What if... Blaine Gabbert had attended Nebraska?

by Aaron Musfeldt on Mar 3, 2011 6:06 AM CST in Cobby - Humor

In May of 2007 a high school quarterback by the name of Blaine Gabbert committed to the University of Nebraska to play collegiate football. Bill Callahan was still the head football coach at UNL and Shawn Watson was putting the pieces together for his west coast offense.

However, the 2007 football season didn't go so well for the Big Red. Kevin Cosgrove's defenses became known as the "pinkshrits" and the offense wasn't able the team close in many of the big games. They lost five of their last seven games and that ended up costing Callahan his job. Some of these games were complete blowouts (Missouri 41-6, Oklahoma State 45-14, Texas A&M 36-14) including the drubbing by Kansas 73-31. At home. Needless to say, with Bill Callahan out and a lot of uncertainty about incoming coach Bo Pelini, Gabbert de-commited and stayed home to play for Missouri.

What if he had come to Lincoln?

He probably would have redshirted in 2008. Joe Ganz was a senior and led the team to a share of the Big XII north title with Missouri. The tigers had the head-to-head tiebreaker and represented the north in the conference title game that year, but this team made big strides in 2008.

Then came 2009. The woulda, coulda, shoulda year for Nebraska. This was the year Ndamukong Suh came into his own and started dominating college football. Nebraska ended up leading the country in scoring defense and lost three games by a combined four points, including the Big XII title game. Could Blaine Gabbert have been the missing piece for Watson's offense? Could he have led Nebraska to a few more points in those ever so close games? Would he have made a difference vs. Texas Tech or was that game lost simply because of our mistakes and Tech just playing better than we did that day. Of course, had this season produce more wins, Nebraska doesn't go to the Holiday Bowl and record the school's (and Holiday Bowl's) first bowl shutout against Arizona. Also, what happens in 2010?

Well, one things for sure. Had Gabbert come to Lincoln, this wouldn't have happened:

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I would've liked to see that.

Regardless of how our offense maybe wasn’t a good fit for him, or that we didn’t have a stable of good receivers to throw to…..he was by far a better talent than Lee or Green. It would been fun to see how our offense molded around his ability to accurately throw the ball downfield
I’m trying to think specifically of any throws that really cost us the game in 2009. I’m sure we had a few that Gabbert would’ve cashed in on.

"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"

GO BIG RED!

by Brian Speers on Mar 3, 2011 7:06 AM CST reply actions

That Osborne-Gabbert clip was great

Until I had to hear Ed Cunningham blustering on about “This by definition is targeting” and “This is something we’re trying to get out of this game” and “That’s 5 to 7 years in the state pen, at least.” What a blowhard.

by Cheeseandcorn on Mar 3, 2011 7:36 AM CST reply actions

I still don't know

How that is “the definition of targeting”. The play was alive, he (Gabbert) was engaged in making a play, not to metion that Gabbert saw Osbourne coming and instinctively. I still hate Cunningham.

LTC Kilgore: How you feelin' Jimmy?
Door Gunner: Like a mean motherfucker sir!

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. -Hunter S. Thompson

by Look_A_Red_Squirrel on Mar 4, 2011 1:36 AM CST up reply actions

Ed Cunningham is a stupid idiot

Ed Cunningham reminds me of the original “Blow Hole” Brian Billick. He’s a pompous, arrogant blowhard who sounds like he runs football. Listen to him in the clip. “We’re trying to get hits like this out of college football”…….like he has a say about how football is run.

What a jerk!

Meanwhile, I loved this Nebraska game, but watching the clip reminds me of Ed Cunningham and how much I hate him. Right after the sack by Osborne, he had to bring up the Eric Martin hit from the Oklahoma St. game. Talk about your Big 12 bias! Ed sounded like a Texas administrator or a Big 12 Commissioner!

You know what really sucked? The hit caused a fumble and if I remember right, the refs actually looked at instant replay and ruled it down!!! I know!!!!! He was sacked, he fumbled, and it should’ve been a TD for Pierre Allen!!!!!

Total BS!!!!!!

by wiersema1 on Mar 4, 2011 7:55 PM CST up reply actions

WRs

He still would have needed WRs to throw to and would have kept the West Coast offense scheme in place. Paul would still drop easy passes and/or fumble the ball away. McNeil would have still gotten lost on the field. Although, I think Berkhead would have benefitted from defenses worrying more about the pass, as well as more RB screens in a more west coast style offense. This one is kind of hard to gauge. In the end, we still have won 10+ games the last few years and I cannot gauge if Gabbert was the missing piece. I am happy where we are at right now without him.

by CCE718 on Mar 3, 2011 7:50 AM CST reply actions

Nebraska ended up leading the country in scoring defense and lost three games by a combined four points, including the Big XII title game. Could Blaine Gabbert have been the missing piece for Watson’s offense? Could he have led Nebraska to a few more points in those ever so close games?

In short: Probably

"I shoot, I score. He shoots, I score." - Dan Gable

by ClaybornSmash on Mar 3, 2011 8:40 AM CST reply actions

Count me in the "doubtful" category

And lets give Mizzou credit, they really did a great job of developing him as a QB. I am not sure sure that Watson really could have done that. And now, he may be the first QB taken.

Deadspin: by douche bags, for douche bags.

by meatybob on Mar 3, 2011 9:14 AM CST reply actions

Seconded

Nothing I saw from Watson suggested he can coach talent up. Missouri has a good track record getting QBs to perform, and they did well with Gabbert. Probably better than we could have, I hate to say.

by UltimaRatioRegum on Mar 3, 2011 3:28 PM CST up reply actions

Joe Ganz.

by Husker Mike on Mar 3, 2011 10:32 PM CST up reply actions

Really?

I dunno. Maybe. He did get some good numbers, but it always seemed like Neb was well behind by the time the offense got in gear against comparable competition. Down 35-0 against OU in the quarter, blown out by Mizzou and KU. I suppose he did look pretty good against TTech. The 1st half against Clemson was pretty bad.

Not to mentioned that the Big XII defenses were collectively quite bad that year.

Deadspin: by douche bags, for douche bags.

by meatybob on Mar 4, 2011 6:10 PM CST up reply actions

Forget the KU comment

Neb beat them that year. I suppose Watson did OK with Ganz. He certainly isn’t/wasn’t the talent that Gabbert is, but he was only a 2 star coming in and he was serviceable.

Deadspin: by douche bags, for douche bags.

by meatybob on Mar 4, 2011 6:28 PM CST up reply actions

I Don't Think So

Keller was the man, and Ganz popped up kind of like a nice surprise. He was a consummate student athlete that had Callahans voluminous play book down cold – right player at the right time.
Based on the before and after record of Watson Ganz seems to me to be a fluke rather than proof, and unfortunately probably part of the reason Watson was able to hang around a little longer.

by UltimaRatioRegum on Mar 5, 2011 12:38 PM CST up reply actions

That Osborne hit was such a joke

I can’t believe they didn’t call that a fumble. I don’t think they actually threw a flag on that play…and it should have been a fumble returned for a touchdown. I was at that game, and even though calls went both ways, Mizzou is lucky the score didn’t end up 45-10.

It has always gave me satisfaction knowing that he backed out of Nebraska and then the two years he played against us he went 0-2, and both games was kind of embarrassed by our defense. In 2009 it was courtesy of being terrorized by Ndamukong Suh all night which led to interceptions and other happy things for Husker fans, and in 2010 it was being terrorized by Roy Helu Jr.’s legs which forced Mizzou to throw the ball against arguably the best secondary in college football. That and our D-line totally dominated and was in his face half the time.

In all, I think it would have been better for both Nebraska and Gabbert if he had come to Nebraska. 2009 definitely would have been different…I’m guessing a 12-2 record or something like that. This season would have also been different…we may have still lost the Big 12 championship, but I think we would have beat Texas and Texas A&M. Then probably would have ended up in the Cotton Bowl and lost to LSU. So again, a 12-2 finish.

But then again, Watson might not have developed him as well, and he might have just ended up being average. The good thing is that Gabbert’s decommittment is probably what led to Watson’s being let go…he just couldn’t get a QB to work for his offense after Ganz. I think Gabbert would have worked out better for our offense the past two seasons than our other QB’s. Now we’ll (hopefully) have a better offense as we move to the Big 10 and Gabbert goes off to the NFL.

by Billgrip on Mar 3, 2011 9:57 AM CST reply actions 1 recs

My what if scenario?

I like the idea of this series. My favorite what if…what if Pederson hires Pelini instead of Callahan? I would argue Pelini actually benefited from following Callahan, and had a better chance for success because he wasn’t hired in 2004. I would love to see this one covered sometime.

by newbie34 on Mar 3, 2011 3:37 PM CST via mobile reply actions 1 recs

newbie34 that is a great "what if"...

For myself,I was one of the people wanting Pelini to be hired instead of “he who should not be mentioned”. LOL

Seriously, with "dumb*55’s track record,I’m glad he didn’t hire Bo. It only proved his ineptitude with his decisions and now Pitt & their fans have to deal with this clown.

GBR!
throw dem bones!!!

by hskrntnfreak on Mar 3, 2011 7:47 PM CST reply actions

Candy and Nuts

…and what if…Suh went to Mizzou?

by SallyMan on Mar 3, 2011 8:10 PM CST reply actions

or

Blaine went to Maine…
Taylor went to Baylor…
Prince went to Princeton…
Burkhead went to Moorehead…or Berkley.

Okay, I’ll stop.

They're 18 to 22...how perfect were you at that age?
The Power of Red begins with the Passion of Walk-Ons.

by redvalley on Mar 3, 2011 9:14 PM CST up reply actions

If Suh went to Mizzou

He might have finished college stuck somewhere in between 2007 Suh and 2008 Suh – all-conference, but certainly not superhuman.

A lot of credit goes to Pelini & Co. for helping flip the switch on him.

by Cheeseandcorn on Mar 3, 2011 11:29 PM CST up reply actions

Suh to Mizzou?

Your comment makes little sense because Suh wasn’t in the running for Missouri, was he? Unless I missed something, he was going to Nebraska, USC, or Oregon. The obvious difference is that Blaine Gabbert, and Tyler Gabbert were both Nebraska verbal commits before reneging and becoming traitors.

by wiersema1 on Mar 4, 2011 8:04 PM CST up reply actions