Dan Holgersen showed up in Lincoln about three weeks ago, but this week we finally got to hear from him in person.
And did we hear a lot!
Holgersen started calling out players for poor performance based on what he had watched on film. Wide receivers not blocking and running backs not hitting an open hole against USC were a couple of items he mentioned. He basically said the wideouts were blocking like “crap” in their previous games.
It made a lot of Husker fans happy to hear, because to be quite honest, most Husker obsessed fans were saying the same things. It felt a lot like therapy to hear him talk about effort and the fact that he expects more.
It became even more obvious that a lot of the offensive players at skill positions simply had tuned out the other offensive coaches. Who knows why, but it was disheartening to hear that either, A: Nebraska wasn’t playing as hard as they could, or B: They weren’t being coached well enough to understand what maximum effort is.
Matt Rhule has said all along that the standard is the standard. To me, that means that he expects that standard to be high and those that don’t meet that standard won’t be playing. Of course, after the last four losses, fans could tell that the standard wasn’t being met. And for whatever reason nothing was changing.
For the first time, it’s been hard to trust that Coach Rhule understood what that means to Husker fans.
Nebraska fans, for the most part, truly understand what it’s like to watch great football. When they keep hearing that the coaching staff tell us that what we are seeing isn’t what we are seeing, it gets harder for fans to trust the process.
Hiring Holgersen to come in and light a fire under the offense and bring in a new method of play calling shows that Rhule does see that the standard isn’t being met. Hearing from Holgersen this week, we finally heard a coach tell everyone that the standard is much higher that what we have watched, and that he is looking to make changes to make that work. It was a refreshing change for Husker fans. Hopefully it resonates on the field the final two games of the season.
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| Bleed Husker Red Tees |
Last game prediction was USC 31, Nebraska 20. The actual score was USC 28, Nebraska 20. Nebraska was burnt by bad luck. At least three passes could have, or should have, depending on your view, been intercepted. All three of those plays either ended in a touchdown or extending drives to score touchdowns. Even so, the defense and special teams did their part. The offense continues to let the team down. The defense has been so snake bit lately though, it’s hard to trust that they can get a stop when they need to. Nebraska continues to play well enough to get beat by one score.
Quick Notes:
Ceyar Wright…Of all the newcomers to Nebraska in the offseason, Wright has made the most impact. His play against his former team was inspired and kept Nebraska in the game until the end. Wright has played at the level that we expected Tommi Hill to play at. Speaking of Hill, he has been shut down for the last two games of the season, so it’s such a big deal that Wright is playing so well, Nebraska needs him to play at a high level.
Emmett Johnson…Johnson had a nice touchdown catch and run and made some nice inside runs, spinning himself into 5.5 yards per carry. Dante Dowdell was banged up, so Johnson received the lion’s share of playing time. He continues to be the most consistent running back on the roster. If Nebraska has any chance to beat Wisconsin or Iowa, Johnson needs to have big games.
Janiran Bonner…Bonner didn’t lead the team in catches or yards, and he didn’t score a touchdown, but he made a couple of plays that certainly got your attention. He runs hard and is explosive. If Holgersen is planning on playing some different guys and getting the ball to them, Nebraska could do worse than Bonner as he just seems to make positive plays.
Brian Buschini…Buschini has certainly had his ups and downs in his Husker career, but this season he has been fantastic. He averaged 46 yards per punt against USC and pinned them back and took out a big part of their weapons on return. Wisconsin and Iowa play field position games better than anyone in the country. If Nebraska continues to struggle on offense, Buschini could be the difference between winning and losing. So far, he has delivered.
Score Prediction: Nebraska 17, Wisconsin 16
Everything about this game screams that Nebraska should beat Wisconsin for the first time in over a decade. They have been so close the last three seasons. Last year’s overtime loss was particularly devastating because they led by two touchdowns early in the game only to watch it slip away in excruciating pain. Nebraska has so many demons right now, it’s hard to tell which one is the most glaring, but beating Wisconsin would certainly show a ray of light that has been sorely missing. If Nebraska is going to win a game, this one is the best opportunity. I feel like it’s either 0-2 to close out, or 2-0. This game sets the tone, so GBR!!!
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