It'sNotAFakeID
All-American
I think this is important to note, as it feels like the sky is falling once again on our season.
The loss against the Gophers today puts us at 2-1 in the Big Ten with 5 more conference games to play. If this team had a pre-season goal of winning the Big Ten, then the goal isn't out of reach. We were in the same spot last year heading into November and managed to rip off win after win after win after win all the way to the Big Ten Championship game.
We are standing at the exact same spot at this point this season as we were at this point last season. Who were our opponents that we had to face? Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Iowa. Who were our opponents we had to face last year? Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, [Minnesota], and Iowa. I don't think the team set out with the realistic goal of making the national championship. I think the team set out with the realistic goal of winning the Big Ten. There is nothing right now saying that that goal of winning the Big Ten is impossible. We MUST win out. We did last season, and we can do it this season.
The chips are down and our backs are up against the wall. The opportunity to make it to Indianapolis is there. But we aren't going to go out there and take it unless:
We start preparing for each game like it was the championship game
There is no game more important to the team now than the next game in front of them. No opponent is too weak or too good for them to not prepare for like it was the week of the national championship game. I'm sick of the attitude that we can go into a stadium, cozy our way to a win, and walk out. It's not that easy. Every last one of the opponents on our schedule can beat us, and they will if we don't give it 125% in every practice and in every game. They're going to give 110%, and we're going to have to give 125%.
The coaching staff redefines 'multiple', both offensively and defensively
It is good to be multiple. But I don't think the coaching staff understands what being multiple means.
Offensively, we have tons of weapons at all the skill positions. Taylor Martinez, Tommy Armstrong, and Ron Kellogg III can all play the QB position and be effective (even a hobbled Taylor). Ameer Abdullah, Imani Cross, and Terrell Newby are damn good running backs; Abdullah is 19 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing on the season. Quincy Enunwa, Kenny Bell, Jamal Turner, Jake Long, Alonzo Moore, and Jordan Westerkamp all present problems to opposing secondaries because they can all catch the ball and make big plays. And our offensive line must be good. We have only given up 6 sacks all season and we have a running back on pace for a 1500+ yard season. Those things don't happen if the offensive line isn't performing at a very high level.
So why is it then that in our two losses, the offense has sputtered to less than 400 yards of total offense and games of 21 and 23 points, respectively? It's because we constantly move away from what is working. We saw it so many times today. On the field goal drive which put Nebraska at 23 points and started deep in our own territory, two of the plays we ran were Abdullah to the outside. Both went for at least 30 yards. Once we got into the red zone, we run it up the middle and then throw back to back incomplete passes. That option out of the shotgun that got us a lot of yards in the first half, we didn't even run it in the second half. And probably the most noteworthy fact, the play calling in Nebraska's 5 wins shows us being a run heavy offense; we run the ball 67% of the time and pass the ball 33% of the time. In our losses, we run it 53% of the time and pass it 47% of the time.
Being multiple means that you can show different looks and be effective in each of those looks. But being multiple also means that you can plug different players into different positions to suit the play you are going to run. Ameer isn't the best between the tackles back, so put Cross in there and use Abdullah and Newby to run to the outside. Our quarterbacks can throw and our receivers can catch, so if opponents want to stack the box, let them and throw it over the top.
In our losses, Beck has allowed the opposing defenses to dictate to our offense what we should run. That's garbage. Our offense should dictate to the opposing defense what is going to happen. Minnesota did that today. They said, "Hey, we're going to run it," and gashed us constantly for at least 6 yards a rush.
The same goes for the defense. The athletes are there, and part of being multiple is being able to run different personnel onto the field and not lose any of your effectiveness. If we want to be multiple, why do we constantly run out of a two high safety shell? Let's see some different formations, let's see some more pressure, and let's see some different players! Our defense is far too predictable, and is anything but multiple. That falls on the shoulders of the coaching staff. It MUST change.
To sum this all up, we face a long and difficult road to December. But it's nothing we haven't seen before. Apparently, we didn't look hard enough into the abyss last season (as evidenced by the blow out loss to Wisconsin in the championship game), but we have a chance to redeem ourselves. Those types of chances don't come around very often. So let's address what needs to be changed, and get to f****** work.
The loss against the Gophers today puts us at 2-1 in the Big Ten with 5 more conference games to play. If this team had a pre-season goal of winning the Big Ten, then the goal isn't out of reach. We were in the same spot last year heading into November and managed to rip off win after win after win after win all the way to the Big Ten Championship game.
We are standing at the exact same spot at this point this season as we were at this point last season. Who were our opponents that we had to face? Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Iowa. Who were our opponents we had to face last year? Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, [Minnesota], and Iowa. I don't think the team set out with the realistic goal of making the national championship. I think the team set out with the realistic goal of winning the Big Ten. There is nothing right now saying that that goal of winning the Big Ten is impossible. We MUST win out. We did last season, and we can do it this season.
The chips are down and our backs are up against the wall. The opportunity to make it to Indianapolis is there. But we aren't going to go out there and take it unless:
We start preparing for each game like it was the championship game
There is no game more important to the team now than the next game in front of them. No opponent is too weak or too good for them to not prepare for like it was the week of the national championship game. I'm sick of the attitude that we can go into a stadium, cozy our way to a win, and walk out. It's not that easy. Every last one of the opponents on our schedule can beat us, and they will if we don't give it 125% in every practice and in every game. They're going to give 110%, and we're going to have to give 125%.
The coaching staff redefines 'multiple', both offensively and defensively
It is good to be multiple. But I don't think the coaching staff understands what being multiple means.
Offensively, we have tons of weapons at all the skill positions. Taylor Martinez, Tommy Armstrong, and Ron Kellogg III can all play the QB position and be effective (even a hobbled Taylor). Ameer Abdullah, Imani Cross, and Terrell Newby are damn good running backs; Abdullah is 19 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing on the season. Quincy Enunwa, Kenny Bell, Jamal Turner, Jake Long, Alonzo Moore, and Jordan Westerkamp all present problems to opposing secondaries because they can all catch the ball and make big plays. And our offensive line must be good. We have only given up 6 sacks all season and we have a running back on pace for a 1500+ yard season. Those things don't happen if the offensive line isn't performing at a very high level.
So why is it then that in our two losses, the offense has sputtered to less than 400 yards of total offense and games of 21 and 23 points, respectively? It's because we constantly move away from what is working. We saw it so many times today. On the field goal drive which put Nebraska at 23 points and started deep in our own territory, two of the plays we ran were Abdullah to the outside. Both went for at least 30 yards. Once we got into the red zone, we run it up the middle and then throw back to back incomplete passes. That option out of the shotgun that got us a lot of yards in the first half, we didn't even run it in the second half. And probably the most noteworthy fact, the play calling in Nebraska's 5 wins shows us being a run heavy offense; we run the ball 67% of the time and pass the ball 33% of the time. In our losses, we run it 53% of the time and pass it 47% of the time.
Being multiple means that you can show different looks and be effective in each of those looks. But being multiple also means that you can plug different players into different positions to suit the play you are going to run. Ameer isn't the best between the tackles back, so put Cross in there and use Abdullah and Newby to run to the outside. Our quarterbacks can throw and our receivers can catch, so if opponents want to stack the box, let them and throw it over the top.
In our losses, Beck has allowed the opposing defenses to dictate to our offense what we should run. That's garbage. Our offense should dictate to the opposing defense what is going to happen. Minnesota did that today. They said, "Hey, we're going to run it," and gashed us constantly for at least 6 yards a rush.
The same goes for the defense. The athletes are there, and part of being multiple is being able to run different personnel onto the field and not lose any of your effectiveness. If we want to be multiple, why do we constantly run out of a two high safety shell? Let's see some different formations, let's see some more pressure, and let's see some different players! Our defense is far too predictable, and is anything but multiple. That falls on the shoulders of the coaching staff. It MUST change.
To sum this all up, we face a long and difficult road to December. But it's nothing we haven't seen before. Apparently, we didn't look hard enough into the abyss last season (as evidenced by the blow out loss to Wisconsin in the championship game), but we have a chance to redeem ourselves. Those types of chances don't come around very often. So let's address what needs to be changed, and get to f****** work.
