What To Do With: Nebraska, or, Fighting the Last War

by SMQ on Jul 24, 2008 5:58 PM EDT

There’s a pretty strong consensus so far about how things are going to play out in the Big 12 North:

Switch Nebraska and Kansas State (which lost to the Huskers by six touchdowns in one of the conference’s many bizarre November shootouts), and this is exactly the order of finish in the division last year. We’re led to believe, then, that 2007 was in fact the best available model for predicting 2008. The Sporting News, for example, besides picking the Huskers fourth, specifically lists the team’s "stock report" as "Steady."

The Huskers have been truly Blackshirt-esque on defense a couple times since falling off the national radar following the high profile, back-to-back blowouts that closed 2001, once in 2005 but to a much greater extent in 2003, when they led the nation in pass efficiency D, were second in scoring D and finished in the top 25 in every major category. They’ve struggled to reach the top 25 in any single category since. The defensive coordinator in 2003 (and only 2003): Bo Pelini.

It’s not possible to say last year’s defense was "on the brink," when it was so clearly in a freefall into the abyss as early as September; the Big Red was humiliatingly crushed by USC, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Kansas and Colorado, and the only somewhat close loss, at Texas, ended with the Longhorns running for well over 200 yards en route to 19 lightning-fast, decisive points in the fourth quarter alone. If anything, it was close to being an even greater disaster, just a late interception at Wake Forest and a missed field goal by Ball State away from 3-9 and a strong bid for Worst Team In Husker History. It was certainly the worst Husker defense anyone could remember, by many, many miles.

All numbers according to Rivals. Red indicates best in category for an individual year.
- - -

Nine of the projected starters on this year’s defense were top 50 recruits at their respective positions, what Phil Steele would call at least an "HT," in some cases a coveted "VHT." As you might expect, that’s about as many as the rest of the division combined. I wouldn’t mention this if it was close.

This is not exactly par for the course.
- - -

So: steady? As in "expected to allow 475 yards and 38 points per game," steady? With potentially the most physically gifted unit in the division, under the fresh guidance of the architect of the best Nebraska unit (on either side of the ball) of the decade? Who was also the architect of three straight defenses at LSU that all finished first or second in the SEC by any relevant measure, as well in the top five nationally in yards allowed all three years, and that visibly dominated three straight top ten teams in consecutive bowl wipeouts? Nebraska’s defense may not be LSU’s, personnel-wise -- really, outside of maybe USC, nobody’s is -- but "steady" means "last in the conference," and it deserves a little better than that.

In terms of hemorraghing of yards, points and turnovers (Nebraska was a horrendous –19 in turnover margin, worse than all but two other teams in the country), "steady" does not even seem like a possibility; they literally cannot be worse. If the offense is merely steady -- it finished the season on a tear with Joe Ganz at quarterback, averaging 53 points over the last three games -- and Pelini’s initial efforts are good enough just to progress back toward the mean defensively -- that is, to split the difference between the best-case scenario of his lone season as coordinator and the worst-case scenario of last year’s collapse -- this is unavoidably one of the most improved teams in the country, and an impending threat to Missouri’s supposed stranglehold on the division. Or, you know, if you’re talking about Nebraska from any perspective beyond the worst single-season implosion anyone could have imagined, just steady as she goes.

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there are two parts to being talented in college...

a) being super-duper talented in high school
b) developing and improving in college

Most of Nebraska’s current defense fit (a) but have been completely and totally nonexistent in (b). So at this stage in the game, their ceiling just isn’t very high. The D-Line has some untapped potential, and the DBs might be decent to above average, but there is a dearth of, well, anything at LB, and all in all, thanks to the lack of (b), there is clearly less defensive talent at NU than at KU and MU, at the very least. Recruiting is important, but development is as or more important, and that’s really not something Callahan/Cosgrove were too keen at.

Pelini’s defense will be much more intense, and that’s a start, but I would make the case that their 2008 ceiling still isn’t very high due to lack of development. You only have “potential” for so long, I think, and then it expires. They have a pretty good schedule, a great home-field advantage, and an above-average offense led by Joe “Small Sample Size” Ganz and Marlon “As Good As My Blocking” Lucky, and they could certainly squeeze out 8-4 there this year, but I think that’s probably about it. Long-term, Pelini’s fiery style could catch on, or he could end up like Mike Stoops (so far). With their fanbase and facilities, the floor there is obviously not as low as at Arizona, but that doesn’t mean they’re destined for greatness either. Mizzou and Kansas have shifted the balance of power in the North, and there are only so many recruits in the area to snag—KSU’s dead in the water as long as MU and KU are on top, and while Nebraska can recruit more nationally, they’re still going to be at least a bit limited if MU and KU are both snatching up the locals, particularly in KC.

http://www.rockmnation.com
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Jul 24, 2008 6:30 PM EDT 0 recs

PS Numbers

For the Nebraska preseason 2008 defensive 2-deep (I personally tend to consider Phil the foremost ranker of incoming recruits, as he takes into account all manner of ranking services in compiling his rankings):
OPEN DE:
BARRY TURNER=PS#40 (VHT)
Pierre Allen=PS#112 (HT)

DT:
TY STEINKUHLER=PS#88 (HT)
Kevin Dixon=PS#47 Juco (VHT)

NT:
NDAMUKONG SUH=PS#7 (VHT)
Kevin Dixon=ibid
Shukree Barfield=PS#120 Juco (HT)

BASE DE:
ZACH POTTER=PS#29 (VHT)
Clayton Sievers=PS#86 LB (HT)

BUCK:
Tyler Wortman=(NO PS#)
Blake Lawrence=PS#17 (VHT)

MIKE:
Phillip Dillard=PS#16 (VHT)
Colton Koehler=(NO PS#)

WILL:
Cody Glenn=PS#25 RB (VHT)
Latravis Washington=PS#48 QB (HT)

LEFT CB:
ARMANDO MURILLO=PS#7 Juco (VHT)
Eric Hagg=Not listed by Phil this year and I don’t have last year’s book handy

SS:
LARRY ASANTE=PS#32 Juco (VHT)
Major Culbert=PS#63 (HT)

FS:
Rickey Thenarse=PS#49 RB (HT)
Matt O’Hanlon=(NO PS#)

RIGHT CB:
Anthony West=PS#149 (HT)
Prince Amukamara=#73 RB (HT)

So, while I don’t disagree that Callahan and Co. couldn’t develop the high-caliber talent that they stockpiled…I’m gonna go ahead and accept it as pretty evident (taking it from no less an authority on college football than Phil Steele) that NU has a fair amount of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Care to take a gander at Phil’s defensive PS#’s for KU and Mizzou? I think that would shoot some pretty gaping holes in your theory as to there being ”...clearly less defensive talent at NU than at KU and MU…” But I do agree with your contention that having talent isn’t enough…it’s what you do to develop it (and Callahan failed miserably in that regard). But unfortunately for many predicting the further demise of the Huskers, that’s exactly what Pelini has been charged with coming in to do.

You can hear it in the subtext of comments by fans of other teams in the Big 12 North (such as The Boy). It’s almost like the old George Costanza adage about “a lie is not a lie if you believe it to be true…” Over and over from these folks, I hear a chorus of “the balance of power having shifted” as though the constant repetition will aid in reinforcing this as believable in their own hearts and minds. Don’t forget where the balance of power was the year before last (and the year before that as well)...the “balance of power”, or whatever you want to call it, shifted away from CU to NU to Missouri (all of whom largely benefited from favorable home schedules in their respective north-division winning seasons) in consecutive years. But now we’re expected to just swallow as gospel that it’s never gonna shift again?! Just listen to yourself…then consider: Missouri and Kansas benefited from their greatest seasons in decades (100 years for KU, more like 40-50 for Mizzou) which just happened to coincide (though it was hardly a coincidence) with the worst Nebraska team in probably at least the last 50 or so. The coaching staffs from division rivals in all directions took great advantage of this circumstance as they pounced on NU commits while the coaching staff was in flux. So, since Mizzou had a better year for a single season (anyone younger than 40 had never seen that happen until last season) and they stole Blane Gabbert and a couple of other recruits, you actually expect everyone to buy into this constant barrage of “the balance of power has shifted for good” just because it’s repeated ad nauseam?! Fortunately for all of us, the games in the coming months and years will determine whether or not that’s indeed the case. But I’m with SMQ in hedging a bit of good faith on the sleeping giant…and you’re likewise certainly within your rights to assume that the Huskers will soon attain a more Arizona-like status (however laughable it may seem to even the most casual of college football observers). But when Phil Steele and SMQ are both pointing to NU as one of the most-likely teams to turn around in a big way…I’d probably go pretty easy on any bold predictions to the contrary.

Thanks to SMQ for the great writeup and to The Boy for the food for thought…

by DTsker on Jul 24, 2008 7:57 PM EDT 0 recs

Yes, but...

...they had the same PS #’s last year and played horrifically in every unit. Better coaching will help, but almost no player on that defense is any better than they were when they stepped onto campus their freshman (or junior) season. Meanwhile, players at both KU and MU came in their freshman year and have improved every day since. Care to take a look at Sean Weatherspoon’s PS#? Joe Mortensen’s? Care to tell me who’s the best LB in the North? Would you rather have either of them, or Phillip Dillard (PS#16)? Development matters as much as PS#’s (though they both do matter, and don’t pretend like I’m saying otherwise…I’ve written many many posts on RMN about how important recruiting rankings really are, and how they do actually matter on average), and Cosgrove/Callahan accomplished nothing in that regard.

Also…did I say a word about a “permanent” shift in the balance of power? All I said was that for 2007 and 2008 it’s pretty obvious who has the most talent and best coaching…i.e. the “power”. And…did I “assume” Nebraska would reach Arizona status? I said nobody actually knows if Bo Pelini is more like Bob Stoops or Mike Stoops in head coaching ability…as he’s never actually been a head coach, and that while Nebraska’s floor is not as low as Arizona’s, it’s at least within the realm of possibility that Pelini won’t be massively successful.

Lower your defense mechanisms a smidge. There wasn’t a “bold” prediction in anything I said. I even said 8-4 was a distinct possibility this year.

http://www.rockmnation.com
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Jul 25, 2008 8:48 AM EDT up 0 recs

Thanks for the clarifications...

...your points are duly noted. Some of your comments (and comments from many fans of your ilk, along with most every preseason publication) make it seem like you’re all still under the impression that BC & Co. are still coaching at Nebraska and all will therefore be business as usual from last season. Ah…but I know that’s not the case with you, because you happened to note that “Pelini’s fiery style” was best compared to one Mike Stoops (of all the past and present “fiery” coaches you had at your disposal for comparison, you just happened to only mention one who’s never had a winning season…what a coincidence!) You never brought up the possibility of Pelini growing into the mold of Bob Stoops until just now, so what other conclusion could you reasonably expect one to draw from your allusion? You asserted that talent (i.e. “potential”) somehow just magically up and vanishes (i.e. “expires”) over time…and that defensive talent is a department that they are “clearly” lacking in (at least in comparison to Kansas and Missouri). You took a swipe at the best returning running back in the big 12 (if these things called “statistics” have anything to say about it). Then you again sung a refrain from the “balance of power” tune that I’ve heard so often lately from members of your camp. So if my defense mechanisms seem a smidge sensitive, I guess your comments may have instigated some of that.

You really need to look no further than the initial SMQ article, that relates a very explicit detail as to why Husker fans are finding reason for optimism this preseason. But I’ll elaborate. One thing you are most definitely wrong about in regard to Pelini is that ”...he’s never actually been a head coach…” You see, he actually was a head coach…at Nebraska. Granted, for one game…but a game where he got to audition for Husker fans in that role. The team was better prepared and played better in that bowl game than they had for several years prior. A great many fans came away quite impressed with that audition and had any among them been sitting in the AD chair at the time, we may very well not be having any sort of “shift in the balance of power” discussion right now. As the graph SMQ provided indicates, you’ll notice the spike that took place between 2002 and 2003. Pelini took a middling defense from a 7-loss team the year prior (likewise filled with previously underachieving HT/VHTs and future NFL draft picks) and transformed them into a unit that would’ve been unrecognizable the year before. Now, granted, they also lost to Mizzou for the first time in a quarter century, so you might’ve just assumed that they sucked again anyway. But the statical rankings noted on the chart from 2003 ought to clear that up. Will lightening strike twice? I do agree that such remains to be seen. But the fact that Pelini’s performance as the 2003 NU DC and the job he did as interim head coach in the Alamo Bowl exists (not to mention the 4-years of outstanding defensive performances his teams have displayed under his direction since) gives a little better glimpse into the hopeful minds of most current Husker fans than: ”...he could catch on or he could be the next Mike Stoops…who knows, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

I twice stated that I agree wholeheartedly with your estimation that “talent” is an undefinable equation of natural ability and development. I also twice stated my agreement that Callahan/Cosgrove are absent their positions due to an inability to satisfy the latter and that one of the primary expectations of the new staff is to be able to balance that equation to a greater degree than their predecessors. Having never read the Rock M Nation (beyond that thing about potato chips) I really can’t intelligently discuss what you may or may not have said there on the subject, so I apologize for that. But I assure you, the talent is there in Lincoln…and that much is pretty obvious to folks like Phil Steele and SMQ. The general tone of your initial comment was quite dismissive of any possibility of NU doing much better than “squeezing out an 8-4 record” with their “clear lack of defensive talent” (see above), “a midget quarterback” (You mean one who’s the same size as Chase Daniel? After all, wasn’t that the reason Daniel got snubbed by his home-state schools and wound up at Mizzou in the first place? “Small sample size” are pretty choice words from a Missouri fan there!), “a running back who can’t block” (I’ll concede that Lucky isn’t the best in pass protection/blitz pickup, but he’s made great strides and is far from the worst. He also seems to look a lot better in this area when his quarterback is slightly more mobile than a battleship—see also: Sam Keller, Zac Taylor), and “a coach that may or may not end up like Mike Stoops.” Coming from a Missouri fan, I felt that this sort of message was something that deserved response from an NU fan. Paint it any way you want…but I really wasn’t being defensive. Just responding to the thinly-veiled allusions in your post.

by DTsker on Jul 25, 2008 2:57 PM EDT up 0 recs

one at a time...

Alright, let me work through this piece by piece…

You asserted that talent (i.e. "potential") somehow just magically up and vanishes (i.e. "expires") over time…and that defensive talent is a department that they are "clearly" lacking in (at least in comparison to Kansas and Missouri).

The “expires” thing wasn’t very well said on my part, but…if you watched the three teams play last year, you’d have thought that Kansas and Missouri had 3- and 4-star players on defense and Nebraska had 1- and 2-star kids. Not saying they can’t get better, but they have a ton of ground to make up. And once you’ve played like a 1-star recruit, it’s a lot harder to get back to the “4-star” form you may have had in high school.

You took a swipe at the best returning running back in the big 12 (if these things called "statistics" have anything to say about it).

Correction: it was a compliment AND a swipe. :-) I said they had a good offense, due in part to him. But that said…the dude has no agility whatsoever. He’s got good speed, and if you get him into open space (which NU does a lot), he can eat up a lot of yards. But I’ve seen a lot from him over the last few years, and he’s not somebody who can create on his own. Hence the “good as his blocking” reference.

One thing you are most definitely wrong about in regard to Pelini is that "…he’s never actually been a head coach…" You see, he actually was a head coach…at Nebraska. Granted, for one game…but a game where he got to audition for Husker fans in that role. The team was better prepared and played better in that bowl game than they had for several years prior.

Really? You’re counting one bowl game as “head coaching experience”? Seriously? And even if you can legitimately count that at experience…well…that’s one more game of head coaching experience than I have. I’m not impressed. And they beat an 8-4 Michigan State team as (I believe) they were favored to do. Nice win, but not a great win. Better than a loss for sure, but…again, he has one more career win than I do.

A great many fans came away quite impressed with that audition and had any among them been sitting in the AD chair at the time, we may very well not be having any sort of "shift in the balance of power" discussion right now.

If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts…

Seriously, you do NOT want to play the “If” game with a Mizzou fan. IF Laurence Maroney had come to Mizzou (we supposedly led in his recruiting for months but moved on when he still hadn’t decided in mid-January…supposedly), then we might be coming off of our fifth straight North title right now. I’ve got a million of ‘em.

As the graph SMQ provided indicates, you’ll notice the spike that took place between 2002 and 2003. Pelini took a middling defense from a 7-loss team the year prior (likewise filled with previously underachieving HT/VHTs and future NFL draft picks) and transformed them into a unit that would’ve been unrecognizable the year before. Now, granted, they also lost to Mizzou for the first time in a quarter century, so you might’ve just assumed that they sucked again anyway. But the statical rankings noted on the chart from 2003 ought to clear that up. Will lightening strike twice? I do agree that such remains to be seen.

Obviously nobody knows what will happen yet, but I should also point out that while NU improved considerably from 2002 to 2003, a) they had Demorrio Williams wrecking shop in 2003 and not 2002, b) his defenses made far less impressive first-year shifts at OU and LSU (though granted, those defenses were starting a lot higher than 2003 NU’s was), and c) strength of schedule does need to be taken into account here. In 2002, NU made a trip to Penn State (lost 40-7) and got lit up by the best Iowa State team in recent history (36-14). They also got pummeled on the road by KSU as well (49-13). In 2003, the non-conference slate was much more manageable—a much weaker Penn State team visited NU and lost (18-10), and the three other opponents (Utah State, Troy, and a decent Southern Miss) combined for 21 points. So they gave up less than 8 PPG in non-conference play before coming back to earth somewhat against living, breathing offenses (Missouri scored 41, Texas 31, KSU 38). They were by all means improved, but probably not to the extent that the yardage/point/turnover numbers suggested.

Having never read the Rock M Nation (beyond that thing about potato chips)

I wish I could take credit for that, but that was all Mizzourah.

But I assure you, the talent is there in Lincoln…and that much is pretty obvious to folks like Phil Steele and SMQ.

It’s not “obvious” to anybody who watched a single Nebraska game last year. They’re making predictions, based in part on recruiting rankings. They don’t “know” there’s talent there. There might be, there could be…there might not be. And I do have to severely question SMQ’s “most physically gifted” comment…I understand he was just using a term to describe “most heavily recruited” or “most highly ranked out of high school”, but…I’m pretty sure Sean Weatherspoon and William Moore would have a bone to pick on that one. For the first time since I was born, Mizzou has a “physically gifted” defense, and by god I’m going to milk it while it lasts…it may not last beyond ‘08!

The general tone of your initial comment was quite dismissive of any possibility of NU doing much better than "squeezing out an 8-4 record" with their "clear lack of defensive talent" (see above), "a midget quarterback" (You mean one who’s the same size as Chase Daniel? After all, wasn’t that the reason Daniel got snubbed by his home-state schools and wound up at Mizzou in the first place? "Small sample size" are pretty choice words from a Missouri fan there!)

Uhh…”small sample size” = “he only started three games”. Nothing to do with height.

"a running back who can’t block" (I’ll concede that Lucky isn’t the best in pass protection/blitz pickup, but he’s made great strides and is far from the worst. He also seems to look a lot better in this area when his quarterback is slightly more mobile than a battleship—see also: Sam Keller, Zac Taylor)

Not what I meant. I meant he’s only as good as the blocking in front of him.

Coming from a Missouri fan, I felt that this sort of message was something that deserved response from an NU fan. Paint it any way you want…but I really wasn’t being defensive. Just responding to the thinly-veiled allusions in your post.

I didn’t thinly veil anything. I very specifically gave my opinions. You may win the national title this year…who knows…but you’re basing your hopes on a QB with (I think) three career starts, a RB who follows blocking great but can’t create anything on his own, an unproven WR corps (yes, Nate Swift is back for his 17th year…just about everybody else is unproven), a DL that has had loads of potential for years but gets worse every year, a LB corps with almost 0 experience whatsoever (is RB Cody Glenn really going to start at LB?), and a head coach with one more career win than me (and far fewer than, ahem, Mike Stoops). It may work this year, and after 2008, the entire North division gets thrown up in the air and shuffled around again, so it may work then.

But for now, there’s absolutely, positively no questioning the fact that the balance of power has shifted. It could shift back (and I’m writing a post on RMN, the site you’ve never visited, about just this topic)...nothing’s stopping it from doing so…but heading into 2008, MU and KU have proven infinitely more than anybody else in the North. You can’t deny that. They’ve almost caught up to NU in terms of facilities, they’ve however briefly caught up in recruiting (for the 2008 and 2009 classes, anyway), and they’ve gone zooming by on the scoreboard. NU might catch up, but they might not. I’m sorry if you’re not used to dealing with skepticism, but you’re now in a position where nobody assumes you’re going to be good anymore. You have to win to change people’s minds, and though you may do just that, you haven’t yet.

(And the funniest thing about all of this is, when I first read Phil Steele and looked at the schedule, I thought…’You know, he may be right. They really could finish 2nd looking at KU’s and CU’s schedules.’ But it’s not like it’s a foregone conclusion just because Steele-a.k.a. God Himself-said so.)

http://www.rockmnation.com
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Jul 25, 2008 5:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

Gotcha...

thanks for clearing a few of those points up. I misread your “sample size” as “size”...but makes more sense the way you explained. Also didn’t get your deal about Lucky being as good as his blocking, but your explaination makes sense too.

Oh, but Demorrio Williams was at NU in ‘02…he led the team in tackles actually. But think whatever you want…I’m familiar enough with my team to know the specifics of what they did in 2002/2003 without you needing to fill me in. Your efforts to try and convince me that the stats don’t give the full picture of what Pelini brought to the defense that year won’t sway me. Players were planning a boycott of that Alamo Bowl if Bo wasn’t named head coach beforehand & he squelched that. He really struck a chord with that team and with the Nebraska faithful and I’m thankful and happy (though it took 4 years) that the players responsible for threatening a bowl game revolt finally had their wish granted. I was just trying to explain why Husker fans (fans who have learned to temper their expectations and optimism after having them crushed by the last two coaching regimes) had some sense of optimism heading into this year. But you’re probably right…how could I possibly be serious?! It was just one game against a nobody big 10 team. Any optimism based on such is probably futile. Bo will probably just end up like Mike Stoops. Pity us for having hope that Bo Pelini might actually have a winning season sometime at NU. We should’ve hired you as a head coach…after all, you’ve practically got as much experience as him, right?!

And even though the 252nd best player sometimes pans out better than the 16th…that’s something you probably don’t have to explain to a Husker fan either. Another thing Bo has been charged with is giving the notorious Nebraska walk-on program a jump start. You know, the one that regularly turned 500th-ranked high school players from Bumblefuck, Nebraska into NFL draft picks for the better part of three or four decades? So yeah…I’m pretty well aware that SOMETIMES an unranked prospect can develop into a greater talent than his 5-star counterpart. But I’m also pretty keen on the who’s-who of Nebraska football greats generally including players who were nationally-sought or highly ranked as preps…so I’m gonna go ahead and roll the dice and say that I’d prefer more of the latter on signing day, regardless of the fact that currently-high ranked recruits haven’t performed up to their hype. Just trying to point out that there’s a better-than-average chance that NU probably didn’t just whiff on the 20-some guys I listed in my first post…and there’s also a better-than-average chance that their performance thusfar in their careers could possibly be a result of poor coaching by the previous staff…something that the current staff has displayed a proven track record of correcting (in Pelini’s case at NU, it resulted in a +3 W the very next year). As for that, your 8-4 seems to fit the trend precisely. But yeah, they could just “eke out” 8-4…they could go 10-2 for that matter…they could just as easily go 6-6…they could go 3-9…or 9-3…Hell, they could end up having about any W/L record that totals to 12 games! But for you to continue to question whether or not there’s “talent” at NU is pretty ridiculous by most anyone’s standard. Yeah…all of those VHT’s suck and will logically continue to keep on sucking—whatever you say. SMQ seems to acknowledge the talent level here in merely mentioning the numbers of VHT’s on the defensive side of the ball. He talks about the “worst single-season implosion anyone could have imagined”. You’d rather question the talent and make claims that ”...They don’t ‘know’ there’s talent there…” Yeah, they sucked last year under a totally different system and coaching regime…so, by your rationale, you somehow seem to imply that the chances are even that they’ll suck forevermore. (Or maybe, possibly “hope” is a better word choice than “imply”?)

Oh, also…I’ve not been to a game in Columbia or Lawrence lately, but if they’ve almost caught up to NU in terms of facilities…that’s news to me. I’m pretty skeptical of that claim. Them’s must be some pretty nice barcaloungers in the end zones at KU…I’ll bet they have cupholders!

Enjoy your time at the top of the “power shift”. You’ve got the scoreboard and you can talk all you want. But you know what…I for one don’t really feel that Missouri fans probably should all that much. You said it best: “you have to win to change people’s minds and though you may do just that, you haven’t yet.” I think it’s been 17 Conference titles for NU since the Tigers won their last (and 5 National Championships since Mizzou won their first). So far, recent highlights have included: beating a couple of the shittiest NU teams in the last half century at home…and managing to get past the powerhouse known as Kansas to win the honor of the annual “get beaten like a drum by the South champ” sweepstakes. Thirty years ago, Missouri fans could take great pride in knowing that they knocked off a Husker team ranked #2 in the nation…taking it too mighty Nebraska in their own house. Too bad, in light of all your recent “success”, you can’t say anything close to that now. That’s probably why fans like me still think of Missouri as “same old Missouri”...11-2 & 41-6 are numbers fresh in the minds of people who base their prognostications primarily on the results from the previous year. But if you look back only 10 years, there are a lot more ugly 2-3 TD NU wins than 41-6 victories for the Tigers. When 41-6 becomes a trend, rather than an anomaly, then I’ll become concerned. And don’t get me wrong, I hope Missouri stays competitive…it’s better for NU if they are when they beat them. It used to be CU & KSU might vie for the honor of our runner-up…but KU and Mizzou would be all the same to me. But it seems you’d rather NU stay in the gutter…at least from your comments, that seems how you’d rather they be perceived. But yeah, by the same token, I absolutely can call into question what little Missouri and Kansas have “proven”. What they’ve proven to many is that they can have one year of moderate success and their fans will come out of the wordwork and talk smack, as though a Cotton bowl win over an 8-4 Arkansas team somehow places them on equal footing with the generations of success that programs like Nebraska have established. (I’m not saying you in particular and I’m painting with a pretty broad brush there…but if you haven’t noticed as much, you might be blind.) But yeah…you’re the king poobahs of the big 12 north for a whole season now. You’ve proven that much for sure..you’ll get no denials from me there!

Every NU fan now knows that success won’t last forever…some of us had to actually experience that for the first time in our lives to know better. But it seems like you’re a little more grounded in that reality. So good for you. Like I said, enjoy your time at the “top” (as most NU fans can tell you…you’re still pretty far from it, regardless of whoever holds the power in the Big 12 north). I hope the Tigers are brimming with confidence when they show up to Lincoln on 10/4. I remember how they had the same attitude coming in two years ago…you know, that time when Chase Daniel got made to look a fool by none other than Kevin Cosgrove?! He’s got another year worth of starts under his belt since then and has improved greatly, so I really can’t make too much of that. But the NU defense has experienced a lot of addition by subtraction as of late…but you go on ahead and keep on telling yourselves that everything will be more of the same. It’ll make a potential NU upset all the more sweet. I’m not necessarily expecting that to happen…but I think there’s a chance. In any event, I’m very much looking forward to the watching the challenge of the Huskers trying to knock a top-10 team off their perch. That’s the best thing about this year…I actually believe that can happen again. So at least I’ve got this moment in time to hope…it’s a nice departure from my recent history as a Husker fan. And when football minds that I respect say things like Nebraska is an “IMPENDING THREAT to Missouri’s SUPPOSED STRANGLEHOLD on the division”. It makes me even more excited that mine is not simply cockeyed optimism…and probably goes a long way toward explaining why guys like you are so quick to get on the comments to commence with your knowing opining on the laundry list of reasons why NU will suck (They sucked last year! They don’t have any experience! Their new coach has never been a head coach…he was a coordinator for three traditional powers for the last five years and had nothing but top-10 defenses…he spent 10 years coaching defense in the NFL before that—but he’ll never be able to pull it off, just look at Mike Stoops!) Keep telling yourself all that…like I said originally: if you say it enough times, maybe the Costanza approach will work out and it’ll become true!

by DTsker on Jul 25, 2008 8:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

Huh...

...I could have sworn I didn’t see Williams’ name on the 2002 stats. Must have been looking at tackler stats from ‘01. My bad. Honest mistake. The other points, though, still stand.

As for the rest…look. It’s called skepticism. I realize that you’re not used to that at Nebraska. I’m sorry I’m only predicting you to improve by 3 games this year. I’m sorry I’m only thinking there’s a chance that they’ll be back on top soon, instead of an absolute certainty. I’m sorry I think my team’s better than yours (this year…which is all I said). I’m sorry you don’t understand the difference between “these are reasons why they might not be great” and “these are all the reasons they will suck”. I’m sorry I expressed anything but 100% agreement with Phil Steele and SMQ (even though, again, 8-4 might very well get NU 2nd place…which is exactly what Phil Steele predicted). I’m sorry I’m not willing to accept that Bo Pelini is obviously the savior that Bill Callahan wasn’t (even though I’m pretty sure you thought Callahan would be just that). You can keep calling me Costanza while pulling off a pretty good “THIS IS TRUE THIS IS TRUE THIS IS TRUE THIS IS TRUE” routine yourself. I’m done with this conversation. I’ll just go back to my own blog, where I predicted NU to do better than most other folks on most other blogs did. Maybe I’ll see the light one day. And maybe you’ll get the opportunity to live through 20 years of losing, so you’ll start to actually understand what skepticism is.

http://www.rockmnation.com
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Jul 25, 2008 10:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

and for the record...

Here you go.

http://www.rockmnation.com
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Jul 25, 2008 11:15 PM EDT up 0 recs

damnnnnnnn!

What are you guys going to do with each other in October???

Ooeeee!

Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!

by corn blight on Jul 26, 2008 1:13 AM EDT up 0 recs

USC

USC could have put me in the backfield and I would have had 3 TDs against Nebraksa. I remember watching and being like “Holy shit, even their fullback had a 50 yard run” but then I realized that it wasn’t that special against the Huskers.

SMQ, why did USC get credit for beating up on Nebraska and Oklahoma dismantling Miami, then Ohio State gets ripped for playing Washington. Washington was probably a better team than both of the Old Big Names.

by Poe McKnoe on Jul 24, 2008 8:16 PM EDT 0 recs

Expectations

Well, Nebraska and Miami were generally thought of as Top 25 caliber teams (roughly) heading into 2007, not as the meh outfits they actually were. Those games were both early in the season, so USC and Oklahoma got more credit for those games because as far as people knew, they were essentially top 25 teams the Trojans and Sooners were beating up on. That wasn’t the case with Washington, who pretty much everybody thought would be a lower-division Pac-10 team.

In retrospect, though, you can’t really say that either got all that much credit. Other than the Stanford debacle, USC had little case for the national title game since the complete implosions of Nebraska and Notre Dame made their non-conference schedule a waste of time.

by Tom (RFTN) on Jul 25, 2008 5:24 AM EDT up 0 recs

Defensive improvement sure

But Shawn Watson as OC is a disaster waiting to happen. That was Callahan’s offense last year. Now that Watson has the full reigns, I hope you all are ready for some pretty serious mis-use of talent. Take it from a Colorado fan…

by FallenSkye on Jul 24, 2008 8:28 PM EDT 0 recs