The Myth and The Truth about the Husker Talent Gap

[Armistead]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

the 08 have not lost a game......so if you are goin to talk football.then tell me how MU has more talent

TE......Cauffman....Hetzer????????

O-line............no doubt NU

QB.........Ganz 19 td's 8 int's in three games......or Chase....30 td's all year......I like Ganz at home +NU

RB...Lucky and Co. are light years ahead of Earl Goldsmith.....NU wins this one

WR..........Maclin is awsome.......but the Tigers live and die with TE and RB play....got to like a draw at home in this column........slight edge to MU

unfortunately for you.Keller and BC won't be around to mismanage the game...when Ganz or Lee breaks off a big run early to give the Huskers a lead at home....You will be N then

 

[ironmike]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

the 08 have not lost a game......so if you are goin to talk football.then tell me how MU has more talent

TE......Cauffman....Hetzer????????

O-line............no doubt NU

QB.........Ganz 19 td's 8 int's in three games......or Chase....30 td's all year......I like Ganz at home +NU

RB...Lucky and Co. are light years ahead of Earl Goldsmith.....NU wins this one

WR..........Maclin is awsome.......but the Tigers live and die with TE and RB play....got to like a draw at home in this column........slight edge to MU

unfortunately for you.Keller and BC won't be around to mismanage the game...when Ganz or Lee breaks off a big run early to give the Huskers a lead at home....You will be N then

Armi, you don't get beat 41-6 to a team that is less talented, hell, even to a team that is evenly matched. Missouri's players on D were light years ahead of ours, and let's look at your offensive comparisons:

TE....Coffman is NFL quality, there is no question that he is head and shoulders above some unknown JC player.

O-line...no doubt NU?? the only team able to get to the QB was OU, and did you see how many rushing yards they racked up against Arkansas?

QB...a guy who threw 8 INTs in 3 games and cost his team the win against a less-than-medicore CU team, or a Heisman finalist? Come on. I love Joe, but Chase Daniel is a proven great player.

WR....we lost our best WR, theirs is a probable NFL first-rounder with blazing speed. More than a slight edge to MU there.

So there's how MU has more talent. All this being said, I don't think it is out of the question that we beat the Tigers in '08 in Lincoln, but it would be a pretty big upset.

 

[Vuren]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

we didn't play KU last year? didn't we score a bunch of points against them?

 

[husker B-rent]

i think that it was definitely a coaching thing. we have plenty of talent, who is to say that with proper coaching our WRs cant be NFL quality and the same thing with the other positions.

if i can predict what play we are going to run (from my couch), then i am sure pete carrol, stinkle, and mingino can predict the play much easier than even I can. if we arent so predictable next year, i could see us being one of the top offenses in the country. you have to realize that ganzes interceptions mostly came at times when we were down by 30 points (mostly because of the D) and he was trying to come back. if given an average defense he will hopefully not have to come back from 30 points down and in turn not throw half of those 9 interceptions.

 

[robsker]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

the 08 have not lost a game......so if you are goin to talk football.then tell me how MU has more talent

TE......Cauffman....Hetzer????????

O-line............no doubt NU

QB.........Ganz 19 td's 8 int's in three games......or Chase....30 td's all year......I like Ganz at home +NU

RB...Lucky and Co. are light years ahead of Earl Goldsmith.....NU wins this one

WR..........Maclin is awsome.......but the Tigers live and die with TE and RB play....got to like a draw at home in this column........slight edge to MU

unfortunately for you.Keller and BC won't be around to mismanage the game...when Ganz or Lee breaks off a big run early to give the Huskers a lead at home....You will be N then

Armi, you don't get beat 41-6 to a team that is less talented, hell, even to a team that is evenly matched. Missouri's players on D were light years ahead of ours, and let's look at your offensive comparisons:

TE....Coffman is NFL quality, there is no question that he is head and shoulders above some unknown JC player.

O-line...no doubt NU?? the only team able to get to the QB was OU, and did you see how many rushing yards they racked up against Arkansas?

QB...a guy who threw 8 INTs in 3 games and cost his team the win against a less-than-medicore CU team, or a Heisman finalist? Come on. I love Joe, but Chase Daniel is a proven great player.

WR....we lost our best WR, theirs is a probable NFL first-rounder with blazing speed. More than a slight edge to MU there.

So there's how MU has more talent. All this being said, I don't think it is out of the question that we beat the Tigers in '08 in Lincoln, but it would be a pretty big upset.

Ironmike --- you are right on the money --- but 90% of the Husker fans on this board are under the delusion that NU is really talented. They want to think that all the problems were coaching and cannot bend their minds around the notion that MU, KU and CU also have more speed, more quickness, better conditioned athletes and are more physical than NU. The problem will come next season when the Huskers will again be behind the competition --- and then the dogs will be out all over the Pelini staff.

I feel that last years trainwreck was both horrid coaching and sub par talent. This year upcoming will be better --- the coaching should be much improved. Effort and intensity should return. Pelini has us going the right way. But 7 maybe 8 wins is all anyone could possibly expect. There is a new order and there has been for some time now --- NU is in the middle of the conference --- at best --- and the climb up will be slow. The pieces are in place (we hope) with this staff --- but one falls faster than they rise. NU has a long path ahead of itself --- how long? WHO knows. But next year, if NU makes a bowl game than we should be pleased that the ascent has started.. The talent is not here, not yet, to realistically expect much more.

And Ironmike --- you are correct --- MU is light years ahead in talent relative to NU.

 

[huskernumerouno]

MU and KU had great years. I will not condede that they are more talented then we are though. By the time we got to those games, our teams mindset was in a shambles. Our team did not believe they could win last year and proved it. The coaching staff lost this team somewhere in the first 3 or 4 plays of the USC game. They never recovered from that opening drive.

The Coaches didn't have the ability to motivate or make game time adjustments. They were constantly out coached which makes the other team look more talented. Don't get me wrong MU, KU, and even CU have some great talent but I believe with a new mindset and better coaching to include better conditioning and practices where contact is not forbidden but required, we will be able to compete with ANY team in the North.

Going to the conference title game is not out of the question. I do not discredit MU, KU , or CU's victories over us, but if they are to repeat that again this year they will have to earn it against a team that I hope has found it's pride again.

GBR

 

[huskerswrkhavoc]

Armi, you don't get beat 41-6 to a team that is less talented, hell, even to a team that is evenly matched. Missouri's players on D were light years ahead of ours, and let's look at your offensive comparisons:

TE....Coffman is NFL quality, there is no question that he is head and shoulders above some unknown JC player.

O-line...no doubt NU?? the only team able to get to the QB was OU, and did you see how many rushing yards they racked up against Arkansas?

QB...a guy who threw 8 INTs in 3 games and cost his team the win against a less-than-medicore CU team, or a Heisman finalist? Come on. I love Joe, but Chase Daniel is a proven great player.

WR....we lost our best WR, theirs is a probable NFL first-rounder with blazing speed. More than a slight edge to MU there.

So there's how MU has more talent. All this being said, I don't think it is out of the question that we beat the Tigers in '08 in Lincoln, but it would be a pretty big upset.

Ironmike --- you are right on the money --- but 90% of the Husker fans on this board are under the delusion that NU is really talented. They want to think that all the problems were coaching and cannot bend their minds around the notion that MU, KU and CU also have more speed, more quickness, better conditioned athletes and are more physical than NU. The problem will come next season when the Huskers will again be behind the competition --- and then the dogs will be out all over the Pelini staff.

I feel that last years trainwreck was both horrid coaching and sub par talent. This year upcoming will be better --- the coaching should be much improved. Effort and intensity should return. Pelini has us going the right way. But 7 maybe 8 wins is all anyone could possibly expect. There is a new order and there has been for some time now --- NU is in the middle of the conference --- at best --- and the climb up will be slow. The pieces are in place (we hope) with this staff --- but one falls faster than they rise. NU has a long path ahead of itself --- how long? WHO knows. But next year, if NU makes a bowl game than we should be pleased that the ascent has started.. The talent is not here, not yet, to realistically expect much more.

And Ironmike --- you are correct --- MU is light years ahead in talent relative to NU.

i agree to a certain level, but not completely.. yes, a lot of people think we are way more talented than we actually are.. however, saying that this is not all coaching related isn't exactly true.. you use speed, quickness, conditioning, and how physical they are.. well speed i'll give you for sure.. quickness, conditioning, and lack of physical play i am going to pin on the last staffs lack of focus on this issue. there is no doubt that we didn't play as hard as we should of because the sort of NFL mentality the team had. not that everything is this issue, but a lot of it was. and for you to say the talent is not here.. i ask you what is wrong with our running backs? what is wrong with our WR's? what is wrong with our QB's? the lack of talent comes on the defensive side of the ball, partially because of a lack of intense focus on that side of the ball in recruiting the past years.. i think our offense has all the talent it needs to win, just needs to be coached and trained... our defense needs to play with heart, along with get some more talent, i think everyone believes Bo will do that.. MU is not LIGHTYEARS ahead of us, but they are def. ahead of us, same with KU. both those games are winnable this year, just not likely.. we need time to get everything into place and more than just one offseason of conditioning..

 

[Hunter94]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

we didn't play KU last year? didn't we score a bunch of points against them?

ksu

 

[Cy the Cyclone]

Iowa State's talent level on the field this year is much higher than the rest of the Big 12 North. Our Mascot was voted the #1 Mascot in the entire nation! Beat that ya chumps!

Seriously though...we have a veteran O-line that really wasn't that shabby last year, a talented (if overachieving) LB crew and a suprisingly good defensive secondary and line. If we can keep our RB's from breaking during the non-conference games and can get Arnaud some quality snaps at the same time, I tell you that ISU is NOT going to be the push-overs they were in the past. Arnaud could really develop into what Ganz would like to be...and we still have Bates waiting in the wings as a dual threat if Arnaud doesn't deliver.

Chizek has done what Pelini needs to do. He's given his players confidence, taught them to play football with wreckless abandon and...most of all...to enjoy what they are doing. At no point last year did you see ISU players giving up when they were down...unlike a few other teams in the Big 12...most of them were pretty happy just having the opportunity to play.

 

[robsker]

Armi, you don't get beat 41-6 to a team that is less talented, hell, even to a team that is evenly matched. Missouri's players on D were light years ahead of ours, and let's look at your offensive comparisons:

TE....Coffman is NFL quality, there is no question that he is head and shoulders above some unknown JC player.

O-line...no doubt NU?? the only team able to get to the QB was OU, and did you see how many rushing yards they racked up against Arkansas?

QB...a guy who threw 8 INTs in 3 games and cost his team the win against a less-than-medicore CU team, or a Heisman finalist? Come on. I love Joe, but Chase Daniel is a proven great player.

WR....we lost our best WR, theirs is a probable NFL first-rounder with blazing speed. More than a slight edge to MU there.

So there's how MU has more talent. All this being said, I don't think it is out of the question that we beat the Tigers in '08 in Lincoln, but it would be a pretty big upset.

Ironmike --- you are right on the money --- but 90% of the Husker fans on this board are under the delusion that NU is really talented. They want to think that all the problems were coaching and cannot bend their minds around the notion that MU, KU and CU also have more speed, more quickness, better conditioned athletes and are more physical than NU. The problem will come next season when the Huskers will again be behind the competition --- and then the dogs will be out all over the Pelini staff.

I feel that last years trainwreck was both horrid coaching and sub par talent. This year upcoming will be better --- the coaching should be much improved. Effort and intensity should return. Pelini has us going the right way. But 7 maybe 8 wins is all anyone could possibly expect. There is a new order and there has been for some time now --- NU is in the middle of the conference --- at best --- and the climb up will be slow. The pieces are in place (we hope) with this staff --- but one falls faster than they rise. NU has a long path ahead of itself --- how long? WHO knows. But next year, if NU makes a bowl game than we should be pleased that the ascent has started.. The talent is not here, not yet, to realistically expect much more.

And Ironmike --- you are correct --- MU is light years ahead in talent relative to NU.

i agree to a certain level, but not completely.. yes, a lot of people think we are way more talented than we actually are.. however, saying that this is not all coaching related isn't exactly true.. you use speed, quickness, conditioning, and how physical they are.. well speed i'll give you for sure.. quickness, conditioning, and lack of physical play i am going to pin on the last staffs lack of focus on this issue. there is no doubt that we didn't play as hard as we should of because the sort of NFL mentality the team had. not that everything is this issue, but a lot of it was. and for you to say the talent is not here.. i ask you what is wrong with our running backs? what is wrong with our WR's? what is wrong with our QB's? the lack of talent comes on the defensive side of the ball, partially because of a lack of intense focus on that side of the ball in recruiting the past years.. i think our offense has all the talent it needs to win, just needs to be coached and trained... our defense needs to play with heart, along with get some more talent, i think everyone believes Bo will do that.. MU is not LIGHTYEARS ahead of us, but they are def. ahead of us, same with KU. both those games are winnable this year, just not likely.. we need time to get everything into place and more than just one offseason of conditioning..

Very reasonable analysis --- somewhat more positive than mine and certainly may be accurate. That conditioning physicality etc were coaching issues (and even attitude as well) cannot be contested. I too agree that both the MU and KU and the CU games are winnable --- though in each case it is unlikely --- we'll have the best shot at KU or CU but really MU should not really be much of a game. If we win one of those and are close in the other two then kudos to pelini.

 

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

The issue of talent aside --- if talent is defined as potential, I forward that based on observation MU and Ku and even Cu were overall quite a bit faster on both sides of the ball than NU. All three teams were far more physical in the trenches. The NU lineman were noticeably fatter and softer and slower that those at KU, CU, and MU. If you look at simple things like muscle mass on the LB's and safeties at MU and KU especially they were far more buff, so to speak, than NU's.

 

One is fooling themselves if they think that NU's problems were only coaching schemes last year. Lack of speed, quickness, and strength were major problems as well. There was gross lack of conditioning as well.

The NU talent is mid conference level and is undoubtedly behind MU and KU (and probably CU as well). Recruiting rankings are hype and expectation. Watch what was on the field and there is no doubt Pelini is starting behind the 8-ball.

I'll agree the talent is not 5-7 talent where they should get blown out in laughers every other week. But, the talent is also not 9 win talent either.

Kennedy hitting the bricks is one of the best things that could have happened for the team. There should be great improvement in all physical phases next season.

 

[ironmike]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

we didn't play KU last year? didn't we score a bunch of points against them?

ksu

Sorry Hunter...KU beat us 76-39 last year. It must have been just too painful for you to remember.

 

[Hunter94]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

we didn't play KU last year? didn't we score a bunch of points against them?

ksu

Sorry Hunter...KU beat us 76-39 last year. It must have been just too painful for you to remember.

you are correct, my mistake. looking at another schedule.

 

[melscott62]

in case you missed it, our offense did not play consistently well against some of our opponents. don't forget most of our yards were gained after we were down by 30 or more last year and our opponents 2nd string was in.

the only way the other team can score that much is when our O is on the bench.

I would agree that the offense has not clicked since Crouch....that no joke......Lord had his moments, but NU has lacked a decent offense since Crouch

Last year the Huskers fielded a team that should have been rolling up yards...but BC and Keller Never got it goin....not until the threat of the QB running was returned to the Huskers offense , did NU look good......as to your claim that NU only scored because the other teams subs were in is a joke....the Huskers Never Played KU's Subs or CU's Subs...and KSU played hard to the end..........nobody plays their subs agin Nebraska....they alsways want to pour it on.....Give that a rest....Ganz and the boys turned the corner

and why??????

Because man for man...the Huskers have more talent on the offensive side of the ball than anyone in the North ................and yes this includes MU and KU

armi, i bet i would love what you are smokin! MU beat us 41-6. Thankfully we did not have to play KU last season, it would have been a big win for them too. the O still needs polishing.

we didn't play KU last year? didn't we score a bunch of points against them?

ksu

Sorry Hunter...KU beat us 76-39 last year. It must have been just too painful for you to remember.

you are correct, my mistake. looking at another schedule.

I think that the sped gap appeared more profound that it was do 2 things... first our guys on D were to tentative and were thinking instead of reacting.. fortunately this is something that pelini will fix right away, and I think we will see a difference right away. second is that we always went with bigger slower players. I thin that is something that could get fixed next year as well. move potter inside, have allen and williams on one end and a much lighter barry turner on the other. move culbert and asante to lb ......all of the sudden our d doesnt look slow anymore does it? I'm not saying that is the way it is going to happen..... but it wouldnt surprise me. the point is that the talent is there, the question is how quickly can the player adjust to the new system(and possibly positions?) to compete with the MU's and KU's? I think it will probably be a year or so, but it doesnt have to be either.

 

[bbhusker]

As far as the talent gap goes, we are not light years behind anybody. Period. Bo said himself that the speed comes from the execution of the scheme. Whereas we had no scheme pretty much with Coz, there was no speed to be shown. And with all the talk about Pelini's first year as D coordinator and getting blown out by 3 teams, you have to remember that Bo was coming from the NFL and was still getting accustomed back to the college game. I dont believe that if he was still here that he would've had that happen again. This shows by him playing and defeating most of the teams he coached while at LSU the last three years. We have the talent to win on both sides of the ball, and now we finally have a coach that will show that. I agree with the post about these kids being ready to prove themselves, and that is a very dangerous thing to other teams in college football.