Post Game UCLA Tweets

[gbr93]

I understand that. I agree with him for the most part. I'm just saying Bo has shown the ability to out coach people in games. I know Mack Brown isn't a good coach now, but back then he was viewed as a top 3 coach in the country, and Bo made that guy look like he was coaching Pop Warner or something. Just another game that comes to mind in this discussion.

 

Maybe it was our ridiculous defensive talent, or maybe Bo was putting them in proper situations.

 

I think the difference is that you're arguing based on perception of how good people are, and I'm arguing based on how good I/we think they actually are.

 

So what if Mack Brown used to be considered top 3? Most educated Husker fans knew he was a mediocre head coach at best - he has been exposed publicly, which means our game against Texas doesn't really hold any weight.

 

So what if Missouri was ranked #6? We Husker fans knew they weren't, and never have been, the sixth best team in the country. We shut them down because their coach is a worse coach then Bo (congratulations Bo, you can outcoach worse coaches than you...?) and their team was a worse team than ours. We should have beat them hard and we did.

 

The only games that I can think of that Bo has, for the most part, had his team perform lights out better-than-expected were against Arizona and Georgia.

You don't think we over performed in the ccg against Texas? I guess you knew something not a single other person did. Yes they were the best defense we've had since the '90s, I forget, who was their coach. You can say they had all the talent in the world, but he still developed them and was able to manage them.

[MichiganDad3]

I think the goal is to keep Hundley contained. You don't want to blitz, take a defender away from coverage, and then have Hundley sidestep the blitzer -- something that he can easily do -- and take off into a wide open running lane. With guys who are effective at moving the pocket and also at taking off and running like this, containment is important and blitzing must be used judiciously, as it's risky.

I agree that containment is important with a QB like Hundley, but what about the other QB's we've faced? They seemed like pocket passers and good ones at that, at least we made them look good anyways. Containment isn't as important in that situation so blitz the guy and don't give him forever to stand in the pocket. It's gone on for years though, not just this season. Yeah you want guys to own that part of the turf on the defensive side so it cuts down on running lanes for him, but eventually you have to send in a blitz and do what you do. Bo says he wants our guys to loosen up and have fun and just play..........................LET THEM DO THAT THEN!!!! YOU'RE CONTRADICTING YOURSELF BO!!!!

 

Unleash the fury of the defense and let them get after the QB and be aggressive as hell with the defense. If it burns us a few times so what.............we are certainly getting burned with man to man coverage and patty cake at the defensive line in pretty much every game. Stop making Martinez be Peyton Manning because he isn't! Zone read and running is what Martinez is good at so let him do that with some passes mixed in to keep the defense on their toes. Now's the time to turn it around and just switch it up cause it certainly isn't going to hurt anything at this point. We definitely have the talent in the back field to run all over the place.

I have to agree with this, especially the bold part. Better to get burned once in a while instead of letting the other team drive the length of the field at will.

[TheSker]

Better to get burned once in a while instead of letting the other team drive the length of the field at will.

Or in UCLA's case.....half the length of the field.

[zoogs]

Better to get burned once in a while instead of letting the other team drive the length of the field at will.

 

Note the comments asking why when we miss a tackle there's nobody else in the same zip code. It's hard enough getting enough guys to cover the field against adangerous offense that spreads it out, as it is.

 

I suspect we'd all feel quite differently about 'better to get burned once' when it happens.

 

I think it comes back to, you need a dominant front four. So far it seems we have some of that, but not really. Blitzing can be a way to deal with that, but if you have issues up front it's going to cause you trouble, no matter what. And we're still, ultimately, talking about blitzing on a smallish percentage of plays. Even the teams that blitz often. So really, everything comes back to the effectiveness of the line. If they struggle everyone's behind the 8-ball.

[Hercules]

 

[skersfan]

Do they struggle because they are over matched, or is it the 2 gap scheme that locks them up.

[zoogs]

I don't even understand what same run fit means so if someone could break that down for me I'd be grateful.

[alwayshusking]

Better to get burned once in a while instead of letting the other team drive the length of the field at will.

 

Note the comments asking why when we miss a tackle there's nobody else in the same zip code. It's hard enough getting enough guys to cover the field against adangerous offense that spreads it out, as it is.

 

I suspect we'd all feel quite differently about 'better to get burned once' when it happens.

 

I think it comes back to, you need a dominant front four. So far it seems we have some of that, but not really. Blitzing can be a way to deal with that, but if you have issues up front it's going to cause you trouble, no matter what. And we're still, ultimately, talking about blitzing on a smallish percentage of plays. Even the teams that blitz often. So really, everything comes back to the effectiveness of the line. If they struggle everyone's behind the 8-ball.

 

Again, that's why Bo needs to play a lot of zone against dual threat QBs. He sticks with man under and you have all of your back 7 with their backs to the ball except for the safeties who are usually quite deep. This creates huge gains on QB scrambles. Hundley isn't even that good of a runner. He was sacked 52 times last year and is quite vulnerable to pressure.

 

Show me a good defense that plays the way we do. No one does. You can't be that passive and be good on defense.

 

Bo will continue to play the patty cake scheme and it won't work, especially against decent offenses.

[Hercules]

I don't even understand what same run fit means so if someone could break that down for me I'd be grateful.

 

I'm no expert, so I could be wrong, but look at the photo Jay Foreman posted. See how the defensive tackles are in the same gap? One of them should be taking care of the gap that the RB is going through. The LB there did his job getting into the other gap, and the DE's are containing the play like they're supposed to.

 

It's like Jay says - it's not scheme. It's mental, physical errors and it's just flat out getting beat by the guy across from you.

[Count 'Bility]

I don't even understand what same run fit means so if someone could break that down for me I'd be grateful.

Meaning we had 2 guys filling that particular gap. Hence, the scheme had guys in position, but tackles were missed/guys were blocked and a 60 yard run broke off.

 

I've been harping on this since halftime yesterday. We dont have a scheme issue. At times, maybe that applies. We dont have a talent issue. We have a desire/mental/psychological issue. There are major headcase problems behind the doors of the defensive rooms. I guess you could say the same about the offense at this point. Pelini saying he'd like to see that guys have more fun says it all. But why is it that they can't? I watch a lot of football. NFL and college, and I dont see a single team at either level appear to be so business like and disinterested week after week as ours does. Bo's biggest task to right this thing is not coordinators and staff change. It's not scheme adjustments and x's and o's. And it's not practicing of fundementals and so on. It's identifying this obvious psychological and will-to-win issue that is running rampant throughout our team and getting it fixed. Somehow or another, he's got to find a way to tap into their inner intensity and get it to the surface. If that means going all "Pre-College Station-2010" on everyone, and putting himself up to the criticism that comes along with it, so be it. Because the program has not been the same since that night and the fallout that ensued. It's just too nicey nice.

[huskerhandy35]

I have let things sink in since the UCLA loss and have been reading everyone's opinions on what the causes are and what the remedy is and there is a lot to take in and digest. The solution to these big game collapses is not simple as everyone knows but I do think there are a couple things needing change that stand out to me, as the biggest pieces to the puzzle. Although, JP is a puppet of Bo per say, I don't think he cuts the mustard as a DC and I think Bo either needs to become HC/DC or hire a proven DC (if possible since most proven guys wont make a lateral move) and pay him like Beck is being paid. Although Bo is still involved in the Defense, it's obvious it's not enough! Second, if the team losses it's ability to execute fundamentals when things get tough, then that's a mental prep thing, and Bo needs to change something in how the team prepares for such instances. I know this may sound too simple or something to be considered way down the list of priorities but I think it's a key part of reaching the top, and sometimes what's missing is found in unexpected places. Do the Huskers have a team psychiatrist like they did under Osborne? If not, why not? If so, what is his role and is it a big enough of a role? I remember the Psychiatrist under Osborne had a significant role in helping players get their "heads in the right place". TO has talked about how much it had helped to have the Dr. involved with the team? It seems, we have the physical talent on the field to hang with anyone, so what is left? Mental part of the game! What Bo is doing IS NOT and HAS NOT worked! I'm not saying he should stop anything he is doing, like asking for accountability as a team, and naming captains early, to give players a sense of responsibility to oversee the team and police it themselves, but maybe just a little something extra needs to be added to get the players a tougher mentality, one that instills anything came be overcome and with heart and will, it will be overcome! Not some of the time, but all of the time!

[gbr93]

I don't even understand what same run fit means so if someone could break that down for me I'd be grateful.

I'm not sure how this works either. In a 4-3, each person is responsible for a gap. In a 4-2, I'm guessing the 2dt's are responsible for the middle three wholes. As in they have to stand up the blocker, shuck, and make the tackle. But I'm not sure what he is referring to by run fit.

[Hercules]

In other words, using this diagram:

 

 

We had two guys in the A gap, which left the B gap wide open.

[gbr93]

I don't even understand what same run fit means so if someone could break that down for me I'd be grateful.

Meaning we had 2 guys filling that particular gap. Hence, the scheme had guys in position, but tackles were missed/guys were blocked and a 60 yard run broke off.

 

I've been harping on this since halftime yesterday. We dont have a scheme issue. At times, maybe that applies. We dont have a talent issue. We have a desire/mental/psychological issue. There are major headcase problems behind the doors of the defensive rooms. I guess you could say the same about the offense at this point. Pelini saying he'd like to see that guys have more fun says it all. But why is it that they can't? I watch a lot of football. NFL and college, and I dont see a single team at either level appear to be so business like and disinterested week after week as ours does. Bo's biggest task to right this thing is not coordinators and staff change. It's not scheme adjustments and x's and o's. And it's not practicing of fundementals and so on. It's identifying this obvious psychological and will-to-win issue that is running rampant throughout our team and getting it fixed. Somehow or another, he's got to find a way to tap into their inner intensity and get it to the surface. If that means going all "Pre-College Station-2010" on everyone, and putting himself up to the criticism that comes along with it, so be it. Because the program has not been the same since that night and the fallout that ensued. It's just too nicey nice.

This, 100%. Sorta like how the convicts bet up all the guards on one play in the Longest Yard just to light a fire in them and show everyone else they are not to be f'd with anymore. Obviously too extreme, but something needs to create the killer instinct on this team.

[TheSker]

We dont have a scheme issue. At times, maybe that applies. We dont have a talent issue.

I agree we do not have a scheme issue. I do think we have a talent issue. It's being addressed, but is not fully addressed yet. I think two of the more glaring examples may be a Gregory in place of Meredith and Bando in place of Compton. Gregory and Bando are simply more physically gifted than their predecessors from last season.