Where Huskers are at now
Three early-season home wins got Husker fans elated. The home loss against a top 25 team that was put out of reach by two consecutive controversial penalties late in the game was disappointing.
A loss, in which No. 4 Missouri had little trouble putting up 38 points to Nebraska’s 10, was not as embarrassing as the Tiger faithful would like to think.
The bomb for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter after Missouri recovered a fumble on the Nebraska 26 was on the edge of classlessness, but in Coach Gary Pinkel's defense, it was Chase Daniel's last series.
Daniel would have probably done a lot of good for his Heisman candidacy if he had not chosen to whine to the press. While Daniel probably hoped he would damage Nebraska's reputation by whining, the damage to his own brand was much greater.
Next week, Nebraska travels to Lubbock for a game they are widely expected to lose. If Nebraska plays Texas Tech tough, they will start to resuscitate their image and help their recruiting in Texas.
A win would be wonderful, but it will only come if the team plays on top of its form. They have been warned that the referees will not be their friends, so they have to win on the field and plan for external forces or luck to go against them.
Nebraska at 3-3 would be a disappointment, but it could be a 4-2 season if things broke differently.
The Huskers got used to losing under their last coach, and his influence is still being felt. Fans are probably going to have to wait two years or more for one of the classiest programs in America to reemerge to top-tier status.
What about the rest of the Season?
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about 1 month ago
Wasn't ISU ahead of KU 20-0 at half. KU was the team that came back and outscored ISU 35-13.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks, corrected.
about 1 month ago
Thanks for pointing that out. I will correct it. It was a brain fart from just trying to finish the article.
about 1 month ago
Great article. 7-5 huh? I guess you're right, that's about all we can hope for at this point. (sigh)
from about 1 month ago
Sigh, we were hoping for instant success. Good tings seems to take time.
about 1 month ago
I have no doubts that the defense is making the turn around that they so desperately needed. They look noticeably better. It's like watching a teenager come out of depression. But I have reservations about OC Watson and his ability to keep up with the big dogs of the conference. I am fully aware of his resume and his accomplishments but I have not been impressed with the inconsistency of his play-calling and overall development of the quarterbacks. Ganz looks good but not stellar. What are your personal overall feelings and impressions of Shawn Watson and how do folks in Nebraska view him generally?
from about 1 month ago
You can't blame Shawn Watson for all of the failures. He still is lacking a decent O line. Confuscious say: "Quarterback who scramble all time end up wearing egg." I can't deride Barney Cotton because I believe it is both a personnel isuue and a lack of proper instruction by previous coaches. We may have one eventual all american lineman, but Jones is a redshirt freshman and out of the Callahan 6'7" mold instead of the Tenopir fast 6' guy mold.
How much of Colorado's (and Northwestern's) success was due to Shawn and how much to Gary Barnet nobody will ever know. We may have a better idea in a couple years. Barnet has struggled since Watson left his side, maybe it was a chemestry thing?
Nebraska is still lacking team speed. Huskers don't even have a set of starters that can keep up with top tier programs. The speed can be developed, but having genetics for speed is a great starting point. (The fastest kid in his age group at the 100 yard dash in the country is the son of a former Nebraska I-Back. Apparently he doesn't get too many rushes in Lincoln Midget football. The problem is, most of his touches end up in the end zone.)
Strength does not seem to be an advantage either. Strength is developed and the team is more motivated than they were before, but not like Bo's first trip through. Nebraska used to have wolrd class strength training. The equipment is still around but where's the beef?
Calling plays is something that takes time. I told a former Husker quarterback and quarterbacks coach about sitting in the stands and calling out plays Osborne would call next. My impression was that I was right in certain circustances I would be right around 60% of the time and in others around 40%. (I was lousy at other times.) So even if I was even half as good as I thought I was, how good were defensive coordinators he faced? That period was before the person I was talking to had enrolled.
By the time TO had been doing it twenty or thirty years he surprised opponents quite often. Shawn will get better and learn how to mix up play calling to become less predictable. At least he is not likely to be on the radar of any school that could afford to hire him away until he does improve. Is that a good thing?
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