PasstheDamnBallGuy
New member
I just had to go check on that final score after reading your post. I turned that game off assuming it over way early. How did Minnesota lose that game?
Does NU have a chance in the B1G West?
- Thread starter Red Five
- Start date
deedsker
New member
Gophers packed it in early and Northwestern hit every pass they needed. They scored a touchdown pass with 2 seconds to spare to get it to OT.
teachercd
Active member
This is SOOO SPOT ON!
This horrible blueprint of recruiting and developing is such a waste of time when you are recruiting fringe P5 guys to begin with.
Recruiting NEEDS to be the #1 priority, period. A close second is recruiting the transfer portal.
BigRedBuster
Active member
Our defense (and more specifically, our rush defense) has passed every test they have been given so far this year. Yes, Colorado scored quite a few points, but our offense was pathetic with turnovers putting them in bad situations.
This game is the test to see really how good they are. Hopefully, this isn't a game where HH and the offense becomes a turnover machine again and they can at least sustain a some drives.
I'm excited to see what our defense can do in this game. I'm not going to be shocked or upset if Michigan puts up a bunch of points because that's what everyone expects. But....maybe they are as good as their stats show. If so....that will be fun to watch and be a good indication as to how the rest of the year could go.
teachercd
Active member
Simple answer? They suck.
The talent gap between the worst team in the west and the "best" team in the west is so thin that it ultimately doesn't matter.
Right now, NU is still starting two (former) walk-on LBers. In a P5 conference at a school with all the support and resources in the world.
Minny had to get a transfer from a MAC school to play RB for them and over the last 5 years have recruited 1 QB.
Wisky took a 5 star QB and turned him into a lame QB and then took a QB from SMU that passed for like 4000 yards last year but will be lucky to pass fr 2500 yards this year because they have no idea what they want to do on offense now.
ColoradoHusk
Donor
Reimer and Bullock are great personal stories for working hard and persevering and developing into “starting LB’s” at NU. But, you are right, NU needs better talent identification and development from recruiting. Losing Haussmann hurts, because he was a super athlete who also could make plays on the field. Of course, he’s seeing the field for a top 5 team in the country. You know Michigan coaches were in his ear after the game last November.
teachercd
Active member
"Hey...hey...you...a guy from our school is going to be sliding into your DM's in about 3 weeks, shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone"
Hooked on Huskers
New member
Very good chance thru Sept. 30, 1st place in East, not Blue nor Bucks and Lions but TERPS !
Huskers in the West division .... 6th out of 7. Last place, Boilers.
I know, WAY too early ......
https://schersdd.tripod.com/sig2023_Copy_2.html
Huskers in the West division .... 6th out of 7. Last place, Boilers.
I know, WAY too early ......
https://schersdd.tripod.com/sig2023_Copy_2.html
Last edited by a moderator:
Enhance
Administrator
Good post. That's the one thing that I think at times has gotten lost in translation or even romanticized about the walk-on program around here.
It's great to see a walk-on persevere in a strong system surrounded by talent and emerge as a key contributor. But, I think it's another thing entirely when walk-ons earn starting roles out of necessity due to a lack of talent acquisition and development.
Husker in WI
New member
There are even a few walk-ons who just blow past what we thought their ceiling was, like Spencer Long. And I think Reimer (when healthy) is closer to that than just a decent role player who can be successful surrounded by talent. But I have not seen a whole lot from Bullock, that does feel like a scenario where he would be fine as a rotational piece but is overmatched as a starting Big Ten LB. And more walk-ons fit in that bucket than the one where they truly turned into above average players.
BigRedBuster
Active member
There is such a big range of situations here that I fail to see how someone can generalize. We have had walkons that have started because the scholarship players at that position didn't work out and they have been OK to average. We have also had walkons that have started where people THINK they are in the previous group and they turn out to be great players and actually go off and have good NFL careers.
Obviously, we would love to have 4-5 star players at every position meeting all the expectations there are with those types of recruits. Fact is, that's not where we are at. I just cringe though when I see people make comments like...."well, we have a walkon starting so that obviously sucks". Not all walkons are great and not all walkons suck.
ECisGod
Active member
I don't follow recruiting that closely, but based on final rankings, NU has had to have plenty of 4-star recruits and a few 5-stars. The problem is they have either been overrated out of HS, or haven't been developed by previous staffs.
There seems to be a lot of 4/5-star players that dominate in HS because they are superior athletes, but don't put in the work to improve when they get to college and everyone is athletically equal (or better). Even Lebron James and Usain Bolt had to work their a$$es off when they got to the world stage. I know neither of them went to college, but it's the same principle. It's not always about talent, there has to be a drive to improve too. Lamar Jackson when he was at Louisville had a huge arm and great running ability as a freshman, but didn't complete 55% of his passes and only had a 12/8 TD/Int rate. He worked his tail off in the offseason and won the Heisman as a sophomore. His completion percentage didn't increase by a huge amount (56.2%), but his TD/Int rate went to 30/9.
I'm not saying NU has a Lebron/Usain/Lamar kind of player on their roster, but the players they do have need to have the internal drive to improve. It can't always be on the coaches and they can't only rely on their natural talent.
BigRedBuster
Active member
That is where the culture in the program becomes important. We have recruited enough 4 star players to be better than we have been. But...it takes a program to still develop them, the right attitude from the player to be coachable and a team that holds everyone accountable.
I know of a player that was on the team (lineman) when Solich was fired. When BC came in, he recruited some top stud player. He shows up in the summer to lift and the team started holding him accountable because he wasn't putting in max effort and skipping workouts. The coaching staff got all over the other players trying to hold him accountable and told them to lay off.
That was the first time this particular player that I know knew the program was going in the tank.
We have got to get back to every player at every position working their asses off for coaches that know how to develop players and holding each other accountable.
Red Five
New member
After Week 4 (still some preseason priors built into the models that will get phased out over the next couple weeks)
Nebraska #59 in SP+ / #65 in FPI
Minnesota #54 / #50
Colorado #79 / #68
N. Illinois #121 / #111
Louisiana Tech #111 / #114
Michigan #1 / #12
Illinois #52 / #54
Northwestern #93 / #72
Purdue #77 / #67
Michigan St #63 / #59
Maryland #33 / #30
Wisconsin #27 / #27
Iowa #39 / #38
I wouldn't be surprised if we are sitting at 4-2 in conference (with a bowl bid wrapped up) and controlling our own destiny in the West going into the Maryland game.
Conversely, I also wouldn't be surprised if we are 2-4 in conference going into the Maryland game.
Nebraska #59 in SP+ / #65 in FPI
Minnesota #54 / #50
Colorado #79 / #68
N. Illinois #121 / #111
Louisiana Tech #111 / #114
Michigan #1 / #12
Illinois #52 / #54
Northwestern #93 / #72
Purdue #77 / #67
Michigan St #63 / #59
Maryland #33 / #30
Wisconsin #27 / #27
Iowa #39 / #38
I wouldn't be surprised if we are sitting at 4-2 in conference (with a bowl bid wrapped up) and controlling our own destiny in the West going into the Maryland game.
Conversely, I also wouldn't be surprised if we are 2-4 in conference going into the Maryland game.