Saying Goodbye To Oklahoma State
by Jon Johnston on Oct 26, 2010 7:55 AM CDT
in Nebraska Husker Football
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PrintI took some time last night to watch the Oklahoma State over again to get a better idea of what happened, why we gave up so many points, and what it was that allowed Taylor Martinez to throw five touchdown passes in a single game when he'd only thrown three the previous six games.
First - the defense. Husker fans are worried about the defense giving up 41 points and 495 yards to the Oklahoma State offense. Even with having watched the game again, I don't think I'm as worried as most - it was the first time in 15 games that an opponent scored over 21 points, and there's a fair bet that streak can resume again this week against Missouri. (We'll get into that more as the week moves on.)
I mentioned Dana Holgorsen last week - the guy really is a mad scientist offensive genius. Combine his skills with two of the best players in college football, Kendall Hunter and Justin Blackmon, add in an up-tempo offense (watching that first half again it was like we were playing a team on meth), and you get the result you saw Saturday.
Hunter is an incredible back. The guy has great vision and an enormous amount of power. Husker fans might complain about the defense missing tackles against him, but there were several plays in which he simply stepped to the side of a defender and moved quickly past him when lesser backs would have taken the defender head on. There were a few plays in which he showed his strength, for example, at 4:00 left in the third quarter, he took the ball up the middle, made first contact with a defender at the five, then bulled his way to the one-yard line. Hunter will make an excellent draft choice for someone in next year's NFL draft.
Blackmon is another guy who'll go as a high draft pick. He has everything you want in a receiver, big, fast, powerful, and good hands. On his 80-yard touchdown pass, he made Prince Amukamara look like a fool, something that's not easily accomplished.
One thing about both players, though - they were shut down the second half. Hunter had 17 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but gained only 55 yards on nine carries and another touchdown in the second. Blackmon had five receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns, but in the second half managed only two receptions for 28 yards, including a touchdown that brought Oklahoma State back within 10 points.
The defensive line is a concern, although don't worry so much about the lack of sacks and tackles for loss. Several times during the first half they weren't turned loose to rush, but instead held their ground, getting their hands up and clogging lanes. They were more aggressive the second half, and that appeared to be by design as much as anything else.
Jared Crick and Baker Steinkuhler still show a tendency to get caught up in blocking too often, allowing defenders to do too much with their hands. Cameron Meredith showed that he could make some plays at defensive end, while Pierre Allen left with an injury, replaced by Jason Ankrah and Josh Williams. One thing to remember about all the guys I've mentioned in this paragraph - Allen is a senior, Crick a junior, Steinkuhler, Williams, and Meredith are sophomores, and Ankrah is a freshman. That's a pretty young group - plenty of football left in them.
The bottom line - Nebraska's defense gave up 495 yards because they ran into an exceptional offense. It's not the end of the world - no where near it.
Oklahoma State started the game playing eight defenders in the box. Nebraska responded by rushing 11 times in the first quarter and throwing only five passes. One of those passes cost the Cowboys dearly, as Brandon Kinnie's first touchdown reception, a 45-yarder, came on a short pass play when he had only one defender to beat because the others were closer to the line playing the run.
Last week I noticed a lot of message board comments that Nebraska should go back to the I formation, or run the triple option, in other words, formations that Husker fans are comfortable with, that Tom Osborne was successful with years ago (and if Wats would only use Tom's playbook, everything would be rosy again). I wonder how many of those people would say the same thing this week. Nebraska's opponent clearly lined up to take away the run, and Shawn Watson made them pay for it by scoring 51 points without a single touchdown on the ground. That's a beautiful statement about the "multiple" that Watson and Bo Pelini preach about so often.
Later in the game, the Cowboys stopped loading the box, and Watson responded by rushing the ball 15 times while throwing only nine times in the fourth quarter. While the runs didn't net a lot of yardage (only 53 yards), the Huskers had the ball for 11:08 compared to 3:52 for the Cowboys. Captain Obvious would tell you it's damned hard to score if you don't have the ball.
Another item that stood out was just how much more depth this team has in Pelini's third year. I already mentioned Pierre Allen being replaced, but having Jermarcus Hardrick available to replace Jeremiah Sirles at left tackle was a benefit the Huskers didn't have last season. Depth meant moving players around, having Alfonzo Dennard cover Blackmon, and replacing Anthony West and Rickey Thenarse with Austin Cassidy and P.J. Smith. Replacing players like that isn't so much about one guy being better than another, but whether or not someone is having a bad day.
Taylor Martinez was brilliant most of the time. Mike mentioned a couple of his gaffs in his report card and at times Martinez reminded me of the bad Brett Favre. His throwing motion could be one of the ugliest ever, but because of his feet, he makes the plays. He broke tackles on the run and his ability to escape and scramble out of trouble has to be giving offensive coordinators fits.
Fans might be wowed by Martinez' performance so far this season, but you'd have to say that Alex Henery is Nebraska's biggest freak of nature. He looked like a natural scrambling on the early fake punt, but what should strike you about him is how automatic he is. How many bad plays has he made throughout his Husker career? Wow.
The Nebraska - Oklahoma State series ends after 43 games, and the Huskers leading in a lopsided fashion, 37-5-1. Good luck to the Cowboys. If they can find some more depth for their defense, they should be in good shape in the ten-team Big 12.
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Side note cause I'm bored
I can’t believe how confident Mizzou is coming into this game, or their fans at least..I’ve been on several Tiger message boards and when they’re talking about their Nat’l Champ. aspirations it’s like they ignore us, the common thought that i’ve seen is, “yea, lots of football left to play, still got k-state to go…” no mention of us, is it possible that their team is over-confident coming into this week? I certainly wouldn’t have thought that to be possible, but I guess you never know.
OH THE IRONY...
You’ve got to be kidding me. Almost without exception it is Husker fans that are over-confident, just look at this post where it is declared that you’ll likely hold Missouri to less than 21 pts. Or the comments where Husker fans project Missouri to lose by 21+ points. Or the dismissive way in which you address the Missouri defense. One person even suggested that Missouri’s defense was closer to OkSt than Texas’. Generally speaking, you guys don’t think Missouri can stop your run or your pass, and you think you’ll shut down Missouri’s offense. The people directing the CornNation site haven’t even explored Missouri enough to know that Jackson didn’t come out of nowhere to be last week’s leading reciever. You guys think we’re Gabbert, Moe, Egnew and nothing.
I, obviously, am all over the Missouri sites and the common refrain I hear is, “I hope we settle down from the OU win so we don’t go into Lincoln and get waxed.” Missouri always knew this would be a VERY tough game that we’d be lucky to win. On the other hand, it seems like Corn Nation is having trouble adjusting to the idea that Missouri isn’t what you thought it would be at the beginning of the season. You had Missouri pegged as a blowout in September and you haven’t quite wrapped your heads around the fact that Missouri is capable of winning in Lincoln.
Why the talk of a national championship? Because we’re two great peformances — Nebraska and the Big 12 Championship — and four steady performances away from that possibility and that’s exciting. Particularly with Missouri’s history.
settle down..
You had Missouri pegged as a blowout in September and you haven’t quite wrapped your heads around the fact that Missouri is capable of winning in Lincoln.
No one, that I’ve talked to, has ever thought that the mizzou game would be a blowout, especially considering the wake up call we got from you last year, and personally, I’ve always thought them capable of winning in Lincoln.
Why the talk of a national championship? Because we’re two great peformances — Nebraska and the Big 12 Championship — and four steady performances away from that possibility and that’s exciting. Particularly with Missouri’s history.
I agree, and I wasn’t saying that you shouldn’t be talking about national championship aspirations, just that (in my experience) I found it odd that most of the people (that I saw) talking about it, seemed (in my opinion) to be writing Nebraska off as a win.
I thought it was clear that I was saying this to stimulate discussion, as my job is extremely boring from time to time and I crave husker talk…I may be mistaken but by the tone of your post it seems as though you took offense to what I posted. I didn’t mean for it to be offensive, it was merely an observation of what I’ve been seeing.
I figured
I’d get someone’s heart racing with the 21-point comment…..
like I said, more on that later this week.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
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Corn Nation!
Twitter!
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by Jon Johnston on Oct 26, 2010 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
If that happens....
It will be because you pressure Gabbert. Interesting assumption because no one else has pressured Gabbert and Nebraska hasn’t even been good at generating pressure.
When did he assume Nebraska would pressure Gabbert?
He hasn’t written anything of the sort.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 26, 2010 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions
Right...
But without pressure the only way you can hold Missouri below 21 points would be pass coverage that lasts five seconds or longer…if you think Nebraska, or anyone else, is capable of that you’re crazy.
With exception to OkState...
The secondary has been doing it all year. Admittedly, Mizzou’s o-line is probably the best they’ll see, but Nebraska’s secondary is VERY good at frustrating QBs.
@GochFaceKiller on Twitter
by Screwface on Oct 26, 2010 2:34 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Say what you will but
I think Nebraska will win by at least two scores. Am I the idiot? If so, awesome. Vegas prognosticators say 8- I’m adding 6+. Nebraska held the most potent offense in CFB to 14 points in a half, after some adjustments because the offense was working that well. They controlled the clock and made OkSt press. Mizzou’s offense isn’t on the same level as OkSt- no one’s is. Your run blocking has trouble getting to the next level against speedy defenses. I’d be willing to say that if Nebraska gets a 13+ point edge at any point during the game Mizzou is done; your run will be negated by the need to pass and the pass will be negated by Nebraska’s ability to shut it down.
While I do think Mizzou has a great overall defense, I’m inclined to believe the offense isn’t on the same level.
I have faith in the coaching staff, in the players, and in Memorial Stadium. Something in particular that gives me confidence is the way the players conducted themselves during and after the OkSt game. They weren’t high-five’ing, patting themselves on the back, or celebrating the scores and the victory They acted on the sideline as Matt Davison described, “..business as usual. Very business-like.” The Huskers know they can beat anybody… They’ve been there before. Mizzou doesn’t know they cant beat “anybody” and they acted like it during and after the game.
Not even Texas fans were as “offended” with our predictions over here.. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, 51-24 Nebraska.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Oct 26, 2010 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions
you think that MU has a great overall defense
that will hold NU to 51 points
Our
defense has the ability to score points too. I say 3 FGs, 1 Def/Sp teams TD, 5 offensive TDs
So, yes and yes.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Oct 26, 2010 11:29 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
so you think we have a great defense
taht will hold you to 44 offensive points.
OVERALL
the defense’s body of work has been great. That doesn’t make it invincible. But I’ll bite. Why WOULDN’T Nebraska’s offense score 44 points?
by HuskerINtheArmy on Oct 26, 2010 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Okay
1. Missouri’s defense will generally force long drives. It has lateral speed, vertical speed, very solid tackling, and disciplined assignment scheming.
2. Missouri has the number one red zone defense in the country.
3. Missouri’s corners can play press coverage, maybe not without fail against that stud from OU whose name is escaping me, but good enough to shut down even excellent receivers like A&M’s Fuller.
4. Missouri’s defendable backs are solid enough to allow Missouri to rush not only it’s front four but others as well.
5. Missouri’s front four can get pressure without bringing other players, top 10 in sacks.
6. Missouri’s punter is crazy good and will set up very long fields when Missouri isn’t able to drive.
7. A&M lost on a last second turnover and field goal at OkSt while scoring more than 30pts, Missouri held A&M to 3 pts until the last minutes of the forth quarter when the game was over.
8. Missouri’s offense will hold the ball longer than OSU, thereby denying Nebraska chances to score.
Forgot to note....
Missouri held A&M, which is averaging more than 28, to 3 points late into the fourth at college station. Arkansas also gave up 30+ to A&M on a neutral field.
The final in the Arkansas – TAMU game was 24-17… The fuck are you smoking?
@GochFaceKiller on Twitter
by Screwface on Oct 26, 2010 2:44 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Misremembeted
Doesn’t change the fact that Missouri went into college station and completely shut down an offense others had been unable to shut down on neutral sites or on the road
Is there anything you don't think Missouri is awesome at?
I’m just wondering.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 26, 2010 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions
I am not sure
That they’re awesome at anything other than pass rushing and pass blocking, but they’re proficient at everything.
speed is so hard to measure but...
1. Missouri’s defense will generally force long drives. It has lateral speed, vertical speed, very solid tackling, and disciplined assignment scheming.
I don’t know if you’ve watched much of Texas this year or not, but I would rank Texas right up there in the top 5 as far as defensive speed, from the games that I’ve watched around the country so far this year. I would go on to say that as far as defensive secondary, lateral, and vertical speed, Mizzou isn’t as fast as Texas, not stating this as fact, just my opinion. Just wondering what your opinion is on this?
I tend to agree
Just lower scores for both teams.
I really, really REALLY like how this game sets up for Nebraska.
Offense:
-Martinez finally found his groove and undoubtedly gained confidence throwing the ball.
-It’s now obvious that there’s a cost to stacking the box against Nebraska
Defense:
-Mizzou is nowhere near as good offensively as OSU
-The Blackshirts will be looking to prove the OSU game is a fluke
-Missouri’s one dimensional almost by design, and considering that one dimension is passing, that’s not a good sign for their success against our secondary.
Intangibles:
-Both teams know that this is for the North, I’m sure both teams want it bad.
-I’m guessing Nebraska’s players are getting really tired of hearing about how they can’t defend Memorial Stadium.
I think Nebraska will play well, and if they do, Mizzou won’t win. 31-14 Huskers.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
oh one other intangible
Mizzou just beat the #1 team in the nation. How often do you see something of a letdown after a huge win like that? To one degree or another, I’d say around 90% of the time.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
I agree with you on all counts
except for the score. But, the score prediction is just that.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Oct 26, 2010 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions
OU
Also thought Missouri was one dimensional until MU rushed for 175 and abused the defensive lineman. But sure, Missouri only averages 4.4 yards pet carry.
From what I have seen
Missouri’s rushing offense is almost entirely of the off-tackle/sweep variety. Sweeps don’t work against Nebraska, period, and the only team to make the off tackle play work was Oklahoma State, and whoever your running back is now is no Kendall Hunter. Nebraska is vulnerable to the run—between the tackles—because our linebackers are undersized, but easily the fastest you will have seen all season. I have not seen much evidence that Mizzou can pound the middle of any defense, much less ours.
I’m not knocking Mizzou’s offense—it’ll be either the 2nd or 3rd best offense we’ve played so far this year. It’s just that what you guys do well meshes almost perfectly with what we stop well.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
So Texas's defensive backs are poor then?
I seem to remember Nebraska’s receivers getting open on them all day because they had no safety support. You can’t count on drops as a defensive gameplan.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
hmm
You can’t count on drops as a defensive gameplan.
I hope they do, and I hope we don’t oblige them.
OkSt
Is really the only game that Martinez truly passed significantly, he was on he bench when passing began in earnest against UT. And, yes, OkSt had awful backs.
Didn't say they didn't
And if you watched the Texas game, you would know that Nebraska would have been fine with Martinez throwing it had our receivers not had a historically bad game. It continued and became even more noticeable after Lee came into the game but they’d dropped at least 3 first downs and a TD when Martinez was still in there.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
But
It wasn’t Martinez….plus didn’t UT have it’s son turnovers and/or dropped passes? I know were talking about the capacity to pass but everyone keeps acting like UTplayed this great game and NU played badly…seems like everyone made mistakes.
NU had one turnover
Plus a turnover on downs that happened on—wait for it—a dropped TD pass. UT had no turnovers.
Texas did have two dropped TD passes. Both were diving attempts and one was contested. Texas settled for 10 points on those two drives so the drops cost them 4 points.
Nebraska got 6 points on our 4 dropped TD pass-tainted drives, costing us 22.
But really, the argument isn’t over whether we should’ve won the game or not. On most days we do, but that’s in the past now. Basically my point is that if Mizzou sells out to stop the run, they’ll do it at the cost of Nebraska receivers being open. Unless you catch the same breaks Texas did, I don’t see that being a workable strategy.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
But
If Missouri gets significantly better pressure on Martinez than UT, which has been the case all year, thsn the consequences won’t be the same.
Texas got plenty of pressure on Martinez
I’m confident your defensive line is no better than theirs. They’ve just played far stronger competition, which keeps their stats down.
You had one nominal sack against Oklahoma. Nebraska’s offensive line will be much closer to OU’s in ability to anyone else you’ve played so far this year…and Martinez is much tougher to sack than Jones.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
I am
Equally confident that Missouri has a better front four than Texas, if only because Aldon Smith is so outrageous. And while MU only sacked Jones once they were on his ass all night and knocked him down repeatedly.
Sigh
Against OU, Texas sacked Jones twice for 23 yards, and held OU to 2.4 YPC.
Mizzou, in a more favorable environment, sacked Jones once for 3 yards and held OU to 4.6 YPC.
Can we please put this ridiculous argument to rest already?
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
We
Will agree to disagree, I think A. Smith is good enough to start for Texas….he was all over the place against OU in spite of clearly being in agony from his recovering fracture.
Smith is an absolute stud, no doubt about it
And yes he could start for Texas. None of the others could though. I mean dude, the stats are right in front of you. Texas did twice as well on sacks and on YPC.
Let me say it again: Mizzou. Is. Good. They just aren’t Texas (defensively).
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
NO,
MISSOURI IS THE BEST AT EVERYTHING!
by George W. Beadle on Oct 26, 2010 4:22 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm just wondering
how tiny this column can get.
this is the longest set of replies I’ve ever seen.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on Oct 26, 2010 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
At Brew Crew Ball
Replies get to the tiny-column stage almost once a week. That’s how you know an argument has gotten waaay off topic, or just absurd, or both.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 26, 2010 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions
I actually thought
This argument was relatively on topic and not too weird.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
You're right
I was referring to that blog, not this one. You guys kept it real.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 26, 2010 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions
YOU SIR, HAVE JUST WON THE FUNNIEST THING EVER POSTED ON THE INTERNET AWARD!
I am equally confident that Missouri has a better front four than Texas
@GochFaceKiller on Twitter
It's always possible
But the only head to head matchup that we have shows that Texas is statistically superior by a considerable margin.
Tell you what: Go over to BON and convince them that you’ve got a better defensive line. Do that, and I’ll believe you.
Until then I’m sticking to my guns: Texas has the best front 7 in the Big 12 and it’s not close.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
Missouri will get pressure on TM
and will undoubtedly have a couple sacks (they’ve been doing it all year), I think that there will be other times that TM breaks contain and scrambles for 15+.
Hopefully for NU this will even out the loss of yards, but it could be difficult to break many plays since MU can get a good rush with just the front four. Though, I would imagine that the speed of TM is likely better than MU faced at the QB position thus far this season (admittedly, I don’t know with any certainty) and will hopefully allow him to escape your defense when otherwise not possible this season.
We won’t know until Saturday.
by George W. Beadle on Oct 26, 2010 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions
Again, not to knock Mizzou
I feel that they are a very good team and a legitimate threat to beat us if we don’t play well. They outplayed and beat the #1 team in the nation last week.
All that said, this stuff about them being #2 in points allowed per game and #1 in sacks (I’m losing track) isn’t really relevant in my book. They’ve built those stats against truly awful competition.
They’ve only played two offensive outfits that are proven to be consistently good and in those two games Mizzou gave up 51 points, 850 yards, and only got 2 sacks for a total loss of 9 yards. They’re not a bad defense, and those numbers are fairly respectable. But top 5 nationally? Come on….
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
Fair, although
A&M had been awfully consistent and MU demolished them in College Station without Smith.
A&M's been up and down
Keep in mind they had that 27 point performance against FIU and only scored 17 against an Arkansas team that got smoked for 65 a couple weeks ago.
They didn’t really take off against lowly KU this week until they pulled Johnson who’s been really inconsistent so far this year.
I don’t know what to think of that A&M win for Mizzou, as A&M has been one of the more schizophrenic teams of the Big 12 this year. So I left them out of the equation and focused on the two offenses that I knew were usually pretty good week end and week out.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
week in* and week out
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
Just a thought
One person even suggested that Missouri’s defense was closer to OkSt than Texas’.
I saw a very similar statement here on CornNation (I think by Mr. CornNation himself), but it was that Missouri’s defense was closer to Texas’ than OkSt. Is it possible you read it wrong?
Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. - Mark Crispin
I think it's too early to tell on that question
Athletically I feel pretty comfortable in saying that Mizzou is closer to OSU than Texas. In terms of discipline they probably have both of them beat.
Overall, I find it hard to get a good feel for Mizzou’s defense, considering that they’ve played three offenses so far this year (OU, A&M, and SDSU) that haven’t been perfectly awful all year. Only OU and SDSU have been fairly consistently good. They gave up 27 and 24 points to those two teams, which aren’t bad numbers, but not what strikes me as a dominant effort either.
Overall, I’d say Mizzou probably has the 2nd best offense and 2nd best defense we’ve played so far this year, which brings up an interesting point. The best defense Nebraska played held our offense (very flukily I might add) to 6 points. The 3rd best….is who knows, but the SDSU game aside, we’ve lit up everyone else. Where will Mizzou’s defense fall? I’m thinking the upper 20-lower 30 point range.
Mizzou’s offense is also the 2nd best we’ve faced. The best offense we faced tagged us for 41 points. The third best got us for 21; 14 if you take out that 7 yard drive Green gave UW. Obviously Mizzou isn’t going to win this thing by only scoring 17ish points, although to be honest, I think Washington was probably better suited than Mizzou to beat the Blackshirts (UW had a downhill running game and a very dangerous receiver, Mizzou has neither).
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
Come on...
Discipline and scheme can only account for so much. OkSt has a dreadful defense they’re like 100 in the country despite playing more cupcakes than anyone else. (WashSt, Troy, Tulsa, LaLafy). Please stop saying MU has same defensive talent as OSU, it just doesn’t mesh with reality.
It actually does
OSU does not have an unathletic defense. They’re simply not well coached. Mizzou’s defense is well coached, and are thus a significantly better defense than OSU’s. You should take it as a compliment, not an insult.
Think discipline and scheme don’t matter? The 2007 and 2009 Nebraska units had many of the same players.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
I think it matters....
But if you give up 94 pts to Troy, Tulsa, and LaLaf…you’ve got problems beyond scheme.
Listen to yourself
Do you honestly think Troy, Tulsa, and LaLaf put up big numbers on Oklahoma State because they were more athletic than the BCS opponent they were playing?
I’m not saying OSU is a good defense, not even close. But in terms of speed and general athleticism, they’re not terrible.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
The pace of Oklahoma State's offense in the first half was incredible.
During their first long touchdown drive, they were snapping the ball with more than 20 seconds left on the play clock on every play. I’ve never seen an offense move that quickly outside of the two-minute warning.
Then they slowed down quite a bit in the second half – they started snapping the ball with 10-15 seconds left on the play clock. I wonder if they got tired, or if they had some miscommunication, or if they only gameplan to move at warp-speed on one or two drives a game.
The Blur
Cheese,
Have you seen Oregon run their offense (I’ve heard it called the Blur)? Against UCLA, there were about a dozen times they snapped the ball with more than 30 seconds left on the play clock, and once that I saw when they snapped it with 33 seconds left on the clock. Unreal.
by newbie34 on Oct 26, 2010 9:56 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Yup.
Mrs. Rev. is a Eugene native. We watched the Ucla game, too. I’m thinking Oregon might finally get through the Pac10 unscathed this year, but if not, a NU-Ducks matchup in a BCS second-tier game is a distinct possibility. Which should be fun in our house.
"...when the devil says to you: do not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to."
— Martin Luther
I haven't seen Oregon this year
Other than highlights. Heard legends of their pace, though. Incredible.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 26, 2010 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions
Ridiculously quick!
It was like a video game on easy setting against UCLA. Start at the opponent’s 20.. 10 yard gain, 30 yard gain, 15 yard gain, 10 yard gain, 15 yard TD run. And 1 minute of game time elapsed.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Oct 26, 2010 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions
Good recap, Jon.
I argued with my brothers that the Pelini defense is set up to primarily contain QBs and prevent big plays – sacks, etc. are a byproduct of good play, not scheme. So without a monster like Suh in the defense this year, we’re getting more of what the Pelinis want: a defense that forces teams to drive down the field to beat us. I’m surprised, like you, at how easily teams are getting Crick and Steinkuhler out of position, though. Perhaps the long, lean DT is not as well-suited for this defense as a shorter, stockier guy like Suh?
On the flea-flicker: because our safeties bit and bit hard on the run fake, Prince had ZERO help on the deep route to Blackmon. I was amazed that he was as close as he got, considering how badly he was originally beaten. That kind of closing speed will make him a very, very rich man next year.
I’m one who has argued for some (SOME) more traditional looks in certain situations, just to keep defenses off balance. Let’s face it, there are only so many running plays you can run from a shotgun/pistol formation, and to my mind, tossing the occasional fullback trap or 41 toss into the mix just gives defenses one more play to think about and try to stop. That having been said, I thought Wats called a brilliant game this weekend, and I finally see a little of what he’s been talking about in regards to Martinez as a passer. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this year and three more years with Martinez at the helm of this offense.
"...when the devil says to you: do not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to."
— Martin Luther
I'm still not sold on Martinez as a passer
Granted, he had a couple of TD passes dropped against Texas, but really this game was the first time he aired it out a lot and had success. Some part of me still gets nervous when I see him drop back to pass and when I see the ball fly through the air. I really hope that Missouri decides to respect the pass this week more than Oklahoma State did so that there are more opportunities for runs.
i've noticed
that when he goes through his drop back and passes right into it he does extremely well, I’m too lazy to actually watch the game film and put some numbers together…so when he goes through a 3 or 5 step drop back and immediately throws i don’t get too nervous anymore, it’s when he has to check down through his progressions that I get a little fidgety.
He went
through his progressions very methodically specifically in the second half, when he wasn’t being flushed. And when he was flushed he kept his eyes downfield. Its pretty neat to see the difference between the SDSU game and OkSt.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Oct 26, 2010 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
yea
he did alot better in the 2nd half, I was just saying that it still makes me nervous when he has to do that, if he keeps improving in that aspect he’s gonna be damn scary come the end of the season.
Agreed
The first few games made me think, “Wow! This guy can throw pretty good when its called.” Then SDSU happened where he threw it right between the numbers of defenders.
I’m back on board with his passing skills though. His great passing day wasn’t a product of defenders falling down or people just getting burnt on routes (except Kyler Reed’s TD). It was great play recognition, patience, finding the holes in the zone, and ball placement. There were a couple of passes that Niles had to dive for but, that’s every QB.
I’d rather have him run 20 times for 250 yards than throw 35 times though.
by HuskerINtheArmy on Oct 26, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions
On that Reed he actually hit him in stride,
so even though it was poor coverage, he didn’t make him wait under the ball like he did in the Kansas State game. I think that shows development as well.
That said, there were still some passes that he hung the receivers out to dry but they actually made the catch this week. For as poor as Paul played agains Texas, he really bailed Martinez out on a couple of throws against OSU. One play specifically, TM avoided the rush and I was nearly certain he was going to scramble (which is not a bad thing with his speed, obviously) but instead he kept his eyes downfield and found an open Paul, but the diving effort that Paul made to adjust to the ball was excellent.
Martinez obviously has much development left but he looked much more comfortable in the OSU game than any of the previous games.
by George W. Beadle on Oct 26, 2010 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Even as a passer
Martinez’s best asset is his legs. Why? Because he forces the linebackers to come out of coverage of the short/middle routes and spy on him. On one of his key third-down passes against OSU, all three of Okie’s linebackers were doing QB spy duty, leaving the medium-depth routes wide open.
That’s what encourages me about Martinez’s passing – even when other teams aren’t loading the box, they still have to keep one or two (or three) guys home to QB spy, and that leaves wide open receivers and easily makeable passes.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 26, 2010 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Could be a long day...
If Missouri’s veteran O-line dominates our D-line the way I think they will. I have yet to see any fire from Crick or ‘kuhler that would make me believe they can get any pressure on Gabbert. Here’s hoping they prove me wrong.
by cowboy_in_the_wind on Oct 26, 2010 11:14 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
Defense
Our denfense needs to step up and start playing like blackshirts. If the Callahan/Cosgrove defense that showed up for the last 3 games we will be in trouble. If the Pelini Bros defense that played against KSU/Wash shows up it’s going to be a dog fight.
Huskers 38-35
Taariq Allen Chooses Nebraska
Taariq Allen, WR/DE, 6’3 Senior from Rivers H.S., has chosen to play at Nebraska next year. He was an All new England selection last fall. That’s all the info I have.
Nice
Snagging one from New England. And supposedly Cody Green’s brother is making his announcement tomorrow. Supposedly, he’s going to commit to us.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
Is that Aaron Green?
If so, I wonder how this year’s QB situation will impact his decision, if at all. Some have heard rumors he’ll be transferring after the season.
"...when the devil says to you: do not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to."
— Martin Luther
It's possible
Although I don’t see CG getting a starting job anywhere. He’s just not qb material.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
I'd be sad to see him go
But not that sad. He deserves a real shot somewhere, and it’s probably not going to be here. For being completely passed over as NU’s quarterback of the future, though, he seems to have taken it amazingly well.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 26, 2010 5:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Correction
He’s not Cody Green’s brother but DB Andrew Green’s brother. I guess that takes care of that.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
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