B1G bowl blowouts

[Scratchtown]

 

 

 

How many of us thought we would beat UCLA? Riley & Co. Studied the way Stanford beat UCLA and played likewise. Since Riley is known to win games he shouldn't perhaps we WOULD have beat Stanford. Alabama-no. They're just that good ( even though it's odd they keep getting beat by the same team two years in a row!?)

I thought we had a good chance of beating UCLA. I thought the fans who thought we would get blown out watched a different season than I did. I don't think Stanford would destroy us but Alabama/Clemson/Ohio State probably would.

I think those 3 you just listed are probably the best 3 teams this year. Stanford is probably 4, and a healthy Oregon is probably not very far behind (up for debate)

Not sure what it is about this team. We would and have lost to most top 30 teams but we wouldn't get blown out by many of them.

 

Tis true. Which is ironically what A LOT of people on the board said they would prefer close losses over blowout losses, no matter who they were to. Just forgot to say as long as it wasn't more than 4!

[lo country]

 

 

 

 

How many of us thought we would beat UCLA? Riley & Co. Studied the way Stanford beat UCLA and played likewise. Since Riley is known to win games he shouldn't perhaps we WOULD have beat Stanford. Alabama-no. They're just that good ( even though it's odd they keep getting beat by the same team two years in a row!?)

I thought we had a good chance of beating UCLA. I thought the fans who thought we would get blown out watched a different season than I did. I don't think Stanford would destroy us but Alabama/Clemson/Ohio State probably would.

I think those 3 you just listed are probably the best 3 teams this year. Stanford is probably 4, and a healthy Oregon is probably not very far behind (up for debate)

Not sure what it is about this team. We would and have lost to most top 30 teams but we wouldn't get blown out by many of them.

 

Tis true. Which is ironically what A LOT of people on the board said they would prefer close losses over blowout losses, no matter who they were to. Just forgot to say as long as it wasn't more than 4!

 

I can appreciate the close losses over the blowouts. I can appreciate "over achieving" and beating MSU. What worries me the most is that this is Riley's MO for years. An average team that "beats some team they shouldn't" (MSU) and "losses to one that the shouldn't" (Purdue) and then has another average season year after year after year.....

 

Unsure if Riley will get us to the level of playing or being in the hunt for greatness year in and year out. I look at Iowa and say maybe (although our schedule was just as easy save MSU regular season) and we went 5-7. I then look at MSU (steady), OSU (come on it's Urban), Michigan (Harbaugh will own the B1G) and Chryst (Wisky rising) and wonder if we are going to be a middle of the pack team.

 

If Riley does turn the ship around (full disclosure not a huge fan (yet), but hope he has success as he is here for a few years regardless) will it be a few years before he chooses to retire? I would hate to be in year "X" and things finally start clicking i.e. his guys, total buy in, depth, scheme, recruiting etc and then he retires. Then we are in the dreaded rinse and repeat cycle we have been in since 2004........ New coach, new scheme, not their recruits etc.... And we get further away from any semblance of a nationally recognized program.

[jaws]

 

 

i said before the games, MSU and Iowa had no business playing in big bowl games, they both are far from being special teams.........

MSU and Iowa were realistically the 3rd and 4th best teams in the B1G this year. MSU beat Michigan on the biggest fluke play I have ever seen, and Iowa avoided the top teams in the B1G East. Yes, MSU beat Ohio State in Columbus, but that maybe happens 2 or 3 times out of 10 games.

 

Yep and that was the game Elliot had like 10 carries or whatever. Then after that OSU got smart and started feeding him the ball.

 

Elliot was in the hospital half the week of the MSU game. That and a few other things that happened leading up to that game didn't help OSU out.

[alwayshusking]

If we don't kill ourselves we could probably play with most teams save a few. But we do kill ourselves with turnovers, time and time again.

[lo country]

If we don't kill ourselves we could probably play with most teams save a few. But we do kill ourselves with turnovers, time and time again.

I watched Iowa today and thought if we hadn't had 5 TO's (IIRC) we would have killed them. I still believe had Nate not gotten jobbed on that BS call we would have won as well.

 

We seem to continually be the victim of the perfect storm. MSU is the only game in recent years we were finally on the right side of the break.

 

At least we have cut down our fumbles drastically.

[alwayshusking]

Just to illustrate

 

Nebraska Turnovers

 

2015 - 27

2014 - 25

2013 - 29

2012 - 35!

2011 - 19

2010 - 24

2009 - 23

2008 - 28

 

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the worst stretch of any team in that time period. Callahan's teams turned it over too.

 

Iowa had 14 coming into today and just 11 in the regular season. Huge in having a big season.

[Scratchtown]

Didn't all of Solich's teams have the fumble bug too?

 

I swear NU has always been a team that turns the ball over, a lot.

[Saunders]

 

 

How many of us thought we would beat UCLA? Riley & Co. Studied the way Stanford beat UCLA and played likewise. Since Riley is known to win games he shouldn't perhaps we WOULD have beat Stanford. Alabama-no. They're just that good ( even though it's odd they keep getting beat by the same team two years in a row!?)

I thought we had a good chance of beating UCLA. I thought the fans who thought we would get blown out watched a different season than I did. I don't think Stanford would destroy us but Alabama/Clemson/Ohio State probably would.

 

I think those 3 you just listed are probably the best 3 teams this year. Stanford is probably 4, and a healthy Oregon is probably not very far behind (up for debate)

 

They aren't even in the top 30 in S&P ratings.

[lo country]

IIRC, the teams in the playoffs this season were all +13 or better except for Clemson that was -2. The cold hard reality is not matter how good you are, you can't win when you are -11 (IIRC NU before the bowl).

 

If NU could get even in TO, we would probably win another 2 games. I look at Iowa and Purdue this year as prime examples.

 

Looking at the stats above, I realized we were bad, but really thought it was primarily the Martinez years leading the FBS in fumbles for 3 years. Didn't realize our INT's are almost as bad.... We stink in that department (TO's)

[Xmas32]

Didn't all of Solich's teams have the fumble bug too?

 

I swear NU has always been a team that turns the ball over, a lot.

 

I'd be curious to see those stats as well. The only stats I could find were TO margin from 2008 to present. NU has been on the negative side of TO margin every year with the exception of 2009 (probably not a shocker there). I'll see if I can find some older stats. I seem to remember one year when NU had Alexander and Dahrran Diedrick @ RBs that every other carry seemed to turn into a fumble...especially with Alexander. I just figured it was because the dude's biceps were too big.

[lo country]

 

Didn't all of Solich's teams have the fumble bug too?

 

I swear NU has always been a team that turns the ball over, a lot.

 

I'd be curious to see those stats as well. The only stats I could find were TO margin from 2008 to present. NU has been on the negative side of TO margin every year with the exception of 2009 (probably not a shocker there). I'll see if I can find some older stats. I seem to remember one year when NU had Alexander and Dahrran Diedrick @ RBs that every other carry seemed to turn into a fumble...especially with Alexander. I just figured it was because the dude's biceps were too big.

 

I just remember cringing every time Alexander, Dedrick or Buckhalter got the ball. Seemed like a fumble was coming next. Ganz was always good for the most untimely INT's, Martinez for 3 years and then INT's with TA.....

[ColoradoHusk]

Didn't all of Solich's teams have the fumble bug too?

 

I swear NU has always been a team that turns the ball over, a lot.

It was mainly the 1999 team with Stonehands Dan Alexander at I-back. That team led the nation in fumbles with like 25. I remember the NU-CU game that year. Mike Brown rips the ball out of the CU RB's hands to give NU the ball at CU's 25 yard line late in the 4th quarter. The next play, Crouch runs a perfect option and pitches it to Alexander who would have gotten a huge gain on the play. The ball his Alexander right in his hands and bounced away and CU recovered. It was just an example of all the fumbles that year.

 

Buckhalter also had a fumble at the 2 yard line in the 4th quarter against Texas, which was NU's only loss in 1999.

[Scratchtown]

Zac Taylor was the only one that took care of the ball at QB in recent history. 21 TD to 3 INT's going into the OU championship game....then he threw 3 picks.

[ColoradoHusk]

Zac Taylor was the only one that took care of the ball at QB in recent history. 21 TD to 3 INT's going into the OU championship game....then he threw 3 picks.

And Mo Purify fumbled at NU's 10 yard line after catching a simple pass at the LOS on the game's first play from scrimmage.

[lo country]

Here is something crazy per dataomaha.com (wouldn't load chart)

 

From 1988-2000, Nebraska football had a positive turnover margin every season except 1994. Since then, the Huskers have been positive just twice.

 

http://dataomaha.com/documents/husker-turnovers-a-look-at-nebraskas-slippery-slope

 

The evidence is crystal clear. Bo Pelini has coached 68 games at Nebraska. When NU’s turnover margin is positive or even, the Huskers are 35-2. When they lose the turnover battle, they’re 13-18. Against ranked teams, the contrast is even more stark: 8-1 when NU wins or ties in turnovers, 0-11 when it loses. Why hasn’t Nebraska joined the nation’s elite? More than anything, it’s turnovers. Too many giveaways, not enough takeaways. Look at the 25 winningest programs since 2008. NU is last in turnover margin — by far. In 2012, the problem got worse. Blame falls mostly on the offense. Nebraska’s 35 giveaways were second-to-last nationally — 20 more than Alabama, Notre Dame and Florida; 23 more than Kansas State. The last time any other college football team won nine games — let alone 10 — with a turnover margin as bad as 2012 Nebraska’s? Hawaii in 2002. NU is trying to win a race with its shoes untied. But there is hope. Notre Dame was second-to-last in turnover margin in 2011. The Irish cleaned it up and — voila! — a 12-0 regular season. Nebraska can do it, too. But first take a hard look at the past.

 

Reading the article, I knew TO's hurt, but they have flat out killed us. Possibly the one single thing that NU can work on regardless of talent, scheme or staff..........