|
|
 |
| |
 |
Back to the Blog page.
October 13th, 2008
Big Red Roundtable - Mid Season Edition
How do you see the Huskers finishing the 2008 season? Final win loss/record?
With six games remaining in the season, and on the heels of a great road performance in Lubbock, I believe the Huskers will go 4-2 to finish out the season at 7-5. If Nebraska drastically cuts down on penalties and tightens up their defense, I can see 5-1 down the stretch.
I think we'd all agree that OU doesn't look like a Husker victory. The two other games that give me pause are Kansas and Colorado. KU hasn't impressed me much this season though. Amazing what a weak schedule will do for a team's confidence (and win-loss record). The Jayhawks are a good team, and better than the Huskers right now, but NU's performance at Texas Tech gives me hope.
Colorado is the team that's hard to figure out. They are real up and down, playing good one week and not so good the next. Like the Kansas game, the Huskers will have revenge on their minds after last season's disappointing loss at Boulder. This should be a good one. As long as the Huskers can limit their penalties and defensive mistakes, I don't see the Buffs coming away from Lincoln with a win.
As for the other games on the docket, Iowa State doesn't exactly strike fear in my heart. Losses to Iowa, UNLV, and Baylor prove that Gene Chizik still has his work cut out for him with the Cyclones. Speaking of Baylor, they have as tough of a four game streak as anyone, with Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Missouri, and Texas in successive weeks. I don't think they win any of these games. NU gets the Bears at home and Baylor hasn't been good since I've been alive. The Huskers win their fifth game of the year on October 25th.
That leaves the Kansas State game. Josh Freeman has developed into a pretty good quarterback for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, KSU doesn't have anyone else. Nebraska wins this game something like 35-17.
What is the most disappointing aspect of NU's performance in the first half of the season? Lack of a running game? Offensive inconsistency? Penalties?
For me it's been penalties, which comes down to focus. If there was one thing we knew going into this season, Nebraska would be much more physical under Bo Pelini and his staff. They have been that, but at times too physical. Ndamukong Suh has two personal foul penalties at the midway point of the season and the Huskers set a team record with 14 penalties against Missouri. Two 15-yard penalties against Suh and Pelini late in the Virginia Tech game may have cost NU the game.
Eliminate the penalties and maybe we have two more wins. Eliminate penalties and maybe the offensive inconsistency and lack of a running game isn't so apparent.
Through six games, what do you think of the defense coming off of last year's debacle? Have they improved more or less than you thought they would?
Other than the Missouri game, the defense has improved over last year. This obviously isn't 2003 when Pelini inherited a half-dozen pro prospects on defense. That comparison should be thrown out of the window. Hopefully, the defensive staff learned a lesson by slimming down the playbook a bit for the Texas Tech game. Too bad it took the Mizzou loss to force their hand. Overall, I think the intensity has been good, the players seem to be buying in, and they don't seem to be giving up during a game like we saw last year. You've got to admire the Huskers tenacity in coming from behind to keep games close.
With the reality that the Big 12 may now be as tough as the SEC, how does that bode for Nebraska's attempt to regain it's former status? How long of an uphill climb do we have to re-join the leaders of the conference?
Nebraska has always had an uphill climb and that's never been more true than today. The first blow to the Huskers came with the formation of the Big 12 Conference and the elimination of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game every year. One of college football's best rivalries was dismantled for monetary reasons, with Texas replacing the Huskers as OU's new made-for-TV rival. That's what really changed the fortunes of the Huskers. The rise of Missouri and Kansas in recent years is both a blessing and a curse for the Big Red. On the plus side, from a national perspective, the Big 12 is now considered at least equal to the SEC in terms of talented teams. National recognition helps recruiting. On the minus side, more high school athletes want to play at Missouri and Kansas than ever before, eliminating potential Husker recruits. More competition for players from the Midwest won't help NU climb the ladder very fast. The bottom line is nothing helps recruiting more than success on the field. The problem is that success on the field is a direct result of recruiting the right players for your system. In my opinion, we are 2-3 years away from approaching the level Missouri enjoys today. That prediction is heavily dependent on our success over this time.
Most disappointing/surprising players for NU thus far?
Cody Glenn at linebacker jumps out as someone who has exceeded my expectations. It sounds like he's day-to-day right now. We sure could have used him against Texas Tech. Another pleasant surprise has been Menelik Holt. Zach Potter and the defensive line is much improved over last season.
On the disappointing side, without naming names, I'll just say the offensive line hasn't panned out to be the strength we wanted them to be. I've never seen so many penalties from one unit. If they can improve upon their performance at Texas Tech, eliminate the penalties going forward, and allow for a decent running game, then this criticism is misplaced. Season-to-date though, they have disappointed.
To read fellow Roundtablers, click on the following links: Corn Nation, Big Red Network,
Top of Page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
