The Making Of A Championship Team

R

Roy CO HSKR

Five-Star Recruit
This is my take on the factors to our future success in winning a championship.

1. Talent- Three years ago, Adam Treu (former Husker DE and current ESPN analyst) was quoted as stating that when he was at a USC practice, the level of talent was significantly greater than at NU. With another good recruiting class we'll be accomplishing the closing of the gap that has existed. In today's recruiting climate players want to go to a pro-type offense. The AFA can run a multiple wishbone, but only because they get kids for very different career paths.

2. Experience- This is our biggest hurdle currently. The new complex system is new to everybody, including the veteran players. Last year's experience was not enough and with all the new talent they only have this current year's exposure. Even the new 4 and 5 star recruits are behind the learning curve. The most important offensive player on the field is the QB and he never started prior to this year for a Div 1A team, let alone with a different offensive scheme. Look at OU this year, which is like Stoops' first year. The same struggle was with USC in Carroll's first year. However, neither of those clubs made the massive change in the offensive scheme from the option approach with as little talent as has NU.

3. Coaching Quality- We have as good a staff as anywhere in the country. Each postion coach has loads of experience and expertise. This was not the case in the past. For example, Turner Gill was a good coach, but not for the WR postion that he taught. The same can be said for the running back coach, etc.

4. Support- The best support comes by way of a winning program. The naysayers who were upset with the Chancellor's selection of a new AD and the following coaching upheaval will fade with winning. The offense has changed several times in the past and winning soothed the wounds. Remember Devaney's horrible 2 seasons in the late sixties with no bowl games and Osborne's interviewing with CU when heat was put on him because he lost so many bowl games? Fans have little patience for rebuilding and inexperience. Fans have short memories when the team is steamrolling.

5. Second Year Success- This is the watershed year. If somehow the team can get to a bowl game this year, that means a winning season and a bright future. If they could manage to pull off the Big 12 North Division title this year it would be monumental! Certainly, the odds are against that. I believe the ISU game is the most critical game on the slate. That team doesn't play UT or OU. If we beat them perhaps the North is decided in Boulder with the last game of the regular season.

 
Interesting thoughts, and I can agree with you on basically all that you say here. I think experience is our biggest hurdle, because not only are the players not there yet, but the coaches can tweak away, and figure out how to get the results that they want, or at least more so, over time.

I think 4 is right on the money, too.

 
Where I think you're right on the money is the level of change NU has gone through verses other programs. For OU, USC, and others that have been sucessful in recent years after a coaching change, there are two factors that allowed them to adapt more quickly then NU - first, they were not changing from as one-dimensional an offensive scheme, and second (and related to the first), there was more talent already on-hand that was capable of running the new scheme.

 
I incorrectly identified Adam Treu instead of Trev Alberts.

I suspect that if we had 4 penalties instead of 15 (11 counted), we would have 13 more points. Congdon will not miss 2 field goals either, in the next game. That's 6 points. Playing a low error game against ISU will be, by itself, a big improvement on the scoreboard. Then getting the tackle situation geared up just a little will help a great deal in sustaining drives. Our goal should be no turnovers and keep Koch on the bench. (One bright spot with Taylor was his attention to not throwing interceptions).

The difference between the last game and the next game may be what the Broncos did between the first half against SD (14-3 down) and the second half to win that game. A little bit here and there; what a difference it makes!

 
I incorrectly identified Adam Treu instead of Trev Alberts.
I suspect that if we had 4 penalties instead of 15 (11 counted), we would have 13 more points. Congdon will not miss 2 field goals either, in the next game. That's 6 points. Playing a low error game against ISU will be, by itself, a big improvement on the scoreboard. Then getting the tackle situation geared up just a little will help a great deal in sustaining drives. Our goal should be no turnovers and keep Koch on the bench. (One bright spot with Taylor was his attention to not throwing interceptions).

The difference between the last game and the next game may be what the Broncos did between the first half against SD (14-3 down) and the second half to win that game. A little bit here and there; what a difference it makes!
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While your optimism is good, I think that youre not seeing some of the things that the rest of us are. You can say "if" "we wont" "he wont" etc all you want, and it may be true, but we will never know.

Taylor isnt throwing INTs, but he isnt making any plays, either, and the O is worse this year than last.

As far as your comparision of NU to USC/OU, they are way off base. Neither OU or USC came off of a 10-3 season in which they returned the majority of the team and had a losing season. I remember that both USC and OU were in much, much worse shape than NU in 04.

 
Taylor isnt throwing INTs, but he isnt making any plays, either, and the O is worse this year than last.
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The fact that the offense is horrible is indisputable, however I will say this: the fact that Taylor has been taking care of the ball and there have been no fumbles since the first game, this is putting the defense in a much better position than last season. It seemed last year that the defense always had their backs against the wall because of a INT that Dailey would make.

 
Former Fan, I believe you are completely wrong in your assessment. NU's 9-3 season was illusory in that the talent was not there to EVER win a Big 12 Championship. Under Solich we were BLOWN OUT by UT, KSU and MU. We simply couldn't compete with any good team. We were 7-7 the next year with good reason. Out recruiting was going down and we were going to wind up like Baylor, if we didn't change coaches. OU and USC not only had decent recruiting classes leading up to the take over of Stoops (Blake's recruiting) and Carroll, but the systems didn't change as drastically as with our program. You may believe that Solich could turn things around, but I sincerely think otherwise.

When you say my "ifs" are problematic, the proof is in the pudding. When the next recruiting class gets their feet on the ground I think you will be surprised. I'm sorry you are so bitter!

 
Hey man, put the pipe down. Better yet, pass it on down the line. I want my fair share. Can I borrow those glasses when you're done with them?

 
This is from another thread:

First Year QBs

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Only 5 of this week's top 25 teams have first-year quarterbacks. Of those, only ONE is in his first year in their system (at Cal -- and he’s surrounded by deep, experienced OL). Hmm.

Anyone see what UCLA did to Oklahoma last week? QB Drew Olsen was practically booed him off the field several times last year, even more two years ago. But Dorrell endured the criticism, stuck with him, and now they have a solid QB to lead them while they season the backups for the future.

Nebraska is rebuilding the way champions rebuild (note Cleveland Indians). Happiness is in the journey, not merely the destination. Let's enjoy the ride for what it is -- and what we look forward to it becoming.

__________________

SoCalHuskerFan

"How you see the problem IS the probem." -- Stephen Covey.

 
:bang :bang :bang

I have to disagree with the comment that we have as good a staff as anyone.

Sorry, but 14 games of the BC era have shown me that is most definately NOT the case.

Great recruiters? Sure. And you can't argue with our defensive staff.

But no, our staff is not as good as anyone in the nation.

 
Wasn't OU a Option Team under Blake? (Wishbone)

I hope you are right but looking at it as a realist. Here are some facts

Team was 10-3 under solich.

Callahan inherited a Top 20 Team.

The excuse that Callahan inherited no Talent is just that, an excuse and nothing more.

Nebraska had better players at every position against Main yet late 4th Quarter Main was only down by a TD and had the Ball. If I remember right, they were starting to gain momentum and move the Ball.

Callahan in his 2nd season beat Pitt by one point.

Solich in his first season with a MAC Bottom feeder Team also beat Pitt a week earlier.

Callahan is known as an offensive guy. The Huskers Offense has become worse. Not as many Turn overs as last year but they are not scoring either. Main shut them down, pitt shut them down and so did wake forest. I beleave Solich would have crushed Main and beat Pitt and wake with little problems.

Under solich we complained about getting shut down by teams like Texas and OU and still the offensive performances against them was better than what we are seeing now against weaker Teams.

Solich last season had a improvement on recruiting. Not anything compared to Callahan but it was improved with the his new staff.

Solich developed Talent. The players improved.

I have not seen anyone improve on the Huskers offense since Callahan took over.

How about we just blame it on Dailey? He didn't improve playing for Callahan. But neither has anyone else. Hmmmm,,,see a trend here?

What Team in the north has better talent than Nebraska?

Callahan is the better recruiter......Solich is the better Coach.

 
Coach Kevin,

Big 12 North-

Who has the most overall talent?- Probably CU

Who has the least experience in the offensive system?- NU

Who has the most effective and experienced QB?- Probably CU (Klatt)

Who has the top freshmen/JUCO recruits?- NU

Who is favored to win- CU, because of all the above

Who has improved under BC?- Taylor has 3 INTs compared to JD's 8, so far this year. Taylor has the same problem that Favre had in his first 2 yrs, little experience, poor protection, dropped balls and penalties.

 
I beleave Solich would have crushed Main and beat Pitt and wake with little problems.
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Beat Pitt without problems? Did you even look at the box score for the Ohio/Pitt game? Ohio's only offensive points were a single field goal. 1 out of 3 they kicked. Both defensive touchdowns were run back by Byrum, a good corner who was given two gifts. Wake would have destroyed Ohio. Completely annihilated them. Pitt ran all over Ohio, it was Palko that lost them the game. Ohio is not a good team this year, and you'll never be able to convince anyone that Solich's offense is even close to working yet. Their offense looks worse than ours (as would be expected.)

If I remember right, they were starting to gain momentum and move the Ball.
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You aren't remembering right. They never had momentum in that game. Just some good plays that went their way then back to getting sacked every other play.

 
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