In some ways, these are useless articles at this point in the season. We know that Nebraska's offense is a mess. Dirk Chatelain's article points that out in ways that resemble being murdered with a blunt instrument.
We know that Nebraska's defense is outstanding..... well... you and I know that. Last night I called into EDSBS Live, talking to BON's Peter Bean and EDSBS's Orson, and heard the comment that Nebraska's defense (paraphrased) is merely pedestrian. After all, we play in the Big 12 North...... and therefore whatever we have to offer when compared to the mighty Florida and Texas squads must pale in comparison. Bastards.
I'll continue with the "Under the Hood" articles in the current format because some day we will look back on this and laugh, and the ability to put a stake in the ground is important when you're a few years down the road.
The theme on last night's EDSBS live was chaos - whether or not fans were rooting for chaos to occur (rather than the natural order of things, which... of course, is Florida vs Texas if you're Bean/Swindle) as if that could harm the monstrosity that is the BCS.
On my call, I subtlety pointed out that Nebraska is the only Big 12 North team capable of beating Texas. (This of course elicited the defense "ain't that great" comment by Bean.) Nebraska is capable of creating massive chaos by accomplishing that feat...... of course, Nebraska is also capable of losing the next three games.... that "kick a field goal on first down" joke from a few weeks ago isn't so funny any more.
What's going to happen against Kansas? Who knows. No one knows. That is chaos - specifically, a state lacking order or predictability. Most see it as a bad thing, which I've always found puzzling. If everything is predictable, isn't that the most boring life imaginable? Is that what people really want - a boring life? Perhaps.....
Husker fans may do well to embrace chaos as a friend for the rest of this season. It could be beautiful - think of it - if we can win the Big 12 North and somehow manage to beat Texas, then a lowly, disrespected half of a conference would take a BCS bowl, bringing howls and cries to the rest of the nation.
Or it could be horrific, beating beaten by Kansas, Kansas State, or Colorado (or any combination), losing the North, going to a lesser bowl game and knowing that the best defense this century was wasted because the offense couldn't be counted on to score ten points.
If I were in charge (and I mean, really really in charge) and I offered you a choice:
- Nebraska beats Kansas, Kansas State, and Colorado, but for compensation for that favor must lose to Texas in the Big 12 title game.
- Nebraska's fate is it's own, with the chance to beat Texas in the Big 12 title game.
Which would you choose? Order? Or Chaos?
Offensive Statistics
| Nebraska | Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush YPG | 145.56 (63/6) | 127.78 (86/8) | |
| Rush YPC | 4.34 (50/4) | 3.77 (88/9) | |
| Rush TDS | 13 (73/10) | 17 (34/6) | |
| Pass YPG | 201.4 (77/10) | 303.8 (8/2) | |
| Pass YPA | 6.8 (80/10) | 7.4 (49/5) | |
| Pass TDS | 13 (63/8) | 17 (27/5) | |
| Pass Efficiency | 126.49 (71/9) | 137.13 (38/5) | |
| Total Offense | 347.0 (84/11) | 431.6 (24/3) |
Defensive Statistics
| Nebraska | Kansas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush YPG | 93.33 (9/3) | 117.67 (35/7) | |
| Rush YPC | 2.66 (5/2) | 3.58 (46/8) | |
| Rush TDS | 5 (9/3) | 15 (76/11) | |
| Pass YPG | 179.6 (21/2) | 227.2 (69/4) | |
| Pass YPA | 5.3 (5/2) | 6.3 (33/5) | |
| Pass TDS | 3 (1/1) | 12 (55/8) | |
| Total Defense | 272.9 (11/3) | 344.9 (47/7) | |
| Scoring Defense | 10.3 (2/1) | 24.2 (62/8) |
Nebraska vs Opponent Positional Ranks
| Total Offense Rank | Nebraska Opponent | Total Defense Rank | Total Offense Rank | Kansas | Total Defense Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Florida Atlantic | 113 | - | Northern Colorado | - | |
| 94 | Arkansas State | 48 | 54 | UTEP | 115 | |
| 70 | @Virginia Tech | 23 | 65 | Duke | 28 | |
| 81 | UL-Lafayette | 88 | 26 | Southern Miss | 64 | |
| 56 | @Missouri | 45 | 69 | Iowa State | 94 | |
| 5 | Texas Tech | 56 | 111 | Colorado | 74 | |
| 69 | Iowa State | 94 | 32 | Oklahoma | 9 | |
| 75 | @Baylor | 91 | 5 | Texas Tech | 56 | |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 9 | 79 | Kansas State | 43 | |
| 54.78 | Average | 63 | 55.13 | Average | 60.38 |