Bill in Iowa Dec 08 08

It's interesting looking at the end of the year's team rankings and our win/loss schedule. Virginia Tech turned out to be much better than anticipated after starting the season out with 2 early losses. That game was very winnable for the Big Red and we lost by 4.

Missouri turned out to be more beatable than the hype they deserved. I mean they got beat by a Kansas team that we handled pretty well. And then they got smashed by Oklahoma, just as bad or even worse than we did. I really think if we played them again in a bowl game, the outcome would be much closer.

Texas Tech was a good team, probably on par with Missouri or a little better, but they too could not play with Oklahoma. Of course, we played them to a one point loss, that we really should have won.

And I will add Colorado to this list, simply because we should have beat them by 2-3 touchdowns, but instead had to kick a 57 yard desperation field goal for the win.

All of this is to say, this year's team was a top 25 caliber team that did not always play like a top 25 caliber team. In many of the games we lost and even the games we won, we seemed to be constantly shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers.

I think the most crucial element that has kept this Husker top 25 caliber team from actually being 10-2 and in the top 25...kickoff team, missed assignments (on defense), penalties and turnover margin.

I couldn't find any stats that can rank the kickoffs team's performance. However, on pass defense we ranked 90th in overall pass defense. In rush defense we ranked 29th and 66th in total defense. On scoring defense we ranked 83rd and our turnover margin ranked 105th!!! And we ranked 20th in the nation with 86 penalties for 719 yards!

I think our coaches have brought this team a long way this year, but if we really want to break into the top 25 next year, it's obvious what areas we need improvement in.

Paul in WI Dec 08 08

Bill, you repeatedly hit the nail right on the head. I think the Huskers are right on the cusp of being a lot better team. What has me hopeful for the future is that Pelini is immensely qualified to fix all the weaknesses that you listed. Everyone "knows" that the defense is going to keep improving. The turnaround this season was fantastic, even if it doesn't stand out in the win/loss column. As long as we don't suddenly forget how to score points, we should be in fine shape. (The offense is more of my concern than our future defenses.)

Bill in Iowa Dec 10 08

Paul, thanks. I agree with you. It's crazy to think this year the defense is ranked about 60, that's quite an accomplishment. And everyone knows that Pelini took our 60th ranked defense in 2003 and got them back up to a top 10 performance. But I agree, with so much focus on the Defense, I hope we don't lose anything on Offense. So far, this year has proven that Watson and company have got the offensive gears churning. No one is complaining, but next year is another year.