Looking Forward

[Husker_x]

Buckle up. I take forever to say anything, and this one gave me more than I was hoping to digest.

 

If last night's game made you go apesh#t (*sheepishly raises hand*), or despair, or rise from your seat in the waning minutes, take stock of that. The previous two or three seasons have left many Nebraska fans feeling nothing but a detached sense of lethargy.

 

Whatever lays ahead of this team, one thing we can rejoice over is that their character and never-say-die spirit have reenergized the program, which was desperately needed. We have serious problems (we'll have a reality check in a moment). Yet however bad it looked, last night we watched Nebrsaka reach for a dagger, take aim at Michigan State's throat, and miss nicking an artery by this much in their house. That is a far cry from the 63-13 shadow that was creeping over us as it has done for so many seasons. Consistency demands I respect that outcome. (And I don't want to hear a peep about that "they let off the gas" bullsh#t. A football game lasts 60 minutes.)

 

I said before the game that a respectable loss against this opponent was immaterial in the grand scheme of things. I hold to that. We lost close to champions. Others have said that ours is not a championship-caliber team. I agree, but we have enough to get to Indie, and once there, you have a shot. What more can you ask for considering the health of the team? Our defense is approaching stellar despite the gutting of the LB corps, the youth in the secondary, and the series of unfortunate offseason events. They gave us every opportunity to win the game. The offense failed us.

 

Which brings us to the reality check.

 

1. Our offensive line is horrendous. I cannot recall a more overhyped position group in recent memory than that left side. Cotton's falling on his ass was probably a good thing: it perfectly encapsulates the severity and magnitude of the trouble we're in if we do not improve. Ameer is an incredible athlete, but alas, thou art mortal. I do not have near the expertise to offer specific solutions, but with where we're positioned mid-season, I do want an answer to this question: would burning a redshirt or two change anything? If not, what––if any––viable options are on the table?

 

2. Beck committed to the run just like I hoped he would in the beginning. And though I was sickened and dismayed by what we saw out there as the game went on, upon further reflection I don't know what any coordinator could have done in-game to correct a line that blocks no one. More to the point, the answer going forward is not to find a new identity. Option/run is our identity. We need to think of the option/run game like a Samurai thinks of swordsmanship or a Spartan thinks of war: it is a philosophy to be mastered with years of complete, uninterrupted focus. Resist all temptation to abandon it. Continue to recruit exclusively to it.

 

3. This is not a critique of the man himself, but I do not know what Barney Cotton does for a living. We do not have any tight ends. They've been raptured someplace. What I do know is that with the expansion of recruiting personnel, this offseason would be an opportunity to put him to better use and get a QB coach. We need one badly, and have for some time. Throw down six figures and get a pro. A teacher. Beck has gone on record as saying the quarterback is the most difficult and important position in his offense. Act like it with your personnel decisions.

 

4. We are badly hurt. All over. I can't imagine this defense at full strength. We have enough talent to brawl our way back, but expect to fight tooth and nail. Mainly because . . .

 

5. Northwestern says hello. This bi-week could not have come at a better time. We have to regroup, rethink a few things offensively, and prepare to finish strong. No one else is close to what we saw last night, but all of them have the talent to sneak away with one. We need to put MSU behind us and return to work on our system. I hope this game does wonders for the defense and the pride they play with. They can hold their heads high.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zoogs]

It's not about losing games nearly as much as it is about how they lose (and how they respond).

 

The reason I've been at a breaking point with Bo is exactly how we've been losing in recent years, which is getting waxed. There was a point last night where it looked like we were going down that road again. But we salvaged it. Our players showed determination and disappointment after the game, promising a rematch. Our coach said, "No moral victories." It's not possible for me to be upset at the sum of this result on the road, against a Top 10 team.

 

If our offense comes out and plays like that again, though, there are multiple remaining teams on the schedule that WILL drop the hammer on us. And maybe Bo comes out, defends his 9-4 run again, and takes shots at referees and reporters again.

 

However, we'll save that freakout for when it happens.

[presidentjlh]

This sums up my exact feelings about it.

[Husker_x]

It's not about losing games nearly as much as it is about how we lose -- and how the coaches react afterwards.

 

The reason I've been at a breaking point with Bo is exactly how we've been losing in recent years, which is getting waxed. There was a point last night where it looked like we were going down that road again. But we salvaged it. Our players showed determination and disappointment after the game, promising a rematch. Our coach said, "No moral victories." It's not possible for me to be upset at the sum of this result on the road, against a Top 10 team.

 

If our offense comes out and plays like that again, though, there are multiple remaining teams on the schedule that WILL drop the hammer on us. And maybe Bo comes out, defends his 9-4 run again, and takes shots at referees and reporters again.

 

However, we'll save that freakout for when it happens.

 

I don't disagree with much of this but, like you say, it's a conversation for the future after the if/whens are sorted out. The willingness the coaches showed to make offseason changes and the general trends in our recruiting still have me optimistic about the future. I never thought we would win a national championship this year (though we had a chance there to be in the conversation). Too many holes, too many injuries. I'm still pleased that the defense is not one of them, and does not look to become one any time soon.

[louisianared]

#5 is what scares me the most. Northwestern has become our Iowa State. A team that we should be able to beat comfortably most times, but somehow they find a way to make the games close and disrupt whatever plan we had in place.

[presidentjlh]

#5 is what scares me the most. Northwestern has become our Iowa State. A team that we should be able to beat comfortably most times, but somehow they find a way to make the games close and disrupt whatever plan we had in place.

And they are on fire right now. They are a dangerous team. We would be foolish to overlook them. The next two weeks must be focused on beating them.

[Husker_x]

 

#5 is what scares me the most. Northwestern has become our Iowa State. A team that we should be able to beat comfortably most times, but somehow they find a way to make the games close and disrupt whatever plan we had in place.

And they are on fire right now. They are a dangerous team. We would be foolish to overlook them. The next two weeks must be focused on beating them.

 

 

+1

 

A lot of other people have made this observation before. Nebraska is a team that can afford to overlook no one.

[grandpasknee]

I've said it before and I'll say it again Husker_x...I hate your avi, but I do like your analysis once you've digested things. I'm a koolaid drinker, nonstop, so your negativity sometimes pisses me off, but that's more about me than you...heh heh. Well put observations. Like you, I'm no coach, but it is obvious even to an old man like me, who never played a snap beyond high school...something isn't right on the O-line.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

 

#5 is what scares me the most. Northwestern has become our Iowa State. A team that we should be able to beat comfortably most times, but somehow they find a way to make the games close and disrupt whatever plan we had in place.

And they are on fire right now. They are a dangerous team. We would be foolish to overlook them. The next two weeks must be focused on beating them.

 

Like Iowa St, Northwestern typically blows their wad on one game and I suspect this years game was yesterday's against Wiscy. If we had won last night, I might be worried about the Northwestern game. But with the bye week, my gut feeling is the Huskers will come out with a huge f'in chip on their shoulder and will leave it there the rest of the season.

[Danny Bateman]

Buckle up. I take forever to say anything, and this one gave me more than I was hoping to digest.

 

If last night's game made you go apesh#t (*sheepishly raises hand*), or despair, or rise from your seat in the waning minutes, take stock of that. The previous two or three seasons have left many Nebraska fans feeling nothing but a detached sense of lethargy.

 

Whatever lays ahead of this team, one thing we can rejoice over is that their character and never-say-die spirit have reenergized the program, which was desperately needed. We have serious problems (we'll have a reality check in a moment). Yet however bad it looked, last night we watched Nebrsaka reach for a dagger, take aim at Michigan State's throat, and miss nicking an artery by this much in their house. That is a far cry from the 63-13 shadow that was creeping over us as it has done for so many seasons. Consistency demands I respect that outcome. (And I don't want to hear a peep about that "they let off the gas" bullsh#t. A football game lasts 60 minutes.)

 

I said before the game that a respectable loss against this opponent was immaterial in the grand scheme of things. I hold to that. We lost close to champions. Others have said that ours is not a championship-caliber team. I agree, but we have enough to get to Indie, and once there, you have a shot. What more can you ask for considering the health of the team? Our defense is approaching stellar despite the gutting of the LB corps, the youth in the secondary, and the series of unfortunate offseason events. They gave us every opportunity to win the game. The offense failed us.

 

Which brings us to the reality check.

 

1. Our offensive line is horrendous. I cannot recall a more overhyped position group in recent memory than that left side. Cotton's falling on his ass was probably a good thing: it perfectly encapsulates the severity and magnitude of the trouble we're in if we do not improve. Ameer is an incredible athlete, but alas, thou art mortal. I do not have near the expertise to offer specific solutions, but with where we're positioned mid-season, I do want an answer to this question: would burning a redshirt or two change anything? If not, what––if any––viable options are on the table?

 

2. Beck committed to the run just like I hoped he would in the beginning. And though I was sickened and dismayed by what we saw out there as the game went on, upon further reflection I don't know what any coordinator could have done in-game to correct a line that blocks no one. More to the point, the answer going forward is not to find a new identity. Option/run is our identity. We need to think of the option/run game like a Samurai thinks of swordsmanship or a Spartan thinks of war: it is a philosophy to be mastered with years of complete, uninterrupted focus. Resist all temptation to abandon it. Continue to recruit exclusively to it.

 

3. This is not a critique of the man himself, but I do not know what Barney Cotton does for a living. We do not have any tight ends. They've been raptured someplace. What I do know is that with the expansion of recruiting personnel, this offseason would be an opportunity to put him to better use and get a QB coach. We need one badly, and have for some time. Throw down six figures and get a pro. A teacher. Beck has gone on record as saying the quarterback is the most difficult and important position in his offense. Act like it with your personnel decisions.

 

4. We are badly hurt. All over. I can't imagine this defense at full strength. We have enough talent to brawl our way back, but expect to fight tooth and nail. Mainly because . . .

 

5. Northwestern says hello. This bi-week could not have come at a better time. We have to regroup, rethink a few things offensively, and prepare to finish strong. No one else is close to what we saw last night, but all of them have the talent to sneak away with one. We need to put MSU behind us and return to work on our system. I hope this game does wonders for the defense and the pride they play with. They can hold their heads high.

+1. And I'd give you more +1's if I could, X.

 

That's a very well-put analysis that almost directly mirrors my own. I'm frustrated with Beck as anyone would be. I think you missed an important criticism of him that I have been very focused on since last night--- the man is WAYYY too slow making in game adjustments to the gameplan to the point that it comes off as being inflexible and stubbornly trying to force a square peg into a round hole. I can see the virtue in sticking to the plan even when it's not going perfectly, but when it is as completely derailed as it was last night, you HAVE to try something different there. Personally, I would've opted to try to go into quick pass mode on the short to intermediate stuff we saw TA have success with in the 4th MUCH SOONER.

 

But alas, hindsight is 20/20, and I'm no Captain Hindsight. I think you made a very good point though in the bolded-- even IF Beck had adjusted, having a sieve of an OL that was that absolutely useless last night is going to hinder any plan of attack he uses.

 

Also, you could not be more right on #3. A lot of people have been calling for that for what seems like forever, but I'm at a loss as to why Bo has not made that move yet. If we can get maximize TA's development and get what amounts to a second OC all in one move, it's a small price to pay to break up the old boys club.

 

As for #4... It might be crazy, but I'm starting to believe watercooler guy that b*tches every Monday that our S&C is inadequate. No one is this unlucky on injuries.

[Husker_x]

I've said it before and I'll say it again Husker_x...I hate your avi, but I do like your analysis once you've digested things. I'm a koolaid drinker, nonstop, so your negativity sometimes pisses me off, but that's more about me than you...heh heh. Well put observations. Like you, I'm no coach, but it is obvious even to an old man like me, who never played a snap beyond high school...something isn't right on the O-line.

 

Who doesn't love clowns?

 

Thanks for your kind comments. I drunkenly vent on HB during the big ones, but when Ameer talks about respecting the game, there is a whole other level to it than one week of one season. Look across the landscape of football. Look at how many great teams, top ten all-this/that teams, get smashed by somebody (or a nobody). Look at how many elite programs like Nebraska are in the toilet.

 

A couple years ago the forecast was not as sunny for our program. We are beginning to do some things right, in my opinion, that we didn't used to. And the attitude of the team is promising. I hope they make the most of the back nine.