My Immediate Reaction to this football game

[HuskerGBR]

I am going to share my initial reaction in this thread.

I was watching the game with my dad and I don't think I have ever seen him get mad at a football game. He doesn't even really like the Huskers all that much, but he kept saying this is an embarrassment and a joke. He was not happy with a performance like that and his reactions were pretty telling.

My reactions were why are we not running the ball and letting Taylor sling it around? Then we had blitz packages dialed up and it was working very well...then we went away from that and dropped into coverage which gave Wilson all day to find an open receiver against a very bad secondary. We didn't run any counters, traps, screens, etc and it looked like we were running a vanilla offense. I also see zero leadership from anyone on the defense or offense...no one is getting in the other guys faces or holding others accountable for mistakes.

The defensive line isn't supposed to rush...I get that, but man do they look slow. I say scrap the 2 gap and get some proper rushing from your 4 man front. The defensive line wasn't playing all that terrible though, I just think we need pressure from the front 4 and the 2 gap doesn't allow that to happen. Our secondary needs all of the help they can get and a proper rush from the front 4 would help them out.

Martinez is worse then I thought. But Beck didn't put him a position to succeed. He can't throw the ball, so why do it? Honestly his running is suspect too against top opponents, but it is all we got right now.

Is it also just me or does it seem like some guys get more chances to play then others? Guys that keep messing up time and time again, but they aren't pulled. Tyler Moore made a false start and was instantly pulled. I would like to see that kind of thing when Stafford, Cassidy, Andrew Green, Sean Fisher, Taylor Martinez, Will Compton, Ciante Evans, etc mess up, but we don't. Sometimes I wonder if it is favortism or we rely too much on practice warriors. Anyways seems like some guys just don't really get much of a chance...you look at a guy like David who only got his shot because the other guys got hurt. Look how that turned out.

 

[3rd and long]

1. The idea that there is next year and next year and so on is legit but at the same time you have to do things this year too.

2. If some of these younger guys don't start getting more reps, which I think they should, you are going to see some guys leaving.

Thats what the Chicago Cubs fan say every year too. We do have a ton of young talent, but the question is, are they going to get better as they get older. I'm starting to have some serious doubts.

 

[NoLongerN]

Huskerboard,

As crazy as it sounds, this game is not as bad as it looks on the surface. Some may call me a sunshine pumper for that comment, but please listen to my reasoning for saying this.

First, I did enjoy my trip to Madison. I do have a serious problem with how I was treated by about 35% of the people that I was greeted by and I can assure you that if they came to Lincoln they would certainly not be treated the way I was at points this weekend.

What I saw tonight was a very inexperienced team that made very simple, but huge mistakes both offensively and defensively. That Wisconsin team is very good, but they certainly are not that much better than we are. Whenever you go on the road and play the 7th best football team in the nation and turn the football over 3 times and committ stupid penalties you are going to lose. There was a point in that first half where I didn't know how they were going to stop our offense. We sustained some good drives in that first half.

There is absolutely no indictment to make on the coaches we have here at NU or the players that are currently in our program. We have all of the pieces in place to get to where we want to be. There is only one that I would recommend doing away with. We also have a lot of young talent on our football team. Tonight happened because we played very poorly and they played very well. I want a chance to play these guys again. I really don't know if anyone in the Big Ten will beat them though. But I would really like the chance for our guys to prove they are not that much better than we are.

I would describe Russell Wilson's game as very smooth. He doesn't have these peaks where he just does something that makes you say he is a first round draft pick, but he doesn't have the valleys that make you want to never see him play football again. He will never put his team in a bad spot with a poor decision.

If I had to pinpoint one area of our team that I am dissappointed in it is the secondary. We have some great young players in our secondary. We really do. But at this point in time, in my personal opinion they are playing as a bunch of individuals and not one unit. That is what needs to change. Everyone back there needs to work in conjunction. That has not happened. Give me 4-5 guys that can do that over the biggest stars in the world who can't any day. Until they learn to work as a unit we will continue to have issues there.

What angers me is the unreasonable expectations from some husker fans and stupid sayings that just dont always make sense. Personally, I really do hope for a National Championship every year and in my mind until that first loss I never think there is a football team in the world that could be my Huskers. The saying I am talking about are ones like "taking what the defense gives you" has become a swear word amongst NU fans. I really dislike this "sky is falling" mentality that quite a few of us have adapted. It really discourages me as an avid fan. I am not saying that I dislike objective opinions, I am saying I am tired of the solution to everything being firing a football coach, or "recruiting better players," or "switching back to the option." These, among others are reasons why I am going to take a break from reading the board. If you have a question, or want to talk Husker football, my phone number is 7123106256. Feel free to text me at any reasonable time. I will talk Husker football with you all day and would really enjoy to.

I still do see this team winning 9-10 football games. But our project continues unfortunately. We are about 1-2 years away from being very good. I will be back after Halloween when we are 3-1 in conference play. Games like this, and times like this after the game are what really tries all of HuskerNation; coaches, players, and fans alike. Lets stick together.

Love it EZ ... and I agree with you. Thanks for posting your experiences with the game.

 

[EZ-E]

I couldn't keep away. I had to see the reaction to my post. It really is about how I expected.

To claim that there is a poorly coached aspect of our football team is stupid. You can coach them until you are blue in the face, but at some point it has to be on our players. Stafford has blew more coverage assignments than anyone on our team. That one at the end of the first half was your dagger. That was him. Toon running a post and he decided to stay to the outside of the route? Come on.

As bold as it my be to say the only two spots last night that we didn't play well enough to win at were QB and secondary. Sure, in the 3rd quarter after TMart decided to throw his third pick our DL began to give up. That is inexcusable, but overall I do believe we got adequat penetration for the most part.

See you after Michigan State.

 

[krc1995]

Spot on. I really don't understand this "fire coach x" talk based on this one game. The individuals vs. team attitude is exactly what I have seen. I have asked before and I don't think I got an answer from a board member, but what is the deal with the team captains? Whatever we are currently doing we need to stop and use whatever TO was using in the mid90s. Also, and I know this sounds like lunacy, but I think blackshirts should be handed out. Our players needs to know that we will back them and we're going to ride the tides with them. They really lack confidence.

 

[TJ Alum Husker]

One more thing, what happened tonight does not legitamize any of the "Big and Mighty Big Ten" claims that we have heard for the last year or so. If we don't commit turnovers and stupid penalties we will be able to play with and beat any team that is left on our schedule.

Please....

NU consistently is under-prepared and is constantly unfocused --- and plays consistently un-focused football, with poor fundamentals and are really poorly coached. How does this manifest itself? In dropped passes, missed blocks, blown coverages, fumbles, interceptions... and mental lapses on the part of players and also the team simply freaking out and playing too tight. These are the very things you cits as your "if only these things did not happen"

Well sure, if only these turnovers and mental mistakes and penalties did not happen we might win. Sure! But they happen every week.

It is not that the B10 is so awesome... it is that NU is so bad.

Fear Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Northwestern --- no none of them are awesome --- but all are better coached, better prepared to play than us, and all of them have a better chance of beating us than we do of beating them (or are about even with us). We will not lose them all, but we will lose most of them. I repeat, this is not because these teams are so good --- but because NU is so bad.

When I say NU is so bad, I refer to the problems with fundamentals, with coverage assignments, with blocking assignments, with fumbles, with penalties, with losing focus and sleep-walking on the field, with lack of fire, lack of passion, playing seemingly too tight, with a QB who is asked to do what he cannot do, with interceptions, poor QB fundamentals, etc... It is coaching... for the most part, that results in this. Theoretically, it can all change and get better --- proper coaching can fix most of these problems (not all, but most) --- it is just that there is no evidence that this staff can fix things --- they caused these things... it is their job to fix them. In the interim, NU will field again and again what it has fielded these past few years --- an unfocused team ready to implode.

No, our struggles in the B10 are because of NU. Not the B10. We have been the #3,4 or 5 team most years in the B12... rarely, rarely competing against the conference elite and that is how NU would have been if they were in the B10 too. Until NU coaching gets better... much better... the future will be like the past... posters will lament "if not for our penalties/fumbles/interceptions... we would have won" and each week, with rare exceptions, they will be right --- if it were not for these mistakes we would have won --- only we make these mistakes every week (against solid competition) and we did not win.

Unfocused - definitely. Unprepared - I am not convinced about that. I would say undisciplined. overreacting to the first move by receivers. Biting on the play action. over running plays. Penalties. Fumbles. These all speak to lack of discipline. I also don't like that the coaches are not raising their hands and taking some of the blame themselves. I worry that Bo will lose the players if he continues with the allegations that it is all their lack of execution.

 

[3rd and long]

I couldn't keep away. I had to see the reaction to my post. It really is about how I expected.

To claim that there is a poorly coached aspect of our football team is stupid. You can coach them until you are blue in the face, but at some point it has to be on our players. Stafford has blew more coverage assignments than anyone on our team. That one at the end of the first half was your dagger. That was him. Toon running a post and he decided to stay to the outside of the route? Come on.

As bold as it my be to say the only two spots last night that we didn't play well enough to win at were QB and secondary. Sure, in the 3rd quarter after TMart decided to throw his third pick our DL began to give up. That is inexcusable, but overall I do believe we got adequat penetration for the most part.

See you after Michigan State.

But when the same mistakes are made over and over, coaching can be called into question. I'm not calling for anyone to be fired by any means, but I am questioning. When our defenders are constantly looking into the backfield while a receiver runs by them, or losing containment by biting hard on a ballfake (albeit a very, very good one), these are discipline things. Playing your assingments is playing disciplined. And you could be 100% correct, that may be something that they work extensively on in practice every day and then come out during the game and completely forget, but if thats' the case then maybe someone needs some pine time. I don't know, I just know that we are an incredibly undiscplined team, sloppy mistakes, blown assingments, and costly, costly stupid penalites.

 

[gin_32]

Huskerboard,

As crazy as it sounds, this game is not as bad as it looks on the surface. Some may call me a sunshine pumper for that comment, but please listen to my reasoning for saying this.

First, I did enjoy my trip to Madison. I do have a serious problem with how I was treated by about 35% of the people that I was greeted by and I can assure you that if they came to Lincoln they would certainly not be treated the way I was at points this weekend.

What I saw tonight was a very inexperienced team that made very simple, but huge mistakes both offensively and defensively. That Wisconsin team is very good, but they certainly are not that much better than we are. Whenever you go on the road and play the 7th best football team in the nation and turn the football over 3 times and committ stupid penalties you are going to lose. There was a point in that first half where I didn't know how they were going to stop our offense. We sustained some good drives in that first half.

There is absolutely no indictment to make on the coaches we have here at NU or the players that are currently in our program. We have all of the pieces in place to get to where we want to be. There is only one that I would recommend doing away with. We also have a lot of young talent on our football team. Tonight happened because we played very poorly and they played very well. I want a chance to play these guys again. I really don't know if anyone in the Big Ten will beat them though. But I would really like the chance for our guys to prove they are not that much better than we are.

I would describe Russell Wilson's game as very smooth. He doesn't have these peaks where he just does something that makes you say he is a first round draft pick, but he doesn't have the valleys that make you want to never see him play football again. He will never put his team in a bad spot with a poor decision.

If I had to pinpoint one area of our team that I am dissappointed in it is the secondary. We have some great young players in our secondary. We really do. But at this point in time, in my personal opinion they are playing as a bunch of individuals and not one unit. That is what needs to change. Everyone back there needs to work in conjunction. That has not happened. Give me 4-5 guys that can do that over the biggest stars in the world who can't any day. Until they learn to work as a unit we will continue to have issues there.

What angers me is the unreasonable expectations from some husker fans and stupid sayings that just dont always make sense. Personally, I really do hope for a National Championship every year and in my mind until that first loss I never think there is a football team in the world that could be my Huskers. The saying I am talking about are ones like "taking what the defense gives you" has become a swear word amongst NU fans. I really dislike this "sky is falling" mentality that quite a few of us have adapted. It really discourages me as an avid fan. I am not saying that I dislike objective opinions, I am saying I am tired of the solution to everything being firing a football coach, or "recruiting better players," or "switching back to the option." These, among others are reasons why I am going to take a break from reading the board. If you have a question, or want to talk Husker football, my phone number is 7123106256. Feel free to text me at any reasonable time. I will talk Husker football with you all day and would really enjoy to.

I still do see this team winning 9-10 football games. But our project continues unfortunately. We are about 1-2 years away from being very good. I will be back after Halloween when we are 3-1 in conference play. Games like this, and times like this after the game are what really tries all of HuskerNation; coaches, players, and fans alike. Lets stick together.

I couldn't agree with you more....just like the saying says.."Before you can walk, you have to learn how to crawl.." or something like that. This team has so much youth and potential that the future seems bright. Although T-Mart did put us in some bad situation, he doesn't play on defense so take that as you want. Lack of discipline and execution clearly shows the inexperience this team is showing on the field. I'm for one will always never give up on my huskers nor am I'm saying anyone else has but some critics out there needs to realize that there are better days down the road. I think the OSU will be a big rebound game and although the Buckeyes are not at thier best right now, it's another stepping stone to use to improve as a Team! just my 2 cents

 

[irafreak]

Spot on. I really don't understand this "fire coach x" talk based on this one game. The individuals vs. team attitude is exactly what I have seen. I have asked before and I don't think I got an answer from a board member, but what is the deal with the team captains? Whatever we are currently doing we need to stop and use whatever TO was using in the mid90s. Also, and I know this sounds like lunacy, but I think blackshirts should be handed out. Our players needs to know that we will back them and we're going to ride the tides with them. They really lack confidence.

Maybe I'm just seeing things differently but I haven't seen anyone call for a coach to be fired. I've seen some posters lay legitimate claims to the hot seat for some coaches if we don't see improvement which is fair. I just can't believe how bad our secondary is. I remember Jordan Shipley being absolutely shut down two years ago when no one else (not even mighty bama) could do it. Fast forward two years and game 5 looks just as bad.

I laughed in the second half when the wisky reciever dropped the wide open pass. I mean I think we've had a wide open reciever from the other team drop one in every game so far. That's sad. I see no improvement from the secondary and that's not ok.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Wisconsin is what Nebraska could be 2 years down the road. We are inexperienced at every position besides the D-Line who I thought did a pretty solid job last night and at LB who didn't do terrible but didn't really do that great either.

Wisconsin on the other hand had experience at every position, and experience is just something you can't make up for. We play Ohio State next week, and they scored with 1:00 left in the 4th quarter and those were there only points in the game. There's a lot of talent across the board on our team, the experience is what is needed to make them better, and we got a whole lot of experience from a VERY GOOD Badger squad.

 

[whateveritis1224]

Score would've looked a lot better if we hadn't extended their last drive with two penalties on 3rd down. Didn't see the holding, but Osbourne's penalty was absolutely stupid and may be why he's not playing as much this year.

What I really want to see though is a reopened position battle on the defensive side. Linebacker needs an upgrade outside of David, Secondary needs an upgrade outside of Dennard.

I don't want to second guess the coaches, but what was the exact reason to having Cooper start last week and then have him not even play this week? Where is the rest of our depth in the secondary? Is it because the players don't know enough of the defense that they aren't playing? At some point you just have to play the best players because the people playing aren't getting the job done.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Spot on. I really don't understand this "fire coach x" talk based on this one game. The individuals vs. team attitude is exactly what I have seen. I have asked before and I don't think I got an answer from a board member, but what is the deal with the team captains? Whatever we are currently doing we need to stop and use whatever TO was using in the mid90s. Also, and I know this sounds like lunacy, but I think blackshirts should be handed out. Our players needs to know that we will back them and we're going to ride the tides with them. They really lack confidence.

Maybe I'm just seeing things differently but I haven't seen anyone call for a coach to be fired. I've seen some posters lay legitimate claims to the hot seat for some coaches if we don't see improvement which is fair. I just can't believe how bad our secondary is. I remember Jordan Shipley being absolutely shut down two years ago when no one else (not even mighty bama) could do it. Fast forward two years and game 5 looks just as bad.

I laughed in the second half when the wisky reciever dropped the wide open pass. I mean I think we've had a wide open reciever from the other team drop one in every game so far. That's sad. I see no improvement from the secondary and that's not ok.

Jordan Shipley was playing against a much more experienced secondary. That is a loaded comparison.