What Did You Expect?

BIG ERN

BIG ERN

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I will admit I didn't think our defense would be this bad through 2 games, but I definitely saw obvious signs that we would struggle in 2017. There was a compiling list of red flags and caution tape during spring ball. The fact that people had us going 10-2 was pretty dumb to say the least. 

  1. Lost a 4 year starter at QB. Wasn't the best QB, but a lot of experience gone. 
  2. Lost our leading rusher
  3. Lost our top 4/6 receivers 
  4. Starting a tight end who has no game experience and zero catches 
  5. New defensive coordinator and the switch to a 3-4 defense without having the personnel to do so 
  6. Lost our top 2 tackle and sack leaders. Kieron Williams who had 5 INTs doesn't see the field 
  7. Lost our best corner to an injury. Starting two players with their first starts of career. Moved Kalu to safety 
  8. Crossover conference games of Penn St and Ohio St
  9. Only have a few starters on our whole roster who have enough talent to get drafted into the NFL. Only 1 last year 
  10. Mike Riley has zero conference championships. Nebraska hasn't won one since 99' 



 
Yeah, I thought the defense might be a bit of a work in progress. Then Jones went out and I knew we'd see a lot more vanilla than we'd like, at least until Diaco felt he could trust our corners.

I've been disappointed with most of the defense so far. The scheme has been questionable and downright bad at times. I actually like the DLine so far, and I've been impressed with the middle of the defense. But we have no edge rush and virtually no rush at all. So frustrating. I'm resorting to being hopeful that the defense is better suited against Wisconsin and Iowa, which it totally might be. But I'm more worried about Purdue and Penn State now.

The offense has been great and what I expected at times. And then it's been tough to watch at times. The OLine has flashed a little, but then they've also been eaten alive too. Same with the playcalling. Just downright inconsistent.

I thought 9 or 10 was possible, and I guess it still is, but I would be floored if we reach that.

 
Well sure, now that you put it this way...... :P

I still see 9-3 as the bottom, but then I don't care. I'm kind of excited to see nothing but scoring fests the rest of the way. They'll be fun to watch with no expectation of having to beat certain teams by any specific margin. I'll be happy with any win and there is nothing I can do about losses, so I'm good. I am now actually looking forward to the tOSU game. I wasn't before Oregon.

Edit- I should say I wasn't until I watched tOSU-Oklahoma. I've watched both Ohio State games this year and I'm not impressed. At. All.

 
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I expected better, but now I'm hoping for the best. It hasn't been the most promising of displays to say the least, early on. 

 
El Diaco said:
Well sure, now that you put it this way...... :P

I still see 9-3 as the bottom, but then I don't care. I'm kind of excited to see nothing but scoring fests the rest of the way. They'll be fun to watch with no expectation of having to beat certain teams by any specific margin. I'll be happy with any win and there is nothing I can do about losses, so I'm good. I am now actually looking forward to the tOSU game. I wasn't before Oregon.
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I thought 8-4 with losses to Oregon, Ohio St, Penn St and one somewhere else such as WI, IA or NW. I didn't think we would go 5-7 by any means, but thought there were way too many high expectations heading into this season. I'm not even saying it should be the expectation, but this is where our program is at currently. 

 
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knapplc said:
If you expected Nebraska to beat Oregon and still go 6-6, you've got them losing to teams that aren't nearly as good as the Ducks. That's a pretty strange prediction.
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I don't see how it's strange. Happens every year. Winning is not about whose better, it just means you scored more points than the other team.

 
This is what I keep saying: What currently matters most for each season at this point in order to take those "next steps" is to beat Wisconsin and Iowa in the same season.

What I saw on Saturday was a team that pretty much stuffed Royce Freeman when he ran the ball. That's what we need. I'm waiting for us to play the run-heavy teams on our schedule that determine whether or not we play for the conference title.

I didn't expect to compete with Ohio State this season. I didn't expect that. So, I'm not worried about that.

What I'm concentrated on is October 7 against Wisconsin here in town. That's the game that matters. I'm waiting until that very game to say whether or not the Diaco Experiment was a bad idea. If he's coaching a defense that stops the run, I'll take it. Seriously.

On offense, Lee needs to settle in, and our young WRs need to run their routes and get open. I'm not panicking for either side of the ball yet *at all.*

 
brophog said:
I don't see how it's strange. Happens every year. Winning is not about whose better, it just means you scored more points than the other team.
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To lose six more games, Nebraska is going to have to lose to two of these teams: Rutgers, Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern, Minnesota.  Yes, it's possible that we lose two of those games, but to have predicted two of those as losses, while still predicting an Oregon win, would be exceedingly strange.

Oregon is better than all of those teams. But he's claiming he thought we'd beat them, in Autzen, while still losing to two of these teams.  Rutgers & Northwestern are in Lincoln, so those two are highly unlikely. Where are the losses?  Where's the logic in that alleged prediction?

 
I agree^^ 

Though I do feel like one of the characteristics of a Riley team is that they can beat anyone, but also lose to anyone. I'd like to see things come together to the point where they can put the stomping on inferior B1G opponents. That largely hasn't been the case and so yeah, any one of those teams can be a scary proposition. I would love to see -- but don't have reason to expect yet -- such games to be decided by much more than 10-14 points. At the same time we're pretty capable of hanging with a top team. Sort of like how the 2015 season turned out. Beat Michigan State, somehow lost to Illinois on a bad bounce.

 
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