Shatel: Is this what it's come to - celebrating a win over Northwestern?

[Guy Chamberlin]

For what it's worth, Tommy Armstrong's hurdle to the end zone -- even though it wasn't a touchdown -- is making the rounds on the national highlight circuit.

 

Apparently the average college football fan is enjoying Nebraska football more than some Nebraska fans.

[Count 'Bility]

Tom Osborne didn't have only one trick play. I wouldn't assume we just blew our entire wad.

 

It might have been a good call against MSU. It might not have gone so well. Pretty sure Beck gets second-guessed either way.

 

And our Heisman Trophy candidate was averaging only three yards a carry in the first half. It's not like handing off to Abdullah was a no-brainer in that situation. Probably the opposite.

 

Is this what it's come to? Not enjoying a flawless trick play that turned momentum in a game we were trailing?

Our track record of what you would call *trick plays* under Bo suggests we probably did. Just going off of basic history anyway. I'd love to be wrong.

[Count 'Bility]

For what it's worth, Tommy Armstrong's hurdle to the end zone -- even though it wasn't a touchdown -- is making the rounds on the national highlight circuit.

 

Apparently the average college football fan is enjoying Nebraska football more than some Nebraska fans.

I wonder if he got his ass ripped for this. Bo said after the Illinois game that he was told to "NEVER DO THAT AGAIN". LOL.

[TheSker]

 

 

 

Sometimes we forget that this is a game, and games should be fun.

 

This game was fun, from Pierson-El breaking out all over the place, the flawless trick play, Armstrong's hurdle to the end zone, Abdullah forcing his way back into the Heisman conversation, a healthy Kenny Bell, an in-game regime change on the offensive line, swarming sacks of Siemian and complete second-half dominance.

 

A 38 - 17 win against a conference foe on the road is the exact same game Huskers of yore would celebrate, so I don't understand Shatel bringing it up, even assuming the voice of a hypothetical fan.

 

Well, except for the fact that some fans do say crap like this.

 

The coverse is true: is this what it's come to? Feeling like you shouldn't celebrate a win over Northwestern?

 

And that maybe a win is more than a win when you make adjustments and win going away in an exciting and dominant manner?

This actually upset me. Maybe I was more upset the fact that we were kinda strugglin at the time. But damn, for a staff that never uses trick plays, and we got this beauty in our pocket, and we have to break it out on the ten yard line to tie the game against Northwestern in the 2nd quarter with a legit Heisman contender in our backfield? I mean cmon. Think about that. That's just vintage Beck right there. Woulda been nice to have that in maybe say Madison? Or possible Indy?

 

 

To piggy-back on what Guy is saying, perhaps Beck pulled that play out of his pocket simply because it's fun? And perhaps the guys responded after that play by basically shutting Northwestern down on offense and shoving the run down their throat all second half, because they had fun?

 

I think too often the team isn't have any fun, at all, and that's part of the reason they check out mentally in games. Maybe we need to do more of this kind of stuff, against FAU and Michigan State, and any other game in between.

 

Well lookin back a I agree. And I also understand the psychological effects it has on future opponents. Frankly, we never give any teams any reason to believe we'll do stuff like this. It does need sprinkled in. Keeps teams from playin us straight up all the damn time. But what I was saying-which I wasnt clear on, AGAIN-is that it upset me at the time. We werent exactly playing great on either side again, and it just felt like such a desperation move at the time from a situational standpoint. I mean, it was "really? Now? Against Northwestern? In the second quarter?" Like someone said earlier. Where was that sh#t against Sparty in the second quarter when they were persuing all over our backfield? Where was it then to give our team a "fun little jumpstart". It's just yet another instance of Beck's one-extreme-to-the-other geniusness, or lack there of.

 

Coaches also call those plays based on tendencies or formations they see during the game. Sparty's front 7 was playing well enough they might have blown a play like that up.

[Guy Chamberlin]

 

Are you kidding me? Can no one in this fanbase be happy? You win a game by 3 TDs and, "How dare you be positive about that?" ? What do people want? So done with half of the fans of this team.

 

And we get butthurt when fans of other teams say we're full of ourselves.....

 

Gee, I wonder why?

where is this coming from?

 

as far as i can tell, shatel is the only one espousing anything close to these sentiments, and i am not even sure that is what he is saying.

 

edit: more people should actually read the whole article.

 

 

That's kinda what I was thinking, but then it occurred to me the sentiment Shatel is espousing is what a contingent of posters say on this board every week.

[Guy Chamberlin]

 

For what it's worth, Tommy Armstrong's hurdle to the end zone -- even though it wasn't a touchdown -- is making the rounds on the national highlight circuit.

 

Apparently the average college football fan is enjoying Nebraska football more than some Nebraska fans.

I wonder if he got his ass ripped for this. Bo said after the Illinois game that he was told to "NEVER DO THAT AGAIN". LOL.

 

 

I wonder if Ryker Fyfe loves those kinda plays.

[knapplc]

For what it's worth, Tommy Armstrong's hurdle to the end zone -- even though it wasn't a touchdown -- is making the rounds on the national highlight circuit.

 

 

It was a heck of a fun play. Nice tackle by the Northwestern defender kept Tommy out of the end zone or it would have been even better.

[The Dude]

Nebraska players jogged off the field and their fans were waiting for them. Alex Lewis walked by. Husker fans cheered. Bo Pelini waved to the crowd. They roared. Ameer Abdullah ran to them. He high-fived them. They went nuts.

 

You could ask, is this what its come to celebrating a win over Northwestern? But that would be missing the obvious point.

 

A win is a win is a win for this Nebraska team, now 6-1.

 

LINK

 

---

 

Clearly Tom thinks we should be above celebrating victories over teams like Northwestern. Do you agree?

I disagree.

[True2tRA]

We'd be dumping all over everyone involved if we had lost.

[Glendower]

 

Nebraska players jogged off the field and their fans were waiting for them. Alex Lewis walked by. Husker fans cheered. Bo Pelini waved to the crowd. They roared. Ameer Abdullah ran to them. He high-fived them. They went nuts.

 

You could ask, is this what it’s come to — celebrating a win over Northwestern? But that would be missing the obvious point.

 

A win is a win is a win for this Nebraska team, now 6-1.

 

LINK

 

---

 

Clearly Tom thinks we should be above celebrating victories over teams like Northwestern. Do you agree?

I think you are twisting his words. It was stupid of him to even raise that point, but he didn't make it as his own view.

 

Doooon't go actually reading the piece. Just react to the way it's presented here to make him look like a mean-spirited crank. If you make it obvious that he's reacting to a common sentiment and then goes on to show why this is a win worth celebrating, we won't be able to hold onto the "Teh Mean Media QQ" meme.

[Danny Bateman]

Well, if Shatel's goal was to make clickbait and stir up controversy, mission accomplished.

[knapplc]

 

Nebraska players jogged off the field and their fans were waiting for them. Alex Lewis walked by. Husker fans cheered. Bo Pelini waved to the crowd. They roared. Ameer Abdullah ran to them. He high-fived them. They went nuts.

 

You could ask, is this what its come to celebrating a win over Northwestern? But that would be missing the obvious point.

 

A win is a win is a win for this Nebraska team, now 6-1.

 

LINK

 

---

 

Clearly Tom thinks we should be above celebrating victories over teams like Northwestern. Do you agree?

I disagree.

 

Agreed.

[southernoregonhusker]

I see a lot of comments that makes it obvious nobody actually read Shatel's article.

[RedDenver]

I see a lot of comments that makes it obvious nobody actually read Shatel's article.

To be fair, nobody should be reading Shatel's articles.

[NUance]

This is the most overanalyzed 9-4 program in the country, and this one will get picked apart down in the media and fan bunkers, but there was a lot to feel good about here, before you go feeling worried. “We just needed to win a football game,” Pelini said, when asked how big this was coming off a loss at Michigan State. “I don’t want to read too much into it.”

 

 

Northwestern beat Wisconsin here and won at Penn State. They didn’t beat Nebraska. That’s a good thing.

 

 

I agree with Tom Shatel on these points. Let's just be happy that we won.