New Commit

[Hoosker Du]

By not having the team play with piss poor effort and fold after the losses we’ve had this year (aka Riley coached teams). We’re a extremely young team but making improvements as the season goes. But ya please keep bringing value to this board with those kind of weaka$$ comments....

Looks like you're really paying attention to the team. Better bringing value that's truthful than completely oblivious.

We have 6 seniors, 3 juniors, and 2 sophomores that start on defense. We are everything BUT a young defensive squad. The team has played nearly 2 entire seasons, and has had 2 spring practice sessions, and it took us playing a bad Maryland team to finally look good on defense. Of course it's great to win a game, but let's not be blind to the fact that we may very well revert back to the standard Chinander defense on Friday.

Our defense has given up 30 or more points in 15 of the 23 games under this regime. I think we as fans should expect better results from this coaching staff. I can only hope that they've finally found their way on that side of the ball.

 

[Dean Pope]

No good JUCO’s here. Randy Gregory, DeJaun Gomes, Lavonte David, Larry Asante, Damion Stanford. Even Demorrio Williams and Terrell Farley.

Mike Rozier.

 

[Dean Pope]

It has a lot to do with coaching. Wisconsin wanted Honas bad and their LB's are very good. How many LB's have we had who have actually gotten better in the last few years? Barry, Honas, and Miller all have more than enough physical ability to be good players. They're not there mentally though and most of that is on coaching.

Seems to me that when LBs are making mental errors, it may mean that we're running too complicated of a scheme. Our LBs aren't good, but they also do stupid stuff like slide away from gaps into an on coming lineman and two LBs running into the same gap away from the ball carrier.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

High school classes tend to follow a 1/3 ratio

1/3 become starters
1/3 become contributors
1/3 don't pan out for various reasons - home sick, already peaked before getting to campus, grades, transfer, etc

JUCO kids tend to be more depth fillers but if you hit on some it makes a big difference for a team.

If we bring in 5 JUCO kids in this class and hit on 2 of them, then tha tis success.

Mills is a different type of JUCO. He had already had success at the P5 level while at Georgia Tech. He was not the risk Honas was. Honas looked like a stud against JUCO competition, but at Nebraska he has been average at best.

so @uberism1111, if using you stats is accurate, stats I view with a bit of skepticism, 2 of 3 HS recruits work out in some way shape or form. But only 2 of 5 JUCO players work out. In most mathematical teachings 66% > 40%. So not only are you not getting less bang for your buck annually, but there is also the accumulative those numbers over the course of multiple years.

if you recruit 3 JUCOs per year, using your numbers, over 5 years 6 will work out. But if you use those scholarship on HS players, over that same period 10 will be contributors. But you say if 2 of 5 Jucos develop into a contributor that should be viewed as a success???

 

[Dean Pope]

Looks huge. Pretty weak offer list. I’m assuming will be playing DE in the 3-4.

I think he'll be an outside linebacker and primarily rush the passer. Definitely a project at this point, but he has the size, speed, quickness and strength. But I wouldn't put much into his lack of offers. He is as under the radar as you can get. He's from France, he's at a juco and that juco is in Roswell, New Mexico of all places. Very few top programs have the time or need to look at a kid like this. As Coach Osborne used to say, if this kid were in Atlanta or Chicago, he would have 40 offers.

 

[Hoosker Du]

Beating up on a bottom feeder is something we haven’t done in a long time. Maryland is awful, but we have played other awful teams and struggled in recent years. So we finally beat a bottom feeder the way a good team should beat a bottom feeder. And that came one week after playing very competitively against Wisconsin.

Yes... progress is happening and coaching has a lot to do with it. This team could have just given up like Maryland’s players have given up. Or like our players in Riley’s last year gave up. These guys this year are fighting and scrapping to the very end. The coaches are doing a good job of keeping them focused and disciplined.

Our offense played competitively against Wisconsin, but as per usual, our defense didn't. When you're giving up 300+ on the ground to a team, your defense is getting its ass kicked.

Here is what really bothers me about some of the comments that Frost has made recently about our defense.

1) Frost says that Chinander is one of the smartest guys he knows, which indicates to me that Frost himself either doesn't know how to fix the woes of the defense, or he doesn't think the defense needs to be fixed for us to win games. In either instance, it's very unsettling to have the guy that is driving the bus not understand that the defense does indeed need fixing.

2) Frost is using statistics from the PAC-12 and applying them to the B1G, which is woefully short-sighted. If he really thinks that a defense keeping opposing teams to 30 or fewer points in the B1G will lead to a W-L record of 72-2, or whatever that ridiculous record was while at Oregon, that downright scares the crap out of me for our future.

Defenses in the B1G don't give up 30 or more points in the B1G with nearly the regularity that the PAC-12 does. If 30 points is his benchmark for our defense, we are going to be buying out another coach's contract in another 3 years.

 

[PCastro]

Will Honas and Dedrick Mills aren't bad?

Honus is the best ILB on the team right now.

 

[Hoosker Du]

Seems to me that when LBs are making mental errors, it may mean that we're running too complicated of a scheme. Our LBs aren't good, but they also do stupid stuff like slide away from gaps into an on coming lineman and two LBs running into the same gap away from the ball carrier.

You put our LBs under Wisconsin or Iowa's position coaches and DC, and they would be kicking ass in short order. Well, possibly not Alex Davis, but our other LBs would be pretty solid within half a season.

 

[WestCoastCornhusker2]

I will trust the coaches here. But my fear is we are now taking marginal guys because we crapped out on our first choices. I don’t like JUCO recruits. They are rarely that good. Will Honas was supposedly going to be a difference maker. He isn’t.

My first thought is, I hope he isn't another Alex Davis, looks like Tarzan plays like Jane.

 

[Mr.Scary13]

Mills

Mills shouldn't be looked at as a JUCO as he was already a proven commodity at the D1 level. Actually it can be argued that he's regressed here, but he has looked much better the last couple games.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Honus is the best ILB on the team right now.

And Hixson is the best LG. What’s the point? Even the worst teams have a best player at a position. That doesn’t make them good players.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

My first thought is, I hope he isn't another Alex Davis, looks like Tarzan plays like Jane.

I don't look at star ratings exclusively. I also look very, very closely at who else has offered the young man a scholarship. And when you start recruiting players who only have offers from tiny directional schools and no P5 offers from the better schools, you start to wonder if Bo Pelini hasn't returned as our recruiting coordinator.

That is a joke folks... I am NOT blaming the coaches for this because I think what we are seeing is the accumulated weight of three years of losing seasons. What this means is that we really better be good at player development and those ballyhooed walk-ons had better give us a few diamond in the rough starters, because we aren't going to win the B1G with this recruiting class or any others like it without massive coaching up and strength and conditioning.

Of course, we still have about 10 scholarships to give and things might really pick up in the coming weeks. And if we beat Iowa (which I doubt we will but there is hope!) things could really get interesting.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

The bottom line is that in my opinion the gild is off the Frost lily. He did better recruiting last year because there was still hype surrounding his hire. But that hype has evaporated and now even many of our dumber fans are screaming about what a lousy coach Frost is. Now the reality sets in: we are a small school in a flyover State with boring geography, lousy weather and no recent success on the field. Recruits today have never heard of our glory years. Our facilities are no longer top of the line (that is changing though). We really needed to have a break out season this year to keep the Scott Frost mystique and mojo going, but we didn't. We layed a turd. So now the long, slow work of building a program begins.

 

[headcard]

Mills shouldn't be looked at as a JUCO as he was already a proven commodity at the D1 level. Actually it can be argued that he's regressed here, but he has looked much better the last couple games.

We literally recruited him from a JUCO, so he is a JUCO guy, lots of them come from other schools before going JUCO.

Also, saying he regressed here is just a silly argument. He averaged 5.1 yard per touch at GT and 5.8 here. He had 33 more yards and 3 more TD’s at GT, but touched it 24 more times. Seems he’s improved here.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Would be
We literally recruited him from a JUCO, so he is a JUCO guy, lots of them come from other schools before going JUCO.

Also, saying here regressed here is just a silly argument. He averaged 5.1 yard per touch at GT and 5.8 here. He had 33 more yards and 3 more TD’s at GT, but touched it 24 more times. Seems he’s improved here.

People need to cut Mills some slack here. He struggled early in the season for sure. But the dude was learning a new system and our offensive line was playing like shit at the time, with Jurgens snapping the ball all over the place and making poor line calls. But once our line turned a corner and is playing much better, and Martinez is playing better, Mills suddenly has much better success. Surprise surprise!

And thank God we got him. With Washington off the team and Wandale injured and Mazour proving once again why he has rarely seen the field ... well, we would be in deep Kim Chi without Mills right now. And if Wandale is not back by Friday we may have to burn Johnson's redshirt at RB.

 

[PCastro]

And Hixson is the best LG. What’s the point? Even the worst teams have a best player at a position. That doesn’t make them good players.

Point is that this thread is ripping on recruiting jucos and we should be thankful we recruited him because we’d be worse team without him. Yes he is not jay foreman but he has increased team performance vs not having him. And if Hixson is really best guard in the team we’d better recruit juco oLine. (But I don’t think he is)

 

[Mr.Scary13]

We literally recruited him from a JUCO, so he is a JUCO guy, lots of them come from other schools before going JUCO.

Also, saying he regressed here is just a silly argument. He averaged 5.1 yard per touch at GT and 5.8 here. He had 33 more yards and 3 more TD’s at GT, but touched it 24 more times. Seems he’s improved here.

He was a proven Division 1 player, get out with the nonsense of him being a juco.

 

[goldencohusker]

I don't look at star ratings exclusively. I also look very, very closely at who else has offered the young man a scholarship. And when you start recruiting players who only have offers from tiny directional schools and no P5 offers from the better schools, you start to wonder if Bo Pelini hasn't returned as our recruiting coordinator.

That is a joke folks... I am NOT blaming the coaches for this because I think what we are seeing is the accumulated weight of three years of losing seasons. What this means is that we really better be good at player development and those ballyhooed walk-ons had better give us a few diamond in the rough starters, because we aren't going to win the B1G with this recruiting class or any others like it without massive coaching up and strength and conditioning.

Of course, we still have about 10 scholarships to give and things might really pick up in the coming weeks. And if we beat Iowa (which I doubt we will but there is hope!) things could really get interesting.

My concern regarding recruiting is starting to rise. Last year, by the end of Oct Frost had 18 commits (excluding Bland) and they had steady success in adding recruits throughout the season. This year, we were sitting at 13 commits at the end of Oct, and went nearly 6 weeks without a commit before adding the two yesterday. Is the fact they broke the dry spell with JUCOs a coincidence, or is it a sign the staff is in plan B/C mode? Given how the season's gone, its hard to worry its the latter.

 

[headcard]

He was a proven Division 1 player, get out with the nonsense of him being a juco.

He came from a JUCO, genius. Tons of JUCO’s are D1 bounce backs. The nonsense is trying to pretend like he isn’t a JUCO or that he has regressed, to meet your agenda.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

My concern regarding recruiting is starting to rise. Last year, by the end of Oct Frost had 18 commits (excluding Bland) and they had steady success in adding recruits throughout the season. This year, we were sitting at 13 commits at the end of Oct, and went nearly 6 weeks without a commit before adding the two yesterday. Is the fact they broke the dry spell with JUCOs a coincidence, or is it a sign the staff is in plan B/C mode? Given how the season's gone, its hard to worry its the latter.

These are also my concerns. But there is a lot of time left and we will see. No time to panic just yet, and the current recruiting class isn't terrible either. There are a few real difference makers in that group. Maybe we can still add a few others. But dang... we need linebackers and wide receivers big time. I hope these two Juco guys are the real deal because we need them to be.

 

[uberism1111]

He was a proven Division 1 player, get out with the nonsense of him being a juco.

So any star high school player that goes JUCO should not be considered JUCo. So much dumb in your post. Go back to bed and start the day over. My goodness.

 

[Huzkers25]

Looks like you're really paying attention to the team. Better bringing value that's truthful than completely oblivious.

We have 6 seniors, 3 juniors, and 2 sophomores that start on defense. We are everything BUT a young defensive squad. The team has played nearly 2 entire seasons, and has had 2 spring practice sessions, and it took us playing a bad Maryland team to finally look good on defense. Of course it's great to win a game, but let's not be blind to the fact that we may very well revert back to the standard Chinander defense on Friday.

Our defense has given up 30 or more points in 15 of the 23 games under this regime. I think we as fans should expect better results from this coaching staff. I can only hope that they've finally found their way on that side of the ball.

"It's not the X's and the O's but the Jimmys and the Joes." Yet it's quite funny that it's the sky is falling fans that are quick to pick up the pitchforks and torches and put all the blame on the D coordinator as a whipping boy. We ultimate have a young team, sure we have some seniors that are solid but then again how many 1st or even 2nd or 3rd team Big Ten players do we have on our D? Ya but lets go and fire another coordinator and have another 2 years of growing pains. It's a silly cycle. It's a team game brother and you love to compare mighty Wisconsin yet then again WI runs a pro offense and controls the ball most of the game and it's D is on the field for a lot less plays. Nebraska tries to play fast pace and outscore people putting a lot of pressure on the D to hold up. Fundamentally that's what Frosty is about, if you disagree that's entirely a different conversation.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

"It's not the X's and the O's but the Jimmys and the Joes." Yet it's quite funny that it's the sky is falling fans that are quick to pick up the pitchforks and torches and put all the blame on the D coordinator as a whipping boy. We ultimate have a young team, sure we have some seniors that are solid but then again how many 1st or even 2nd or 3rd team Big Ten players do we have on our D? Ya but lets go and fire another coordinator and have another 2 years of growing pains. It's a silly cycle. It's a team game brother and you love to compare mighty Wisconsin yet then again WI runs a pro offense and controls the ball most of the game and it's D is on the field for a lot less plays. Nebraska tries to play fast pace and outscore people putting a lot of pressure on the D to hold up. Fundamentally that's what Frosty is about, if you disagree that's entirely a different conversation.

Exactly. We are severely lacking in talent on defense. We have some decent seniors, like the Davis twins, but even they are just serviceable players and are not real difference makers like a Neil Smith, or Suh, or Noonan, or Jason and Christian Peter. You need your defensive lineman to be absolute run stuffers and to be guys who really are gap sound. The Davis twins can do that to a point, but then break down at critical times. I am not trying to beat up on those guys since they have been ballers in their own way, but they are a case in point of our lack of talent on defense. 20 years ago they would have both been third teamers.

 

[jlb321]

Exactly. We are severely lacking in talent on defense. We have some decent seniors, like the Davis twins, but even they are just serviceable players and are not real difference makers like a Neil Smith, or Suh, or Noonan, or Jason and Christian Peter. You need your defensive lineman to be absolute run stuffers and to be guys who really are gap sound. The Davis twins can do that to a point, but then break down at critical times. I am not trying to beat up on those guys since they have been ballers in their own way, but they are a case in point of our lack of talent on defense. 20 years ago they would have both been third teamers.

our entire defensive line are seniors - we have had very few underclassmen get significant playing time

I think we will be very fortunate if we can simply match the current D line performance next year and wouldn't be surprised if there was a drop off

 

[Pennsyhusker]

our entire defensive line are seniors - we have had very few underclassmen get significant playing time

I think we will be very fortunate if we can simply match the current D line performance next year and wouldn't be surprised if there was a drop off

Oh I think we will see a drop off. But not in talent, just in experience and technique. But that will come with time. I think the younger guys like Robinson are much more talented than our current seniors.

 

[jlb321]

Oh I think we will see a drop off. But not in talent, just in experience and technique. But that will come with time. I think the younger guys like Robinson are much more talented than our current seniors.

it will be year 3 - we shouldn't be talking about a drop off on the defensive side of the ball on a defense that currently ranks 11th in the big ten

maybe other areas of the defense will be able to compensate - but our LBs will be young and learning next year as well

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Point is that this thread is ripping on recruiting jucos and we should be thankful we recruited him because we’d be worse team without him. Yes he is not jay foreman but he has increased team performance vs not having him. And if Hixson is really best guard in the team we’d better recruit juco oLine. (But I don’t think he is)

If Hixon is not the best left guard why is he starting?

 

[Pennsyhusker]

it will be year 3 - we shouldn't be talking about a drop off on the defensive side of the ball on a defense that currently ranks 11th in the big ten

maybe other areas of the defense will be able to compensate - but our LBs will be young and learning next year as well

Sadly, this is true. We have recruited better the offensive side of the ball than the defensive side. Or so it seems to me.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

He came from a JUCO, genius. Tons of JUCO’s are D1 bounce backs. The nonsense is trying to pretend like he isn’t a JUCO or that he has regressed, to meet your agenda.

So any star high school player that goes JUCO should not be considered JUCo. So much dumb in your post. Go back to bed and start the day over. My goodness.

can either one of you provide me a list of those D1 bounce backs that actually played significant roles as true freshman or anytime before they went to Juco? The point is the Mills was a significant contributor as a freshman at Georgia Tech, got himself into trouble, and transfer to a JUCO. Since apparently guys like this are a dime a dozen, Y’all should have no problem providing me that list. Because I can’t think of a single one outside of Mills

 

[headcard]

can either one of you provide me a list of those D1 bounce backs that actually played significant roles as true freshman or anytime before they went to Juco? The point is the Mills was a significant contributor as a freshman at Georgia Tech, got himself into trouble, and transfer to a JUCO. Since apparently guys like this are a dime a dozen, Y’all should have no problem providing me that list. Because I can’t think of a single one outside of Mel’s

Just stop. The kid is a JUCO recruit and is a good player. Enough of the mental gymnastics trying to prove otherwise.

 

[uberism1111]

can either one of you provide me a list of those D1 bounce backs that actually played significant roles as true freshman or anytime before they went to Juco? The point is the Mills was a significant contributor as a freshman at Georgia Tech, got himself into trouble, and transfer to a JUCO. Since apparently guys like this are a dime a dozen, Y’all should have no problem providing me that list. Because I can’t think of a single one outside of Mel’s

Josh Heupel, QB, Weber State University —> Snow College —> Oklahoma

Seneca Wallace, QB, Oregon State —> Sacramento City College —> Iowa State

Corey Dillon, RB, Edmonds Community College —> Garden City Community College —> Dixie College —> Washington

Chad Kelly, QB, Clemson —> East Mississippi Community College —> Ole Miss

Cam Newton, QB, Florida —> Blinn Junior College —> Auburn

ROFL

 

[jlb321]

Mills was voted preseason All-ACC prior to going JUCO

he was a proven power 5 player coming out of JUCO - unlike almost any other JUCO

 

[jlb321]

Josh Heupel, QB, Weber State University —> Snow College —> Oklahoma

Seneca Wallace, QB, Oregon State —> Sacramento City College —> Iowa State

Corey Dillon, RB, Edmonds Community College —> Garden City Community College —> Dixie College —> Washington

Chad Kelly, QB, Clemson —> East Mississippi Community College —> Ole Miss

Cam Newton, QB, Florida —> Blinn Junior College —> Auburn

ROFL

which of those players proved to be a high level power 5 player BEFORE going JUCO?

embarrassing to try and equate those situations to Mills

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Josh Heupel, QB, Weber State University —> Snow College —> Oklahoma

Seneca Wallace, QB, Oregon State —> Sacramento City College —> Iowa State

Corey Dillon, RB, Edmonds Community College —> Garden City Community College —> Dixie College —> Washington

Chad Kelly, QB, Clemson —> East Mississippi Community College —> Ole Miss

Cam Newton, QB, Florida —> Blinn Junior College —> Auburn

ROFL

Where did those players play significant minutes before going to junior college?

 

[Jkapke]

True. Mills is better than Honas. I just remember there was a lot of hype about Honas when he came in. But now he is nothing more than a “decent” player. Nothing special. In my opinion he hasn’t been the same since his injury. So he probably does count as another good Juco guy this staff recruited.

Yes, my original musings on this issue can now be officially labeled as “full of shit”.

I guess I am just allowing my negative feelings toward our recruiting of late to spill over into my views on other topics. How do others on here feel about our current recruiting class? I am underwhelmed. But maybe that is full of shit too. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of recruiting class that can raise us above the rest of the West.

All good man. Don't take everything so harsh. Lol

 

[Jkapke]

Honus is the best ILB on the team right now.

Exactly

 

[TheBeav815]

We can argue about whether Honas is above average or not, but the fact is he has started and/or played heavy minutes when healthy since he got here. That makes it a successful use of a scholarship for what the current reality of NU football is.

Woodyard and Williams you'd have to put some real effort into convincing me that a couple 3* kids out of HS could have been any less productive.

Has Terrell Farley been mentioned in this thread yet? He didn't finish his career at NU but he was an absolute freak when he was playing.

 

[Oldie but goodie]

True. Mills is better than Honas. I just remember there was a lot of hype about Honas when he came in. But now he is nothing more than a “decent” player. Nothing special. In my opinion he hasn’t been the same since his injury. So he probably does count as another good Juco guy this staff recruited.

Yes, my original musings on this issue can now be officially labeled as “full of shit”.

I guess I am just allowing my negative feelings toward our recruiting of late to spill over into my views on other topics. How do others on here feel about our current recruiting class? I am underwhelmed. But maybe that is full of shit too. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of recruiting class that can raise us above the rest of the West.

I think we have 3 or 4 players to be excited about, the balance is underwhelming. That's what happens when the hyped program shows no improvement.

I hope I am full of shit, would love to eat some crow.

 

[uberism1111]

Where did those players play significant minutes before going to junior college?

Josh Heupel - started 4 games. Hurt his knee months later and transferred. The rest is history.

Seneca Wallace - was going to be the starting CB but became ineligible. Moma made him go back home. The rest is history.

Corey Dillon - failed to get to Washington out of high school because of a test score. One season of 1,555 yards in one I-A season and the rest is history.

Chad Kelly - played in 5 games as a freshman. The rest is history (beat Alabama)

Cam Newton - got kicked off the team for stealing. Beat out other QB's for the second strong spot behind Heisman winner Tim Tebow. Played in games. Won the starting job the next season but got hurt and took a redshirt season. The rest is history.

So this whole talking point of Mills being the only guy to go from what is now P5 to JUCO back to P5 has happened before.

This whole obsession of trying to paint Mills into not being a JUCO is just dumb. He was in JUCo when we recruited him. Thus, he was a JUCO recruit.

 

[Hoosker Du]

"It's not the X's and the O's but the Jimmys and the Joes." Yet it's quite funny that it's the sky is falling fans that are quick to pick up the pitchforks and torches and put all the blame on the D coordinator as a whipping boy. We ultimate have a young team, sure we have some seniors that are solid but then again how many 1st or even 2nd or 3rd team Big Ten players do we have on our D? Ya but lets go and fire another coordinator and have another 2 years of growing pains. It's a silly cycle. It's a team game brother and you love to compare mighty Wisconsin yet then again WI runs a pro offense and controls the ball most of the game and it's D is on the field for a lot less plays. Nebraska tries to play fast pace and outscore people putting a lot of pressure on the D to hold up. Fundamentally that's what Frosty is about, if you disagree that's entirely a different conversation.

The "sky is falling fans" as you call them, are fans that know giving up 30+ points in over 65% of the games is not a recipe for success. Especially in a league known for being pretty stingy on defense.

Watching both our LBs and DBs not playing their assignments correctly and leaving both gaping holes and wide open receivers with the level of frequency that they are is very disconcerting when we're 23 games in. Our talent level isn't so bad that we should be ranked 71st in Total Defense after 23 games.