The Husker Road Remains Filled with Holes

I keep writing week after week, wondering when it is time to start thinking the Huskers are going to win a game.  After Nebraska failed to win early games they were favored in, it probably won’t be a stretch to say they may not win until they play Bethune-Cookman.

We have already covered the fact that this year’s Husker team has razor thin margin for victory week in and week out.  We know that the defense is going to need to improve to a level that isn’t probable or maybe even doable this season. As fans, it can be frustrating, but every week I come back and I’m thinking, maybe they have a chance?

Now this week may not be THE week that it happens but hear me out.  We finally saw a glimpse of what Adrian Martinez and this offense can be in the second half against Purdue.  We saw a lot of it during Colorado, but when Martinez hurt his knee, the process had to start over again. Devine Ozigbo started to show out as the lead running back, and the wide receiver corps may be about to start a solid rotation.

Adjustments have been made on special teams, but there is still a way to go.  Caleb Lightbourn had a tragic week punting, but J.D. Spielman started at punt returner and looked solid.  Jaron Woodyard seems to be settling in as a kick returner. With any luck, hopefully that part of the equation will start to provide some dividends.  Barrett Pickering hasn’t elevated himself yet, but as a true freshman, you have to think that he will continue to improve as the season goes on.

Special Guest This Week: Grant Wistrom

Defensively, Nebraska is going to have to figure out a way to establish a pass rush.  Nebraska is toward the bottom of all FBS teams in the country on stopping 3rd and long, but the Blackshirts are in the middle of the pack in overall 3rd down conversion defense.  It’s not like they are big time stoppers, but if the offense doesn’t make any turnovers, Nebraska could upset someone that they aren’t supposed to, just by being a bit above average stopping a team on 3rd down.

If Nebraska can figure out a way to improve their blocking on offense and start to pressure the quarterback on defense, they could fight their way out of this losing streak and start heading the other direction.  It’s a lot to ask, but we see glimpses of it each week. Going to Madison to play the Badgers might not be the time to see it up front, but I think Nebraska will show up this week and give it the old college try. You never know, they might even keep it close.

ON WITH THE REWIND…

Our previous score prediction for the Purdue game was Purdue 33 – Nebraska 27.  The actual score was Purdue winning 42-28 and the Blackshirts again failed to hold up their end of the bargain for most of the game.  They did make some stops in the 4th quarter, but by then the damage was done and the offense couldn’t bail them out.

Quick Notes:

Blackshirts…  David Blough took Nebraska apart for the majority of the game.  Defensively, Nebraska is reaching too much and not filling their responsibilities and it continues to kill them with big plays.  The Huskers held Rondale Moore somewhat in check, which was surprising, but plenty of other playmakers made Nebraska pay.

Wide Receivers…. Losing Tyjon Lindsey may seem like a bad week for the Huskers, but I honestly don’t know if Lindsey was ever going to be a big part of the offense.  Nebraska looked for ways to get him involved and he just never seemed to stand out. Kade Warner starting was a bit of a shock to most of us, but honestly, he played well in his first career start.  Stanley Morgan and J.D. Spielman are all Big Ten performers week after week. Nebraska needs at least one more wideout to step up and really help them out. It would be nice if Mike Williams, Jaron Woodyard or Andre Hunt could be that player.  I expect that we will start to see more of a rotation, if for nothing else, Morgan and Spielman will be burned out by November otherwise.

Tearing it out by the Root … This team has some underlying issues that are keeping the Huskers from reaching their potential.  Whether it’s too many penalties, players not listening and doing their own thing in games, or simply not knowing how to play hard, Coach Scott Frost has had to continuously establish a new culture.  We can face it, it is probably worse than most of us could have imagined. What is happening now is that players that aren’t “all in” continue to disappear from the team or have less playing time. It won’t be pretty and it won’t happen overnight, but Nebraska continues to rip out the old to start planting the new.

Score Prediction: Wisconsin 35 – Nebraska 17

Nebraska figured out some things on offense last week against a Purdue team that was better than anyone probably thought.  They wore the Boilermakers out in the 4th quarter and they made them defend the entire field and the Huskers put up a lot of offense.  I expect Nebraska to put up a lot of yards per play this week, but it probably won’t show up on the scoreboard.  Wisconsin is the worst type of matchup for this Husker team, they physically try to beat you up and Nebraska isn’t quite ready for a game like that.  I think it will be close at half but Wisconsin will keep the ball and wear down the Blackshirts in the end…Don’t worry, we will still be cheering like crazy, as always, GBR!!

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!!!

Frost, Family, and Football

Nebraska…the climb back begins

When Nebraska hired Bo Pelini after firing Bill Callahan, I must admit, I chugged the Kool-Aid hard, betting that Pelini would bring Nebraska back to respectability. Come on, Tom Osborne was the athletic director at the time, this would breed success. All we needed was someone that knew the college game, would get with the program, recruit Nebraska kids, rekindle the walk on program and we would be set.

Did Pelini have some fire?  Sure, he did, and we needed that in the program at the time. Did Pelini have any head coaching experience? No, but he had been at Nebraska, he could rely on Osborne and I felt good about that.  That first game with Pelini on the sidelines, I just had a feeling that things were going to turn around and the Callahan era would evaporate and soon all would be right in college football. Nebraska had taken their lumps, but now we were ready to go.

At the end of the Pelini cycle, I knew it was inevitable that he would be fired.  You can’t challenge your boss time after time and expect things to continue onward, smooth and normal.  It was time to get rid of him and I wasn’t all that disappointed to see him go.

When Mike Riley was hired, at first, I really didn’t like the hire, but then, based on my knowledge of his time at USC, the fact that they had tried to rehire him as their coach and the fact that he had roots with Bear Bryant at Alabama, I thought, you know, maybe it will work out.  He certainly was the anti-Bo and I could appreciate that, but in the back of my mind, I really needed to see it on the field.

When Riley started with the BYU game, I wasn’t as excited as I was nervous.  We hadn’t lost our first game of the season in so long, I generally didn’t think anything of it before that day.  That day though, I was worried. Little did I know how prophetic that feeling was, as we lost on a Hail Mary and seemed like we were outcoached. It also seemed as if we were out hustled.  As the season wore on it didn’t increase my expectations, but we seemed to recruit well. I thought, maybe, but excitement never really was the term I’d use to describe the Riley era at Nebraska.  Mostly empty promises, a team that wasn’t well prepared and an apathy that was starting to set in.

I know I don’t just speak for myself, but probably most Husker fans when I say this season is different.  When Scott Frost was hired, I had some idea that it was going to happen, but we had been snake bit before with coaching hires and I knew it wasn’t a certainty that he would come home.  I wanted so bad to be excited about Husker football again, but until Coach Frost was on that camera wearing a red tie, I just couldn’t let myself get all wrapped up in it. I’d put my emotion into Pelini and if Frost had decided to stay in Florida or take the Tennessee job, I really feared what could happen if I let myself have too much hope.

The day did come though.  Frost was hired, and I don’t know if I had felt that much excitement about Husker football in a long time.  It rekindled something inside me that I didn’t know existed anymore. I’m not a spring chicken, my college years were spent watching kids my age win three national titles.  As a Husker fan, I knew I was spoiled by that. It was ok to be spoiled. I knew in my heart that I had lived a great Husker life and maybe that fire gets doused a little bit as you become a parent.  It doesn’t flicker as hot when you worry about work, your kids, your spouse, car payments, coaching youth basketball, parents passing away or any other part of your “life” that really isn’t about Husker football.

Bleedhuskerred.com

Frost has brought it out of me though.  Last Saturday I took my boys down to watch practice and I could feel it in the air.  There is an excitement again in Memorial Stadium. You can’t describe it, but you know it when you get in there.  On Sunday, I was so pumped, I knew I couldn’t wait for this Saturday. Monday came and finding out that Tristan Gebbia was leaving the program dampened the excitement for a bit, but then I thought, you know what, Coach Frost is still here.  He knows what this program is about.

The next thing you know, it’s Thursday and I don’t want to wait any longer!  It’s time for Husker football, it’s time to watch all that hard work that the coaching staff and the players have put into football, not just for themselves but for us.  Coach Frost understands that. For the first time in a long time, I understand it too. It’s about all of us. It’s about you, me, the players, the coaches, the administration, the state of Nebraska.  I don’t know about you, but I’m as excited as I was 20 years ago. It’s funny, Tom Osborne said he has that same feeling. Who knew!

On with the Rewind:

Adrian Martinez…As my good friend said, my prediction that Martinez was going to be the starter wasn’t really going out on a limb, it was either him or the other guy, I had a 50/50 shot to be right so I shouldn’t pat myself on the back.  Fair enough. What I do know is that a lot is riding on that young man to play well this year. I was surprised a little with Gebbia leaving, but I know how hard it is to be in college and not get what you want out of a sport you love.  I wouldn’t put myself in his category, but I transferred in college too for reasons that involved sports. Sometimes you need to look out for number one. I wish Gebbia had stayed, but it’s Martinez’s team now. I have a lot of faith in the young man, I wish him a long, healthy career at Nebraska.  

Defense…Looking back at last season’s team, the term Blackshirts really doesn’t fit anymore.  I think that defensive coordination Erik Chinander feels that way too. He wants the defense to earn that title back.  I think they will look much better this year. They are deep on the defensive line and they have enough linebackers that have experience that they should improve.  It won’t take much to do that from 2017, but we sure could use a 2009 like resurgence. Is that possible with this group? Only time will tell, but I’d like to at least get to the middle of the pack in the Big Ten this year.

Offensive Line…This is going to drive the bus for the Huskers this season.  If Greg Austin can get these cats on the same page, the offense has plenty of weapons to make teams suffer when Nebraska has the ball.  There isn’t a lot of developed depth on this line, but the interior of Jerald Foster, Cole Conrad and Tanner Farmer have a lot of starts on their resume.  If they are competent in the least, Martinez may not have to worry so much about what he can do when pressured. That would help a lot with the true freshman’s growth this season.

Scott Frost’s Playcalling…More than anything else, I’m excited for this.  We have had some decent offense since Coach Osborne roamed the sidelines, but Coach Frost seems to have a gift when it comes to getting the most out of an offense.  In today’s college football, that is the name of the game. Will his prowess on the headset be enough to bring the Huskers back to bowling this year? I think so, I’m very anxious to see it on Nebraska’s home turf instead of Oregon or Central Florida

Season’s Prediction…Like a lot of people, I’m going to hold my 10-2 guess in my back pocket and look to pull that out in 2019.  I’ll be the first to admit that I think Nebraska’s schedule is overrated, I don’t think it’s as difficult as some make it out to be.  Coach Riley has been competitive with most of the teams in the West division at one time or another in the last 3 years. If he can do it, I’m almost assuredly positive that Scott Frost can.  All of that in mind, I think that first year head coaches have a lot of things to climb over, and I’m guessing this team will end up around 7-5. It’s not that I don’t think they will be good, they may be, but there is so much unknown.  My goal for this team is to improve as the season goes on, don’t get blown out by more than four touchdowns in any game and give us a glimpse of an offense that will be top rate by next season. If the Huskers do that, I think we can all call this season a success. 8 wins would be gravy, any more than that, look out!

Score Prediction:     Nebraska 37 – Akron 14

Akron has some playmakers.  Their quarterback is super athletic and will look to make plays with his feet as much as his arm.  I would bet though, Akron won’t have seen a stadium quite like this one. It’s Scott Frost’s opening game, it’s going to be super amped.  I expect it to be a mad house and I expect Nebraska to come away clean. I’ll say 37-14, but If it’s a wider margin than that, Martinez will have had a great game and the team will be further ahead than I thought.  I hope that’s the case and my score is WAY off. Let’s get this thing started already! GBR!!!

End of Summer Means the First Frost of Fall

Looky there! Football Season is Almost Here!

That was quick.  I was just at the spring game when the Scott Frost hype was hitting its apex, new offense, new quarterbacks, new everything.  Spring couldn’t have come at a better time. Husker football needed a rebirth and it got one. It seems like it was a lifetime ago when Mike Riley was fired and the search for a replacement was on.  Be honest with yourself, was there really any choice other than Scott Frost? It’s a match made in Husker Heaven, the proverbial chosen one coming home to right the wrongs of the last 17 years. Scott Frost was around when things worked at Nebraska and he says that he is going to work to deliver that back to the Husker Faithful.

It is easy to get caught up in all the hoopla.  After all, Coach Frost just took on all comers at Central Florida, finishing undefeated and then brought the entire staff with him to Nebraska to do in Lincoln what he just did in Orlando.  We all know it is a different bird at Nebraska that it is at UCF, but we also know that Nebraska isn’t that far off the competitive map. In fact, just two seasons ago, Nebraska went to Madison, Wisconsin and had a shot to take down the Badgers and put Nebraska in the Big Ten title game.  Since that night in Madison Husker football has looked forlorn and beaten down. I won’t rehash the details of the last season and a half, it’s too painful to think about let alone type.

All of that brings us to the start of fall camp, hopefully the first of many that Nebraska will have with Coach Frost at the helm.  It’s all roses and butterflies right now, even with a quarterback battle already going on in camp. Adrian Martinez versus Tristan Gebbia is probably the most influential thing going on at Memorial Stadium right now and it could determine whether Nebraska gets back to a bowl game or ends up barely eclipsing last season’s sorry 4 and 8 record.  Now that’s not to say that Andrew Bunch isn’t going to get in on the action, he may very well push those two, but I think any sane person knows it is a two person race at this point. That race could be a catalyst for seasons to come, depending on how it shakes out.

On one hand, Martinez seems like the perfect fit to fly Coach Frost’s vaunted spread attack.  Martinez looked like a future star in the spring game, tossing touchdown passes and running around like a jack rabbit.  Gebbia had some smaller successes in the spring game, but remember the prior spring, he was the “Martinez” of the spring game and he too looked like he was going to have a long successful career at Nebraska.  Gebbia may not be the prototypical quarterback based on previous offenses that Coach Frost had a hand in at UCF and at Oregon, but he may bring some other things to the table, like the fast blinking that quarterback coach Mario Verduzco wants to see in his quarterbacks.  Gebbia is no stiff, he ran a spread offense in high school and ran the ball in that offense. That clearly isn’t the Big Ten, but no kid is playing against those types of players in High School.

Martinez on the other hand, looks more like the Marcus Mariota type player that Oregon had so much success with when Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich were head coaches and Scott Frost was an assistant.  Frost had a lot of input with those high-power offenses and Mariota’s ability to scramble for first downs and make accurate reads, along with not turning the ball over made for some pretty flashy statistics in Eugene.  Adrian Martinez has a lot of similarities to the now Tennessee Titan quarterback. I’m sure it was no coincidence that Frost wanted a player like Mariota to run his offense at Nebraska. What we don’t know, is if Frost will want a true freshman to take on the Big Ten?  Is it better to take your lumps with a kid that isn’t quite ready, versus Gebbia who may provide more upside this season, but probably will be limited in his ceiling over the next three seasons compared to Martinez? It will be a fascinating subplot to the entire season.

Personally, I think both will get snaps through the season.  Some of that will be by design, I expect whoever wins the job to start the first game, but if Nebraska can get some distance between themselves and Akron, I expect you will see the backup get some playing time.  They may even trade out series the first few games if there isn’t any separation during camp. The other reason I expect them both to play is the Big Ten season is long and a lot of teams like to take their shots at running quarterbacks in this league.  As Tommy Armstrong and Taylor Martinez before him proved out, it’s a hard league to start every game in. It would be a minor upset for either of this year’s quarterbacks to play the whole season going unscathed.

That’s just one part of camp.  We have other things that will hardly be answered prior to the Colorado Buffs coming to Lincoln the second game of the year.  What will the offensive line look like? They have underperformed horribly the last 16 games. Tanner Lee was running for his life most of last season.  How will the running backs do in this offense? Mikale Wilbon and Devine Ozigbo were not recruited to this type of system. Will they compete with Greg Bell and Tre Bryant for carries?  And what about frosh sensation Marcus Washington? Will he be up to date enough on the play book to get 8 to 10 carries a game?

Defensively, we know the Huskers will have to play better this year, simply because they can’t be any worse.  The worst defense statistically, maybe ever in Lincoln, it will be interesting to see how well they bounce back in 2018.  There was a lot of pride taken from the Blackshirts last season. Can they earn that back? Can anyone coach defensive backs more than a season around here?  I think they are rolling with the 7th defensive backs coach in six seasons.  How is that even possible? That group is in need of a lot of maintenance and do we really know if the Huskers have the players needed to even compete in the Big Ten?  I think we all know we have a long way to go to find out.

So many questions to be answered, luckily we have three more weeks of practices to help the players and coaches figure it all out.  We will take a look at some of the depth chart in the future weeks and try to figure out what little we can as we head into the season.  The best part…Husker football is here again and no matter what the season turns out like, it’s still great to be talking about it again!

ON WITH THE REWIND…

The spring game provided us with some glimpses of what is to come for the Huskers, especially on offense.  The tight end position stuck out, with players like Kurt Rafdal, Jack Stoll and Austin Allen looking the part.  Also, it looks like players will be running down the field wide open. Nebraska will need a quarterback that can see the field and deliver the ball to open receivers.  Nebraska has the pieces, hopefully that will translate into success this fall.

Quick Notes:

Offensive Line…  It sounds like the first team of OL is pretty much set at this point, with Brenden Jaimes, Tanner Farmer, Cole Conrad, Jerald Foster and Matt Farniok manning the trenches.  The cool part about this group and what gives me a lot of hope for the future is that former Husker and new offensive line coach Greg Austin has already stated that he plans on playing some backups in games to get them battle tested, as opposed to what we have seen the last decade where starters pretty much played the entire game, really no matter what the circumstances.  The Huskers only changed up rotations when there was an injury. It’s hard to know who will do what if you can’t get the players that are nipping on the starters heals into a game. There also isn’t much reward for competing in practice if you don’t have a chance to see any snaps. I also like it because it builds depth, not only for the current season, but the next few seasons as well.  I know it was a hot topic on message boards the last couple of seasons and different people have different views, but I’m with Coach Austin on this one.

Wide Receivers may be Key.  It hasn’t been this way often in my lifetime, in fact up until last season you could argue it has never happened when the wide receivers at Nebraska were the best position group on the team.  They were clearly the best on last year’s team and they should be right at the top again this fall. Stanley Morgan is back working on All-Conference status this year. JD Spielman and Tyjon Lindsey also are back and should give the Huskers plenty of speed and elusiveness.  Throw in a couple of Junior College speedsters, Mike Williams and Jaron Woodyard, along with Jaevon McQuitty coming back from an injury his freshman year, this group has a lot of ability. This should allow the Huskers to keep themselves in big games against quality opponents.  Nebraska may have to pass more this year than they would like, but if you must, this group should be as good as any to make that work.

Players I would like to see more of.  After the spring game and being around the team a small amount this summer there are a couple of off the radar players I’m interested to see this season.  The first player is John Raridon the offensive guard. Raridon may not be the biggest guy on the team, but he played in the spring game with his pants on fire.  I loved that, and I look for Raridon to be a guy that produces next season. It would be nice if he could play some this year to give us a glimpse.

Next is Daishon Neal.  Neal was a big get for the Huskers a few years ago, coming out of Omaha, Neal had offers from Oregon and Michigan and it looked like the Huskers were going to miss out.  The last couple of seasons though Neal has struggled to improve or see the field. This summer he was one player that I didn’t recognize when I saw him. Daishon was already a big fella, but now he has really gained weight and he looks like an NFL type body right now.  I hope that finally translates on to the field.

And last is Breon Dixon, the transfer from Ole Miss.  Dixon has athleticism to burn, but he is small for an outside linebacker.  Frost used a similar player at UCF in Shaquem Griffin to wreak all kinds of havoc.  It will be interesting to see if Dixon can fill that role for the Huskers. Tyrin Ferguson may also fit that bill for the Huskers.  I’m anxious to see if the outside linebackers can make plays this year that they haven’t made much of the last two seasons.

Score Prediction: Adrian Martinez

I don’t have any insider information and this is just a guess, but I think Adrian Martinez will start the first game for Nebraska.  Frost knows what he wants in a quarterback and Martinez was the first person he went after to play at Nebraska. I know that Gebbia is a competitor and I know that he will probably make the decision very hard for the coaches, but I have a feeling Martinez’s ability to run the football and make plays with his feet will outweigh his inaccuracy as a passer.  Frost went with a true freshman his first season at UCF and took the growing pains along with it when he had McKenzie Milton at quarterback. I think he duplicates that at Nebraska, but this time I don’t know that he will wait, I think he does it the first game. Until next time, GBR!