Will it be Purdue or Purdon’t for the Huskers?

Ok, when is this madness going to stop?  Nebraska is in a gulch right now that I’m starting to wonder if they will ever be able to climb out of.  The Huskers went to Ann Arbor and were served a steaming pile of dog crap and then forced to eat it. It seems as though Coach Frost isn’t immune to the Big Ten teams looking to pile on to the Huskers.  Jim Harbaugh wanted to send a message and he did. The Huskers turned the ball over on their first possession and the route was on.

Seriously, the Huskers were down 39-0 at halftime and it might as well have been 100 to nothing.  It was if the previous year’s team came back to life. Nebraska looked listless, they looked confused, they were outmanned and they were outplayed.  

I keep wondering when the team that Husker fans can be proud of will show up?  It’s not as if this team was going to win a National Title this year, but dang man, I thought for sure they would at least give good effort each week.  The team was beat as soon as the first turnover happened. You could feel it, even if you were 750 miles from the action sitting in Lincoln.

So what’s it going to take to get this team on the plus side for a change?  First, it starts with repetition. Unfortunately, Nebraska has only had one real game where Adrian Martinez was guaranteed to start the week before the game was played.  He played really well against Colorado. You have to hope that taking all the reps this week will help him get back to how he played that game.

Next, the defense has to play with their hair on fire, especially at home.  They were listless in Michigan. It felt like it was midway through the second quarter before they were on the same page.  That can’t continue to happen, or you will see a repeat against teams like Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and God help us Iowa.  Cripes, you could see it from Purdue this weekend or even Minnesota or Illinois for that matter.

The special teams play can’t get any worse, but it can remain awful.  I expect that the coaches will experiment with that until they get it right.  There may be more growing pains, but I suspect we will see some new bodies out there this week, especially on the punting team.

Top it all off with horrible penalties at inopportune times and you have a recipe for 0-3.  Nebraska operates on a razor thin margin against decent teams; they have no room for error against a team as talented as Michigan.  Those penalties have to be cut in half at a minimum for Nebraska to start having a chance to win ball games.

I think what you will find eventually is that they younger players will start getting more time earlier in games.  If the older players continue to play with substandard effort, you might as well start playing the kids that may not know what they are doing, but they do it 100 miles per hour.

This is a big weekend for Nebraska.  They have played two games that they could have won and they missed out.  Games won’t get any easier and the Huskers have to hold serve this weekend at Memorial Stadium.  Purdue has great athletes on offense and a quarterback who has a lot of starts and a lot of ability.  Nebraska has to make him uncomfortable from the start. They did that against Colorado and it made a big difference on their ability to stay in the game.

Nebraska also can’t afford turnovers this weekend.  I know you expect them in an offense like Coach Frost runs, but they can’t be careless with the ball.  If Nebraska has any chance to win this game, they have to win the turnover battle.

The fans will be there to help the Huskers all they can.  If Nebraska can give them something to cheer about, I expect an eruption at Memorial Stadium.  We need a win, they need a win, I need a win, and I suspect you do too. Otherwise, this season is going to be even longer than I could have imagined.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Our previous score prediction for the Wolverine’s game was Michigan 37 – Nebraska 17.  The actual score was Michigan winning 56-10 and the game was over after the Huskers’ first offensive possession.  Nebraska looked like 2017 wasn’t over and they were beaten in every phase of the game. It was worse than the score and it’s amazing that the Wolverines didn’t put up 70.

Quick Notes:

Adrian Martinez…  Every week I will harp on this, but this team is going to go as far as Martinez can take them.  He needs better blocking, but he also needs to be able to use his speed to keep defenses honest and open up the passing game.  He didn’t look quite ready at Michigan. Until he is healthy enough to pull away from defenders, Nebraska will struggle to score.

Offensive Line…. Offensive is right, they were offensive to my sense of football watching.  That was as bad a performance as I can remember from the offensive line and this line let Tanner Lee take a beating last season.  When does it start to improve? If it doesn’t, I think it’s time to start playing younger guys. You might as well get beat with youth if your veterans are going to allow the quarterback to get beaten up anyway.

Coach Frost … I remember something said last spring when Coach Frost first got back to Lincoln.  It wasn’t that he said it to me, or to the media, but he told someone close to me that there were maybe 3 players on the team that could have played at Central Florida last season.  That doesn’t mean that there isn’t talent on the roster, but it has a long way to go before it can play at a championship level. Recruiting and development take time. Coach Frost needs more time for both.  He knew it then, we know it now.

Score Prediction: Purdue 33 – Nebraska 27

Folks, it pains me to say this, but Nebraska is currently the worst Husker team in my lifetime.  I don’t know if the players felt like Coach Frost would wave a magic wand and they would just play better.  This week is on the players. They didn’t show up in Ann Arbor, I’m not so sure they will show up this week either, but I’m putting my faith in the fact that they won’t quit.  Purdue is further along in the rebuild process than Nebraska is. It pains me greatly to say that, but until I see it on the field, it will be hard for me to predict a Husker victory.  I will still be in the stadium, cheering loud, so with that…GBR!!

Road Game

Ann Arbor, why worry?

After the Nebraska game against Troy was finished last week, I walked back to my vehicle from Memorial Stadium and all I could think about was what I would say this week in this blog.  I had plenty of things to chew on as I walked. Was it Scott Frost’s fault that our back-up quarterback was a walk on junior college transfer that had no other Division one offers? Why when the chips were down, couldn’t the Blackshirts get a stop on 3rd and long…again?  How does Nebraska continue to put up yards and fail to reach the end zone?  When I get home and watch the reply on the punt returned for a touchdown, how mad will I be that people didn’t maintain the integrity of their lanes and how many players went rogue?  Why do we consistently turn the ball over, yet very seldom create our own turnovers?

The conclusion to almost all those questions is that Nebraska is operating with a very thin margin for error.  When Nebraska makes a mistake right now, no matter when, where or how big it may seem, it may be the one break the other team needs to win the game.  When Nebraska has a backup walk on quarterback playing, you realize that as much as we may like Andrew Bunch, he isn’t going to make a defense hesitate.  You don’t have to worry about Bunch beating you with his legs, especially when he is probably limited by the staff from trying to make plays that would get him hurt.  It doesn’t get better if he were to go down for any length of time.

The Blackshirts continue to be solid, but when they get yet another penalty, no matter how ticky tack, on a crucial 3rd down, it seems like it kills them.  Never mind that they held Troy to 17 points, it wasn’t enough to help the team win.

Why don’t we have another scholarship quarterback on the roster than can play this fall?  Surely Coach Frost could have known that Tristan Gebbia not getting the job might end up forcing the kid to transfer, right?  I know I questioned the thought process of not bringing in Joe Burrow, now quarterbacking LSU or even Terry Wilson, the quarterback for Kentucky right now.  It was easy to see after the spring that Nebraska was going to be alright with their young quarterbacks, but what was the contingency if they both were hurt or if one left?  I imagine hindsight being what it is, Frost would have brought in another quarterback. Who cares what kids here thought at the time, this is big boy football. There is competition at every University.  The decision to not bring anyone else in may keep Nebraska from going to a bowl game.

Now, what if Adrian Martinez returns this week for Nebraska and plays for the next ten weeks in a row?  That decision is no longer looks at like a mistake if that scenario plays out. If Martinez stays healthy at all for most of the season, I don’t think anyone would argue that we needed another quarterback.  Of course, no one knew that Gebbia was going to leave when he didn’t win the starting job. It all becomes a moot point if Nebraska somehow rebounds and goes 6-4 down the stretch.

See, the point I’m getting at, is that Nebraska is operating on the slimmest of margins right now.  Scott Frost is trying to establish his “culture” and for better or worse, that’s not going to happen overnight.  As Husker fans, we all knew in the back of our minds that this team was closer to 4-8 than 8-4 that we all hoped they were.  Had Martinez played against Akron, maybe Nebraska wins that game. Then he has fewer hiccups against Colorado, Nebraska pulls that out.  Maybe he doesn’t get hurt against CU, then Nebraska clears Troy after a hard-fought game. Now you are 3-0, you only need to go 3-6 the rest of the season to get into a bowl.  Again, slim margin.

It's going to be that way for 2018 unfortunately.  Will fortune turn in the Huskers favor? I don’t know that it will happen this fall.  I will say this, I plan on watching every game, despite these situations. I still have hope.  I know that this staff, along with Coach Frost know how to win ball games. Wins will come. Maybe they won’t be at the pace that we want, but they will come.  As we watch the season, you must imagine that it is, ah, but part of the opening of a play. There will be many more scenes to watch before the end is written. Right now, the opening act is a bit frightening.  Will Husker fans be patient enough for the ride?

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Our previous score prediction for the Troy game was Nebraska 31 – Troy 21.  The actual score was Troy winning 24-19 and while it looks close, Nebraska was never in control.  The Huskers failed to score touchdowns in the red zone and a returned punt for a touchdown from Troy probably sealed Nebraska’s fate.  Nebraska can ill afford to make mistakes, even against teams they are favored to beat.

Special Live Show Right
After the Michigan Game!

Quick Notes:

Adrian Martinez…  It is very clear that for Nebraska to have any success this season at all, Martinez is going to need to play most of the snaps in every game.  With all due respect to Andrew Bunch, Martinez is a guy that will win 30 or more games at Nebraska if he stays healthy. Mr. Bunch won’t touch that mark.  If Bunch starts against Michigan this week, Nebraska probably won’t be able to keep the game close. If Martinez can go and is fully healthy, this game takes on an entirely different dimension.

Special Teams, not so Special…. Be it Tyjon Lindsey returning punts, Caleb Lightbourn punting, or Barrett Pickering missing field goals, Nebraska’s special teams have been subpar in two games.  That may be putting it mildly. I think that Jovan Dewitt, the Nebraska special teams coach is feeling it as well. When the margins for winning are as thin as they are, special teams can be a great equalizer.  Nebraska must improve on that this week, if they have any hope of playing the Wolverines close.

Wide Receiver, where did you go? … If your name isn’t Stanley Morgan or J.D. Spielman, did you get to play against Troy?  I could hardly remember a sequence of plays if one of, if not both wideouts were on the field last weekend.  Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Troy Walters said that both were worn out in the fourth quarter.  Someone else needs to step in and take some snaps from these guys. College wide receivers should have 5-8 players rotating in throughout a game.  I think Nebraska was lucky to have four that played consistently last weekend. Someone needs to step up.

Blackshirts…. They play so well at times, and yet they reverted to 2017 multiple times against Troy. By either allowing a long run by the backup quarterback, or committing crucial penalties, or getting a targeting call, the defense continues to be its own worst enemy.  This unit is on the come, in my opinion, if they can hold it together until the offense starts putting up some points to relieve some pressure. I think this unit could surprise us all. They still have problems in the secondary, but they can clean that up. I’d like to hope for a big jump this weekend in Ann Arbor.

Score Prediction: Michigan 37 – Nebraska 17

I’d like to say I’m as big a sunshine pumper as there is, but even I am skeptical about how this first road game will go for the Huskers.  Even if Adrian Martinez plays this week (I have my doubts that he will) Michigan will be looking to put it to Nebraska. The Big Ten has heard all off season about how great Scott Frost is, I expect teams to kick Nebraska while they are down.  I’m optimistic that this is going to get turned around, I just don’t think it will happen in the Big House. I hope I’m way off on this one, GBR!!

Let's Get Us A Win Today!

Man, talk about a crazy start to the season.  First, we get lightning firing across the sky to cancel the Akron game, then we give up 14 quick points to Colorado, scratch and claw back to get the lead, only to see it evaporate and almost come with a season crusher of losing Adrian Martinez.  You almost wonder if the Huskers have a curse on them. I don’t think that’s the case, but you never know.

Nebraska had Colorado beat, they controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half, really on both sides for the most part.  They had multiple times to put them away, but give the Buffs credit, their quarterback Steven Montez was money when they needed it most.  Despite having 565 yards in total offense, Nebraska turned the ball over three times and missed a field goal. When you have a tight game against a good team, those types of things get you beat.  

The Husker Blackshirts even showed up in style and they harassed Montez to the tune of seven sacks.  I can’t remember a game in the last 5 years that we had that many sacks. I’m not sure that Nebraska will get that every game this season, but the pass rush looks to be improved significantly.  Nebraska shut down the run, ran the football themselves and still couldn’t pull out the victory. Sometimes teams get beat in games like that, good teams though, generally do not.

So that leads us to this, is Nebraska good, going to be good or probably not going to be the year that they win 8 or 9 games?  Nebraska was dealt a pretty bad hand missing out on the Akron game. Most of the time, you get to work the kinks out on a subpar opponent, then follow that up with a game against a decent Power 5 program.  When Akron was canceled, it not only cost Nebraska a win, but many people argue it cost them the Colorado game as well. When you are 0-1, when you really planned on being 2-0, you must admit this is not the way you wanted the season to start.

Nebraska needs some momentum and they need it now.  If for some crazy reason Andrew Bunch is the starting quarterback for more than this weekend’s game against Troy, Nebraska could easily be 1-2 and the confidence that this staff has tried to implement all off season could start to wear down.  This group of kids has been pretty numbed by losing a lot of games since they have been here. Sometimes it is easy to start down that path, you know the one, with the least resistance.

I think they will get it going though.  Whether Adrian Martinez misses one game or two games, Scott Frost doesn’t seem to me like the coach that will allow things to start slipping away.  This week he said he didn’t want to reschedule Akron in December because the Huskers plan on playing in the Big Ten title game that weekend. Considering where things were when Martinez had to be helped off the field, I’d say that Coach Frost isn’t short of confidence in himself, his staff or his team.

It’s all just another reason why this thing is going to get turned around.  When you play with passion like the Huskers did last weekend, and you are consistent in your beliefs and philosophies on offense and defense, you will see wins start to pile up.  It may not all happen this season, but it is going to happen. Nebraska fans haven’t had much to cheer about since about 2016, it would be nice if the Huskers could break the losing string and show everyone that this is about to get turned upside down.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Our previous score prediction for the Colorado game was Nebraska 33 – Colorado 26.  The actual score was Colorado winning 33-28 basically the reverse of what we predicted.  I’ve said it already, but that game will sit in this team’s craw for a while, they had to work hard to get it and they had it.  If we have learned anything, this Husker program needs to get their groove back.

Quick Notes:

Adrian Martinez…  There are two things that stand out about this kid.  First, he is the best athlete we have had at quarterback since Taylor Martinez played at Nebraska.  The next thing is, because he is so good, this team isn’t going to go far without him. He changes the game for the entire team.  You have to account for him in the run game, and he looks like he is going to make some plays with his arm. I think of his passing like Tommy Armstrong.  We are going to have to live with some mistakes once in a while, but when he makes it work, it’s going to be as good as it’s been in a long time. He is going to take some hits, and we knew he may not play an entire season.  I’m just thankful that this injury wasn’t a season ending one, Nebraska fans have suffered enough.

Sacks, Sacks, Sacks…. After Colorado scored on their first two possessions, I started to get a little worried.  Last season was such a train wreck on defense, I thought even if they were only a little better, we would be ok.  The start of the game sure looked like they weren’t going to be much improved. After those drives though, you could see the team started to settle down.  Let’s face facts, they were put in some pretty sad spots to start out and once they figured a couple things out, they let it fly for the most part. The defensive line put consistent pressure on Montez and Nebraska had multiple tackles in the CU backfield.  If Nebraska can continue to put pressure on the quarterback like they did last week, this defense could actually win Nebraska a game or two this season. Sacks may have been overrated to some of our previous defensive coaches, but they aren’t overrated to me.  They change the outlook for this team completely.

Running Back Committee… It didn’t matter if it was Greg Bell, Devine Ozigbo or Maurice Washington, the running back group looks to be much stronger than last season already.  That bodes well for the season, as it will take pressure off Martinez and give the Huskers some life on the road. I still think that some other people will emerge out of that position as the season wears on, but for my money, they are all keeping the seat warm for Washington.  Once that kid figures out what he is doing, he could be a game breaker for Nebraska. At this point, there will be a lot of carries to share, it seems like this group is doing a good job with their opportunities.

Andrew Bunch…If I had told you last season that Andrew Bunch would be the starter for the second game of the 2018 season, you probably would have told me to get my head examined.  Well turns out, it is happening this weekend. Bunch looks like a good if not above average quarterback for this system. Nebraska is lucky he is on the roster, and Bunch will have multiple opportunities to show what he can do against Troy.  Like any first-time starter, he needs to keep his turnovers in check, and Nebraska should have success. I’m not certain that Martinez won’t play, but I’m almost positive Bunch will be the starter Saturday morning.

Secondary…One of my biggest concerns this year was going to be the secondary.  Last weekend was a cornucopia of good and bad plays by this unit. They really supported the run and made some great open field plays that we haven’t seen in a long time.  On the flip side, the safeties being out of position on long sideline plays and Antonio Reed’s crazy personal foul in the fourth quarter show that this group has a way to go to be great.  On the other side of the pillow, they actually settled down and allowed a few coverage sacks on Montez. We haven’t seen that against anyone good for years. This group is going to be solid, maybe not All Conference type, but they will probably be better than we thought.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 31 – Troy 21

This is a must win for the Huskers.  I don’t care if Lady Gaga was going to play quarterback this week, Nebraska has the talent on offense to put up yards on this Troy defense.  Nebraska needs to take care of the ball and create turnovers and they should come out of this game alright. If the Huskers stumble and go to Ann Arbor 0-2, the natives will be a little restless.  Andrew Bunch is a serviceable back up and he will prove that this weekend. Nebraska will dominate the lines of scrimmage an come out on the other side ready for Big Ten play. As always, GBR!!

Let's try this again shall we...

Nebraska gets to open the season…maybe?

Ok, that was a little different.  For the first time in my lifetime a Husker football game was cancelled due to inclement weather.  I was in the stadium, ready to roll. We all knew that a storm was coming; we just hoped it would be the Tunnel Walk, not the actual clouds from Fairbury.

There are a lot reasons why the game could have or should have been played, probably on Sunday morning, or maybe the Fox Network should have thought about playing it earlier in the day.  We all knew what was going to happen that night. I guess maybe we didn’t all know that it would include that much lighting. Either way, what’s done is done and we can second guess it all day, but we move on toward Colorado.

Opening the Frost era last week would have been great, Akron, for all their success in 2017, was probably going to be a tomato can for the Huskers.  It would have been nice for Coach Frost to open 1-0 and get all the kinks, out, but at this point, does it really matter?

 bleedhuskerred.com

Nebraska is about as prepared as they are going to get according to Coach Frost.  Husker Nation is over prepared…if that’s a thing? I know that when that Tunnel Walk happened, Coach Osborne came on the screen and I couldn’t hear a dang word.  The crowd was at about peak “Miami Hurricane” noise level. I expect about 98% of that for Colorado, only because the crowd might not be as lubricated as it was for a night game.

We will finally get what we all want to see, a Husker game.  Regardless of who was coaching, regardless of who Nebraska is playing, Husker fans are cranked and ready to go.  The fact that it happens to be Colorado and Coach Frost’s first game is icing on the cake.

I’m tired of thinking of off season workouts and recruiting, I’m ready for a game.  Chances are you are too!

On with the Rewind:

Will last week’s “bye” be an advantage or disadvantage…It is hard to say what the overall affect not having an opening game will have on the Huskers.  I have a tendency to think that it won’t make much difference on how they perform this week. Having the Tunnel Walk and the crowd getting into it and all that build up, along with the big “exhale” that the team and the coaching staff had, may have been enough to get the cobwebs blown out.  The other advantage is no serious injuries. That could certainly be a positive. Any negatives would have to include a true freshman quarterback not getting any reps in front of a crazy crowd. No one knows how he will react yet, but I have a feeling he is well prepared and should be fine.

Should Colorado Fans be Scared…I say this in jest, but Husker fans are the best fans I’ve ever been around, and I would guess they will continue to be gentle, even to Buff fans.  If it was Iowa fans, then I might have a different view, but our friends from Boulder should be in fine company this week. Next year might not be the reverse for Husker fans in Boulder.

Safe to Say, This is a Big Game…Nebraska can set the tone in this game that they aren’t going to be a 4-8 type team.  When Nebraska beat Oregon in Lincoln two seasons ago, that really set the stage for a great start and certainly gave them confidence moving forward.  I think beating Colorado would give Nebraska a great boost moving into Big Ten play.

Big Ten may Not be so Tough…It was a rough opening round for the Big Ten.  It was really hard on the Eastern Powers not named Ohio State.  Michigan lost to Notre Dame and Michigan State and Penn State struggled out of the gate.  I thought that the Big Ten might not be as strong as it was last year and that may still be the case.  The Northwestern and Purdue game showed that they both have some great players, but Nebraska is every bit their equal in that regard.  If Nebraska is disciplined and can improve their defense even a quarter over last year, the Huskers have a great shot at a bowl game.

Score Prediction:     Nebraska 33 – Colorado 26

I’m going out on a limb a little bit.  Colorado looked like a well-oiled machine against Colorado State.  That may not matter coming into the Huskers’ home stadium, I expect Nebraska to play with a lot of fire and emotion to combat some of the Buffs athleticism and quarterback play.  When it is all said and done, Nebraska should have better overall play and should be able to win at home. Let’s just get this thing rolling! GBR!!!