The game will continue. In case you are wondering, there still is a football game scheduled at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley, Pa., between No. 19 Nebraska and No. 12 Penn State.
When Nebraska made its decision to enter the Big Ten Conference, this matchup was one that made college football purists smile. Both programs have remained status quo as far as uniforms that have changed very little. That aspect is very refreshing compared to the Star Wars age uniforms like Oregon and Maryland. Both programs have also had iconic coaches: Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne for Nebraska. Joe Paterno for Penn State.
Sadly, Paterno was fired by the Penn State board of trustees Wednesday night despite saying he would retire as coach after the football season ended, brought down by the growing furor over the handling of child sex abuse allegations against an assistant coach. Penn State President Graham Spanier was also ousted. I won’t go into details because you can read my previous blog entry: http://napavince.blogspot.com/2011/11/huskers-head-to-penn-state-but-will.html I also made my feelings for Paterno abundantly clear.
The story surrounding Saturday unfortunately is not about how Penn State’s stingy defense matches up against Nebraska’s quarterback/running back combination of Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead. It’s not about how will Nebraska bounce back from its disturbing 28-25 home loss to Northwestern. This week has been about the sexual abuse scandal that is surrounding Penn State University. It is unequivocally the top sports story. Even more than the NBA lockout. Gee, what a tired act that is.
I was talking to a college friend of mine who lived in the same residence hall as I did at the University of Nebraska on Tuesday. This friend intimated that he was “worried about this game. Can you imagine our players losing Tom Osborne’s last game?” Of course, this conversation came Tuesday night, before Paterno was ousted. With Paterno gone, defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has been named the interim head coach.
When it comes to sports teams entering a game with distractions, I find that the script is already written, it’s just a matter of what the outcome is and which script fits best. If Penn State wins, the angle becomes “they were galvanized and wanted to win it for JoePa.” If Nebraska wins, the angle becomes, “Penn State had too many distractions.” I say BS; football games are decided by who makes more plays and fewer mistakes. It also comes down to mental toughness and the ability to block out distractions.
Remember 1995? Perhaps the best team Nebraska ever assembled had several distractions throughout the season off the field whether it was Lawrence Phillips, Christian Peter or Tyrone Williams. That Husker team still went 13-0 and pounded Florida into submission in the National Title Game 62-24. However, that was also before the Facebook, Twitter, and text message era. Yes, you had the internet and message board but you also didn’t have current and former players facebooking, tweeting, message boarding, etc., so it was much easier for players and coaches to insulate themselves from distractions. Granted, the internet and message boards existed but were not en vogue even remotely like now.
Remember 2007? Perhaps the worst Nebraska team since post-1960. That team had the talent but underachieved to a 5-7 season. It also had numerous distractions centering around the job status of athletic director Steve Pederson, head coach Bill Callahan and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove. That Husker team lost six of its seven games in supremely decisive fashion.
Look at pro sports; the week that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis died they beat the Houston Texans 25-20. The angle became, “They did it for Al. They just won, baby!” However, if Oakland safety Michael Huff does not intercept Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the end zone, the angle becomes, “The Raiders were weighed down by too many distractions.”
By no means am I dismissing the “distraction factor.” Even though, for lack of a better term, Paterno’s mistakes of omission rather than commission does not directly affect the Huskers, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini will need to get his team focused on the task at hand. Keep in mind; this was a Husker team that lacked such in an inexcusable home loss to Northwestern.
Nebraska players and coaches are not going to get asked ad nausea about the situation like Penn State. Especially with the Huskers being the visiting team. Penn State players will be asked about this situation everywhere they turn whether it is at school or outside of practice.
In one respect this game does not change for Nebraska even if you remove the Penn State scandal from the equation. It would have been a challenging and important game regardless.
The bottom line is that this game will not be won by the team that is more talented or has the better offense of defense this season. The team that wins this game will be the team that is able to put the scandal to the side and focus on the team on the opposing sideline.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Huskers head to Penn State but will Paterno be on the opposite sideline
The Nebraska Cornhuskers head into Happy Valley, PA, for a crucial game against Penn State Saturday. The question is, will Joe Paterno still be Penn state’s head coach?
Before, you puke up your last meal, that is not a misprint. Paterno’s tenure will reportedly soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal that has implicated university officials, according to two people briefed on conversations among the university’s top officials, according to the New York Times.
Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator under Paterno, has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys across a 15-year period.
Paterno is under fire, as he should be, for failing to involve police when he learned in 2002 of an allegation of one assault of a young boy — around age 10 at the time.
Two top Penn State officials were charged with perjury and failure to report to authorities that they knew of the allegations.
Granted, due process has not taken place as far as being proven in a court of law and in the age of social media and message boards things do get vastly distorted. However, it is my understanding that it was an intern that notified Paterno and he then told Penn State athletic director Tim Curley.
The layers of culpability are vast, assuming the allegations are true to the extent they are being reported. Something happened, just a matter of to what degree. Paterno might not have been involved in the matter other than being a link in the chain of communication. Paterno is a coach, not a policeman or investigator.
If the intern felt that a crime was committed, the intern could call the
police. It is my understanding that at no time was it made clear that a crime was
committed but that Sandusky’s conduct was “inappropriate.” Of course it’s inappropriate, it’s also illegal.
As for Paterno, he may have fulfilled all of his legal obligations, however, when he noticed
that nothing ever came of it, he should have notified the police. If I found out my brother was taking advantage of a child, I would report him immediately, and it should be the same way with employees. This is a disgustingly grotesque situation that Paterno should have taken care of, but he did not do so which is why he probably will no longer be employed by the
end of the month, if not the end of the week.
When people think of a college football program lacking institutional control, the recent examples are Reggie Bush and USC along with Jim Tressel and Ohio State.
Just before the 2006 draft, reports surfaced raising questions about whether Bush's family received gifts in violation of NCAA policies.
Ohio State suspended Tressel for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined him $250,000 for failing to notify the school of NCAA violations involving Ohio State football players and a financial arrangement with Edward Rife, owner of a local tattoo parlor, who was at the time under investigation by the FBI for drug trafficking. The arrangement, which resulted in five Ohio State football players being suspended, involved trading championship rings, jerseys and other football-related awards for tattoos.
With Penn State, the lack of institutional control does not even begin to describe it. It’s one thing to protect adults that we have blind spots for but to let this happen to kids, there is no defense at all.
Before, you puke up your last meal, that is not a misprint. Paterno’s tenure will reportedly soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal that has implicated university officials, according to two people briefed on conversations among the university’s top officials, according to the New York Times.
Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator under Paterno, has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys across a 15-year period.
Paterno is under fire, as he should be, for failing to involve police when he learned in 2002 of an allegation of one assault of a young boy — around age 10 at the time.
Two top Penn State officials were charged with perjury and failure to report to authorities that they knew of the allegations.
Granted, due process has not taken place as far as being proven in a court of law and in the age of social media and message boards things do get vastly distorted. However, it is my understanding that it was an intern that notified Paterno and he then told Penn State athletic director Tim Curley.
The layers of culpability are vast, assuming the allegations are true to the extent they are being reported. Something happened, just a matter of to what degree. Paterno might not have been involved in the matter other than being a link in the chain of communication. Paterno is a coach, not a policeman or investigator.
If the intern felt that a crime was committed, the intern could call the
police. It is my understanding that at no time was it made clear that a crime was
committed but that Sandusky’s conduct was “inappropriate.” Of course it’s inappropriate, it’s also illegal.
As for Paterno, he may have fulfilled all of his legal obligations, however, when he noticed
that nothing ever came of it, he should have notified the police. If I found out my brother was taking advantage of a child, I would report him immediately, and it should be the same way with employees. This is a disgustingly grotesque situation that Paterno should have taken care of, but he did not do so which is why he probably will no longer be employed by the
end of the month, if not the end of the week.
When people think of a college football program lacking institutional control, the recent examples are Reggie Bush and USC along with Jim Tressel and Ohio State.
Just before the 2006 draft, reports surfaced raising questions about whether Bush's family received gifts in violation of NCAA policies.
Ohio State suspended Tressel for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined him $250,000 for failing to notify the school of NCAA violations involving Ohio State football players and a financial arrangement with Edward Rife, owner of a local tattoo parlor, who was at the time under investigation by the FBI for drug trafficking. The arrangement, which resulted in five Ohio State football players being suspended, involved trading championship rings, jerseys and other football-related awards for tattoos.
With Penn State, the lack of institutional control does not even begin to describe it. It’s one thing to protect adults that we have blind spots for but to let this happen to kids, there is no defense at all.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Good win followed by clunker loss
Once or twice is an aberration but three times is a pattern. For the third time in as many seasons, Nebraska follows a feel good win with a clunker of a loss at home.
Rewind the clock to 2009, the Huskers rally from a 12-0 deficit after three quarters on a rainy night in Columbia, Mo., to beat Missouri 27-12. Keep in mind, Nebraska had lost four of its last six to the Tigers. The Huskers went to 4-1 but followed with consecutive home losses to Texas Tech (31-10) and Iowa State (9-7). The latter of which had a losing record early in the game.
In 2010, Nebraska ran roughshod over Kansas State in a 48-13 win at Manhatten, KS to go to 5-0 entering a home game against their chief tormentor (Texas). The Longhorns were on the heels of two straight losses at 3-2. Husker Nation was ready for payback. Nebraska, however, lost 20-13 to a Texas team that finished the season 5-7.
Now for the 2011 edition, Nebraska scores an impressive 24-3 home win over Michigan State. The talk after the game is how the disappointing Blackshirts are returning to form and how Nebraska controls its own destiny to reach the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. The trip to Indy was a straight line entering Saturday’s home game against Northwestern (now 4-5 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) but in losing to Northwestern 28-25 the Huskers veered to an onramp in Des Moines, Iowa and suddenly need some direction getting back on to Interstate 80.
In the Bo Pelini era, many losses have been clearly defined on which side of the ball is more clearly to blame – offense or defense. In the case of Saturday, the blame is pretty equal. If Rex Burkhead and Quincey Enunwa don’t fumble from the 5 and 25 yard line going in, Nebraska wins the game. Period. End of sentence. Next report.
Northwestern entered the game 95th in run defense while Nebraska was No. 9 in rush offense. However, the Wildcats bottled up Nebraska’s ground game, holding them to 118 yards on 33 carries. The Husker offense also wasted a brilliant passing game of quarterback Taylor Martinez, who completed 29 of 38 for 298 yards, two scores and no picks. Too bad his receivers dropped four passes. Martinez has been heavily criticized as a passer but was flawless in his decision making.
My biggest criticism of offensive coordinator Tim Beck is that why are Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green, Braylon Heard and Jamal Turner getting a combined one touch? Granted, Burkhead is the bellcow of the offense if you are going to burn redshirts on Abdullah, Green and Heard why are they seldom in the game?
And on the defensive side, Nebraska spent a lot of the first quarter on the field as much for their inability to get stops and the offense’s inability to move the chains. At one point in the first quarter, the Wildcats had nine first downs to Nebraska’s one. That heavy load eventually exacted a toll on the Blackshirts. The Huskers had coverage breakdowns against the pass and couldn’t stop the run when they had momentum on their side.
And it was game, set, match.
Rewind the clock to 2009, the Huskers rally from a 12-0 deficit after three quarters on a rainy night in Columbia, Mo., to beat Missouri 27-12. Keep in mind, Nebraska had lost four of its last six to the Tigers. The Huskers went to 4-1 but followed with consecutive home losses to Texas Tech (31-10) and Iowa State (9-7). The latter of which had a losing record early in the game.
In 2010, Nebraska ran roughshod over Kansas State in a 48-13 win at Manhatten, KS to go to 5-0 entering a home game against their chief tormentor (Texas). The Longhorns were on the heels of two straight losses at 3-2. Husker Nation was ready for payback. Nebraska, however, lost 20-13 to a Texas team that finished the season 5-7.
Now for the 2011 edition, Nebraska scores an impressive 24-3 home win over Michigan State. The talk after the game is how the disappointing Blackshirts are returning to form and how Nebraska controls its own destiny to reach the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. The trip to Indy was a straight line entering Saturday’s home game against Northwestern (now 4-5 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) but in losing to Northwestern 28-25 the Huskers veered to an onramp in Des Moines, Iowa and suddenly need some direction getting back on to Interstate 80.
In the Bo Pelini era, many losses have been clearly defined on which side of the ball is more clearly to blame – offense or defense. In the case of Saturday, the blame is pretty equal. If Rex Burkhead and Quincey Enunwa don’t fumble from the 5 and 25 yard line going in, Nebraska wins the game. Period. End of sentence. Next report.
Northwestern entered the game 95th in run defense while Nebraska was No. 9 in rush offense. However, the Wildcats bottled up Nebraska’s ground game, holding them to 118 yards on 33 carries. The Husker offense also wasted a brilliant passing game of quarterback Taylor Martinez, who completed 29 of 38 for 298 yards, two scores and no picks. Too bad his receivers dropped four passes. Martinez has been heavily criticized as a passer but was flawless in his decision making.
My biggest criticism of offensive coordinator Tim Beck is that why are Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green, Braylon Heard and Jamal Turner getting a combined one touch? Granted, Burkhead is the bellcow of the offense if you are going to burn redshirts on Abdullah, Green and Heard why are they seldom in the game?
And on the defensive side, Nebraska spent a lot of the first quarter on the field as much for their inability to get stops and the offense’s inability to move the chains. At one point in the first quarter, the Wildcats had nine first downs to Nebraska’s one. That heavy load eventually exacted a toll on the Blackshirts. The Huskers had coverage breakdowns against the pass and couldn’t stop the run when they had momentum on their side.
And it was game, set, match.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Will the Huskers put Burkhead on a pitch, err carry count?
The adjectives have rolled of the tongues of many after Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead carried 35 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns to lead the No. 9 Huskers to a crucial 24-3 win over No. 13 Michigan State.
Burkhead has been described as “Superman” and “Legend” to go along with the obligatory “T-Rex.” The description of “Legend” is certainly saying something considering how many great Huskers have carried the ball such as Johnny Rodgers and Mike Rozier to name a couple. Well, Lawrence Phillips too. LP is an asshole for disgracing the program off the field but I won’t take away from what he did on the field, regardless of whether or not he should have been there.
Anyhow ….
Lincoln Journal Star columnist Steve Sipple caught up with former Husker running backs Tony Davis and Rozier. Davis was a fan favorite from 1973 to 1975 and earned the nickname “Tough Tony.” As for Rozier, all you have to say is 1983 Heisman Trophy winner.
"Rex has wonderful, wonderful body control," Davis told Sipple. "But the thing that's most impressive to me is his down and distance awareness and his ability to get what's needed to move the chains. He does that on as productive a basis as I've ever seen at that position, ever."
“You tell me a back that when it's third-and-4 or third-and-whatever gets the first down more often than Rex Burkhead."
Added Rozier in his interview with Sipple: “He’ll either put his head down and go through them or go around them. He's not scared to get hit. Some running backs, you can look at them and tell they're scared to get hit. They're curled up when they get hit. You've got to run through the hit, you know what I mean? You've got to give the hit.”
Burkhead, who is a junior, is not overly fast or powerful but defenders very seldom get a clean shot on him. However, after a 35 carry game against a very stout Michigan State defense does Nebraska perhaps dial his workload down? The Huskers face a Northwestern defense that is 95th in run defense followed by a road trip to face a Penn State defense that is No. 1 in the Big Ten followed by another road test at Michgan?
On one hand, you want Burkhead carrying the mail because 6 of 10 times he carries the ball the play is likely to result in a first down or a touchdown. Plus, Burkhead is very reliable in terms of ball security.
However, considering that Nebraska burned three redshirts at running back behind Burkhead (Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green and Braylon Heard), why not rely on them to preserve Burkhead to a degree. That approach is no different than if you have a relief pitcher in baseball throw 50 pitches, you are not likely to want him throwing 50 more one game later.
Point being, the Michigan State game is only the start of Nebraska's challenging homestretch, and the games get tougher in the next two weeks. Do you want a banged up Burkhead facing a tough as nails Penn State front seven?
Again, Burkhead should get the majority of the carries this week against Northwestern but have him get say, 20 with Abdullah, Green and Heard getting say 6-8 apiece?
Burkhead has been described as “Superman” and “Legend” to go along with the obligatory “T-Rex.” The description of “Legend” is certainly saying something considering how many great Huskers have carried the ball such as Johnny Rodgers and Mike Rozier to name a couple. Well, Lawrence Phillips too. LP is an asshole for disgracing the program off the field but I won’t take away from what he did on the field, regardless of whether or not he should have been there.
Anyhow ….
Lincoln Journal Star columnist Steve Sipple caught up with former Husker running backs Tony Davis and Rozier. Davis was a fan favorite from 1973 to 1975 and earned the nickname “Tough Tony.” As for Rozier, all you have to say is 1983 Heisman Trophy winner.
"Rex has wonderful, wonderful body control," Davis told Sipple. "But the thing that's most impressive to me is his down and distance awareness and his ability to get what's needed to move the chains. He does that on as productive a basis as I've ever seen at that position, ever."
“You tell me a back that when it's third-and-4 or third-and-whatever gets the first down more often than Rex Burkhead."
Added Rozier in his interview with Sipple: “He’ll either put his head down and go through them or go around them. He's not scared to get hit. Some running backs, you can look at them and tell they're scared to get hit. They're curled up when they get hit. You've got to run through the hit, you know what I mean? You've got to give the hit.”
Burkhead, who is a junior, is not overly fast or powerful but defenders very seldom get a clean shot on him. However, after a 35 carry game against a very stout Michigan State defense does Nebraska perhaps dial his workload down? The Huskers face a Northwestern defense that is 95th in run defense followed by a road trip to face a Penn State defense that is No. 1 in the Big Ten followed by another road test at Michgan?
On one hand, you want Burkhead carrying the mail because 6 of 10 times he carries the ball the play is likely to result in a first down or a touchdown. Plus, Burkhead is very reliable in terms of ball security.
However, considering that Nebraska burned three redshirts at running back behind Burkhead (Ameer Abdullah, Aaron Green and Braylon Heard), why not rely on them to preserve Burkhead to a degree. That approach is no different than if you have a relief pitcher in baseball throw 50 pitches, you are not likely to want him throwing 50 more one game later.
Point being, the Michigan State game is only the start of Nebraska's challenging homestretch, and the games get tougher in the next two weeks. Do you want a banged up Burkhead facing a tough as nails Penn State front seven?
Again, Burkhead should get the majority of the carries this week against Northwestern but have him get say, 20 with Abdullah, Green and Heard getting say 6-8 apiece?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wildcats will be a different kind of challenge for the Big Red
The No. 9 rated Nebraska Cornhuskers came up large in a pivotal 24-3 win over No. 13 Michigan State to make the Big Ten Legends Division race much more compelling.
The win forced a three-way tie between Nebraska, Michigan state and Michigan. Had the Spartans beaten Nebraska, they would have had a big leg up on the rest of the division. For the Huskers, the key becomes sustaining that momentum as the calendar turns to November. Since Bo Pelini took over as the head coach in 2008, November has been a month to remember. The Huskers have gone 11-1 under Pelini in November.
The Huskers host a Northwestern (3-5 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) team that is decidedly different than Michigan State. The Spartans entered the contest with defensive numbers not terribly far behind Alabama and LSU but also had a pedestrian offense. The Wildcats, however, are averaging 31.6 points per game but in their five defeats have yielded an average of 35.2 points per contest.
With the exception of the first half of its 34-27 win over Ohio State, Nebraska has been playing well ever since its 48-17 loss to Wisconsin.
When the Huskers parted ways with offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and replaced him with Tom Beck, the biggest question was “what will be the offense’s identity?” It’s pretty obvious now. The Huskers are a run first team with running back Rex Burkhead carrying the load. He did just that against Michigan State as he carried 35 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
The question becomes, does Nebraska reduce Burkhead’s carries this week and mix in carries for Ameer Abdullah or Aaron Green. Keep in mind the Huskers follow this game with key road tests at Penn State and Michigan.
The Huskers should be able to run the ball at will on Northwestern’s defense. Well, the numbers would certainly indicate as much as Nebraska is ninth in rushing offense (averaging 253 yards per game) and the Wildcats are 95th in defending the run (allowing 194 yards per contest). As long as Nebraska is not careless with the ball, it should be fine.
On defense, injuries have forced Pelini to try finding the right mixture of players. Nebraska did just that last week in shutting down a good but not great Spartan offense. This week, however, will be a much better barometer to determine whether the Blackshrts are back into form.
While this is not the Ndamukong Suh led defense of 2009, I did not see anything in that game that makes me think the Blackshirts are not back. The younger Blackshirts who were thrust into key roles as a result of injuries now appear to understand the system.
That trend needs to continue this week because though the Wildcats win-loss record is not good, quarterback Dan Persa gives them a punchers chance. Keep in mind, Persa was the first team all-Big Ten quarterback last season. To illustrate even further how good Persa is, he received that nod over Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor.
Persa will also present a much different matchup than MSU’s Kirk Cousins did. Cousins is more of a classic, dropback passer who was a minimal threat to run. Persa, however, will take off and run so the Huskers must be much more disciplined in its pass rush.
Northwestern may get its yards and/or points but with the way the Blackshirts are rounding into form defensively, the Wildcats will have a harder time scoring. The key for Nebraska is to not let Northwestern get an early lead to subdue the home crowd.
On special teams, Abdullah has also provided another weapon as a kick and punt returner. The Huskers are ranked No. 2 in the country in kick returns and No. 44 in the country in punt returns. However, opponents have negated that advantage lately by kicking away from him.
However, another huge plus to Nebraska’s kicking game has how placekicker/punter Brett Maher has replaced Alex Henery so well. Maher has made 14-17 field goals and is averaging 45 yards per punt.
Northwestern might be 3-5 but it’s a deceptive 3-5. That thinking would go against Bill Parcells’ motto of “your record is exactly what it is.” However, Northwestern has had a lead in the second half of every one of its five defeats. That statement could mean one of two things: a) The Wildcats are dangerous enough to beat you on a given day or b) They will make enough mistakes to get beat.
As long as the Huskers don’t commit penalties and turnovers, they should win this game and go to 8-1.
The win forced a three-way tie between Nebraska, Michigan state and Michigan. Had the Spartans beaten Nebraska, they would have had a big leg up on the rest of the division. For the Huskers, the key becomes sustaining that momentum as the calendar turns to November. Since Bo Pelini took over as the head coach in 2008, November has been a month to remember. The Huskers have gone 11-1 under Pelini in November.
The Huskers host a Northwestern (3-5 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) team that is decidedly different than Michigan State. The Spartans entered the contest with defensive numbers not terribly far behind Alabama and LSU but also had a pedestrian offense. The Wildcats, however, are averaging 31.6 points per game but in their five defeats have yielded an average of 35.2 points per contest.
With the exception of the first half of its 34-27 win over Ohio State, Nebraska has been playing well ever since its 48-17 loss to Wisconsin.
When the Huskers parted ways with offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and replaced him with Tom Beck, the biggest question was “what will be the offense’s identity?” It’s pretty obvious now. The Huskers are a run first team with running back Rex Burkhead carrying the load. He did just that against Michigan State as he carried 35 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
The question becomes, does Nebraska reduce Burkhead’s carries this week and mix in carries for Ameer Abdullah or Aaron Green. Keep in mind the Huskers follow this game with key road tests at Penn State and Michigan.
The Huskers should be able to run the ball at will on Northwestern’s defense. Well, the numbers would certainly indicate as much as Nebraska is ninth in rushing offense (averaging 253 yards per game) and the Wildcats are 95th in defending the run (allowing 194 yards per contest). As long as Nebraska is not careless with the ball, it should be fine.
On defense, injuries have forced Pelini to try finding the right mixture of players. Nebraska did just that last week in shutting down a good but not great Spartan offense. This week, however, will be a much better barometer to determine whether the Blackshrts are back into form.
While this is not the Ndamukong Suh led defense of 2009, I did not see anything in that game that makes me think the Blackshirts are not back. The younger Blackshirts who were thrust into key roles as a result of injuries now appear to understand the system.
That trend needs to continue this week because though the Wildcats win-loss record is not good, quarterback Dan Persa gives them a punchers chance. Keep in mind, Persa was the first team all-Big Ten quarterback last season. To illustrate even further how good Persa is, he received that nod over Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor.
Persa will also present a much different matchup than MSU’s Kirk Cousins did. Cousins is more of a classic, dropback passer who was a minimal threat to run. Persa, however, will take off and run so the Huskers must be much more disciplined in its pass rush.
Northwestern may get its yards and/or points but with the way the Blackshirts are rounding into form defensively, the Wildcats will have a harder time scoring. The key for Nebraska is to not let Northwestern get an early lead to subdue the home crowd.
On special teams, Abdullah has also provided another weapon as a kick and punt returner. The Huskers are ranked No. 2 in the country in kick returns and No. 44 in the country in punt returns. However, opponents have negated that advantage lately by kicking away from him.
However, another huge plus to Nebraska’s kicking game has how placekicker/punter Brett Maher has replaced Alex Henery so well. Maher has made 14-17 field goals and is averaging 45 yards per punt.
Northwestern might be 3-5 but it’s a deceptive 3-5. That thinking would go against Bill Parcells’ motto of “your record is exactly what it is.” However, Northwestern has had a lead in the second half of every one of its five defeats. That statement could mean one of two things: a) The Wildcats are dangerous enough to beat you on a given day or b) They will make enough mistakes to get beat.
As long as the Huskers don’t commit penalties and turnovers, they should win this game and go to 8-1.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Blackshirts must continue to earn their keep
Apparantly it’s not a rumor. Blackshirts were awarded Monday according to the Lincoln Journal Star website in large part due to the Huskers 24-3 win over Michigan State on a day the Blackshirts stymied the Spartans.
The following is an unofficial list of defenders who received the black practice jerseys that are symbolic of excellence:
P.J. Smith, Baker Steinkuhler, Chase Rome, Cameron Meredith, Jason Ankrah, Eric Martin, Austin Cassidy, Josh Williams, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Alfonzo Dennard, Lavonte David, Andrew Green, Daimion Stafford, Lance Thorell, Thad Randle, Justin Blatchford, Will Compton, Sean Fisher, Terrence Moore and Ciante Evans.
The doling out of the Blackshirts is well deserved after a great defensive effort against Michigan State. The front four rushed the passer and controlled the line of scrimmage, the linebackers maintained their lanes, and the secondary completely shut down the receivers. With this kind of defense, the Huskers chances for a Big Ten title are very much alive but for that to happen the strong play must continue.
I still think the Blackshirts should be passed out at the beginning of the season based on practice sessions, and later taken away, or awarded based on game performance. This season the defense was so bad for so long that an exception was warranted.
While part of me says the list is watered down because so many players were awarded Blackshirts, let’s keep in mind every player on that list has either started or received significant playing time.
Changing conferences (going from Big 12 to Big 10) is no small task. The big 12 was fairly consistent in their offensive schemes that were each tailored toward the strength of their personnel. Week in and week out we would have to prepare for slight variations from the prior week in most cases. Occasionally we would have to prepare for a wholesale change in offensive or defensive philosophy but that was the exception.
Our world today is much different. Almost on a weekly basis we have to prepare for a team that we have not played in recent history. In addition, those teams differ substantially in style and scheme on both their offense and their defense.
The curve is steep and the path is narrow, a slip here or a slip there can place our team in a perilous position. It makes it all the more important that this year we have individuals with character that are able to persevere through the highs and lows.
The Huskers have a lot of battle hardened troops on this roster. When they play for each other we see what we saw.
The following is an unofficial list of defenders who received the black practice jerseys that are symbolic of excellence:
P.J. Smith, Baker Steinkuhler, Chase Rome, Cameron Meredith, Jason Ankrah, Eric Martin, Austin Cassidy, Josh Williams, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Alfonzo Dennard, Lavonte David, Andrew Green, Daimion Stafford, Lance Thorell, Thad Randle, Justin Blatchford, Will Compton, Sean Fisher, Terrence Moore and Ciante Evans.
The doling out of the Blackshirts is well deserved after a great defensive effort against Michigan State. The front four rushed the passer and controlled the line of scrimmage, the linebackers maintained their lanes, and the secondary completely shut down the receivers. With this kind of defense, the Huskers chances for a Big Ten title are very much alive but for that to happen the strong play must continue.
I still think the Blackshirts should be passed out at the beginning of the season based on practice sessions, and later taken away, or awarded based on game performance. This season the defense was so bad for so long that an exception was warranted.
While part of me says the list is watered down because so many players were awarded Blackshirts, let’s keep in mind every player on that list has either started or received significant playing time.
Changing conferences (going from Big 12 to Big 10) is no small task. The big 12 was fairly consistent in their offensive schemes that were each tailored toward the strength of their personnel. Week in and week out we would have to prepare for slight variations from the prior week in most cases. Occasionally we would have to prepare for a wholesale change in offensive or defensive philosophy but that was the exception.
Our world today is much different. Almost on a weekly basis we have to prepare for a team that we have not played in recent history. In addition, those teams differ substantially in style and scheme on both their offense and their defense.
The curve is steep and the path is narrow, a slip here or a slip there can place our team in a perilous position. It makes it all the more important that this year we have individuals with character that are able to persevere through the highs and lows.
The Huskers have a lot of battle hardened troops on this roster. When they play for each other we see what we saw.
Fasten your seatbelts for the last leg of the Legends Division race
As is said so often in horse racing, “And down the stretch they come!” Thanks to Nebraska’s 24-3 win at home over Michigan State; the Big Ten Legends Division race now becomes very compelling. The win bumped the Huskers to No. 9 in the AP poll. Nebraska, No. 15 MSU and No. 13 Michigan are all 3-1 against Big Ten foes. The only thing that prevented a four-way tie was Iowa’s surprising 22-21 loss to lowly Minnesota.
Had MSU beaten the Huskers, the Legends Division for all intents and purposes would have been decided, now it’s a jumpball. The obvious answer is that the games must be played on the field and you have to take “one game at a time.” Well, we’ll leave those answers to the players and coaches.
Nebraska has a tough road ahead but if it wins out will represent the Legends Division in the Big Ten title game at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis. The Huskers host Northwestern (3-5), visit Penn State (7-1), visit Michigan (6-2) and host Iowa (5-3). That’s a 21-11 combined opponents’ record if you’re scoring at home, and if you are congratulations. The Huskers are going to need to go no worse than 3-1 to have a realistic chance to capture the Legends Division. That goal, however, is very much within reach as long as they don’t stub their toe against Northwestern or Iowa because those are the most winnable games and they are at home. With the way the Huskers rebounded defensively and are rounding into form offensively, I like their chances of winning three of their last four. Winning all four is possible but not probable.
MSU’s remaining slate involves hosting Minnesota (2-6), at Iowa (5-2), hosting Indiana (1-8) and at Northwestern (3-5). That’s a combined record of 11-21 if you’re scoring at home, and if you are congratulations. The Spartans have by far the easiest road but since they lost to Nebraska they would need to win out and get help. It would be shocking if they lost to Minnesota or Indiana at home. However, given Sparty’s tendency to struggle on the road, a loss at Iowa or even Northwestern is not a farfetched notion.
Michigan’s remaining schedule is at Illinois (6-3), at Iowa (5-2), host Nebraska (7-1), and host Ohio State (5-3). That’s a combined record of 23-9 if you’re scoring at home, and if you are congratulations. The Wolverines’ road is far from easy with every remaining team being against teams in contention. Michigan is definitely good enough to go 3-1 in that stretch but 2-2 is more likely.
Iowa’s remaining schedule is host Michigan (6-2); host Michigan State (7-1), at Purdue (4-4) and at Nebraska (7-1). That’s a combined record of 24-8, if you’re scoring at home and if you are congratulations. The loss to Minnesota means that the Hawkeyes are going to be hard-pressed to win the Legends. Couple that with the fact that Iowa is playing three Legends Division teams that are hungry for a title. Best case scenario, Iowa goes 2-2 with a chance to play spoiler in the season finale at Nebraska.
Had MSU beaten the Huskers, the Legends Division for all intents and purposes would have been decided, now it’s a jumpball. The obvious answer is that the games must be played on the field and you have to take “one game at a time.” Well, we’ll leave those answers to the players and coaches.
Nebraska has a tough road ahead but if it wins out will represent the Legends Division in the Big Ten title game at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis. The Huskers host Northwestern (3-5), visit Penn State (7-1), visit Michigan (6-2) and host Iowa (5-3). That’s a 21-11 combined opponents’ record if you’re scoring at home, and if you are congratulations. The Huskers are going to need to go no worse than 3-1 to have a realistic chance to capture the Legends Division. That goal, however, is very much within reach as long as they don’t stub their toe against Northwestern or Iowa because those are the most winnable games and they are at home. With the way the Huskers rebounded defensively and are rounding into form offensively, I like their chances of winning three of their last four. Winning all four is possible but not probable.
MSU’s remaining slate involves hosting Minnesota (2-6), at Iowa (5-2), hosting Indiana (1-8) and at Northwestern (3-5). That’s a combined record of 11-21 if you’re scoring at home, and if you are congratulations. The Spartans have by far the easiest road but since they lost to Nebraska they would need to win out and get help. It would be shocking if they lost to Minnesota or Indiana at home. However, given Sparty’s tendency to struggle on the road, a loss at Iowa or even Northwestern is not a farfetched notion.
Michigan’s remaining schedule is at Illinois (6-3), at Iowa (5-2), host Nebraska (7-1), and host Ohio State (5-3). That’s a combined record of 23-9 if you’re scoring at home, and if you are congratulations. The Wolverines’ road is far from easy with every remaining team being against teams in contention. Michigan is definitely good enough to go 3-1 in that stretch but 2-2 is more likely.
Iowa’s remaining schedule is host Michigan (6-2); host Michigan State (7-1), at Purdue (4-4) and at Nebraska (7-1). That’s a combined record of 24-8, if you’re scoring at home and if you are congratulations. The loss to Minnesota means that the Hawkeyes are going to be hard-pressed to win the Legends. Couple that with the fact that Iowa is playing three Legends Division teams that are hungry for a title. Best case scenario, Iowa goes 2-2 with a chance to play spoiler in the season finale at Nebraska.
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