Buffalo: What Did We Learn?

[All Hail Herbie]

Keeping this just in case.

Please do. Since I do not watch the games live any longer, you are welcome to tell me how wrong I was on Monday.  Honestly, I would love to eat crow for a change when it comes to my predictions of this team.

Unfortunately, poor fundamentals and lack of discipline are not principles you install during a game week, but rather in the offseason.  

 

[Minnesota_husker]

Manning was injured so didn’t play. 

Ahhh.. Good to know, I didnt even look to see why he didnt play. 

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Nebraska running backs only have 6 receptions in three games.

Of course I like getting the WRs in the mix, but those are really low numbers for any offense these days.

If you want one of these RBs to break out, get them a ball on the flat or past the line of scrimmage and see how they operate. While I never loved the bubble screens and flares, they are designed to open vertical running and passing lanes as the game goes on. 

 

[Nebfanatic]

To summarize, the team has not changed much in the past 3+ years.  Saturday will be a highlight bonanza for Spencer Rattler and the OU offense.  The NU offense will remain anemic at times and the special teams will be good for 1 or 2 mistakes.  

Im actually excited to see how our defense performs when matched up with a good offense. I think they are more up for the challenge than you are giving them credit for. Don't think our offense will do enough though

 

[Toe]

Yeah but they didn’t play Syracuse in a non-conference game in 2020 so how do we know how good they really were

Buffalo is obviously a great team and they had the stats/talent to prove it

Yep, Buffalo now has the stats to show that they couldn't score as many points against us as a mid-tier FCS team. I bet they'll be playing in a New Year's Six Bowl this year!

Seriously, are you people so desperate to find something positive that you have to hype up a win against Buffalo? I'm not nearly as doom and gloom about this season as some here are, but this is ridiculous.

 

[Enhance]

That's a pretty good assessment from my perspective.  Watching the game on Saturday, I was thinking about, "what is wrong with this line?"  My conclusion was that they don't seem to have a nasty attitude of going out and kicking the a$$ of the guys on the other side.  They play timid.  That has to have something to do with confidence.  Not sure how you get that now.  I would hope that that would have been built in these first three games.  But, we don't have the ability to line up and run the ball down the field.  And, it doesn't seem like they are stopping our run with safety help, so, I'm not sure stretching the field with the passing game is going to help.

One other thing I thought about was, we don't seem to run the RBs outside the tackles very often.  It seems like all of our hand offs are up the middle.  Also, I don't remember ever running any type of screen play this year.

Maybe we will see those this week against OU?   :dunno   Both of those types of plays, I would think, would help open up run plays up the middle.  Screen plays would also help slow down the pass rush.

I agree - it's that kind of timid, lack of confidence element that's tough to define but seems evident. I don't think that, to a man, Nebraska's o-line has been in any way outmatched in the first three games... at least in terms of strength and size. So getting beat as often as they do (particularly on the inside) has to come down to some combination of confidence, attitude and technique/job.

And yeah, it does seem like they run a lot between the tackles and don't get as many yards out of it as they'd like. And it does seem like they've been less interested in doing perimeter passes or screen plays this season to try and help open up the run game, something that I felt like Frost tried to do quite a bit in his early years. At this point, I can only assume that it's a) intentional or b) they have been doing them and I'm just blind (which is very possible).

I feel like their short perimeter passing game hasn't been particularly good under Frost, though, particularly to Adrian's right. I think I saw some stat the other day that short range passes to Martinez' right are by far and away the weakest element of his passing game.

 

[seaofred92]

Yep, Buffalo now has the stats to show that they couldn't score as many points against us as a mid-tier FCS team. I bet they'll be playing in a New Year's Six Bowl this year!

I never said they’ll be in a NY6 bowl game. I said they had the stats to show they’ve been a good team. It’s been supported by numerous advanced analytic measures and they’ve had multiple players drafted into the NFL. 

The fact that they didn’t play a P5 team last year doesn’t discredit that they had a talented football team. “P5” is a legislative term- not a competitive one. You’re saying you’d be more impressed by them if they beat Kansas or Duke or Syracuse or Baylor or Oregon State or someone like that? Why does that matter in the slightest? When you get to teams ~30-90 in CFB anyone can be beat on pretty much any given weekend. Which is why we constantly see results like Pitt winning over Clemson or Navy beating a top 6 Houston team or Florida State almost beating Notre Dame and then losing to Jacksonville State. 

Buffalo is a good team and Nebraska should be extremely happy with our performance on Saturday. There’s no need to try and discredit it- it’s okay to be proud when the program does something well.

 

[Toe]

I never said they’ll be in a NY6 bowl game. I said they had the stats to show they’ve been a good team. It’s been supported by numerous advanced analytic measures and they’ve had multiple players drafted into the NFL. 

The fact that they didn’t play a P5 team last year doesn’t discredit that they had a talented football team. “P5” is a legislative term- not a competitive one. You’re saying you’d be more impressed by them if they beat Kansas or Duke or Syracuse or Baylor or Oregon State or someone like that? Why does that matter in the slightest? When you get to teams ~30-90 in CFB anyone can be beat on pretty much any given weekend. Which is why we constantly see results like Pitt winning over Clemson or Navy beating a top 6 Houston team or Florida State almost beating Notre Dame and then losing to Jacksonville State. 

Buffalo is a good team and Nebraska should be extremely happy with our performance on Saturday. There’s no need to try and discredit it- it’s okay to be proud when the program does something well.

*checks calendar*

OK, sorry, had to double check that it is, in fact, 2021. Here's the complete list of teams Buffalo has beat, which incidentally is identical to their coach's list of career wins as HC:

• Wagner
  

Impressive resume, and I'm sure your "numerous advanced analytic measures" reflect that! Not real sure what those NFL draftees have to do with anything, though - are they on Buffalo's team this year? Or the head coach that produced them?

 

[Archy1221]

If you want one of these RBs to break out, get them a ball on the flat or past the line of scrimmage and see how they operate. While I never loved the bubble screens and flares, they are designed to open vertical running and passing lanes as the game goes on. 

While I agree with you, the problem is this throw is one of AM’s weakest throws he makes.  He has a hell of a time hitting the RB in stride which is essential in making the play work so the RB has a chance to make a move on the defender or out run the angle. 

 

[seaofred92]

*checks calendar*

OK, sorry, had to double check that it is, in fact, 2021. Here's the complete list of teams Buffalo has beat:

• Wagner
  

Impressive resume, and I'm sure those "numerous advanced analytic measures" reflect that!

This is yet another straw man post, but you’re digging your own grave so I’ll keep helping you dig deeper.

You’re the one who brought up last year’s schedule in the first place:

Buffalo also didn't play any P5 teams last year. It had been two full calendar years since their last game against a P5 team.

Buffalo finished 48 in SP+ in 2020. They finished 17th in F+. 

I don’t think they’re world beaters this year. I think they’re a good football team. Not great, not outstanding, not any other crazy adjective you want to come up with- they’re going to go to a bowl game and be good in their league. They’re rated 86th in SP+ through two weeks of play in 2021- one spot below Illinois who’s 85th. Two weeks ago we got blasted against Illinois, on Saturday we held Buffalo to 3 points and had one of the best defensive performances we’ve had against a FBS team in years. I’m not sure why you seem uninterested in celebrating the results of that or the growth it represents.

It’s okay to be happy when the team does something well. Believe me, I’m sure there will be plenty of reasons to be upset this weekend. Until then- enjoy a win and try to crack a smile.

 

[Toe]

@seaofred92 Hey, you know what, you can just take your pick, bud - include previous years or don't. I really don't give a s#!t one way or the other because either way, you're still trying to hype up a win against Buffalo.

 

[Enhance]

@seaofred92 Hey, you know what, you can just take your pick, bud - include previous years or don't. I really don't give a s#!t one way or the other because either way, you're still trying to hype up a win against Buffalo.

That is not at all what he's doing, so this is either an argument about superlatives or an argument just for the sake of having an argument.

I think his point is well stated. Sure, Buffalo is not a "great" team, but for where Nebraska is at right now, it's a win worth noting. The first couple of weeks of this season have seen plenty of non power five teams upsetting power five teams, and some of those P5 that lost were teams I thought were going to be better than Nebraska heading into this season. Nebraska is by no means clear of having to worry about getting upset by a program like that.

I think your point is well stated, too, but you're making a caricature of what he's saying... even after he clarified it in a fairly moderate kind of way.

 

[Mavric]

[No message]

 

[ZRod]

We'll see how he does when the competition steps up, but I feel like he's kinda flown under the radar for having that many TFLs. He shows up and balls out, but he doesn't blow you away. For me at least

 

[teachercd]

So I think he is horrible and was a wasted scholarship but he is way better than I ever thought.  I was wrong, again.