Super Official "Burn it all down if we can't beat" Rutgers game week thread
- Thread starter ATX_Husker
- Start date
I think for the most part Husker Nation has been pretty rational and patient. While the football expenditures have continued to rise to astronomical levels the fanbase has lowered their expectations from championship level football to being willing to accept 8-9 win seasons where we are competitive and don't get embarrassed. Just asking for a decent return on our investment...
Understand, part of that was ramblin' and blabbin', part of that was wondering, and part of it was observation. When I take a 10,000-foot view, have we improved? Yes. Have we improved enough, no. I am OK with HCMR getting fired, but the whining and complaining with everything that happens gets old. Please understand, it is not everyone on this board, but a few. I do think the whining and complaining does get to the players.
To summarize,
I believe the fanbase is equally divided between the skeptical and the cynical.
I believe the fanbase is equally divided between the skeptical and the cynical.
Defense has improved but I am not sure we have improved in any other area. Special teams took a major step back with the loss of Ekeler. Offense struggles to score double digits. An interesting note when gauging improvement prior to this past weekend Nebraska did not have a victory over an opponent that had beaten another P4 team. That changed when Maryland beat Purdue and Michigan State beat Michigan.
I think the talent has greatly increased, even on the O. We just didn't have an OC to conduct it. There is plenty of things that have improved. The biggest weaknesses have been OC, ST, and in-game loss of minds that affect the players.
Talent acquisition has been greatly improved. The QB play of late, I blame some of it on game planning and the OC in general.
Talent acquisition has been greatly improved. The QB play of late, I blame some of it on game planning and the OC in general.
I am bewildered as to why we haven't had consistent kicking since Drew Brown left. And Maher was a pretty good kicker and he can't seem to develop a kicker at all? Something has to be wrong here. Makes no sense. We used to put Kickers in the NFL all the time since Kris Brown graduated.
The snaps on field goals have been a huge issue. So there are execution problems that have nothing to do with the kicker. The kicker can't trust our snapper and holder - that makes the timing an issue. That impacts the kicks. Then you miss kicks and the psychology starts to be a factor - that's where a good coach can pump up a kid to get past missed kicks. Apparently we don't have someone that can do that. Eckler looked like a crazy man on the sideline but the kids playing special teams were 100% bought in to his shtick.
We sure could use this guy this year:
https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/5092218/tristan-alvano
15-20 on FGs for the year with a long of 50. But to your point he had struggles when he was here:
I am somewhat hesitant to write this -
but,
Nebraska has never lost a football game in the state of New Jersey.
I never dreamed that I would be a grumpy old man. But, here I am killing it . . . .
but,
Nebraska has never lost a football game in the state of New Jersey.
I never dreamed that I would be a grumpy old man. But, here I am killing it . . . .
I don't disagree with you, SUH. If I'm giving Rhule too much leeway, I guess it's because I can appreciate just how bad our program was at the end of 2022--even with an upset win over Iowa and how horrible it would be to start over right now with the stadium project ready to kick-off.
That said, Rhule's offenses over the past four years have ranged between bad and underwhelming. But, like Solich at the end of 2002, I'd like to see what we can do with a new OC (versus Frankie's bringing in Bo) before throwing everything away and starting over again.
