Coaches knew we were going to be bad...

[teachercd]

Wait. Do you honestly think that was bad luck? 

I thought yesterday was bad enough across the board that no one could blame the refs.

Should have known better. 

It was bad luck and that is not excusing the coaching staff or players but when they rule safety instead of down at the 1 foot line, it is bad luck because they can't overturn that from the review.  Had the ref said down at the 1 foot line, the review would have backed that up.  Should he be fielding the punt at that spot, no, of course not.

The fumble for a TD, again, AM should not fumble but it is bad luck that the ball pretty much just bounced to a guy that was not near anyone at all.

The roughing the passer call, that is a 50/50 call for the ref, the defender did nothing wrong but the ref either needs to make a call or not, he decided to make the call.

The taunting flag, well, again, you can call that after every single play if you want.

I am not blaming the refs, they made the calls they thought were right, those calls were bad luck for the Huskers.

 

[Florida Husker Watcher]

New poster here.  For the record, I watch the Huskers and wish the team well but I'm not a fan in the sense that you all are.  My primary allegiance is with another team. 

With that said, my objective observations:

(1) Adrian Martinez should not be starting.  That should have been apparent by 2019.  I think the fact that he remains as your starter is probably the result of: (i) Frost's loyalty to Martinez, maybe coming from his psychology as a former QB; and (ii) Frost's preference for an offensive strategy predicated on a dual-threat QB.

The trouble with attempting to build an offense strategy around a dual-threat QB is that in most years there are between 0 and 2 true dual-threat QBs in the entire nation.  And Martinez isn't one of them.  He's a running back who can throw a bit - and as running backs go, he's not all that fast.  Every team since 2019 just loads the box, sells out for the run, and dares Martinez to beat them through the air.

(2) Because Martinez can't throw, and because of the offensive philosophy - it is predicated around explosion fueled by a dual-threat QB - the Huskers are not playing complimentary football.  The time of possession?  25 minutes for the Huskers.  And that figure is inflated in reality because Illinois traded yards for time on that last TD possession.  Want yards and a TD?  Fine - we'll give it to you.  Just so long as you take 7 minutes doing it.  This is a shame because the defense looks like it could actually hold up their end of the "bargain."

(3) Instead of trying to predicate offensive explosiveness on a QB, you'd be better off to predicate it on getting 2 or more true #1 NFL-caliber receivers paired with a capable game-manager sort of QB.  The reason I say this is because you will be able to find those "parts" to build the machine - on aggregate, you recruit well.  But you are trying to build a particular species of machine that requires one part that is so rare that you are unlikely to locate it if you are not Ohio State/Alabama/Clemson.  Explosiveness can be constructed other ways.

(4) For my money, I'd first work on building a machine that possessed the ball, limited mistakes, and played great D.  Build that culture first.  Sure - that'll top out at 8-9 wins.  But understand that when you are doing that you are just building the platform to add explosiveness to.  When you add the explosiveness, you'll be back to competing at a national level.  You have the facilities and recruiting to accomplish this.

Big picture: A successful Nebraska would be good for the Big Ten.  Right now, Nebraska is perceived as a failed experiment in compromise.  The Big Ten compromised academically in terms of letting Nebraska join - but it was supposed to get a football power to add to the West.  Instead it got its only non-AAU member school and a losing football team.  If Nebraska were to succeed on the football field, the conference might consider permitting other non-AAU members to join.  Right now, that's a non-starter because the conference feels it didn't get what it bargained for.

 

[lo country]

You know, I held on to this same thought for a long time.  Cancelling the Akron game was the buzzkill of all-time.  I thought it carried over to the CU game - resulting in a mistake filled game that NU would have won if they could have worked out the kinks in the opener against Akron.  

But think back to that CU game.  Why did NU lose?  Well, -3 in turnovers was crucial.  But the biggest play of the game came with 1 minute to go.  CU had 3rd and 24 from their own 45 yard line.  They threw an incomplete pass....BUT, instead of facing 4th and 24 - NU was called for a personal foul, giving CU a first down in NU territory.  Next play was the game-winning TD.  

That script is the 'movie' that Frost referred to in his post-game yesterday.  NU continues to make catastrophic errors that turn wins into losses.  CU 2018 was the premiere...below are the sequels:

• Tory 2018 (turnovers and punt return for TD)
  
• Northwestern 2018 (Penalties that kept a 99! yard drive alive in 4q to tie the game and send to OT)
  
• Colorado 2019 (Dominated in 2nd half after leading 17-0; AM 4Q fumble deep in NU territory that gave CU their go-ahead TD)
  
• Indiana 2019 (Vedral fumble returned for 70 yards that set up IU go-ahead TD)
  
• Purdue 2019 (Walk-on back-up QB leads two long scoring drives in 4Q; NU has to settle for FG after a 1st and goal at the 2 after INT).  
  
• Northwestern 2020 (NW picked off 2 NU passes at the goal line; Warner dropped a TD Pass).
  
• Illinois 2020 (5 NU turnovers - including on the first play of the game)
  
• Minnesota 2020 (Complete cluster-f*** from the first play).
  
• Illinois 2021 (already detailed)
  

Those are the games I remember that NU simply gave away.  You could add in the 3 Iowa games - all close losses, that NU could have won if they played cleaner football (remember the fumbled punt last year?).  But If NU is a better coached team - they would have won those 10 games listed above.  Instead of being 12-21, Frost would be 22-11 at worst.  

And in year 4, Frost and Co have corrected none of this.......Nor developed players who won’t make those mistakes.   That’s the film.  His and the staffs inability to put a good product on the field......

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

New poster here.  For the record, I watch the Huskers and wish the team well but I'm not a fan in the sense that you all are.  My primary allegiance is with another team. 

With that said, my objective observations:

(1) Adrian Martinez should not be starting.  That should have been apparent by 2019.  I think the fact that he remains as your starter is probably the result of: (i) Frost's loyalty to Martinez, maybe coming from his psychology as a former QB; and (ii) Frost's preference for an offensive strategy predicated on a dual-threat QB.

Remember, Frost's loyalty to Adrian Martinez including benching a healthy Martinez last year because he thought Luke McCaffrey ran his style of offense quicker and better.

When it was clear Luke wan't better than Adrian, Frost had no choice and still doesn't. 

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

This makes me want to revisit the supposed "nothingburger" of Moos' unexpected departure. 

Somebody needs to lighten the mood in the athletic department. That can't be a fun place to work right now. 

 

[Hagg]

whoever those coaches are that said that.....should stop throwing the players they recruited and trained under the bus like that.    FWIW....i see these results as coaching issues more than a players issue because i believe these players are talented but sent out there without adequate coaching and thus making so many bonehead  mistakes because of it.

Yes, this ^^^   .. also to note that player development begins with the moment of recruiting, and progresses through every moment of training and practice, and boneheaded mistakes are largely washed out with that development.  If they are not you've either made a recruiting mistake or a LOT of coaching mistakes in practices and during the games.

I honestly do not believe in this staff.  I'm thinking that neither does the new A.D. to much of a full extent.

 

[Florida Husker Watcher]

Remember, Frost's loyalty to Adrian Martinez including benching a healthy Martinez last year because he thought Luke McCaffrey ran his style of offense quicker and better.

When it was clear Luke wan't better than Adrian, Frost had no choice and still doesn't. 

True. 

But: 

(1) Luke is another example of an attempt at acquiring a true dual-threat QB.  He is a running back who can throw a little bit.  Stop trying to generate explosiveness through the QB position!  It is a formula for losing because you cannot reliably locate a true dual-threat QB on anything remotely resembling a regular basis.

(2) If you tried to predicate explosiveness on acquiring 2+ true #1 NFL-caliber receivers, plus a game manager type of QB, you'd have an option to swap out Martinez for.  You guys could actually locate those pieces and build that machine.  Again, for my money, I'd start by building a machine that possessed the ball, eliminated mistakes, and played great defense.  Then I'd aim to add the explosiveness to the team using the WR position accompanied by a game-manager QB.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

True. 

But: 

(1) Luke is another example of an attempt at acquiring a true dual-threat QB.  He is a running back who can throw a little bit.  Stop trying to generate explosiveness through the QB position!  It is a formula for losing because you cannot reliably locate a true dual-threat QB on anything remotely resembling a regular basis.

(2) If you tried to predicate explosiveness on acquiring 2+ true #1 NFL-caliber receivers, plus a game manager type of QB, you'd have an option to swap out Martinez for.  You guys could actually locate those pieces and build that machine.  Again, for my money, I'd start by building a machine that possessed the ball, eliminated mistakes, and played great defense.  Then I'd aim to add the explosiveness to the team using the WR position accompanied by a game-manager QB.

I would take a competent game-manager QB in a heartbeat. 

 

[Scarlet]

New poster here.  For the record, I watch the Huskers and wish the team well but I'm not a fan in the sense that you all are.  My primary allegiance is with another team. 

With that said, my objective observations:

(1) Adrian Martinez should not be starting.  That should have been apparent by 2019.  I think the fact that he remains as your starter is probably the result of: (i) Frost's loyalty to Martinez, maybe coming from his psychology as a former QB; and (ii) Frost's preference for an offensive strategy predicated on a dual-threat QB.

The trouble with attempting to build an offense strategy around a dual-threat QB is that in most years there are between 0 and 2 true dual-threat QBs in the entire nation.  And Martinez isn't one of them.  He's a running back who can throw a bit - and as running backs go, he's not all that fast.  Every team since 2019 just loads the box, sells out for the run, and dares Martinez to beat them through the air.

(2) Because Martinez can't throw, and because of the offensive philosophy - it is predicated around explosion fueled by a dual-threat QB - the Huskers are not playing complimentary football.  The time of possession?  25 minutes for the Huskers.  And that figure is inflated in reality because Illinois traded yards for time on that last TD possession.  Want yards and a TD?  Fine - we'll give it to you.  Just so long as you take 7 minutes doing it.  This is a shame because the defense looks like it could actually hold up their end of the "bargain."

(3) Instead of trying to predicate offensive explosiveness on a QB, you'd be better off to predicate it on getting 2 or more true #1 NFL-caliber receivers paired with a capable game-manager sort of QB.  The reason I say this is because you will be able to find those "parts" to build the machine - on aggregate, you recruit well.  But you are trying to build a particular species of machine that requires one part that is so rare that you are unlikely to locate it if you are not Ohio State/Alabama/Clemson.  Explosiveness can be constructed other ways.

(4) For my money, I'd first work on building a machine that possessed the ball, limited mistakes, and played great D.  Build that culture first.  Sure - that'll top out at 8-9 wins.  But understand that when you are doing that you are just building the platform to add explosiveness to.  When you add the explosiveness, you'll be back to competing at a national level.  You have the facilities and recruiting to accomplish this.

Big picture: A successful Nebraska would be good for the Big Ten.  Right now, Nebraska is perceived as a failed experiment in compromise.  The Big Ten compromised academically in terms of letting Nebraska join - but it was supposed to get a football power to add to the West.  Instead it got its only non-AAU member school and a losing football team.  If Nebraska were to succeed on the football field, the conference might consider permitting other non-AAU members to join.  Right now, that's a non-starter because the conference feels it didn't get what it bargained for.

Thanks for the post. Couldn't agree more or said it better  Building an entire scheme around the mental and physical abilities of the QB to carry the team every series of every game is doomed to fail at the college level.  Even with a great QB there will come a game when he is off and then it's a loss.  If the QB is off nearly every game then you get what we've witnessed the past so many years.

 

[Lorewarn]

The bad luck is unreal

The safety was not a safety, his knee was down and the ball was not all the way in the end zone BUT the call on the field ruined that.

Doesn't need to be 'all the way' in the end zone for a safety, just needs to have the tip of the ball over the outside of the white line by .01 inches. 

 

[Archy1221]

Remember, Frost's loyalty to Adrian Martinez including benching a healthy Martinez last year because he thought Luke McCaffrey ran his style of offense quicker and better.

When it was clear Luke wan't better than Adrian, Frost had no choice and still doesn't. 

He does have a choice.  Play an awful AM and get 3 or 4 wins or play a young LS or true freshman and  get 3 or 4 wins while seeing what you have or don’t have. 

 

[lo country]

I would take a competent game-manager QB in a heartbeat. 

Said the same thing yesterday.  A guy who simply distributes the ball to the playmakers......Ball security ie fumbles, INT, throw away etc...We get brutalized by boring average QB's who simply play within their respective systems.  I have no idea WTH our system even is.   I gather the players and coaches do not either.....

 

[Florida Husker Watcher]

Said the same thing yesterday.  A guy who simply distributes the ball to the playmakers......Ball security ie fumbles, INT, throw away etc...We get brutalized by boring average QB's who simply play within their respective systems.  I have no idea WTH our system even is.   I gather the players and coaches do not either.....

Your "system" is attempting to find Milton McKenzie - in vain - every year.  That's your system.  And you need to cut it the hell out.  Because - even you should succeed one particular year - you'll go two decades trying to locate that rare piece again.  Stop.  It.  For the love of God, just stop.

If Frost can't be convinced to build a foundation that values controlling the ball, defense and discipline, then replace him with someone who will do those things.  Then use your reputation, state-wide support and facilities to acquire a competent game-manager QB and 2+ true #1 NFL-caliber receivers.  That's it.  That's your formula.  Do that, and you're competing with Ohio State and Wisconsin. 

 

[lo country]

Your "system" is attempting to find Milton McKenzie - in vain - every year.  That's your system.  And you need to cut it the hell out.  Because - even you should succeed one particular year - you'll go two decades trying to locate that rare piece again.  Stop.  It.  For the love of God, just stop.

If Frost can't be convinced to build a foundation that values controlling the ball, defense and discipline, then replace him with someone who will do those things.  Then use your reputation, state-wide support and facilities to acquire a competent game-manager QB and 2+ true #1 NFL-caliber receivers.  That's it.  That's your formula.  Do that, and you're competing with Ohio State and Wisconsin. 

I think you misunderstood my post.....I do not support this sh!t show scheme whatever the hell it is.  It sucks. Its regressed the past 3 years and looks worse this year.......I am assuming by "your" you mean Frost's/Nebraska's current scheme.

I am a run the damn ball guy.  I have wanted to embrace our roots for years.  Counters/traps and draws. PA passing.  Heavy sets. Modernize with a TE as a HB etc......

Again, I do not like this offense at all.

 

[teachercd]

Doesn't need to be 'all the way' in the end zone for a safety, just needs to have the tip of the ball over the outside of the white line by .01 inches. 

Right, that is what I was trying to say.