I am in an irritated mood today. Only part of it can be blamed on Alabama. More of it (by percentage) can be blamed on the hangover from the 2011 college football season, which I'm glad is over. And then even more of it can be blamed on the idea that we're already talking about next season when I haven't gotten over the last one.

Talking about Husker football doesn't bother me in the least, but this idea that we just bang right on into 2012 as if we're close to a pre-season, man, shouldn't we stop for a week or two and burn everything we bought and/or were given during the 2011 season to make sure the bad goes away and doesn't return? Or hasn't anyone else thought of that?

Maybe I'll just try to stay out of everyone's way today, focus on my work, rarely look up and hope the day gets over without incident.

Hey! Maybe I'll get cheered up when Doc Sadler picks up his first Big Ten win in men's basketball tonight against Penn State!

Yeah! That's the ticket!

Continue reading this post »

Not as many links as I would have hoped for, but with so much football (and most of it better football than what Nebraska played) not a lot of coverage of the game. maybe most people didn't see the horror that was the second half? We can only hope. And you watched the game, you know what happened.

We all do....

So lots of unrest from the beat reporters today. How are you feeling the day after? I know that 9 wins seems to be the rallying cry for the diehard supporters, but it's not just the losses, it's the way Nebraska lost. It reminds me of how far Nebraska is from winning a championship, ANY championship. Criticism should not be viewed as an attack on the staff or the program, just sports fans doing what they do.

Report card: Nebraska vs. South Carolina

OVERALL: C- You expect some timing issues and a few mistakes in a bowl game, since it's been five weeks since the last game. But the Huskers were simply atrocious in the second half, with nine penalties and zero points in a game that was there for the taking. Nebraska had four false-start penalties and was going on a silent count. How does that happen? This was an undisciplined performance by a team that should be better at this point in the season. The game plan seemed to be the right one, but Nebraska was its own worst enemy for much of the game

Really a C-? I'm thinking a D.

And some other thoughts on that plan of attack...

Scout.com: CFN Analysis - South Carolina Rolls Big Red

It’s not 1983. And Tom Osborne is no longer the head coach in Lincoln. Nebraska is never going to compete for national championships again unless it can develop more of a threat from the passing game. The Huskers called a solid game in the first quarter, but it gets too easy for opponents to make adjustments when the other guys are so blatantly one-dimensional.

............

- I like what Taylor Martinez brings to the running game, but his passes look like they're coming from a low-level high school quarterback.

- I would welcome Rex Burkhead to my mythical college football team all day long.

So looking ahead, Nebraska needs to develop Martinez as a passer, and develop more weapons other than Martinez and Burkhead for the offense. This becomes especially important for next year with the defense looking to be completely rebuild.

More happy link good times after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

My writing has been pretty lousy lately, so instead of attempting to write something coherent, you're going to be getting Corn Flakes more often than you've seen in the recent past.

Todd Graham leaves Pitt for Arizona State after being at Pitt for only a year, and spending that year talking about things like ethics and class and all the stuff that coaches are supposed to talk about because they're paid millions to talk like that and not really give a damn if it stands for anything other than the millions they're paid.

Devin Street Goes On Impressive, Lengthy Twitter Rant About Todd Graham

Continue reading this post »

So it's been a few days, but well I've been busy...

So have the cats...

So that was the rivalry game. So yeah what'd you all think?

I'm thinking this is going to go the way of the Colorado/Nebraska "rivalry". Iowa fan wanting it, while Nebraska fan refuses to acknowledge them or the rivalry. See if you agree: Nebraska fan sees themselves as belonging to the Bluebloods of college football. How many National Championships do we have? Who one the Game of the Century? Who has the most sell-outs, ect. and I don't see Nebraska fan wanting to be associated with Iowa, I can't see them thinking of them as an equal, much like how Nebraska fan felt about K-State, and Colorado.

I see Nebraska looking longingly at Michigan for a rival. Now there's a rival, Big Blue, lots of wins, The Big House, and we play in the same division! Course there's the whole tOSU relationship... kinda like how Oklahoma was/is Texas. 

But we'll see, maybe I've read Nebraska fan wrong, maybe Iowa starts knocking Nebraska around and the sports hate develops and this starts to evolve like Missouri-Nebraska did. I can say this, I enjoyed beating Iowa, and looking at the fan reactions they didn't like losing to us at all. So it's a start.

Enough of my ramblings. On to the Hero's Links!

Up Next The Bowl Game!

Life in the Red's Blog | The day after: Husker bowl speculation

Looks like the Capitol One Bowl, or the Gator Bowl, both on Jan 2 against an SEC team.

Post Week 13 - 2011 Bowl Projections - Off Tackle Empire

Capital One Bowl- Nebraska vs South Carolina You could see Sparty, Arkansas, or Georgia here, but I'm betting that the CapOne picks two teams who have never been to the bowl before.

Big Ten Friday mailblog - Big Ten Blog - ESPN

there's a strong desire from the Florida bowls to invite Nebraska, which has played only one bowl game in the state (2009 Gator) since facing Tennessee in the 1998 Orange Bowl. Michigan State might slip to Outback or Gator if it loses the Big Ten title game because, as you say, the Spartans have made many bowl trips to Orlando in recent years.

I'm ok with Florida and an SEC team. Of course Nebraska will be too slow, and the SEC team will be the greatest thing ever.

How close with Bo to being on the hottest seat ever? The OWH seems to think pretty darn close.

Continue reading this post »

I hate doing these after a loss, but there are things that need to be said.

I watched the first half, then was driving home. My Dad called during my drive, and I thought either Nebraska won the game on a great play, or they were in a full meltdown, he wouldn't call for any other reason. Well if you watch the game you know the reason for the call.

The links outline the long list of problems from the game. Go ahead and chime in with your thoughts.

'Murphy's Law' game leaves NU with lopsided loss - Omaha.com

Four personal fouls. Three fumbles. Three sacks. A 23 percent third-down conversion rate. Two dropped coverages that led to touchdowns. One dropped snap that led to another.

and this isn't even all the issues, coaching, dropped passes, ugh just kill me now.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy: Big Loss in the Big House as Michigan Dominates the Huskers

While that ended any chances Nebraska had to come back, the horrible officiating was not the reason why Nebraska lost this game. Michigan's defense dominated the Huskers today, and it started up front. No room to run whatsoever meant Nebraska needed to throw the ball...and the receivers pretty much sucked all day long. Make a catch, keep a drive alive...maybe something happens for the Huskers. And we can't go into this review without bringing up special teams: two fumbled kickoffs? A blocked punt? These errors turned a 10 point loss into a 28 point trip behind the woodshed. It was the final straw that made this game way too ugly.

Oh yeah the horrible officiating! I've been warned that the officials in the B1G were horrible, and they were against Nebraska on Sat.

More of what you don't want to read after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Well the Penn State fall out continues, but I'm excited about a possible OU NU Fiesta Bowl match-up.

But of course Nebraska needs to get by Michigan this weekend, not that I'm worried the blackshirts always handle a mobile QB just fine... oh wait...

Well lots to get to:

BCS

SoonerNation: Fiesta Bowl eyeing Oklahoma Sooners, Nebraska Cornhuskers - ESPN

The Fiesta, however, believes that a potential matchup with former conference rivals Oklahoma and Nebraska would become a hot ticket for both fan bases and generate big TV ratings nationally.

M vs N

Life in the Red's Blog | Huskers' injury rundown

-- Starting tight end Ben Cotton is doubtful

-- Starting LG Andrew Rodriguez also is doubtful.

-- Reserve offensive guard Brandon Thompson and backup wideout Khiry Cooper are "day-to-day" because of injuries.

-- Pelini expects reserve guard Brent Qvale to return to action this week.

Big Ten Week 12 preview - Big Ten Blog - ESPN

No. 16 Nebraska (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) at No. 18 Michigan (8-2, 4-2), ESPN: Not much at stake here. Just a virtual elimination game in the Legends Division race. Plus, whoever wins could be in good shape for a BCS at-large bid even if it doesn't claim the division title. Oh, and these are two blue-blood programs who have only played six times and who split the 1997 national title.

We didn't split it, it's ours.

Delayed Kneejerk Reaction, Week 11 - Off Tackle Empire

For Nebraska, it was an important win after their stunning home loss to Northwestern, and it sets up what is essentially a Legends Division elimination game with Michigan next week. They're still a game behind Sparty, but if MSU trips up in the last couple of weeks Nebraska holds the head to head tiebreaker, so it's not over yet.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? It's not over until we say it is!

HONORS

Life in the Red's Blog | Maher honored by Big Ten

And just when you thought NU would have problems with the kicking game with Henery leaving, NU reloads. How much do you think Boise would pay for Maher?

Weekend rewind: Big Ten - Big Ten Blog - ESPN

Biggest play: Lavonte David's stop of Silas Redd on 4th and 1 from the Penn State 37 with 1:49 left. The Nittany Lions trailed 17-14 and had all the momentum after scoring two touchdowns to get back in it, and they handed the ball to their best player on the game's biggest play. But Nebraska's star defender was better and made a great, everything-he-had tackle. That play was an illustration of why David is the Big Ten's best linebacker.

Our ace beats your ace.

Well more Penn State news after the jump (did you see the SNL skit? well you can after the jump)

Continue reading this post »

I'm not linking to any more stories about the Penn State scandal. I'm guess that you have already read enough about everything that happened, and nothing new has come up, though a lot of people want to start rehashing it again already. So only game related links today.

The game was an emotional and physical drain on the players. So much so that even the cats were affected.

And Penn State has just started

What did you think of the Burkhead under center? Or going for it on 4th and 1? What about the ESPN coverage? Does the secondary or dropped passes concern you more? The links have thoughts, what are yours?

WINNER BEST LINK AWARD

Husker Mike's Blasphemy: Huskers Hold off Penn State in the "Game That Probably Shouldn't Have Been"

ESPN's broadcast was a travesty on all accounts. I understand the need to cut GameDay fifteen minutes short; it would have been awkward going from Lee Corso's headgear pick straight to kickoff in State College. But seemingly all day, Penn State and Joe Paterno were portrayed as the victim. Yes, the players had nothing to do with the abuse, but Paterno did. Sticking a camera and reporter outside JoePa's house was out of line. Meanwhile, ESPN's broadcast of the game itself was woefully inadequate. It's one thing for Versus or FSN to put together a crappy broadcast, but the "Worldwide Leader"? Take that "fumble" of the handoff between Burkhead and Legate. ESPN was more concerned with showing fans and Pelini complaining to the refs than trying to figure out why Pelini was so upset. Thank goodness for Twitter, where someone with a DVR created their own instant replay and let us know what really happened on the field.

I'd post the whole thing if I could, this is the best break down from anywhere, and I'm not just saying that cause Mike posts here. Read it and tell me otherwise.

BOWL GAMES

Post Week 11 - 2011 Bowl Projections - Off Tackle Empire

Capitol One Bowl: This looks to be 10-2 Nebraska/Michigan winner versus 10-2 Arkansas. Should Arkansas upset LSU on Black Friday, then this could be the Tigers or Tide, depending on how the BCS standings play out.

What we learned in the Big Ten: Week 11 - Big Ten Blog - ESPN

The losses by Boise State and Stanford on Saturday may have greatly enhanced the Big Ten's chances of getting an at-large BCS bid, and Nebraska's fan base will make it attractive to big bowls. If the Blackshirts defense can keep playing more like they did against Penn State than they did against Northwestern and Rex Burkhead continues leading the offensive charge, Bo Pelini's team could make its first BCS appearance in a decade.

Must beat Michigan. Scared of mobile QB....

Does Nebraska get an "A"? Find out after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Things look like they've calmed down at Penn State, they didn't burn the place to the ground, so it's fair to say we'll still be having a football game. 

BTN will be playing the Penn State Board of Trustees Press Conference, repeating it until Nittany Lion interim coach Tom Bradley is announced at a press conference at 11:00 AM. 

The absolute worst news of the morning is that there's a RUMOR that Jerry Sandusky used the Second Mile Foundation to pimp out kids to rich donors. This is a RUMOR, and honestly, is really hard to believe because it wants us to believe that the cover up extended to many more sick people than just Sandusky, and it's really hard for sick people to keep their sicknesses hidden. Or maybe I'm just praying that this stays a rumor because we really don't need things to get any worse than they really are.  

Back to that football game thing. Do you guys think it should go on? Should Nebraska go to Penn State and play football on Saturday? I'd like to hear what you're thinking. 

Continue reading this post »