A Purple NU fan

[shakes3858]

Just hoping to talk some football. Fortunately, my Cats are looking better after a dreadful start to the season. We can call these excuses, or we can call them explanations... either way here's what's happened so far.

Purdue W: Great first half on offense. Let Rondale Moore break off some big plays in the 1st half. Offense in the 2nd half did nothing!!! Might be because we were playing musical quarterbacks.

Duke L: Our back up tackles got beat like a drum after the opening drive. We gave up 21 mostly on chunk plays. Super boring game.

Akron L: You can't win when you gave up 21 points in the 2nd half to the opposing defense. I don't care who you're playing. We gave up 2 pick sixes and had a fumble six (copy write pending). Thorson owned up to it and took responsibility saying in a press conference that he was responsible for 3 of Akron's TD.

Michigan L: Started off very strong. Offense lost their spark and did not score in the 2nd half for the 3rd time this season. Winovich and others destroyed our OTs in the 2nd half.

MSU W: Still saw issues on offense, I'll get to below. We could not run the ball, but MSU has the #1 rush defense in the country. I'd still like to have more than 8 rushing yards. Defense played well but gave up the big plays to Felton Davis.

Break down
Offense: We are weak at tackle and lack explosive play makers. That means most scoring drives need to be of the 8-12 play variety. Drives are tough to maintain when you need short gain after short gain. Give up a sack: can't make it back. False start, drives over. Get a run stuffed, can't get a big play on thrid and long. Throw an incomplete pass, kills the drive. To make matters worse, our best play maker, Jeremy Larkin, retired for medical reasons. Clayton is a solid smart QB and can make all the throws. I think he's better throwing short than deep, but we're not throwing deep often with our playmakers. JJ Jefferson is a true freshman that has been making some big plays.

Defense: Mike Hankwitz is our DC. You're welcome to argue with me, but I think he's the best in the country. Our defense probably took a step back from last season with the loss of Tyler Lancaster (super strong DT) and 2 safeties that had a lot of PT. The saying is "some teams rebuild, others reload." We're definitely in between the rebuilding and reloading phase on defense, but we're certainly closer to the reload and have guys on defense that have stepped into those spots. Those guys particularly the safeties are showing their lack of experience making mistakes and giving up the big play, but you can tell they're learning.

I'm happy to give honest answers on any questions you have on NU football. If you're going to the game, I can help direct you to places to go in Chicago or help you formulate tailgate/parking plans.


Ok, so questions for you guys:

What the holy hell is going on this year? Is Frost's system/personality/coaching style not a good fit with the current set of players? Is Frost getting the blame or is it Riley's recruiting/lack of development the issue? Is the probability of Frost coaching Nebraska next year 100% or the seat warming?

Defense: Based on box scores and stats, I'm looking at run defense being a primary issue against Michigan and Wisconsin. Any points of strength or weakness in the run defense? Those two teams run a very different scheme than my Cats. I see that Colorado couldn't get much down on the ground. Is Nebraska better against the run vs a spread offense than a power running game?

Offense: Any guys to watch out for? What's going on with Martinez's health? I thought he was out for the year after week 1, but I see he's playing. How good is he and what's his potential going forward? I always think of Nebraska having really good RBs. Any young guys coming down the pipe? It'll be really interesting to see how different teams are using the new 4 game redshirt policy and what does a team's record have to do with that.

Morale: Tough seasons happen. I know I went Northwestern.... We don't have tough seasons, we have historical bad runs of seasons. How's the team morale? I heard rumors that everyone surrounding the program knew that Riley was done and Frost was coming in toward the end of last season and that crushed morale toward the end. Is this the type of team that will turn it around or is the plan to bring up a group of new guys over the next 2-3 years?

 

[huskerfan66]

Coach Frost feeling no heat

 

[9and4]

You wrote "run defense" and "Nebraska" in the same paragraph. I laughed.

 

[LHNEAGLE]

Just hoping to talk some football. Fortunately, my Cats are looking better after a dreadful start to the season. We can call these excuses, or we can call them explanations... either way here's what's happened so far.

Purdue W: Great first half on offense. Let Rondale Moore break off some big plays in the 1st half. Offense in the 2nd half did nothing!!! Might be because we were playing musical quarterbacks.

Duke L: Our back up tackles got beat like a drum after the opening drive. We gave up 21 mostly on chunk plays. Super boring game.

Akron L: You can't win when you gave up 21 points in the 2nd half to the opposing defense. I don't care who you're playing. We gave up 2 pick sixes and had a fumble six (copy write pending). Thorson owned up to it and took responsibility saying in a press conference that he was responsible for 3 of Akron's TD.

Michigan L: Started off very strong. Offense lost their spark and did not score in the 2nd half for the 3rd time this season. Winovich and others destroyed our OTs in the 2nd half.

MSU W: Still saw issues on offense, I'll get to below. We could not run the ball, but MSU has the #1 rush defense in the country. I'd still like to have more than 8 rushing yards. Defense played well but gave up the big plays to Felton Davis.

Break down
Offense: We are weak at tackle and lack explosive play makers. That means most scoring drives need to be of the 8-12 play variety. Drives are tough to maintain when you need short gain after short gain. Give up a sack: can't make it back. False start, drives over. Get a run stuffed, can't get a big play on thrid and long. Throw an incomplete pass, kills the drive. To make matters worse, our best play maker, Jeremy Larkin, retired for medical reasons. Clayton is a solid smart QB and can make all the throws. I think he's better throwing short than deep, but we're not throwing deep often with our playmakers. JJ Jefferson is a true freshman that has been making some big plays.

Defense: Mike Hankwitz is our DC. You're welcome to argue with me, but I think he's the best in the country. Our defense probably took a step back from last season with the loss of Tyler Lancaster (super strong DT) and 2 safeties that had a lot of PT. The saying is "some teams rebuild, others reload." We're definitely in between the rebuilding and reloading phase on defense, but we're certainly closer to the reload and have guys on defense that have stepped into those spots. Those guys particularly the safeties are showing their lack of experience making mistakes and giving up the big play, but you can tell they're learning.

I'm happy to give honest answers on any questions you have on NU football. If you're going to the game, I can help direct you to places to go in Chicago or help you formulate tailgate/parking plans.


Ok, so questions for you guys:

What the holy hell is going on this year? Is Frost's system/personality/coaching style not a good fit with the current set of players? Is Frost getting the blame or is it Riley's recruiting/lack of development the issue? Is the probability of Frost coaching Nebraska next year 100% or the seat warming?

Defense: Based on box scores and stats, I'm looking at run defense being a primary issue against Michigan and Wisconsin. Any points of strength or weakness in the run defense? Those two teams run a very different scheme than my Cats. I see that Colorado couldn't get much down on the ground. Is Nebraska better against the run vs a spread offense than a power running game?

Offense: Any guys to watch out for? What's going on with Martinez's health? I thought he was out for the year after week 1, but I see he's playing. How good is he and what's his potential going forward? I always think of Nebraska having really good RBs. Any young guys coming down the pipe? It'll be really interesting to see how different teams are using the new 4 game redshirt policy and what does a team's record have to do with that.

Morale: Tough seasons happen. I know I went Northwestern.... We don't have tough seasons, we have historical bad runs of seasons. How's the team morale? I heard rumors that everyone surrounding the program knew that Riley was done and Frost was coming in toward the end of last season and that crushed morale toward the end. Is this the type of team that will turn it around or is the plan to bring up a group of new guys over the next 2-3 years?

 

[LHNEAGLE]

Any advice on places to see and tailgating for visitors to Evanston? Would it be wise to take the train from Chicago or is there parking available within walking distance to the stadium? TIA and Good Luck!

 

[kerpal_68]

I wish I was going to the game this year but we will be at home with our 3 week old child. I enjoyed my time there two years ago but wish their was better access to bars places to drink around the stadium. I don't think the one restaurant that had booze next to the stadium was expecting so many Nebraska fans that needed a place to drink.

 

[LHNEAGLE]

I wish I was going to the game this year but we will be at home with our 3 week old child. I enjoyed my time there two years ago but wish their was better access to bars places to drink around the stadium. I don't think the one restaurant that had booze next to the stadium was expecting so many Nebraska fans that needed a place to drink.

Only one place to get a beer by the stadium? Damn!

 

[headcard]

Ok, so questions for you guys:

What the holy hell is going on this year? Is Frost's system/personality/coaching style not a good fit with the current set of players? Is Frost getting the blame or is it Riley's recruiting/lack of development the issue? Is the probability of Frost coaching Nebraska next year 100% or the seat warming?



Defense: Based on box scores and stats, I'm looking at run defense being a primary issue against Michigan and Wisconsin. Any points of strength or weakness in the run defense? Those two teams run a very different scheme than my Cats. I see that Colorado couldn't get much down on the ground. Is Nebraska better against the run vs a spread offense than a power running game?



Offense: Any guys to watch out for? What's going on with Martinez's health? I thought he was out for the year after week 1, but I see he's playing. How good is he and what's his potential going forward? I always think of Nebraska having really good RBs. Any young guys coming down the pipe? It'll be really interesting to see how different teams are using the new 4 game redshirt policy and what does a team's record have to do with that.



Morale: Tough seasons happen. I know I went Northwestern.... We don't have tough seasons, we have historical bad runs of seasons. How's the team morale? I heard rumors that everyone surrounding the program knew that Riley was done and Frost was coming in toward the end of last season and that crushed morale toward the end. Is this the type of team that will turn it around or is the plan to bring up a group of new guys over the next 2-3 years?

What the holy hell is going on this year? Is Frost's system/personality/coaching style not a good fit with the current set of players? Is Frost getting the blame or is it Riley's recruiting/lack of development the issue? Is the probability of Frost coaching Nebraska next year 100% or the seat warming?
Frost will be at Nebraska for the long haul, so no his seat is not warm, but that hasn't stopped a portion of the fan base (particularly this board) from totally losing their minds, but we are kind of known for that. There are lot of issues at play, but the main one is that this team has gone through alot, and they are mentally weak. They came out ready to play against CU and when we gave that game away and AM got hurt, we basically packed it in and felt sorry for ourselves. I think we are starting to come around again, but it has been rough. In addition, we have had a ton of roster turnover, which is needed, but we currently have some huge holes and lack depth at some important spots, big time. The bigest place you see our lack of mental toughness is penalties, where we are dad last in the nation in both penalties per game and penalty yards per game. This is the biggest difference in the game Saturday, the #130 team in penalties headed to play the #2 team.

Defense: Based on box scores and stats, I'm looking at run defense being a primary issue against Michigan and Wisconsin. Any points of strength or weakness in the run defense? Those two teams run a very different scheme than my Cats. I see that Colorado couldn't get much down on the ground. Is Nebraska better against the run vs a spread offense than a power running game?

I'm not sure we are good against anything, but we have been better at stoping the run against spread teams. We aren't big enough or strong enough upfront to hold up against teams like Michigan and Wisconsin, but we do have some pretty athletic guys up front, that make plays from time to time, but get pushed around far too often.

Offense: Any guys to watch out for? What's going on with Martinez's health? I thought he was out for the year after week 1, but I see he's playing. How good is he and what's his potential going forward? I always think of Nebraska having really good RBs. Any young guys coming down the pipe? It'll be really interesting to see how different teams are using the new 4 game redshirt policy and what does a team's record have to do with that.

AM got hurt late in the opener against CU and then missed the Troy game the following week. He has played since and he is very talented. He has had over 400 yards of total offense each of the past two weeks against Purdue and Wisconsin. He still makes Freshman mistakes but he is an electric athlete with a big arm. The best players on our team are probably AM and a pair or WR (Morgan and Spielman), because of them we move the ball up and down the field pretty well, but because of penalties, we don't score. As an example: we currently average more yards per game than Michigan, but average 17 less points per game! As for young backs, true Freshman Maurice Washington shows a ton of potential. He is think and can't handle too many carries yet, but he is talented. Last week, he had a 70 yard kick return and a 40 yard run, both called back because of penalties.

Morale: Tough seasons happen. I know I went Northwestern.... We don't have tough seasons, we have historical bad runs of seasons. How's the team morale? I heard rumors that everyone surrounding the program knew that Riley was done and Frost was coming in toward the end of last season and that crushed morale toward the end. Is this the type of team that will turn it around or is the plan to bring up a group of new guys over the next 2-3 years?

I think there is a core of young skill players on this team that will be a big part of the turnaround (AM, Washington, Speilman), but we need to remake both lines and get some athletes at CB and OLB. yes, last years team tanked, but it started long before last year. These kids have been through alot and I feel for them. As an example, a fifth year Safety at Nebraska has now has 3 head coaches, 4 DC's and 5 position coaches.

 

[husker2612]

Ok, so questions for you guys:

What the holy hell is going on this year? Is Frost's system/personality/coaching style not a good fit with the current set of players? Is Frost getting the blame or is it Riley's recruiting/lack of development the issue? Is the probability of Frost coaching Nebraska next year 100% or the seat warming? Hard to say for sure what the exact cause is. Probably a bit of both, with a heavier lean towards Riley and just be a shitty coach. The player ran the show when he was here. That is a hard thing to break. Frost is 100% safe even if we go 0-12. Most husker fans realize this place was a mess long before he got here. Most are going to very patient and give him time to get his players and system in place. I see him getting a min of 4-5 years pretty well no questions asked.

Defense: Based on box scores and stats, I'm looking at run defense being a primary issue against Michigan and Wisconsin. Any points of strength or weakness in the run defense? Those two teams run a very different scheme than my Cats. I see that Colorado couldn't get much down on the ground. Is Nebraska better against the run vs a spread offense than a power running game? Our D is horrible all the way around. I would say minus the Colorado game our pass D is the stronger of the 2. However teams can pretty well choose how the want to beat us.

Offense: Any guys to watch out for? What's going on with Martinez's health? I thought he was out for the year after week 1, but I see he's playing. How good is he and what's his potential going forward? I always think of Nebraska having really good RBs. Any young guys coming down the pipe? It'll be really interesting to see how different teams are using the new 4 game redshirt policy and what does a team's record have to do with that. Martinez I believe is 100% or very close. He was had some sort of ligament strain or knee sprain towards the end of the Colorado game after a dirty player dried to rip is leg off. lol Of course nothing was done about it.
Our O line is so bad it make a RBs not look as talented as the really are. Ozigbo is north/ south type of RB who is afraid to go toe to toe with a D lineman. Washington is true Fresh, but the kid is going to be a star. He is very quick and seems to always make that first guy miss. We get a descent O line the kid will be tough to stop down the road.
We have to very good WR in Spielman and Morgan. If our line gives enough time they can become very dangerous. Spielman just set a record against Wisc D for most yards by 1 player, something like that.

Morale: Tough seasons happen. I know I went Northwestern.... We don't have tough seasons, we have historical bad runs of seasons. How's the team morale? I heard rumors that everyone surrounding the program knew that Riley was done and Frost was coming in toward the end of last season and that crushed morale toward the end. Is this the type of team that will turn it around or is the plan to bring up a group of new guys over the next 2-3 years?
I and many believe the teams mental state is the biggest issue on this team right now. Riley had no expectations and no standards. The kids pretty well did what they wanted and how they wanted. They became use to half ass-ing it for 3 years and putting the min amount of work in as possible. They also became accustom to losing, not only losing but being ok with it. That mindset is tough to get away from. Now Frost comes in and it is, my way or the highway type of thing. Many guys didn't like that and some have left the program.
Long term, Frost no doubt wants to clean house of as many of Riley players as possible especially the upper class men. I think if we could have played our first game against Akron and got a win. This season and team looks very different. We have the talent and coaches to be a 3-2 team. As someone said we have to be the best 0-5 team in history. It is a mental thing, this team needs to believe what Frost is doing will work. Right now they aren't seeing it so I think some have sunk back into that Riley mindset of, "Oh well, here we go again". So getting that first win will be huge for how the rest of the year turns out I believe.

 

[shakes3858]

Thanks headcard and husker 2612

Only one place to get a beer by the stadium? Damn!

There's 10 mile house and Bluestone close to the stadium on Central street. Bluestone is a terrible bar (golf themed) and 10 mile house is normally insanely packed game day. I'd avoid them both. If you're looking for a spot to have lunch after the game I'd recommend heading to downtown Evanston. Several good spots. Just heading all the way to Chicago is a good plan as well. I'll give one shoutout to Smylie Brothers in Evanston. It's a brewery with good BBQ. Another option would be to park at Old Orchard, have a bite and a beer there and take an Uber to the game. I've never done that, but I think you wouldn't get towed.

Any advice on places to see and tailgating for visitors to Evanston? Would it be wise to take the train from Chicago or is there parking available within walking distance to the stadium? TIA and Good Luck!

You can park on campus and tailgate and take a free shuttle to the game. It is walkable to the stadium from the North end of campus. I'd take the train in though. CTA and Metra stations are very close to the stadium.

Places to see in Evanston: Campus is beautiful. It's right on Lake Michigan. North Campus is dominated by a building known as "Tech." It's something like the 3rd largest building under 5 stories in the world after the Pentagon and the Kremlin. I haven't seen it yet, but the new practice facility is on the North End as is a giant addition to the business school. The Shakespearean Garden is something I never "got" but people like it. If you're near South Campus, you can walk under the arch way on Sheridan Road and Chicago Ave. Check out some old buildings and see how they tied in the new ones. That pathway will lead to "The Rock." Student groups paint it every night. If you're looking for something a little more cultural, the Bahai Temple or the Halim Time and Glass museum are options (I'd rather go watch more football).

I could spend hours giving you places in Chicago if you'd like.

 

[DudznSudz]

I'd say our guys are nailing what is going on right now. In a way, I am heartened to hear that we are all basically thinking the same things and seeing the same things. And I also totally agree that Frost is going to be given MINIMUM 4 years to get us winning again, and probably longer because I would say by then, we absolutely will be.

To answer your points for myself:

1.) What is wrong is very complex: Bad luck, new scheme and coaching staff, and most importantly, a bunch of players that don't know how to win and have been through too much staff turnover to even know which way is up anymore. I feel bad for them, but am also eager for them to graduate and get out so fresh players can come in, learn the Frost system, and start whipping ass.

The point about penalties is a good indicator of this. We get penalties on what seems like at least 50% of our plays. It's truly spectacular, and during the Wisconsin game, we almost turned into a drinking game. Why is this? I'm not sure. I know UCF was fairly heavily penalized at times last year, but its not supposed to be THIS bad. I would chalk it up to mental fatigue and lack of discipline.

2.) Defense:
Good side: We're actually 30% better than we were last year, based on our stats!
Bad side: Last year's D was legitimately terrible, so improving 30% on god-awful only has made us mediocre.

Spin: We'll get better. We will only field a truly amazing D every few years or so, because Chinander's system is very attack-based and doesn't mind giving up a big play now and then. But, we're already doing better and we will continue to do so as we get bigger and recruit better.

3.) Offense: I mean...you can see a little of what they're trying to do, and sure, we have some great skill players and a really great QB who, unfortunately, is a true freshman...but holy shit our O-line is garbage and our blocking is either a holding call or a miss most of the time.


Overall take:

This year is going to be one ass kicking after another. I wouldn't be shocked if we went 0-12 honestly.

Having said that, you can see improvements every week (outside of penalties and the dumpster fire that is special teams). We just haven't put it all together yet.

Next year we will be very good, and our schedule is a lot more favorable. I'm looking forward to watching THAT team play.

 

[shakes3858]

BTW, the depth chart that came out today and the injury report that is coming out later this week should be stamped "Based on a true story." I think calling them complete works of fiction is an overstatement, but yeah, don't take them seriously.

 

[meo1960]

Any advice on places to see and tailgating for visitors to Evanston? Would it be wise to take the train from Chicago or is there parking available within walking distance to the stadium? TIA and Good Luck!

I used to have Northwestern season tickets. I always could find free parking on a side street within a 10-15 minute walk to the stadium.

 

[TheBeav815]

Any advice on places to see and tailgating for visitors to Evanston? Would it be wise to take the train from Chicago or is there parking available within walking distance to the stadium? TIA and Good Luck!

Depends on your definition of "walking distance." If you're in the city, take the L, it's just way easier than driving and likely faster. You'll take the Red Line to Howard station then switch to the Purple Line. That's what I did when we lived down in the city. Now that we're in the burbs we drive down and park in a neighborhood, then it's like a 10 min walk to the stadium.

You never know when there will be bonkers traffic for no reason in the city, plus if you wanna have a couple drinks you're not driving.

There are good places in downtown Evanston, buddy of mine manages a bar called The Cellar.

In all of Chicago the Museum of Science and Industry remains one of my favorite things. I never get tired of the seeing the U-Boat.

 

[shakes3858]

Depends on your definition of "walking distance." If you're in the city, take the L, it's just way easier than driving and likely faster. You'll take the Red Line to Howard station then switch to the Purple Line. That's what I did when we lived down in the city. Now that we're in the burbs we drive down and park in a neighborhood, then it's like a 10 min walk to the stadium

The Metra is faster and you can drink beer on the train. You need to check times though. Sometimes they don’t work out well.

 

[huskerfan66]

Depends on your definition of "walking distance." If you're in the city, take the L, it's just way easier than driving and likely faster. You'll take the Red Line to Howard station then switch to the Purple Line. That's what I did when we lived down in the city. Now that we're in the burbs we drive down and park in a neighborhood, then it's like a 10 min walk to the stadium.

You never know when there will be bonkers traffic for no reason in the city, plus if you wanna have a couple drinks you're not driving.

There are good places in downtown Evanston, buddy of mine manages a bar called The Cellar.

In all of Chicago the Museum of Science and Industry remains one of my favorite things. I never get tired of the seeing the U-Boat.

Went to the museum of science and industry in the early 90s. I agree it's a must see since I will probably never get to the Smithsonian

 

[ThereIsNoPlace]

Just hoping to talk some football. Fortunately, my Cats are looking better after a dreadful start to the season. We can call these excuses, or we can call them explanations... either way here's what's happened so far.

Purdue W: Great first half on offense. Let Rondale Moore break off some big plays in the 1st half. Offense in the 2nd half did nothing!!! Might be because we were playing musical quarterbacks.

Duke L: Our back up tackles got beat like a drum after the opening drive. We gave up 21 mostly on chunk plays. Super boring game.

Akron L: You can't win when you gave up 21 points in the 2nd half to the opposing defense. I don't care who you're playing. We gave up 2 pick sixes and had a fumble six (copy write pending). Thorson owned up to it and took responsibility saying in a press conference that he was responsible for 3 of Akron's TD.

Michigan L: Started off very strong. Offense lost their spark and did not score in the 2nd half for the 3rd time this season. Winovich and others destroyed our OTs in the 2nd half.

MSU W: Still saw issues on offense, I'll get to below. We could not run the ball, but MSU has the #1 rush defense in the country. I'd still like to have more than 8 rushing yards. Defense played well but gave up the big plays to Felton Davis.

Break down
Offense: We are weak at tackle and lack explosive play makers. That means most scoring drives need to be of the 8-12 play variety. Drives are tough to maintain when you need short gain after short gain. Give up a sack: can't make it back. False start, drives over. Get a run stuffed, can't get a big play on thrid and long. Throw an incomplete pass, kills the drive. To make matters worse, our best play maker, Jeremy Larkin, retired for medical reasons. Clayton is a solid smart QB and can make all the throws. I think he's better throwing short than deep, but we're not throwing deep often with our playmakers. JJ Jefferson is a true freshman that has been making some big plays.

Defense: Mike Hankwitz is our DC. You're welcome to argue with me, but I think he's the best in the country. Our defense probably took a step back from last season with the loss of Tyler Lancaster (super strong DT) and 2 safeties that had a lot of PT. The saying is "some teams rebuild, others reload." We're definitely in between the rebuilding and reloading phase on defense, but we're certainly closer to the reload and have guys on defense that have stepped into those spots. Those guys particularly the safeties are showing their lack of experience making mistakes and giving up the big play, but you can tell they're learning.

I'm happy to give honest answers on any questions you have on NU football. If you're going to the game, I can help direct you to places to go in Chicago or help you formulate tailgate/parking plans.


Ok, so questions for you guys:

What the holy hell is going on this year? Is Frost's system/personality/coaching style not a good fit with the current set of players? Is Frost getting the blame or is it Riley's recruiting/lack of development the issue? Is the probability of Frost coaching Nebraska next year 100% or the seat warming?

Defense: Based on box scores and stats, I'm looking at run defense being a primary issue against Michigan and Wisconsin. Any points of strength or weakness in the run defense? Those two teams run a very different scheme than my Cats. I see that Colorado couldn't get much down on the ground. Is Nebraska better against the run vs a spread offense than a power running game?

Offense: Any guys to watch out for? What's going on with Martinez's health? I thought he was out for the year after week 1, but I see he's playing. How good is he and what's his potential going forward? I always think of Nebraska having really good RBs. Any young guys coming down the pipe? It'll be really interesting to see how different teams are using the new 4 game redshirt policy and what does a team's record have to do with that.

Morale: Tough seasons happen. I know I went Northwestern.... We don't have tough seasons, we have historical bad runs of seasons. How's the team morale? I heard rumors that everyone surrounding the program knew that Riley was done and Frost was coming in toward the end of last season and that crushed morale toward the end. Is this the type of team that will turn it around or is the plan to bring up a group of new guys over the next 2-3 years?

Reported

 

[shakes3858]

Reported

Reported me for what reason?

 

[DudznSudz]

REPORTED FOR REPORTING!

 

[ThereIsNoPlace]

Reported me for what reason?

 

[Sinomatic]

Reported me for what reason?

Because there was no trolling in your post.

Please troll within 30 seconds so we know you're not a bot.

 

[shakes3858]

Because there was no trolling in your post.

Please troll within 30 seconds so we know you're not a bot.

Sorry boss. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Nebraska fans so I won’t troll you guys. Iowa fans, Wisconsin fans, Ohio State fans, Notre Dame fans, and the worst Michigan fans I’ll be happy to troll.

Here’s some thoughts on Michigan fans. They did outnumber us in our stadium. You will too. I took an Ohio State fan to the game because she hates Michigan. Rashan Gary went down in the game. During the injury timeout, my friend turned to me and said “it’s so quiet.” I said “well yeah, their best player is on his back.” Later in the game, one of our players went down. While the trainers were tending to him, Michigan fans started a stadium wide Go Blue chant. Absolutely, zero class. One thing you don’t do is cheer when a 20 year kid who is playing for free is staring up at the sky.

 

[Sinomatic]

Sorry boss. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Nebraska fans so I won’t troll you guys. Iowa fans, Wisconsin fans, Ohio State fans, Notre Dame fans, and the worst Michigan fans I’ll be happy to troll.

Here’s some thoughts on Michigan fans. They did outnumber us in our stadium. You will too. I took an Ohio State fan to the game because she hates Michigan. Rashan Gary went down in the game. During the injury timeout, my friend turned to me and said “it’s so quiet.” I said “well yeah, their best player is on his back.” Later in the game, one of our players went down. While the trainers were tending to him, Michigan fans started a stadium wide Go Blue chant. Absolutely, zero class. One thing you don’t do is cheer when a 20 year kid who is playing for free is staring up at the sky.

Right on brother!

It's a novel concept that you can enjoy the weekend with family and the game and still be a decent human being. More friends is more friends right??...even if they wear the wrong color

Everything I've heard about the Purple NU has been good, hopefully the Red NU is good to you guys here Saturday. With no injuries this time.

GO BIG RED!!!

 

[shakes3858]

Right on brother!

It's a novel concept that you can enjoy the weekend with family and the game and still be a decent human being. More friends is more friends right??...even if they wear the wrong color!

I’ve had a saying I’ve been using... “sports are fun because there is another team. If there wasn’t, you’d be practicing for nothing.” That means some people like that team!!!! Who would’ve thought.

I’ve got to give props to Kentucky fans too. Everyone I met at the Music City Bowl was friendly, talked football, and had a good time. The entire team ran over to shake Thorson’s hand when he went down. Very classy and It really stuck with me!

 

[Redondo]

Just hoping to talk some football. Fortunately, my Cats are looking better after a dreadful start to the season. We can call these excuses, or we can call them explanations... either way here's what's happened so far.

Purdue W: Great first half on offense. Let Rondale Moore break off some big plays in the 1st half. Offense in the 2nd half did nothing!!! Might be because we were playing musical quarterbacks.

Duke L: Our back up tackles got beat like a drum after the opening drive. We gave up 21 mostly on chunk plays. Super boring game.

Akron L: You can't win when you gave up 21 points in the 2nd half to the opposing defense. I don't care who you're playing. We gave up 2 pick sixes and had a fumble six (copy write pending). Thorson owned up to it and took responsibility saying in a press conference that he was responsible for 3 of Akron's TD.

Michigan L: Started off very strong. Offense lost their spark and did not score in the 2nd half for the 3rd time this season. Winovich and others destroyed our OTs in the 2nd half.

MSU W: Still saw issues on offense, I'll get to below. We could not run the ball, but MSU has the #1 rush defense in the country. I'd still like to have more than 8 rushing yards. Defense played well but gave up the big plays to Felton Davis.

Break down
Offense: We are weak at tackle and lack explosive play makers. That means most scoring drives need to be of the 8-12 play variety. Drives are tough to maintain when you need short gain after short gain. Give up a sack: can't make it back. False start, drives over. Get a run stuffed, can't get a big play on thrid and long. Throw an incomplete pass, kills the drive. To make matters worse, our best play maker, Jeremy Larkin, retired for medical reasons. Clayton is a solid smart QB and can make all the throws. I think he's better throwing short than deep, but we're not throwing deep often with our playmakers. JJ Jefferson is a true freshman that has been making some big plays.

Defense: Mike Hankwitz is our DC. You're welcome to argue with me, but I think he's the best in the country. Our defense probably took a step back from last season with the loss of Tyler Lancaster (super strong DT) and 2 safeties that had a lot of PT. The saying is "some teams rebuild, others reload." We're definitely in between the rebuilding and reloading phase on defense, but we're certainly closer to the reload and have guys on defense that have stepped into those spots. Those guys particularly the safeties are showing their lack of experience making mistakes and giving up the big play, but you can tell they're learning.

I'm happy to give honest answers on any questions you have on NU football. If you're going to the game, I can help direct you to places to go in Chicago or help you formulate tailgate/parking plans.


Ok, so questions for you guys:

What the holy hell is going on this year? Is Frost's system/personality/coaching style not a good fit with the current set of players? Is Frost getting the blame or is it Riley's recruiting/lack of development the issue? Is the probability of Frost coaching Nebraska next year 100% or the seat warming?

Defense: Based on box scores and stats, I'm looking at run defense being a primary issue against Michigan and Wisconsin. Any points of strength or weakness in the run defense? Those two teams run a very different scheme than my Cats. I see that Colorado couldn't get much down on the ground. Is Nebraska better against the run vs a spread offense than a power running game?

Offense: Any guys to watch out for? What's going on with Martinez's health? I thought he was out for the year after week 1, but I see he's playing. How good is he and what's his potential going forward? I always think of Nebraska having really good RBs. Any young guys coming down the pipe? It'll be really interesting to see how different teams are using the new 4 game redshirt policy and what does a team's record have to do with that.

Morale: Tough seasons happen. I know I went Northwestern.... We don't have tough seasons, we have historical bad runs of seasons. How's the team morale? I heard rumors that everyone surrounding the program knew that Riley was done and Frost was coming in toward the end of last season and that crushed morale toward the end. Is this the type of team that will turn it around or is the plan to bring up a group of new guys over the next 2-3 years?

looks like a good thing Nebraska didn't play Akron, then

 

[z28craz]

Thanks for the posts, very good analysis of Northwestern and enjoyable to read. I agree with most who have posted about NU (Nebraska) this season, but I’ll add my two cents.

Frost is a great coach. His number one task is to change the culture, which is 20 years of crap to turn around. It’s going to take time, and IMO he has 5+ years of patience and support from the the fans and administration. So even at 0-12 this year, he’s just fine, and the overwhelming amount of Husker fans see where he wants to go, his previous success and coaching pedigree, and is willing to wait knowing that there are far more successful seasons to come. I would say in addition to Frost, and I think vastly underrated, is the new AD and the culture the AD is instilling in the entire athletic department. We’ve been plagued by some pretty crappy AD’s that lacked vision and direction, most notably for the football program, but that has changed and in time it will drive success not only in football but in many other sports as well. Its starts at the top, and having a successful AD and Football coach is going to be a powerful combination in the coming years.

Defense - It’s hard for me to type this, but I think we lack talent and identity. It’s hard to say that you need a “defensive identity.” Most people think of that in terms of an overall team identity, or an offensive philosophy that sets the tone for the team identity. Most don’t think of defensive identity. But the Blackshirt mentality/identity has been MIA since 2009, and was pretty much $h!tc@ned under Riley, especially last year. We also lack talent. There just aren’t a ton of playmakers on defense. We have some guys that are talented, but very few who are game changers and in the places that we do have some talented guys, there’s no depth. I think from a recruting perspective there’s going to be a short term need to get some talented guys at every level of defense.

Offense - Adrian Martinez, Maurice Washington, Stanley Morgan, and JD Spielman are all highly talented players. Each one of those guys is a big play threat every time they touch the ball. They all have breakaway speed and have a tendency to make guys miss. If they stay on current trajectory, Washington, Morgan and Spielman all have the talent, size and speed to play on Sunday’s. Martinez could as well, but it’s less likely. Devine Ozigbo is a good every down back. He doesn’t have the breakaway speed that Washington has, but he’s a bruiser who runs north/south and very rarely goes down on first contact. He’ll go toe to toe with D-linemen and Linebackers all day long. Our offensive line is maybe a step above garbage. When they do provide good pass pro Martinez is leathal. When they do block the above guys will pick up big gains. When they don’t block the results are generally disastrous, ending in a penalty more often than not. Just like the defense, we have talent in certain areas namely the skill positions, but we lack depth. Across the offensive line, we lack both talent and depth. The bottom line on the offense is that it can be explosive and very difficult to stop when it clicks. More often than not we’re our own worst enemy. Outside of Michigan, the only team that has really been able to slow down the Nebraska Offense with any consistency is the Nebraska Offense.

I think even though we’re 0-5 the team morale is good. Frost has lost 15 players to transfer (three coming during game prep weeks) since taking over back in December and we’re looking at roughly 50% roster turnover since that time. With those losses, the new faces and the fact that we are so incredibly young on both sides of the ball (I’ve lost track of how many true freshman are seeing significant playing time) it just adds up to a difficult year. I think the guys that are on roster and in it for the long haul see the potential of the staff, and have bought in to the vision of where they’re going. For some reason that first win has become elusive. But I think once this team/staff gets that first win monkey off their backs, then they will truly turn the corner and we’ll see far more wins than losses.

I expect this one to be a fairly close evenly matched game. IF, and that’s a big, huge, unlikely, I have to chuckle as I type it if, Nebraska can keep it to 2 or fewer turnovers, and 6 or fewer penalties, then I think we win. If not, then it’s Northwestern’s game to lose.