These notes could define Huskers' 2009 campaign
7 comments so far
August 20, 2009 by
There's under a month left until the Husker football team takes the field for year two of the Bo Pelini experience.
What's on the mind of Husker fans?
It's a simple question, really.
"How far can this Husker team go in 2009?"
The following five high and low points won't provide a direct answer to that question, but they should provide a solid framework for the discussion.
First off, the good news...
1. Zac Lee, Nebraska's quarterback for 2009, has had a lot of grooming for the position, and he's got a lot of that grooming courtesy of one voice, Offensive Coordinator Shawn Watson. That should make for an easier transition to being the every-down leader of the team.
2. The run game looks like it could be a real threat. With Quentin Castille and Roy Helu, and, by some reports, a more athletic QB in Zac Lee, defenses will need to make sure that all the run lanes are closed down, which, in turn, should create some easier opportunities through the air.
3. Aside from the run game, a quarterback's best friend is often times the tight end. Nebraska had great production last year and the tight end corps, under the able direction of Coach Ron Brown, has vowed not to rest on its laurels.
4. The Huskers have a superstar on defense in Ndamukong Suh. No doubt, Suh will be motivated by making his mark on the program, but, more importantly, on securing the top pay check in the 2010 NFL draft.
5. Defensive progression and special teams weapons should push the Huskers to better results. The offense didn't get a major face lift in the coaching change that followed the 2007 season, but the defense was a wreck. Now, in year two of Bo-ball, the Husker defense should take a step forward. Special teams, always a wild card, should be solid as well with Niles Paul returning kicks, Adi Kunalic kicking off and Alex Henery booting field goals.
And, as for the concerns...
1. NU still got drilled last year. Oklahoma and Missouri both used Nebraska for a punching bag. Any fan looking for a jolt of confidence should forget about firing up either of those highlight tapes.
2. The 2008 won-lost record was good, but not great, and maybe not even as good as it looks. Nebraska enjoyed just a three-point lead at home over Kansas a third of the way through the fourth quarter, and, during the out-of-conference schedule, was ahead by just two against San Jose State in the fourth. It took a 57-yard field goal for the Huskers to top Colorado, and Clemson looked in control of that Gator Bowl clash until Nebraska scratched out the last 16 points, nine of that coming on field goals, to win by five.
3. Blown assignments were prevalent in 2008. Remember the image of Riar Greer sprinting 68 yards for a score in the Colorado game?
How about two plays, a big pass and a Darius Sumler 36-yard rumble, that made it 14-0 Buffs? Coach Bo Pelini wasn't happy. Those plays came thanks to blown assignments. Such mistakes, if repeated, could easily lead to more losses.
4. What about the inexperience?
Nebraska will need to replace a pair of offensive linemen and its dependable receiving duo of Todd Peterson and Nate Swift.
The defense will be particularly youthful in the linebacking corps.
And, of course, there is the QB spot. Doesn't every first year QB run into some bumps in the road? Tommie Frazier lost to a bad Iowa State team and Scott Frost got pounded by Arizona State.
5. Remember, the coach is learning too. Husker fans laugh at the Coach Bo Pelini/Chuck Norris jokes, like this one: Bo Pelini can slam a revolving door. As hard as it might be to believe, however, the man is human and able to mess up, see the fake field goal call against Colorado.
This will be Pelini's second year as a head coach, and he won't be immune from making some other miscalculation.
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Huskerbob Aug 20 09
From the middle of the second quarter of the Oklahoma game to the end of the season the offensive line started to open up holes for the running game. Being coached to play passive for four years it took up until the Oklahoma game to become aggressive. The aggresiveness of the O line now and with the potential of a very good defense we can open alot of eyes this year. We weren't that far off of winning the West Virginia game last year. We go there and pull out a very tough win watch out for this team because the sky is the limit for this team. Just my thoughts and very excitited what this teams potential is.
cvldfg Aug 20 09
Sorry to remark about yesterday's topic today, but I have to say I hate that question everytime it comes up. I played soccer at a high level in college and semi-professionally for a couple of years and we loved and were excited to play D1 schools because it made us better. We got mad when we lost, but we never scheduled down to pad our record. No offense to those that ask that question, but it seems like it usually comes from those that never played sports at a high level.
On today's topic:
1) The O-line is solid at Center and the left side. The right side has two Juniors that have been in the system. That should be fine.
2) Even BRN has written articles about how NU's WR corp should be fine with solid replacements this year.
3) With a solid D-line and a veteren DB corp, the LB position is probably the easiest position to grow into. I'm not that concerned.
4) You mentioned the mental mistakes last year, I have tremendous faith that those will be minimalized in year two.
5) Finally, NEBRASKA HAS THE PELINI BROTHERS ON DEFENSE AND WATSON AND COTTON ON OFFENSE!!! ENOUGH SAID.
WyoHuskerFan Aug 20 09
HuskerBob, I know you meant Virginia Tech. Just watched the game again and if not for so many dumb penalties, I believe they could have won that game. With respect to OU, I believe the Sooners were already playing reserves at that point and they were good enough to trade scores with us.
I don't believe we'll see as many brain farts as we witnessed last year. The Colorado game still hurts the most since it was so late in the season and the D was still blowing assignments. I don't hear the same level of concern from the coaches so far this fall camp. Everyone seems to have settled in to their positions, players and coaches alike have grown.
Looking forward to a more consistent and competitive 09 and still playing in Jan.
GBR!
caveman99 Aug 20 09
1. I think the coaches learned a lot from those two blow outs and will make sure this team will be competitive in all games. I think it is a good sign that even after those blow out losses, the team went on to put up some good performances just a week later, it shows me that the players have the upmost trust and respect for the coaches otherwise they would have lost the team. This team will fight through adversity.
2. Point is they still found a way to win 5 games. Several games they had some many new players because of injury that it looked like a patchwork quilt at times. Yet all through that they didn't quit and found ways to win. This year they have upgraded talent at almost every position and good depth to go with that top line talent. This team is better prepared to play solid football start to finish.
3. I take solice in what I have read about the DB's lately. We read stories about how messed up the DB's were last year, heck Sanders couldn't believe how they were doing simple things like dropping back into coverage. It was all wrong, Sanders realized he had to go back to fundamentals and work his way back up. We saw less and less break downs late in the season. This season you hear about how the DB's now know how to study film and have an understanding of the system. You hear how Sanders now gets feedback from the players on why they made the play they did, this bodes well for this season. They are not in the fundamental stage anymore, Sanders has remade them and they are in the advanced stages of learning.
4. Replacing the O-Linemen on the right side I am not too worried about. RG seems to be the only spot that no one wants to take and make their own. At RT you have two Jones who both got significant minutes and a few starts at last season. Murtha was hurt a lot and these guys got a lot of experience as a result, I feel good about RT. At WR, Paul and Holt both got a lot time last season and recent feedback is that they are doing well in camp. They won't be blinded by the stadium lights so to speak, they are used to the pressure already and if they have improved we will be fine at WR. QB I have a lot of confidence in, Lee seems like a cool customer and everyone on the team talks about him being in charge. LB's are the other area of really green players. A very strong D-Line in front and a veteran group in back should help take the pressure off of the LB's and allow them to grow into their roles and let their talent shine. Besides at WILL you have 2 players who got time last season in May and Lawrence. At MIKE you have Koehler and Dillard to help bring Compton along. BUCK is the spot with really no experience, but Fisher seems to be the stud of the LB crew and will most likely be the man in Nickle and Dime sets.
5. Yes the coach is learning also, but I think he is beyond his highest point on the curve. He had a lot of harsh lessons last season and he grew a ton from it, it was easy to see. He knows what he will see from almost all of his opponents this season, he has a great feel for the abilities of his team and how to best utilize their abilities, and we have already seen he is a great X' and O's and adjustments coach. The team seems to have learned how to practice up to his expected level of intesity, I feel comfortable that Bo and Co are in the stage where they fine tune how they do things coaching-wise.
James Moore Aug 20 09
Injuries & blown assignments, we gotta avoid em. . .
Bill in Iowa Aug 20 09
Watson is singing the praises of Lee and Niles Paul in camp. I really think the offense is going to be better than last year. We have more weapons and more speed and hopefully we wont have to take 5 games to figure out the run game.
Lets not forget the Pelini defense from 2003 jumping from 60 something to top 10. I think this defense has that capability. We are young at LB, but we also will be running a lot of nickel and dime packages. Dillard in his own words is in the best shape of his life. His experience and leadership in the middle is key and it will give the younger guys time to learn the system.
KW Aug 20 09
cvldfg Please don't compare soccer with football ever again. I get the analogy, and I agree that playing better teams will make us a better team. But it's apples and oranges my friend. Also, the linebacker position is probably the easiest position to grow into??? I couldn't disagree more. No position is easy, but the LB spot is probably one of the hardest positions to play and learn at any level. LBs are the QBs of defense. And nothing there is no substitution for experience. But I too am optimistic for this young group. I think we may be more athletic at the position than we have been in years recent. But there will be mistakes along the way. That's part of the learning curve. GBR!