***** What did we learn - Rutgers Edition *****

[grandpasknee]

I learned that we have to lose 3 out of our 4 next games to make several "fans" happy.

 

Aint going to happen. No 9 and 4 season this year.

[Count 'Bility]

A couple guys have called me out on my original knee jerk assertion of Beck today. And I was in the wrong. I let penailties and dropped snaps cloud my judgement and create a kneejerk reaction to what was actually a pretty decent game. It was a good mix. A LOT of 1st down PA off our strength runs. The best runs were actually designed gives with read action and NOT actual read plays. The 5 wr sets on 3rd and shorts (3 separate times in first 3 quarters) were one of the things that were really frustrating, though I understand the logic in isolating Ameer in the slot. it did work a couple times. But there were a couple of wasted possessions in the 1st half which you can see an obvious deviation from anything remotely close to what we constantly and consistently have success with. And like I said, the other possessions of which I at first thought were wasted by play calling were actually caused by penalties and dropped snaps.

 

1st possession.

20 yard PA pass to Westy down the seem.

7 yard run Ameer

No gain on a read keep

5 yard bootleg pass on 3rd and 3 from an empty set for first down

9 yard WR screen to Bell

No Gain to Ameer on a design give power

3 yard run-power with jet action for first down on 3rd and 1

5 yard run on Ameer stretch left

Dropped pass by Moore on PA on 2nd and 5-personal foul hands to face on Rutgers

16 yard TD run Tommy on read keep.

 

excellent mix of all things we do well. PA on early downs and 2nd and short. Excellent mixed of designed runs with the read action and actual read plays. Thought that set up the TD run on a keep beautifully. This was magnificent Beck.

 

2nd possession (after Gerry pick)

PA pass incomplete, Dropped by Moore

drop back pass complete to Bell for first down (but this is what bugs me. The PA passes on first down are great. I love em. But when they dont work, Beck goes into a paniclike mode on 2nd and 10 and more times than not gets us into 3rd and 10. It worked this time though. this was a HUGE problem against Sparty, 2013)

4 yard gain Ameer stretch left

Read keep Tommy 3 yard gain.

5 wr drop back pass on 3rd and 3.

Missed fg.

All in all possessions like this are what gripes me. No I dont think we should score on every possession, but when we dont because playcalling obviously deviates from what does or has been working and our best player gets the ball once in a 5 play stretch, and we're doing drop back passes with 5 wide on 3rd and 3, well, yeah. I'd call this one a wasted possession.

 

3rd possession

7 yd run Ameer-power slam

3 yd run Ameer Stretch left

5 yd run Ameer 3rd and 1 power trp right for the 1st down

53 yard td run Ameer on the read give. Jake Cotton and Kenny Bell had AWESOME blocks each 20 yards downfield.

Obviously what we like to see. Do what works until it's stopped. But more importantly, the creative mix of the kinds of run plays. Power, stretch. trap, read option. This was genius Beck. Hell, even a PA pass sprinkled in there on that 2nd and 3 play woulda been fine regardless of outcome.

 

4th possession

15 yard PA pass to Westy

48 yard TD run Ameer stretch left

Starts drive with PA pass for 3rd time in 4 drives. I love this. And the trend is we're lightyears better off PA than we are in drop back situations.

 

5th possession

5 yd run Ameer power trap

5 yard run Ameer stretch left

2 yard run Ameer power trap w/read action for 1st down

Fumbled snap for 10 yard loss.

Drop back pass *from under center* incomplete deep to Bell. Overthrown, Interference?

2yard loss Ameer on draw play.

This was one the of the drives that in kneejerk mode I thought was wasted, but in reality, because of the bad snap, set us back, and was essentially lost already. The shot deep to Bell was a good call, as was the draw play inside our own ten.

 

6th possession after Blocked FG and JMitch's shenanigans

Dropped snap, Tommy picks up and gains 3 yards around right end. Call was either stretch left to Ameer or possibly PA of such.

4 yard gain stretch right

16 yard pass Ameer on 3rd and 3 from 5 wide set. Ameer in slot. Again, 5 wides on 3rd and short. It worked, but it's still sillyness in my eyes. But yet, good job of exploiting one on one matchup of Ameer on slot.

The following sequence takes place with about 1:20 left, and 2 timeouts, note

2 yard run Ameer stretch left

drop back pass incomplete on 2nd and 8

on 3rd and 8, 5 wides, Hovey didnt read the blitz right, did not cut fast enough into vacated area on a hot read

Still, 5 wides to me is so far from our strength is mind boggling. it's too much I think for our qb to read. I thought this possession was wasted because of the lack of creativity in the run game. Stretch plays and a drop back pass. With two timeouts and over a minute left in their territory. Just kind of confusing to me.

 

 

1st possession 3rd quarter

49 yard run Ameer on a design give with read action

1 yard loss by Cross on A STRETCH SWEEP LEFT FROM THE GUN. LOL. Head scratcher nonetheless.

False start to 2nd and 16

10 yard PA pass to Bell

5 WR on 3rd and 5, 10 yard pass to Ameer from slot for first down

PA 8 yard TD pass TO THE TE DOWN THE MIDDLE SEAM.

The playcall with Cross was dumb. Straight up dumb. A penalty threatened to screw it up, but Beck did good here, calling somthing to Tommys strength to get us to 3rd and reasonable. And yet another PA on first down, and for the love of god, using the TE down the middle seam.

 

On the next possession, Ameer had a 76 yard kickoff return.

2 yard run stretch left Newby

Drop back pass, pressure scramble incomplete. Holding of off and def offset.

2nd and 8 again. false start.

2nd and 13 5 yard run direct snap Ameer in wildcat.

3rd adn 8, 14 yard drop back pass to bell.

1st and goal, 4 yard quick out pass Bell drop back

5 yard TD pass to Westy on A PICK PLAY from an empty backfield.

the drop back passes inside the 10 on 1st and 2nd goal were goofy, even though we scored. But I thought the patience showed on 2nd and 13 after penalty was good to give it to our best player and get 3rd and manageble. This is something we dont do NEARLY enough after faild PA passes on 1st downs

 

Recording ended at this point.

 

All in all, like I said, it was actually much more decent overall than i originally thought. But my main point still stands. When you look at the plays run on possessions we score and consitently move the ball compared to ones we dont, there's an obvious pattern and that is going away from strengths. Also on one of those possesstion there became a total lack of creativity and complexity in the run game. It's just got real simple. And all in all, yes, I think I did overreact a bit. LOL.

[JJ Husker]

 

I've learned that no matter the final outcome of the game (which is what matters). The process of how we get there, if it isn't perfect, then all hell breaks loose and we're gunna drop 3 of our last 4.

I think that's what I learned from the board today.

From the game, I learned that we won another game, we're 7-1, and have another week to improve before playing Purdue. Who is better than a lot of people give them credit for.

 

This is simply not true. You are the one exaggerating here. I'm not satisfied with sloppy playcalling, an obvious lack of an offensive gameplan or identity when it's apparent who the offense needs to revolve around, and players calling it a day in the FIRST half of a football game.

 

Point out the posts that claim that the team made ONE mistake (cause that would be an imperfect game) and now we are doomed to lose 3 of our last 4.

 

They don't exist. You're stirring up $hit and it gets old.

 

This argument happens almost every week and it boils down to this. The team will never be perfect and some of us want to focus on all the positive, some focus on all the negative but most of us have no issue discussing both. The difference is the posters that start this bickering are the ones that don't want to hear anything bad about the team and I can't for the life of me understand how these people get anywhere in life living in their fantasy land of peaches and cream.

 

I mean you go out of your way to make post after post about the attitude of other posters and it's borderline trollish behavior. It's over the top sarcasm and exaggeration. It's rude and damn it it's not proper internet etiquette.

+100 Post of the day, week, and maybe the whole season. And it's not just the one you responded to, there is a small handful who do the same thing.

[Hayseed]

Some of you guys don't seem to understand that we need to be good at passing if we're going to beat the best teams and the only way to do that is to call pass plays in real games when the opportunity presents itself. That's smart coaching.

[lo country]

Some of you guys don't seem to understand that we need to be good at passing if we're going to beat the best teams and the only way to do that is to call pass plays in real games when the opportunity presents itself. That's smart coaching.

Agree, but call to TA's strengths. Look at his body of work over the this and last season. See which pass plays he does well and build the passing attack around those. Different formations, motions, sets etc,,,,but the same passes. Don't throw passes he has trouble connecting on (receiver drops or poor throws) just because they are in our play book. That's my concern/issue with our play calling.

[Bball1091]

 

 

You really shouldn't be mad after a win ever...but goes to show some of the NU fans will never be happy, which is quite unfortunate.

Who's mad that we won?

Some are mad the way we won...which you are correct, maybe not mad we won per se, but mad the way we did nonetheless...which is unfortunate

[Hedley Lamarr]

 

From Bo's postgame presser (available on the front page)...On Josh Mitchell's lateral: "I think he lost his mind. Almost made me lose my mind." :lol:Bo's 100% in how he's handling his press conferences and setting the tone and putting the right message out there so far this season. It's great to see and almost a little hard to believe, ha!

He's honestly been a lot more candid this year...saying a lot of good things...little less coach speak this year, that's for sure.

If we lose again this season I bet it changes.

[Chaddyboxer]

 

 

From Bo's postgame presser (available on the front page)...On Josh Mitchell's lateral: "I think he lost his mind. Almost made me lose my mind." :lol:Bo's 100% in how he's handling his press conferences and setting the tone and putting the right message out there so far this season. It's great to see and almost a little hard to believe, ha!

He's honestly been a lot more candid this year...saying a lot of good things...little less coach speak this year, that's for sure.

If we lose again this season I bet it changes.

I just think he is being a bit more honest this year I guess...

And well, at least he is pointing out the obvious....in years past he hasn't done that.

[zoogs]

I think it's all coach speak. That's the good thing. Hedley's right that he hasn't been tested by a tough situation yet, i.e answering questions after a blowout loss or a few losses.

[Chaddyboxer]

I think it's all coach speak. That's the good thing. Hedley's right that he hasn't been tested by a tough situation yet, i.e answering questions after a blowout loss or a few losses.

I think he knows what he has in this team this year....hence the more calm, cool and collected Bo...

[SeaOfRed402]

i can't BELIEVE mark pelini is still our starting center. he looks like a hobbit out there. he has no business playing center AT NEBRASKA. ANYBODY ELSE JUST NOT 5 foot 9 275 pound mark f'ing pelini. MY GOD IS HE TERRIBLE. tommy armstrong needs to start practicing ground ball shotgun snaps if mark pelini is going to continue to play football for this team

[Hedley Lamarr]

i can't BELIEVE mark pelini is still our starting center. he looks like a hobbit out there. he has no business playing center AT NEBRASKA. ANYBODY ELSE JUST NOT 5 foot 9 275 pound mark f'ing pelini. MY GOD IS HE TERRIBLE. tommy armstrong needs to start practicing ground ball shotgun snaps if mark pelini is going to continue to play football for this team

Reeves is a much better option at C

[BigRedPowerWagon]

I had to work so i havent watched the game. We never seemed in trouble from losing form the espn i was getting. but every time i checked the score they had scored another and another. Our d has been playing pretty lights out so i was curious as to what had happenedj.

[ColoradoHusk]

Here is how Rutgers scored their TDs

 

1. Busted play after Gerry came off his man when the QB scrambled. A talented WR then ran thru the defense for a long TD.

2. Rutgers took over around the 20 after a fumbled snap by NU. Tough to be too mad at the D for that.

3. Rutgers had a long drive in the 4th quarter against mainly 2nd string defenders.

[BigWillie]

You know they may throw a bigger block, or open a bigger hole on the run, or are quicker to side step and block a DE well on pass protection, but did you ever think that maybe its because they aren't consistent with that play in practice? or maybe they commit too many penalties in practice? like the false start, or the holding calls? Just food for thought.

 

To put it mildly - who cares? I need an Allen Iverson gif right now ..

 

Even if those guys are inconsistent throughout the week, which is conjecture, what does it matter if the guys ahead of them show those same inconsistencies in a game? You know, when it actually matters.

 

The only thing I care about is who is able to put us in the best position to win on Saturday. You can be Joe Ganz throughout the week in practice, but when you step on the field on Saturday you can be All Conference. That's what matters. And it should be the only thing that matters to us, and especially to the coaches.