In tonight's Holiday Bowl, Nebraska had it's worst offensive performance since the Oklahoma State game in 2007. It reminded me of some of those painful Orange Bowl losses against Miami back in the 80's and 90's...except for one thing. Nebraska wasn't facing Miami in their prime, but rather, a .500 Washington team that the Huskers beat by 35 three months earlier.
It was a night and day performance offensively. Defensively, the Blackshirts played fairly well in the first half, but not so well in the second half. Even so, the game was essentially over at that point without a sign of life offensively.
Thanks to ESPN's coverage of the Music City Bowl as well as the Stanford/UConn women's basketball team, I missed much of the first half, so I'm not quite sure what to think about where it all started to go wrong. Listening to Bo Pelini's post game press conference, I'm not quite sure he knows either at this point. It was all the same problems that we've seen over the last month of the season, except that this wasn't against ranked opponents. This was a 6-6 team that ranked 103rd against the run this season.
Credit goes to Washington; they were ready to play and were the aggressors on defense. And for whatever reason, Nebraska really didn't try to take advantage of that aggression, instead trying to be patient and see whether the offense could work their way out of trouble. Something they never really did.
My initial take is that the problem started right up front. The offensive line couldn't deal with nine men in the box in the run game, and lost confidence. And it all steamrolled downhill from there, especially when the Huskies sacked Taylor Martinez on a three man rush that rolled over the entire line (and Roy Helu as well).
Martinez had another sketchy performance at quarterback tonight. It looked like he was physically fairly healthy and had much of his speed and elusiveness back. But November and December took their toll on him mentally, and he struggled with his decision making throughout the night. He took unnecessary sacks, and threw some ugly passes.
That had to give Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson a huge case of heartburn. The running game was almost non-existant, and Martinez wasn't handling the passing game all that well either. In hindsight, you could make a good case to pull Martinez, but at that point, Martinez was probably playing better than anybody else offensively. What do you do? Nebraska had run the Wildcat formation with Burkhead further than it ever should have gone, as evidenced by Burkhead's fumble that set up Washington's first score.
Would I have like to have seen Zac Lee come into the game instead of Cody Green? Yes, mostly because I think Lee is a better passer and makes better decisions. Green came in, and struggled to get the ball to wide-open receivers. Granted, the Huskies had eased up on their pressure at that point, but I think Lee was more likely to be able to make some connections in the passing game. That in turn could have opened up some runs, especially if it was done earlier in the game.
Defensively, the secondary was locked down on Jermaine Kearse and the rest of the Husky receivers, especially in the first half. Jake Locker couldn't complete a pass until the second half, and even then, he only completed 6 of 18 passes for the game. The big problem was the inability to stop Chris Polk. He went for nearly 300 against Washington State earlier this month, and he was the dagger in the heart of the Blackshirts. If Nebraska's offense could have managed something .... ANYTHING .... Nebraska could have survived that outburst from Polk. But not with the offense stuck in neutral, or reverse like it seemed to be at times in the second half.
Which brings me back to where the offense goes from here. We'll see where the staff goes from here. I get the feeling that Shawn Watson is very likely headed to Miami of Ohio. If so, I wish him well. Obviously, Nebraska needs to find a new linebackers coach as well.
Offensively, I'm curious to see where the offense goes. Taylor Martinez has a lot of physical talents to take advantage of, but if it's going to be at quarterback, he needs someone to help teach him the way. Is that Joe Ganz? Don't know. I would have thought Scott Frost would be another great candidate, but I don't get a good vibe on that anymore. If it's not going to be Martinez, could it be Brion Carnes? You never know. The offensive line also needs to rebound quickly from this night. It starts in the weight room ASAP, as these guys need to pull themselves out of the Jack Murphy Stadium turf after getting steamrolled by Washington.
Nebraska also needs to find playmakers at receiver to replace Niles Paul and Mike McNeill. I know guys were open tonight, but we need to find someone to become more consistent.
Bottom line as we move into the wee hours of the night. Tonight might have been the worst offensive performance by a Husker team in a bowl game ever, considering the level of competition. (I hope Washington fans don't take too much offense at that; most of the previous turds were against national championship contenders.) But let's also remember that Nebraska won 10 games this season and has a Big XII North title. 10-4 is still an improvement over the previous regime, and the worst thing that can be done is to lose the faith. I still believe in Bo Pelini and his staff, and want to see how they react and move forward.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday Night Beer: Casey Martinez Fesses Up
Casey Martinez, who's son Taylor has been the subject of rumor after rumor in recent weeks, opened up to the Los Angeles Times today about what happened after Taylor went to the locker room with a first half injury. He confirmed the conventional wisdom out there that he initiated phone calls to the medical staff as well as to his son, and that his son returned the call, thus violating team rules and incurring the wrath of Bo Pelini when he returned to the field.
So now we know the story, but what we don't know is how this situation should evolve. Bo Pelini knows (and even freely admits) that he should have handled it a little later. But what about everyone else? The medical staff probably should have held off on the discipline issue until halftime rather than distract the coach while the game was underway.
As for Taylor and his father, I'm not sure what the point of talking to the Los Angeles media about this is. If Taylor wants to be a quarterback in college football (and possibly beyond), he needs to open up himself with the local media first. This is one of those lessons that a young college student sometimes has to learn the hard way. Martinez is a unique and special athlete who's going to need to be molded into a college quarterback by Pelini and his staff.
I'm also questioning why Casey would reopen this can of worms a day before the Holiday Bowl. Just what everybody needs, another distraction.
It's going to be a full 20 hours of local sports action starting tomorrow evening. At 6 pm, the UNO Mavericks return to the ice to face 8-9-1 Quinnipiac. After the last holiday break, the Mav hockey team returned sluggish, and were swept by Bemidji State. Doesn't sound like that's the case this week, and that should set UNO for a good run in the second half of the season. These out-of-conference games against teams from the East don't necessarily impress the casual sports fan in Omaha, but are huge for helping set UNO's ranking for potential post-season action. That game should end about 45 minutes before the Holiday Bowl ends; hopefully this year, the Music City Bowl will be over to allow us to see the opening kickoff.
Then at 11 am the next morning, the Mavs face off against Quinnipiac for the series finale. Considering many local sports fans will be sleeping in, it could be hockey on the radio during breakfast. Sounds like the local weather is going to be nasty, so it'll be a good day to sit around the house with hockey on the radio and bowl games on the TV.
So now we know the story, but what we don't know is how this situation should evolve. Bo Pelini knows (and even freely admits) that he should have handled it a little later. But what about everyone else? The medical staff probably should have held off on the discipline issue until halftime rather than distract the coach while the game was underway.
As for Taylor and his father, I'm not sure what the point of talking to the Los Angeles media about this is. If Taylor wants to be a quarterback in college football (and possibly beyond), he needs to open up himself with the local media first. This is one of those lessons that a young college student sometimes has to learn the hard way. Martinez is a unique and special athlete who's going to need to be molded into a college quarterback by Pelini and his staff.
I'm also questioning why Casey would reopen this can of worms a day before the Holiday Bowl. Just what everybody needs, another distraction.
It's going to be a full 20 hours of local sports action starting tomorrow evening. At 6 pm, the UNO Mavericks return to the ice to face 8-9-1 Quinnipiac. After the last holiday break, the Mav hockey team returned sluggish, and were swept by Bemidji State. Doesn't sound like that's the case this week, and that should set UNO for a good run in the second half of the season. These out-of-conference games against teams from the East don't necessarily impress the casual sports fan in Omaha, but are huge for helping set UNO's ranking for potential post-season action. That game should end about 45 minutes before the Holiday Bowl ends; hopefully this year, the Music City Bowl will be over to allow us to see the opening kickoff.
Then at 11 am the next morning, the Mavs face off against Quinnipiac for the series finale. Considering many local sports fans will be sleeping in, it could be hockey on the radio during breakfast. Sounds like the local weather is going to be nasty, so it'll be a good day to sit around the house with hockey on the radio and bowl games on the TV.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Cody Green Thinks Some Fans Should Lay Off Watson As Well
A couple of quick notes about Shawn Watson from today's Omaha World-Herald
Says Cody Green:
My pre-Christmas post about the excessive criticism of Shawn Watson got a lot of responses, and I posted nearly all of them other than the super simplistic "Watson sucks" messages. I'm not suggesting that Watson shouldn't be criticized at at all, but if you are going to continue to criticize the guy, have something to back it up beside the generalities. And frankly, after reading all those responses, I think the critics are talking more out of frustration than anything else.
Tom Shatel adds this little item that refutes some of the criticism from the comments:
I criticized Watson's decision to leave Taylor Martinez in the Big XII Championship game in the second half, so I don't believe that Watson shouldn't be questioned, but after a while, it's gotten too much and too unsubstantiated. I don't believe that we should blindly believe in our coaches no matter what, like the folks at BigRedBoard used to insist on during the Callahan/Pederson Error.
In the meantime, isn't there a game on Thursday night? (Friday morning?)
Says Cody Green:
‘Hey, you know what? It’s time to back off a little bit.’
Tom Shatel adds this little item that refutes some of the criticism from the comments:
And, to be fair, Watson did an admirable job of taking the big step toward the Pelini vision. He called several good games in 2010. Even put his foot on Missouri's throat with the power run game.
In the meantime, isn't there a game on Thursday night? (Friday morning?)
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Enough with the Shawn Watson Bashing
It seems no matter where I turn the last couple of weeks, I've read slam after slam on Shawn Watson, and while he's certainly shouldn't be immune to criticism, it's gotten old and nearly pointless at this point. Yes, we know what happened in the Big XII Championship game. Criticize him for not changing quarterbacks if you will, but when you have a running quarterback who's has injuries to both feet, you've got an issue with what you can do.
And let's not bring up his previous championship game performances either; those were different teams that had their own offensive issues. 2005 was a Colorado team that mailed it in, while the 2009 Husker offense had their own problems with injuries at quarterback and running back.
I'm not praising Watson at all, but the constant chirping has gone far enough at this point. It's no longer original, and pointless. Do you really think it's going to encourage Miami to hire Watson? Do you really think it's going to convince Bo Pelini to fire Watson? Do you really think it's going to convince Harvey Perlman or Tom Osborne to force Pelini's hand?
I just don't see the point, other than bitching and moaning. What have I missed?
And let's not bring up his previous championship game performances either; those were different teams that had their own offensive issues. 2005 was a Colorado team that mailed it in, while the 2009 Husker offense had their own problems with injuries at quarterback and running back.
I'm not praising Watson at all, but the constant chirping has gone far enough at this point. It's no longer original, and pointless. Do you really think it's going to encourage Miami to hire Watson? Do you really think it's going to convince Bo Pelini to fire Watson? Do you really think it's going to convince Harvey Perlman or Tom Osborne to force Pelini's hand?
I just don't see the point, other than bitching and moaning. What have I missed?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
UNO Taking a Wait-and-See Position on New Arena
Over the weekend, the hardest working sports reporter in the area, Chad Purcell, checked in this weekend with Trev Alberts on the long rumored UNO arena at Chili Greens. My initial take is that Dean Blais may have inadvertently scuttled those plans with the Mavs hot start to this season. The rumors had UNO thinking that a 7500 seat venue, but with UNO averaging over 6900 fans for games played during football season, it's become clear that 7500 is ridiculously small. Said Alberts:
A lot of UNO fans have wanted a UNO arena of their very own, if only to spite MECA for bumping UNO hockey for rodeos, wrestling, and concerts, but that's short-changing the program. Alberts recognizes that the focus needs to be to develop the overall program to be everything it can be, and then worry about what the right facility for it is. A lot of people point out that a 7500 seat facility would still be one of the largest facilities in college hockey, and could be a great atmosphere.
Which is true....but could UNO hockey be even more? Look at Creighton basketball; the old Civic Auditorium was fairly comparable with the rest of Missouri Valley basketball programs. It may have been about 10% smaller than average, but comparable. The moved to the Qwest Center, which held about three times as many fans as usually attended Bluejay games in the middle 90's. The Bluejays developed into a regular winner, and soared to 15th nationally in attendance last year. Ten Big XII schools trailed Creighton last year in basketball attendance.
Dean Blais is making UNO hockey nationally relevant; they've been ranked in the top ten for nearly two months now, and show no signs that they'll slip down the line. How many hockey fans will show up in January and February? Hard to say, but if UNO plays in January like they did in October and November, I foresee sellout crowds in February. How could UNO downsize their crowds and shoehorn them into a small arena?
A wise UNO fan said that last year, all the old assumptions about what UNO could do went out the door when Trev Alberts was hired. Right now, we don't know what UNO can do down the line, but it appears the finances don't support the size of arena that UNO leads at this time. In fact, Alberts even mentioned that UNO is going to need a partnership, and that any arena has to support the community. That's well and good, but this community is currently spending over $150 million to build two baseball stadiums (when one would have been sufficient). Is there going to be any support to build a new UNO arena, even though the Mavs currently play at an NHL-caliber arena that's under 10 years old? I just don't see that as viable at this point in time.
So for now, I think UNO's arena plans are on hold. UNO needs to wait and see where Blais takes this program, and how fans react to a national contender in hockey. Then, UNO needs to take the pulse of the community to see if a new arena makes sense for the Mavs and the community. That's something that isn't clear today, and frankly, isn't possible. So waiting is the logical step for the time being.
"We're in this new league, and we're winning at unprecedented levels. What happens to our crowds? I mean, let's not limit ourselves. We do have a 16,000-seat facility. Would I prefer to have 16,000 people every night? Absolutely. So is there some merit to some patience? Probably. We're (ranked) eighth in the country, and historically our first-half crowds have been impacted by Husker football, and that's understandable. But we have increased our attendance both years that Dean has been here -- what's going to happen here in the second half? Let's say we're a top-10, top-five program, and we're playing Denver and Wisconsin -- what's the impact of that? Can you grow to 16,000 consistent fans?”
Which is true....but could UNO hockey be even more? Look at Creighton basketball; the old Civic Auditorium was fairly comparable with the rest of Missouri Valley basketball programs. It may have been about 10% smaller than average, but comparable. The moved to the Qwest Center, which held about three times as many fans as usually attended Bluejay games in the middle 90's. The Bluejays developed into a regular winner, and soared to 15th nationally in attendance last year. Ten Big XII schools trailed Creighton last year in basketball attendance.
Dean Blais is making UNO hockey nationally relevant; they've been ranked in the top ten for nearly two months now, and show no signs that they'll slip down the line. How many hockey fans will show up in January and February? Hard to say, but if UNO plays in January like they did in October and November, I foresee sellout crowds in February. How could UNO downsize their crowds and shoehorn them into a small arena?
A wise UNO fan said that last year, all the old assumptions about what UNO could do went out the door when Trev Alberts was hired. Right now, we don't know what UNO can do down the line, but it appears the finances don't support the size of arena that UNO leads at this time. In fact, Alberts even mentioned that UNO is going to need a partnership, and that any arena has to support the community. That's well and good, but this community is currently spending over $150 million to build two baseball stadiums (when one would have been sufficient). Is there going to be any support to build a new UNO arena, even though the Mavs currently play at an NHL-caliber arena that's under 10 years old? I just don't see that as viable at this point in time.
So for now, I think UNO's arena plans are on hold. UNO needs to wait and see where Blais takes this program, and how fans react to a national contender in hockey. Then, UNO needs to take the pulse of the community to see if a new arena makes sense for the Mavs and the community. That's something that isn't clear today, and frankly, isn't possible. So waiting is the logical step for the time being.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Standhardinger/Sadler Separation Not a Surprise, Except For the Explanation
To almost nobody's surprise, forward Christian Standhardinger told Husker basketball coach Doc Sadler that he was leaving Nebraska. The reason Standhardinger gave was lack of playing time, which was cut short by Sadler in response to off-the-court issues regarding academics. After quitting the team, Standhardinger grabbed a laptop and finished work on a class project, telling the Lincoln Journal-Star that he was getting A's and B's in his classes.
There's a huge disconnect there between what was said and what actually happened. Both Standhardinger and Sadler took the classy way out on this; no need to sully the issue further. Obviously, there was something wrong in the relationship between Standhardinger and the Husker basketball team. On the court, Standhardinger looked like the best playmaker I've seen in a Husker basketball uniform since glory days of the Danny Nee era at times. At other times, he was either on the bench or no where to be seen. Steven Sipple of the Journal-Star suggests that it was a chemistry issue, which makes about as much sense as anything.
Sipple suggests that Nebraska's recent run of success might be related to the absence of Standhardinger, and there's something to the notion of addition by subtraction. Hard to read too much into where Nebraska basketball is at this point. Since returning from Puerto Rico, they have two decent wins over TCU and Southern Cal to show on their resume, but even so, those teams don't really match up well against the Big XII. (Though Kansas's struggle with Southern Cal on Saturday might be a contrary indicator.) The Huskers should be 12-2 going into conference play, which sounds good until you realize that the Huskers were 12-3 going into conference play last season.
Translation: We really won't be able to judge where Husker basketball is until they start conference play, and even then, we might not really know much until late January. The schedule starts off with Iowa State, Kansas, and Missouri, all of whom are orders of magnitude better than anybody else the Huskers have played to this point.
There's a huge disconnect there between what was said and what actually happened. Both Standhardinger and Sadler took the classy way out on this; no need to sully the issue further. Obviously, there was something wrong in the relationship between Standhardinger and the Husker basketball team. On the court, Standhardinger looked like the best playmaker I've seen in a Husker basketball uniform since glory days of the Danny Nee era at times. At other times, he was either on the bench or no where to be seen. Steven Sipple of the Journal-Star suggests that it was a chemistry issue, which makes about as much sense as anything.
Sipple suggests that Nebraska's recent run of success might be related to the absence of Standhardinger, and there's something to the notion of addition by subtraction. Hard to read too much into where Nebraska basketball is at this point. Since returning from Puerto Rico, they have two decent wins over TCU and Southern Cal to show on their resume, but even so, those teams don't really match up well against the Big XII. (Though Kansas's struggle with Southern Cal on Saturday might be a contrary indicator.) The Huskers should be 12-2 going into conference play, which sounds good until you realize that the Huskers were 12-3 going into conference play last season.
Translation: We really won't be able to judge where Husker basketball is until they start conference play, and even then, we might not really know much until late January. The schedule starts off with Iowa State, Kansas, and Missouri, all of whom are orders of magnitude better than anybody else the Huskers have played to this point.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday Night Dessert: Big Ten Division NameFail Heading for Reversal
Chalk another one for the Big Ten and Jim Delaney for recognizing that the "Legends and Leaders" division titles met with nearly universal disdain ("90%") and making it clear that unless fan opinion mellows out down the line, the Big Ten will readdress the names. One of my philosophies of life is that people aren't defined so much by their mistakes as much as how they react to their mistakes. We all make mistakes (some more than others), so admit to them and try to make things right in the end. That's true leadership.
Steve Pederson's latest search for a football coach certainly went faster than his last one, but the initial reaction to Pederson's search is pretty low. Pitt blog "Cardiac Hill" summarized his immediate reaction to Michael Hayward in one word:
Steve Pederson's latest search for a football coach certainly went faster than his last one, but the initial reaction to Pederson's search is pretty low. Pitt blog "Cardiac Hill" summarized his immediate reaction to Michael Hayward in one word:
"Ugh."
ESPN.com's Brian Bennett notes Hayward's 10-15 record in two seasons at Miami of Ohio, and points out that most folks are underwhelmed. The Redhawks did win the MAC this season after a horrible 2009 season, but that's it for Hayward. Prior to Miami, Hayward was offensive coordinator for Notre Dame, though Charlie Weis took over playcalling duties in Hayward's final season in South Bend. Sounds like Stevie P still has that magic Pedeyshine touch.
UNO hockey managed to pull off a split against Colorado College this weekend with a 3-0 victory tonight after taking penalty after penalty last night in a 5-2 loss. A road split was what I was hoping for this weekend; CC has been playing well as of late, rising to #20 in the polls. Now the Mavs get a holiday break, and hopefully making a big push in the second half of the season.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Ad Agencies Gone Wild: Big Ten Unveils Lame Logo, Absurd Division Names
The idea is simply absurd. Northwestern football has been better the last 15 years than the previous 50, but they're not a legend. Indiana and Purdue aren't "Leaders" in football. Nebraska and Michigan may consider their programs "legendary", but I'd bet they consider themselves Leaders.
This is all branding run amok, where an agency got paid way too much money to sit in conference rooms and talk to people in high positions but never tested their work to see how people reacted to it. It's a product that likely met the stated objectives of the powers-that-be, but failed to account for the end customer. It's ramming a vision down the throats of the college football world, damned be to whatever people think about it. We're the B1G TEN, dammit!
Or it could be something a little more sinister than that. Since the unveiling of the new name for Omaha's former professional baseball team, I've realized that sometimes it doesn't matter whether anybody likes the name or not as long as long as people talk about it. Bad publicity isn't bad; it's still publicity. It doesn't matter if people call it crap as long as people are talking about it. Just don't misspell the name.
So that also provides us with the solution. Like Omaha's former baseball team, don't even mention the new name. Brian Cook of the MGoBlog suggests that fans, bloggers, and writers simply refuse to acknowledge the proposed names, and go with the generic East/West division names.
So we have the East Division with Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin and the West Division with Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Northwestern. It's not 100% geographically accurate, but close enough. The "East" schools are generally east of the "West" schools.
At least for now; I get the feeling this one might have a lifespan somewhere between the new Gap logo and New Coke.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sluggish Mavs Sweep Michigan Tech
After last week's sweep by Bemidji State, the UNO Mavericks fell to #10 in the USCHO rankings (#9 in the USA Today poll), and while the Mavs played better against last place Michigan Tech, they also made Tech look better than they have in recent weeks.
Thursday night's game started slow with a scoreless opening period, but the Mavs broke the game open with gaols midway through the second period to open a two score lead. UNO controlled the puck most of the night, but something just seemed to be off much of the night. Despite outshooting Tech 53-19, it took an empty net goal in the final minute to seal the victory in the series opener.
Friday night wasn't any better, with another sloppy first period until Brock Montpetit fed Ryan Walters on a rush for UNO's first goal of the game. If you saw highlights on KETV this weekend, you saw a second period goal that didn't count as instant replay showed the puck was kicked in by Joey Martin. Two minutes later, the Huskies tied the game with an easy rebound goal. Two third period goals gave UNO the victory in a game that was a lot tougher to win than one would have thought. To their credit, the Huskies played one of their better games of the season, leading Tech coach Jamie Russell to claim that they deserved two points for their effort. (Participation ribbon perhaps?) I understand the desire to be rewarded for playing one fo their better games of the season...but UNO was clearly the better team, even if the Mavs didn't play that well all weekend.
This weekend will be much tougher, with a trip to fifth place Colorado College in the final games before the Christmas break. Last year, the Mavs struggled even worse in December, but rebounded solidly after New Years', putting together a nice run in the second half. This year, they don't so much need to turn it aroudn as much as regain some of the momentum of October and November.
Thursday night's game started slow with a scoreless opening period, but the Mavs broke the game open with gaols midway through the second period to open a two score lead. UNO controlled the puck most of the night, but something just seemed to be off much of the night. Despite outshooting Tech 53-19, it took an empty net goal in the final minute to seal the victory in the series opener.
Friday night wasn't any better, with another sloppy first period until Brock Montpetit fed Ryan Walters on a rush for UNO's first goal of the game. If you saw highlights on KETV this weekend, you saw a second period goal that didn't count as instant replay showed the puck was kicked in by Joey Martin. Two minutes later, the Huskies tied the game with an easy rebound goal. Two third period goals gave UNO the victory in a game that was a lot tougher to win than one would have thought. To their credit, the Huskies played one of their better games of the season, leading Tech coach Jamie Russell to claim that they deserved two points for their effort. (Participation ribbon perhaps?) I understand the desire to be rewarded for playing one fo their better games of the season...but UNO was clearly the better team, even if the Mavs didn't play that well all weekend.
This weekend will be much tougher, with a trip to fifth place Colorado College in the final games before the Christmas break. Last year, the Mavs struggled even worse in December, but rebounded solidly after New Years', putting together a nice run in the second half. This year, they don't so much need to turn it aroudn as much as regain some of the momentum of October and November.
Monday, December 06, 2010
2010 BlogPoll: Final Regular Season Ballot
How fair is it to drop a team who lost a close conference championship game to a higher ranked opponent? Not at all in my book. Most teams don't play in these games, so they stand pat on the sidelines. So yes, I'm leaving Nebraska and Florida State right where they were last week. South Carolina does drop a little due to getting blown out by Auburn, though. That blowout does earn Auburn a bump to #2 over TCU in my book.
Since it was a light week, not a lot of changes this week. Virginia Tech gets a bit of a bump for their victory, while Arizona gets the boot for missing two extra points at the end of the game. In comes USC, and I give them the edge over Hawai'i, if only for the head-to-head victory to open the season.
Since it was a light week, not a lot of changes this week. Virginia Tech gets a bit of a bump for their victory, while Arizona gets the boot for missing two extra points at the end of the game. In comes USC, and I give them the edge over Hawai'i, if only for the head-to-head victory to open the season.
Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 15
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | -- |
| 2 | Auburn Tigers |  1 |
| 3 | TCU Horned Frogs |  -1 |
| 4 | Stanford Cardinal | -- |
| 5 | Ohio St. Buckeyes | -- |
| 6 | Wisconsin Badgers | -- |
| 7 | Boise St. Broncos | -- |
| 8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | -- |
| 9 | Michigan St. Spartans | -- |
| 10 | Oklahoma Sooners | -- |
| 11 | LSU Tigers | -- |
| 12 | Alabama Crimson Tide | -- |
| 13 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | -- |
| 14 | Texas A&M Aggies | -- |
| 15 | Missouri Tigers | -- |
| 16 | Virginia Tech Hokies | 2 |
| 17 | Nevada Wolf Pack | -1 |
| 18 | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | 1 |
| 19 | South Carolina Gamecocks | -2 |
| 20 | Utah Utes | -- |
| 21 | Mississippi St. Bulldogs | -- |
| 22 | West Virginia Mountaineers | 2 |
| 23 | Florida St. Seminoles | -- |
| 24 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 1 |
| 25 | USC Trojans | -- |
| Dropouts: Arizona Wildcats | ||
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Sunday Night Dessert: Only One Redeeming Factor of Holiday Bowl Rematch
When word of a Holiday Bowl rematch with Washington came out this evening, it took a while to digest what the point is. 10-3 Nebraska versus 6-6 Washington? What's the point of this, especially after the Huskers absolutely destroyed the Huskies in Seattle? Even the Washington fans over at the UW Dawg Pound can't believe this, as Washington and Nebraska will now play three times in the span of 365 days.
Iowa fans over at Black Heart Gold Pants aren't exactly thrilled to get Missouri, though they might take some solace in the fact that they'll probably find it easier to get tickets from the ticket office in Columbia than the one in Iowa City. Missouri fans are, of course, thrilled because, well, they agree with the Iowa, Washington, and Nebraska fans that the Huskers got screwed on this one.
That's OK. I've found one redeeming factor for the Holiday Bowl matchup. Both games are late night affairs with 9 pm kickoffs...meaning the game will end the next day in Omaha. For the Insight Bowl, that next day is Wednesday, which means a short night of sleep before having to go to work. For the Holiday Bowl, that next day is New Years Eve and a holiday, which means a chance to sleep in (kids permitting).
Whatever. It's important to put the disappointment over losing the championship game behind them, and focus on the rematch with the Huskies. An eleven win season is still possible.
It wasn't a good weekend on the ice either, as UNO got swept by Bemidji State this weekend up north. From what I understand, it was an ugly weekend of hockey as the Beavers trapped the Mavs to gut out the wins. Look for UNO to slip out of the top five in the rankings this week. Had to figure UNO was going to slip up one of these weeks.
The one bright side for the weekend was the Husker basketball team pulling off the second half comeback against Creighton. This win does wonders for keeping the chirpiness down around town. More importantly, it's a second win in the last two weekends with a big second half comeback. Last year, Nebraska had a problem finishing games, breaking down in the second half, and more importantly, in the closing minutes of the game. Reversing that trend this season is certainly a welcome change.
Iowa fans over at Black Heart Gold Pants aren't exactly thrilled to get Missouri, though they might take some solace in the fact that they'll probably find it easier to get tickets from the ticket office in Columbia than the one in Iowa City. Missouri fans are, of course, thrilled because, well, they agree with the Iowa, Washington, and Nebraska fans that the Huskers got screwed on this one.
That's OK. I've found one redeeming factor for the Holiday Bowl matchup. Both games are late night affairs with 9 pm kickoffs...meaning the game will end the next day in Omaha. For the Insight Bowl, that next day is Wednesday, which means a short night of sleep before having to go to work. For the Holiday Bowl, that next day is New Years Eve and a holiday, which means a chance to sleep in (kids permitting).
Whatever. It's important to put the disappointment over losing the championship game behind them, and focus on the rematch with the Huskies. An eleven win season is still possible.
It wasn't a good weekend on the ice either, as UNO got swept by Bemidji State this weekend up north. From what I understand, it was an ugly weekend of hockey as the Beavers trapped the Mavs to gut out the wins. Look for UNO to slip out of the top five in the rankings this week. Had to figure UNO was going to slip up one of these weeks.
The one bright side for the weekend was the Husker basketball team pulling off the second half comeback against Creighton. This win does wonders for keeping the chirpiness down around town. More importantly, it's a second win in the last two weekends with a big second half comeback. Last year, Nebraska had a problem finishing games, breaking down in the second half, and more importantly, in the closing minutes of the game. Reversing that trend this season is certainly a welcome change.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Turnovers and Quarterback Issues Doom Nebraska in Final Battle with Oklahoma
Nebraska dominated the first quarter of tonight's final conference matchup with Oklahoma, but offensive mistakes the rest of the way doomed the Huskers in the end. It almost seemed like two separate games; Nebraska was rolling early on behind a dominating offensive line performance and a stifling Blackshirt defense. I admit it, I was feeling pretty good when the Huskers were up 17-0. But the Sooners struck quickly, and the momentum was clearly on the side of the Sooners.
The Blackshirts played well enough to win tonight. I would have liked to have had an answer for the running back screens, but overall, it would have been enough if the offense could have delivered.
All week long, e-mail boxes throughout the state were filled with stories that Taylor Martinez was suspended last week and was transferring somewhere else. Those rumors turned out to be just that; bogus internet garbage just like the stories about Bob Davie's cable guy or the the banker in Ghana that needs my help to transfer $25 million out of his country. Martinez started, and sadly, finished the game.
I have no issue with Martinez starting tonight's game. He looked more mobile than he has since the first half of the Missouri game, so it was an easy choice for him to start. But against the best defense he's faced all year, he made way too many mistakes. Trouble holding onto the ball. Holding onto the ball too long and taking a sack. Panicking and throwing the ball into coverage for an interception. Martinez made a lot of freshman mistakes, and this late in the season, a quarterback shouldn't be making those mistakes. Granted, in September and October, Martinez wasn't so much a quarterback as another running back, amazing us with his legs, making us forget his limitations throwing the ball. We saw a little bit of a dual-threat quarterback emerge against Oklahoma State, but he regressed back tonight.
Which raises the question, why was Martinez allowed to finish tonight's game? Midway through the fourth quarter, Rex Burkhead seemed to take over with Martinez moving to wide receiver. All that to set up a deep throw to Martinez? Martinez was open, but Burkhead couldn't get the ball to him until the coverage caught up to the quarterback. The Wildcat is a nice diversion and wrinkle, but down the stretch, that seemed to be all Nebraska had available.
Which makes no sense to me. Were both Cody Green and Zac Lee unavailable tonight? Was Rex Burkhead really the best backup quarterback available tonight? I didn't hear that asked in the postgame press conference, and it's the number one question I have about tonight's game.
Credit goes to Oklahoma for winning tonight's game; they made the plays tonight, and Nebraska didn't. But Nebraska's coaching staff has to answer the question as to why Nebraska didn't pull Martinez tonight.
And that's the question that's going to eat this state and the Husker fan base tonight. The Blackshirts played well enough to win, but like last year, couldn't do it all. At least last season, Zac Lee made a few plays down the stretch to give the Huskers a chance. This year, the Husker quarterback wasn't making plays much of the game, and didn't get pulled, even though there were two other options that have shown that they could make plays in previous games.
Why? Why? Why?
The Blackshirts played well enough to win tonight. I would have liked to have had an answer for the running back screens, but overall, it would have been enough if the offense could have delivered.
All week long, e-mail boxes throughout the state were filled with stories that Taylor Martinez was suspended last week and was transferring somewhere else. Those rumors turned out to be just that; bogus internet garbage just like the stories about Bob Davie's cable guy or the the banker in Ghana that needs my help to transfer $25 million out of his country. Martinez started, and sadly, finished the game.
I have no issue with Martinez starting tonight's game. He looked more mobile than he has since the first half of the Missouri game, so it was an easy choice for him to start. But against the best defense he's faced all year, he made way too many mistakes. Trouble holding onto the ball. Holding onto the ball too long and taking a sack. Panicking and throwing the ball into coverage for an interception. Martinez made a lot of freshman mistakes, and this late in the season, a quarterback shouldn't be making those mistakes. Granted, in September and October, Martinez wasn't so much a quarterback as another running back, amazing us with his legs, making us forget his limitations throwing the ball. We saw a little bit of a dual-threat quarterback emerge against Oklahoma State, but he regressed back tonight.
Which raises the question, why was Martinez allowed to finish tonight's game? Midway through the fourth quarter, Rex Burkhead seemed to take over with Martinez moving to wide receiver. All that to set up a deep throw to Martinez? Martinez was open, but Burkhead couldn't get the ball to him until the coverage caught up to the quarterback. The Wildcat is a nice diversion and wrinkle, but down the stretch, that seemed to be all Nebraska had available.
Which makes no sense to me. Were both Cody Green and Zac Lee unavailable tonight? Was Rex Burkhead really the best backup quarterback available tonight? I didn't hear that asked in the postgame press conference, and it's the number one question I have about tonight's game.
Credit goes to Oklahoma for winning tonight's game; they made the plays tonight, and Nebraska didn't. But Nebraska's coaching staff has to answer the question as to why Nebraska didn't pull Martinez tonight.
And that's the question that's going to eat this state and the Husker fan base tonight. The Blackshirts played well enough to win, but like last year, couldn't do it all. At least last season, Zac Lee made a few plays down the stretch to give the Huskers a chance. This year, the Husker quarterback wasn't making plays much of the game, and didn't get pulled, even though there were two other options that have shown that they could make plays in previous games.
Why? Why? Why?
Big XII Media's Bitterness Mars Nebraska's Exit from the Big XII
I haven't seen any latest version of the "Don't Let The Door Hit You On Your Way Out, Nebraska" story that has become a staple of Big XII region columnists this week. All week, newspapers throughout the Big XII region have featured their own revision of the "Nebraska: Good Riddance" story that seems plagarize AJ the Huskerh8er's old blog more than have any original thoughts.
If you've read one, you've read them all for the most part: Nebraska fans aren't perfect, Bo Pelini yells too much, Nebraska tried to destroy the Big XII Conference, and Nebraska thinks they are the Harvard of the Great Plains.
Blah blah blah. Of course, Nebraska fans aren't perfect. Sure, we don't shower visiting fans with urine and we actually show up at games at home, on the road, and at bowl games. (Glancing southeast towards Columbia.) But Husker fans go overboard at times, especially in expressing their displeasure at Dan Beebe towards his conduct over the last couple of months. Husker fans got a little validation this week when UNO hockey coach Dean Blais said that UNO received similar treatment from the CCHA last season before jumping to the WCHA this year.
Dan Beebe played the victim last week, claiming that Big Red fans were out of control. And the media outside of Nebraska ate it up, taking Dan Beebe at his word because he never exaggerates things (oh, like television contracts). The Nebraska media took the time to try and verify Beebe's claims, and found that the authorities essentially gave up trying to substantiate any threats to the Big XII Commissioner. Vile-mouthed? Yep. But Beebe's failure to send someone to Lincoln last week had zero to do with safety and everything to do with sending Tom Osborne and Nebraska a message
Does Bo Pelini yell too much during games? Yep. He even admits that he went too far against Texas A&M. He's learning how to be a head coach as well too.
But the rest? Pure bitterness, and easily understood (and dismissed). The dynamics of Nebraska leaving the Big XII almost ensured it. You've got schools like Missouri, Kansas, and Kansas State who faced an uncertain future with the best options looking like the Mountain West or the Big East. You've got schools like Oklahoma and Texas A&M who weren't exactly enamored with their options either. And of course, you've got Texas holding the remaining nine other schools hostage to their every whim. Some of these writers admit their envy, suggesting that if their school had an interest from the Big Ten, they'd do exactly the same thing Nebraska did.
No, the N doesn't stand for Nowledge. (Ha!!! That was so clever the first billion times I read it!) Nebraska has improved their academics in recent years, and the Big Ten opens new opportunities that aren't available in the Big XII. Academics in the Big XII are good...but they're better in the Big Ten. It's a real reason for Nebraska to make the move, especially considering the instability of the Big XII. The money will eventually be better in the Big Ten, but for now, it's a breakeven proposition for the Huskers.
This is what it is: an ugly divorce. Totally to be expected. Nebraska fans are feeling a little uppity, especially with the perceptions of the actions of some in the conference and looking forward to new rivalries and new opportunities. The rest of the conference is defensive, disappointed that their school is still a "proud member" of something that will be less than what it once was. Some will write "just leave", which is simplistic at best. (Like Nebraska could have switched leagues immediately and began play in the Big Ten this year.)
Both sides need to step back and take the high road. Down the line, both sides will wish they had acted differently this year.
If you've read one, you've read them all for the most part: Nebraska fans aren't perfect, Bo Pelini yells too much, Nebraska tried to destroy the Big XII Conference, and Nebraska thinks they are the Harvard of the Great Plains.
Blah blah blah. Of course, Nebraska fans aren't perfect. Sure, we don't shower visiting fans with urine and we actually show up at games at home, on the road, and at bowl games. (Glancing southeast towards Columbia.) But Husker fans go overboard at times, especially in expressing their displeasure at Dan Beebe towards his conduct over the last couple of months. Husker fans got a little validation this week when UNO hockey coach Dean Blais said that UNO received similar treatment from the CCHA last season before jumping to the WCHA this year.
Dan Beebe played the victim last week, claiming that Big Red fans were out of control. And the media outside of Nebraska ate it up, taking Dan Beebe at his word because he never exaggerates things (oh, like television contracts). The Nebraska media took the time to try and verify Beebe's claims, and found that the authorities essentially gave up trying to substantiate any threats to the Big XII Commissioner. Vile-mouthed? Yep. But Beebe's failure to send someone to Lincoln last week had zero to do with safety and everything to do with sending Tom Osborne and Nebraska a message
Does Bo Pelini yell too much during games? Yep. He even admits that he went too far against Texas A&M. He's learning how to be a head coach as well too.
But the rest? Pure bitterness, and easily understood (and dismissed). The dynamics of Nebraska leaving the Big XII almost ensured it. You've got schools like Missouri, Kansas, and Kansas State who faced an uncertain future with the best options looking like the Mountain West or the Big East. You've got schools like Oklahoma and Texas A&M who weren't exactly enamored with their options either. And of course, you've got Texas holding the remaining nine other schools hostage to their every whim. Some of these writers admit their envy, suggesting that if their school had an interest from the Big Ten, they'd do exactly the same thing Nebraska did.
No, the N doesn't stand for Nowledge. (Ha!!! That was so clever the first billion times I read it!) Nebraska has improved their academics in recent years, and the Big Ten opens new opportunities that aren't available in the Big XII. Academics in the Big XII are good...but they're better in the Big Ten. It's a real reason for Nebraska to make the move, especially considering the instability of the Big XII. The money will eventually be better in the Big Ten, but for now, it's a breakeven proposition for the Huskers.
This is what it is: an ugly divorce. Totally to be expected. Nebraska fans are feeling a little uppity, especially with the perceptions of the actions of some in the conference and looking forward to new rivalries and new opportunities. The rest of the conference is defensive, disappointed that their school is still a "proud member" of something that will be less than what it once was. Some will write "just leave", which is simplistic at best. (Like Nebraska could have switched leagues immediately and began play in the Big Ten this year.)
Both sides need to step back and take the high road. Down the line, both sides will wish they had acted differently this year.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Wednesday Night Beer: Alex Henery Gets Snubbed
One of the biggest surprises (and disappointments) of this week is that not only didn't Alex Henery not get nominated for the Lou Groza Award as best kicker in college football, but that he didn't even get first-team All-Big XII. For both honors, he was beaten out by Oklahoma State's Dan Bailey. Henery is 16 for 17 on field goals this season; his one miss was the blocked 51 yard attempt against Missouri. Meanwhile, Bailey is 24 for 28 this season and unlike Henery, he's missed an extra point attempt. ESPN's David Ubben probably defines the best reason for picking Bailey; Bailey made his first 18 attempts this season, which is more than Henery has even tried. Bailey also leads the nation in scoring. Good point...but let's be honest, which kicker would you rather have?
Before anybody accuses me of "hating" Oklahoma State, let me add that I selected Mike Gundy on my ballot for the Eddie Robinson Award. That was a no-brainer decision; sure other teams have had better seasons than Oklahoma State, but very few people saw the Cowboys 10-2 season coming. They were picked to finish fifth in the South division in the summer.
I get the vibe from Lincoln that the coaching staff and team are laser-focused on this weekend's Big Eight Championship game against Oklahoma. That rubs me two ways: one, there's no way they are looking past this game, and they'll play well. Or they'll be too tense for this one, like they were in October when Texas came to town. The best way to describe what happened that day was that Nebraska choked; the Huskers and their fans (myself included) wanted that game SO badly, that they just didn't make the plays they needed. I do think Nebraska matches up well with the Sooners, as I think Landry Jones might have almost as much trouble completing passes this Saturday night as he did last season in Lincoln. The x-factor in my mind is whether Nebraska's offense can put points on the board.
Update on the threats to Dan Beebe. Beebe filed a report with the Dallas Police Department, who are now looking into the situation. Only one little issue with this whole story:
Beebe filed his police report yesterday.
Beebe was all over the media on Friday night, telling his tale of woe and how a small group of vile and out-of-control Husker fans made it impossible for him (or anybody on his staff) to come to Lincoln that day. But apparently the threat wasn't enough to involve the police. Beebe said last week that a lot of the messages included their phone numbers and e-mail addresses, meaning that it should be an easy job to track some of the lamebrains down. So what really happened? Hard to say for sure exactly, but Beebe probably got a bunch of really colorful messages filled with f-bombs and other assorted obscenities. But as far as threats go? Well, you've probably already read them all by now, and the threat was so real to Dan that he waited a week to contact the authorities.
That's not to excuse the actions of the 2000 or so Husker fans who apparently contacted the Big XII offices. But it does put it in a bit of perspective as to the level of the threat, which might be more tasteless than anything.
The tale of Omaha's independent league baseball team grows a little more intriguing. Seems the owners of the Omaha Flame issued a press release yesterday requesting the opportunity to appear at the December 15th MECA board meeting in an apparent attempt to take their negotiations to play in TD Ameritrade Park public and bypass Roger Dixon. After the soap operas between the NCAA, the city of Omaha, the Omaha Royals, and MECA, I guess it's only appropriate that even the discussion of an independent league team goes this way as well.
Before anybody accuses me of "hating" Oklahoma State, let me add that I selected Mike Gundy on my ballot for the Eddie Robinson Award. That was a no-brainer decision; sure other teams have had better seasons than Oklahoma State, but very few people saw the Cowboys 10-2 season coming. They were picked to finish fifth in the South division in the summer.
I get the vibe from Lincoln that the coaching staff and team are laser-focused on this weekend's Big Eight Championship game against Oklahoma. That rubs me two ways: one, there's no way they are looking past this game, and they'll play well. Or they'll be too tense for this one, like they were in October when Texas came to town. The best way to describe what happened that day was that Nebraska choked; the Huskers and their fans (myself included) wanted that game SO badly, that they just didn't make the plays they needed. I do think Nebraska matches up well with the Sooners, as I think Landry Jones might have almost as much trouble completing passes this Saturday night as he did last season in Lincoln. The x-factor in my mind is whether Nebraska's offense can put points on the board.
Update on the threats to Dan Beebe. Beebe filed a report with the Dallas Police Department, who are now looking into the situation. Only one little issue with this whole story:
Beebe filed his police report yesterday.
Beebe was all over the media on Friday night, telling his tale of woe and how a small group of vile and out-of-control Husker fans made it impossible for him (or anybody on his staff) to come to Lincoln that day. But apparently the threat wasn't enough to involve the police. Beebe said last week that a lot of the messages included their phone numbers and e-mail addresses, meaning that it should be an easy job to track some of the lamebrains down. So what really happened? Hard to say for sure exactly, but Beebe probably got a bunch of really colorful messages filled with f-bombs and other assorted obscenities. But as far as threats go? Well, you've probably already read them all by now, and the threat was so real to Dan that he waited a week to contact the authorities.
That's not to excuse the actions of the 2000 or so Husker fans who apparently contacted the Big XII offices. But it does put it in a bit of perspective as to the level of the threat, which might be more tasteless than anything.
The tale of Omaha's independent league baseball team grows a little more intriguing. Seems the owners of the Omaha Flame issued a press release yesterday requesting the opportunity to appear at the December 15th MECA board meeting in an apparent attempt to take their negotiations to play in TD Ameritrade Park public and bypass Roger Dixon. After the soap operas between the NCAA, the city of Omaha, the Omaha Royals, and MECA, I guess it's only appropriate that even the discussion of an independent league team goes this way as well.