Robert Dec 30 09

God it's going to be a great day at work tomorrow. Where my Wildcat fans at now? HA!

Tony Dec 30 09

It will be fun to talk to my boss at work tomorrow after he asked me "What high school team is Nebraska playing today?"

He is a Iowa Hawkeye fan... he doesn't know the power of RED!

Robert I am right there with ya.

Huskerdeck Dec 30 09

WOW!!!!!! I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

Justin Dec 30 09

Jason, that's a little corny...don't you think?

Greg Morrow Dec 30 09

"He's a physical creature." -Mike Stoops, on big Suh.
"I don't know all the history, but, he's the most dominate defensive player to ever play for Nebraska." -Pelini.

"We're back and we're here to stay." -Bo ster

For Matty O'Hanlon to be awarded Defensive MVP was, wow, another big vindication, for him. A year after the clutch pass defend at the Gator.
"He's the epitome of a Nebraska Football player." Pelini on O'Hanlon.
He'll be tough to replace, too.

Maybe the Zonies were a touch overconfident?
Their Center, Baxter, was saying something about just needing to hit Suh in the mouth...
Don't let him do this, don't let him do that.

Biggest Bowl W, since the '00 Fiesta. Best record since '03.
A nice demonstration of a college "multple" offense, to balance the team out, if only a little.
A nice satisfying year!

omarhuskerfan Dec 30 09

I just want to give MAD Props to Coach Stoops on going for it on 4th making it an all or nothing. I think that was very classy of him to let us keep the shut out.

Greg Morrow Dec 31 09

Jason,
re "Wild Corn"

Special Teams Give NU Jump Start

Greg Morrow Nov 27 09

"After this season, offense will be the topic and I don't think even Wats and Pelini know how they'll configure things. At the moment, they have a squad that at least knows how to do about every thing. They've probably even practiced some "wild corn" sets."

As Niles Paul said, after getting his MVP trophy tonight, "We gonna make some plays, next year!"

Bill Dec 31 09

Great win! Could not have been a better way to end the season.

That said... what is up with Helu?
3 carries? 8 yards?

Is he hurt?
Can we expect Burkhead to be "The Man" next year?
What do you guys think?

GBR!

Pete Dec 31 09

It's being reported that Zac Lee is having surgery on his throwing arm next week. That explains alot. I laughed when toward the end of the game, Baxter was trying to take his frustration out on Suh, and big Suh just let him. I'm thinking the 'Zones believed there would be "zero" offense and felt overconfident. I had my doubts about the offense too, but they delivered. Congrats on the beatdown and I'm looking forward to 2010!

James Moore Dec 31 09

Our much maligned Offensive Coordinator and QB made very good showing of themselves last night. Lee looked confident and had some good presence in the pocket. It really was obvious that the offensive line was healthy and they showed it. By far the best game of the season as a unit. If we're determined to have a running QB out there or at least that capability then Green and Washington need some looks this spring with the aim of getting them some series/plays next fall. At least get Washington out there for the Wild Husker looks. Big athlete that can make plays with the direction we're heading. This single-wing is made for him. Keep it open and let Lee, Green and Washington go at it this spring. But if we're really going in this direction (Multiple Pro-set with spread and single-wing) then we need to really get Washington some plays too. Spring ball and the Spring Game will be interesting to say the least. Fortunately, it looks like it'll a good thing that we get 10 starters back on offense. Wasn't all together a certainty that this would be a good thing after Iowa State and Texas. . .

Loved the playcalling last night and the movement towards an Alabama-like balanced attack with some option sprinkled in will be the finished model for what we want out 'multiple' offense to be. Burkhead in the Wild Husker was a great move. Just gets a great football player another chance with the ball in his hands and another look for a defense to account for. . .

As for next year's defense being better. Well the secondary will be a top 3 unit all year, and the LB's should be better as a unit. They'll have to be because I think that it COULD be possible to run on Suh's replacement. Didn't like what I saw from Moore last night. Steinkuhler and Crick will beat you with speed but neither seems to be a true gap tackle. They'll both be able to get upfield, and very quickly, but they won't dominate indivivual matchups with power (we'll see though because a lot of weights and healthy eating are still ahead for them). Replacing House of Spears won't be done with one guy alone. It'll fall on Allen and Meredith to be capable of beating their one-on-one matchups 80% of the time. Do that and you have gone a long ways towards making the defensive line potentially as productive as this year. Didn't everyone love it when we showed 8 pre-snap with gaps rolled up and just pinned our ears back and blitzed? ("Now when I show blitz I MEAN it!!!") That was pretty cool. . .

Only 13 gone from the 105 man roster, 8 games at home, (Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado all come to Lincoln), only a trip to Seattle as a potential non-conference speed bump, 17 starters coming back, a large number of redshirt freshmen to add to the mix, another good recruiting class coming in, a pretty good coaching staff settled in for upcoming year 3 of the Pelini era (great defensively obviously), be excited Husker Nation. Be excited, we've got some really good things to look forward to these next few years. . .

GO BIG RED!!!

Matt Dec 31 09

Nice victory, and it's a (welcome) reaffirmation to the fans that the offense isn't completely in the crapper, not by a longshot.

And looking forward to next year...we've got:

-Texas Tech: done
-Texas: Rebuilding
-Texas aTm: Likely still incompetent
-Okie Lite: Rebuilding on offense, should be fine/better on defense
-Oklahoma: Rebuilding, should be slightly better than this year at worst.
-Colorado: Still incompetent
-Kansas State: Still sifting through the burnt-out shell that Grimace left in his wake

The only teams that could give us fits next year are:

-Washington: Should be much improved and a Top 25 team when we face them.
-Mizzery: Should be improved on both sides of the ball...but then again, we're talking about Pinkel
-Iowa State: Will be improved on both sides of the ball
-Kansas: Wildcard with Turner Gill at the helm. Can't rule out.

If anything, I'm more worried about the North teams than I am the slate of south teams (aTm, Texas, Okie Lite) that we face.

Next year, barring another Big XII Conference screw job, looks to be shaping up very well for the good guys, indeed.

Should be a very long off-season. :)

duecers Dec 31 09

All hail the Big Red! We finally found an offense which is great. I have to wonder how much of Tom Osborne was on the play calling list last night! Before we get to excited in the victory let's remember that we only scored three touchdowns and the rest were field goals. We can do better and should expect it. Watson is not off the hook, diversified play calling; like last nights rotation; should be the norm. I was happy to see Lee with Happy feet and hope if it continues he can take the beating. Somebody help Cody Green get over the game gitters he apparently has. The "D" was great with a shut out, outstanding! Congratulations to Bo on the successes of the season and let's hope for a fantastic 2010!

amlynn79 Dec 31 09

Great showing last night! They finally started to look like a more balanced team. We saw Lee finally tap into that potential and his receivers actually caught the ball (and didn't drop it)! Defense was solid as usual this year. Looking forward to seeing what happens next year- I am thinking it should be good.

kw Dec 31 09

I expected to win, but I never expected that. Those of you asking about Helu, he did suffer another shoulder stinger last night. I don't know what you can do for stingers if anything. Shoulder surgery usually is just trading one problem for another. I hope he can get healthy by next year. Burkhead and Robinson looked good though. I'll admit, I've been hard on Lee all year. Wish we would have known about the injury sooner. Don't know how much it truly affected him, but it definitely didn't help things. The kid showed a lot of heart. I liked that he just took off when he didn't see anything last night. I'm looking forward to a good QB battle in Spring and Fall camps. Great victory with lots of warm fuzzies to get us by until spring ball starts. Can't wait for 2010. GO BIG RED!!!

Bill in Iowa Dec 31 09

It was important to end the season on such a positive note and answer some questions regarding the offense. I think Lee is are starter next year if he stays healthy. I was glad to see Burkhead end his season on a solid performance and Niles Paul. The team seemed to have a lot of confidence. The defense is remarkable! Argubly the best in college football. I guess we will see how well Alabama's defense plays against Texas??? Hats off to Dillard! He had a heck of a game and a great season. I hope to see him play on Sundays. Same goes for Asante, Turner, and O'Hanlon (of course Suh is obvious). Next year, we are going to really miss those seniors on defense.

scott Dec 31 09

I wish the Watson and Lee haters would come out and show their faces (or words). Funny how winning cures all.

The guys stepped up and executed and did what they had to do to win the game. Nice to see Kinnie make a couple of grabs to help Paul out. Once again, Niles stepped up in a big way.

We did beat a good team out there and

Bill Dec 31 09

As i sit here the Texas Bowls stands at

Navy 35
Mizzou 13

It looks like the Gabbert family makes just as poor decisions when picking schools as they do in the pocket.

Dwayne Jan 01 10

Bill,
It appears as if Mizzou's stock is sliding and I don't see how either Blane or Tyler can help improve that. When it comes to championships, Tyler is going to realize he made a huge mistake. The Tigers had their best shot of winning the conference a year ago and they didn't even come close. NU is going to put a strangle-hold on the North real soon for some time.

James Moore Jan 01 10

It sure seems that there's a place for a true triple-option in a BCS conference. Ask Missouri. I'm just saying though. . .

I get a little jealous when Georgia Tech comes on and I never miss a game when they're on. Happy with where we are, where we're trying to go, and what we have in place but there sure seems to be a place for the triple-option in football today. . .

Seems Gabberts might be all about themselves first. . .

Bill Jan 01 10

I hear you Dwayne and James, they are going to look at their college careers with regret. Especially Tyler.

I still like that I don't have to root for a guy named "Blaine."

That said, if he had maintained his commitment... who is to say how this year might have turned out for the Big Red. We may be hanging out in Pasadena right now.

Bob W Jan 02 10

It was nice to see the restoration of the Blackshirts this year. The system in place is making the most out of the talent it has and allows them to play up to their capabilities. The Pelini's need to be commended as this does not look like a one year flash. You can almost see the roots growing.

Offensively, there is a lot of work to do. How people can look at one game and say the ship has been righted is beyond me. If you look at the entire year you see an offense with a lack of an identity. Watson has to build the on the offensive side of the ball what the Pelini's have done on the defensive side of he ball.

I see the talent on the offense and often question why we are not better. I also look at Watson, the coach who has the most seniority, and question why his scheme has yet to evolve. It will be a great shame if NU does not take advantage of a talent like Rex Burkhead in the coming years.

I've been a Husker fan for almost 40 years now. You can call me a hater or a basher and it will not change my loyalty or my desire to see NU get back to dominance. To do that you have to have an identity. Whether it be run or pass, you need to have the swagger to say "This is what we do, just try and stop us."