Another year, same story. A year after coming out strong against UCLA and then getting dominated, the exact same thing happened Saturday in Lincoln as the Bruins rolled through Lincoln and beat Nebraska 41-21. It’s another game where the fans are asking what in the hell is going on in the second half of games?

I’ll tell you what isn’t happening and that is making adjustments. After the missed sack right before half, the Bruins scored a touchdown to take the momentum heading into the locker room. They came back out from halftime and stopped TIm Beck’s offense and quickly scored another touchdown on their way to scoring 38 unanswered points.

The play calling in the second half was terrible on the offensive side of the ball. Three and out, three and out over and over. An offensive coordinator that was pressing trying to get it all back in one play (going deep) twice was not the answer at that time in the game. I feel that Beck needed to get the run game established like they did in the first half but instead he had Martinez out there trying to sling it side line to side line and picking up 3 yards at a time. Hmm, you don’t think one of the three running backs couldn’t do that the way they ran the ball earlier in the game?

Also, can we please stop calling for the option play to be ran? It is not working…

The only good and postive from the offense was in the first half when they ran the ball which setup the touchdown passes from Taylor Martinez to Enunwa and Bell. Once again, RUN THE BALL, to set up the pass.

Defensively, missed open field tackles once again led to big gains for the Bruins. Just like last year, nothing changed. Man to man on the outside, and a d-line that did not get pressure in the second half. Why wasn’t an adjustment made to bring more pressure or play some zone? ADJUSTMENTS is something this team and coaches have been unable to do.

Nebraska wasn’t the only B1G team to look like crap yesterday. Michigan also did not play good. But it was the Huskers who actually got embarrassed and it was the same exact things that have killed them the past two years. It’s time to make adjustments, or it’s time for this staff to move along…


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I’m finally back from Las Vegas after attending a conference and staying over the weekend. Had some fun at the Bellagio Sportsbook on Saturday as I watched football all day long and wagered on games. Came out far ahead on wagers and yes, that included the Wisconsin vs Nebraska game. I didn’t have good thoughts heading into the game for Nebraska but also didn’t think they would look as bad as they did.

I thought the game turned in the second quarter when Ciante Evans barely missed an interception and Wisconsin completed the a long pass play. Had Evans been able to pick it off, Nebraska would have got the ball back with a little bit of momentum and it would have kept the Badgers from putting another touchdown on the board. Instead, the Badgers score, and offensive coordinator Tim Beck decides hey, lets start throwing the ball 15 out of 21 plays even though we have a stud running back that can move the chains. Yep, you all know how the passes went with with a total of three interceptions. Including one on the first play of the second half that was a stupid play call in my opinion. No reason to come out from halftime and throw the ball.

Beck and company need to slow down up on the press box and think things over a little bit. Stop trying to score 21 quick points with the way the offense is currently going. Slow things down and let the guys actually think the plays through.

The defense played as I expected them too. Russell Wilson and company did anything they wanted to. Wilson knew exactly where to throw the ball and his receivers did a great job of out running the coverage or sitting down and making a nice grab in front of the Nebraska defenders. It seemed like the Huskers tried to get pressure with some blitzes but besides the first drive of the game, they were not working and it left linebackers and safeties trying to run all over the play defending.

I hope things get simplified a little bit for both the offense and defense and they come out and have a better performance on Saturday against Ohio State. There is no reason that the Huskers cannot win the game by 10 points which is the current point spread. Move the ball by handing it off to Rex and throwing some quick screens to Jamal Turner. Screw this chucking the ball 40 yards down the field in to double coverage crap. Four yards at a time with Rex and 8-10 yards a time with Tuner until the Buckeyes can actually stop it.

Prediction, Nebraska 21 Ohio State 14


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Well the season opener as come and gone and Nebraska has a 1-0 record after beating Tennessee Chattanooga 40-7 on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. It’s always good to get a win the first week of the season no matter who the opponent is but I thought that the offense left a lot to be desired and after reading comments from Coach Beck I was left thinking if he is ready to be a big time offensive coordinator?

The offense struggled for pretty much the whole game I had though. Terrible option plays, terrible line play and terrible blocking on the outside led to three and outs and fans wondering where the heck the new offense was that had been greatly talked about all off season. Coach Beck said he would get in a position where he wanted a play to succeed so badly that he just kept calling it even though there were probably better play calls that could have been made in those decisions. Yeah, like not running the option when your line is getting blown off the ball and the spacing between quarterback and running back is not where it needs to be.

Can we please get Jamal Turner the ball more than 2-3 times a game? The talented Freshman wowed the crowd with his one reception and he could be a big time play maker if given the ball more. The same could be said for Ameer Abdullah who flashed around on punt returns. I love his Turner’s and Abdullah’s running styles and they can really spark the offense if given the chance I think.

I’m hoping for a much improved offense and hopefully a more relaxed offense when Fresno State comes to Lincoln on Saturday night. If not, the Bulldogs just might make a game out of it.

The bright spots I thought were was the defense and special teams. The blackshirt defense held Mocs to just seven points and pretty much controlled the game from the get go. I thought that Cameron Merideth really stood out on defense and made some big plays including two sacks and an interception. Lavonte David had a team high nine tackles while fellow Senior Jared Crick finished with five tackles (two being for losses).

Special teams was led by Brett Maher who converted four out of four field goals. Maher connected from 50, 48, 34 and 21 yards out. Maher looked great out there and answered the question of who would fill in for Alex Henery who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Overall the defense is there and will play even better once Alfonzo Dennard is back. The offense has a lot of work to do both from the players and coaches perspectives. Coach Beck needs to move away from plays that are not working and also work with Taylor Martinez to read through his progressions as well as spacing throughout the option plays. Hopefully the two can figure it out!


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Finally! Coach Pelini has finally spoken about the coaching staff changes that many have been talking about for a couple of weeks. Bo, while out in California finally told a reporter from the AP the changes and many people are thinking what the heck took so long. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with Shawn Watson finally landing a job at Louisville. Bo always said he wanted to take care of his assistants and this is one way of doing it.

But was it the right away of going about? Bo already has loose ends with the local media and even some fans due to his media relations. We all know he isn’t the best guy for talking to the media and heck can you blame him in some cases? However, the two weeks were way to long and when everyone knows about it, the University might as well give Bo the go ahead and release a statement. It would make all parties look and sound much better. This isn’t the 80’s and even the 90’s when things were kept hush hush before the Internet…

So finally the coaching changes… Ted Gilmore, Shawn Watson, Marvin Sanders (resigned due to personal issues) are out. Corey Raymond, Ross Els and Rich Fisher all step in along with a promotion for grad assistant and former player John Garrison. Raymond will coach the secondary, Els the linebacking corp while Fisher will coach the wide receivers. Garrison will be co-offensive line coach with Coach Cotton and also help out with the tight ends.

Other moves will be Tim Beck taking over play calling as offensive coordinator and Ron Brown moving over to coach the running backs. (Something Brown has never done.)

Sure will be an interesting time during spring practice and the spring game. You know to know one thing, these assistant coaches were hand picked by Coach Pelini and they are guys that coach though would be best for the players. Stick behind them, and lets see what happens for the upcoming season. I have a feeling it will be an interesting ride into Big10 country.


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