I Stand Behind My D+ Grade for the Huskers Against Fresno State

I spent a lot of time Saturday night and Sunday deliberating how to grade Nebraska's performance against Fresno State for CornNation.  The offense was inconsistent all night, and the defense couldn't get off the field. It was a win, but it was a win against an opponent who Nebraska should have handled better than they did. If it wasn't for some big plays by the youngsters, it was a game Nebraska easily could have lost. So I gave the team a D- on the game. Yes, it was a win...but it wasn't a good performance.

Almost immediately, someone at the Big Red Network chimed in on Twitter: "They won though right?"  Kind of silly, if you ask me. Most Husker fans knew that Nebraska beat Fresno State. Most also know that Nebraska didn't play well. That was followed up by "room for improvement obviously. But i'd hate to see your grade if they lost. :)" Well, I'd hate to see Nebraska lose to Fresno, but if they did, I think most fans wouldn't have a problem giving Nebraska an F for the game.  Heck, in 2007, I gave the entire defense a zero against Kansas. It concluded with "maybe I'm hung up on the D grade. Coaches always need to push for improvement. Just seems harsh coming from fans."

My perspective is that while I'm a fan, I call it like I see it. That's where the title "Blasphemy" comes from here...saying things that may not be what fans want to hear. But there is no sugar coating the way Nebraska played on Saturday. It wasn't a good performance.  And you know what, Bo Pelini feels the same way:

"We did not execute. We didn't execute, we didn't play well and anything else is an excuse. Plain and simple. We didn't play well. It had a lot to do with us, and that will get fixed. We know how to fix that." 

My guess is that far worse things have been said inside of the North Stadium offices over the last 48 hours, so it really doesn't matter what some blogger says on the internet. I'm not throwing in the towel on this season either: just because Nebraska hasn't played well in the first two games doesn't mean that the season is over or that Nebraska is going 5-7 again. It all comes down to how the coaches and players respond to the mistakes they've made. Survive, advance, and improve.