As I reflect on the two games Nebraska has
had so far, I see what everyone else is seeing. I see a swiss-cheese defense, a
suspect offensive line, a quarterback trying to break away from two years of
heavy scrutiny and a team steamrolling toward another four loss season -- or
worse.
It got me thinking about the Huskers and how they seem to lack that particular instinct. The team I watched seemed robotic, listless and borderline....dare I say...scared.
I'm usually the first to voice my opinion about former players from the mid-90's spouting off about the good old days and how THEY used to do it and how it should be now. The one thing that is indisputable is the fear they put into other teams. They had a nasty streak. They were the fighter you didn't want to get into the ring with but this team is nothing like that.
This team can land punches but does it have a knockout punch? Does it have the mentality to go four full rounds with the heavyweights? Right now, I say no. Last year, same thing. I see a squad that can push around the teams they are supposed to beat but occasionally get "Buster Douglas-ed" by the likes of Northwestern. And this isn't just about UCLA. This is a disturbing pattern. We are seeing a carbon copy of the same team (with a few subtle changes) year after year.
So what's missing and what will it take to get it? This team looks the part coming out of the tunnel but as soon as the music fades, they seem to wander off, especially in the big games. Texas, Oklahoma, Northwestern, South Carolina, UCLA, Washington. Many games the Huskers should have won and where the great teams are separated from the good teams. Then there are the blowouts. Wisconsin and Michigan come to mind. The unexplained lopsided back alley butt kickings that should never happen to this team. In all of those games, and over the past few years, the light seemed to go out of their eyes. When they were against the ropes, they ducked and covered instead of fighting back. Bring up Ohio State all you want, but without Braxton Miller, that game goes in the loss column.
I think this team has talent and a good head coach. But this team lacks fight and leaders with that instinct. How we get it is another problem. It has to come from somewhere. But where?
It got me thinking about the Huskers and how they seem to lack that particular instinct. The team I watched seemed robotic, listless and borderline....dare I say...scared.
I'm usually the first to voice my opinion about former players from the mid-90's spouting off about the good old days and how THEY used to do it and how it should be now. The one thing that is indisputable is the fear they put into other teams. They had a nasty streak. They were the fighter you didn't want to get into the ring with but this team is nothing like that.
This team can land punches but does it have a knockout punch? Does it have the mentality to go four full rounds with the heavyweights? Right now, I say no. Last year, same thing. I see a squad that can push around the teams they are supposed to beat but occasionally get "Buster Douglas-ed" by the likes of Northwestern. And this isn't just about UCLA. This is a disturbing pattern. We are seeing a carbon copy of the same team (with a few subtle changes) year after year.
So what's missing and what will it take to get it? This team looks the part coming out of the tunnel but as soon as the music fades, they seem to wander off, especially in the big games. Texas, Oklahoma, Northwestern, South Carolina, UCLA, Washington. Many games the Huskers should have won and where the great teams are separated from the good teams. Then there are the blowouts. Wisconsin and Michigan come to mind. The unexplained lopsided back alley butt kickings that should never happen to this team. In all of those games, and over the past few years, the light seemed to go out of their eyes. When they were against the ropes, they ducked and covered instead of fighting back. Bring up Ohio State all you want, but without Braxton Miller, that game goes in the loss column.
I think this team has talent and a good head coach. But this team lacks fight and leaders with that instinct. How we get it is another problem. It has to come from somewhere. But where?
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