We Lost, But The Nebraska Cornhuskers Stepped On The Field Today And For That I’m Grateful
Samuel McKewon of Nebraska Statepaper sums up how well we played today in Lubbock:
NU (3-3 overall, 0-2 in the Big 12 Conference) outgained Tech (6-0, 2-0) by 50 yards, had 13 more first downs, ran 32 more plays and possessed the ball for 20 more minutes. The Huskers were especially unstoppable in the second half, scoring on all their drives, including three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Watson mixed Ganz’s controlled passing plays with an inside/outside running game featuring Marlon Lucky and Roy Helu, Jr. The offense resembled, in some respects, a hybrid of Watson’s West Coast attack and Kansas’ screen-and-shotgun spread offense.
“(Watson) called an outstanding game,” Pelini said. “He kept them off balance, he did a lot of different things, we ran the ball well. I thought it was a good game plan.”
McKewon also heard Pelini speak these key words:
“I came down here fully expecting to win the football game,” head coach Bo Pelini said. “It didn’t happen. It just – didn’t happen. We had our chances, and we didn’t capitalize.”
Ganz connected on 36-of-42 passes for 349 yards in another stellar performance. I’m sure he’s kicking himself over the interception at the end of the game and I understand the pain of losing, but Ganz has every reason to be proud of his performance today. He and many other Huskers did what they needed to do to win. Like Pelini said, “it didn’t happen.” The good news is we all know it will happen.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
[...] We Lost, But The Nebraska Cornhuskers Stepped On The Field Today … By Bugeater NU (3-3 overall, 0-2 in the Big 12 Conference) outgained Tech (6-0, 2-0) by 50 yards, had 13 more first downs, ran 32 more plays and possessed the ball for 20 more minutes. The Huskers were especially unstoppable in the second half, … HuskerZone.com - http://www.huskerzone.com [...]
October 12th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Yes, I believe the Huskers have some of their magic back. We have to be patience and they will be back to capitizing on everything. I am Grateful that they are starting to look like a true team again. Thanks
October 12th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
USC in 2007 came in to Lincoln for a night game on the nathional level and kicked our ass. Mizzou in 2008 came in to Lincoln for a night game on the nathional level and kicked our ass. The only differance is this year we came out the next week wanting victory and played with passion and emotion and executed to our fullest ability. After the 2007 beatdown we quit on ourselves and let the whole season go down the toilet. To me, that game against TTU shows that Bo really is turning this thing around. The players believe in him and he loves them. Good times are ahead for this team. Whether it 2, 3, even 4 years, this team will be dominant again under Bo Pelini.
October 13th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I am all for the offensive production we had against TT. However, If we were not able to keep them off the field, I feel the score would’ve been much worse. We gave up WAY too many big plays and shot ourselves in the foot way too many times. When we have 3 walk-ons on the field at the same time, I do not see a recipe for success with that equation. Some of our lineman look REALLY REALLY SLOW. I knew TT’s defense was undersized and overrated. I figured we’d be able to move the ball on them. Defensively, we looked the same as we have all year. I am not convinced this season will turn around and even be a winning season. I hope it is, but we need to be realistic and see that the PLAYERS are just not there yet.
October 13th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
@Brad
Matt Holt is a walk on true freshman, he had 9 tackles and was named defensive player of the game. I agree our depth is non existent, but what choice does the staff really have?
October 13th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
@Brad - I trust that the big plays and penalties will be worked out in the coming weeks. Speaking as a fan, I see us going 5-1 from here. We just have to show up to play the way we did on Saturday.
October 13th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I am really not trying to be negative. As far as Holt is concerned, I would rather have Dillard or Glenn, but that wasn’t an option. I was only stating the lack of depth and talent we have and the fact that 3 walk-on’s were starting for us on Saturday. No one is saying they don’t play hard, because I know they do. But, there is a MAJOR difference between Lance Thorell from Loomis and whoever from wherever. That is a fact.
@ BUG
As a fan, I would love to think we will go 5-1. Have you watched Robert Griffin play this year? Baylor is not the same Baylor from, well, the last 12 years of the Big 12. Griffin can hurt with his arm, but mostly with his legs. Iowa State could be a trap game, with our guys thinking there is no way they will lose because of how we played against TT. KU is not as good as some thought, the only advantage is Coach Beck might have a good scouting report on them for us since he coached there last year. Colorado is a streaky team. Sometimes they play good, sometimes they look great, but most of the time they look like any other Colorado team, just average. But, we do know they will play NU hard, just as everyone else will. When a team is down, people just wind up for the Haymaker and usually seem to connect.
As I stated, the Defense did not show me any improvement from the previous week. All we did was keep them off the field. They ran, passed, and scored at will on us. If our offense didn’t change it up and run more of a spread, we would’ve got beat just as bad as we did with MIZZOU. That is all I am saying. I would like to see it happen, but it won’t happen until we have more “players” that can play the style of Defense Bo Pelini wants to have.
An example of that is when TT had it 4th and 4. They snap the ball and TT’s best offensive player is sitting wide open while our DB’s are reading the new and improved manual of Secondary for Dummies. This has happened not once, twice, or even three times. It has happened well over 15 times and for whatever reason it hasn’t been corrected. Don’t you think if we had the players to correct this, we would?
October 14th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Fair enough, but again they have who they have.
Let’s say for the sake of argument they DO win 5 of the next 6, or even 4 for that matter, go to a bowl game and win that. In my oppinion that would make more of a statement about just how good our coaching staff is as opposed to BP inheriting a team with blue chippers 3 deep at each position. Getting the most out of what he has I think will be Bo’s legacy his first season here.
October 14th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I hope Matt Holt plays every down the rest of the year!
http://journalstar.com/blog/huskers.php?title=go_tigers_ok_maybe_not&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
October 14th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
As an IM Hipp fan I am offended by the walk on bashing going on here! Just kidding folks.
The walk on program helped build the program. It seems to be working to some extent again, even if it is out of nessecity. Not every player that contributes need to be a three or four star recruit. I would have thought that went away with Callahan. Evidentley not.
October 14th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Ed, it’s not that I am saying our walk-on tradition isn’t important. But when we have 3 walk-ons starting at the same time on a defense, that is a problem. Nebraska doesn’t have the population base to sustain a powerful program year in and year out. We will need much more imported talent to survive.
October 14th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
What matters is that in the future these palyers will b experiencedto back up or evenpush to start against scholarship athletes. Didn’t one of our national championship teams start five former walk-ons. Right now it is out of necessity, but in the future it will be from beating out the scholarship guy in front of u. Would we agree that this might help get more and better walk-ons to come to campus. I see a lot of positives with this. Of course it hurts us from a talent stand point this year,but with the true lack of talent and even more the lack of recruiting ability of the former regime i felt this year was going to be a battle to regain confidence shattered the past four seasons. Some will argue that the 9-5 cotton bowl team was confident but the couldn’t beat that top team a stat that keeps growing as we speak. The funny thing about confidence is that in a loss to TT with walk ons galore our coaches put together a game plan that would give us the best chace to win, and if a few of our scholarship athletes would have not been penalized, blown assignment and gotten a tough yard that stat would be put to rest, but i digress the funny thing about confidenc is that in this loss this undertalented over achieving team dang near beat a good football team in their house and after getting brutalized at home this team did what i was wondering if they could do take a punch in the mouth and get back up and keep swinging. Second could this staff pull this mentally fragile team back up after they fell down. We asked for adjustments, I asked for Watsons head, but this staff put togethera plan with what we had and came up with a plan that would put our best foot forward. We have a weak defense and and underachieving offense. For what he has been dealt Bo showed he can coach a little. Just imagine what could have been if this defense was even just respectable. We sure wouldn’t have needed overtime. We all need to get the cart back behind the horse before we start our quest back to the limelight
October 15th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I understand what you are saying Brad, but I’ll go back to my example of IM Hipp. He was a walk on from South Carolina. Walk ons aren’t just from Nebraska. And yes I realize with scholarship limits today, an IM Hipp will be rare in the future. However, if you build that culture, the chances of finding that diamond in the rough are better.
October 15th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Yes, Ed…..( Are we agreeing? ) you are correct also. I am all for the walk on culture, just not when they are true freshmen, which is what,I am sure, those 5 from the championship team were not.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
This is what the prophets predicted…Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes. The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats sleeping together, Ed and Brad agreeing… mass hysteria!
Oh, and we roll over ISU.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:15 am