Huskers Stumble in Stillwater
6 comments so far
October 29, 2006 by
Remember how NU's coaches were thrilled to get wins on the road against Iowa State and Kansas State? Well, that was for good reason. Winning on the road in this conference is tough. Anyone not already understanding that got a big fat dose of reality Saturday when the Huskers dropped a game to Oklahoma State in Stillwater, 41-29. It started out well enough. But, some very poor second-half play by NU combined with OSU being a good offensive team led to a Husker loss on a day when they had a chance to put a hold on the Big 12 North lead.
Nebraska is BACK...or not
For every sportswriter and fan who proclaimed that the Huskers were "back" following their 22-20 loss to Texas - do you want that one back? Okay, I'm not going to go as far as some (Tom Shatel) and imply the loss resembled NU's 2004 team. But, I think this was a text book "letdown" game for the Huskers. Some of it has to do with the opponent, and some of it has to do with NU. For those wise souls smart enough to subscribe to the Big Red Beacon (our free newsletter), you knew that BRN didn't feel good about this game from the start. And frankly, the idea of NU winning out over the last four games seemed unrealistic to us. No doubt, NU played poorly (more on that in a bit), but I don't think the team is regressing to an alarming level. Much of the poor play was in areas we have seen earlier this season. And frankly, OSU can play.
It started out just fine
Part of the reason this one stings so bad is because of how well things started out for the Huskers. They mounted a 16-0 lead, with 10:42 left in the second quarter. Many fans, myself included, started to smell a walk-through win.
Seriously, Brandon Jackson was running wild, for like 100 yards and two touchdowns in less than a half. The defense forced two turnovers. Adam Carriker all over the place, looking for the first time all year like the truly disrupted force he was billed to be. Then...OSU offense, the Reid and Bowman show, came to life. NU countered with dose of Purify down the sideline. But OSU scored a momentum-stealing touchdown right at the end of the half, And NU was in a dogfight, 23-20.
At that point, I said to my game-watching pals, especially my football loving wife, that "NU may have to score 42 points to win this one". And, well, they didn't. The offense looked stymied in the third quarter and the dam broke for our defense in the fourth. NU surrendered 21 points and was only able to muster a cheap touchdown late for themselves, as it looked like the wheels just kind of came off.
Areas of concern
- Special teams
The Cowboys got great field position on multiple kickoff returns. Combine that with UT's long return last week, and I just have to ask...what the hell are we doing? Seriously, can't we boot the ball into (or out of) the freaking end zone, and limit opponent opportunities to return kicks? For Pete's sake, other teams do it. This is college, not the pros. Also, Jordan Congdon was kind of erratic, missing an extra point, getting another one blocked and hooking a 42-yard field goal. That's 5 points that NU 'left on the field."
- Poor, poor, defense
Nebraska gave up almost 500 yards to the Cowboys. Jeez...it was Kansas all over again, only worse. OSU knew how to finish drives and NU played poor defense, both mentally and physically. At times we looked out of position. And, we seriously did not tackle well. Football is full contact. Hit them with your pads, violently, and then wrap up. To be fair, OSU has an explosive offense. But, shoddy tackling will get you beat every time. I haven't re-watched the game so I can't get too specific yet. But, at first blush our safety play looked...atrocious. Tierre Green doesn't know how to fill like a strong safety should and Andrew Shanle looked like a liability in coverage.
- Inability to Protect Taylor
NU's offensive line showed real leaks in the second half. The inability to protect Taylor is a serious concern. It made it impossible for NU to play in a game that devolved in to a shoot out. And every team from here on out will try to send the house and get to Taylor.
- Catch the ball
I say it all the time. Wide receivers have the easiest job on offense. Get to a spot, and catch the ball. It looked like they forgot the second part of that job description for a while on Saturday. I don't know how many dropped passes there were total. But, it was a lot. And, when you are trying for a "controlled passing game" that is like rust on a boat. You just can't have it.
A Tip of the Hat
Not to go all Dennis Green on you, but OK State was "who we thought they were". The quarterback - Reid - is just one heck of an athlete, and their wide receivers were as good as we've faced all season. By the way, dang near every team in the Big 12 runs the spread now. So, I'm glad NU is recruiting defensive backs in bunches. You can't have the defensive backfield we have right now and win this league outright. Defensively, OSU lacked the playmakers to stop NU. But, they made up for it in hustle and scheme. They blitzed - hard - and we didn't get it blocked. Game over.
Where to go from here?
NU missed an absolutely golden opportunity to seize control of the North division, as Missouri lost to Oklahoma at home, 23-10. Next week's game with the Tigers in Lincoln is crucial, and that is an understatement. Further, NU really must win out over the next three games to accomplish their goal of winning the division. That's no small task with Missouri, at A&M, and rival Colorado at home. At this point, the thing I'm most thankful for is that NU still has control over its own destiny. Win and you are in. The Huskers must regroup - especially mentally - and make a run for the division.
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Josh Marshall Oct 29 06
Great analysis, Darren!
The OSU offense appeared to have made some run blocking scheme adjustments in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, because we couldn't stop the stretch play. Early on, our defense played well. Coz has never been known for strong defensive adjustments during the game. He either has a brilliant game plan (i.e. Texas 2006), or he has a crappy game plan (i.e. Missouri 2005). We're a little banged up defensively, but so isn't the rest of the nation.
I still say we need to sit Green, Grixby, and Shanle. I don't care if the backups are freshman. They aren't going to get beat any worse than those two sad excuses for DB's. Let's develop our young talent. I can't wait for the day that Grixby, Green, and Shanle are no longer playing.
Bill Busch, what the hell is going on with the special teams? As Darren said, can't our kicker boot it out of the end zone?
On a bright note, Maurice Purify continues to establish himself as our marquee receiver. We just need one or two more just like him.
Frustrated,
Josh
Scott Oct 30 06
Unfortunately, you're only as good as your record. Some people say you're only as good as your last game. This does not bode well for the 2006 Huskers. This is a team that could very well finish 9-3. And from what I've seen this year, they could very well finish 7-5. I don't think it's a lack of talent, but rather a lack of talent at certain positions. I also think we are getting outcoached in a lot of these games as well. Let's get back to the fundamentals....blocking, tackling, etc. Just when I thought Coach Coz might be a good defensive coordinator after the Texas game, my thoughts have gone back to not really knowing how good he is. I try to tell myself that Grixby and Green and Jones are not Bullocks, Bullocks, and Craver back there. Virtually every team outside of our great non-conference schedule has been able to put pressure on Taylor and yet our defense has really been lacking in that area this year.
And doesn't there have to be someone on that UNL campus that can kick a touchback??
darren Oct 30 06
Thanks Josh and Scott for those thoughts. Spot on, really.
Josh - Mo Purify was indeed a big bright spot. Where was his defensive equivalent, Steve Octavien? Is he hurt again or something?? He needs to get healthy and on the field. And, I think the only frosh DB capable of playing right now is Thenarse. Will we see more of him?
Scott you are exactly right - we are what our record says we are. As disappointing as the OSU result is, I'm more disappointed by some folks (*cough* Shatel *cough*) going all "Henny Penny" on this team. And other bloggers bashing the 'skers. Not cool. We'll have to wait and see whether we are 9-3 or 8-4 or 7-5, then make conclusions from that. If people form hard opinions based on "partial data" then they could really step in it. Remember the stink after the KU loss last year? The people calling for BC's head at that time look sort of foolish today. We'll see what kind of team we have in the next 3 weeks.
Bryant Oct 30 06
There are things that concern me specifically, and then one general observation that really has me ticked off.
First, the specifics. If guys aren't going to catch the ball, then they are useless. We dont protect the QB very well in passing situations, so anytime we get decent protection our guys MUST make plays happen.
Also, Cosgrove's lack of adjustments aren't going to change. There is no use thinking that the day will come when he'll magically sit down at halftime, make some necessary changes (whether it be personnel or playcalling), and then roll with the punches in the 2nd half. Not going to happen. But could he at least coach guys up in the fundamentals of tackling?
It is embarrassing to watch this team tackle. I was embarrassed.
As for the overall frustration, it is that our kids think they are better than they actually are. Like just because they have a Blackshirt, any day of 500+ yards given up is a fluke.
McKeon's quotes in the OWH Sunday morning were disappointing. Saying things like "this shouldn't happen to a great defense like ours" or "we gave them everything, they didnt take anything" are completely wrong.
Iowa State and Kansas State are below average teams, as are obviously Nicholls St. and LaTech and Troy. Kansas pasted us for points and yards. The newsflash here ... which is sarcastic ... is that this defense is a little better than average personnel-wise, schizo scheme-wise, and a horrible tackling team. Since when do those add up to being "great" or "excellent"?
I think if you asked A&M if they're scared of the Blackshirts, they'd laugh a bit and point to how OSU ran the ball against us. Lane and the big boys up front will be licking their chops.
This team needs to FOCUS on getting better each and every game, and not think too much about how good everyone says they are or should be.
omarhuskerfan Oct 30 06
Coz blitzing worked Last week!!!!!!!! But I can tell you that not blitzing sure didn't work this week. We have an attacking defense and when you put them in deep cover 2 all day with no pressure up front I wonder if they will get 500 yards of offense. The front 4 don't get pressure. I too thought that they would be awesome, a sack everyother pass play. but that isn't happening. So I think that it is time to actually change somethings up. I hate Carriker (sp?) playing gap ball, and soley gap ball all day.
Jordan Oct 30 06
I agree with many if not all the comments on this blog and props to Darren and the gang for this site. My question about the defense is where is the fire the aggressiveness no one flys around trying to rip heads off. We don't have an animal on defense with the exception of Octavien in the Texas game, but we need a guy thats an every weekend guy. Not a game to game guy. Also, whats the deal with our defensive backs not looking for the ball. Come on honestly, high school players know when the WR looks for the ball you look for the ball. The costly pass interference on Green in the Texas game should have been an interception, but he wouldn't look for the ball and just ran the guy over because he was beat. I'd be happy as all get out if Grixby would look for the ball just once. It doesnt matter too much seeing as he's more or less getting burnt most of the time. And yes we need to take a play out of Vanderbelt's playbook and search for a kicker around campus hold open tryouts or something. But thanks for all the work you guys do. This is an awesome site, keep it up.