What's your one thing..........

[Doc Fumble]

BETTER MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME! 15 STRAIGHT SHUTOUTS, ONE FOR EACH YEAR!

This year's Blackshirts are a major reason why I'm not worrying about the usual stuff. With all the chatter about Raiola and the offense, they are going into the season believing they will be a shut down defense. Shutouts are rare in this day and age, but the mindset of this year's bunch going into the season is "if they don't score, they can't win."

 

[Huusker]

Depth at QB is a key concern. Other than Haarberg, we don't have a single QB in the room who has taken a Division One snap. We saw last year how ineffective QB play shut down our opportunities to win those last four games.

The best case scenario is to keep DR upright and healthy in these early games, because I think he will prove a quick study if given that opportunity. Health at QB is going to go a long way in determining if they win 7-8 games or if we're in for another losing season.

 

[SCVHusker]

Play calling. Saterfield has more options than ever. He may want to show off and get fancy at the wrong time. The BIG is a run-first league. Don't lose sight of that.

 

[GIJoeRed]

This team has enough talent to win 8-9 games this season. My biggest concern is Colorado in Week 2. Win and the Huskers will have the confidence and mindset to start the season 7-0. Lose and the "Here we go again" mentality will be pervasive with the team and the fanbase. The Huskers success will be determined by the 8 inches between their ears, not their physical talent. I think we finally have the right head coach to right the ship but he's fighting an 8-year battle of ineptitude with this program. Fingers crossed this is the year they start believing in themselves again.

F*** Colorado. Who are they to make us fearful of them? Just FB players walking through a haze of dope on Campus, working on their Bachelor of Gangsta degrees.

 

[NearBigRedOfTheDesert]

Start the season with a win and build from there. Confident teams win fourth quarters and doubting team find ways to lose. The Huskers seems to have the physical talent to win at least 6 games. Can they keep themselves from losing seven?

 

[j d]

Injuries. Everything else is "fixable" with coaching. Injuries take time to heal and/or recruiting cycles to overcome.

 

[Jimbosc]

I want to beat Colorado - but they have likely the first QB that is going to be drafted after this season with some elite skill players he is throwing the ball to. Their D is still very suspect so it might be a track meet but I expect a hard fought game. I don't see a loss as a big set back. Disappointing yes - but given we have a very green QB - the offense is going to have ups and downs especially the first half of the season.

 

[SCVHusker]

Fix turnovers
Make FGs
and Score a bunch of TDs.

If the turnovers and missed FGs continue we will have another 5 win season.

All these years here and you still don't know the rules?

 

[Doc Fumble]

Here's another way to look at it:

Last season, all of the CFB teams with similar defensive stats to Nebraska (we were 13th in Total D) won at least 8 games. We were the lone outlier.

It's not crazy to expect we'll field as good, if not a better, a defensive team this season. That calibur of defense can usually be counted on to hold its opponents to no more than a TD & FG or 2 TDs.

Last year's offense (plagued with all the injuries and an avalanche of turnovers) averaged 18 points a game. FYI, a top 60-ranked scoring offense (generally speaking, the top half of CFB) last year averaged four TDs per game (28.2.) By comparison, our offense ranked near the bottom in the country.

SO....if this year's offense can improve to a 'mediocre' average of 28 points a game (or, still my beating heart, BEYOND), the skies the limit with this team.

 

[Pavlov's Dog]

Deion Sanders Faces Prime Time Career Implosion at Nebraska (msn.com)

 

[Husker99]

Depth at QB is a key concern. Other than Haarberg, we don't have a single QB in the room who has taken a Division One snap. We saw last year how ineffective QB play shut down our opportunities to win those last four games.

The best case scenario is to keep DR upright and healthy in these early games, because I think he will prove a quick study if given that opportunity. Health at QB is going to go a long way in determining if they win 7-8 games or if we're in for another losing season.

Which is why I sincerely hope that all called QB run plays are taken out of the playbook.

Protection of DR and him taking as few hits as possible is of the utmost importance.

 

[SUHnami]

Which is why I sincerely hope that all called QB run plays are taken out of the playbook.

Protection of DR and him taking as few hits as possible is of the utmost importance.

Believe me the QB run game will be there just probably not with DR.

 

[Uenth]

Just win, baby, just win.

No more losses, a score or less. I'd rather get 50 hung on us than lose by 7 or under. Then the if only's kick in. If you get your clock cleaned, there is zero room for if only's, other than "If only we didn't suck so bad." We're past the sucking so badly so let's just win!!!

GO BIG RED!!!

 

[innmc]

I post videos from the 90's all the time and I miss watching the O-line shooting across the line and engaging the D plowing through them. I sure would love to see that

 

[kmillz]

The trenches on both sides. How they perform will dictate how this season goes.

 

[j d]

I'd rather get 50 hung on us than lose by 7 or under.

I don't think you really mean this. Getting "50 hung on us" would mean we are moving in the wrong direction.

 

[Doc Fumble]

The trenches on both sides. How they perform will dictate how this season goes.

Bingo. You could make the argument that this is the first season since Nebraska joined the conference that we have legitimate Big Ten lines on both sides of the ball.

 

[Uenth]

I don't think you really mean this. Getting "50 hung on us" would mean we are moving in the wrong direction.

I do but not in the way you're taking it.

How many games have we lost in the last few years by under one score? Too many is the correct answer.

No, I would not want to consistently have 50 hung on us but when week after week after week, you lose by under one score, you just get to the point where you'd just rather get put out of your misery early than holding onto hope until the last second and then getting your heart broke for another freaking week. That is my one thing. Sick to death of it.

The correct answer is that I don't want 50 hung but I also don't want to lose by under a TD. Don't want a loss.

GO BIG RED!!!

 

[j d]

I do but not in the way you're taking it.

How many games have we lost in the last few years by under one score? Too many is the correct answer.

No, I would not want to consistently have 50 hung on us but when week after week after week, you lose by under one score, you just get to the point where you'd just rather get put out of your misery early than holding onto hope until the last second and then getting your heart broke for another freaking week. That is my one thing. Sick to death of it.

The correct answer is that I don't want 50 hung but I also don't want to lose by under a TD. Don't want a loss.

GO BIG RED!!!

So your "one thing" is that you don't want to lose. I can get on board with that, no matter how unrealistic it is anymore.

 

[Doc Fumble]

So your "one thing" is that you don't want to lose. I can get on board with that, no matter how unrealistic it is anymore.

My "one thing" is to never be embarrassed by the program again. That's probably unrealistic too, but nevertheless, that's what I'm going with.

There were plenty of times when I was frustrated and/or disappointed under Devaney and Osborne, but never embarrassed.

That's not been true since the calendar turned over to the 2000s. There haven't been many, but there have been embarrassments. They've never been about losing as much as it's been how we've lost or the way we've played. Whenever I came face-to-face with one, I've sighed and wondered to myself how we ever allowed this once-great program to fall to such depths?

But I'll tell you this: I believe the program will never be embarrassed again as long as Matt Rhule is coaching the Cornhuskers.
GO BIG RED!