Saturday, October 24, 2009

God, We SUCK

I just got back from the UNL/Iowa State Game. I have rarely said bad things about Nebraska Football, but I have to say it now:

WE SUCK.

VMI could have done better than what I saw today. Our Defense is pretty solid, but our Offense is non-existant. 7 Turnovers, 4 of which were within 10 yards of the goal line. UNL has imploded, and it sucks.

10 comments:

  1. VMI could have done better?!? Wow - that is bad.

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  2. Dude, you cannot conceive how bad it is. VMI has always sucked, and we were used to that. Nebraska has not SUCKED until the last five years after being a power house for over 40.

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  3. I also saw the game. The defense was so good that Nebraska is likely to win four more games this season and win a bowl game at the end. Recognize that these are just college kids, playing in front of 85,000 people. They had a lot to learn this season, and they are learning many of the tough lessons under fire.

    Against Virginia Tech, they learned that persistence pays and playing away from Lincoln is a special challenge. Against Missouri they learned that God's heaviest rain, five inches that day, cannot prevent them from scouring and swept away a bad day by scoring four touchdowns in the final quarter. They do have an offense. It is still learning.

    Against Texas Tech, the defensive secondary learned to play tighter against a superior spread offensive system, and that the team can rush the passer effectively. Against Iowa State, they learned to be humble and believe their coaches who had promised a major effort by Iowa State to take the ball away. (Look back in the history of the series. The all-time negative takeaway number was 12, Iowa State vs. Nebraska.)

    Now they have learned enough of the tough lessons that they will REALLY listen to Bo Pellini and his staff. Bo hasn't given up. The players won't either. The sun came up in Nebraska Sunday morning after the 9-7 loss, and things will get better. The glass is more than half full.

    PS They have one of the best kickers in the history of collegiate football. That will win at least two of the four games. Be patient, watch, and relax, Major Mike.

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  4. No hope of that. This was the only game I get to see this year and probably for the next 2 or 3. If we had won, I would have been nice. We didn't so a venting I a go.

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  5. More from AnonTxNR: after Baylor 10, Nebraska 20. Exclude the quick defensive score by Nebraska and this one counts as a game won by kicker Henery. That's one of the four wins predicted after the sad loss to Iowa State.

    New QB played a passable (and mostly passless) first half. The kid from Dayton, Texas, 200 miles southeast of the Baylor campus in Waco, did well in front of the Texas crowd. Well, half of the game anyway. Well, half of the crowd anyway. There were mucho fans from Nebraska.

    Defensive lineman from Cozad, Nebraska, Jared Crick outpurSUHed his teammate to show what he can do. Awesome game with the all-time NU record for sacks, five in one game. Stay tuned.

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  6. 2nd game post Iowa State loss: a 2nd W, Nebraska 10, OU 3. Turn again to defense. Remember I said the "D" was so good that NU would likely win four more games! Nebraska is now 2nd in the nation in points scored against, 10.3 per game. Florida is at 10.2. (Hold A&M to 10, and NU's average drops to 8.0)

    This game the biggest of several defensive plays was a fourth-down interception by senior linebacker Phillip Dillard with 2:31 left in the game. In all, Nebraska (6-3, 3-2 Big 12) intercepted OU's Jones five times, including three by team co-captain, Matt O'Hanlon -- tying a school record.

    Keep watching. Kansas, Kansas State (Big 12 North leader), and Colorado to go. Then ??? Texas and the bowl game.

    PS O-Hanlon is another Nebraskan from Bellevue. He is, along with many Husker greats, a former walk-on, with scholarship awarded in September, 2008. He is a history graduate student, playing his senior season in 2009.

    Kicking note: Henery got 4 of the 10 points. He missed what would have been his 26th straight field goal under 50 yards.

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  7. Third comment from AnonTxNR: Saturday 11/14/09, 3 W's in a row... NU 31, Kansas 17. Favored by 3-1/2, the offense joined the good "D," putting 15 points up in the last seven minutes. Nebraska is now 3rd in the nation in scoring defense, 11 given up per game. Also #10 in total defense, and #11 in rushing defense.

    Year 2009 Through 11/14/09
    Rank&Name Games TDs Kxp FGs
    Pts/Gm Wins Losses
    1 Florida 10 10 9 12
    10.50 10 0
    2 Alabama 10 12 11 8 10.90 10 0
    3 Nebraska 10 12 9 9
    11.00 7 3
    4 Penn St. 11 13 12 12
    11.64 9 2
    5 Oklahoma 10 14 11 8
    12.10 6 4
    6 Ohio St. 11 16 14 8
    12.36 9 2
    7 Texas 10 15 15 7
    12.60 10 0
    8 TCU 10 16 13 6
    12.90 10 0

    The highlight player was, I think, #24, Niles Paul who had 244 in total offense. Nebraska has had three players receive national defensive players of the game this season. Some day Mr. Paul will get an "O" award of that size to go with O'Hanlon, Crick, and Suh. Helu played with a hurting right shoulder and got 156 tough yards with three TD's.

    Kansas State is no longer the Big 12 North leader; Nebraska is. Beat them and Colorado on Turkey Day+1, and Nebraska has committed to an allotment of 12,000 tickets to a Big 12 championship game in Texas against Texas. Patience. First there is a wildcat coming to Lincoln who must be bagged.

    SPECIAL FEATURE: see http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204834290&DB_OEM_ID=100
    Here Randy York gives 10 reasons to think Nebraska is emerging as a force to be reckoned with
    1) Bo Pelini's ability to peak Nebraska at the right time.
    2) Shawn Watson's ability to tap into a Hall of Fame coach's playbook.
    3) Watson's and his staff's decision to simplify the offense and maximize its playmakers.
    4) A team first relationship between quarterbacks Zac Lee and Cody Green.
    5) A willingness by Roy Helu Jr. and Jacob Hickman (Center) to put the offense on their shoulders.
    6) The emergence of Niles Paul as one of the Big 12's foremost playmakers.
    7) Carl Pelini's willingness to refresh the legs of a physically drained defense.
    8) The magic leg of Alex Henery.
    9) A road warrior mentality on this football team.
    10) The greatest fans in college football.

    PS Niles Paul is another Nebraskan, just a junior from Omaha North high school..

    Kicking note: Henery connected on all three field goal tries - a 25-yarder in the first quarter, a 33-yarder in the third quarter and a 38-yarder in the fourth quarter. All boomed like a cannon through the uprights and would have gone through at 50 yards. Another 11 points, Henery is averaging more than a touchdown per game with 78 points for the season.

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  8. NU 17 and K-State 3. ESPN and 86,000 watched a 4th straght win with 3 Nebraska power players suffocating the opponents. After the Iowa State loss, I noted the major "loss lessons learned" by the Huskers. This game they sniffed out twelve new plays put in by the wiley Wildcats and won while learning.

    Mr. Suh was named the Lott Trophy IMPACT Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, the first player to be named 3 times in one season. He is a contender for five national awards, and was praised to the skies by the ESPN announcers and the cameras that followed him all game. He had 9 tackles (2 for losses), 1.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 1 QB hurry.

    More defensive power came from Alex Henery and Larry Asante who were named Big 12 Players of the Week following their performances. Asante led with 10 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble at the NU one year line.

    Henery should have a black shirt for two 60 yard punts. Each turned right when they hit, one OOBs at the 2-foot line of K-State and the other about 8-feet from the goal. When asked about the punts, coach Bo said, "Beautiful. I taught him that, you know." And then he laughed for 30 seconds at his own joke. The man is in a much better mood now that his team and coaches have won the Big 12 North Division "in spite of him" (nobody laughed at this self-effacing attempt at humor).

    Nebraska stayed third in national scoring defense, now at 10 points per game. Florida allowed 3 and Alabama none to stay just ahead. Shutting out Colorado might be possible. And then there's Texas.

    PS Asante is not a native Nebraskan. He is on track to earn his degree in economics this December. Hailing from Virginia, he arrived in January, 2007, after two seasons at Coffeyville, Kansas Community College, the same school that produced 1983 NU Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier.

    Kicking note: Alex Henery got his 5 points on 3 chances, a 34 yard field goal and 2 PAT's. The Huskers held Brandon Banks, the nation's lead kick returner, to 50 yards on three kickoff returns and 27 yards on the two punts he could return. In my mind, this counts as the 2nd game I predicted he would win in the last half of the Season. The punts were huge. Maybe, just maybe, there is a third "kicker W" coming up in Dallas!

    Written on November 22 and logged....

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  9. Game 5 of comments. Nebraska 28, Colorado 20. Leading all game, Nebraska's defense gets the 5th win in a row. It seems, to use Major Mike's word, the team "sucks" no more. The Huskers has moved back up to #20 and #21 in the two major national polls.

    SPECIAL DEFENSIVE REPORT:
    Nebraska senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been named the 2009 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Suh also captured Big 12 Defensive Lineman-of-the-Year honors. Suh is just the second player in league history to win the Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year award in the same season (Brian Orakpo-Texas, 2008).

    Suh also headlines four Huskers named to the All-Big 12 first team defense, as he joined Texas quarterback Colt McCoy as the only unanimous selections to the all-conference team. (Think about that as you pick your score for the Big-12 championship game.) Other Huskers who earned first-team honors are Suh's fellow defensive tackle Jared Crick, junior cornerback Prince Amukamara and senior safety Larry Asante. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State also had four first-team All-Big 12 picks.
    - - -
    These comments have fun with the numbers at the end of the regular season. First, a few select notes on the BIG statistical number, Team Total Points Allowed.

    A. Seven [+7] or 3 timely field goals, and Nebraska finishes 11 Wins, 1 Loss.
    B. Only Florida allowed less than the 15 touchdowns allowed by Nebraska.
    C. Alabama and Penn State, #2 and #4 in scoring defense also had 15 TD's scored against them. Ohio State (#5) was next lowest at 17.
    D. Only Alabama (8), Ohio State (9), and TCU (8) have allowed fewer field goals than Nebraska (10).
    E. Total points allowed through 12 games:
    #1 Florida 118 (avg 9.8), #2 Alabama 130 (avg 10.8),
    #3 Nebraska 133 (avg 11.4) #4 Penn State 142 (avg 11.8).

    If Nebraska had held Texas Tech to 10 points, that is 3 TD's + PAT's and the last play, 2-second pass by Colorado, PPG would be 133-27=106, and Nebraska would have Avg/Game of 8.8.
    By the way, in Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Team Report
    Pass Efficiency Defense, Nebraska was 4th after Alabama, Florida and TCU.
    Also in Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Team Report
    Red Zone Defense, Nebraska was 2nd, behind only Penn State.
    Florida was tied for 12th; Alabama tied for 4th; Texas tied for 41st.
    http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2009&rpt=IA_teamredzonedefense&site=org&div=IA&dest=O
    2009: 12 games (Big 12-8), Nebraska was #3, allowing 11.1 points per game.
    2008: In all games, Nebraska was #80, allowing 28.5 points per game.
    2007: Two years ago, Nebraska was #114, allowing 37.9 points per game.
    Lowest year ever, 2007 had 120 ranked teams, NU was below Baylor and just above Fla. International. So 2009 was 61% improved over 2008; 2008 was 27% better than 2006; in two years, total points per game: DOWN 71%. Go Big Red.

    FOR THE FUN OF IT ABOUT COLORADO GAME:
    I figure that an adjusted score for OFFENSE ONLY would be:
    Score changed from NU 28 - CU 20 ... to CU 23 - NU 12 or a swing of 19 points.

    Kicker note: Alex Henery missed 1 of 1, a 50-yard try. He has missed 2 other field goals over 50 yards, and one under 50. His 4 PAT's made him perfect in 12 games (35 for 35 and 16 of 20 Field Goals for 83 points). Recall that Henery is a walk-on Junior. Next year he might be good at this!

    Written on December 1 and logged....

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  10. DETAILS ON ADJUSTED SCORE FOR OFFENSE ONLY IN THE NEBRASKA-COLORADO GAME

    FOR THE FUN OF IT:

    Let's look just at the offensive ONLY, and adjust Nebraska's score of 28.
    a. Subtract 6 for O'Hanlon's interception return for a touchdown: 22.
    b. Subtract 6 for special teams as in Asante's punt return for a touchdown: 16.
    c. Subtract kicking teams' extra points (4): 12 adjusted points.

    Now let's adjust Colorado's actual score of 20.
    d. Take back 6 for the lucky pass with 2 seconds less: 14.
    e. Credit CU with one of two failed field goal attempts +3, assuming a lesser defense would have allowed more time to hit one: 17.
    f. Give CU another +6 points but for Nebraska's kicking team and its 3 or 4 out-of-bounds punts inside the Colorado 15 yard line: 23 adjusted points.
    Conclusion: Colorado's "normalized" score without NU's great defense: 12.
    Score changed from NU 28 - CU 20 ... to CU 23 - NU 12 or a swing of 19 points.

    Signed... Anonymously from Tx with No Response, that is AnonTxNR.

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