A random "what if?"

[NUance]

I seem to always forget how close we were to winning so many of our games. Each loss seems so devastating...

I do believe O'Hanlon's blown coverage was the dagger vs. VT.

8 turnovers vs. ISU.

:01 second vs. Texas.

Wow, that's insane when you actually look back and realize how flippin' close we were to that actual scenario even without Ganz.

Does the presence of Ganz make the team better? Perhaps. With as close as those games were, it doesn't seem out-of-this-world to think Ganz being more productive could put us over the hump for those 3 close games.

Jesus, turnovers... VT, ISU, TTech all had 0 turnovers. We had a combined 12 for those 3 games... Good flippin' lord. I know the turnover thread is going on, but it's hard not to make those associations now. Especially for that ISU game.

True enough. But we all know the close losses weren't the problem with Pelini teams. It was the blowout losses. And they got worse the longer he was at NU. 2010 was the only year under Pelini that we didn't suffer a blowout loss. (2009 had only one minor blowout: 21 point loss to Texas Tech). Then for the last four years of Pelini's tenure we could count on at least a couple of blowout losses. The kind of losses that make a fella pull his hair out. Very perplexing.

My own personal theory is that Pelini was incapable of making real-time game day adjustments. If the other team threw a curve ball at his defense he could not come up with an answer until he watched the films late Saturday night. Either that or the football Gods just didn't like Bo's pottie mouth. Maybe that was it.

 

[admo]

Does Zac Lee get hurt? And does Ganz automatically beat him out as starter? If Zac never suffers that secretive injury, he might have done a nice job after all.

Either way, we do finish 12-2. 11-3 at the very worst (Tech torched our defense).

No matter how many different scenarios I have played out in my head for the 2009 season, we never beat Tech in one of them. Just the sheer stupidity of the fumble recovery by Tech for 6. We just looked awful in that game.

ISU on the other hand, our defense held them to 9 points at home. Thats WITH 8 turnovers. Giving up 8 turnovers and holding a team to 9 points should be an automatic win but somehow....

I agree.

Funny thing, not just ISU...Texas got the extra second... We had a Hail Mary against NW... The Huskers final drive against Sparty was amazing, considering the 4th down play to keep it going - and then going for the win instead of FG tie. And yet, somehow that all happened AFTER we suddenly stopped MSU on their final effort to run out the clock with momentum and LeVeon Bell. Plus, if Braxton Miller does not roll an ankle there's no chance we beat OSU. But in comes Joe Bauserman and the Huskers heroics.

Not all that year of course.

Ahh, the Universe...

 

[Redux]

Its almost like we used up our allotment of good karma in the 90's. Okay Nebraska, youre a little too humble, time to take a back seat for a little while..

 

[VA Husker2]

What a crock of crap...if frogs had wings,

What if we lived in the present?

 

[Red Five]

My favorite CFB "what if" is:

What if Rich Rodriguez had not turned down Alabama to stay at West Virginia? (aka Nick Saban never goes to Alabama)

 

[Redux]

What a crock of crap...if frogs had wings,

What if we lived in the present?

Ok you're right. Lets discuss Nebraska's next football game. I really think we have a shot at beating BYU but I'm not sure since it's 6 months away and Riley has yet to coach a Spring Game.

 

[Redux]

My favorite CFB "what if" is:

What if Rich Rodriguez had not turned down Alabama to stay at West Virginia? (aka Nick Saban never goes to Alabama)

It would be awesome if he never ended up in Bammy but Rich Rod probably only lasts a couple seasons anyway. Satan, I mean Saban, finds a way there somehow.

 

[ADS]

The blown coverage in the VT game was Anthony West and not Matt O'Hanlon iirc

 

[GSG]

The blown coverage in the VT game was Anthony West and not Matt O'Hanlon iirc

It's O'Hanlon

He's the safety on that side and the receiver was almost 10 yards behind him. The fact that the guy didn't score on that play was amazing

 

[bale]

The blown coverage in the VT game was Anthony West and not Matt O'Hanlon iirc

It's O'Hanlon

No, that is West's guy. In Pelini's matchup zone (which is what they are clearly playing there) West has no reason to drop short. There's no receivers in that area or running a route to his area. He should drop back and let O'Hanlon flow to the middle (which is what he does). It's actually a miraculous recovery by O'Hanlon to even make the tackle.

 

[GSG]

The blown coverage in the VT game was Anthony West and not Matt O'Hanlon iirc

It's O'Hanlon

Why would O'Hanlon need to go to the middle. The linebackers are covering their guys and no one is remotely deep. Shouldn't he be helping over top on the receiver that's coming into his zone, and not the tight end that is only about 7 yards down field, in the very middle, covered by a linebacker? West shouldn't have stayed short, but there was no reason for O'Hanlon to jump on a 7 yard route that is already covered.

 

[bale]

The blown coverage in the VT game was Anthony West and not Matt O'Hanlon iirc

It's O'Hanlon

O'Hanlon did not jump on the 7 yard route (if he jumps it there's no way he recovers), he floated to the middle for general help (so that when #8 breaks his route to go deep, just before the QB throws, O'Hanlon was right there for help that was badly needed). If West bumps his man and stays with him, O'Hanlon is likely in the correct position to help over the top. I suppose it sounds like I'm totally letting O'Hanlon off the hook which I'm not. He should've read the scenario better and realized that once West played it wrong, he needed to correct it by floating back deeper and staying with the fly route. Bad play by him, too. But it doesn't solely lie on him and the bigger blame goes to West as far as I can see. There is no reason for West to play short. The defense was pretty much playing 10 on 11 because of that.

 

[bale]

Here's a great view. Start at the 1:22 mark. Look at West just let his man fly by him for what appears no apparent reason (maybe he was helping on the guy running the 7 yard curl but I don't see why..). Who did he think he was handing the receiver off to? The safety isn't going to play 1 on 1 coverage. He's there to help. I suppose this also incriminates O'Hanlon quite a bit too though, as it's hard to see how he couldn't notice West staying short and the receiver blowing by him on his left. So let's call it a draw and a bad play by both

 

[GSG]

Here's a great view. Start at the 1:22 mark. Look at West just let his man fly by him for what appears no apparent reason (maybe he was helping on the guy running the 7 yard curl but I don't see why..). Who did he think he was handing the receiver off to? The safety isn't going to play 1 on 1 coverage. He's there to help. I suppose this also incriminates O'Hanlon quite a bit too though, as it's hard to see how he couldn't notice West staying short and the receiver blowing by him on his left. So let's call it a draw and a bad play by both

Agreed

 

[Saunders]

I do believe O'Hanlon's blown coverage was the dagger vs. VT.

Matt didn't blow the coverage.