Paradoxical Seasons

[walksalone]

We didn't need Linebackers in the Big 12 at all. Suh masked a lot of our issues at that position because at times he was our linebackers.

 

Suh did do that, but also, that defense was built for guys like Lavonte... Tweeners that were a little too small for LB, but a bit too big for a DB....

[EZ-E]

We didn't need Linebackers in the Big 12 at all. Suh masked a lot of our issues at that position because at times he was our linebackers.

 

Suh did do that, but also, that defense was built for guys like Lavonte... Tweeners that were a little too small for LB, but a bit too big for a DB....

 

Agree completely with you. Our defense really only required one maybe two tops. Linebackers that is.

 

Sean Fisher would have been a very good Big 12 LB.

[Mavric]

We didn't need Linebackers in the Big 12 at all. Suh masked a lot of our issues at that position because at times he was our linebackers.

 

Suh did do that, but also, that defense was built for guys like Lavonte... Tweeners that were a little too small for LB, but a bit too big for a DB....

 

Agree completely with you. Our defense really only required one maybe two tops. Linebackers that is.

 

Sean Fisher would have been a very good Big 12 LB.

But look at the teams we've lost to. Other than the SEC teams, they've mostly been spread teams like what we faced in the Big XII. Only Wisconsin is a more "traditional" offense.

 

2011 - Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan

2012 - UCLA, Ohio St., Wisconsin

[308_Husker]

We didn't need Linebackers in the Big 12 at all. Suh masked a lot of our issues at that position because at times he was our linebackers.

 

Suh did do that, but also, that defense was built for guys like Lavonte... Tweeners that were a little too small for LB, but a bit too big for a DB....

 

Agree completely with you. Our defense really only required one maybe two tops. Linebackers that is.

 

Sean Fisher would have been a very good Big 12 LB.

 

I could not disagree more with you. Sean Fisher would have been benched had we gone up against the spread happy offenses of the Big 12. Whenever we played teams with good team speed, Fisher was a slower than molasses in a blizzard. The only thing that Fisher really brought to the table was his size and being the last one to the ball. He might have led the team in pats on the back.

[Count 'Bility]

We didn't need Linebackers in the Big 12 at all. Suh masked a lot of our issues at that position because at times he was our linebackers.

 

Suh did do that, but also, that defense was built for guys like Lavonte... Tweeners that were a little too small for LB, but a bit too big for a DB....

 

Agree completely with you. Our defense really only required one maybe two tops. Linebackers that is.

 

Sean Fisher would have been a very good Big 12 LB.

But look at the teams we've lost to. Other than the SEC teams, they've mostly been spread teams like what we faced in the Big XII. Only Wisconsin is a more "traditional" offense.

 

2011 - Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan

2012 - UCLA, Ohio St., Wisconsin

Maybe spread offenses from a formation standpoint, but the ways they used the spread were entirely different. The teams in the Big 10 that have spread offenses had tremendously talented running qb's and utilized their feet in a much more balanced attack. The Big12? Well, it was sling it all over the yard with predominantly pocket style qb's. They were somewhat mobile, yes, but they were no Cain Colter. They were no Dennard Robinson, and sure the hell were no Braxton Miller. Our defense in the Big 12 was predicated on assuming pass every play, extensive film study and understanding the opponent's route tendancies out of all and any formations, and then topping it off by allowing Suh to pretty much single-handidly contain the opponent's run game. In the Big 10, some of the offenses may have still been spread, but were much more balanced. Now all a sudden our secondary has to become extremely involved in defending the run. This is not what they had been accustomed to. Now, pair that with a thin d-line and linebacker core, that also became extremely beat up and really wasnt all that talented to begin with, and it's no wonder we had the issues we had.

[Mavric]

Maybe spread offenses from a formation standpoint, but the ways they used the spread were entirely different. The teams in the Big 10 that have spread offenses had tremendously talented running qb's and utilized their feet in a much more balanced attack. The Big12? Well, it was sling it all over the yard with predominantly pocket style qb's. They were somewhat mobile, yes, but they were no Cain Colter. They were no Dennard Robinson, and sure the hell were no Braxton Miller. Our defense in the Big 12 was predicated on assuming pass every play, extensive film study and understanding the opponent's route tendancies out of all and any formations, and then topping it off by allowing Suh to pretty much single-handidly contain the opponent's run game. In the Big 10, some of the offenses may have still been spread, but were much more balanced. Now all a sudden our secondary has to become extremely involved in defending the run. This is not what they had been accustomed to. Now, pair that with a thin d-line and linebacker core, that also became extremely beat up and really wasnt all that talented to begin with, and it's no wonder we had the issues we had.

I agree that we are facing much different quarterbacks than we used to. But that doesn't have really anything to do with the personnel we have on the field. We still play with only two linebackers or sometimes one, just like when we were in the Big XII. Just watched the NW game from last year on BTN. We spent basically the entire game with either two LBs on the field - usually Compton and Santos - or just one with Cooper and Evans playing the slots, Smith and Stafford at the safties and SJB and a rotating corner on the outsides. Sounds pretty familiar to me.

[EZ-E]

We didn't need Linebackers in the Big 12 at all. Suh masked a lot of our issues at that position because at times he was our linebackers.

 

Suh did do that, but also, that defense was built for guys like Lavonte... Tweeners that were a little too small for LB, but a bit too big for a DB....

 

Agree completely with you. Our defense really only required one maybe two tops. Linebackers that is.

 

Sean Fisher would have been a very good Big 12 LB.

 

I could not disagree more with you. Sean Fisher would have been benched had we gone up against the spread happy offenses of the Big 12. Whenever we played teams with good team speed, Fisher was a slower than molasses in a blizzard. The only thing that Fisher really brought to the table was his size and being the last one to the ball. He might have led the team in pats on the back.

 

He was the Number 1 LB on our depth chart before he broke his leg in '10.

 

With his long arms and range he would have been able to get into the passing lanes and knock the ball down.

 

In the Big 12 he also wouldn't have to get up to the LOS and play with good leverage.

[The King]

We didn't need Linebackers in the Big 12 at all. Suh masked a lot of our issues at that position because at times he was our linebackers.

 

Suh did do that, but also, that defense was built for guys like Lavonte... Tweeners that were a little too small for LB, but a bit too big for a DB....

 

Agree completely with you. Our defense really only required one maybe two tops. Linebackers that is.

 

Sean Fisher would have been a very good Big 12 LB.

 

I could not disagree more with you. Sean Fisher would have been benched had we gone up against the spread happy offenses of the Big 12. Whenever we played teams with good team speed, Fisher was a slower than molasses in a blizzard. The only thing that Fisher really brought to the table was his size and being the last one to the ball. He might have led the team in pats on the back.

 

He was the Number 1 LB on our depth chart before he broke his leg in '10.

 

With his long arms and range he would have been able to get into the passing lanes and knock the ball down.

 

In the Big 12 he also wouldn't have to get up to the LOS and play with good leverage.

 

Gonna actually agree with 308 here.

 

Pre-injury Fisher was a WHOLE lot different than post injury Fisher. Confidence was probably the big thing - just wasn't decisive enough and/or seemingly was playing a little scared or passively - maybe in fear of injury, who knows. The B1G didn't do him any favors, but I doubt he is "good" in any conference the way he played.

[MLB 51]

I have to agree with 308 as well. Fisher was never the same after the leg injury.

[Count 'Bility]

Sean Fisher's physique wouldve been the ultimate neutralizer in defending the lengthy TE's used in the Big 12, thus allowing us to keep that extra linebacker on the field. Not to mention, we'll never know how goof he coulda been had a not broken his leg *cough matt herian cough*

[HuskerLuke]

I think pretty much anything people throw out there in this thread (except "Bo suddenly got stupid") is a factor in the trends the OP mentioned.

 

On offense: replacing Shawn Watson with Tim Beck was a huge step forward for our offense. I don't mean that in a denigrating way toward Watson, who I think is a really good OC, but he's a WCO guy and he couldn't run Bo's spread effectively so it was time to part ways. Bo's best personnel move by far since he became head coach.

 

On defense: The conference change hurt. In 2009 and 2010 the teams that had any luck at all moving the ball against us did it by running the ball straight at us. Go figure that would be an issue when the same personnel and schemes were matched up against teams that were better than any Big 12 school at 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Talent is also a clear issue. Suh was irreplaceable, but our talent up front has not been adequate. The good news is that I think our linebackers and especially our secondary are in good shape, so we're likely just a couple solid players and one difference maker away from having a really good defense again. The last factor I think is probably the least problematic, but probably didn't help: losing Carl and replacing him with Papuchis. I doubt Papuchis is a liability, because at the end of the day, it's Bo's defense, I just have my doubts that he's the asset that Carl was. Also, somewhere a ways up someone mentioned Marvin Sanders, and I agree. His secondaries were nasty, going right to the edge of defensive holding/DPI every single play. Loved it.

[In the Deed the Glory]

That 09 D would have been dominant in the B1G also. It is not a good example. 2010 would have struggled a lot, however.

[Count 'Bility]

That 09 D would have been dominant in the B1G also. It is not a good example. 2010 would have struggled a lot, however.

Exactly. The '09 D was literally a once-in-a-generation type unit. Using them for this comparison is really skewed. Suh did so much not only hisself, but also to free up the other guys on the line and the guys behind them. NOTHING worked against that '09 unit. However, the '10 bunch, though very solid, was more built to defend the big12 style. Very heavy on the secondary and thin on the front 7. And yes, the teams that ran it right at them had considerable success. The '10 unit as it was would not have been as good had it faced the Big 10 crop of offenses in my opinion.

[xkbubo]

I have to agree with 308 as well. Fisher was never the same after the leg injury.

 

Yeah. Same thing with Matt Herian

[EZ-E]

Sean Fisher's physique wouldve been the ultimate neutralizer in defending the lengthy TE's used in the Big 12, thus allowing us to keep that extra linebacker on the field. Not to mention, we'll never know how goof he coulda been had a not broken his leg *cough matt herian cough*

 

The BIG asked him to do everything he was awful at.