2020 Blackshirts

I’ve given up caring what, how or if Blackshirts are awarded. I didn’t like the way Pelini did it, kept changing it and moving the goalposts, almost using them as a weapon to penalize players. For the longest time I felt the historic and right way was to award them to the starters before the first game and then leave them up for grabs to be retained and earned week to week. But I’ve finally come to the realization, it only matters when the defense actually performs like Blackshirts. So now that is all that interests me, the defense doing their job and dominating. It’s been so long since we’ve had blackshirtesque defense week in and week out, I just don’t care. I just want to see them get the job done. Coach can do or say anything he wants about the Blackshirts, it don’t matter. What happens next Saturday is all that matters.

 
I think Frost should just do a complete reset.  Nobody gets them until the defense is a top 10 defense (obviously wouldn't happen this year).  Actually play like the blackshirts of old.  That way it would actually mean something.  Who cares about a black jersey when your defense has more holes in it than a spaghetti strainer.

 
MyBloodIsRed16 said:
I think Frost should just do a complete reset.  Nobody gets them until the defense is a top 10 defense (obviously wouldn't happen this year).  Actually play like the blackshirts of old.  That way it would actually mean something.  Who cares about a black jersey when your defense has more holes in it than a spaghetti strainer.
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Bo kind of did that, but then every time he handed them out because the defense had "arrived" or whatever, they would play like crap again. 

We've had this discussion so many times that I made a spreadsheet in 2013 about how Bo handled the Blackshirts. I'm missing two years from the Pelini Era and I'm not interested in going back and adding 2013 and 2014 to this, but the idea that they have to "earn" them on the field doesn't hold water. 

In 2008 Bo waited until after the 10th game of the season to hand out the Blackshirts. We were 6-4 in those games, giving up an average of 29 points. He gave them out after the Kansas game, where the defense gave up 35 points and 422 yards. The team went 3-0 after that, giving up an average 27 points per game.

In 2009 Bo gave them out after the sixth game, Texas Tech, when the defense allowed 259 yards but 31 points. The team was 4-2 and giving up an average of 12 points per game. They went 6-2 after that, and averaged 9 points per game. 

In 2010 Bo gave them out after the fourth game when the defense held South Dakota State to 3 points and 236 yards. The team was 4-0 and giving up an average of 13 points per game. After the Blackshirts were handed out, they went 6-4 and gave up an average of 19 points per game. 

In 2011 Bo waited until the eighth game of the season, after they held Michigan State to 3 points and 187 yards of offense. The team was 7-1. The very next game was Northwestern, and the defense gave up 28 points and 468 yards of offense in a loss. They finished 2-3 after the Blackshirts were handed out, and gave up an average of two points more per game.

2012 was similar. Bo waited until the eighth game, Michigan, whom they held to 9 points and 188 yards. They were 6-2 and gave up an average of 25 points per game. They finished 4-2 and gave up 31 points per game after the Blackshirts were handed out.

In Bo's first five years the team had a .750 winning percentage before he handed out the Blackshirts. After the Blackshirts were handed out, that winning percentage dropped to .656 and points per game went up an average of two points per game. 

This whole "earn it" thing is nonsense. The defense doesn't play better after they're handed out, and it has never meant that the defense has "arrived" at any kind of better stage of play. They seem to regress after the Blackshirts are handed out during the season.

 
knapplc said:
Bo kind of did that, but then every time he handed them out because the defense had "arrived" or whatever, they would play like crap again. 

We've had this discussion so many times that I made a spreadsheet in 2013 about how Bo handled the Blackshirts. I'm missing two years from the Pelini Era and I'm not interested in going back and adding 2013 and 2014 to this, but the idea that they have to "earn" them on the field doesn't hold water. 

In 2008 Bo waited until after the 10th game of the season to hand out the Blackshirts. We were 6-4 in those games, giving up an average of 29 points. He gave them out after the Kansas game, where the defense gave up 35 points and 422 yards. The team went 3-0 after that, giving up an average 27 points per game.

In 2009 Bo gave them out after the sixth game, Texas Tech, when the defense allowed 259 yards but 31 points. The team was 4-2 and giving up an average of 12 points per game. They went 6-2 after that, and averaged 9 points per game. 

In 2010 Bo gave them out after the fourth game when the defense held South Dakota State to 3 points and 236 yards. The team was 4-0 and giving up an average of 13 points per game. After the Blackshirts were handed out, they went 6-4 and gave up an average of 19 points per game. 

In 2011 Bo waited until the eighth game of the season, after they held Michigan State to 3 points and 187 yards of offense. The team was 7-1. The very next game was Northwestern, and the defense gave up 28 points and 468 yards of offense in a loss. They finished 2-3 after the Blackshirts were handed out, and gave up an average of two points more per game.

2012 was similar. Bo waited until the eighth game, Michigan, whom they held to 9 points and 188 yards. They were 6-2 and gave up an average of 25 points per game. They finished 4-2 and gave up 31 points per game after the Blackshirts were handed out.

In Bo's first five years the team had a .750 winning percentage before he handed out the Blackshirts. After the Blackshirts were handed out, that winning percentage dropped to .656 and points per game went up an average of two points per game. 

This whole "earn it" thing is nonsense. The defense doesn't play better after they're handed out, and it has never meant that the defense has "arrived" at any kind of better stage of play. They seem to regress after the Blackshirts are handed out during the season.
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They should earn it on the field individually on a weekly basis no matter that past tradition was.  Shouldn’t be a set number either because defense is so specialized.  Play good that week, earn a blackshirt for the next week.  Play like crap, get it taken away, practice good and play good the following week to earn it back.  

 
Archy1221 said:
They should earn it on the field individually on a weekly basis no matter that past tradition was.  Shouldn’t be a set number either because defense is so specialized.  Play good that week, earn a blackshirt for the next week.  Play like crap, get it taken away, practice good and play good the following week to earn it back.  
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That creates so much unnecessary distraction. 

 
knapplc said:
Bo kind of did that, but then every time he handed them out because the defense had "arrived" or whatever, they would play like crap again. 

We've had this discussion so many times that I made a spreadsheet in 2013 about how Bo handled the Blackshirts. I'm missing two years from the Pelini Era and I'm not interested in going back and adding 2013 and 2014 to this, but the idea that they have to "earn" them on the field doesn't hold water. 

In 2008 Bo waited until after the 10th game of the season to hand out the Blackshirts. We were 6-4 in those games, giving up an average of 29 points. He gave them out after the Kansas game, where the defense gave up 35 points and 422 yards. The team went 3-0 after that, giving up an average 27 points per game.

In 2009 Bo gave them out after the sixth game, Texas Tech, when the defense allowed 259 yards but 31 points. The team was 4-2 and giving up an average of 12 points per game. They went 6-2 after that, and averaged 9 points per game. 

In 2010 Bo gave them out after the fourth game when the defense held South Dakota State to 3 points and 236 yards. The team was 4-0 and giving up an average of 13 points per game. After the Blackshirts were handed out, they went 6-4 and gave up an average of 19 points per game. 

In 2011 Bo waited until the eighth game of the season, after they held Michigan State to 3 points and 187 yards of offense. The team was 7-1. The very next game was Northwestern, and the defense gave up 28 points and 468 yards of offense in a loss. They finished 2-3 after the Blackshirts were handed out, and gave up an average of two points more per game.

2012 was similar. Bo waited until the eighth game, Michigan, whom they held to 9 points and 188 yards. They were 6-2 and gave up an average of 25 points per game. They finished 4-2 and gave up 31 points per game after the Blackshirts were handed out.

In Bo's first five years the team had a .750 winning percentage before he handed out the Blackshirts. After the Blackshirts were handed out, that winning percentage dropped to .656 and points per game went up an average of two points per game. 

This whole "earn it" thing is nonsense. The defense doesn't play better after they're handed out, and it has never meant that the defense has "arrived" at any kind of better stage of play. They seem to regress after the Blackshirts are handed out during the season.
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I more meant like statistically a top 10 defense.  Not oh hey you guys had a great game against Rutgers here are some blackshirts.  That way they should be more consistent and shouldn't have to worry about a huge let down.  I do understand that it would mean there would be a few teams that would probably never get a blackshirt.  Its a cool tradition within the program but, when I here analyst or whatever on TV poke fun at it because Nebraska hasn't fielded a defense anyone was afraid of in the last decade or so, it has become a gimmick.  Are they even a top ten defense in the Big 10?  I think even if they said "hey if you guys are a top 3 defense in the conference you'll get blackshirts".  it gives them something concrete to shoot for.  

 
They are a practice jersey intended to be worn by the starting defense.  The fact a person is a starter is the award, not the jersey.  I would prefer to see them handed out at the start of the season to the guys slated to be starters.  Adjust accordingly throughout the season so the jersey is representative of the starters.  I don't care for the award mentality that has surrounded them.  

 
Hilltop said:
They are a practice jersey intended to be worn by the starting defense.  The fact a person is a starter is the award, not the jersey.  I would prefer to see them handed out at the start of the season to the guys slated to be starters.  Adjust accordingly throughout the season so the jersey is representative of the starters.  I don't care for the award mentality that has surrounded them.  
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well it has been perverted over the years because shortly after the first blackshirts were handed out Nebraska started fielding some pretty good defenses.  It probably meant more to be a starter on the defense from about 1966 -1998

 
knapplc said:
The players

The coaches

The fans
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Don’t see how the players would be distracted other than motivation to have a blackshirt for then week

coaches already grade every player in game film so it’s really no added work, given and taken in position meetings.  Plus blackshirts already exist so it’s nothing the coaches don’t already deal with 

fans—who cares if they are distracted. Might be harder for your spreadsheet though. 

 
Hand them out game week of the first game to the starters and one or two others that will be playing major snaps.  Cut the drama over it and then move on to concentrating on playing good defense throughout the year.  If someone gets one and then doesn't live up to expectations during the season....take it away.

 
Hilltop said:
They are a practice jersey intended to be worn by the starting defense.  The fact a person is a starter is the award, not the jersey.  I would prefer to see them handed out at the start of the season to the guys slated to be starters.  Adjust accordingly throughout the season so the jersey is representative of the starters.  I don't care for the award mentality that has surrounded them.  
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This x 100.

 
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