Worst loss of the Pelini Era

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If you watched the 2012 CCG vs. Wisconsin, then you would know you witnessed the worst beat down Nebraska and Bo Pelini has ever endured. What with our defenders being dragged into end zones, holes so wide your grandma could score, and players stiff armed into the stratosphere.

This loss, like many of Pelini's losses was a national embarrassment. That game was the worst of the worst.

 
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Man, reading these replies made me reflect on how bad worst loss “runner up” (in my mind) was - 2010 Texas. I remember the video that made the rounds in the off-season, calling for all fans to bring their energy... a “save the date” type video. So much hype. That was the year the curse was coming to an end. 

Like others said, just laid an absolute egg. I have rarely seen a more lifeless team. No energy whatsoever. No fight. 

Did Garrett Gilbert EVER looks as good against any other team in his career as he did against us? Yet another example of a frustrating watch of a Pelini defense without Suh. Good coverage, yet zero pressure on QB, zero containment of QB, and wide open swaths of turf for QB to run once he decides to run. 

Weve allowed way too many horrible QBs have career days against us in the last 15 long years. 

Brighter days ahead. 

 
TheSker said:
So you'd change scheme mid game to something your players aren't familiar with when discipline and assignments are important?
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I get what you're saying, but the game turned into nate gerry dragging down Gordon 30+ yards down field, over and over. Everyone watching the game knew who was getting the ball. 

Football can be a pretty complicated game sometimes, but in this case it wasn't. In fact, it was maddeningly simple: stop Melvin Gordon. And don't tell me Pelini didn't have defensive adjustments that don't include 2 safeties standing 15 yards from the LOS. A 5-2 eagle is not that hard to put together, heck, even the 4-3 over or under with the strong safety threatening to blitz every play is where Mcbride made his money. You can't go 2-gap, hat for hat with Wisconsin and their tree stump line, and it doesn't take a defensive wizard to know that. Randy Gregory was not built to go toe to toe with many tackles, much less one from Wisconsin. 

Why not plug and shoot the gaps, send blitzes from all angles, and single cover? Make them beat you with a mediocre qb and wr Corps? Bring corners and damn the torpedoes? Watching the game is tough, but when I did, it just felt like pelini just expected the kids to figure it out, and then yelled at guys like Daniel Davie when they couldn't bring down Gordon by themselves from a bad angle in the open field. 

 
Jeremy said:
I get what you're saying, but the game turned into nate gerry dragging down Gordon 30+ yards down field, over and over. Everyone watching the game knew who was getting the ball. 

Football can be a pretty complicated game sometimes, but in this case it wasn't. In fact, it was maddeningly simple: stop Melvin Gordon. And don't tell me Pelini didn't have defensive adjustments that don't include 2 safeties standing 15 yards from the LOS. A 5-2 eagle is not that hard to put together, heck, even the 4-3 over or under with the strong safety threatening to blitz every play is where Mcbride made his money. You can't go 2-gap, hat for hat with Wisconsin and their tree stump line, and it doesn't take a defensive wizard to know that. Randy Gregory was not built to go toe to toe with many tackles, much less one from Wisconsin. 

Why not plug and shoot the gaps, send blitzes from all angles, and single cover? Make them beat you with a mediocre qb and wr Corps? Bring corners and damn the torpedoes? Watching the game is tough, but when I did, it just felt like pelini just expected the kids to figure it out, and then yelled at guys like Daniel Davie when they couldn't bring down Gordon by themselves from a bad angle in the open field. 
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Well you just put all of Pelini's defensive flaws into a nutshell.  His defensive philosophy was built backwards.  He wanted to be sound at stopping the pass first and foremost.  He never wanted to commit another defender or 2 to stopping the run because it would weaken his pass defense.  He was stubborn.  He would always say we just didn't execute.  He was counting on his run fits to be perfect and they rarely are.  He knew how to play spread teams pretty well but power running teams were a mystery to him.  

I agree with everything you saying.  You got to try and slow them down.  

 
NUinID said:
Well you just put all of Pelini's defensive flaws into a nutshell.  His defensive philosophy was built backwards.  He wanted to be sound at stopping the pass first and foremost.  He never wanted to commit another defender or 2 to stopping the run because it would weaken his pass defense.  He was stubborn.  He would always say we just didn't execute.  He was counting on his run fits to be perfect and they rarely are.  He knew how to play spread teams pretty well but power running teams were a mystery to him.  

I agree with everything you saying.  You got to try and slow them down.  
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His philosophy worked when he had Suh and co patrolling the middle and eating up blockers and running backs.  Without the big horses not so much but as you say....he stubbornly stuck to his non working plan.

 
It's an inspired list of depressing choices, for sure. 

There is merit in each, but I have to lean to the last worst game. Wisconsin 2014. 

The other worst losses seemed like games Bo could still learn from, and perhaps we were a few fresh recruits away from getting over the hump.

Wisconsin 2014 confirmed we would always be mentally weak, over-matched and mis-coached when it mattered.

 
TheSker said:
So you'd change scheme mid game to something your players aren't familiar with when discipline and assignments are important?
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I don't know any defense that isn't trained to make in-game adjustments, including modest s#!ts in scheme, especially when the discipline and assignments are failing so blatantly.

This came up throughout Pelini's career. There were several games where opposing players, coaches and game announcers all wondered aloud why Nebraska refused to make defensive adjustments, letting the offense exploit the same plays time and time again. One quarterback said it was like playing a high school team.   

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
I don't know any defense that isn't trained to make in-game adjustments, including modest s#!ts in scheme, especially when the discipline and assignments are failing so blatantly.

This came up throughout Pelini's career. There were several games where opposing players, coaches and game announcers all wondered aloud why Nebraska refused to make defensive adjustments, letting the offense exploit the same plays time and time again. One quarterback said it was like playing a high school team.   
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What is any Bo Pelini Defense circa 2011-2014?

 
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Guy Chamberlin said:
I don't know any defense that isn't trained to make in-game adjustments, including modest s#!ts in scheme, especially when the discipline and assignments are failing so blatantly.

This came up throughout Pelini's career. There were several games where opposing players, coaches and game announcers all wondered aloud why Nebraska refused to make defensive adjustments, letting the offense exploit the same plays time and time again. One quarterback said it was like playing a high school team.   
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It comes up in every coaches career.

Sometimes you can make all the adjustments you want, but the other team is simply winning individual matchups.  Daniel Davie heard all about it that particular day against Wisconsin.

Offenses look for one on one matchups......getting a guy in space....they can exploit.

It happened to Nebraska against Colorado in 2001.....and Pelini wasn't on the Husker staff......

 
TheSker said:
TheSker said:
It comes up in every coaches career.

Sometimes you can make all the adjustments you want, but the other team is simply winning individual matchups.  Daniel Davie heard all about it that particular day against Wisconsin.
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True.

You can also refuse to make any adjustments and go on to coach 7 of the 10 worst defensive performances in Nebraska football history. 

First time I've heard one player blamed for the whole Wisconsin debacle. That's some serious Bo loyalty at work.

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
True.

You can also refuse to make any adjustments and go on to coach 7 of the 10 worst defensive performances in Nebraska football history. 

First time I've heard one player blamed for the whole Wisconsin debacle. That's some serious Bo loyalty at work.
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Nice unnecessary dig......but it's likely I'm not the only one who knows (or watched) Davie get ripped by Pelini.

I don't remember where I read it, but someone wrote schematically why Pelini was upset with Davie.

 
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