knapplc
International Man of Mystery
The following is a copypasta from a post I made in early August, 2013. The story continues below.
The biggest problem I have with Bo's method is there's no consistency. The criteria for earning them doesn't seem set in stone, and it appears he uses them as a motivational tool. Unfortunately, it often doesn't motivate anything.
Look at how the team has earned them, and what happened after they earned them, through Bo's tenure.
2008
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 10th game, a victory over Kansas where we gave up 35 points and 422 yards. A fair portion of those points/yards came in garbage time, as Nebraska led 31-21 in the fourth quarter before both teams' defenses coasted and each scored twice more.
Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 28 points and 247 yards. The Huskers won their last three games after receiving the Blackshirts.
2009
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 6th game, a loss at home to Texas Tech where we gave up 31 points but only 259 yards. This was the game where the Tech QB (I forget his name) threw up half a dozen prayers and his WRs made circus catches. Tremendously lucky game for Tech.
Next Game: A loss at home to Iowa State where we gave up 9 points and 239 yards. This was the infamous 8-turnover game where everyone fumbled and Lee threw costly picks. The Huskers won six of their last seven games after receiving the Blackshirts, the lone loss coming against Texas in the Big XII CCG, the infamous 00:01 game.
2010
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 4th game, a victory over South Dakota State where we gave up 3 points and 236 yards. This was a very ugly game, you'll recall, where the Jackrabbits had several concerning drives. Error-filled on the part of the offense, though.
Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 13 points and 315 yards on Bill Snyder's birthday. A parting gift as we left the Big XII for Eric the Red's favorite team.
The Huskers went 5-4 to finish the season and lost three of their last four. The defense gave up an average of 18 points per loss, but the offense was terrible.
2011
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan State where we gave up 3 points and 187 yards. Nobody can say the defense didn't earn their Blackshirts after this game as they stifled a decent Sparty offense, holding the Big 10's best WR, BJ Cunningham, without a catch.
Next Game: A loss to Northwestern where we gave up 28 points and 468 yards to a team that finished the season 6-7. We couldn't stop a simple crossing pattern all game long and appeared disinterested on defense. Nebraska went 2-2 to end the season, including losses to Michigan and South Carolina where we gave up 45 and 30 points.
2012
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan where we gave up 9 points and 188 yards. The cynic will say that Denard Robinson only played half the game and his replacement, Ron Bellomy, was inept, but Robinson had only rushed for 46 yards (10 carries) and passed for 55 yards (6 of 11) prior to his injury.
Next Game: A win at Michigan State where we gave up 34 points and 361 yards in a very hostile environment. The defense played well enough that game, but they allowed Sparty to move the ball with ease. Nebraska finished the season 3-2, giving up 70 and 45 points in back-to-back season-ending losses to Wisconsin and Georgia.
Over Bo's tenure, without the Blackshirts we're 27-9 (.750 winning percentage) and we give up an average of 20.4 points per game.
With the Blackshirts we're 21-11 (.656) and we give up an average of 22.2 points per game.
The one caveat to these stats is that the easier non-conference schedule is included in the "without Blackshirts" schedule, skewing the numbers slightly in favor of "without."
This is the problem as I see it - there doesn't appear to be any motivation the team derives from earning their Blackshirts. They don't appear to improve, they don't have any great swagger, and they don't appear to carry the pride of earning those Blackshirts onto the field. Of our six worst losses in the past two years (2011: Wisconsin, Michigan; 2012: UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Georgia), three have come with the Blackshirts and three without.
There is no discernible difference between the defense's play with or without the Blackshirts. There is no discernible merit to "making them earn it," judging either by wins/losses or points/yards allowed.
It's a distraction. It becomes a story line where no story needs to exist. It becomes one more thing an already-struggling unit has to think about.
That's my reasoning for getting rid of Bo's method. Just give them the Blackshirts after Fall Camp and let them get down to the business of playing the game.
That was the preseason discussion held last year in August. In 2013, for the first time ever, Bo handed out the Blackshirts before the first game, the way it had always been done. They've been handed out already this year, so we can add two more years' results to the discussion:
2013
Earned: For the first time in his tenure, Bo handed out the Blackshirts before the season started. Thad Randle, David Santos, Jason Ankrah, Ciante Evans, Josh Mitchell, Stanley-Jean Baptiste and Corey Cooper all wore Blackshirts to practice three days before the Wyoming game to start the season.
Next Game: A breathless last-second win which featured the offense stagnating in the fourth quarter and the defense - the Blackshirts - surrendering 13 unanswered points in the last six minutes of the game, eking out a three-point win against a Wyoming team that would finish 5-7 and fire their head coach. The Blackshirts allowed 602 yards and 34 points to Wyoming, then followed that up with 504 yards and 41 points to UCLA and 465 yards and 20 points to D1AA South Dakota State in two of their next three games.
2014
Earned: Bo went back to his old ways, not handing out the Blackshirts until mid-way through the season this year. The Blackshirts came out after the Northwestern game in Evanston, a game which featured some good halftime adjustments and an absolutely stifling effort by the defense in the second half. Northwestern gained just 28 yards in the second half, allowing the Nebraska offense to reel off 24 unanswered points to put the game away.
Since that game Nebraska has played Rutgers and Purdue, who are a combined 8-10 on the season. The Blackshirts allowed Rutgers two second-half touchdowns after leading 35-10, otherwise marring what was a pretty decent game. Purdue was held to 14 points total, 21 points below their average of their previous three games - one of which included 31 points against Michigan State.
So where does that leave us? Frankly, nowhere. It's a pretty mixed bag, even including this year's results. There hasn't been a let-down game for the Blackshirts this year, and this is from a unit lacking several expected key contributors. So that's great.
But putting that into the context of the previous six years' results still leaves us in some pretty muddied waters. There appears to be no direct benefit of handling the Blackshirt tradition the way it's being handled today. In fact, it almost seems as if the Blackshirts mean nothing anymore. For the first time in the Bo Pelini Era, four, five, six games into the season almost nobody was asking, "When will the Blackshirts be handed out?"
Maybe the tradition is dead. Maybe it couldn't survive the haphazard way in which it's been handled these past several years. It's an abstract thing now, less tangible and less accessible to the fans.
-------------------------------
In a season where the offense is hot-and-cold, the Blackshirts have been - shockingly - the rock upon which this team is founded. It wasn't supposed to be like this. The star-laden offense was supposed to have to outscore opponents while the defense, minus several expected starters (LeRoy Anderson, Michael Rose-Ivey, Charles Jackson, Avery Moss), found its footing. Instead it's the offense that has been regressing, while the defense has risen to the occasion.
The 2014 defense is Bo's third-best scoring defense through nine games, averaging 19.6 points per game, behind only 2009's Suh & Co. Demolition, Inc. (10.3 PPG), and the 2010 LaVonte David Tackles Everything Show (19.1PPG).
It's hard to deny the fun factor of watching this defense in action. They seem to be getting stronger as the season wears on, a hallmark of Pelini defenses. Randy Gregory has terrorized quarterbacks and provided good pursuit downfield (and at least one devastating block on an INT return). When Gregory is unable to get through his triple-team, Maliek Collins has very rudely made his presence known, as Miami's Duke Johnson and several other unfortunates can attest to. The secondary is holding opposing offenses to a 46.9% completion percentage (they're 3rd in the nation at Pass Efficiency Defense), and they're tied at #16 in the country for Interceptions, thanks in large part to Nate "Defense Rex" Gerry.
And next year... holy buckets. Next year the Blackshirts could be downright terrifying.
Presume we lose Randy Gregory. A projected top-ten pick, he's not staying. We lose Zaire Anderson, Josh Mitchell, Corey Cooper and Trevor Roach. Big-time contributors, all of them.
We get Avery Moss back. We get LeRoy Alexander back. We get Charles Jackson back. We get Michael Rose-Ivey back.
We return Maliek Collins, Vincent Valentine and Greg McMullen on the line. We return Josh Banderas and David Santos at LB. We return Daniel Davie, Jonathon Rose, Nate Gerry, Josh Kalu and Byerson Cockrell in the secondary.
This isn't a wait-'til-next-year ramble. This is a boast. As good as this defense is this year, next year they could be even better.
And that should be a hell of a lot of fun, no matter when the Blackshirts are handed out.
The biggest problem I have with Bo's method is there's no consistency. The criteria for earning them doesn't seem set in stone, and it appears he uses them as a motivational tool. Unfortunately, it often doesn't motivate anything.
Look at how the team has earned them, and what happened after they earned them, through Bo's tenure.
2008
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 10th game, a victory over Kansas where we gave up 35 points and 422 yards. A fair portion of those points/yards came in garbage time, as Nebraska led 31-21 in the fourth quarter before both teams' defenses coasted and each scored twice more.
Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 28 points and 247 yards. The Huskers won their last three games after receiving the Blackshirts.
2009
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 6th game, a loss at home to Texas Tech where we gave up 31 points but only 259 yards. This was the game where the Tech QB (I forget his name) threw up half a dozen prayers and his WRs made circus catches. Tremendously lucky game for Tech.
Next Game: A loss at home to Iowa State where we gave up 9 points and 239 yards. This was the infamous 8-turnover game where everyone fumbled and Lee threw costly picks. The Huskers won six of their last seven games after receiving the Blackshirts, the lone loss coming against Texas in the Big XII CCG, the infamous 00:01 game.
2010
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 4th game, a victory over South Dakota State where we gave up 3 points and 236 yards. This was a very ugly game, you'll recall, where the Jackrabbits had several concerning drives. Error-filled on the part of the offense, though.
Next Game: A victory over Kansas State where we gave up 13 points and 315 yards on Bill Snyder's birthday. A parting gift as we left the Big XII for Eric the Red's favorite team.
2011
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan State where we gave up 3 points and 187 yards. Nobody can say the defense didn't earn their Blackshirts after this game as they stifled a decent Sparty offense, holding the Big 10's best WR, BJ Cunningham, without a catch.
Next Game: A loss to Northwestern where we gave up 28 points and 468 yards to a team that finished the season 6-7. We couldn't stop a simple crossing pattern all game long and appeared disinterested on defense. Nebraska went 2-2 to end the season, including losses to Michigan and South Carolina where we gave up 45 and 30 points.
2012
Earned: Blackshirts were handed out after the 8th game, a victory over Michigan where we gave up 9 points and 188 yards. The cynic will say that Denard Robinson only played half the game and his replacement, Ron Bellomy, was inept, but Robinson had only rushed for 46 yards (10 carries) and passed for 55 yards (6 of 11) prior to his injury.
Next Game: A win at Michigan State where we gave up 34 points and 361 yards in a very hostile environment. The defense played well enough that game, but they allowed Sparty to move the ball with ease. Nebraska finished the season 3-2, giving up 70 and 45 points in back-to-back season-ending losses to Wisconsin and Georgia.
Over Bo's tenure, without the Blackshirts we're 27-9 (.750 winning percentage) and we give up an average of 20.4 points per game.
With the Blackshirts we're 21-11 (.656) and we give up an average of 22.2 points per game.
The one caveat to these stats is that the easier non-conference schedule is included in the "without Blackshirts" schedule, skewing the numbers slightly in favor of "without."
This is the problem as I see it - there doesn't appear to be any motivation the team derives from earning their Blackshirts. They don't appear to improve, they don't have any great swagger, and they don't appear to carry the pride of earning those Blackshirts onto the field. Of our six worst losses in the past two years (2011: Wisconsin, Michigan; 2012: UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Georgia), three have come with the Blackshirts and three without.
There is no discernible difference between the defense's play with or without the Blackshirts. There is no discernible merit to "making them earn it," judging either by wins/losses or points/yards allowed.
It's a distraction. It becomes a story line where no story needs to exist. It becomes one more thing an already-struggling unit has to think about.
That's my reasoning for getting rid of Bo's method. Just give them the Blackshirts after Fall Camp and let them get down to the business of playing the game.
That was the preseason discussion held last year in August. In 2013, for the first time ever, Bo handed out the Blackshirts before the first game, the way it had always been done. They've been handed out already this year, so we can add two more years' results to the discussion:
2013
Earned: For the first time in his tenure, Bo handed out the Blackshirts before the season started. Thad Randle, David Santos, Jason Ankrah, Ciante Evans, Josh Mitchell, Stanley-Jean Baptiste and Corey Cooper all wore Blackshirts to practice three days before the Wyoming game to start the season.
Next Game: A breathless last-second win which featured the offense stagnating in the fourth quarter and the defense - the Blackshirts - surrendering 13 unanswered points in the last six minutes of the game, eking out a three-point win against a Wyoming team that would finish 5-7 and fire their head coach. The Blackshirts allowed 602 yards and 34 points to Wyoming, then followed that up with 504 yards and 41 points to UCLA and 465 yards and 20 points to D1AA South Dakota State in two of their next three games.
2014
Earned: Bo went back to his old ways, not handing out the Blackshirts until mid-way through the season this year. The Blackshirts came out after the Northwestern game in Evanston, a game which featured some good halftime adjustments and an absolutely stifling effort by the defense in the second half. Northwestern gained just 28 yards in the second half, allowing the Nebraska offense to reel off 24 unanswered points to put the game away.
Since that game Nebraska has played Rutgers and Purdue, who are a combined 8-10 on the season. The Blackshirts allowed Rutgers two second-half touchdowns after leading 35-10, otherwise marring what was a pretty decent game. Purdue was held to 14 points total, 21 points below their average of their previous three games - one of which included 31 points against Michigan State.
So where does that leave us? Frankly, nowhere. It's a pretty mixed bag, even including this year's results. There hasn't been a let-down game for the Blackshirts this year, and this is from a unit lacking several expected key contributors. So that's great.
But putting that into the context of the previous six years' results still leaves us in some pretty muddied waters. There appears to be no direct benefit of handling the Blackshirt tradition the way it's being handled today. In fact, it almost seems as if the Blackshirts mean nothing anymore. For the first time in the Bo Pelini Era, four, five, six games into the season almost nobody was asking, "When will the Blackshirts be handed out?"
Maybe the tradition is dead. Maybe it couldn't survive the haphazard way in which it's been handled these past several years. It's an abstract thing now, less tangible and less accessible to the fans.
-------------------------------
In a season where the offense is hot-and-cold, the Blackshirts have been - shockingly - the rock upon which this team is founded. It wasn't supposed to be like this. The star-laden offense was supposed to have to outscore opponents while the defense, minus several expected starters (LeRoy Anderson, Michael Rose-Ivey, Charles Jackson, Avery Moss), found its footing. Instead it's the offense that has been regressing, while the defense has risen to the occasion.
The 2014 defense is Bo's third-best scoring defense through nine games, averaging 19.6 points per game, behind only 2009's Suh & Co. Demolition, Inc. (10.3 PPG), and the 2010 LaVonte David Tackles Everything Show (19.1PPG).
It's hard to deny the fun factor of watching this defense in action. They seem to be getting stronger as the season wears on, a hallmark of Pelini defenses. Randy Gregory has terrorized quarterbacks and provided good pursuit downfield (and at least one devastating block on an INT return). When Gregory is unable to get through his triple-team, Maliek Collins has very rudely made his presence known, as Miami's Duke Johnson and several other unfortunates can attest to. The secondary is holding opposing offenses to a 46.9% completion percentage (they're 3rd in the nation at Pass Efficiency Defense), and they're tied at #16 in the country for Interceptions, thanks in large part to Nate "Defense Rex" Gerry.
And next year... holy buckets. Next year the Blackshirts could be downright terrifying.
Presume we lose Randy Gregory. A projected top-ten pick, he's not staying. We lose Zaire Anderson, Josh Mitchell, Corey Cooper and Trevor Roach. Big-time contributors, all of them.
We get Avery Moss back. We get LeRoy Alexander back. We get Charles Jackson back. We get Michael Rose-Ivey back.
We return Maliek Collins, Vincent Valentine and Greg McMullen on the line. We return Josh Banderas and David Santos at LB. We return Daniel Davie, Jonathon Rose, Nate Gerry, Josh Kalu and Byerson Cockrell in the secondary.
This isn't a wait-'til-next-year ramble. This is a boast. As good as this defense is this year, next year they could be even better.
And that should be a hell of a lot of fun, no matter when the Blackshirts are handed out.
