I can sense the apprehension of Husker Nation this week as we head to Columbia to defend our Big XII North title, and my question is, why? Yea, our defense has sucked. Bad. But I don't know if everyone has forgot, but so does Mizzou's. I mean, statistically, they are even worse. And while the yardage total against Iowa State wasn't good last week, at least the D made big plays when we needed them the most, which is going to be needed again Saturday night if the Huskers are to come out of Farout field with a win. I'm still confident this Nebraska team can out-gun Chase Daniel and company, but it's going to need a few turnovers from the unit formerly known as the Blackshirts if they are going to win this game.
I'm looking for the following things to happen tomorrow night:
1) NU establishes the running game early in an attempt to keep Mizzou's offense off the field. I think Marlon Lucky will have a big day, seriously.
2) Mo Purify turns in a big performance (think 6 catches, 75 yards, 2 TDs) after a tough week off the field.
3)Nebraska forces 3 turnovers that lead to at least 2 NU scores. Despite this, the Huskers will still manage to give up 450 yards of offense. That said, Keller and Co. will get just as many.
NU 42, Mizzou 39
Here's last year's Mizzou game Tunnel Walk. Goooooo Biiiiiiigggg Reeeeddddddd!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
A Big Weekend for the North
Wow. What in incredible weekend in the world of college football. 7 of the top 13 and 5 of the top 10 teams lost, giving any top 25 voter a headache trying to make sense of the chaos. While the NFL's big news was Brett Favre's passing of Dan Marino's career touchdowns record, the college kids showed definitively why the most compelling football is played on Saturdays. When NFL teams lose a game, it's met by general malaise and the comfort of knowing that you can lose five more and still make the playoffs. Hell, some NFL teams can lose 7 or 8 games and still make it into the second slate. But on college campuses around the country, every weekend is a seemingly life-and-death affair where a mixture of booze, babes, and beer pong combine to turn every game into the chance for something special to take place.
Look no further than what occurred in Boulder on Saturday afternoon. Previously indestructible Oklahoma, led by the highest scoring offense in the country, was defeated on a field goal as time expired by a Buffalo squad that went just 2-10 a year ago. What makes the victory all the more impressive was the fact that the Sooners jumped out to a 24-7 lead, only to watch the resilient CU team fight back to score 20 unanswered points for Dan Hawkins' first big win of his tenure. Sure, had Reggie Smith not muffed a Colorado punt with less than 5 minutes to play, Oklahoma may have survived the upset attempt. But give credit where credit is due, a lot of teams would have rolled over when down to Oklahoma by that much, but CU didn't. While it remains to be seen how Colorado plays the rest of the season, this was obviously a huge step in the continuing reconstruction of the Colorado program.
Meanwhile, down in Austin, Kansas State made an emphatic statement by handing the Longhorns their worst home loss of the Mack Brown era, defeating UT by 20 points on the strength of 3 special teams touchdowns. Texas has not been as dominant as they were last year, especially on offense, where "gunslinger" Colt McCoy has struggled behind a rebuilt offensive line. That's not saying that K-State didn't deserve the win, they played well and for the second year in a row put UT's national title hopes in jeopardy. The North's defeat of the two premier Big XII south teams makes next week's Red River shootout essentially an elimination game, as the loser will stand no chance of winning a national title this year. While I'm hesitant to proclaim that the North is "back", this weekend made the rest of the country at least take notice that the division doesn't blow donkey balls, which is what most people have thought for the past couple of years. Between K-State, Colorado, Kansas, and the defensively suspect Mizzou/Husker squads, the North is going to continue to make some statements this year, and it's going to make for a hectic but fun year in the Big XII.
As for the Husker's win over Iowa State:
How often does the team who gained more yards and held the ball for 40 minutes lose? Only once in my life can I remember a team having a more significant edge in time of possession, and the team that did didn't lose like Iowa State did. When I saw that the Cyclones had jumped to an early 10-0 lead, I had my concerns. If we lost to ISU at home, surely the fallout would be unavoidable. Thankfully, the offense continued to show why it's one of the conference's best, and the defense, although struggling to get off the field, made plays when they needed them most to turn the tide and secure the win.
Ideally, a defense liked to hold the opposition to under 300 total yards of offense (less than 200 passing, less than 100 rushing). Then again, ideally you don't give up 1000 yards plus of offense in two weeks either, but that's been beaten to death. At this point, improvement is all that was asked of a oft-maligned Husker defense, and this weekend definitely qualified as progress. While Bret Meyer did manage to lead the Cyclones to 415 yards of offense, Nebraska responded by forcing four turnovers, and even threw 3 sacks in to boot, an area that desperately needs to improve if the Huskers are going to continue to be successful on defense. Special teams continues to show that it has made a near-180 since last year, as little man Courtney Grixby made a 51-yard kickoff return to spark the Huskers when they were down 10-0 in the second quarter.
Bo Ruud continues to do his best to shut up his critics, making the big play of the day for the second week in a row with a pick-6. While I couldn't watch it due to the TV blackout, I was shocked to hear that he could run that far and not get caught from behind. Either way, I'll take it, because we are going to continue to need plays like that if we are to make it to San Antonio this year. Thankfully, the defense has a reason for somewhat renewed optimism going into what is sure to be a shootout in Columbia next weekend. While many thought it would be a two-team race for the Big XII North, this weekend served notice that there is more than just the Huskers and Tigers to look out for. Still, the implications for Saturday's prime-time showdown are huge, and if nothing else, it should be yet another thriller for the cardiac Cornhuskers.
Here's a little Blackshirt Flashback, which I found over on BRN. Enjoy.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Big Red Roundtable, Emergency Edition
Due to the Husker's performance the past two weeks, an emergency Big Red roundtable was convened to discuss the current state of Nebraska football. As soon as everyone has theirs up, I will link to the other Husker bloggers' entries. Here are the guys who have posted thus far:
Corn Nation
Midwest Coast Bias
Husker Faithful
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
Big Red Network
1) Assess the Huskers performance this season.What
is going well, and what has surprised you?
Well, I'll get to the defensive problems on the next question. First off, what is going well? For starters, the passing game has been extremely efficient the past couple of games. One reason for the aerial explosion is because it is what the game situation necessitated: We had to throw to make it look respectable at USC, and against Ball State the Huskers found themselves in a shootout that again called for a lot of passing. While Keller struggled to get in a rhythm against Wake Forest, he has clearly hit his stride the past couple of games. Not surprisingly, this has coincided with the receivers finally playing up to expectations and catching the ball. Drops were problematic in the first two games, but have nearly disappeared in the past two weeks. One disappointing aspect of the offense has been the running game. After the demolition of Nevada, a lot of Nebraska fans (myself included) thought that the balance we had sought for the past couple of years offensively would finally be realized. Three games later, reality has set in in the form of 3 straight games of averaging less than 3 and a half yards a carry (3.3 against Wake, 1.1 against SC, and 3.2 against Ball State). Obviously, these stats are skewed because of the effect that sacks have on total rushing yardage. After all, Marlon did have 102 yards on 21 carries against BSU. But that hardly negates the fact that our running game is obviously nowhere near where it needs to be to challenge even decent defenses. We still don’t know if Lucky is the feature back we all hoped he could be. And quite frankly, he better start showing it now that we are heading into conference play. Shootouts might be entertaining and fun for the quarterbacks and wideouts, but if there isn’t some semblance of a running game, you will not win many games in the Big XII. You have to be able to average at least 4 yards a carry to keep the opposition honest, otherwise they can simply trot out six defensive backs every time and wait for Keller to throw a pick, which if he has to throw it 55 times a game, is going to happen. That’s not a knock on Keller, he’s going to be the guy who wins us some games this year, I’m just saying that if we are going to continue to be successful offensively, we can’t have a bad running game, which is what we’ve seen the past 3 weeks.
2)Let's not sugar coat things; the Blackshirts are struggling.What do you think the issue is, and what needs to be done to rectify things this season?
I, like pretty much everyone else who is a Nebraska fan, think it all comes back to coaching. Cosgrove’s defenses were horrible at Wisconsin, and they have continued to be since his arrival here in Lincoln. For the sake of keeping it short, I only went back to 2000 for these rankings.
TOTAL DEFENSE NATIONAL RANKINGS, COSGROVE-LED UNITS
2000- 79th (Wisconsin)
2001- 58th (Wisconsin)
2002- 63rd (Wisconsin)
2003- 43rd (Wisconsin)
2004- 56th (Nebraska)
2005- 26th (Nebraska)
2006- 56th (Nebraska)
See a trend developing here? The year after Cosgrove headed to Lincoln, the Badgers went from 43rd to 9th in 2004. Coincidence? I think not. People are saying that our recruiting isn’t as good as it was advertised to be, and they may be right. But I have said, and will continue to say, that it is our defensive coaching, not our players, that is what is ultimately holding our defense back. When a player is out of position on nearly every play, you can throw a new guy in there. But what happens if the substitute is doing the same thing? It’s called coaching, and I knew we were in trouble when Bo left for LSU and we brought in Cosgrove.
That said, what can be done to rectify the situation at this point? Forcing a coordinator to step down 1/3rd of the way through the season is hardly the Nebraska way, and in my opinion would not cure the ills the Blackshirts are suffering from. The best chance for the Huskers is to go back to the film and break down what the hell is going on with their miscommunications and mental breakdowns, and for the sake of all that is holy WORK ON SOME F-CKING TACKLING THIS WEEK! ITS DIVISION 1 FOOTBALL! I just can’t believe how poorly the Huskers are in fundamentals. If anything, perhaps the non-stop criticism of the defense and Cos will piss them off. Something needs to light a fire under their collective ass, and maybe getting booed in Lincoln will do that. I think for us to rebound Cosgrove has to sit down with his defense and ask them, straight up, “What do you feel most comfortable in? What package do we run where you all know what you are doing without a doubt?” Then, take whatever their answer is and stick with it. Because what is killing the Blackshirts is hesitation and uncertainty. They are constantly on their heels, afraid of what comes next because their self-confidence is shattered. Run your base stuff against ISU, re-establish some confidence, and try to build on it every week.
3)Kevin Cosgrove is the target of a lot of criticism over the play of the Blackshirts.How will this play out?
Barring an unforeseen turnaround in which we shut out Mizzou, Texas, and Oklahoma, I don’t see there being any way he can be allowed to stay on staff. Some might say that we should just demote him, but I don’t think keeping someone this maligned on-staff is good for the program or the team. What happens if they bring in a new guy next year? Do you really think he’ll want the old d-coordinator as his linebackers coach? No, I didn’t think so. Cosgrove should be asked for his resignation at the end of the season, and let’s be done with it. He’s had his chance, and quite frankly, he’s failed in spectacular fashion.
4)You went into this season with some expectations.
Has the start to this season changed your mind? Where
do you see the Huskers at the end of the season?
Well, I certainly expected have a defense that was higher than 75th in the country and giving up nearly 6 yards a play. But I’m not going to pile on the defense too much, I expected a lot of things that haven’t come to fruition thus far this year. Our linebackers, once expected to be the best unit on our defense, have been by far the most disappointing. Our running game, as I mentioned above, has been sub-par. I expected Nebraska to make the jump from a good team to at least a pretty good one. And with the exception of the passing game, it appears they have regressed. I don’t see how we can handle the likes of Mizzou or Texas. Sure, Mizzou’s defense is as bad as ours, and Texas has looked lackluster, but at this point I don’t see us beating them with the way our defense has performed. If by some miracle we get to face OU in the Big XII title game, I’m scared of what the final score will be. Realistically, I think we could be looking at an 8-4 regular season (losing to Mizzou,OK State, and Texas) and hopefully we win some secondary bowl game. Anything more than that has to qualify as a pleasant surprise in light of how poorly our defense is playing.
5)There was a loud chorus of boos last weekend at
Memorial Stadium.Your reaction? Is it okay to boo
the Huskers under any circumstance?
I understand why a lot of Husker fans are upset about the booing. It goes against the “classy” nature of our fanbase to boo anyone, let alone our own team on it’s home field. And personally, I wouldn't have had I been in Lincoln on Saturday. But if we can boo Scott Frost, why can’t we boo an embarrassing excuse for a defense? They’ve played horribly the past couple of weeks, and while it may not have been classy, I think a lot of people around the country would have done the same thing had their team been playing so poorly, especially in light of the expectations this team had coming into the season. So Huskers (the defense in particular), there ya go. You have eight more games to re-write your legacy. You can go down as an underachieving, over-hyped group, or you can take that criticism, get pissed off, and shove it down the entire country’s throats. Your move.
Corn Nation
Midwest Coast Bias
Husker Faithful
Husker Mike's Blasphemy
Big Red Network
1) Assess the Huskers performance this season.What
is going well, and what has surprised you?
Well, I'll get to the defensive problems on the next question. First off, what is going well? For starters, the passing game has been extremely efficient the past couple of games. One reason for the aerial explosion is because it is what the game situation necessitated: We had to throw to make it look respectable at USC, and against Ball State the Huskers found themselves in a shootout that again called for a lot of passing. While Keller struggled to get in a rhythm against Wake Forest, he has clearly hit his stride the past couple of games. Not surprisingly, this has coincided with the receivers finally playing up to expectations and catching the ball. Drops were problematic in the first two games, but have nearly disappeared in the past two weeks. One disappointing aspect of the offense has been the running game. After the demolition of Nevada, a lot of Nebraska fans (myself included) thought that the balance we had sought for the past couple of years offensively would finally be realized. Three games later, reality has set in in the form of 3 straight games of averaging less than 3 and a half yards a carry (3.3 against Wake, 1.1 against SC, and 3.2 against Ball State). Obviously, these stats are skewed because of the effect that sacks have on total rushing yardage. After all, Marlon did have 102 yards on 21 carries against BSU. But that hardly negates the fact that our running game is obviously nowhere near where it needs to be to challenge even decent defenses. We still don’t know if Lucky is the feature back we all hoped he could be. And quite frankly, he better start showing it now that we are heading into conference play. Shootouts might be entertaining and fun for the quarterbacks and wideouts, but if there isn’t some semblance of a running game, you will not win many games in the Big XII. You have to be able to average at least 4 yards a carry to keep the opposition honest, otherwise they can simply trot out six defensive backs every time and wait for Keller to throw a pick, which if he has to throw it 55 times a game, is going to happen. That’s not a knock on Keller, he’s going to be the guy who wins us some games this year, I’m just saying that if we are going to continue to be successful offensively, we can’t have a bad running game, which is what we’ve seen the past 3 weeks.
2)Let's not sugar coat things; the Blackshirts are struggling.What do you think the issue is, and what needs to be done to rectify things this season?
I, like pretty much everyone else who is a Nebraska fan, think it all comes back to coaching. Cosgrove’s defenses were horrible at Wisconsin, and they have continued to be since his arrival here in Lincoln. For the sake of keeping it short, I only went back to 2000 for these rankings.
TOTAL DEFENSE NATIONAL RANKINGS, COSGROVE-LED UNITS
2000- 79th (Wisconsin)
2001- 58th (Wisconsin)
2002- 63rd (Wisconsin)
2003- 43rd (Wisconsin)
2004- 56th (Nebraska)
2005- 26th (Nebraska)
2006- 56th (Nebraska)
See a trend developing here? The year after Cosgrove headed to Lincoln, the Badgers went from 43rd to 9th in 2004. Coincidence? I think not. People are saying that our recruiting isn’t as good as it was advertised to be, and they may be right. But I have said, and will continue to say, that it is our defensive coaching, not our players, that is what is ultimately holding our defense back. When a player is out of position on nearly every play, you can throw a new guy in there. But what happens if the substitute is doing the same thing? It’s called coaching, and I knew we were in trouble when Bo left for LSU and we brought in Cosgrove.
That said, what can be done to rectify the situation at this point? Forcing a coordinator to step down 1/3rd of the way through the season is hardly the Nebraska way, and in my opinion would not cure the ills the Blackshirts are suffering from. The best chance for the Huskers is to go back to the film and break down what the hell is going on with their miscommunications and mental breakdowns, and for the sake of all that is holy WORK ON SOME F-CKING TACKLING THIS WEEK! ITS DIVISION 1 FOOTBALL! I just can’t believe how poorly the Huskers are in fundamentals. If anything, perhaps the non-stop criticism of the defense and Cos will piss them off. Something needs to light a fire under their collective ass, and maybe getting booed in Lincoln will do that. I think for us to rebound Cosgrove has to sit down with his defense and ask them, straight up, “What do you feel most comfortable in? What package do we run where you all know what you are doing without a doubt?” Then, take whatever their answer is and stick with it. Because what is killing the Blackshirts is hesitation and uncertainty. They are constantly on their heels, afraid of what comes next because their self-confidence is shattered. Run your base stuff against ISU, re-establish some confidence, and try to build on it every week.
3)Kevin Cosgrove is the target of a lot of criticism over the play of the Blackshirts.How will this play out?
Barring an unforeseen turnaround in which we shut out Mizzou, Texas, and Oklahoma, I don’t see there being any way he can be allowed to stay on staff. Some might say that we should just demote him, but I don’t think keeping someone this maligned on-staff is good for the program or the team. What happens if they bring in a new guy next year? Do you really think he’ll want the old d-coordinator as his linebackers coach? No, I didn’t think so. Cosgrove should be asked for his resignation at the end of the season, and let’s be done with it. He’s had his chance, and quite frankly, he’s failed in spectacular fashion.
4)You went into this season with some expectations.
Has the start to this season changed your mind? Where
do you see the Huskers at the end of the season?
Well, I certainly expected have a defense that was higher than 75th in the country and giving up nearly 6 yards a play. But I’m not going to pile on the defense too much, I expected a lot of things that haven’t come to fruition thus far this year. Our linebackers, once expected to be the best unit on our defense, have been by far the most disappointing. Our running game, as I mentioned above, has been sub-par. I expected Nebraska to make the jump from a good team to at least a pretty good one. And with the exception of the passing game, it appears they have regressed. I don’t see how we can handle the likes of Mizzou or Texas. Sure, Mizzou’s defense is as bad as ours, and Texas has looked lackluster, but at this point I don’t see us beating them with the way our defense has performed. If by some miracle we get to face OU in the Big XII title game, I’m scared of what the final score will be. Realistically, I think we could be looking at an 8-4 regular season (losing to Mizzou,OK State, and Texas) and hopefully we win some secondary bowl game. Anything more than that has to qualify as a pleasant surprise in light of how poorly our defense is playing.
5)There was a loud chorus of boos last weekend at
Memorial Stadium.Your reaction? Is it okay to boo
the Huskers under any circumstance?
I understand why a lot of Husker fans are upset about the booing. It goes against the “classy” nature of our fanbase to boo anyone, let alone our own team on it’s home field. And personally, I wouldn't have had I been in Lincoln on Saturday. But if we can boo Scott Frost, why can’t we boo an embarrassing excuse for a defense? They’ve played horribly the past couple of weeks, and while it may not have been classy, I think a lot of people around the country would have done the same thing had their team been playing so poorly, especially in light of the expectations this team had coming into the season. So Huskers (the defense in particular), there ya go. You have eight more games to re-write your legacy. You can go down as an underachieving, over-hyped group, or you can take that criticism, get pissed off, and shove it down the entire country’s throats. Your move.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
A Bad Hangover
Usually when you have a hangover, you can at least look at the preceding night's events and say it was worth it. You might have a splitting headache and an upset stomach, but dammit, it was worth it for the three hours of beer pong followed by some bar hopping. However, the hangover that I, and most Husker fans for that matter, have been dealing with this week is in stark contrast to one of those. This hangover has been nearly a week in duration, and unlike those of the alcohol-induced variety, was not preceded by a fun night of keg stands. No, this was was caused by a night of embarrassment and shock at the hands of the Condom warriors. That said, the time has come for us as a fanbase to move on and focus on the next couple of weeks, cause we're only three weeks deep folks, and there's a whole lot of season left.
First, a quick couple things I was thinking about pertaining to the national scene:
-Let's not get too amped up about Florida kicking Tennessee's ass. Yea, a 59-20 victory is impressive, but I think Tennessee was getting way too much hype coming into the season, and thus far they've gotten beat convincingly twice. Yes, the two losses are at the hands of two top-10 teams, but they've played poorly on special teams and defense, and that was a problem last year as well (more so on defense). Either way, I wish people would stop talking themselves into the Vols every year, because they've gone 14-10 the past two years and are having a hard time rebounding in the rugged SEC. In fact if you look back to the year after they won the national title in '98, they have gone 70-30 in those eight seasons. Now obviously winning 70% of your games isn't bad, but it is nowhere near the level that many Vols fans expect. Also, not winning a conference title in the past eight years doesn't help either. I've never liked Phil Fulmer, so either way I'm thoroughly enjoying watching the Vols struggle. Add to that the fact that two of the Clausen brothers played there (the third being douchebag extraordinaire Jimmy at Notre Dame) and it only gets better.
-What a performance by Darren McFadden in Arkansas's last-minute loss to Alabama. That team could lose three games and that guy should still get the Heisman. What can't be overlooked in this game is Bama QB John Parker Wilson's great performance. He might have thrown two picks, but he offset it by throwing for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns, the last one being the game winner with 8 seconds to play. This of course is going to result in "Alabama is back!" proclamations throughout the country, which I'm hesitant to go along with. This happened when they went 10-3 with Tryone Prothro a couple years back, and we all know how that turned out. Let's wait till Bama plays some other SEC games before we get too carried away.
I think that is one thing that irritates me more than anything is how quick the media is to jump on the bandwagons of once-dominant programs trying to make a comeback. If Notre Dame starts next year 3-0, everyone will start the "stir up the echoes" talk, and at what point do they realize that three games aren't going to turn around a program's fortunes? There are so many factors in reviving a program (recruiting, implementation of coaching schemes) that it's impossible to say that said program is "back" after they string together a winning streak. Let's have some patience people. That said, the prospect of a Saban-led resurgence at 'Bama is a terrifying prospect for the rest of the SEC (and for recruiting coordinators nationwide).
-It's a real shame that some people missed the Louisville-Kentucky game because it was on ESPN Classic. What an unbelievable see-saw battle, with two of the best QBs in the country doing their best to win a shootout. I can't believe that the Cardinal defense allowed Wildcat wideout Steve Johnson to slip behind them with less than a minute to play, but what a dramatic way to end it. Andre Woodson, who most knowledgeable college football fans knew about, made himself known to the rest of the general public with that game, and announced himself as a legitimate Heisman contender with a 275 yard, 4 touchdown performance. That said, Louisville was obviously overrated coming into this season. Their defense is struggling as badly as the Huskers', if not worse: NU hasn't given up 42 to a nobody like Louisville did to Middle Tennessee state a couple weeks ago.
-You know, aside from the Huskers' loss, I had a great weekend football-wise. And the reason? The continued struggles of the Big 10. It as been nothing but fun watching this sorry excuse for a conference stumble through the non-conference portion of the 2007 schedule. Now obviously the Big 12 hasn't done a bang-up job either thus far, but it pales in comparison to the black eyes that the Big 10 has dealt with. First off, Iowa gets beat by the hapless Cyclones. Then Minnesota gets beat by FLORIDA ATLANTIC. And to top it off, Northwestern falls to Duke, a team whose previous win came in 2005. Combine those struggles with Michigan's 0-2 opening and Wisconsin's early struggles with the Citadel, and whatever street cred the Big 10 had is gone. Basically, they have Penn State at the top, and then Ohio State and Wisconsin fighting for 2nd. What makes it hard for fans is that there is no way to determine who the good teams are when all they do is beat the crap out of the other crappy conference opponents. If you want to watch some really horrible football, flip over to the Big 10 network, it's all they carry. Oh wait, you don't have the Big Ten network? It's ok, nobody else does either.
-Speaking of the Big 10 and other things I hate, how hard was it to watch the Notre Dame-Michigan game on Saturday? I felt like I was watching two teams of 7th-graders. And not the 7th grade A-team, the B-team. What a sloppy, ugly game. The only thing that kept me tuned in was the enjoyment I had watching Jimmy Clausen getting sacked. The good thing for me is that with that offensive line, him getting hit should become a regular occurrence the rest of the year. Can you go to a BCS game with 3-9 or 2-10 record? I'm sure for ND there is some loophole.
Should be an interesting game tonight between Miami and Texas A&M. Some people still aren't sold on the Aggies, and nobody probably will be until the conference schedule kicks in. Still, this should be a better indicator of A&M's abilities than their previous games against teams like Louisiana Monroe. Hopefully they become the 2nd Big XII team to kick Miami's ass this season.
I'll look around the Big XII and forward to the weekend tomorrow.
First, a quick couple things I was thinking about pertaining to the national scene:
-Let's not get too amped up about Florida kicking Tennessee's ass. Yea, a 59-20 victory is impressive, but I think Tennessee was getting way too much hype coming into the season, and thus far they've gotten beat convincingly twice. Yes, the two losses are at the hands of two top-10 teams, but they've played poorly on special teams and defense, and that was a problem last year as well (more so on defense). Either way, I wish people would stop talking themselves into the Vols every year, because they've gone 14-10 the past two years and are having a hard time rebounding in the rugged SEC. In fact if you look back to the year after they won the national title in '98, they have gone 70-30 in those eight seasons. Now obviously winning 70% of your games isn't bad, but it is nowhere near the level that many Vols fans expect. Also, not winning a conference title in the past eight years doesn't help either. I've never liked Phil Fulmer, so either way I'm thoroughly enjoying watching the Vols struggle. Add to that the fact that two of the Clausen brothers played there (the third being douchebag extraordinaire Jimmy at Notre Dame) and it only gets better.
-What a performance by Darren McFadden in Arkansas's last-minute loss to Alabama. That team could lose three games and that guy should still get the Heisman. What can't be overlooked in this game is Bama QB John Parker Wilson's great performance. He might have thrown two picks, but he offset it by throwing for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns, the last one being the game winner with 8 seconds to play. This of course is going to result in "Alabama is back!" proclamations throughout the country, which I'm hesitant to go along with. This happened when they went 10-3 with Tryone Prothro a couple years back, and we all know how that turned out. Let's wait till Bama plays some other SEC games before we get too carried away.
I think that is one thing that irritates me more than anything is how quick the media is to jump on the bandwagons of once-dominant programs trying to make a comeback. If Notre Dame starts next year 3-0, everyone will start the "stir up the echoes" talk, and at what point do they realize that three games aren't going to turn around a program's fortunes? There are so many factors in reviving a program (recruiting, implementation of coaching schemes) that it's impossible to say that said program is "back" after they string together a winning streak. Let's have some patience people. That said, the prospect of a Saban-led resurgence at 'Bama is a terrifying prospect for the rest of the SEC (and for recruiting coordinators nationwide).
-It's a real shame that some people missed the Louisville-Kentucky game because it was on ESPN Classic. What an unbelievable see-saw battle, with two of the best QBs in the country doing their best to win a shootout. I can't believe that the Cardinal defense allowed Wildcat wideout Steve Johnson to slip behind them with less than a minute to play, but what a dramatic way to end it. Andre Woodson, who most knowledgeable college football fans knew about, made himself known to the rest of the general public with that game, and announced himself as a legitimate Heisman contender with a 275 yard, 4 touchdown performance. That said, Louisville was obviously overrated coming into this season. Their defense is struggling as badly as the Huskers', if not worse: NU hasn't given up 42 to a nobody like Louisville did to Middle Tennessee state a couple weeks ago.
-You know, aside from the Huskers' loss, I had a great weekend football-wise. And the reason? The continued struggles of the Big 10. It as been nothing but fun watching this sorry excuse for a conference stumble through the non-conference portion of the 2007 schedule. Now obviously the Big 12 hasn't done a bang-up job either thus far, but it pales in comparison to the black eyes that the Big 10 has dealt with. First off, Iowa gets beat by the hapless Cyclones. Then Minnesota gets beat by FLORIDA ATLANTIC. And to top it off, Northwestern falls to Duke, a team whose previous win came in 2005. Combine those struggles with Michigan's 0-2 opening and Wisconsin's early struggles with the Citadel, and whatever street cred the Big 10 had is gone. Basically, they have Penn State at the top, and then Ohio State and Wisconsin fighting for 2nd. What makes it hard for fans is that there is no way to determine who the good teams are when all they do is beat the crap out of the other crappy conference opponents. If you want to watch some really horrible football, flip over to the Big 10 network, it's all they carry. Oh wait, you don't have the Big Ten network? It's ok, nobody else does either.
-Speaking of the Big 10 and other things I hate, how hard was it to watch the Notre Dame-Michigan game on Saturday? I felt like I was watching two teams of 7th-graders. And not the 7th grade A-team, the B-team. What a sloppy, ugly game. The only thing that kept me tuned in was the enjoyment I had watching Jimmy Clausen getting sacked. The good thing for me is that with that offensive line, him getting hit should become a regular occurrence the rest of the year. Can you go to a BCS game with 3-9 or 2-10 record? I'm sure for ND there is some loophole.
Should be an interesting game tonight between Miami and Texas A&M. Some people still aren't sold on the Aggies, and nobody probably will be until the conference schedule kicks in. Still, this should be a better indicator of A&M's abilities than their previous games against teams like Louisiana Monroe. Hopefully they become the 2nd Big XII team to kick Miami's ass this season.
I'll look around the Big XII and forward to the weekend tomorrow.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Same Deficit, Far Different Feeling
One year ago, I walked away from the Coliseum disappointed in Nebraska's 28-10 loss to USC. We had been conservative, and for the most part seemed to be playing to avoid a blowout. As disappointed as I was though, I already had a sense of excitement and optimism about the rematch in Lincoln. Maybe by then, I surmised, we would be capable of beating a team like USC. One year later, that optimism has proven to be false hope. We lost by 18 points last year. We lost by 18 points this year. But the way those losses played out have NU fans feeling far different than they did a year ago.
Saturday was not only highly embarrassing and disappointing, it was in a word, crushing. While many just hoped we could keep it close (we didn't), I was one of the fools who for some reason thought we were capable of knocking off the juggernaut. How stupid I was. After watching the Trojan offense run roughshod over what looked like a middle-school defensive unit moonlighting as the Blackskirts, the terrible truth is now known: we are nowhere near where we thought we were. Not in terms of talent, and certainly not in terms of coaching ability.
In a loss reminiscent of the 62-36 CU loss back in 2001, the Nebraska defense was unmasked as an under-coached and over-manned squad that didn't belong on the same field as USC. Are the Trojans talented? Absolutely. Everybody knows about the the Parade All Americans, the stocked backfield, the Hiesman-candidate QB. But it really doesn't matter who you have playing for you when your playing against a defense that has no linebackers (which is the alignment the Huskers were apparently running). I could have run for 100 yards against that defense, and I think a lot of people could have in light of the fact most USC ballcarriers didn't meet any opposition until 8 or 9 yards downfield on most plays. Not since that loss to Colorado have I seen so many players routinely out of position on defense. Even when Husker defenders were in position to make a tackle, they rarely succeeded on the first try. Arm-tackles, bad angles of pursuit, and bad positioning can sometimes be credited to a player just screwing up. However, when it happens on nearly every play to almost every player, the attention has to turn to someone else than just the players.
Like many in Husker Nation, my eyes turn to Kevin Cosgrove. His units were sub-par in Wisconsin. His results at Nebraska have been no different. After the USC debacle, the "Blackshirts" are currently ranked 45th in the country in total defense. In his three years at NU, the Huskers have finished 56th, 26th, and 56th. Despite upgrading in talent every year, his units continue to underachieve. What is most baffling is how often Husker defenders find themselves completely out of plays, particularly traps. This has been a problem for years, and we routinely get our ass handed to us against teams who utilize this play well. I know this Husker defense is replacing it's entire defensive line, but that doesn't explain why McKeon and Co. were missing in action Saturday night. At times, it felt like we were running a 4-0-4, with no linebackers on the field. We knew we were in trouble when it took a mere four plays for the Trojans to go 96 yards on their first drive. It was a recurring theme throughout the night to see USC players running free in open space, each play with the potential to go the distance. It was, in a word, nauseating. How do you feel if your a former Husker defender? To see a unit that carries the Blackshirt name to be so thoroughly embarrassed in front of the entire nation? Grant Wistrom and all the others had to have been sick to their stomaches after watching that performance.
As far as the offense goes, there were highs and lows. Keller played well despite a pair of interceptions (one was tipped, the other the result of a well-called zone blitz by SC), and the receivers rebounded to have a great performance after dropping some balls the previous week against Wake Forest. Obviously, the running game is nowhere near where it needs to be to compete against national powers. Say what you want about the talent on USC's defense, that doesn't excuse the paltry 31 yards rushing that NU finished with. If you want to be elite competition, you have to be able to put together some kind of a running game, even if it sucks. Sucking would have been 50 yards rushing. Our running game didn't suck Saturday, it didn't even exist.
Despite playing a quarter-and-a-half of great football, NU now finds themselves in a familiar position: downtrodden, picking up the pieces after yet another loss to a top-10 team. This one, however, was far worse than any of last year's stumbles. Last year, the spotlight wasn't on us. Sure, we were expected to be decent, but there was still a tiny bit of leeway when we lost because of how close we came. We ALMOST beat Texas, we ALMOST beat Auburn. Our loss to OU wasn't as bad as the score indicated, because a few big plays were the difference in the game. This loss, however, was especially damning. The #1 team, GameDay in town, a primetime national telecast. And we were bitchslapped up and down the field.
Saturday was not only highly embarrassing and disappointing, it was in a word, crushing. While many just hoped we could keep it close (we didn't), I was one of the fools who for some reason thought we were capable of knocking off the juggernaut. How stupid I was. After watching the Trojan offense run roughshod over what looked like a middle-school defensive unit moonlighting as the Blackskirts, the terrible truth is now known: we are nowhere near where we thought we were. Not in terms of talent, and certainly not in terms of coaching ability.
In a loss reminiscent of the 62-36 CU loss back in 2001, the Nebraska defense was unmasked as an under-coached and over-manned squad that didn't belong on the same field as USC. Are the Trojans talented? Absolutely. Everybody knows about the the Parade All Americans, the stocked backfield, the Hiesman-candidate QB. But it really doesn't matter who you have playing for you when your playing against a defense that has no linebackers (which is the alignment the Huskers were apparently running). I could have run for 100 yards against that defense, and I think a lot of people could have in light of the fact most USC ballcarriers didn't meet any opposition until 8 or 9 yards downfield on most plays. Not since that loss to Colorado have I seen so many players routinely out of position on defense. Even when Husker defenders were in position to make a tackle, they rarely succeeded on the first try. Arm-tackles, bad angles of pursuit, and bad positioning can sometimes be credited to a player just screwing up. However, when it happens on nearly every play to almost every player, the attention has to turn to someone else than just the players.
Like many in Husker Nation, my eyes turn to Kevin Cosgrove. His units were sub-par in Wisconsin. His results at Nebraska have been no different. After the USC debacle, the "Blackshirts" are currently ranked 45th in the country in total defense. In his three years at NU, the Huskers have finished 56th, 26th, and 56th. Despite upgrading in talent every year, his units continue to underachieve. What is most baffling is how often Husker defenders find themselves completely out of plays, particularly traps. This has been a problem for years, and we routinely get our ass handed to us against teams who utilize this play well. I know this Husker defense is replacing it's entire defensive line, but that doesn't explain why McKeon and Co. were missing in action Saturday night. At times, it felt like we were running a 4-0-4, with no linebackers on the field. We knew we were in trouble when it took a mere four plays for the Trojans to go 96 yards on their first drive. It was a recurring theme throughout the night to see USC players running free in open space, each play with the potential to go the distance. It was, in a word, nauseating. How do you feel if your a former Husker defender? To see a unit that carries the Blackshirt name to be so thoroughly embarrassed in front of the entire nation? Grant Wistrom and all the others had to have been sick to their stomaches after watching that performance.
As far as the offense goes, there were highs and lows. Keller played well despite a pair of interceptions (one was tipped, the other the result of a well-called zone blitz by SC), and the receivers rebounded to have a great performance after dropping some balls the previous week against Wake Forest. Obviously, the running game is nowhere near where it needs to be to compete against national powers. Say what you want about the talent on USC's defense, that doesn't excuse the paltry 31 yards rushing that NU finished with. If you want to be elite competition, you have to be able to put together some kind of a running game, even if it sucks. Sucking would have been 50 yards rushing. Our running game didn't suck Saturday, it didn't even exist.
Despite playing a quarter-and-a-half of great football, NU now finds themselves in a familiar position: downtrodden, picking up the pieces after yet another loss to a top-10 team. This one, however, was far worse than any of last year's stumbles. Last year, the spotlight wasn't on us. Sure, we were expected to be decent, but there was still a tiny bit of leeway when we lost because of how close we came. We ALMOST beat Texas, we ALMOST beat Auburn. Our loss to OU wasn't as bad as the score indicated, because a few big plays were the difference in the game. This loss, however, was especially damning. The #1 team, GameDay in town, a primetime national telecast. And we were bitchslapped up and down the field.
Friday, September 14, 2007
We are Nebraska
You know, I really wanted to do a great breakdown of this game. I wanted to analyze every angle and every player to see what advantages we had over the Trojans, to explain why I think that we are going to knock off the juggernaut this Saturday. But that's been done. Everything that could be broken down has. Every position has been scrutinized, no stone left unturned in the investigation as to whether the Huskers can beat USC. So I'm not going to go into analysis. Instead, let me say the following:
We were meant for more.
We were meant for more than Big 12 North titles and 5 loss seasons. We were meant for more than middle-of-the-pack status, more than an afterthought on the evening sports recap. We aren't Oklahoma State or Rutgers. We are NEBRASKA.
We are the Huskers, the program of Frazier and Frost, of Crouch and Craig, of Rozier and Rodgers. We are 43 conference titles, 5 national championships, and 800+ wins. We are 283 consecutive sellouts, 7 Outland Trophies and 3 Heismans. We are the Greatest Fans in College Football. We are 11 undefeated seasons and Hail Varsity. From the Bugeaters to the Blackshirts, our history is as deep and rich as any program in the land. We aren't Louisville or Texas Tech, we are NEBRASKA.
Some might like to tell you that our time has passed, that the halcyon days of our program have have come and gone and that we are just another program on the crowded college football landscape. I beg to differ. What was once great can become great again. The luster that the N once carried is still there, hidden under 5 years worth of uncharacteristic losing and a sloppily-handled regime change. This weekend, the Huskers have the opportunity to show that the rest of the college football world better have enjoyed their reprieve from Nebraska, because we are far from resigning ourself to the second tier. We are NEBRASKA, and our place is in the upper reaches of the college football hierarchy, with the other kings of the sport. This weekend, we take our place at the table. It's been nearly two years since those "Restore the Order" shirts came out after a victory at Colorado. This weekend, we make people take notice that it is finally restored.
Huskers 24, USC 21
We were meant for more.
We were meant for more than Big 12 North titles and 5 loss seasons. We were meant for more than middle-of-the-pack status, more than an afterthought on the evening sports recap. We aren't Oklahoma State or Rutgers. We are NEBRASKA.
We are the Huskers, the program of Frazier and Frost, of Crouch and Craig, of Rozier and Rodgers. We are 43 conference titles, 5 national championships, and 800+ wins. We are 283 consecutive sellouts, 7 Outland Trophies and 3 Heismans. We are the Greatest Fans in College Football. We are 11 undefeated seasons and Hail Varsity. From the Bugeaters to the Blackshirts, our history is as deep and rich as any program in the land. We aren't Louisville or Texas Tech, we are NEBRASKA.
Some might like to tell you that our time has passed, that the halcyon days of our program have have come and gone and that we are just another program on the crowded college football landscape. I beg to differ. What was once great can become great again. The luster that the N once carried is still there, hidden under 5 years worth of uncharacteristic losing and a sloppily-handled regime change. This weekend, the Huskers have the opportunity to show that the rest of the college football world better have enjoyed their reprieve from Nebraska, because we are far from resigning ourself to the second tier. We are NEBRASKA, and our place is in the upper reaches of the college football hierarchy, with the other kings of the sport. This weekend, we take our place at the table. It's been nearly two years since those "Restore the Order" shirts came out after a victory at Colorado. This weekend, we make people take notice that it is finally restored.
Huskers 24, USC 21
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Difference Between Hoping and Believing (and some Big XII thoughts)
As this weekend's Trojan war creeps closer and closer, a troubling thought keeps popping up in the back of my head. It's the sneaking suspicion that the majority of Husker Nation is going into this game hoping with everything they have for a win, or at least, a respectable loss. And if your one of those fans, then let me say this: if our team possesses that same mindset, the Huskers will get their asses handed to them this Saturday night.
Why? Because great teams, teams that rise to the occasion their backs are against the wall, do not HOPE for victory. They don't go into a game with a shadow of doubt in their mind. They go into it with an air of confidence that the outcome is already a formality, that in those 60 minutes they will assert their will on their opposition. Do you think the great mid-90s Nebraska teams went into games against highly-ranked teams like Colorado and Washington HOPING that they would beat them? HOPING that they would do what is necessary and maybe come out on top? No, they didn't.
When they walked onto that field, I guarantee you that NU already knew that the end result would be, because they were that confident in their abilities and those of their teammates that there would be no stopping them. HOPING is what gets you 9-5 records and 28-10 losses. You can see it on the sideline, the stink of desperation and the dropping of heads whenever the ball bounces against you. Great teams don't HOPE for breaks to go their way, they MAKE them go their way. Some people claim that cockiness and swagger aren't the hallmarks of a champion, that there is no place for them in sports. And while I agree with that sentiment to a point (I don't believe in self-promotion and individual celebrations), I do think that every great team, no matter what the sport, goes onto the playing field with the belief that by the end of the game, they will have left no doubt as to which team is superior. There HAS to be that mentality, that belief that NOBODY will stop you. It applies to every individual player on the team, from the QB down to the punter. You have to KNOW that you are better than the guy across from you, otherwise he has already beaten you. So when we line up against USC this weekend, don't hope. Don't have any doubt about the capabilities of the Huskers. KNOW that we have the ability to beat any team, otherwise our quest for a return to prominence is already doomed.
Anyways, that rant out of the way, here's to my thoughts on last week's Big XII games and my predictions for this week's slate.
-Oklahoma's shellacking of Miami was one of the big stories of last weekend, probably second in terms of media coverage behind LSU's dominance of Va Tech. I had predicted that Sam Bradford would have more trouble against Miami's defense than he had against his week 1 foe, North Texas. Bradford proceeded to make that prediction look stupid by tossing 5 touchdowns against the Hurricanes, whose secondary I thought would take advantage of Bradford's inexperience. While it is hard to determine after just two weeks, it appears as of right now that the Big XII has another Colt McCoy story on their hands, a redshirt freshmen coming in and playing spectacularly. The Miami game is hard to read. We all know that it has been a rough couple of years in Coral Gables, and that new head coach Randy Shannon has a tough job in restoring the luster to the Hurricane program. So the question remains, are the Sooners really that good, or have they merely played a D-1 never-was (North Texas) and an ACC has-been? Considering their next three games are Utah State, Tulsa, and Colorado, the answer likely won't come until the Red River Shootout on October 6th. And while we're on the Sooners, does anybody else feel a bit of nausea every time Reggie Smith makes a great play? The stud safety should be in a different shade of red, policing our secondary against USC this week. I still am haunted by his decision to go to OU over the Big Red.
-Texas A&M nearly blew their game against Fresno State, watching a 19-point lead evaporate before closing out the Bulldogs in triple overtime. Considering the expectations upon Dennis Franchione this fall, it wouldn't have been good to see the Aggies lose to an unranked (but still respectable) team at College Station. Neither the coaching staff, nor the Big XII as a whole, would have looked very good had the end result gone the other way. Stephen McGee continues to show that he is an all-tool player who does what is needed to win. While some still bemoan his lack of passing statistics, he is a proven leader and capable of winning games with either his arm or his legs. I enjoy watching the Aggies because they still run the option extremely well, and it at times make me long for the days of Frazier and Frost. All the more reason I'm excited for our October 20th matchup with them in Lincoln, one that I'll be attending in person (albeit from basically the worst seats in the house, thanks Texas A&M ticket office!).
-As Nebraska's top competition for the Big XII North, Mizzou was expected to play much better this past week than they did in a near-loss against downtrodden Illinois. While their defense is still showing signs of weakness, the Tiger offense played extremely well, with resident booger-eater Chase Daniel going for 300-plus yards and 5 touchdowns in a 38-25 win over Ole Miss. But offensive fireworks aside, the defense showed the tenacity and ability of a eighth-grade B team while giving up 534 yards of offense to the Rebels, a team that last year was dead-last in the SEC in total offense. What is troublesome (and potentially cool at the same time) is that the Tigers won't face a true test of their abilities until they play the Huskers on October 6th. Their next two games are against Western Michigan and Illinois State, respectively, and while they are both decent programs for their level, they don't figure to knock off Missouri. Then again, if the Tiger defense keeps playing like it has been (giving up nearly 500 yards of offense a week), they might not make it to the NU game unscathed.
-The UT Longhorns rebounded from their opening-week squeaker to post a nice win over a very strong TCU team this past week. I think one thing that hurt TCU's chances was that the media jumped on this game as a potential upset following UT's week 1 struggles. While the Longhorns started slowly (they were down 10-0 at half), they came out and thoroughly dominated the second half, winning 34-13 behind Jammal Charles' 134 yards rushing. Playing against one of the top defenses in the country, Colt McCoy continued to struggle, throwing 2 interceptions. If Texas is to live up to it's preseason hype, McCoy has to start playing like he did in the middle of last season. Another thing that stands out to me is the quiet performances being turned in thus far by Limas Sweed (just 4 catches for 26 yards against the Horned Frogs). While some of that may be tied to McCoy's struggles, one would think that the talented Sweed would be bailing out his QB in some of those situations.
-Kansas beat the hell out of Southeastern Louisiana 62-0, marking the only time that SE Louisiana will ever be mentioned in this blog. While I'd like to make some analysis of the game, it's tough to put much into an ass-kicking of a team whose nickname nobody even knows without doing some research (it's the Lions!).
-Baylor beat up Rice (whose lone brightspot, Jarrett Dillard, isn't meeting expectations thus far), rolling up over 500 yards of offense in a 42-14 win. I'd get excited, but it's Baylor. And Rice. Which means that this game's relevance rating was about a .7 on a scale of 1-10.
-Kansas State beat San Jose State 34-14 behind a solid performance by Josh Freeman (25-36, 272 yards, 1 TD/2 INT). I don't put much into this victory by the Wildcats, but one thing that stood out to me was the efficiency of SJSU's QB, Adam Tafralis. The Spartan QB went 16 for 20 with 134 yards and 1 TD, something that bodes well for an attack like NU's.
-To wrap it up, Oklahoma State rolled over Florida Atlantic 42-6, Texas Tech beat a decent UTEP team 45-31 (although it's not near as good as it was last year, when it was led by Carson Palmer's little brother, Jordan). Colorado played decently against Arizona State, but still managed to get beat by a comfortable 33-14 margin. I can see that strides are being made by the Buffs, but I still think they'll be hard pressed to get to the necessary 6 wins for a bowl game. Still, the fact that they don't completely suck ass is encouraging for Big XII fans. And finally, the biggest embarrassment was Iowa State following up their loss to Kent State with another L to Northern Iowa. While I figured they'd have troubles with UNI, I really didn't think the Cyclones had fallen that far that they'd belly-up for the second week in a row. Chizik has a long way to go in Ames, and right now I'd put ISU as this year's Colorado, a team that will go something like 2-10 or 3-9. Was it just five years ago that Seneca Wallace was leading them to a 5-1 start and in contention for the Heisman Trophy?
My predictions for this week's Big XII games, which with the exception of the Husker's game against USC, looks like a slate of middle school teams:
-Oklahoma over Utah State by at least 35 points
-Texas A&M over Louisiana Monroe by 28
-Mizzou over Western Michigan by roughly 2 scores. This one will be closer than it should due to Missouri's D.
-Texas over Central Florida in a game that I expect McCoy to break through and play well in.
-Kansas over Toledo in a riveting matchup worthy of whatever local public access channel is covering it.
-Iowa State will get pistol-whipped (or whatever the football equivalent of it is) by Iowa.
-Baylor over Texas State, Texas Tech over Rice, K-State over Missouri State (who?), and Okie State over Troy.
-The real interesting game is Colorado going against a Florida State Seminoles team that is searching for answers right now. While the Buffs shouldn't win this game, the fact that it is in Boulder bodes well for them, where the mix of 6 dollar vodka and Duracell batteries can have a big effect on opposing teams. Does CU have the talent? I dont think so. But I still think this will be a very close game, albeit a victory for FSU. I'm thinking FSU 20, Colorado 17.
NU's preview to come tomorrow.
Why? Because great teams, teams that rise to the occasion their backs are against the wall, do not HOPE for victory. They don't go into a game with a shadow of doubt in their mind. They go into it with an air of confidence that the outcome is already a formality, that in those 60 minutes they will assert their will on their opposition. Do you think the great mid-90s Nebraska teams went into games against highly-ranked teams like Colorado and Washington HOPING that they would beat them? HOPING that they would do what is necessary and maybe come out on top? No, they didn't.
When they walked onto that field, I guarantee you that NU already knew that the end result would be, because they were that confident in their abilities and those of their teammates that there would be no stopping them. HOPING is what gets you 9-5 records and 28-10 losses. You can see it on the sideline, the stink of desperation and the dropping of heads whenever the ball bounces against you. Great teams don't HOPE for breaks to go their way, they MAKE them go their way. Some people claim that cockiness and swagger aren't the hallmarks of a champion, that there is no place for them in sports. And while I agree with that sentiment to a point (I don't believe in self-promotion and individual celebrations), I do think that every great team, no matter what the sport, goes onto the playing field with the belief that by the end of the game, they will have left no doubt as to which team is superior. There HAS to be that mentality, that belief that NOBODY will stop you. It applies to every individual player on the team, from the QB down to the punter. You have to KNOW that you are better than the guy across from you, otherwise he has already beaten you. So when we line up against USC this weekend, don't hope. Don't have any doubt about the capabilities of the Huskers. KNOW that we have the ability to beat any team, otherwise our quest for a return to prominence is already doomed.
Anyways, that rant out of the way, here's to my thoughts on last week's Big XII games and my predictions for this week's slate.
-Oklahoma's shellacking of Miami was one of the big stories of last weekend, probably second in terms of media coverage behind LSU's dominance of Va Tech. I had predicted that Sam Bradford would have more trouble against Miami's defense than he had against his week 1 foe, North Texas. Bradford proceeded to make that prediction look stupid by tossing 5 touchdowns against the Hurricanes, whose secondary I thought would take advantage of Bradford's inexperience. While it is hard to determine after just two weeks, it appears as of right now that the Big XII has another Colt McCoy story on their hands, a redshirt freshmen coming in and playing spectacularly. The Miami game is hard to read. We all know that it has been a rough couple of years in Coral Gables, and that new head coach Randy Shannon has a tough job in restoring the luster to the Hurricane program. So the question remains, are the Sooners really that good, or have they merely played a D-1 never-was (North Texas) and an ACC has-been? Considering their next three games are Utah State, Tulsa, and Colorado, the answer likely won't come until the Red River Shootout on October 6th. And while we're on the Sooners, does anybody else feel a bit of nausea every time Reggie Smith makes a great play? The stud safety should be in a different shade of red, policing our secondary against USC this week. I still am haunted by his decision to go to OU over the Big Red.
-Texas A&M nearly blew their game against Fresno State, watching a 19-point lead evaporate before closing out the Bulldogs in triple overtime. Considering the expectations upon Dennis Franchione this fall, it wouldn't have been good to see the Aggies lose to an unranked (but still respectable) team at College Station. Neither the coaching staff, nor the Big XII as a whole, would have looked very good had the end result gone the other way. Stephen McGee continues to show that he is an all-tool player who does what is needed to win. While some still bemoan his lack of passing statistics, he is a proven leader and capable of winning games with either his arm or his legs. I enjoy watching the Aggies because they still run the option extremely well, and it at times make me long for the days of Frazier and Frost. All the more reason I'm excited for our October 20th matchup with them in Lincoln, one that I'll be attending in person (albeit from basically the worst seats in the house, thanks Texas A&M ticket office!).
-As Nebraska's top competition for the Big XII North, Mizzou was expected to play much better this past week than they did in a near-loss against downtrodden Illinois. While their defense is still showing signs of weakness, the Tiger offense played extremely well, with resident booger-eater Chase Daniel going for 300-plus yards and 5 touchdowns in a 38-25 win over Ole Miss. But offensive fireworks aside, the defense showed the tenacity and ability of a eighth-grade B team while giving up 534 yards of offense to the Rebels, a team that last year was dead-last in the SEC in total offense. What is troublesome (and potentially cool at the same time) is that the Tigers won't face a true test of their abilities until they play the Huskers on October 6th. Their next two games are against Western Michigan and Illinois State, respectively, and while they are both decent programs for their level, they don't figure to knock off Missouri. Then again, if the Tiger defense keeps playing like it has been (giving up nearly 500 yards of offense a week), they might not make it to the NU game unscathed.
-The UT Longhorns rebounded from their opening-week squeaker to post a nice win over a very strong TCU team this past week. I think one thing that hurt TCU's chances was that the media jumped on this game as a potential upset following UT's week 1 struggles. While the Longhorns started slowly (they were down 10-0 at half), they came out and thoroughly dominated the second half, winning 34-13 behind Jammal Charles' 134 yards rushing. Playing against one of the top defenses in the country, Colt McCoy continued to struggle, throwing 2 interceptions. If Texas is to live up to it's preseason hype, McCoy has to start playing like he did in the middle of last season. Another thing that stands out to me is the quiet performances being turned in thus far by Limas Sweed (just 4 catches for 26 yards against the Horned Frogs). While some of that may be tied to McCoy's struggles, one would think that the talented Sweed would be bailing out his QB in some of those situations.
-Kansas beat the hell out of Southeastern Louisiana 62-0, marking the only time that SE Louisiana will ever be mentioned in this blog. While I'd like to make some analysis of the game, it's tough to put much into an ass-kicking of a team whose nickname nobody even knows without doing some research (it's the Lions!).
-Baylor beat up Rice (whose lone brightspot, Jarrett Dillard, isn't meeting expectations thus far), rolling up over 500 yards of offense in a 42-14 win. I'd get excited, but it's Baylor. And Rice. Which means that this game's relevance rating was about a .7 on a scale of 1-10.
-Kansas State beat San Jose State 34-14 behind a solid performance by Josh Freeman (25-36, 272 yards, 1 TD/2 INT). I don't put much into this victory by the Wildcats, but one thing that stood out to me was the efficiency of SJSU's QB, Adam Tafralis. The Spartan QB went 16 for 20 with 134 yards and 1 TD, something that bodes well for an attack like NU's.
-To wrap it up, Oklahoma State rolled over Florida Atlantic 42-6, Texas Tech beat a decent UTEP team 45-31 (although it's not near as good as it was last year, when it was led by Carson Palmer's little brother, Jordan). Colorado played decently against Arizona State, but still managed to get beat by a comfortable 33-14 margin. I can see that strides are being made by the Buffs, but I still think they'll be hard pressed to get to the necessary 6 wins for a bowl game. Still, the fact that they don't completely suck ass is encouraging for Big XII fans. And finally, the biggest embarrassment was Iowa State following up their loss to Kent State with another L to Northern Iowa. While I figured they'd have troubles with UNI, I really didn't think the Cyclones had fallen that far that they'd belly-up for the second week in a row. Chizik has a long way to go in Ames, and right now I'd put ISU as this year's Colorado, a team that will go something like 2-10 or 3-9. Was it just five years ago that Seneca Wallace was leading them to a 5-1 start and in contention for the Heisman Trophy?
My predictions for this week's Big XII games, which with the exception of the Husker's game against USC, looks like a slate of middle school teams:
-Oklahoma over Utah State by at least 35 points
-Texas A&M over Louisiana Monroe by 28
-Mizzou over Western Michigan by roughly 2 scores. This one will be closer than it should due to Missouri's D.
-Texas over Central Florida in a game that I expect McCoy to break through and play well in.
-Kansas over Toledo in a riveting matchup worthy of whatever local public access channel is covering it.
-Iowa State will get pistol-whipped (or whatever the football equivalent of it is) by Iowa.
-Baylor over Texas State, Texas Tech over Rice, K-State over Missouri State (who?), and Okie State over Troy.
-The real interesting game is Colorado going against a Florida State Seminoles team that is searching for answers right now. While the Buffs shouldn't win this game, the fact that it is in Boulder bodes well for them, where the mix of 6 dollar vodka and Duracell batteries can have a big effect on opposing teams. Does CU have the talent? I dont think so. But I still think this will be a very close game, albeit a victory for FSU. I'm thinking FSU 20, Colorado 17.
NU's preview to come tomorrow.
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