Nebraska Athletics
Nebraska Baseball
Nebraska Basketball
Nebraska Football
Nebraska Injuries
Nebraska Merchandise
Nebraska Recruiting
Nebraska Rumors
Nebraska Softball
Nebraska Tickets
Nebraska Volleyball
Other Big 12 Teams
- Nebraska offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf
- Randy Gregory to enter draft
- What a crazy year for Nebraska Football
- Nebraska and Miami battle it out in Lincoln
- Nebraska rolls past Florida Atlantic
- Three Nebraska Football night games announced
- Statement from athletic director and my quick thoughts
- UCLA embarrasses Nebraska 41-21
- Nebraska survives 37-34 against Wyoming
- I’m ready for some football!
- Thoughts heading into the 2013 season
- It’s Nebraska vs Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship
- Thoughts on the Huskers season so far
- Big10 releases schedules for 2015 and 2016
- Aaron Green set to transfer from Nebraska
The game plan that the Husker coaching staff drew up to stop Chase Daniel and the Missouri Tigers sure didn’t work as Missouri clobbered the Huskers on Saturday night by the score of 52-17. Missou jumped out to a huge lead in the first quarter and never looked back as they won in Lincoln for the first time in 30 years.
The defensive scheme that the staff drew up didn’t work out because they were unable to get pressure on Daniel and it also hoped up huge running lanes which the Tigers took advantage of. With three linemen, and then a roaming defensive end, the Tigers use the huge running gaps to run for 201 yards and passed for another 261 yards. It seemed like we had no linebackers out there and with the secondary getting blown up on most passing plays it was a very long night. There just wasn’t enough speed on the defense for the Huskers to keep up with the Tigers and it clearly showed.
The Huskers offense started off good with Joe Ganz hitting Nate Swift in the endzone for a 20 yard touchdown. But the Huskers would only score 3 points in the second quarter and then did not score again until at the end of the game on a 20 yard touchdown pass to Menelik Holt.
The offensive line played terrible once again. They could not give Ganz enough time to make all of his reads, and they also did not open up any running lanes for the backs. Marlon Lucky led the rushers with 46 yards on 14 carries. Quentin Castille had 12 carries for 26 yards. Roy Helu Jr. finished up the rushing attack with 11 yards on five carries. The backs were getting hit just after they got the ball and they pretty much had no chance to break away and make a big play.
Coach Pelini had this to say after the game:
“I’m not used to losing,” NU head coach Bo Pelini said. I’m not used to getting beat soundly. Once again, that’s my fault. Yes, damn right, yes, I am embarrassed. I apologize to the team, I apologize to the state of Nebraska, I apologize to everybody associated with the University of Nebraska football (team) and it’s my responsibility. I was hired to do a job and I didn’t do that job tonight.”
It’s going to take time that is for sure. Husker nation needs to stay behind this team and coaching staff. Don’t look for thigns to turn around quickly because they have to play another spread offense as they play the pass happy Texas Tech Red Raiders this coming Saturday. Hopefully we can see some improvement as the Huskers play their first road game of the season.
Stay positive Husker fans.
Nebraska Sports
October 5th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I really don’t know where to start…First off, I want to say that I was happy to see that the defensive coaching staff tried to do something different for this game. Unfortunately it did not work…AT ALL!! If you are going to try and put pressure on a QB, you better teach your kids how to shed blocks and quit playing “patty cake” with offensive lineman. In other words, come out of the snap like your in a 100 yd dash and when someone gets in your way…move, get around them, grab them and throw them to the side, swim, get skinny and get through the line. Their(Mizzou)offense plays with some of the widest gaps in the NCAA. Instead of jumping around from gap to gap, get your butt in a gap and sprint through at the snap!! It’s pure physics…speed wins! This is not “Monday morning QBing” these are football fundamentals that should be being taught on the practice field.
The reason why we cant run very well against any decent team is that we are overpowered at the line. I implore anyone to look at the film and please find an offensive lineman staying on a block and playing to the whistle. Here’s the remedy for being just plain beat at the line…practice your offensive line(actually everyone for that matter)until they puke on each other, until they grasp the concept that the guy in front of them is not their friend, buddy or pal. They have 60 football minutes to make the parents of the opposing players emmbarrased and ashamed to have ever given birth to them. That’s the attitude it takes to win, as ugly as it sounds that’s the mentality it has to take to overcome some of our very obvious weaknesses. You all know and heard that the guy that plays with heart and determination will almost always “out-play” their counterparts with more talent. That is OUR missing ingredient, our “thing” that everyone is searching for. If you want to follow Alice and the White Rabbit to Wonderland…have fun!! I choose to live in reality and call a spade a spade. We are not lacking in talent, we are not lacking in a coaching staff, we are lacking HEART…the HEART that makes you play every play til empty, the HEART that allows you to lay your head on your pillow at night knowing you played every play as hard as you could so you don’t need to tell a reporter “it’s not all Bo’s fault, we should’ve played better”. I want us to get beat and hear the players say…we just got beat by a better team, but we played as hard as we could EVERY play…the best part about that is, those words would never have to be spoken because we (the fans) would see it in the game and would know it. Bottom line is we are not seeing that HEART and “Glaidiator” mentality…and that is all on the coaching staff!! That’s the only blame they should shoulder…the other falls on the players…and that’s the truth no matter how “mean and heartless” that sounds. You really think the road to winning, winning the Big 12 North, winning the Big 12 Championship and/or winning the Championship is paved with pretty flowers and fuzzy bunnies?? It’s won with heart and yes…sometimes just being flat pissed off at the guy across from you!! I always played with the attitude that the other team hated me and my family and I played every play like it was a mini war…”glaidiator style” and if they beat me, I felt like I failed myself and my family. That is what I believe we need to turn this around sooner than later.
October 6th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Nebraska has no team identy and no sole. It is merely a ghost of what it once was.
When Nebraska and Tommy Frazier played against a passing team like Florida in the Orange Bowl, every body new Nebraska’s identity and all was good in husker land. Scott Frost was another really good Nebraska quarter back. Then, starting with Frank Solich, all went down hill because Solich didn’t recruit well and could not recognize a heisman quarter back when he had one. We need to turn everything around and get the Husker offense back. Everything else will follow.
Everyone knows that the Huskers are not a passing team. Nebraska must first establish the running game as before. Some new rinkles can then be added to the passing game. Once we focus on the run first, I think there is a chance that we can bring this ghost of a team back to life.