Where do we go from here?

[PAOK]

Next year's team will have a ton of question marks due to the vast number of players that need to be replaced. Young players looking for opportunities should have no problem finding them at NU.

QB - - - Lee and O'Brein will fight it out for the starting job. Both should be very different from TA in good ways but also in a few bad ways. Our success as a team rests largely on what the eventual starter will be able to do for us.

RB - - Only really solid skill position with returners. Oz, Wilbon and Bryant will be a good stable of runners. Whoever else gets added to the mix probably won't see much time so redshirting seems in order.

WR - - OMG we lose so much here. Morgan Jr. is great and DPE is serviceable. After that? Height is an issue here as well. Who is going to replace Reilly? I think NU should go after whatever JUCO stud WR we can find and offer immediate playing time. Freshman class will be amazing but we cant rely on them to do that much heavy lifting, some will even redshirt.

TE - - Replacing Carter with anyone currently on the roster is impossible. Cotton and Foster(Sr?) also move on........Who will step up? I don't even know a name to throw out there. This is concerning. Could we grab a late JUCO stud and offer playing time?

OL needs retooling but seems to be on course for an injection of young talent that redshirted this year. Could Gates and his slow ass and giant mouth move inside to guard? Center is needed as well.

Kickers - - Brown....continue on young man. Lightbourn.....please hit the practice in the spring hard.

DE - - Freedom and ???? Serious need of a playmaker or two here. Someone with some speed to pressure some QBs and take advantage of the fact that we have a decent secondary.

DT - - Again....Collins twins and the big stiff walking storage freezer return but we need help here. Guys on the commit list look nice but can they play right away?

LB - - We might get a dose of addition by subtraction here if we can replace a few spots with speedier guys than Banderas, MRI and DY. Of course at times this year Frankenstein's monster seemed like he would be faster than those 3. Do we have anyone with talent waiting to play?

Secondary - - CBs are good and solid. Also I think the safety position is solid with Williams and Reed. (How is his injury?) Replacing Nate Spicolly Gerry shouldn't be too difficult and totally workable. Another addition by subtraction situation. He was a stud but obviously hurt our team in multiple other ways.

What are your thoughts? It seems to me like we will be learning a ton of new names to follow next year and NU is a place for some young players to come in and make a name for themselves if they are hungry enough. If we are ever to make it back to a championship caliber then that is where it will come from. Some group of young guys with a fire in their bellies to make a name for themselves. NU has that opportunity next year.

 

[GretnaShawn]

QB- TA played with tons of heart. But his mental mistakes and lack of throwing ability will not be missed. Hope Lee is the real deal.

RB- Newby stepped up this year. But will be fine next year.

TE- we will miss the blocking. But Carter only had less than 200 yards and only 1 TD this season. Hardly irreplaceable.

OL- hope Farniok, Raridon and Wilson are ready to compete. The thing the o-line has been missing for years was depth and no quality competition.

WR- big losses. This position will be the biggest step back.

DT- Maurice will be missed. Still no depth.

DE- no depth. Hope some kids step up. Pretty much the same as this year.

LB- I am glad I will ever have to watch Banderas missing tackles and not forcing turnovers again. (Total forced fumbles by MRI and Banderas in the last three years - ZERO). Hopefully the youth steps up and Young takes the plow off and is able to outrun somebody, anybody.

CB- looks solid.

S- looks solid.

Hopefully most of the Pelini poison is gone.

 

[HBK4life]

QB- TA played with tons of heart. But his mental mistakes and lack of throwing ability will not be missed. Hope Lee is the real deal.

RB- Newby stepped up this year. But will be fine next year.

TE- we will miss the blocking. But Carter only had less than 200 yards and only 1 TD this season. Hardly irreplaceable.

OL- hope Farniok, Raridon and Wilson are ready to compete. The thing the o-line has been missing for years was depth and no quality competition.

WR- big losses. This position will be the biggest step back.

DT- Maurice will be missed. Still no depth.

DE- no depth. Hope some kids step up. Pretty much the same as this year.

LB- I am glad I will ever have to watch Banderas missing tackles and not forcing turnovers again. (Total forced fumbles by MRI and Banderas in the last three years - ZERO). Hopefully the youth steps up and Young takes the plow off and is able to outrun somebody, anybody.

CB- looks solid.

S- looks solid.

Hopefully most of the Pelini poison is gone.

No disrespect to the athletes playing QB but the last 8 years has been the Taylor and Tommy show. I want to see a true QB running the offense. It will be a refreshing change.

 

[Bugeater]

Does 2017 mirror 2016? Beat the teams Nebraska is favored to beat, lose to the ones they are the underdogs? Can they pull off at least one upset next year? I see another 9-3 or 8-4 type season next year.

 

[Husker Sledge]

I think 2018 will be Riley's best team but the schedule is brutal! Closing really strong on this 2017 recruiting class is absolutely critical for coach.

 

[scarletred]

Right now we need DE so bad it isn't even funny no more.Like what I here about Collin Miller but sounds like a 3rd down specialist.Will Alex Davis and Daishon Neal amount to anything.

Hoping an infusion of 3 offensive linemen being redshirted helps improve our offensive line which needs to improve significantly next season...

2-3 games we need to win next year for sure for this program to move forward are against Wisconsin, Iowa and I'll throw in Penn St.

 

[Red Route One]

If there's a year that we'll miss Cethan Carter at tight end it will be next year...especially with the lack of proven depth at the WR position...how many times do you hear during any football broadcast that a QB's best friend is the play of a solid TE? Quite often...Would have liked to have seen him used more effectively this past season, but with the WR's we had that probably limited his number from being called as much as it may have been otherwise. He's one that I wish we had back next year.

 

[otismotis08]

I'll say his output was limited by TA, but I was not overly impressed when he did get the opportunities. Lots of hype.
Hope he proves it at the next level.

 

[Red Route One]

Good point with TA...which again I find intriguing...if you're struggling at the QB position that TE becomes even more important...short, high percentage throws that get an athlete in space against a smaller defender potentially wish should be a good thing...my opinion is that he was an individual who could have been a comfortable and reliable connection for TA.

 

[scarletred]

If there's a year that we'll miss Cethan Carter at tight end it will be next year...especially with the lack of proven depth at the WR position...how many times do you hear during any football broadcast that a QB's best friend is the play of a solid TE? Quite often...Would have liked to have seen him used more effectively this past season, but with the WR's we had that probably limited his number from being called as much as it may have been otherwise. He's one that I wish we had back next year.

Very good point, QB best friend can be his TE. Michigan uses their very well and they have (had) some good ones.

Blocking was Carters best attribute, with Snyder, Stoll and Engelhaupt someone needs to step up and contribute. Austin Allen might be the best outlet for Our QB in the future.

 

[bomber89]

Interesting thought. Ben Stille could be moved from DE to TE. He had great hands in High School and we are very thin there. He will be a redshirt freshmen next year.

Look at the great teams over the last 20 years they had good players no doubt but the best players were always on the defensive line and offensive line. You have to build your team inside out and front to back. If Nebraska is ever to compete we have to get more talent, more attitude, more strength, and more depth along the defensive and offensive line.

Moving forward talent acquisition is most important and then coaching them up. Love the walk on program but if I never see another walk on start I would be very ok with that. They should be for depth and teaching the great players what the Nebraska way means.

 

[chicolby]

Cethan Carter was much more about his potential than his actual on field production. I can't figure out why he never became a monster playmaker, but frankly, it was only a few brief flashes then mostly eh.

The end of this recruiting season will be more important than the showing in the bowl game. Riley needs to show momentum and maybe even take some shots at getting younger guys on the field early next year to build them up for 2018/2019.

 

[HBK4life]

Cethan Carter was much more about his potential than his actual on field production. I can't figure out why he never became a monster playmaker, but frankly, it was only a few brief flashes then mostly eh.

The end of this recruiting season will be more important than the showing in the bowl game. Riley needs to show momentum and maybe even take some shots at getting younger guys on the field early next year to build them up for 2018/2019.

Kinda hard to flash what you can do when you are running wide open down the seam and your QB throws a hail mary to a WR into triple coverage 90 percent of the time. A true QB going through his progressions and check downs Carter would have had eye popping numbers IMO.