I saw MAJOR improvement in the psyche of the team. Yes, we still have hurdles like pass defense, and consistent run blocking but the ferocity is coming back, the tenacity on defense, the heart. You can have all the 5 star blue chippers in the world and if they aren't coached to have a heart for the game, they'll go the way of the Callahan era. All other things being equal, the difference between also-rans and champions is the heart. That extra burst of speed that become second nature when the ball snaps. The extra stretch to make that one handed catch. That extra shove that allows you to beat a block and make a sack. The belief that now matter what, you believe in your team's and your ability to find a way to get it done. The routine four seconds of insane but focused ferocity. Yes, I see that coming back. Yes, I think Bo has delivered. He knows the team isn't there yet but they have come so very far. It takes time.
nu,s season -opinion
- Thread starter ronsss
- Start date
AR Husker Fan
Team HuskerBoard
I am ecstatic with the season. To be honest, I thought it would take Bo longer than one season to clear out the problems that plagued the team in '07. I would have been happy with 6-6 if the team simply played all four quarters, gave 100%, and showed improved fundamentals. That was all that could be reasonably expected - it's hard to change a culture over night, but Bo did it.
junior4949
All-American
For those who aren't happy or satisfied with the way this team ended the regular season, I'd be willing to bet you are rarely if ever happy. We made a 180 degree turn in attitude and performance from a year ago. The defense improved week in and week out. It was a great season when compared to last year. The only disappointment I have are the turnovers and points off of turnovers. We get those wrinkles ironed out and we can play with just about everyone. IMO, the defining moment this season actually came from a loss when we took TT into overtime. This team is full of players who are willing to fight for that extra yard.
HUSKER FREAK
Starter
I think overall we have improved a great deal. I think that with Bo's guidance Carl will end up being an excellent DC. They have made some big strides both on offense and defense. they showed they were able to change up the offense not only a little before the season, but during the season to help match the defense to help them out, Hense the word TEAM, something that we seemed to have forgot about in the previous four years. The defense yes still needs some improvement, overall they looked like a completely different team this year. With, which I hate to say it and mean no disrespect to the players, lacking some of the talent that we have had in the past. This shows very positives signs for the future. Just look at the injuries and other obstacles that this team had faced through out the season, with losing key players and still have found a way to battle through it. I feel really good about the coaching staff and where they will take the future of the program. IMHO GBR
captain obvious
Starter
They showed improvement over the course of the year.
But the defensive execution was inconsistent, and the offensive play calling really baffled me sometimes.
As far as I'm concerned, NU lost to CU in every way except for the score board. They're a weak 8 win team this season.
Next year will be better, assuming our QB situation doesn't prove to be too problematic.
But the defensive execution was inconsistent, and the offensive play calling really baffled me sometimes.
As far as I'm concerned, NU lost to CU in every way except for the score board. They're a weak 8 win team this season.
Next year will be better, assuming our QB situation doesn't prove to be too problematic.
orly?
NU/CU
Total yard 291/407
Penalties 2-14/3-15
Turnovers 4/2
Possession 20:24/39:36
Yes, we got lucky at the end. But we won this game in almost all areas except for just a couple blown calls.
Saying we lost to them in every way is just being completely pessimistic.
HUSKER FREAK
Starter
:yeah I agree we won the game in every way except in the bonehead plays department LOL. CU sucks this year and we played flat footed they took advantage, end of story, oh yeah and we won. GBR
captain obvious
Starter
yarly
I don't care about the yards they racked up. They were totally inept inside the 20. Against a depleted defense like Colorado's, they should have been able to not only chew up the clock and control pace, but actually put the ball in the end zone WITH EASE.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy we won and showed progress over the course of the year. At least the team's psyche can take a beating over the course of a game and they still manage to come up with a W. They're resilient at the very least, even when they don't execute. But people are making too big of a deal about the fact that they won 8 games and are going to a January 1 bowl. If Nebraska plays a top 15 team again at this point in the season, they still lose by at least 2-3 possessions. They'll get better over the next few seasons, but they haven't exactly figured things out yet. Our defensive secondary is a complete joke. We can't cover kick returns. Ganz still makes freshman mental mistakes. And in case you didn't notice, our O-line wasn't able to keep a 4 man rush in check at all on Friday.
Unless the defense makes a quantum leap over the course of the next month, this team runs the risk of getting seriously exposed on a major stage. Playing a big bowl game in Florida is awesome, but be careful what you ask for.
Go skers.
caveman99
All-American
Trouble, I think you have the NU/CU backwards (CU stats on left?), but I completely agree. After the first 5 minutes, CU had roughly 155 yards on BLOWN assignments. Take those out and CU had only 136 offensive yards in 55 minutes of football. The D forced 4 turnovers. What killed NU was boneheaded plays, calls (fake fg), and lack of execution in the redzone. Henery had 4 fgs, he shouldn't have had to make more than one. NU just couldn't put the ball in the endzone. Have to give CU a lot of credit for hanging on, a really gritty performance from a team that needed one, but this game should not have been that close. It was though, and I for one enjoyed the ride.
junior4949
All-American
I heard an interview with Potter. He said last year they were heavily discouraged on the DL to put their hands up in the air. He said this year, it was highly encouraged. What kind of moron coach wouldn't want his DL to put their hands in the air to knock balls down? I guess Kevin Cosgrove.
captain obvious
Starter
I thought that was textbook line play. "If you can't get to the quarterback, at least get your hands in the passing lanes." I have heard that so many times in game commentary this year, both in NCAA and NFL games.
bhamHusker
Special Teams Player
Overall, I'm happy with this year. I hoped that we could manage to get an upset or two against VT, TT or MU, but I also worried that we might trip somewhere along the way and lose a game we weren't supposed to. I expected 8-4, though, and that's what we got. More importantly, this team's attitude and performance improved drastically, which is what I cared about most this year.
Don't take my comments to mean that I think everything is rosy and nothing is wrong. There were some big mistakes made by both coaches and players in this game, and there's loads of room for improvement. This team and coaching staff is still getting better, however, and they are light-years ahead of where they were last year at this time. This staff has given me every reason to be confident that they'll keep things moving in the right direction, and that the team will continue to improve.
Edit - I started this response about an hour ago and had to step away while typing this. after I finished I see that Trouble makes the same point. Luckily most people don't get so overwhelmed with the negatives that they can't acknowledge the positives.
I think a lot of people are being overly critical of the CU game. Granted, it wasn't this team's best performance and things certainly didn't go as most of us expected it to. Frankly, we were lucky to get a win, but sometimes you have to win ugly. The fact that this game almost got away from us was due to a few key breakdowns that allowed CU to be in that game, not a completely poor performance on NU's part. I credit CU a bit here because they came in and played their guts out, and made the most of each mistake we made. A few critical mistakes and breakdowns aside, our coaches made the right calls and our kids performed well on both sides of the ball. In terms of yards allowed, this was the 3rd best defensive performance of the year. We dominated in rushing yardage and total yards, passing efficiency, time of possession, turnover margin, 1st downs, and most importantly points scored.
Don't take my comments to mean that I think everything is rosy and nothing is wrong. There were some big mistakes made by both coaches and players in this game, and there's loads of room for improvement. This team and coaching staff is still getting better, however, and they are light-years ahead of where they were last year at this time. This staff has given me every reason to be confident that they'll keep things moving in the right direction, and that the team will continue to improve.
Edit - I started this response about an hour ago and had to step away while typing this. after I finished I see that Trouble makes the same point. Luckily most people don't get so overwhelmed with the negatives that they can't acknowledge the positives.
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HUSKER FREAK
Starter
WTH. You always hear coaches and hell players saying that if you can't get penitration or if you are playing containment, which Potter plays a lot of, at least get your hands up. I really can't believe that they were discouraged them for doing that. Crazy :dunno
junior4949
All-American
In the interview on the radio, he said last year they were discouraged from putting their hands up. Considering the staff, it doesn't surprise me one bit.