Here are my takeaways after watching the game back and as well as my notes on the game from watching the film.
Overall takeaway. We are going to surprise some people this year. If we can iron out the mistakes, there are only 2 games on our schedule I think we’ll be overmatched in and those are in Columbus and Madison. We can play with both Michigan and Michigan State, I haven’t seen enough of Iowa but I think we’ll be ready to go on Black Friday. I think we have a good enough team to finish 2nd in the West. Will it happen? I don’t know. But can it? Absolutely. The future is bright, Frosty was right to warn the B1G to get your licks in now because we’re on the rise.
Offensive Takeaways
QBs The sky’s the limit for Adrian, but you can tell he is used to being bigger faster and stronger than everyone he’s played against, with some of the stunts he was pulling. Elite speed, capable arm, just needs to iron out some decision making and stay healthy. Bunch will be a solid back up and we can win games with him, I’ll go so far as to say if Adrian is out for the year, we’ll make a bowl game with Bunch as our QB. This offense doesn’t require a guy with a cannon like Milton, that helps but the majority of this passing games is screens and quicks for easy yardage. We won’t be as vertical with Bunch but we’ll be fine with him at the helm.
Running backs. Devine is the bell cow of the group. he has good enough speed, vision and elusiveness but he has physicality in spades. He can’t be brought down without a gang of defenders. He’s far and away the best back. Mo Washington is going to be big time, He has Reggie Bush level Elusiveness and Speed, we have not had a homerun hitter like that in the backfield in a long time. Greg Bell, I wanted to be impressed because he got the lions share of the carries but I didn’t see much from him. He’s the most complete of the 3 backs but from what I can tell he’s a jack of all trades, master of none. Let me roll with Devine who is a bruiser or Mo who’s a slasher. Where was Miles Jones?
Receivers. We’ve taken a step back from where Keith Williams had us. Blocking on the perimeter was not good and we had way too many drops especially considering we have a true freshman QB. Routes weren’t as crisp either. I’ve like what I’ve heard from Walters but a group that talented needs to be better than they were Saturday
Offensive Line. Hallelujah we look like a D1 Offensive Line for the first time in probably 7 years. I wondered if we just didn’t have any talent at OL or if Cavanaugh was that bad of a coach. Well Cavanaugh was THAT bad of a coach. Much more physical there were a bunch of plays where our 325 pound line actually hit like 325 pound dudes. Conrad appears to be the weak link here but he looked better in the 2nd half. Gerald and Tanner get shit done, was really pleased with what they did. Farniok and Jaimes had their moments but they are still really young and raw. Once they mature though, look out. Boe Wilson got in a bit but it looked like he was swimming for the most of it.
Tight Ends. I won’t say much here but after Stoll there is quite a drop off in terms of blocking. Austin Allen can’t hold a block right now, he and Rafdal are both superior receivers to Stoll so give them time and we’ll be fine here. After watching this one I’m thinking we’re going to need Jurgens to stay here because we’ll need him to block.
Coaching/System I really like this system. It’s going to work well here, give Scott time to get the guys he needs to run it and we’ll be scoring 52 points a game. I however didn’t like Scott’s 2-minute drill with Bunch, all 90 thousand people in the building knew we were throwing why waste time doing play fakes? For the people that wanted him to kill the clock, that will not happen. He will go 110 miles per hour every game all the time and if we are blowing a team out he’ll do it with the back-ups.
Defense Takeaways
We are night and day better on Defense than we were last year. I know we gave up a lot through the air but that’s mostly because Colorado threw probably 15 shovel passes that are essentially run plays. So our Rushing Defense wasn’t as good as you think and our Passing defense wasn’t as bad as you think. Our offense put our D in a horrible position Saturday and they kept us in a game we probably had no right being in given how much we turned the ball over. The only reason we had a shot at winning was because of how well our defense played.
Defensive Line. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this defense, near the top is this defensive line. We have got some dudes, Duval has got the Davis twins playing like we all thought they could, CU couldn’t move Mick an inch, Stille tore it up rushing the passer and was getting off blocks in the run game really well too. Freedom is very solid in his own right stopping the run. But easily the most exciting thing of all on this line. Damion Daniels. Look out Husker fans, this kid is going to be special. His first snap as a collegian he drives CU’s center 3 yards into the backfield and nearly sacks Montez, CU was terrified of him they were doubling him in pass pro every time he was in. I was blown away by that kid. Newell and Neal add some depth, Newell is probably more of an end to be honest he got pushed around at Nose something CU couldn’t do at all when Mick or Daniels were in.
Inside Linebackers. Mo Barry is a grown ass man. He was all over the field with his speed and instincts he’s going to be problems for B1G Offenses. Dedrick Young isn’t far behind him, Dedrick doesn’t quite have the speed Mo has but he’s a workhorse. With how good these two are it’s going to be hard for Honas to see much action. I like Honas’ instincts but his tackling in this game was not good, hard to believe with how excited everyone in the B1G wanted him.
Outside Backers. I can see why DeWitt was raving so much about Tyrin Ferguson in camp he was everywhere Saturday, has a great motor and can get after the Quarterback. Don’t count out Gifford either, he’s got really good length and a great motor on him too.
Defensive Backs. Here’s our weakness boys, to be completely fair though, Montez is an all-conference caliber quarterback. He was dropping some absolute dimes on Saturday, nonetheless our coverage was pretty soft all around. What has improved though is our hitting. Lamar Jackson has gone from an atrocious tackler to just a bad tackler, however Colorado definitely preferred throwing at Bootle, so that should tell you something but Bootle is very physical and I like what I saw from him in that aspect. I was not impressed with Tre Neal at all. He looks like the guy that couldn’t crack the 2 deep at UCF. Soft in coverage and wasn’t much better tackling. I was impressed with Aaron Williams he was all over the place and was definitely one of the highlights of this DB group. Dontei Williams made some nice pass breakups in the action he got so that’s encouraging. The one time I noticed Cam Taylor was him getting burned on a slant in crunch time on 3rd down. Chins was right when he said baptism by fire. Antonio Reed didn’t have a great game before his penalty but his penalty was just boneheaded. He holds up on that and it’s 4th and 24 and he’s wearing a blackshirt on Monday from saving the offense from themselves. But it didn’t happen.
Coaching/Scheme. When I think of a 3-4 Defense this is what I think of, attacking pin your ears back defense that will wreak havoc on the quarterback. We have a very good front 7 that can stop the run and get after qbs, I can’t wait till we play Iowa and Wiscy who both have statues for QBs. Our DBs aren’t as bad as you think either, about 100 of those passing yards came on jet shovels which is literally just an extended hand off. This defense battled hard and kept us in a game that our Offense was making very difficult.
Colorado game Offense Notes
Starts out in empty, 10 Personnel, motions Bell in, runs an inside zone read with what looks like a pre-snap RPO bubble with Spielman, CU SAM backer was playing to the outside toward Spielman so Martinez fed it to Bell for a 6-yard gain. Conrad’s man slips off and makes a nice play, Bell would have gone for a while had Conrad held that block.
10 Personnel Bell motions out towards Trips side Martinez fakes the bubble to Bell and we run QB Power with Farniok Pulling from the RT spot. Farniok destroys the middle backer, Adrian cruises ahead for 18
10 Personnel. Trips R OL cut blocks. Slant bubble concept with Stanley and Stoll running slants and JD on a bubble picks up 8 yards.
11 Personnel. Twins L run Power with Bell, Gerald picks up the CU Mike who is blitzing, who grabs a piece of Bell, while Conrad’s man slips off of him to make the tackle. Conrad looking like the weak link on the line at this point.
11 Personnel. Twins L, motion in JD for 2 backs to make it 21 personnel. Triple option left CU Sam bites on the fake to Bell, Jaimes destroys the backer chasing down AM. Adrian gets clobbered after a gain of 11. AM looks to fumble but it pops right back into his lap.
11 Personnel. Twins R, motion JD to make it Trips R. Inside Zone to Bell, Farniok stumbles and misses his block, still gains 3.
21 Personnel, Twins R, motion JD into a bubble, Martinez reads CU Sam who stays outside and gives it to Bell, gains about 2. Bell’s vision seems suspect, he had a wide-open lane on the left and he ran it straight into a crowd. Picks up 3.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions Stoll into H back position to outside Farniok, Outside Zone Read, Martinez reads the CU Mike and feeds it to Bell, he immediately cuts it up inside and gets sandwiched between two CU defenders and the ball pops out. CU ball.
11 Personnel, Motion to Trips R with Stoll Flexed out. OL cuts (Austin knows what the hell he’s doing, this looks like a D1 line for the first time since the Callahan days) Out route to Stanley while D is playing 8 yards off, 6-yard gain.
10 Personnel, Motion Washington to Empty R. They go back to the QB power when we pull Farniok, he subsequently kills the Mike, Martinez shoots through the line and has a WIDE OPEN LANE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD, knowing how fast he is now it would have been a TD had he just run straight up field, instead he tries to juke out the safety instead of blowing by him and bounces it outside into where all the CU DBs are and fumbles. This kid can be great, he has the most potential of any Husker QB I’ve seen since Crouch but he’s still raw.
11 Personnel. Twins L after a shift. Interesting little play call here, its inside zone read with both guards pulling sort of a marriage between Power and IZ. I like it. Feeds it to Washington who slips through a tiny hole and gets 7. This PISSES me off, CU got away with a BLATANT targeting of Washington, Mo had every right to be pissed at that Mike backer. This was a cheap shot. This 6-yard gain should have been 21 and the Mike should’ve been ejected.
21 Personnel, Twins L they motion JD into the flat and run power with Stoll pulling from the H back spot. Conrad plays patty cake and his guy makes the tackle after about 2. He’s clearly the weak link of the OL right now.
11 Personnel, Twins L, motion JD and fake a direct Jet, They go with Devine on an Inside Zone and he makes a beautiful read to cut it back and drives forward for 7. Really happy for him, this guy deserves more carries. As a side Boe Wilson went in at RG and Tanner Farmer slid over to Center
11 Personnel, Twins L, PA pass, Jack Stoll needed to chip the Outside backer who could have walked over to Martinez, Adrian does a nice job standing in and tossing it out of bounds. Jack needs to know better.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions JD into the backfield, for a slot motion triple option, Adrian reads the Mike who takes Devine, End is coming hard at Adrian he tries to cut back, needed to pitch it to JD who would have likely gotten about 5 yards.
10 Personnel, 2 by 2, PA Adrian has plenty of time, finds Mike Williams sitting in the zone for a first down.
21 Personnel, Twins R, Fake IZ Counter with Washington, bounced it outside too early, needs to learn to hit the seam, picks up 7 just based on athleticism. Look out once this kid gets rolling.
11 Personnel, Trips R, we fake the Power to Washington, CU blitzes the corner, Adrian tears the kid loose from his shoes and it’s a foot race to the endzone that Martinez wins. Touchdown Huskers.
20 Personnel, Twins R, Triple Option, Adrian reads the Sam and fakes the IZ to Bell and pitches it to Tyjon Lindsey who squirts ahead for 9.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Power, Greg Bell slips through the line to pick up about 7. Pretty solid blocking all around Jaimes’ defender slips off and stumbles him. He holds that a split second longer and that was going a long way.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions Bell out to empty, Adrian drops back, plenty of time, finds Stanley on a dig route over the middle after a nice pump fake for about 15 yards.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Inside Zone, could tell who but one of our interior linemen got smoked and we pick up 2 with Bell.
11 Personnel, Twins R, We run Power with Bell, Boe Wilson either threw a cut block or fell down either way it was an ineffective pull and we grab a couple yards
Empty L, we try running a screen to the boundary side, Stoll blows his block and they tackle us in the backfield for a loss of 3.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line R, Twins R, they motion in Devine into the backfield and run Inside zone, Austin Allen gets beat by a guy half his size, Devine carries that guy and another dude 6 yards.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line L, Single Receivers to L and R, IZ with Devine, he doesn’t make a great read and runs into a pile, luckily he’s so damn strong he and Farniok, Farmer, and Conrad along with a big boost from Allen drive the pile 7 yards.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line R, Twins L, they motion Mike Williams in a touch, PA pass all day to throw, no ones open so Adrian makes a couple of guys miss and picks up 7.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line R, Twins L, inside zone with Devine he drags the pile 3 yards. I’m going to miss watching Devine play.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line L, Single Receivers to L and R, Stoll and Jaimes both pull on a buck sweep for Devine, neither get upfield and we get nothing.
12 Personnel, ACE, single receivers mirrored, Stanley motions have the distance to the TE, play action pass, Farniok gets beat like he stole something and the CU DE is in Adrian’s lap, Adrian bounces off pivots out and rolls left keeps his eyes down field and flicks it to Stanley who makes a diving catch at the 7, a better throw and he walks in for a TD but that’s nitpicky. Watching this play makes me think Adrian can take us to the promised land.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Inside Zone with Devine Jaimes, Gerald and Conrad get great blocks you could argue Gerald was holding if you’re CU but I’m not so I won’t. Touchdown.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motion Allen from Right to Left H-back, Adrian reads the Mike on an outside zone and feeds it to Washington. Austin Allen can’t hold his block and they stop Washington for a 4 yard gain.
11 Personnel, 2 by 2 with Allen split out, lousy snap, line cut blocks and we run what I think is a spacing concept where Adrian looks to feed Stanley but there is too much static there and he tries to fit it in to Spielman on the backside, incomplete.
11 Personnel, we motion Washington out to go 2 by 2 with Allen in as left side H back. We try to hit Stanley on a slant and the defender tackles him before the ball gets out of Adrian’s hand. Defensive Holding 1st Down.
11 Personnel, Allen is flexed, JD motions from left to get us into Trips R, Martinez bangs it to Mo Washington on a bubble out of the backfield, poor downfield blocking and we only grab 3 yards.
11 Personnel, Allen with JD and Mike Williams in Trips L, Motion Washington behind the trips, QB Power with Jaimes pulling from the LT spot, Farniok can’t hold his block and Adrian bounces it outside for 3.
12 Personnel, ACE, Outside Zone Read with Washington, Safety comes out of nowhere and meets Washington 2 yards in the backfield he spins out of it and picks up 3 behind suspect blocking from Mike Williams and Austin Allen.
12 Personnel, Overstacked Line R, Twins L, we Motion JD inside to fake a jet and run Inside zone with Ozigbo, our entire interior OL gets smoked and we lose a yard. Turnover on Downs
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motion JD inside from the field side, to turn it to 21 personnel, OZR Give to JD, who runs it outside for about 5 yards.
21 Personnel, Twins R, Motion JD behind the Twins, Power, Gerald picks up a blitzing DB we have hat on hat, Bell explodes through the hole for a 45 yard run. That’s exactly how you draw that play up.
11 Personnel, Twins L, PA pass Adrian holds onto it way too long, checks down to Ozigbo for no gain.
11 Personnel, Twins L, motions JD from R to L to make it Trips L, inside zone with Devine who barrels it forward for 5 yards after Jaimes got beat by the DE.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions JD in to make it 21 Personnel, Triple option, Adrian Reads the Outside backer who stumbles toward him so he feeds Devine who makes a beautiful stutter step and cuts it back inside away from 2 backers and carries 2 defenders forward for 5 yards and the 1st down.
12 Personnel, Trips Bunch R, Play action pass with Adrian rolling to his left, he honestly throws a poor ball and Rafdal dives out to make a beautiful catch at the CU 6.
12 Personnel, Trips Bunch R, Inside zone with Devine who pushes the pile 4 yards
12 Personnel, Twins R, Overstacked Line R, inside zone read, Adrian reads the backer creeping inside and keeps it and waltzs in for the TOUCHDOWN.
11 Personnel, Trips R, TE flexed out, Power with Farniok pulling from RT spot, Washington has what looks like a small crease and he tries to cut it back, he is hard to bring down, slips off 3 defenders before being finally dragged down for no gain. HALFTIME
12 Personnel, Twins R, ACE, motion Stanley from R to L, Inside zone RPO, Adrian reads the Will, stays home on inside zone and Adrian bangs it to Stanley on a 5 yard out.
11 Personnel, Twsin L, motion JD on Jet, Power with Farmer pulling to the left, Mike backer comes up and fills really nicely to stop Bell for a gain of 2.
11 Personnel, 2 by 2, Adrian drops back, wants Stanley on a Go route, Stoll is on a bubble, CU gets to him just in time, it looks like he fumbles but he holds on to it. You can tell either his calf or his knee is bothering Adrian at this point.
11 Personnel, Trips R, TE flexed out R, Line cut blocks, bubble slant concept with the Trips, Line gets through and flushes Adrian left, as he’s going down he inexplicably shotputs it out to nowhere and is intercepted for a pick 6, luckily he is called down.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Motions Ozigbo out behind Trips, flare screen with Ozigbo well blocked on the edge, we grab 15 yards.
11 Personnel, Trips L, Motions Ozigbo behind Trips, Fakes the flare screen, QB draw, Jaimes can’t quite hold his block and Stoll’s block wasn’t great either, still picks up 8 yards.
10 Personnel, 2 by 2, Adrian drops back, spacing concept, bangs it to Mike Williams for 7 yards.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Power with Devine, Jaimes gets beat across his face no gain.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Stoll Flexed out, Adrian Drops back looks off the safeties, hitches once more than is necessary, delivers a beautiful ball to JD on a Go route for the TOUCHDOWN.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Lindsey motions in from R to L to make it Trips L, PA pass, screen pass to Bell its set up beautifully 15 yard gain for Mo Washington.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Lindsey motions to R with twins, inside zone with Mo Washington, he makes 3 guys miss and picks up 10, an average back would have picked up 2. This dude is going to be special.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Lindsey motions in to make it 21 personnel, IZR triple option, Adrian reads the Mike who plays the dive, and keeps it then reads the End who crashes on Adrian and pitches it to Tyjon, Farniok misses his block and Tyjon struggles to get back to the line.
11 Personnel, Twins R, motions Mo out to make it 2 by 2, Adrian drops back, first read looks like a smash concept isn’t there so Adrian tucks it and goes 25 yards, golly this guy runs like a gazelle.
11 Personnel, Twins R, PA fake power, Adrian floats one into Stanley at the goal line and he drops it. Should have been a Touchdown. That’s on Stanley. He catches that and we win.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Motion Bell from L to R behind trips, QB power with Farniok pulling and Adrian picks up 5.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Motion JD from L to R, Stoll in H Back L, we run power and pick up 3. Bell really doesn’t impress me at all. His vision is average, he doesn’t have Ozigbo’s power, or Washington’s elusiveness, has good speed but not a burner. Of the 3 guys that got carries I’d say its Devine as clear-cut number 1, Washington number 2, and Bell 3. Will be interesting to see how this running back room shakes out.
21 Personnel, Twins R, JD motions out from back to R behind Twins. Power, Gerald pulls and crushes the Sam, Stoll gets a great block on the Mike and the rest of the Pipeline has hat on hat. Beautifully blocked play and Bell zips through for 20 yards.
21 Personnel, Twins L, JD motions out from back to L behind Twins, Looks like an RPO Inside Zone Bubble, Adrian hits the bubble, I don’t know if this was a pre or post snap RPO but it looks like the wrong read, CU had 3 perimeter Defenders and we only had 2 blockers, Stoll misses a block and its 3 v 4 advantage CU. We get 1 yard.
11 Personnel, Twins R, H back R, Motions JD from R slot behind Adrian and Bell, Inside Zone Triple option with JD in the slot, Adrian waits too long to make a decision and JD isn’t ready for the pitch JD gets on it and we lose 4 yards.
Empty with Stoll on the line, Adrian drops back to pass, is flushed left and grabs 11 of the 12 yards to bring up 4th and 1.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Stoll in H back R, the mike knifes through and dives at Bell’s legs, got to wonder why you wouldn’t bring Devine in for this play? Turnover on downs.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Adrian drops back, spacing concept with Mo in the flat, CU backer jumps the route and picks it off. Adrian needed to hit Mo Washington in the flat here.
No clue what we ran here looks like inside zone but the camera was behind, Devine comes bowling ahead and drags 3 guys 6 yards.
11 Personnel, Trips Bunch L, inside zone to Devine, missed a cutback lane but picked up 6 yards anyway. Good blocking all around
12 Personnel, Twins R, Overstacked Line L, Speed option R, Adrian sees a lane inside and cuts it up, the Sam that was the pitch key lunged at him and wrapped up his legs, Farniok drove his man back into Martinez and his knee got caught in the middle, ouch. Adrian was undisciplined here, I know for a fact Scott teaches his guys to attack the pitch keys outside shoulder had he done that he would have not injured his knee. Oh, and they called a phantom hold on Conrad. Terrible call.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Motion Mike W. from L to R behind the twins, Bunchy in the game, inside zone read with Devine who runs it into traffic for 3 yards.
Empty R, QB power, Sam is unblocked and tackles Bunch at the LOS.
11 Personnel, Stoll is Flexed left, JD motions L to R to make it 2 by 2, we cut block, Bunch is flushed right, gets a great block by Devine, steps up and delivers a strike to JD who drops it. When your walk on backup QB throws a strike to your Freshmen All American Wide Receiver you expect him to catch it. Missed opportunity.
11 Personnel, Stoll flexed out R, Trips R, Bunch drops back under heavy pressure and throws a strike to Mike Williams for 15 yards.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Bunch Drops back and CU blitzes, Bunch wisely throws it into the bleachers.
11 Personnel, Twins R, PA fake, Bunch rolls left hits Stoll who I assume is the hot receiver but we gotta burn a timeout.
11 Personnel, Twins R, PA fake, Bunch has plenty of time and finds Stanley at the 22, He had Stoll wide open on the sideline and probably should have hit him but a good play nonetheless.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed L, 2 by 2, we get a false start…
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, Throws a swing to Greg Bell who gets the 5 yards back and sucks 5 seconds off the clock.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, PA fake, has Stanley open but sails it out, was under pressure, had he had a split second longer that’s probably a Touchdown.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, PA fake, has Mike Williams on a curl but sails it out of bounds.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, CU sends heat, Bunch launches one in desperation and its out of bounds, had Stoll open over the middle, just needed a little more time.
Colorado game Defense Notes
CU starts out with a play action pass and dumps it to the TB in the flat. Lamar Jackson still hasn’t learned how to tackle and dives aimlessly at him. Back scampers for another 5 yards while Ferg keep him in front of him before Dedrick Young flies into take him down.
PA pass, CU swings out RG and RT on a quick screen. Reed does a nice job coming off a block to stop him for a gain of 2.
CU drops back to pass, Gifford and Freedom crash in while Mick swings around and Mo Barry blitzes off the edge. Montez recognizes and escapes contain and waltzes forward for 15 yards.
OZR to a reverse to a flea flicker they have Shenault 1 on 1 with Dedrick Young which is a huge mismatch in CU’s favor, Dedrick actually does a decent job in pass coverage but he’s no DB and they get a chunk.
CU screen to the right side, Reed clotheslines him after a gain of about 4
Montez fakes the IZ and has a clean pocket and finds his man in a hole in the zone at our 8.
IZ Gifford and Ferg are both in CU’s backfield, CU’s line cant move Stoltenberg with 2 guys and Barry and Neal fly in to stop them for a gain of 2
Montez hard count gets us to jump first and goal from the 4
CU runs a rub route concept by the time Tre Neal can get there CU receiver is 3 yards in the endzone. Touchdown.
CU takes over on our 24 after the fumble. CU pulls both guards on a buck sweep left, Mo Barry knifes through and Dedrick and he take the back down for a loss of 3. Our DL dominated CU on this play, they just can’t move us, THIS is exciting. But it’s all for not because Carlos had his hands on the CU center’s throat, 12 yard penalty.
CU goes Buck sweep right, pulling lineman can’t get to Barry and he blows the play up for only a yard.
CU tries an TB screen Dedrick and Mo sniff it out and blow it up before it gets a chance to start. These two are going to be fun to watch this year.
3rd and 8, CU motions Shenault and runs a bubble screen to the left. Reed tries a piss poor excuse for an arm tackle and instead of losing a yard Shenault gains 7. 4th and 1.
Wildcat with Shenault, CU goes Power and our DTs (4 down lineman get absolutely smoked) Shenault has a head of steam by the time Mo gets to him and he piles forward for the score.
Penalties absolutely killed this goal line stand for us, film study is going to be hard to watch this weekend because we are a MUCH better team than Colorado from what I’ve seen thus far, Nebraska lost to Nebraska, CU just took the W.
CU comes out with a Jet shovel pass and Aaron Williams absolutely annihilates him after a gain of 1.
CU trys another slip screen with the Tailback and Aaron Williams is all over it again.
CU drops back and has a 1 on 1 to the boundary side going at Bootle, Bootle does just enough to break up the pass. 3 and out.
Tre Neal makes an idiotic and useless block in the back and instead of starting at the 40 we are now starting at the 10. Honestly have not been impressed with him at all thus far, give his snaps to Aaron Williams. He deserves them.
CU PA pass, Daimion Daniels mauls CU’s center and pushes him back 3 yards, giving Barry room to blitz through and sack Montez with Tyrin Ferguson helping out. Daniels is going to be Big Time.
CU drops back and runs a clear out concept Tre Neal comes up and makes a really nice tackle and limits him to a gain of 4. I see why he’s out there now.
CU drops back on 3rd down and the CU OL is so worried about Daniels, that Khalil Davis rips through the guard 1 on 1 and drives Montez into the ground. 3 and out.
CU pulls the guards to the right to run Power, Mick gets off his block and Mo knifes through to stop him behind the line. Mo Barry is going to be playing on Sundays
CU fakes the dive and goes with a flea flicker, Montez throws a jump ball and Bootle is in perfect position to make the pick and promptly drops it.
CU drops back we send 4, Stille busts through a double team and into Montez’s lap for the sack. 3 and out
CU runs Jet Left shovel pass with Shenault, who gets outside, Reed can’t quite get him down, Ty Ferg and Dedrick take him down after about a 5-yard gain. While the rushing D stats look awesome a lot of it is skewed because these shovel passes are essentially runs that count as passes.
CU goes with a Sweep Right, Freedom beats his man across his face and almost brings him down, Dedrick gets upfield in a hurry along with Mo Barry and the CU back wisely rolls to the ground. Loss of 6.
CU drops back on 3rd and 11, we send 5, Alex Davis absolutely got a call on an illegal cut block from the CU back. Our DL destroys CU’s OL and 3 Huskers are all over Montez for the sack. Carlos, Dedrick and Freedom
CU drops back, Montez hits his back on a flare in the left flat, Bootle and Honas come in and make a nice tackle.
PA pass, Montez rolls right and hits Shenault on a curl, Honas Gifford and Aaron Williams bring him down quickly
Buck Sweep right Ferg blitzes off the edge and brings him down 4 yards behind the line
PA pass, quick screen to the right, incomplete
3rd and Long slip screen to the right which CU has set up beautifully, Tre Neal dives at his shoe laces, Dedrick can’t chase him down and Antonio Reed comes in and makes a hit after a 14 yard gain.
Buck Sweep R, Dedrick stumbles the back in the backfield, Lamar Jackson holds on to him long enough for the gang to get to him after a gain of 1.
CU drops back, Gifford gives pressure, CU tackle gets away with a hold and Montez charges upfield, he slips by Carlos, Honas doesn’t move his feet and gets caught in an awful attempt at a tackle. Montez runs out of bounds when pressured by Reed gain of 15.
CU drops back, all day to throw, Montez throws it into double coverage, with Dontei and Lamar in coverage, incomplete.
CU screens left Carlos makes a great play to tackle the CU receiver by his shoelaces.
3rd Down CU picks up our blitz, Montez floats it and Dontei Williams makes a great PBU
Little flare to the back, Tyrin Ferguson loses his balance and the back squirts forward to pick up 9.
PA pass, screen to the field side Gifford chases him down from behind after a gain of 7.
Buck Sweep L, Mo Barry and Freedom meet him in the hole and CU gains 2
Inside zone, Mick can’t quite get off his block in time and Mo Barry drags him down gains 6.
Power, CU back is extremely patient and turns what would be a loss of 2 to a gain of 4. Tre Neal and Ty Ferguson take him down.
Inside zone, Montez keeps it after reading Ferguson chase down the back, Dedrick crashes down off the edge and Montez has nowhere to go, Freedom wraps him up for a loss of 2.
3rd and 7, CU drops back plenty of time to throw, Montez hits his man on a wide open out for 15. Reed in soft coverage
Inside zone, Mo Barry and Carlos shed their blockers and meet the backer 1 yard from the LOS.
CU drops back, Khalil gets around Shenault, (why do they have a receiver blocking 290 pound DE?) Daimion Daniels mauls the RG and Montez has nothing to do but scramble and toss it into the stands. But its all for not because Lamar gets called for defensive holding.
Little out route to the slot receiver on 1st, Gifford is all over it CU gains maybe a half yard.
Bobbled snap, PA pass, throws it in desperation to Shenault who can’t grab it before it hits the turf.
3rd and 8 CU drops back throws a back shoulder to boundary side of the end zone, incomplete, Bootle and Dontei Williams on the coverage.
Montez wants Shenault on a flare to the left out of the backfield, Aaron Williams is all over it. incomplete
Cu goes with a slip screen to the right, Gifford is on the back immediately after he catches the ball for a TFL.
3rd and Long, Montez wants a screen over the middle and we have it sniffed out Gifford brings initial pressure to flush Montez left and Ferguson comes in to get the sack for a loss of 8. 3 and out.
Montez drops back, has Shenault on a post but Khalil Davis splits a double team gets in his face and brings him down for a sack.
2nd and 20 Montez drops back and fires a low heater over the middle Aaron Williams had a shot at it but couldn’t quite get there
3rd and 20 Carlos and Alex Davis get edge pressure and flush Montez right, he keeps his eyes down field and delivers a strike to his receiver 1 yard ahead of the 1st down marker, and Aaron Williams makes the tackle
Jet shovel pass left Bootle pushes his blocker into the runner and Tyrin Ferguson runs him down too.
Montez drops back under heavy pressure, hitches and hits Shenault, Aaron Williams drags him down after a gain of about 20.
Inside zone, Honas has an opportunity to light him up in the backfield and misses but the back has nowhere to go other wise and Mick Mo and Khalil wrap him up at LOS
PA pass, All week to throw, Khalil Mick and Carlos close in and Montez chucks it into the stands.
3rd and 9 Montez drops back and throws a damn near perfect ball to Shenault who lays out and makes a beautiful catch. Nothing we could do on that one, was just a helluva play.
Buck sweep R, nothing doing, back cuts it back and makes a nice play to get it back to LOS Ferguson and Barry all over it.
Inside zone, Freedom does a nice job getting off his block and dragging the back down after a gain of 2.
3rd and 7 Montez drops back to pass, hits his man on a flare screen to the R, good perimeter blocking by the receivers TOUCHDOWN. That was a really good drive by CU, gotta hand it to them on that one.
Jet L shovel pass to Shenault, he breaks contain and gets 7 yards before Aaron Williams knocks him out of bounds
Montez drops back to pass and hits his receiver on an out route on the right sideline, Receiver makes a beautiful catch to haul it in, when Lamar Jackson was just a step late. 1st Down.
Inside zone, Barry bursts through the line, Daniels pushes the Center back two yards and spins off of him, back runs straight into a crowd of Dedrick, Daishon Neal, and Gifford
2nd and 8 We blitz Aaron Williams off the edge and Montez lets it fly just a little too much juice and it falls incomplete.
3rd and 8 Montez drops back, Tyrin Ferguson stunts through the A gap straight into Montez’s lap, Montez jukes him out and slides after about a 6 yard gain.
4th and 2 Wildcat with Shenault, Power, Our DL gets abused this play as CU gets hat on hat, Mo drags him down at the marker. Colorado got an unbelievably good spot here.
1st and 10 Play action, rollout right, soft coverage and 2 missed tackles by Aaron Williams and Lamar Jackson, Ferguson and Dedrick wrap him up and take him down.
Inside zone, CU back tears Gifford from his sneakers and Dedrick got a little far upfield. Back makes a really nice run to get 10. Peyton Newell really shouldn’t be in at this point he was getting abused by CU’s interior which was the other way around when Daniels was in.
They go right back to inside zone, Newell gets abused, Barry gets sucked in and blocked, Freedom can’t get off his block and Aaron Williams and Dedrick get him down 10 yards upfield.
Inside zone again, Peyton Newell beats his man this time and has Gifford coming off the edge, Newell whiffs on the back but Dedrick is there to wrap him up for a loss of 1.
PA pass we send Barry on a blitz and Montez has to chuck it into the bleachers.
3rd and 11, Montez drops back, throws it to a receiver who appears to have fallen down, must have been looking for PI, incomplete.
Jet Shovel R with Shenault, Mo gets sealed inside gang of Huskers tackle him after a gain of 6.
Inside zone, with and H back kick out, H back seals Tyrin off the edge, Dedrick is blitzing and gets caught upfield, Khalil gets ahold of the CU back at LOS and the Buffs get 2.
Same inside zone play, with H back kick out, This time our DL gets a good push and Dedrick finishes the back at the LOS.
4th and 1 Speed Option, terrible call here, Gifford pushes Montez who pitches to back, Dedrick is there to bring him down on a 4 yard loss.
1st and 10 on our 32 after the pick. Power, CU back cuts it inside, Stille sheds his block and stops him after a pickup of 3.
Inside zone, with and H back kick out, Mick and Stille get their hands into the CU OL and shed them to make a tackle after 2 yards.
CU drops back, we blitz Dedrick, gets free off the edge, looks like CU runs Go’s and Outs mirrored in 2 by 2. Aaron Williams runs into Bootle and knocks him down, thankfully we got pressure and forced an incompletion cause this could have been 6.
Montez drops back and delivers a strike to Shenault how ran a about a 10 yard flag route. He makes Bootle and Ferguson miss before they can drag him out. 1st down
Montez drops back and hits his slot receiver for a 5 yard out and he gets out of bounds Tre Neal on the soft coverage.
Montez drops back and airmails it to his slot receiver on a 10 yard out, incomplete.
Cu drops back and Montez hits his slot man on a slant who burns Cam Taylor in coverage, gain of about 15.
Montez rolls out to his right, Carlos Davis gives chase and Montez chucks it into the crowd.
Montez drops back, Stille rips by the Center and RG and sacks Montez for a loss of 9.
3rd and 19 CU false starts, 3rd and 24.
3rd and 24 Montez drops back, Stille gets held badly and no flag is thrown, Montez throws it over the middle in desperation and Reed inexplicably hits a defenseless receiver, really one of the more bone headed plays you’ll see. It made 0 sense to hit him there.
1st and 10 Montez throws a gorgeous ball, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady couldn’t have thrown it better to Shenault who had a step on Bootle for the TOUCHDOWN.
2pt Conversion they run a rub route concept with slants and a bubble Dontei Williams makes a beautiful tackle and stuffs the 2 point conversion.
Overall takeaway. We are going to surprise some people this year. If we can iron out the mistakes, there are only 2 games on our schedule I think we’ll be overmatched in and those are in Columbus and Madison. We can play with both Michigan and Michigan State, I haven’t seen enough of Iowa but I think we’ll be ready to go on Black Friday. I think we have a good enough team to finish 2nd in the West. Will it happen? I don’t know. But can it? Absolutely. The future is bright, Frosty was right to warn the B1G to get your licks in now because we’re on the rise.
Offensive Takeaways
QBs The sky’s the limit for Adrian, but you can tell he is used to being bigger faster and stronger than everyone he’s played against, with some of the stunts he was pulling. Elite speed, capable arm, just needs to iron out some decision making and stay healthy. Bunch will be a solid back up and we can win games with him, I’ll go so far as to say if Adrian is out for the year, we’ll make a bowl game with Bunch as our QB. This offense doesn’t require a guy with a cannon like Milton, that helps but the majority of this passing games is screens and quicks for easy yardage. We won’t be as vertical with Bunch but we’ll be fine with him at the helm.
Running backs. Devine is the bell cow of the group. he has good enough speed, vision and elusiveness but he has physicality in spades. He can’t be brought down without a gang of defenders. He’s far and away the best back. Mo Washington is going to be big time, He has Reggie Bush level Elusiveness and Speed, we have not had a homerun hitter like that in the backfield in a long time. Greg Bell, I wanted to be impressed because he got the lions share of the carries but I didn’t see much from him. He’s the most complete of the 3 backs but from what I can tell he’s a jack of all trades, master of none. Let me roll with Devine who is a bruiser or Mo who’s a slasher. Where was Miles Jones?
Receivers. We’ve taken a step back from where Keith Williams had us. Blocking on the perimeter was not good and we had way too many drops especially considering we have a true freshman QB. Routes weren’t as crisp either. I’ve like what I’ve heard from Walters but a group that talented needs to be better than they were Saturday
Offensive Line. Hallelujah we look like a D1 Offensive Line for the first time in probably 7 years. I wondered if we just didn’t have any talent at OL or if Cavanaugh was that bad of a coach. Well Cavanaugh was THAT bad of a coach. Much more physical there were a bunch of plays where our 325 pound line actually hit like 325 pound dudes. Conrad appears to be the weak link here but he looked better in the 2nd half. Gerald and Tanner get shit done, was really pleased with what they did. Farniok and Jaimes had their moments but they are still really young and raw. Once they mature though, look out. Boe Wilson got in a bit but it looked like he was swimming for the most of it.
Tight Ends. I won’t say much here but after Stoll there is quite a drop off in terms of blocking. Austin Allen can’t hold a block right now, he and Rafdal are both superior receivers to Stoll so give them time and we’ll be fine here. After watching this one I’m thinking we’re going to need Jurgens to stay here because we’ll need him to block.
Coaching/System I really like this system. It’s going to work well here, give Scott time to get the guys he needs to run it and we’ll be scoring 52 points a game. I however didn’t like Scott’s 2-minute drill with Bunch, all 90 thousand people in the building knew we were throwing why waste time doing play fakes? For the people that wanted him to kill the clock, that will not happen. He will go 110 miles per hour every game all the time and if we are blowing a team out he’ll do it with the back-ups.
Defense Takeaways
We are night and day better on Defense than we were last year. I know we gave up a lot through the air but that’s mostly because Colorado threw probably 15 shovel passes that are essentially run plays. So our Rushing Defense wasn’t as good as you think and our Passing defense wasn’t as bad as you think. Our offense put our D in a horrible position Saturday and they kept us in a game we probably had no right being in given how much we turned the ball over. The only reason we had a shot at winning was because of how well our defense played.
Defensive Line. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this defense, near the top is this defensive line. We have got some dudes, Duval has got the Davis twins playing like we all thought they could, CU couldn’t move Mick an inch, Stille tore it up rushing the passer and was getting off blocks in the run game really well too. Freedom is very solid in his own right stopping the run. But easily the most exciting thing of all on this line. Damion Daniels. Look out Husker fans, this kid is going to be special. His first snap as a collegian he drives CU’s center 3 yards into the backfield and nearly sacks Montez, CU was terrified of him they were doubling him in pass pro every time he was in. I was blown away by that kid. Newell and Neal add some depth, Newell is probably more of an end to be honest he got pushed around at Nose something CU couldn’t do at all when Mick or Daniels were in.
Inside Linebackers. Mo Barry is a grown ass man. He was all over the field with his speed and instincts he’s going to be problems for B1G Offenses. Dedrick Young isn’t far behind him, Dedrick doesn’t quite have the speed Mo has but he’s a workhorse. With how good these two are it’s going to be hard for Honas to see much action. I like Honas’ instincts but his tackling in this game was not good, hard to believe with how excited everyone in the B1G wanted him.
Outside Backers. I can see why DeWitt was raving so much about Tyrin Ferguson in camp he was everywhere Saturday, has a great motor and can get after the Quarterback. Don’t count out Gifford either, he’s got really good length and a great motor on him too.
Defensive Backs. Here’s our weakness boys, to be completely fair though, Montez is an all-conference caliber quarterback. He was dropping some absolute dimes on Saturday, nonetheless our coverage was pretty soft all around. What has improved though is our hitting. Lamar Jackson has gone from an atrocious tackler to just a bad tackler, however Colorado definitely preferred throwing at Bootle, so that should tell you something but Bootle is very physical and I like what I saw from him in that aspect. I was not impressed with Tre Neal at all. He looks like the guy that couldn’t crack the 2 deep at UCF. Soft in coverage and wasn’t much better tackling. I was impressed with Aaron Williams he was all over the place and was definitely one of the highlights of this DB group. Dontei Williams made some nice pass breakups in the action he got so that’s encouraging. The one time I noticed Cam Taylor was him getting burned on a slant in crunch time on 3rd down. Chins was right when he said baptism by fire. Antonio Reed didn’t have a great game before his penalty but his penalty was just boneheaded. He holds up on that and it’s 4th and 24 and he’s wearing a blackshirt on Monday from saving the offense from themselves. But it didn’t happen.
Coaching/Scheme. When I think of a 3-4 Defense this is what I think of, attacking pin your ears back defense that will wreak havoc on the quarterback. We have a very good front 7 that can stop the run and get after qbs, I can’t wait till we play Iowa and Wiscy who both have statues for QBs. Our DBs aren’t as bad as you think either, about 100 of those passing yards came on jet shovels which is literally just an extended hand off. This defense battled hard and kept us in a game that our Offense was making very difficult.
Colorado game Offense Notes
Starts out in empty, 10 Personnel, motions Bell in, runs an inside zone read with what looks like a pre-snap RPO bubble with Spielman, CU SAM backer was playing to the outside toward Spielman so Martinez fed it to Bell for a 6-yard gain. Conrad’s man slips off and makes a nice play, Bell would have gone for a while had Conrad held that block.
10 Personnel Bell motions out towards Trips side Martinez fakes the bubble to Bell and we run QB Power with Farniok Pulling from the RT spot. Farniok destroys the middle backer, Adrian cruises ahead for 18
10 Personnel. Trips R OL cut blocks. Slant bubble concept with Stanley and Stoll running slants and JD on a bubble picks up 8 yards.
11 Personnel. Twins L run Power with Bell, Gerald picks up the CU Mike who is blitzing, who grabs a piece of Bell, while Conrad’s man slips off of him to make the tackle. Conrad looking like the weak link on the line at this point.
11 Personnel. Twins L, motion in JD for 2 backs to make it 21 personnel. Triple option left CU Sam bites on the fake to Bell, Jaimes destroys the backer chasing down AM. Adrian gets clobbered after a gain of 11. AM looks to fumble but it pops right back into his lap.
11 Personnel. Twins R, motion JD to make it Trips R. Inside Zone to Bell, Farniok stumbles and misses his block, still gains 3.
21 Personnel, Twins R, motion JD into a bubble, Martinez reads CU Sam who stays outside and gives it to Bell, gains about 2. Bell’s vision seems suspect, he had a wide-open lane on the left and he ran it straight into a crowd. Picks up 3.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions Stoll into H back position to outside Farniok, Outside Zone Read, Martinez reads the CU Mike and feeds it to Bell, he immediately cuts it up inside and gets sandwiched between two CU defenders and the ball pops out. CU ball.
11 Personnel, Motion to Trips R with Stoll Flexed out. OL cuts (Austin knows what the hell he’s doing, this looks like a D1 line for the first time since the Callahan days) Out route to Stanley while D is playing 8 yards off, 6-yard gain.
10 Personnel, Motion Washington to Empty R. They go back to the QB power when we pull Farniok, he subsequently kills the Mike, Martinez shoots through the line and has a WIDE OPEN LANE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD, knowing how fast he is now it would have been a TD had he just run straight up field, instead he tries to juke out the safety instead of blowing by him and bounces it outside into where all the CU DBs are and fumbles. This kid can be great, he has the most potential of any Husker QB I’ve seen since Crouch but he’s still raw.
11 Personnel. Twins L after a shift. Interesting little play call here, its inside zone read with both guards pulling sort of a marriage between Power and IZ. I like it. Feeds it to Washington who slips through a tiny hole and gets 7. This PISSES me off, CU got away with a BLATANT targeting of Washington, Mo had every right to be pissed at that Mike backer. This was a cheap shot. This 6-yard gain should have been 21 and the Mike should’ve been ejected.
21 Personnel, Twins L they motion JD into the flat and run power with Stoll pulling from the H back spot. Conrad plays patty cake and his guy makes the tackle after about 2. He’s clearly the weak link of the OL right now.
11 Personnel, Twins L, motion JD and fake a direct Jet, They go with Devine on an Inside Zone and he makes a beautiful read to cut it back and drives forward for 7. Really happy for him, this guy deserves more carries. As a side Boe Wilson went in at RG and Tanner Farmer slid over to Center
11 Personnel, Twins L, PA pass, Jack Stoll needed to chip the Outside backer who could have walked over to Martinez, Adrian does a nice job standing in and tossing it out of bounds. Jack needs to know better.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions JD into the backfield, for a slot motion triple option, Adrian reads the Mike who takes Devine, End is coming hard at Adrian he tries to cut back, needed to pitch it to JD who would have likely gotten about 5 yards.
10 Personnel, 2 by 2, PA Adrian has plenty of time, finds Mike Williams sitting in the zone for a first down.
21 Personnel, Twins R, Fake IZ Counter with Washington, bounced it outside too early, needs to learn to hit the seam, picks up 7 just based on athleticism. Look out once this kid gets rolling.
11 Personnel, Trips R, we fake the Power to Washington, CU blitzes the corner, Adrian tears the kid loose from his shoes and it’s a foot race to the endzone that Martinez wins. Touchdown Huskers.
20 Personnel, Twins R, Triple Option, Adrian reads the Sam and fakes the IZ to Bell and pitches it to Tyjon Lindsey who squirts ahead for 9.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Power, Greg Bell slips through the line to pick up about 7. Pretty solid blocking all around Jaimes’ defender slips off and stumbles him. He holds that a split second longer and that was going a long way.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions Bell out to empty, Adrian drops back, plenty of time, finds Stanley on a dig route over the middle after a nice pump fake for about 15 yards.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Inside Zone, could tell who but one of our interior linemen got smoked and we pick up 2 with Bell.
11 Personnel, Twins R, We run Power with Bell, Boe Wilson either threw a cut block or fell down either way it was an ineffective pull and we grab a couple yards
Empty L, we try running a screen to the boundary side, Stoll blows his block and they tackle us in the backfield for a loss of 3.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line R, Twins R, they motion in Devine into the backfield and run Inside zone, Austin Allen gets beat by a guy half his size, Devine carries that guy and another dude 6 yards.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line L, Single Receivers to L and R, IZ with Devine, he doesn’t make a great read and runs into a pile, luckily he’s so damn strong he and Farniok, Farmer, and Conrad along with a big boost from Allen drive the pile 7 yards.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line R, Twins L, they motion Mike Williams in a touch, PA pass all day to throw, no ones open so Adrian makes a couple of guys miss and picks up 7.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line R, Twins L, inside zone with Devine he drags the pile 3 yards. I’m going to miss watching Devine play.
12 Personnel, Overloaded line L, Single Receivers to L and R, Stoll and Jaimes both pull on a buck sweep for Devine, neither get upfield and we get nothing.
12 Personnel, ACE, single receivers mirrored, Stanley motions have the distance to the TE, play action pass, Farniok gets beat like he stole something and the CU DE is in Adrian’s lap, Adrian bounces off pivots out and rolls left keeps his eyes down field and flicks it to Stanley who makes a diving catch at the 7, a better throw and he walks in for a TD but that’s nitpicky. Watching this play makes me think Adrian can take us to the promised land.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Inside Zone with Devine Jaimes, Gerald and Conrad get great blocks you could argue Gerald was holding if you’re CU but I’m not so I won’t. Touchdown.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motion Allen from Right to Left H-back, Adrian reads the Mike on an outside zone and feeds it to Washington. Austin Allen can’t hold his block and they stop Washington for a 4 yard gain.
11 Personnel, 2 by 2 with Allen split out, lousy snap, line cut blocks and we run what I think is a spacing concept where Adrian looks to feed Stanley but there is too much static there and he tries to fit it in to Spielman on the backside, incomplete.
11 Personnel, we motion Washington out to go 2 by 2 with Allen in as left side H back. We try to hit Stanley on a slant and the defender tackles him before the ball gets out of Adrian’s hand. Defensive Holding 1st Down.
11 Personnel, Allen is flexed, JD motions from left to get us into Trips R, Martinez bangs it to Mo Washington on a bubble out of the backfield, poor downfield blocking and we only grab 3 yards.
11 Personnel, Allen with JD and Mike Williams in Trips L, Motion Washington behind the trips, QB Power with Jaimes pulling from the LT spot, Farniok can’t hold his block and Adrian bounces it outside for 3.
12 Personnel, ACE, Outside Zone Read with Washington, Safety comes out of nowhere and meets Washington 2 yards in the backfield he spins out of it and picks up 3 behind suspect blocking from Mike Williams and Austin Allen.
12 Personnel, Overstacked Line R, Twins L, we Motion JD inside to fake a jet and run Inside zone with Ozigbo, our entire interior OL gets smoked and we lose a yard. Turnover on Downs
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motion JD inside from the field side, to turn it to 21 personnel, OZR Give to JD, who runs it outside for about 5 yards.
21 Personnel, Twins R, Motion JD behind the Twins, Power, Gerald picks up a blitzing DB we have hat on hat, Bell explodes through the hole for a 45 yard run. That’s exactly how you draw that play up.
11 Personnel, Twins L, PA pass Adrian holds onto it way too long, checks down to Ozigbo for no gain.
11 Personnel, Twins L, motions JD from R to L to make it Trips L, inside zone with Devine who barrels it forward for 5 yards after Jaimes got beat by the DE.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Motions JD in to make it 21 Personnel, Triple option, Adrian Reads the Outside backer who stumbles toward him so he feeds Devine who makes a beautiful stutter step and cuts it back inside away from 2 backers and carries 2 defenders forward for 5 yards and the 1st down.
12 Personnel, Trips Bunch R, Play action pass with Adrian rolling to his left, he honestly throws a poor ball and Rafdal dives out to make a beautiful catch at the CU 6.
12 Personnel, Trips Bunch R, Inside zone with Devine who pushes the pile 4 yards
12 Personnel, Twins R, Overstacked Line R, inside zone read, Adrian reads the backer creeping inside and keeps it and waltzs in for the TOUCHDOWN.
11 Personnel, Trips R, TE flexed out, Power with Farniok pulling from RT spot, Washington has what looks like a small crease and he tries to cut it back, he is hard to bring down, slips off 3 defenders before being finally dragged down for no gain. HALFTIME
12 Personnel, Twins R, ACE, motion Stanley from R to L, Inside zone RPO, Adrian reads the Will, stays home on inside zone and Adrian bangs it to Stanley on a 5 yard out.
11 Personnel, Twsin L, motion JD on Jet, Power with Farmer pulling to the left, Mike backer comes up and fills really nicely to stop Bell for a gain of 2.
11 Personnel, 2 by 2, Adrian drops back, wants Stanley on a Go route, Stoll is on a bubble, CU gets to him just in time, it looks like he fumbles but he holds on to it. You can tell either his calf or his knee is bothering Adrian at this point.
11 Personnel, Trips R, TE flexed out R, Line cut blocks, bubble slant concept with the Trips, Line gets through and flushes Adrian left, as he’s going down he inexplicably shotputs it out to nowhere and is intercepted for a pick 6, luckily he is called down.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Motions Ozigbo out behind Trips, flare screen with Ozigbo well blocked on the edge, we grab 15 yards.
11 Personnel, Trips L, Motions Ozigbo behind Trips, Fakes the flare screen, QB draw, Jaimes can’t quite hold his block and Stoll’s block wasn’t great either, still picks up 8 yards.
10 Personnel, 2 by 2, Adrian drops back, spacing concept, bangs it to Mike Williams for 7 yards.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Power with Devine, Jaimes gets beat across his face no gain.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Stoll Flexed out, Adrian Drops back looks off the safeties, hitches once more than is necessary, delivers a beautiful ball to JD on a Go route for the TOUCHDOWN.
11 Personnel, Twins L, Lindsey motions in from R to L to make it Trips L, PA pass, screen pass to Bell its set up beautifully 15 yard gain for Mo Washington.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Lindsey motions to R with twins, inside zone with Mo Washington, he makes 3 guys miss and picks up 10, an average back would have picked up 2. This dude is going to be special.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Lindsey motions in to make it 21 personnel, IZR triple option, Adrian reads the Mike who plays the dive, and keeps it then reads the End who crashes on Adrian and pitches it to Tyjon, Farniok misses his block and Tyjon struggles to get back to the line.
11 Personnel, Twins R, motions Mo out to make it 2 by 2, Adrian drops back, first read looks like a smash concept isn’t there so Adrian tucks it and goes 25 yards, golly this guy runs like a gazelle.
11 Personnel, Twins R, PA fake power, Adrian floats one into Stanley at the goal line and he drops it. Should have been a Touchdown. That’s on Stanley. He catches that and we win.
11 Personnel, Trips R, Motion Bell from L to R behind trips, QB power with Farniok pulling and Adrian picks up 5.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Motion JD from L to R, Stoll in H Back L, we run power and pick up 3. Bell really doesn’t impress me at all. His vision is average, he doesn’t have Ozigbo’s power, or Washington’s elusiveness, has good speed but not a burner. Of the 3 guys that got carries I’d say its Devine as clear-cut number 1, Washington number 2, and Bell 3. Will be interesting to see how this running back room shakes out.
21 Personnel, Twins R, JD motions out from back to R behind Twins. Power, Gerald pulls and crushes the Sam, Stoll gets a great block on the Mike and the rest of the Pipeline has hat on hat. Beautifully blocked play and Bell zips through for 20 yards.
21 Personnel, Twins L, JD motions out from back to L behind Twins, Looks like an RPO Inside Zone Bubble, Adrian hits the bubble, I don’t know if this was a pre or post snap RPO but it looks like the wrong read, CU had 3 perimeter Defenders and we only had 2 blockers, Stoll misses a block and its 3 v 4 advantage CU. We get 1 yard.
11 Personnel, Twins R, H back R, Motions JD from R slot behind Adrian and Bell, Inside Zone Triple option with JD in the slot, Adrian waits too long to make a decision and JD isn’t ready for the pitch JD gets on it and we lose 4 yards.
Empty with Stoll on the line, Adrian drops back to pass, is flushed left and grabs 11 of the 12 yards to bring up 4th and 1.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Stoll in H back R, the mike knifes through and dives at Bell’s legs, got to wonder why you wouldn’t bring Devine in for this play? Turnover on downs.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Adrian drops back, spacing concept with Mo in the flat, CU backer jumps the route and picks it off. Adrian needed to hit Mo Washington in the flat here.
No clue what we ran here looks like inside zone but the camera was behind, Devine comes bowling ahead and drags 3 guys 6 yards.
11 Personnel, Trips Bunch L, inside zone to Devine, missed a cutback lane but picked up 6 yards anyway. Good blocking all around
12 Personnel, Twins R, Overstacked Line L, Speed option R, Adrian sees a lane inside and cuts it up, the Sam that was the pitch key lunged at him and wrapped up his legs, Farniok drove his man back into Martinez and his knee got caught in the middle, ouch. Adrian was undisciplined here, I know for a fact Scott teaches his guys to attack the pitch keys outside shoulder had he done that he would have not injured his knee. Oh, and they called a phantom hold on Conrad. Terrible call.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Motion Mike W. from L to R behind the twins, Bunchy in the game, inside zone read with Devine who runs it into traffic for 3 yards.
Empty R, QB power, Sam is unblocked and tackles Bunch at the LOS.
11 Personnel, Stoll is Flexed left, JD motions L to R to make it 2 by 2, we cut block, Bunch is flushed right, gets a great block by Devine, steps up and delivers a strike to JD who drops it. When your walk on backup QB throws a strike to your Freshmen All American Wide Receiver you expect him to catch it. Missed opportunity.
11 Personnel, Stoll flexed out R, Trips R, Bunch drops back under heavy pressure and throws a strike to Mike Williams for 15 yards.
11 Personnel, Twins R, Bunch Drops back and CU blitzes, Bunch wisely throws it into the bleachers.
11 Personnel, Twins R, PA fake, Bunch rolls left hits Stoll who I assume is the hot receiver but we gotta burn a timeout.
11 Personnel, Twins R, PA fake, Bunch has plenty of time and finds Stanley at the 22, He had Stoll wide open on the sideline and probably should have hit him but a good play nonetheless.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed L, 2 by 2, we get a false start…
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, Throws a swing to Greg Bell who gets the 5 yards back and sucks 5 seconds off the clock.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, PA fake, has Stanley open but sails it out, was under pressure, had he had a split second longer that’s probably a Touchdown.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, PA fake, has Mike Williams on a curl but sails it out of bounds.
11 Personnel, Stoll Flexed R, 2 by 2, CU sends heat, Bunch launches one in desperation and its out of bounds, had Stoll open over the middle, just needed a little more time.
Colorado game Defense Notes
CU starts out with a play action pass and dumps it to the TB in the flat. Lamar Jackson still hasn’t learned how to tackle and dives aimlessly at him. Back scampers for another 5 yards while Ferg keep him in front of him before Dedrick Young flies into take him down.
PA pass, CU swings out RG and RT on a quick screen. Reed does a nice job coming off a block to stop him for a gain of 2.
CU drops back to pass, Gifford and Freedom crash in while Mick swings around and Mo Barry blitzes off the edge. Montez recognizes and escapes contain and waltzes forward for 15 yards.
OZR to a reverse to a flea flicker they have Shenault 1 on 1 with Dedrick Young which is a huge mismatch in CU’s favor, Dedrick actually does a decent job in pass coverage but he’s no DB and they get a chunk.
CU screen to the right side, Reed clotheslines him after a gain of about 4
Montez fakes the IZ and has a clean pocket and finds his man in a hole in the zone at our 8.
IZ Gifford and Ferg are both in CU’s backfield, CU’s line cant move Stoltenberg with 2 guys and Barry and Neal fly in to stop them for a gain of 2
Montez hard count gets us to jump first and goal from the 4
CU runs a rub route concept by the time Tre Neal can get there CU receiver is 3 yards in the endzone. Touchdown.
CU takes over on our 24 after the fumble. CU pulls both guards on a buck sweep left, Mo Barry knifes through and Dedrick and he take the back down for a loss of 3. Our DL dominated CU on this play, they just can’t move us, THIS is exciting. But it’s all for not because Carlos had his hands on the CU center’s throat, 12 yard penalty.
CU goes Buck sweep right, pulling lineman can’t get to Barry and he blows the play up for only a yard.
CU tries an TB screen Dedrick and Mo sniff it out and blow it up before it gets a chance to start. These two are going to be fun to watch this year.
3rd and 8, CU motions Shenault and runs a bubble screen to the left. Reed tries a piss poor excuse for an arm tackle and instead of losing a yard Shenault gains 7. 4th and 1.
Wildcat with Shenault, CU goes Power and our DTs (4 down lineman get absolutely smoked) Shenault has a head of steam by the time Mo gets to him and he piles forward for the score.
Penalties absolutely killed this goal line stand for us, film study is going to be hard to watch this weekend because we are a MUCH better team than Colorado from what I’ve seen thus far, Nebraska lost to Nebraska, CU just took the W.
CU comes out with a Jet shovel pass and Aaron Williams absolutely annihilates him after a gain of 1.
CU trys another slip screen with the Tailback and Aaron Williams is all over it again.
CU drops back and has a 1 on 1 to the boundary side going at Bootle, Bootle does just enough to break up the pass. 3 and out.
Tre Neal makes an idiotic and useless block in the back and instead of starting at the 40 we are now starting at the 10. Honestly have not been impressed with him at all thus far, give his snaps to Aaron Williams. He deserves them.
CU PA pass, Daimion Daniels mauls CU’s center and pushes him back 3 yards, giving Barry room to blitz through and sack Montez with Tyrin Ferguson helping out. Daniels is going to be Big Time.
CU drops back and runs a clear out concept Tre Neal comes up and makes a really nice tackle and limits him to a gain of 4. I see why he’s out there now.
CU drops back on 3rd down and the CU OL is so worried about Daniels, that Khalil Davis rips through the guard 1 on 1 and drives Montez into the ground. 3 and out.
CU pulls the guards to the right to run Power, Mick gets off his block and Mo knifes through to stop him behind the line. Mo Barry is going to be playing on Sundays
CU fakes the dive and goes with a flea flicker, Montez throws a jump ball and Bootle is in perfect position to make the pick and promptly drops it.
CU drops back we send 4, Stille busts through a double team and into Montez’s lap for the sack. 3 and out
CU runs Jet Left shovel pass with Shenault, who gets outside, Reed can’t quite get him down, Ty Ferg and Dedrick take him down after about a 5-yard gain. While the rushing D stats look awesome a lot of it is skewed because these shovel passes are essentially runs that count as passes.
CU goes with a Sweep Right, Freedom beats his man across his face and almost brings him down, Dedrick gets upfield in a hurry along with Mo Barry and the CU back wisely rolls to the ground. Loss of 6.
CU drops back on 3rd and 11, we send 5, Alex Davis absolutely got a call on an illegal cut block from the CU back. Our DL destroys CU’s OL and 3 Huskers are all over Montez for the sack. Carlos, Dedrick and Freedom
CU drops back, Montez hits his back on a flare in the left flat, Bootle and Honas come in and make a nice tackle.
PA pass, Montez rolls right and hits Shenault on a curl, Honas Gifford and Aaron Williams bring him down quickly
Buck Sweep right Ferg blitzes off the edge and brings him down 4 yards behind the line
PA pass, quick screen to the right, incomplete
3rd and Long slip screen to the right which CU has set up beautifully, Tre Neal dives at his shoe laces, Dedrick can’t chase him down and Antonio Reed comes in and makes a hit after a 14 yard gain.
Buck Sweep R, Dedrick stumbles the back in the backfield, Lamar Jackson holds on to him long enough for the gang to get to him after a gain of 1.
CU drops back, Gifford gives pressure, CU tackle gets away with a hold and Montez charges upfield, he slips by Carlos, Honas doesn’t move his feet and gets caught in an awful attempt at a tackle. Montez runs out of bounds when pressured by Reed gain of 15.
CU drops back, all day to throw, Montez throws it into double coverage, with Dontei and Lamar in coverage, incomplete.
CU screens left Carlos makes a great play to tackle the CU receiver by his shoelaces.
3rd Down CU picks up our blitz, Montez floats it and Dontei Williams makes a great PBU
Little flare to the back, Tyrin Ferguson loses his balance and the back squirts forward to pick up 9.
PA pass, screen to the field side Gifford chases him down from behind after a gain of 7.
Buck Sweep L, Mo Barry and Freedom meet him in the hole and CU gains 2
Inside zone, Mick can’t quite get off his block in time and Mo Barry drags him down gains 6.
Power, CU back is extremely patient and turns what would be a loss of 2 to a gain of 4. Tre Neal and Ty Ferguson take him down.
Inside zone, Montez keeps it after reading Ferguson chase down the back, Dedrick crashes down off the edge and Montez has nowhere to go, Freedom wraps him up for a loss of 2.
3rd and 7, CU drops back plenty of time to throw, Montez hits his man on a wide open out for 15. Reed in soft coverage
Inside zone, Mo Barry and Carlos shed their blockers and meet the backer 1 yard from the LOS.
CU drops back, Khalil gets around Shenault, (why do they have a receiver blocking 290 pound DE?) Daimion Daniels mauls the RG and Montez has nothing to do but scramble and toss it into the stands. But its all for not because Lamar gets called for defensive holding.
Little out route to the slot receiver on 1st, Gifford is all over it CU gains maybe a half yard.
Bobbled snap, PA pass, throws it in desperation to Shenault who can’t grab it before it hits the turf.
3rd and 8 CU drops back throws a back shoulder to boundary side of the end zone, incomplete, Bootle and Dontei Williams on the coverage.
Montez wants Shenault on a flare to the left out of the backfield, Aaron Williams is all over it. incomplete
Cu goes with a slip screen to the right, Gifford is on the back immediately after he catches the ball for a TFL.
3rd and Long, Montez wants a screen over the middle and we have it sniffed out Gifford brings initial pressure to flush Montez left and Ferguson comes in to get the sack for a loss of 8. 3 and out.
Montez drops back, has Shenault on a post but Khalil Davis splits a double team gets in his face and brings him down for a sack.
2nd and 20 Montez drops back and fires a low heater over the middle Aaron Williams had a shot at it but couldn’t quite get there
3rd and 20 Carlos and Alex Davis get edge pressure and flush Montez right, he keeps his eyes down field and delivers a strike to his receiver 1 yard ahead of the 1st down marker, and Aaron Williams makes the tackle
Jet shovel pass left Bootle pushes his blocker into the runner and Tyrin Ferguson runs him down too.
Montez drops back under heavy pressure, hitches and hits Shenault, Aaron Williams drags him down after a gain of about 20.
Inside zone, Honas has an opportunity to light him up in the backfield and misses but the back has nowhere to go other wise and Mick Mo and Khalil wrap him up at LOS
PA pass, All week to throw, Khalil Mick and Carlos close in and Montez chucks it into the stands.
3rd and 9 Montez drops back and throws a damn near perfect ball to Shenault who lays out and makes a beautiful catch. Nothing we could do on that one, was just a helluva play.
Buck sweep R, nothing doing, back cuts it back and makes a nice play to get it back to LOS Ferguson and Barry all over it.
Inside zone, Freedom does a nice job getting off his block and dragging the back down after a gain of 2.
3rd and 7 Montez drops back to pass, hits his man on a flare screen to the R, good perimeter blocking by the receivers TOUCHDOWN. That was a really good drive by CU, gotta hand it to them on that one.
Jet L shovel pass to Shenault, he breaks contain and gets 7 yards before Aaron Williams knocks him out of bounds
Montez drops back to pass and hits his receiver on an out route on the right sideline, Receiver makes a beautiful catch to haul it in, when Lamar Jackson was just a step late. 1st Down.
Inside zone, Barry bursts through the line, Daniels pushes the Center back two yards and spins off of him, back runs straight into a crowd of Dedrick, Daishon Neal, and Gifford
2nd and 8 We blitz Aaron Williams off the edge and Montez lets it fly just a little too much juice and it falls incomplete.
3rd and 8 Montez drops back, Tyrin Ferguson stunts through the A gap straight into Montez’s lap, Montez jukes him out and slides after about a 6 yard gain.
4th and 2 Wildcat with Shenault, Power, Our DL gets abused this play as CU gets hat on hat, Mo drags him down at the marker. Colorado got an unbelievably good spot here.
1st and 10 Play action, rollout right, soft coverage and 2 missed tackles by Aaron Williams and Lamar Jackson, Ferguson and Dedrick wrap him up and take him down.
Inside zone, CU back tears Gifford from his sneakers and Dedrick got a little far upfield. Back makes a really nice run to get 10. Peyton Newell really shouldn’t be in at this point he was getting abused by CU’s interior which was the other way around when Daniels was in.
They go right back to inside zone, Newell gets abused, Barry gets sucked in and blocked, Freedom can’t get off his block and Aaron Williams and Dedrick get him down 10 yards upfield.
Inside zone again, Peyton Newell beats his man this time and has Gifford coming off the edge, Newell whiffs on the back but Dedrick is there to wrap him up for a loss of 1.
PA pass we send Barry on a blitz and Montez has to chuck it into the bleachers.
3rd and 11, Montez drops back, throws it to a receiver who appears to have fallen down, must have been looking for PI, incomplete.
Jet Shovel R with Shenault, Mo gets sealed inside gang of Huskers tackle him after a gain of 6.
Inside zone, with and H back kick out, H back seals Tyrin off the edge, Dedrick is blitzing and gets caught upfield, Khalil gets ahold of the CU back at LOS and the Buffs get 2.
Same inside zone play, with H back kick out, This time our DL gets a good push and Dedrick finishes the back at the LOS.
4th and 1 Speed Option, terrible call here, Gifford pushes Montez who pitches to back, Dedrick is there to bring him down on a 4 yard loss.
1st and 10 on our 32 after the pick. Power, CU back cuts it inside, Stille sheds his block and stops him after a pickup of 3.
Inside zone, with and H back kick out, Mick and Stille get their hands into the CU OL and shed them to make a tackle after 2 yards.
CU drops back, we blitz Dedrick, gets free off the edge, looks like CU runs Go’s and Outs mirrored in 2 by 2. Aaron Williams runs into Bootle and knocks him down, thankfully we got pressure and forced an incompletion cause this could have been 6.
Montez drops back and delivers a strike to Shenault how ran a about a 10 yard flag route. He makes Bootle and Ferguson miss before they can drag him out. 1st down
Montez drops back and hits his slot receiver for a 5 yard out and he gets out of bounds Tre Neal on the soft coverage.
Montez drops back and airmails it to his slot receiver on a 10 yard out, incomplete.
Cu drops back and Montez hits his slot man on a slant who burns Cam Taylor in coverage, gain of about 15.
Montez rolls out to his right, Carlos Davis gives chase and Montez chucks it into the crowd.
Montez drops back, Stille rips by the Center and RG and sacks Montez for a loss of 9.
3rd and 19 CU false starts, 3rd and 24.
3rd and 24 Montez drops back, Stille gets held badly and no flag is thrown, Montez throws it over the middle in desperation and Reed inexplicably hits a defenseless receiver, really one of the more bone headed plays you’ll see. It made 0 sense to hit him there.
1st and 10 Montez throws a gorgeous ball, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady couldn’t have thrown it better to Shenault who had a step on Bootle for the TOUCHDOWN.
2pt Conversion they run a rub route concept with slants and a bubble Dontei Williams makes a beautiful tackle and stuffs the 2 point conversion.
