What We Learned this Week

[irafreak]

I learned that when the chips are down most of the fans here on huskerboard won't stay strong and say "that sucked the receivers dropped touchdown passes and they didn't execute." Instead they fall into meltdown mode and want 1/3 of the coaching staff fired. Nut up and get behind your team guys. The north is still within reach and a conference championship isn't out of the question. This place is unbearable after a loss.

You're new here aren't you? This is business as usual. Take it for what it's worth. It's a great way to vent and move on. Since finding huskerboard I can now actually enjoy sunday after a loss. Helps to vent. Hell you're doing it now about us complainers. Why are you typing it? Because it helps....you can relate.

 

[irafreak]

I would also like to add that our defense hasn't been as strong as I would like early in a ball game. We've allowed teams to shorten the game on us. KSU did it last week in the first half and today's first quarter was gone before we knew it. Hard to give your offense a chance to get in rhythm or wear down the opposition when the other team is chewing up clock the way we used to....

 

[th3r0m]

I don't think that you can lay this defeat on Watson from a play calling angle. If you want to lay it at his feet because at the end of the day he is responsible for the offenses overall performance on the field, you have a better argument. Fact of the matter was that the plays called - for the most part- put NU in a position to move the ball and to score, but the Huskers did not, could not and seemingly refused to capitalize on them. Maybe a few too many zone reads called overall and a couple questionable 3rd and long play calls, but otherwise I think that game was planned and called pretty well.

Running the zone read 30 times when its getting stuffed every time is calling it pretty well? Oh you mean he called a good gameplan..when he had to throw the ball at the every end to play catch up? when does he call a good gameplan when its close? When has he ever beat anythng that resembled a top 25 defense? YOu mean, our amazing 100 yards in the first half was good playcalling? You are going to runt he zone read in the first half and beginning of 3rd quarter when they are clearly playing it? The passing game would have worked with how close texas was playing but when did he really throw the ball downfield? (when it was close that is). If youre a coach, dont you play to the defense weakness? Then if you studied film you would know that texas is a fast defense but has trouble when it comes to power running from the pistol and I formation..and what does he do? He doesnt run power plays from those formations at all. He instead runs zone read, which texas can defend with their speed. I guess its ok not to study film and works on an opponent..i guess its ok not to adjust from week to week, i guess that makes a good coach.

Yeah, so we should switch up our offense every single week to make sure we take advantage of that - that will definitely build the consistent identity on offense we fans all call for. Of course if he does do that, Watson gets called for not sticking with the zone-read, which was working until now. The Huskers typically can't pass very well, and pretty much any time they do everyone calls for "THE RUNNING GAME" (you know, the one we had in the 90's) but today, since the zone-read doesn't work, we need to pass or jump into the "i" or pistol. And about the pistol or I-formation - great in theory, but it doesn't appear they practice it, they definitely don't play it and the Husker offensive line isn't all that great at run blocking anyway which means it likely wouldn't work much better.

It doesn't matter what he does or doesn't do, Watson can't catch a break with the fans - he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. It's as if it's not the triple option out of the "i" then no "true" Nebraska fan can be happy. I guess my philosophy on offense - which may or may not be Watson's as well - is that you play to your strengths, of which with Martinez the zone read is one. If playing to your strengths allows you to take advantage of the "weaknesses" of a defense - GREAT! But you don't overhaul your offense every week to do it. Texas stopped Martinez and the zone read today and when Watson did switch it up a bit and throw, the receivers dropped the ball (literally).

As for not performing well against top 25 defenses, the Huskers seem to hurt themselves much more with fumbles, drops, penalties and lack of execution than "bad" play calling can account for - I think it's more of a psychological "barrier" the players have than it is a faulty gameplan. How the current coaches get the players over that barrier and playing consistently good, mistake free football is the question that I want answered.

 

[gratefullred]

NU ran 2 run plays. When Martinez was QB zone read with the RB going outside the Tackle and the QB hitting the Guard Tackle gap. When Lee played the zone read went with the RB going to Center Guard and the QB hitting the opposite Guard Tackle gap. Those were the only 2 run plays I saw called.

 

[HuskersNC949597]

I'm not saying Watson called a perfect game, far from it, and I pretty much wanted him out last year when it sounded like he and Pelini couldn't agree on a philosophy. But today, the play calls as they were should have been good for somewhere between 28-35 points, more than enough to win. The coaches do take some blame for lack of execution, of course.

 

[Jason Sitoke]

What I learned:

1) Texas always has saved it's best game for Nebraska

2) Bo Pelini preaches poise to his players, yet will panic and yank his starting quarterback at the drop of a hat

3) Niles Paul got his touches. I didn't realize that 'touches' is all he wanted. I assumed he meant 'catches'.

4) Putting the local media's and the entire fanbase's attention on beating ONE team may backfire if you happen to lose to said team.

5) Taylor Martinez is a freshman.

6) For all the credit that Bo Pelini gets for having his teams ready to go on the road, he deserves as much criticism for these meltdowns at home (Tech, ISU last year, SDSU, UT this year)

7) NU is not a great tackling team (I'm looking at you Thenarse and Gomes)

8) Big XII officials apparently wait for a buzz from the UT coaching booth rather than the official's box when stopping play for a review.

9) NU will put the ball on the turf a minimum of 5 times a game

and lastly

10) I have to give it up to the Longhorns. In a series that has gone their way since it began, what is more fitting than an unranked UT team coming in and shutting up the NU faithful. I have nothing more to say as a Husker fan, other than to put a spin on a Pedro Martinez quote: "The Longhorns are our Daddy"

A fine f***ing farewell to UT. I'm done with wanting to beat them. They beat us. Pounded us for over a decade. Now it's all over. On to the Big 10.

 

[The Dude]

I was surprised how bad our defensive line looked against a horrible offensive line.

 

[DJR313]

What I learned:

1) Texas always has saved it's best game for Nebraska

2) Bo Pelini preaches poise to his players, yet will panic and yank his starting quarterback at the drop of a hat

3) Niles Paul got his touches. I didn't realize that 'touches' is all he wanted. I assumed he meant 'catches'.

4) Putting the local media's and the entire fanbase's attention on beating ONE team may backfire if you happen to lose to said team.

5) Taylor Martinez is a freshman.

6) For all the credit that Bo Pelini gets for having his teams ready to go on the road, he deserves as much criticism for these meltdowns at home (Tech, ISU last year, SDSU, UT this year)

7) NU is not a great tackling team (I'm looking at you Thenarse and Gomes)

8) Big XII officials apparently wait for a buzz from the UT coaching booth rather than the official's box when stopping play for a review.

9) NU will put the ball on the turf a minimum of 5 times a game

and lastly

10) I have to give it up to the Longhorns. In a series that has gone their way since it began, what is more fitting than an unranked UT team coming in and shutting up the NU faithful. I have nothing more to say as a Husker fan, other than to put a spin on a Pedro Martinez quote: "The Longhorns are our Daddy"

A fine f***ing farewell to UT. I'm done with wanting to beat them. They beat us. Pounded us for over a decade. Now it's all over. On to the Big 10.

Couldn't agree more, great post.

 

[bshirt]

I guess I'll just go around saying this in every thread.

Martinez wasn't the problem today. Neither was Zac Lee.

We lost this game because we can't catch the ball. The score is 27-20 final if just two of those drops get reeled in.

True enough!

However, even a bigger problem is the softness that WCO offenses inherently have. We're in our 7th year of the WCO and we STILL cannot get a good push from our Oline vs a decent to good defense. Over & over & over we get stuffed like sardines vs the bigboys.

I think it's high time we acknowlege the obvious, ditch the damn WCO forever and move on.

 

[JOEY]

I guess I'll just go around saying this in every thread.

Martinez wasn't the problem today. Neither was Zac Lee.

We lost this game because we can't catch the ball. The score is 27-20 final if just two of those drops get reeled in.

True enough!

However, even a bigger problem is the softness that WCO offenses inherently have. We're in our 7th year of the WCO and we STILL cannot get a good push from our Oline vs a decent to good defense. Over & over & over we get stuffed like sardines vs the bigboys.

I think it's high time we acknowlege the obvious, ditch the damn WCO forever and move on.

sounds like a plan to me

 

[HuskerNMO]

Another thing we learned today, Wll Muschamp owns Shawn Watson. 120 minutes of football played between the two, and Watson still hasn't figured out a way to put a TD on the board. :facepalm:

 

[Hercules]

Another thing we learned today, Wll Muschamp owns Shawn Watson. 120 minutes of football played between the two, and Watson still hasn't figured out a way to put a TD on the board. :facepalm:

again, to be fair to wats, he had three tds that were dropped.

 

[irafreak]

What I learned:

1) Texas always has saved it's best game for Nebraska

2) Bo Pelini preaches poise to his players, yet will panic and yank his starting quarterback at the drop of a hat

3) Niles Paul got his touches. I didn't realize that 'touches' is all he wanted. I assumed he meant 'catches'.

4) Putting the local media's and the entire fanbase's attention on beating ONE team may backfire if you happen to lose to said team.

5) Taylor Martinez is a freshman.

6) For all the credit that Bo Pelini gets for having his teams ready to go on the road, he deserves as much criticism for these meltdowns at home (Tech, ISU last year, SDSU, UT this year)

7) NU is not a great tackling team (I'm looking at you Thenarse and Gomes)

8) Big XII officials apparently wait for a buzz from the UT coaching booth rather than the official's box when stopping play for a review.

9) NU will put the ball on the turf a minimum of 5 times a game

and lastly

10) I have to give it up to the Longhorns. In a series that has gone their way since it began, what is more fitting than an unranked UT team coming in and shutting up the NU faithful. I have nothing more to say as a Husker fan, other than to put a spin on a Pedro Martinez quote: "The Longhorns are our Daddy"

A fine f***ing farewell to UT. I'm done with wanting to beat them. They beat us. Pounded us for over a decade. Now it's all over. On to the Big 10.

I concur. I've had enough of Texas and am waving the white flag. I never want to play them again.

 

[NUpolo8]

Its been pointed out several times, but if there are only two dropped td passes instead of 4, Nebraska wins. Execution of the coaches plays was needed far more than different plays.

Of course having said that, these are kids, and they need to be coached, however I can't help but notice a execution gap with the seniors on this team (Niles) that had the Callahan touch and the younger ones.

I hope they're hurting tonight, but are preparing for OK St tomorrow. This conference can still be won, and they won't be playing Texas for it.