Buffalo Week Pressers

[floridacorn]

Buffalo is going to be a tough team, very capable of coming into Lincoln and winning. This is a huge game because if Nebraska loses we fall to 1-2 with Oklahoma up next. A 1-3 start to our season is just about worst case scenario for this program.

I have difficulty imagining how Frost is coach next season if they don't win this week after dropping the Illinois game. Must win, biggest game of his NU coaching career, & we are talking about Buffalo...it is what it is, but I really don't see how that's not true.  

 

[Husker4Real]

Losing that Illinois game not only means NU has no margin for error at all, it also means they are going to need to win a game you don't expect them to win.  While that would include OU and OSU, I do not necessarily mean either of those games.  Instead, NU is going to need to take care of business against Buffalo this week, as well as Northwestern and  Purdue at home.  That only adds up to 4 wins....meaning, they will need to win on the road at MSU, Wisconsin, or Minnesota...or beat Michigan or Iowa at home.  

How good do you feel about NU's chances in any of those last 5 games I listed?  As of today, I imagine NU would be an underdog in every one of them.  NU is going to have to upset at least one team to make it to a bowl game.  At least one.  

 

[Decoy73]

Losing that Illinois game not only means NU has no margin for error at all, it also means they are going to need to win a game you don't expect them to win.  While that would include OU and OSU, I do not necessarily mean either of those games.  Instead, NU is going to need to take care of business against Buffalo this week, as well as Northwestern and  Purdue at home.  That only adds up to 4 wins....meaning, they will need to win on the road at MSU, Wisconsin, or Minnesota...or beat Michigan or Iowa at home.  

How good do you feel about NU's chances in any of those last 5 games I listed?  As of today, I imagine NU would be an underdog in every one of them.  NU is going to have to upset at least one team to make it to a bowl game.  At least one.  

How the season goes, probably week to week, I would say expectations for any individual game, outside of OU and OSU, could change.  My impression from the masses is that the expectation is a minimum 6 wins and a Bowl appearance.  Barring any implosion I would say many will "expect" to win all of those non-OSU B1G games leading up to them, however we all know that won't happen.  Beating either MSU or UM and then four of the other B1G's (who beat us last time we faced them) would do wonders for improving fanbase satisfaction.  Especially if one of them is Iowa.  Just my 2 cents.

 

[Caliborn72]

Definitely have to play catch up now but you just never know. That Michigan State game is a really winnable road game. Michigan will be tough but it’s a home game.

If we have a chance to fight for win #6 at home, against Iowa then I like our chances even though they’re going to be tough. Should be a lot of emotion in that game. Of course, we could struggle with Buffalo, get stomped by OU, and then have a rough stretch of losses where a 4 win season is the ceiling but I’m still willing to be optimistic.

 

[teachercd]

It is so lame that this is a game that we are worried about.  

The line is -14 but would any of you be shocked if this was a 1 point game or if Buffalo just flat out won by 10?

 

[Hedley Lamarr]

It is so lame that this is a game that we are worried about.  

The line is -14 but would any of you be shocked if this was a 1 point game or if Buffalo just flat out won by 10?

Not at all. I'm honestly concerned. If we make the same mistakes we have made each week (made same errors against Fordham we were just that much better than them) and they play clean football we will be in trouble. We HAVE to get a push early on up front. 

 

[Undone]

It is so lame that this is a game that we are worried about.  

The line is -14 but would any of you be shocked if this was a 1 point game or if Buffalo just flat out won by 10?

Unfortunately I wouldn't be surprised. You're right.

But I think we only lose this one if we make a bunch of dumb mistakes. If we're mistake-free then I think we cover the spread.

This is a practice week where Frost needs to leverage what he's seen Allen, Toure, Martin, & Stepp being capable of and draw up a game plan to let those four guys help march the ball downfield.

 

[Undone]

Offense has gotten probably 90% of the discussion on this board since the Illinois game, and probably for good reason.

But one thing was sticking out again to me against Fordham on defense: I'm still not sure what our pass rush looks like once we start playing good teams. We showed what I guess you'd call good "bull rushing" in our first two games, where our three down linemen + Nelson just cave the pocket in.

But I'm just not sure if that will be enough against teams like Michigan State on up on the schedule. Might be good enough for Buffalo & Purdue...

My other question is whether or not we even have a Nickel sort of package at all? We probably needed one against Fordham the way they were slinging the rock. Pass coverage was pretty leaky at times for playing an FCS team.

 

[Farms]

Offense has gotten probably 90% of the discussion on this board since the Illinois game, and probably for good reason.

But one thing was sticking out again to me against Fordham on defense: I'm still not sure what our pass rush looks like once we start playing good teams. We showed what I guess you'd call good "bull rushing" in our first two games, where our three down linemen + Nelson just cave the pocket in.

But I'm just not sure if that will be enough against teams like Michigan State on up on the schedule. Might be good enough for Buffalo & Purdue...

My other question is whether or not we even have a Nickel sort of package at all? We probably needed one against Fordham the way they were slinging the rock. Pass coverage was pretty leaky at times for playing an FCS team.

They likely held back a lot last week.  Also I'm guessing we'll see a little different lineup against Oklahoma to get more speed on the field. 

 

[Undone]

They likely held back a lot last week.  Also I'm guessing we'll see a little different lineup against Oklahoma to get more speed on the field. 

Good theory there.

Against Oklahoma we should just bring out our riskiest possible game plan; no way we beat them unless we take big risks and go big.

 

[Toe]

But I think we only lose this one if we make a bunch of dumb mistakes. If we're mistake-free then I think we cover the spread.

Like I said in the highlights thread, I think the only thing you can really describe as a positive from a game against an overmatched FCS team is that we only had 2 penalties for 10 yards. We need a whole lot more games with those kind of numbers...

 

[hunter49]

Definitely have to play catch up now but you just never know. That Michigan State game is a really winnable road game. Michigan will be tough but it’s a home game.

If we have a chance to fight for win #6 at home, against Iowa then I like our chances even though they’re going to be tough. Should be a lot of emotion in that game. Of course, we could struggle with Buffalo, get stomped by OU, and then have a rough stretch of losses where a 4 win season is the ceiling but I’m still willing to be optimistic.

Iowa will be really tough.

 

[Husker in WI]

Iowa will be really tough.

I have zero trust that we can do this, but if teams can avoid turnovers I think Iowa will struggle a bit this year. Iowa's offense was pretty much what I expected - Goodson will break a couple and they can wear you down, but there's not a lot there. Avoid turnovers, specifically the kind they return for 6, and they won't be able to pull away. But the defense is legitimate. 

 

[Undone]

I have zero trust that we can do this, but if teams can avoid turnovers I think Iowa will struggle a bit this year. Iowa's offense was pretty much what I expected - Goodson will break a couple and they can wear you down, but there's not a lot there. Avoid turnovers, specifically the kind they return for 6, and they won't be able to pull away. But the defense is legitimate. 

I don't know what Indiana's deal was on Saturday. They were like a 180 degree different team from last season in that game.

Iowa is transitioning a bit in its scheme in my opinion. They're starting to throw the ball more than they used to. I think where we're going to struggle against them is that they have good pass protection and we don't have much of a legitimate pass rush.

Petras may not be a guy that anybody looks at and goes "Man, he's a good QB." But he diced up Indiana on Saturday.

 

[Husker in WI]

I don't know what Indiana's deal was on Saturday. They were like a 180 degree different team from last season in that game.

Iowa is transitioning a bit in its scheme in my opinion. They're starting to throw the ball more than they used to. I think where we're going to struggle against them is that they have good pass protection and we don't have much of a legitimate pass rush.

Petras may not be a guy that anybody looks at and goes "Man, he's a good QB." But he diced up Indiana on Saturday.

I only caught pieces of the game and I saw him hit the TE a few times, but he was 13/27 for 145. So far, I think the perception of him not being a good QB matches reality.