What I can take away from today

[CharBroiled]

Yes, Nebraska lost. To a solid BYU team which won 8 games last year and will win at least that many this year. All hope is not lost because of some of the things I noticed while watching the contest.

 

1. We made adjustments at halftime.
Mike Riley looked at the overall offense at halftime and made adjustments allowing the offense to work to its strengths, balancing out the attack. The last few years there were 0 adjustments made at halftime and games like this would turn into blowouts. The coaching staff actually compared notes and tweaked the attack, both offensively and defensively, to give Nebraska a chance to win. Outside of a crazy Hail Mary, the Huskers would have won too, in the type of game they were notorious for rolling over and dying. Last year, this would have been around BYU 45, Nebraksa 21.

 

2. Tackling.

It's a night and day difference with this team and tackling. The defense tried to wrap up and drag people to the ground rather than lower a shoulder for the big ESPN hit highlight which usually ended in a whiff and 6 points, (the Gordon game from last year). No more of desperation arm tackles, no more diving at legs, no this is a bunch that tried to form tackle every time. They tried to strip the ball as well, it just didn't work. They have made improvements in this department.

 

3. The cupboard is not bare.

There is talent on this team and there were flashes of it on numerous occasions. This is a brand new coaching staff, a brand new scheme/coaching philosphy, so hiccups were to be expected. There were times TA looked great, while there were other times he looked lost. I think Riley will take a long hard look at the game film and come up with a gameplan to maximize Armstrong's skillset. At times Armstrong looked confident in the timing routes, and the ball was crisp coming out of his hand. Other,times, not so much, but it is the nature of the beast when changing a quarterback's dynamic in a way. I liked the way Wilbon and Newby looked in the backfield. Yes, defensively, we're a bit thin, and having some un-suspended linebackers would help, but this is a problem which can be addressed in recruiting as well.

4. Players taking accountability.

Numerous times during this game, I watched players taking accountability for their own actions or blown assignments rather than trying to throw teammates under the bus. In the first quarter for example, BYU completed a pass to one of its 9ft. tall receivers for a first down when Kalu stumbled. Instead of screaming at his teammates, he tapped his chest and said it was his fault. Breakdowns in coverage happen, but it was good to see players holding themselves accountable for their own missteps in coverage.

 

Yes, there is work to do, (and I hate to lose) but I think there is direction with this program. I think this is going to be a squad which continues to improve from game to game rather than regress like previous teams.

GBR!

 

[Kernal]

I agree, loved the tackling. It was a huge improvement over the past several years. It sucks to lose one, but sometimes that can have some motivational benefits for the guys. Now they have a better idea of what they'll be facing this year, and what will be required of them.

 

I also thought Armstrong played very well overall. You can tell he has been putting a ton of time and effort into his game and the new system. Lots of guys were impressive today. Overall, we just need more experience and practice in the new systems for guys to get comfortable and efficient.

 

The worst part, frankly, was Brown's kicking. He was very inconsistent last year, and from what we had been hearing it seemed like he may have been past that. Hope he recovers.

[MichiganDad3]

I agree with the halftime adjustments, but BYU is not that good. They lost their key player, and we let a freshman backup QB lead a 76 yard TD drive with 48 seconds and no timeouts. That is indefensible. We should have ate him for lunch. Instead wegave him all day to throw, made him nice and comfy in the pocket and got beat.

[Saunders]

I learned that Prevent defense still prevents you from winning.

[The Dude]

I learned that Prevent defense still prevents you from winning.

I cringed so hard when I saw them line up in prevent.

[huskers15]

I learned that we are 0-1. We have sucked for 15 years at football. 15 damn years.

[Saunders]

 

I learned that Prevent defense still prevents you from winning.

I cringed so hard when I saw them line up in prevent.

 

It's the worst. You know they have the Jolly Green Giants in their WR corps, and the kid showed on the previous drive that he could chuck it. Send 5, and make him throw it before he's ready. I'd rather they have to throw it underneath than into the endzone. Just a horrible, horrible defensive setup. And Kalu said they practiced it.

[HuskerMav11]

Nebraska is a mediocre football team with a tradition of excellence that we haven't been close to achieving in almost 20 years and today we lost to a mediocre BYU team.

 

That's what happens. Mediocre teams have good games against other mediocre teams. Some day maybe we won't be mediocre, but not today.

 

Take your medicine. Swallow the pill. Live in reality, not the past. Not in some fantasy world. Accept what you have zero control over.

[ADS]

All I know is that if we don't start to block better on run and pass plays then we are a 6 or 7 win team. That's being generous too.

[lo country]

All I know is that if we don't start to block better on run and pass plays then we are a 6 or 7 win team. That's being generous too.

This. Coupled with better penetration from the DL.