Hope

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

I see hope for the future with the Holgorsen hire. Our offense continued to struggle at USC, especially in the red zone, but I thought the offensive play calling was definitely better. Give him time and Holgorsen will get this offense going. I hope he sticks around.

But we need a serious upgrade in talent across the board, especially on the offensive line. It all begins there. Our inability to run the ball consistently is why we struggle in the red zone.

Hit the portal hard for offensive linemen and physical wide receivers who can block and escape man to man press coverage.

The defense has its issues and is overrated but the fact is they played well enough for us to win. And that is true of every game this year except Indiana. As up and down and frustrating as our defense has been they have kept things close enough for us to win.

We need an improved offensive line as the top priority going forward. Nothing else will matter until that happens.

 

[HuskerOH_rivals315145]

Signal caller solomente

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

And the thing that sticks out to me with regard to our defense is that it gives evidence of being well coached. What it lacks is talent at LB and DB. Hopefully that changes soon. We have some good recruits in this class and we can add more via the portal.

I repeat therefore that what this program lacks more than anything else is talent on the offensive line. Change that and you change the direction of NU football. And I think the verdict is still out on the competence of Raiola as a coach and a recruiter.

 

[Scat_Back]

I saw marginal improvement in Dana’s first game. I thought it was immediately noticeable how much quicker Dylan was getting the ball out on all kinds of routes. When is the last time we even threw a slant route? That was refreshing. Seemed like it opened up the run game better. I’ve been hollering weekly for Bonner to get the rock a lot more, it probably took Dana one practice to see it.

Dylan’s a freshman, Dana looks a lot better. I’m not in the freak out clan just yet. We are stuck with Rhule for at least another year regardless. He’s shown the ability to make changes, even uncommon ones against his buddy mid-season. When is the last time we saw that?

Might as well see if he can get some of this fixed and progress for next season to start winning more games. If we look the same, then the unprecedented NU coaching drought continues.

 

[NikkiSixx_rivals269993]

Agree with you about the Oline.

I think certain position coaches need to be changed.

Head coach needs to act like a leader. Hold people accountable.

I'd prefer that the head coach decide on an identity and then hire and recruit around that. When you flex your whole organization around 1 player, you get the same kind of thing we had with Frost.

Our talent level can always be improved, but it's not like we are completely deficient of talent either. I go back to the position coaches. I do not think we have very good position coaches at all, and they are not being held accountable, and that ends up hurting player development.

You can't go around being Mr. Nice Guy with people. Not saying you have to be a complete dick either, but Matt runs this organization way too soft. Hires buddies, and this kind of crap just tells me what kind of guy he is. I do not think he is dedicated to winning, having a winning mindset, and holding people accountable for their own good.

Too much coddling of players is likely happening as well.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

Agree with you about the Oline.

I think certain position coaches need to be changed.

Head coach needs to act like a leader. Hold people accountable.

I'd prefer that the head coach decide on an identity and then hire and recruit around that. When you flex your whole organization around 1 player, you get the same kind of thing we had with Frost.

Our talent level can always be improved, but it's not like we are completely deficient of talent either. I go back to the position coaches. I do not think we have very good position coaches at all, and they are not being held accountable, and that ends up hurting player development.

You can't go around being Mr. Nice Guy with people. Not saying you have to be a complete dick either, but Matt runs this organization way too soft. Hires buddies, and this kind of crap just tells me what kind of guy he is. I do not think he is dedicated to winning, having a winning mindset, and holding people accountable for their own good.

Too much coddling of players is likely happening as well.

We can’t fire Raiola for obvious reasons. But we can bring in a new offensive line “analyst” to inject new life into the coaching of our linemen. And in our recruiting.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

I saw marginal improvement in Dana’s first game. I thought it was immediately noticeable how much quicker Dylan was getting the ball out on all kinds of routes. When is the last time we even threw a slant route? That was refreshing. Seemed like it opened up the run game better. I’ve been hollering weekly for Bonner to get the rock a lot more, it probably took Dana one practice to see it.

Dylan’s a freshman, Dana looks a lot better. I’m not in the freak out clan just yet. We are stuck with Rhule for at least another year regardless. He’s shown the ability to make changes, even uncommon ones against his buddy mid-season. When is the last time we saw that?

Might as well see if he can get some of this fixed and progress for next season to start winning more games. If we look the same, then the unprecedented NU coaching drought continues.

It was just DH’s first game and yet he already made improvements. I think we will see even more improvements next week. One thing I would like to see is EJ made into our primary RB. In my opinion there were two runs from Dowdell yesterday that had they been made by EJ would have potentially gone all the way. Dowdell can get yards if the hole is there but he has zero shake and bake once in the clear and goes down far too easily with ankle tackles. He reminds me in that regard of Dan Alexander.

 

[NikkiSixx_rivals269993]

We can’t fire Raiola for obvious reasons. But we can bring in a new offensive line “analyst” to inject new life into the coaching of our linemen. And in our recruiting.

The RB Coach, WR Coach, Offensive line Coach, Special Teams Coach, all need hard discussions and action.

Include the OC position as well, because I believe DH is here on a temporary basis only.

Defensively, we have issues at certain positions talent wise and not a fan of the 3 man front either.

There is a lot that can be looked at if Rhule is serious and committed to winning.

 

[Fed-Up]

I see hope for the future with the Holgorsen hire. Our offense continued to struggle at USC, especially in the red zone, but I thought the offensive play calling was definitely better. Give him time and Holgorsen will get this offense going. I hope he sticks around.

But we need a serious upgrade in talent across the board, especially on the offensive line. It all begins there. Our inability to run the ball consistently is why we struggle in the red zone.

Hit the portal hard for offensive linemen and physical wide receivers who can block and escape man to man press coverage.

The defense has its issues and is overrated but the fact is they played well enough for us to win. And that is true of every game this year except Indiana. As up and down and frustrating as our defense has been they have kept things close enough for us to win.

We need an improved offensive line as the top priority going forward. Nothing else will matter until that happens.

I agree (sort of). I think the really good recruits are going to start dropping like flies and opening their recruitment back up and/or not committing at all. This is the same issue as Frost. The Frost apologists always said that the loses didn't matter.....well that is just not true. No good player who has big-time goals wants to come to play for a perennial loser dumpster fire program....which is evidently what Nebraska has become.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

The RB Coach, WR Coach, Offensive line Coach, Special Teams Coach, all need hard discussions and action.

Include the OC position as well, because I believe DH is here on a temporary basis only.

Defensively, we have issues at certain positions talent wise and not a fan of the 3 man front either.

There is a lot that can be looked at if Rhule is serious and committed to winning.

Hope DH stays for at least one more season. And I think he will unless he is offered a head coaching position.
Foley is a joke. What in the f$ck was Castaneda doing fielding a punt at our four? That is coaching 101. You can argue that maybe he was in fact coached not to do that. But good coaching goes beyond teaching the right things. Good coaching also involves getting your players to execute those things. And this is not the first time this year when our return guy fields a kick inside the five.

 

[NikkiSixx_rivals269993]

Hope DH stays for at least one more season. And I think he will unless he is offered a head coaching position.
Foley is a joke. What in the f$ck was Castaneda doing fielding a punt at our four? That is coaching 101. You can argue that maybe he was in fact coached not to do that. But good coaching goes beyond teaching the right things. Good coaching also involves getting your players to execute those things. And this is not the first time this year when our return guy fields a kick inside the five.

100%...

this is what sours so many people.. there are so many obvious breakdowns but nothing is ever done about it, nobody is held accountable.. when the entire fan base can identify and point out obvious issues that continue from year to year, people start to become unglued and the real vitriol comes out.

Matt was forced to do something with the OC position, he doesn't get any pass from me on that.. and you have all these other areas that need to be addressed, and people go from being supportive and pointing things out, to downright anger at inaction.

 

[steinek11]

Consistent top 25 recruiting classes year in and year out. Also, we need to bring in more talent.

I’ve been listening to this story for about 20 years

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

100%...

this is what sours so many people.. there are so many obvious breakdowns but nothing is ever done about it, nobody is held accountable.. when the entire fan base can identify and point out obvious issues that continue from year to year, people start to become unglued and the real vitriol comes out.

Matt was forced to do something with the OC position, he doesn't get any pass from me on that.. and you have all these other areas that need to be addressed, and people go from being supportive and pointing things out, to downright anger at inaction.

Bryce Benhart is a case in point. Veteran player. Been a starter for years. Coached by Raiola for 3 of those years. And then, like clockwork, he commits a false start penalty with the game on the line. The crowd was not that loud. He was used to his QB’s signal cadences. One fricking play left in a winnable game if we can all just execute properly, and he goes brain dead and false starts. And that one penalty now limits your potential play call. Down in the red zone there is a world of difference contained in those five yards. I knew at that moment the next play would fail.

That is coaching when it happens over and over and over. And name one player who has really improved and flourished under Raiola’s coaching.

 

[Dean Pope]

I see hope for the future with the Holgorsen hire. Our offense continued to struggle at USC, especially in the red zone, but I thought the offensive play calling was definitely better. Give him time and Holgorsen will get this offense going. I hope he sticks around.

If Holgorsen was available, he would have been a hell of a hire two years ago. We're fortunate to have him now. In the short term, the offense already looks better off. But where this hire pays off is really in the long term. He'll mentor Raiola and make him better. And Raiola is a great fit for his offense. There's some promiss among the receivers as well. If they are able to get the Terry kid out of Texas, he and Barney would be two great WRs for Raiola to work with.

 

[NikkiSixx_rivals269993]

Bryce Benhart is a case in point. Veteran player. Been a starter for years. Coached by Raiola for 3 of those years. And then, like clockwork, he commits a false start penalty with the game on the line. The crowd was not that loud. He was used to his QB’s signal cadences. One fricking play left in a winnable game if we can all just execute properly, and he goes brain dead and false starts. And that one penalty now limits your potential play call. Down in the red zone there is a world of difference contained in those five yards. I knew at that moment the next play would fail.

That is coaching when it happens over and over and over. And name one player who has really improved and flourished under Raiola’s coaching.

yep.. it goes back to player development.. additionally, name a player that has improved in the RB room, or WR room or ST..

Has the TE position actually improved since Rhule came here?

I thought that was really going to be a position of strength for us, but then we either don't utilize it or, or if we do, are the best players out there?

I get the desire to have some tall WR's for DR to throw to.. but when they can't separate, or block, or heck even consistently catch the ball, man I gotta wonder wtf that guy is out there for.. I mean there should be priorities right? A WR should be able to consistently catch the ball first, or why is he even at the position.

 

[Dean Pope]

It was just DH’s first game and yet he already made improvements. I think we will see even more improvements next week. One thing I would like to see is EJ made into our primary RB. In my opinion there were two runs from Dowdell yesterday that had they been made by EJ would have potentially gone all the way. Dowdell can get yards if the hole is there but he has zero shake and bake once in the clear and goes down far too easily with ankle tackles. He reminds me in that regard of Dan Alexander.

I've been praising Emmitt Johnson for about a year now. He's always been our best RB. He's just a good all around back. Sees the hole, angles through. He'll get a 2 yard gain when it looks like there's nothing there. Then there's his ability to set up defenders and make people miss. And his receiving ability.

Dowdell is a good back to just hammer away at the defense with but you hit the nail on the head with his shortcomings.

 

[nu2u]

We need an improved offensive line as the top priority going forward. Nothing else will matter until that happens.

I bet you could find similar declarations that you have posted here at least 8 years running. And it’s true. There is a direct correlation between the better teams and the quality/depth of OL play.

 

[MargotDeeper]

My takeaway from that game is our lack of game changing skill players, namely WRs & DBs, kept us from winning that game. There were easily 8-10 plays on the ball that other teams make, that we can't. So frustrating to watch other teams' talent & coaching allow them to win.

 

[Redscarlet]

Trojans gained 182 yards on the ground was the most disappointing to me, we could not stop their running when the game was on the line…

Pennsy, with Jones, Merritt and Mooberry coming in and young freshman Shavers and McGahee, I like our youth and athleticism at the LBer spots..

Obvious we need better WR and my God we can’t get rid of Benhardt fast enough..

 

[dinglefritz]

I see hope for the future with the Holgorsen hire. Our offense continued to struggle at USC, especially in the red zone, but I thought the offensive play calling was definitely better. Give him time and Holgorsen will get this offense going. I hope he sticks around.

But we need a serious upgrade in talent across the board, especially on the offensive line. It all begins there. Our inability to run the ball consistently is why we struggle in the red zone.

Hit the portal hard for offensive linemen and physical wide receivers who can block and escape man to man press coverage.

The defense has its issues and is overrated but the fact is they played well enough for us to win. And that is true of every game this year except Indiana. As up and down and frustrating as our defense has been they have kept things close enough for us to win.

We need an improved offensive line as the top priority going forward. Nothing else will matter until that happens.

Our O line is playing pretty well. We averaged over 5 per carry by our RBs and Dylan had enough time to throw. We had one mental breakdown where Gottula didn’t know or hear the snap count. I don’t think we can lay the redzone struggles at our O line’s feet. I still believe that is play calling and QB execution.

I was encouraged by some of the wrinkles I saw and the fluidity of the play calling. To be honest I expected more miscommunications and mistakes caused by having a new OC on such a short time window. There is some hope that Dana can fix our issues but Dylan is going to continue to make costly mistakes. His lack of a legit run threat is a huge problem for our offense. Oregon doesn’t win last night without Gabriel’s plays with his feet.

 

[SickOfPractice]

"What in the f$ck was Castaneda doing fielding a punt at our four? That is coaching 101."

I see that and raise you "what in the f$ck was Raiola doing in the shotgun in trying to draw an offsides and holding up his hand to not snap the ball?"

Even attributing that to confusion related to a new OC doesn't make me feel better about that cluster.

 

[dinglefritz]

"What in the f$ck was Castaneda doing fielding a punt at our four? That is coaching 101."

I see that and raise you "what in the f$ck was Raiola doing in the shotgun in trying to draw an offsides and holding up his hand to not snap the ball?"

Even attributing that to confusion related to a new OC doesn't make me feel better about that cluster.

IGC got to sit after that but USC leads the nation in punts downed inside the 5. In assuming the shotgun hard count was because that’s the alignment we always use on 3rd or 4th and 2-3 to go. Line up under center and they know what you’re trying to do. Dylan moved up then took a step back simulating receiving the snap to try to get a jump. Works for Aaron Rodgers sometimes.

 

[cHUCK001]

We can’t fire Raiola for obvious reasons. But we can bring in a new offensive line “analyst” to inject new life into the coaching of our linemen. And in our recruiting.

Yes we can fire Raiola. If his nephew goes he goes. Fire his *** and move on. Dylan has all the talent in the world ( apparently he hasn't displayed it yet). It would do him good to be coached up by a real coaching staff. The current dipshits we have will not be around in 2 years anyway.

 

[dinglefritz]

Yes we can fire Raiola. If his nephew goes he goes. Fire his *** and move on. Dylan has all the talent in the world. It would do him good to be coached up by a real coaching staff. The current dipshits we have will not be around in 2 years anyway.

It’s not our O line coach. It’s been our offensive scheme, play caller and our QB. IF you want to see our O line improve replace our QB with one who is a run threat. It’s a huge handicap for our O line when a defense doesn’t have to worry about our QB burning them with his feet. A strict drop back immobile QB doesn’t work in the NFL anymore either. They get destroyed.

 

[Redscarlet]

It’s not our O line coach. It’s been our offensive scheme, play caller and our QB. IF you want to see our O line improve replace our QB with one who is a run threat. It’s a huge handicap for our O line when a defense doesn’t have to worry about our QB burning them with his feet. A strict drop back immobile QB doesn’t work in the NFL anymore either. They get destroyed.

It’s not that Dylan isn’t a good running QB, it’s that he hesitates to long making that decision, which in all likely hood happens when your a true freshman.

 

[BrighteRed24_rivals190920]

Our skill position talent is a bigger problem than our O Oine.

We had at least 2-3 plays yesterday, where if the running back makes 1 guy miss, it could have been a 50 yard+ play and a touchdown. The one thing consistent about our RB play this year is when they must make 1 guy miss, they never do. Saw some nice things out of Emmit Johnson, but he is not elite. He’d be a nice 3rd down back ideally.

Our Wide Receivers struggle to get any separation from defenses, especially against man. There is just an overall lack of elite talent at WR too. These guys just are not very good.

At TE, Fidone is one of the most overrated players I’ve seen at Nebraska, but I don’t see a guy behind him who is clearly better.

All three of these position coaches should be fired at year end. Need to replace them with guys who can recruit their *** off.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

It’s not our O line coach. It’s been our offensive scheme, play caller and our QB. IF you want to see our O line improve replace our QB with one who is a run threat. It’s a huge handicap for our O line when a defense doesn’t have to worry about our QB burning them with his feet. A strict drop back immobile QB doesn’t work in the NFL anymore either. They get destroyed.

What was Raiola’s excuse then when we did have a mobile QB? Both Thompson and HH had zone read running plays built into the offensive playbook. And our line still sucked. Furthermore, lack of a mobile QB doesn’t explain our inability to not make stupid penalties like Benhart’s. It was inexcusable.

 

[mt_slothmore]

If we’re going to continue running this *** offense we are, we need to seriously look at making a move back to the Big 12…if we’re going to try and play big boy football in the Big 10, we unfortunately need to reset at the top and get a staff committed to the run game and playing strong D

 

[Zeke2005]

Overall the hope is all gone in my opinion. Dana is clearly a better play caller but in the end the result was the same. Because our guys just can’t make the plays on the field. Yes it was better yesterday but in the moments where the game is won or lost we fail.

 

[c3o]

I thought the OL played fine. DR still can’t find open WRs down field. DH went away from the run but the play calling was so much better as a whole. The defense gets tricked way too easy and for some reason couldn’t make easy deflections that resulted in TDs.

I saw progress. I also see a staff that befuddles me during the end of halves. If you have a fake punt called and you see a bad look, you’d think you could audible to a punt. Also, our time mgmt at the end of games is worse than really bad players online in a video game. What it tells me is Matt Rhule isn’t preparing well enough. We got out coached once again. Riley had great plays called in tough situations. Nebraska folded on the other han

The refs were once again an F grade. Truly pathetic and let USC DBs have an unfair advantage of pulling on jerseys when going for the ball. Really easy Pi calls for normal folks and easy to spot

 

[beaglehusker]

Band-Aids. The root of the problem is the man in charge.

 

[nostromo78]

DR def got the ball out quicker. Big improvement there

 

[LBremser_rivals78367]

Band-Aids. The root of the problem is the man in charge.

You may be right, but he's not going anywhere for at least a year or two so band-aids are our only hope.

 

[Meanfarmer3160]

Just a few more years.

 

[Husker4real_rivals373787]

At the risk of giving NU more credit than they deserve, USC was the luckiest team I've seen in a long time. In order.

On their first TD: They complete a miracle pass on 2nd and 13th that had probably a 1% chance of completing. Desperation heave that they complete for 1st and goal instead of 3rd and 13.

Their 2nd TD: Friggin unreal TD on 2nd and goal from the 12 on a pass that Hartzog tipped, then had it ricochet off his helmet into the WR hands. TD instead of 3rd and goal from the 12.

Official blow an obvious DPI that would have given NU first and goal at the 1. Two officials watching Banks' feet and oblivious to one of the easiest PI calls they'd ever have to make. Clowns. NU gets 3 instead of 4 cracks at 7 from the 1.

On USC's final TD drive: First, they snap the ball into the leg of receiver gong in motion, get lucky to recover the fumble on this Nebraska-like bungled play. Then, on the very next play, their QB's arm is hit as he throws, resulting in a wobbly fumble/pass that is tipped and ONCE AGAIN RICOCHETS OFF AN NU HELMET. into the arms of their receiver for 9 yards. 4th and a foot instead of 4th and 9th and a punt.

Of course, not to be outdone by the first missed DPI, the clown show officials miss an even easier DPI on the games final play. It was bad enough that the DB was grabbing Banks' jersey during the entire sequence, he literally yanked Banks backwards, preventing him from making any kind of play on the ball.

NU deserves no sympathy for yet another season crumbing down the stretch, but JFC, USC was lucky as hell yesterday.

 

[HUSKERFAN66]

I see hope for the future with the Holgorsen hire. Our offense continued to struggle at USC, especially in the red zone, but I thought the offensive play calling was definitely better. Give him time and Holgorsen will get this offense going. I hope he sticks around.

But we need a serious upgrade in talent across the board, especially on the offensive line. It all begins there. Our inability to run the ball consistently is why we struggle in the red zone.

Hit the portal hard for offensive linemen and physical wide receivers who can block and escape man to man press coverage.

The defense has its issues and is overrated but the fact is they played well enough for us to win. And that is true of every game this year except Indiana. As up and down and frustrating as our defense has been they have kept things close enough for us to win.

We need an improved offensive line as the top priority going forward. Nothing else will matter until that happens.

The o line looked better imo because we were actually running the ball and the linemen were going forward making holes.

I'm slightly optimistic that with more than a week and a half there can be improvements

 

[king_kong_]

I am hopeful that our AD is not a blockhead

he's hired good coaches in the recent past

 

[king_kong_]

It’s not our O line coach. It’s been our offensive scheme, play caller and our QB. IF you want to see our O line improve replace our QB with one who is a run threat. It’s a huge handicap for our O line when a defense doesn’t have to worry about our QB burning them with his feet. A strict drop back immobile QB doesn’t work in the NFL anymore either. They get destroyed.

our OL coach is a mascot

absolutely worthless from the day he set foot on campus

 

[Husker Sledge]

At the risk of giving NU more credit than they deserve, USC was the luckiest team I've seen in a long time. In order.

On their first TD: They complete a miracle pass on 2nd and 13th that had probably a 1% chance of completing. Desperation heave that they complete for 1st and goal instead of 3rd and 13.

Their 2nd TD: Friggin unreal TD on 2nd and goal from the 12 on a pass that Hartzog tipped, then had it ricochet off his helmet into the WR hands. TD instead of 3rd and goal from the 12.

Official blow an obvious DPI that would have given NU first and goal at the 1. Two officials watching Banks' feet and oblivious to one of the easiest PI calls they'd ever have to make. Clowns. NU gets 3 instead of 4 cracks at 7 from the 1.

On USC's final TD drive: First, they snap the ball into the leg of receiver gong in motion, get lucky to recover the fumble on this Nebraska-like bungled play. Then, on the very next play, their QB's arm is hit as he throws, resulting in a wobbly fumble/pass that is tipped and ONCE AGAIN RICOCHETS OFF AN NU HELMET. into the arms of their receiver for 9 yards. 4th and a foot instead of 4th and 9th and a punt.

Of course, not to be outdone by the first missed DPI, the clown show officials miss an even easier DPI on the games final play. It was bad enough that the DB was grabbing Banks' jersey during the entire sequence, he literally yanked Banks backwards, preventing him from making any kind of play on the ball.

NU deserves no sympathy for yet another season crumbing down the stretch, but JFC, USC was lucky as hell yesterday.

I've come to accept the fact that every team is lucky against Nebraska. Guess we'll see if Rhule's 3rd year success can overcome this never-ending curse. I don't see another win this year. Here's to another entertaining basketball season!

 

[Shoxsker]

I see hope for the future with the Holgorsen hire. Our offense continued to struggle at USC, especially in the red zone, but I thought the offensive play calling was definitely better. Give him time and Holgorsen will get this offense going. I hope he sticks around.

But we need a serious upgrade in talent across the board, especially on the offensive line. It all begins there. Our inability to run the ball consistently is why we struggle in the red zone.

Hit the portal hard for offensive linemen and physical wide receivers who can block and escape man to man press coverage.

The defense has its issues and is overrated but the fact is they played well enough for us to win. And that is true of every game this year except Indiana. As up and down and frustrating as our defense has been they have kept things close enough for us to win.

We need an improved offensive line as the top priority going forward. Nothing else will matter until that happens.

The thing is even when playing "well enough to win" the defense rarely makes the stop they HAVE TO. The 3rd down when to get off the field when our offense finally is moving the ball. The 4th and 1 in a 1 point game. Those plays are defining this defense.