I blamed our deficiencies earlier in the season on poor talent - our seniors right now were Pelini's first class, and for all intents and purposes, it wasn't a great class.
But, as I assess the college football landscape and analyze the issues keeping Nebraska from conference and national championships, our talent seems to be one of the least objectionable issues. Discipline is our problem, and it's a trickle-down system starting with the guy up top - Pelini.
To further explain the point, look at Kansas State. The last four years, their recruiting classes have ranked 58, 68, 63, and 92 (average 70). Basically, they're below average talent. But when you watch them play, you see discipline and poise. They may not be faster than the other guys, but they play just as smart if not smarter. West Virginia was a far more talented team offensively than KState was defensively, but KState played disciplined football and embarrassed WVU. They've beaten three ranked teams on the year including a huge road win against #6 Oklahoma.
And then you look at Nebraska who has what we can easily consider above average talent. Yet, we're -8 in turnover margin, rack up penalty yards and have scraped wins this year we probably shouldn't have (namely Wisconsin and Northwestern). And last night, I think we saw evidence to further support our discipline conundrum. We had some pretty iffy calls thrown our way, but we always dodged a bullet several times with bone-headed plays. And then to make matters worse, Pelini adds his own 15-yard penalty. How can Pelini ask his players to play disciplined football if he can't stop himself from being undisciplined? I'd be OK with the fire and passion if it resulted in wins, but it's those kind of mistakes on Pelini's part which illustrate why our team struggles to play disciplined football. It starts at the top, and works it's way down.
So, while this isn't a fire Pelini thread by any stretch of the imagination, I think it's safe to say this is the area Nebraska needs to improve to win championships. Talent is important and will always be important, but there's no substitute for great coaching. Pelini needs to make huge strides in this area, and I think this is what his job hinges on over the next few years.
But, as I assess the college football landscape and analyze the issues keeping Nebraska from conference and national championships, our talent seems to be one of the least objectionable issues. Discipline is our problem, and it's a trickle-down system starting with the guy up top - Pelini.
To further explain the point, look at Kansas State. The last four years, their recruiting classes have ranked 58, 68, 63, and 92 (average 70). Basically, they're below average talent. But when you watch them play, you see discipline and poise. They may not be faster than the other guys, but they play just as smart if not smarter. West Virginia was a far more talented team offensively than KState was defensively, but KState played disciplined football and embarrassed WVU. They've beaten three ranked teams on the year including a huge road win against #6 Oklahoma.
And then you look at Nebraska who has what we can easily consider above average talent. Yet, we're -8 in turnover margin, rack up penalty yards and have scraped wins this year we probably shouldn't have (namely Wisconsin and Northwestern). And last night, I think we saw evidence to further support our discipline conundrum. We had some pretty iffy calls thrown our way, but we always dodged a bullet several times with bone-headed plays. And then to make matters worse, Pelini adds his own 15-yard penalty. How can Pelini ask his players to play disciplined football if he can't stop himself from being undisciplined? I'd be OK with the fire and passion if it resulted in wins, but it's those kind of mistakes on Pelini's part which illustrate why our team struggles to play disciplined football. It starts at the top, and works it's way down.
So, while this isn't a fire Pelini thread by any stretch of the imagination, I think it's safe to say this is the area Nebraska needs to improve to win championships. Talent is important and will always be important, but there's no substitute for great coaching. Pelini needs to make huge strides in this area, and I think this is what his job hinges on over the next few years.
