SB Nation - Armando Murilio

Getting To Know The Huskers: Q&A with Corn Nation Part Two

irish1611 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:00:06 -0000

Here is part two of the Ralphie Report's Q&A session with Corn Nation about the upcoming game this Friday. This Q&A is a must read as you will find the "word association" section hilarious. In case you missed part one, here it is. Thanks to Corn Blight and Husker Mike for taking the time to do this.

How do you see next year's team shaping up minus some pretty good players like Ganz and Swift? From my count based on the rivals depth chart (who knows how accurate that is, the Huskers will be losing 12 senior starters, Buffs lose 6, 5 in my count as I don't count Patrick Williams as a big loss).

Husker Mike: Roy Helu will be solid as he's pretty much taken over at I-back already. Menolik Holt will be a solid wide receiver, and the tight ends are improving quite a bit week by week. Niles Paul shows signs of being a very good receiver as well. The youngsters on the offensive line show promise as well. On defense, we'll return Suh (hopefully), Turner, and Pierre Allen who stepped up well this season. We went into this season with Phillip Dillard being the only linebacker with experience, so we'll be in similar shape next season, but with some help from some touted redshirt freshmen. In the secondary, everybody except Armando Murillo returns. And to replace Murillo, Anthony Blue should be back. So I think NU has a chance to be solid; the big question will be at quarterback.

Corn Blight: The term "starters" should be taken with a grain of salt this season. Pelini has played a lot of guys, so many are getting experience for next season. Obviously the biggest replacement will be Joe Ganz. He knows the offense well and it will be tough for next year's starter to duplicate his achievements.

One of the big keys will be next year's offensive line. We lose some seniors this season, some who will get some press, but we may be better next year due to a heavy rotation with younger guys getting experience.

Is there anything that concerns you about the game Friday? 16 point favorites, the Nebraska offense is hot, Ganz minus a few pick sixes is really clicking, the defense seems to be holding their own and the infamous "black shirts" are back. Easy win right?

Husker Mike: The NU/CU game has become rather wacky in recent years as both programs have been flirting with mediocrity. Right now, I think NU SHOULD win the game based on how CU has played in recent weeks, though the stout performance by the Buffs against Okie State is concerning.

Corn Blight: It appears that way, yes, but we know that Colorado will give us their best shot. The Buffs can say what they want about playing the game down, keeping everything level. That sounds good in an article, but we all know it's pure bullshit and that y'all want this game pretty badly, more than just wanting to get bowl eligible.

What concerns me is if we walk into this game thinking the same thing - easy win - and then come out flat allowing the Buffs to stay in the game.

Finish these sentences...

Nebraska wins if they...

Husker Mike: Hold onto the ball, manage the game, and take care of business.

Corn Blight: Don't turn the ball over and the offense clicks on the ground and air.

Colorado wins if they...

Husker Mike: Somehow get some offensive consistency and start controlling the clock. That might take Nebraska out of their game.

Corn Blight: Can find a way to stay in the game by forcing turnovers and with big plays from special teams.

Word Association Time (Just 2 - 8 words for each). What comes to mind when you hear these things:

Colorado Fans -

Husker Mike: America's version of European soccer hooligans.

Corn Blight: fair weather classless hippies in training

Colorado Football -

Husker Mike: Inconsistently decent program.

Corn Blight: Should be better than it is right now

Bo Pelini -

Husker Mike: Jury's still out. Cautiously optimistic.

Corn Blight: learning to be a head football coach

Dan Hawkins -

Husker Mike: Light flaky crust, much like the CU football program.

Corn Blight: slowly being swallowed by the culture of Boulder

62- 36 -

Husker Mike: Apparently Colorado's greatest football accomplishment.

Corn Blight: the beginning of the end of an era

Bill Callahan -

Husker Mike: Decent o-line coach, overwhelmed as a head coach.

Corn Blight: an insecure obsessive boob who shouldn't rise above a position coach at any level.

Frank Solich -

Husker Mike: Biggest flaw: following Tom Osborne.

Corn Blight: Doomed before he started.

Boulder -

Husker Mike: I hear the mountains are beautiful.

Corn Blight: I saw Devo there in the 80's.

Runza -

Husker Mike: Can't wait to either down one or throw up.

Corn Blight: Nebraska comfort food.

Oklahoma -

Husker Mike: Best football program in the Big XII this year and this decade.

Corn Blight: The team that both Nebraska and Colorado want to be.

Bill Snyder -

Husker Mike: Miracle worker who might be out of magic.

Corn Blight: Glad it's not my problem.

The impending doom situation that is OU and Texas in the BCS -

Husker Mike: Let's wait a week or two on that one.

Corn Blight: An anarchist's dream! Yeah, baby!

Colorado vs. Nebraska - Rivalry or Not?

Husker Mike: Only because ABC says so.

Corn Blight: This will only be a rivalry when Colorado fans begin to respect themselves and their team more than they enjoy hating us. I can't speak for all Husker fans but after putting a fair amount of thought into it, this is what bugs me the most about Buffs fans.

If Colorado wins, then Buffs fans are all over it. If they lose, then, well, you act like you don't care and start talking about the Denver Broncos. It's hard to respect people who don't stand for anything. There is certainly a mutual hatred, but it's mostly of the unhealthy variety.

In the end, Nebraska fans are not going to call you guys rivals because it appears to irritate you so much. That's too bad because you serve as a perfect "evil" to our "good".

Shooting Pointe Blank: New Mexico State

Blankman — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:50:42 -0000

As stated in the “Keys to Victory” article this past Friday, I mentioned that NMSU would be the last opportunity that Nebraska would be able to solidify and find an identity let alone a running game. Boy howdy, that was a pretty fine exhibition last night and, guess what? It was supposed to be. I believe a great man once said, “I always love it when a plan comes together.”

Hand me the keys!

Establish a running game:

Marlon Lucky: 15 rushes for 103 yards, 2 TDs, a career-record long run of 58 yards and a 6.9 YPC average

Quentin Castille: 10 rushes for 75 yards and a 7.5 YPC average.

Joe Frickin’ Ganz: five rushes for 69 yards, a TD and a 13.8 YPC average.

Yeah. We ran the ball well. 345 of total rushing well. I not only heap praise on the backs, but also the offensive line (Yes, that includes you, Mike). This was a good game for the line, but again, it should’ve been. Talk to me again in two weeks and we’ll see what’s what regarding Nebraska’s rock-pounding attack.

Super Ganz:

Joe Ganz was definitely super, but as mentioned in the previous article he did it on his own terms. The deceptively fast #12 burned linebackers, he made a nice connection with Marlon Lucky and became the first Husker since Eric Crouch to throw for, run for and catch a touchdown. Joe showed a lot of versatility against New Mexico State and he showed that he’s dangerous in a number of areas. The game did wonders for Joe just as much as the OL and the RBs.

Defensive Line:

Pierre Allen definitely stepped up and it was good seeing him on the bike at the end of the game. I’m hopeful that his wheel stays on for a while, but we did get a look at true frosh Cameron Meredith and as I pointed out in Sea of Red 2008, Cameron wasn’t exactly all-world from the get go, but he showed fantastic speed, play recognition and I greatly look forward to seeing what Pelini will use Meredith for should Allen or another DE step up into Turner’s place.

Cody Glenn:

Cody wasn’t really the defensive story, but rather…the secondary? Prince “Lake Minnetonka” Amukamara, Eric Hagg and Armando Murrillo, heck even Mr. Asante and Lance Thorell got in on the act and looked pretty good against an attack that wasn’t afraid to throw directly at them. That Suh guy continues to dominate at the point of attack and Zach Potter may go down as one of the best kick-blockers in
Nebraska history.

This was a game Nebraska needed. They needed to establish themselves, their identity and they needed to turn New Mexico State into mush. Barring a fumbled snap by Pat Witt, that scoreless streak of NMSU versus Nebraska still stands. It was a good outing, a lot of guys got reps and Nebraska is 3-0. Right now? That feels pretty good regardless of the competition. The Cornhuskers take a week off before facing Beamerball and this is truly something to look forward to. I’m curious to see what Shawn Watson and Bo Pelini can do with two weeks. Tip of the cap all around, mates. You done good.

Poll

After two weeks of prep work, how do you think Nebraska will play against Virginia Tech?

Nebraska wins by at least two touchdowns

45 votes

Nebraska sneaks by with a three to seven point win

96 votes

Nebraska just misses and Bo gets his first loss

16 votes

Nebraska gets creamed and should stay away from East Carolina

1 votes

158 votes | Poll has closed

Reviewing The First 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers Depth Chart

Jon Johnston — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:07 -0000

The first Bo Pelini depth chart was released today not too many surprises, but worth a discussion.

Offense:

Quarterback: 1 - Joe Ganz, 2 - Patrick Witt, 3- Zac Lee.

No surprises here, although you have to ask yourself what happens if Joe Ganz goes down with an injury. What does that do to the season?

I-Back: 1 - Marlon Lucky -or- Roy Helu -or- Quentin Castille

So there are three backs listed as co #1's. There seems to be a lot of buzz about this, and I'll be honest, I don't get it (the fuss, that is). Running backs get the holy crap beat out of them much worse than they used to, so you are not going to make it through a full season without your main guy getting banged up.

What is sad here is the name that's missing - Kenny Wilson. It's doubtful he'll play again due to his leg injury. It's easy to forget the potential that was there, but don't.

Fullback: 1 - Thomas Lawson, 2 - Justin Makovicka

No surprises, remember that while Callahan didn't use fullbacks on the run, Lawson caught three TD's last season which was as many as Nate Swift and Marlon Lucky, and more than the entire receiving corp besides Swift and Peterson.

Wide Receiver X: 1 - Nate Swift, 2 - Menelik Holt, 3 - Will Henry, 4- Chris Brooks

No surprise, although I guess I'm a little surprised that Chris Brooks is all the way down at #4.

Wide Receiver Z: 1 - Todd Peterson, 2 - Niles Paul or Curenski Gilleylen

Again, no surprise here.

Tight End: 1 - Mike McNeill, 2 - Dreu Young, 3 - Ryan Hill, 4 - Ben Cotton

Obviously Tyson Hetzer hasn't recovered enough from his spring knee injury to be listed on the roster at this point. Perhaps he'll join in later in the season. This position is more critical to offensive success than people are giving it, here's hoping they can perform well this season.

Offensive Line:

They're a unit, and we treat them like a unit.

LT: 1 - Mike Smith, 2 - Jaivorio Burkes
LG: 1 - Mike Huff, 2 - Keith Williams
C: 1 - Jacob Hickman, 2 - Mike Caputo
RG: 1 - Matt Slauson, 2 - DJ Jones
RT: 1 - Lydon Murtha, 2 - Marcel Jones

Lydon Murtha moves back to right tackle. Murtha is an enigma - the guy has the body size for a prototypical NFL left tackle, but gives that spot up to Mike Smith. Go figure. Burkes at #2 behind Mike Smith is a little surprise, but we'll see how the rotation comes out.

The key to this line is that some of these guys can move around to different positions. Slauson has played both guard and tackle, while Hickman has played guard and center. An incredibly solid group, with plenty of depth and experience.

Defense:

Nose Tackle: 1 - Ndamukong Suh, 2 - Shukree Barfield, 3 - Terrence Moore

Defensive Tackle: 1 - Ty Steinkuhler, 2 - Jared Crick

Base End: 1 - Zach Potter, 2 - Clayton Sievers

Open End: 1 - Barry Turner, 2 - Pierre Allen

No surprises here. Obviously losing Kevin Dixon hurt, but I don't see this group as thin as a lot of other people. Note that Baker Steinkuhler isn't listed - hopefully a redshirt season is in the works for him.

Linebackers:

Will Linebacker: 1 - Cody Glenn, 2 - Blake Lawrence

Mike Linebacker: 1 - Phillip Dillard, 2 - Will Compton, 3 - Colton Koehler

Buck Linebacker: 1 - Tyler Wortman, 2 - Sean Fisher

Obviously the linebacker position is of huge concern. Will Compton and Sean Fisher are both true freshmen. Dillard is a solid middle linebacker with experience, so the hope would be that Compton and Fisher aren't needed this season which will give them time to get stronger and learn. LaTravis Washington is not listed here due to injury. Nor is Nick Covey.

Is there a Husker fan who isn't cheering for Cody Glenn's position switch to work out well? Even beyond the sake of the team, you have to admire the guy for moving there. Lot of guts, love that guy.

Defensive Backfield:

Right Cornerback: 1 - Anthony West, 2 - Prince Amukamara

Left Cornerback: 1 - Armando Murillo, 2 - Eric Hagg

Strong Safety: 1 - Larry Asante, 2 - Major Culbert

Free Safety: 1 - Rickey Thenarse, 2 - Matt O'Hanlon

The starting four are a pretty decent group. What you have to ask is what happens when we move to using five or six defensive backs, ala defending Texas Tech. Amukamara has never played corner before, so the first three games may be key to getting him valuable experience. Eric Hagg and Major Culbert should be able to step into the extra roles if needed, so keep an eye on them should they get into the game against Western Michigan.

I realize I tagged everyone on the depth chart with this post, but hey it was my chance to check out our rosters, and make sure everything is okay. Corrections will be made!