The Reason We Lost

[Klondike Cat]

I agree -- that and the inability to get into the endzone. If we do on any of those trips to the red zone, we win the game.

 

[huskerstuckinmichigan]

I say it again, and I'll go to my grave believing it. You have a running back averaging over six yards a carry. A QB sneak/draw hadn't failed all game. Sometimes you just have to smash through for that yard and damn the torpedos. But he played conservative. He did the safe thing. Well whoopie.

Moving forward I hope this staff never chickens out like they did today. If you want to have a team with attitude, you've got to believe you can get one God damned yard to win the biggest game of your life.

Couple things ..

Try not to say GD. Really disrespectful although I know you are using it to just force. Just not the proper way to do it.

And again, you are not wrong in believing that. However, with the way our defense had played all day do you not believe those 30 extra yards would be invaluable once we went into our cover 2 shell? If we had not gotten it, we were playing cover 2 either way to keep things in front of us. Those 30 extra yards with no timeouts left for VA Tech would be huge.

A bigger argument you should be making is Pelini wasting those timeouts so easily. If we keep those timeouts, completely different situation, especially at the end.

Apologies for the offense.

But while I know that punting the ball was the 'smart call,' here's the problem. Two, actually. The first one––and I'll even say the moot one––is you run the risk of popping in the end zone anyway and you move the ball twenty yards. Didn't happen that way. Maybe it would have been better if it did. Who knows.

Second, and this is the important one, is this. There comes a time when this team, this program, needs to believe that it can TAKE victory. 4th and 1 in opposing territory? We're Nebraska for heaven's sake. If you want a program that's dominant, it starts with believing that you can get one piddly yard when the biggest game of Pelini's Nebraska career is there for the taking. Sure its risky. Sure it's going to look terrible if it fails. But you know what? Tom Osborne went for two when he could have kicked the field goal and won the championship by default. That was the Nebraska that would have won today.

This defense did everything it could to hand Watson and Co the game on a silver platter. We obliterated Virginia Tech on the field today. And then when the moment game to power through for one more yard when that defense was so tired they could barely stand straight, we pussied out and put fate back into Virginia Tech's hands.

The coaching flaws didn't stop with that call. The timeouts, the penalties, substitution errors, offensive scheme, WR coaching––all failed today. But the fact was we were one yard from beating a team this program NEEDED to beat. And we chickened out in the moment of truth.

I couldn't agree more. How bad do you want this game, the lines of the mid 90's would have taken that yard and smashed it down VT throats! Joel Wilks, Brendan Stai, Zack Wiegert and Rob Zatiska would have moved mountains for that yard. You get three F#$%ing feet and the game is over folks, take a few knees and go home with the win. Nothing left to chance, it's a game of inches and you have to get them, period!

 

[stewdawg68]

ahhhhhhhhhhh ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to wait til I calm down and sober up before I make any comments

Neighbors knocked on my door twice to see if I was ok. LOL!

wasnt on tv in NJ, but got a link from here to watch it from halftime on. Wish I didnt...my family left the house late in the game and went onto the porch, where wife said my 2 year old was covering his ears because he heard Daddy yelling inside..

I'm 40, have an 8 yr old playing football, other team sports, I like the Jets, Mets and Flyers, all teams that have left me unfulfilled over the years. But NOTHING kills me more than watching the Huskers come up short in big games. I am so sick of it, and with a family home, it makes it hard to vent (ie-break/throw things...), I am afraid my blood pressure might do me in over these guys..

So happy it was not financially sound to buy tix on ebay and drive down to the game, I really might not have made it home, either by my own hand, or at the hands of another..

 

[captain obvious]

I couldn't agree more. How bad do you want this game, the lines of the mid 90's would have taken that yard and smashed it down VT throats! Joe Wilks, Brendan Stai, Zack Wiegert and Rob Zatiska would have moved mountains for that yard. You get three F#$%ing feet and the game is over folks, take a few knees and go home with the win. Nothing left to chance, it's a game of inches and you have to get them, period!

If NU actually had an offensive line like that, I would agree with you.

 

[HuskerTrucker]

This just wasn't about one play...there was many plays that could have been questioned.

If Henery, Helu, and Suh hadn't had a good day, we could have been blown out....we also shut down their running game that they have relied on the first two games of the season.

The penalties that killed us...we should have had a TD, then when that was called back, we should have had a FG.

We should have had someone sitting back at the 20 looking for a breakout when we got within the last minute, that was the only way they could have beat us...and we allowed them to do it...

Helu, Suh, and Henery had good games...they stood out. The defense played two excellent quarters, one okay quarter (1st Qtr), and that 4th quarter was like someone was braindead - like the coaches. Instead of coming after Taylor that last drive, they had everyone playing on the line instead of rushing...they gave Taylor all day to throw the ball. You give anyone with an arm all day, they can eventually find someone that is open.

 

[DCHusker]

You're already losing a lot of momentum by being forced to punt with 1:00+ on the clock, you're on the road, you take the risk and try to end the game....

Explain that one to me. You lose momentum by punting? How? The offense had been putrid all day. We put it back on the defense and VA Tech's offense. A battle we had won all day and give them incredibly long field.

Don't see how that took away momentum AT ALL.

Because you're trying to run out the clock and they've stopped you from doing it with over a minute left....

You can't have it both ways...you're saying that giving them the ball at their own 39 is a HUGE momentum shift, but giving them the ball at their own 10-20 is a victory for us....I don't see that big a difference between the two...

Okay, simply put ..

You punt the ball on 4th down. Defense and ST comes off the field and Tech's offense comes on. Do they come on inspired and the crowd really that fired up?

Defense makes a stand. Crowd goes insane. Tech sideline goes insane. Tech's offense comes onto the field inspired. Our offense comes off the field deflated and our defense sees that.

Which swings momentum more?

If you cannot realize that, then I don't know.

I certainly concede that not getting a 4th and 1 gives them more momentum than does punting, I never said otherwise, I just don't think it's that big a difference

Look, I'm not saying that going for it is the obvious call, it's a tough decision...but based on how we ran the ball all day, I'd take the 10-20% risk that we don't get it and give them an extra ~20 yards and extra MO than they would have after a punt in exchange for the 80-90% chance that we end the game...

 

[JTrain]

The more I think about this, the more I like the idea of going for the 4th and 1. Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but Husker X makes some good points. We had a chance to run for one yard and TAKE this game. If we get it, you have a huge attitude boost because you played to win. You needed one yard and you pulled together whatever it took to scrap it out. If you don't get it, you play defense with 60 yards instead of 80-90. Not a huge difference considering they needed a TD.

I just think, when all is said and done, you have more to gain than you risk losing. Give it to Helu and let him and the O-line will their way to the win.

We should have won regardless, but we didn't ,

 

[huskerstuckinmichigan]

I couldn't agree more. How bad do you want this game, the lines of the mid 90's would have taken that yard and smashed it down VT throats! Joe Wilks, Brendan Stai, Zack Wiegert and Rob Zatiska would have moved mountains for that yard. You get three F#$%ing feet and the game is over folks, take a few knees and go home with the win. Nothing left to chance, it's a game of inches and you have to get them, period!

.
If NU actually had an offensive line like that, I would agree with you.

Ok, maybe living in the past to much . Though, that is why guys from the past come to talk to and inspire these guys. Like Jason Peter with Suh, it's all about attitude. You play for Nebraska now, act like it and smash some people.

 

[HuskerTrucker]

I couldn't agree more. How bad do you want this game, the lines of the mid 90's would have taken that yard and smashed it down VT throats! Joe Wilks, Brendan Stai, Zack Wiegert and Rob Zatiska would have moved mountains for that yard. You get three F#$%ing feet and the game is over folks, take a few knees and go home with the win. Nothing left to chance, it's a game of inches and you have to get them, period!

.
If NU actually had an offensive line like that, I would agree with you.

Ok, maybe living in the past to much . Though, that is why guys from the past come to talk to and inspire these guys. Like Jason Peter with Suh, it's all about attitude. You play for Nebraska now, act like it and smash some people.

I definitely like the idea of some of the greats coming in and having one on one's...but when it comes right down to it, you also have to have the talent and desire. I am not sure that is 100% where it once was with Nebraska, yet. We lost a lot of that when BC was here. Takes time to recruit players that have the desire to win, to dominate. They have to believe in themselves, and I just don't see that coming from some of these players...

 

[huskerstuckinmichigan]

I couldn't agree more. How bad do you want this game, the lines of the mid 90's would have taken that yard and smashed it down VT throats! Joe Wilks, Brendan Stai, Zack Wiegert and Rob Zatiska would have moved mountains for that yard. You get three F#$%ing feet and the game is over folks, take a few knees and go home with the win. Nothing left to chance, it's a game of inches and you have to get them, period!

.
If NU actually had an offensive line like that, I would agree with you.

Ok, maybe living in the past to much . Though, that is why guys from the past come to talk to and inspire these guys. Like Jason Peter with Suh, it's all about attitude. You play for Nebraska now, act like it and smash some people.

I definitely like the idea of some of the greats coming in and having one on one's...but when it comes right down to it, you also have to have the talent and desire. I am not sure that is 100% where it once was with Nebraska, yet. We lost a lot of that when BC was here. Takes time to recruit players that have the desire to win, to dominate. They have to believe in themselves, and I just don't see that coming from some of these players...

Your right there, these guys were beat down during the BC reign. Attitude will come back, Bo will see to that. We all just wanted this one so bad and we had it, to see it slip away like that was hard. But, we didn't get blown out at all ( would have under BC I believe) and I do feel strongly that we are heading in the right direction even though this one is hard to take. We just love this team/program so much.

 

[Fuzzy]

Like Jason Peter with Suh, it's all about attitude. You play for Nebraska now, act like it and smash some people.

Suh showed it today, especially when he shed his block and threw Taylor to the ground.

 

[HUSKER 37]

The more I think about this, the more I like the idea of going for the 4th and 1. Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but Husker X makes some good points. We had a chance to run for one yard and TAKE this game. If we get it, you have a huge attitude boost because you played to win. You needed one yard and you pulled together whatever it took to scrap it out. If you don't get it, you play defense with 60 yards instead of 80-90. Not a huge difference considering they needed a TD.

I just think, when all is said and done, you have more to gain than you risk losing. Give it to Helu and let him and the O-line will their way to the win.

We should have won regardless, but we didn't ,

I am too a little.

I missed most of the 2nd and 3rd Quarters..What I was seeing in the 4th was that Helu was getting stopped in all but one carry up to that point. but even if we didn't beat the odds and make it on 4th...Maybe the Defense would've played a little tighter..They may have relaxed just a little thinking they had a whole field to back them up..Also with only 60 yards to defend..a lot less open field for your DBs to try to cover.

This game will help us down the line...I wish we could keep them on our schedule..

 

[Billyball]

Helu did all he could do. Good game. We are just not as good throwing the ball against a decent (VT is not a great|) team.

Our weaknesses have been exposed. We have to either get better with Lee or convert to another offense with Green. I don't know which is better. I just know that in the Big 12 we are not going to get it done with this offense.

 

[pastamax]

Its exactly as bo said in the postgame. Everyone who stepped onto the field had a hand in us losing. It should've been expected from lee. It is his 3rd start only, and his first away start. This will turn out to be a season changer with everyone getting stronger from it.

 

[Twodocs]

I agree and the not scoring in the Red Zone has been going on for some time over several key games. And they have not adjusted anything. We will never win any close games until we can line up and run it in against the tolughest of the tough in the red zone. This is pu&&y West Coiast bs football. It stinks!

These guys have no idea what smashmouth football is! TO did. Solich did. And Devaney wrote the book but Watson and Pellini think they have invented a better way.

Except for on big thing. IT DOES NOT WORK!