Beware Briles and the Baylor Bears
7 comments so far
October 21, 2008 by
Did I really just write that headline? I did, didn't I? Well, I'm a sucker for alliteration. For those of you who aren't, you might want to at least consider the message. With so many people looking forward to November's games with Oklahoma and Kansas, it is important for Nebraska not to overlook this Saturday's game with the Baylor Bears.
No Time for Complacency
The Huskers looked impressive against Iowa State last week. Here's the thing...ISU looked pretty darn bad. So, now is no time for the Huskers to start patting themselves on the back. A bowl berth still requires two more wins. Baylor is arguably the best shot at one of those.
Yes, back-to-back match ups with Oklahoma and Kansas loom large in November. The team needs to let fans and bloggers worry about the implications of those games. The players and coaches should focus on getting to 5-3. That means beating Baylor. Slip up against the Bears, and it would deal a serious blow to off-season aspirations and possibly damage a team psyche that is just really rounding into shape.
Opponents, Quarterback and Coach
So, why should the Huskers be concerned about Baylor? At 3-4, the Bears are a bit worse than NU. But wait a second, consider that all four of those losses game to decent opponents (at least at the time). Two were to very tough Big 12 South opponents, one came to Wake Forest, and the other was to Connecticut. Okay UConn is hardly scary. But NU fans know first hand how Wake can get after you. The Bears share a common opponent with NU in Iowa State - and BU’s result looks an awful lot like what NU did to the Cyclones. Could that be an indicator?
The Baylor quarterback is another reason for the Huskers to stay focused on the Bears. Robert Griffin is the real deal. So far this season he's completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,271 yards, 9 touchdowns and no interceptions. He's also rushed for 433 yards and eight touchdowns. He's a lock for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Pelini has shown more than a little bit of vulnerability to dua-threat quarterbacks in the past. So, the Huskers need to be zeroed in on Saturday.
The last reason to be wary of the Bears - their coach Art Briles. Many coaches have fallen victim to the revolving door syndrome down in Waco. But, I think Briles may have a chance to stick there. He's schooled in the spread offense from a stint with Mike Leach at Texas Tech. And, that style of offense can be a great equalizer. He's managed one reclamation project already, dragging previously 0-11 Houston to a bowl game in his first year as their head coach. He won the Conference USA title with the Cougars in 2006. I don't think he'll bring his team to Lincoln unprepared to play. And, he's seen hostile environments already in his career and this season.
Dose of Reality...For What That Is Worth
Okay, I know I'm starting to sound a lot like Lou Holtz, building up a possibly inferior opponent. The reality is that NU has a better record and more total talent on their roster. The Huskers are also playing at home, which helps them. Finally, the Huskers have outperformed Baylor in essentially every meaningful statistical category. NU deserves to be the favorite in Saturday's game.
But, if the last few seasons have taught us anything it is that you can often throw that kind of reasonable argument out the window. The games are played by college kids whose performance can vary wildly week-to-week. NU needs to stay focused on the game that is right in front of them, or risk a costly loss due to a let down.
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bnahusker Oct 21 08
Great slant Darren.
While the overall quality of opponents will vary, I don't see any "Can't win" or "Can't lose" games. Am I picking NU over the Sooners? Of course not. I'm just saying that teams that don't take care of thier business will have it taken care of for them.
GBR!
It's great to be back in the "Wired" world!
Bob
Darth Iggy Oct 21 08
Baylor worries me a great deal, but so does everyone on our schedule the rest of the way. Everything hinges on NUs ability to execute on Offense. If we can continue to play keep-a-way from the opponent I like our chances at 4-1 or *gasp* even 5-0. This team showed against TTU that they can play anywhere and be competitive.
Success, like failure is habitual and self fullfilling to a degree. You can't get to carried away with it (Just ask Mizzou about that) but confidence will get you far in life and in football. I see this team expecting to play well and expecting to execute better and expecting to be a factor in every game left on thier schedule. I think this team slowly becoming the hunter after four plus years of being the hunted and now teams have to start worrying about us for a change.
Scott Oct 21 08
The problem is that NU makes good quarterbacks have great performances against them, at least for the last few years they have.
Also, if we don't take care of the football better Baylor can take advantage of those mistakes where I don't think Iowa St. was really all that suited to do.
Aaron Semm Oct 21 08
Do you have a newsletter I can subscribe to?
Nitin Gambhir Oct 21 08
I thoroughly enjoyed your last article re: Offensive Identity. So much so that I shared it with 100s of my friends.
darren Oct 21 08
Multiple replies...
Scott - I agree. NU has made too many players look too good for too long. That has to end starting this Saturday.
Aaron -- Yep, we have a newsletter (the Big Red Beacon) that comes out weekly during the season. At the top of the this or any page, you'll see the word "Subscribe". Or, there is a link at the bottom where the post ends. Fill out and submit your form, and you are all set. We won't sell your information or spam you. Ever. Thanks for subscribing.
Nitin -- Many thanks. That's more than we can ask of any reader. We hope you enjoy (and share) future posts too.
Derek M Oct 21 08
I was at the game in Ames, in fact, I was the Husker fan shown on Versus standing on the railing going nuts and "throwing the lasso". Anyway, I read your article about the offensive identity, and I think you are spot the **** on. Keep up the great work.