the program than an embarrassing loss.