SB Nation - Ben Cotton

Nebraska vs Baylor - Postgame Overreaction: Positivity Ain't That Hard To Find!

Jon Johnston — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:31:20 -0000

More photos » by Jerry Larson - AP

Cobby woke up for a bit and here's what he told me:

My corny-sense tells me there is much negativity throughout Corn Nation. I can feel it now, yet it was not there in the first half! How can it be that such a mood swing happens in so short a time?

It is because of such feelings I feel compelled to be positive. To bring good tidings to you and your kind even though it seems a little early to cash it all in on the season when we don't know what the future brings.

It is not that I won't be critical when it's called for, if you doubt me, stop by for a game day thread. But I am as always a contrarian. There's a lot of positive to take away from this game, and that's where I'm going:

- It was a youth movement on offense. Cody Green got his first start, as did Khiry Cooper. We saw a lot of youth on offense, as Dontrayevous Robinson (D-Rob, D-Tray, Tray-Rob, all suggestions for a nickname, vote!) played a lot of this game. The offense actually fell down when (guy for whom I'd like a nickname) left the game. Kind of like losing Rex Burkhead, eh?

- Kyler Reed made a great play then left, Ben Cotton played, Lester Ward finally got some carries, and Brandon Kinnie got some time. Khiry Cooper made some plays.

- Holy Cow! That's a whole bunch of young ‘uns!!!

- In his first series, Cody Green made a play that Zac Lee could not or would not make when he scrambled for a first down. His long pass play to Niles Paul was a thing of beauty, wasn't it?

- Alfonzo Dennard. Why didn't I think much of him? I don't know, but after he was hurt, wow, the secondary was a lot worse than it was with him in there.

- Ricky Henry. Oh, dude. If you ever decide to play every down and get a brain, you'll be great. You're either dependable or a liability. And right now, you're a liability. Unfortunately, you must be the best right guard we have. Am I picking on Henry? Yes. Why? Because after hearing about how fiery he is, I expect greatness. Step it up, Ricky, you sluggard.

- I'm surprised that Zac Lee didn't play. I'm equally surprised Roy Helu continued to be put in the game. Rest the guy, get him ready for bigger games.

- Husker fans got what we asked for. Cody Green started. Young players played. The offense didn't play well in the second half. As fans, what did we expect? Perfect execution from the youngest guys on the team? If you did, then let me ask you this - when you started your job, did you do everything right the first week? Did you replace someone else who was fired for sucking? If you understand where I'm going here - then you get it. If you don't, then I can't help you. I can't. You're going to be angry and upset because we didn't win by 40 and there's not a damned thing anyone can do for you.

- What you will not see from me is this - no predictions for who's winning the Big 12 North the rest of the season. I'm going to take the same approach that the coaches ask from the team - take it one game at a time.

- After saying that, I have to say this: the Big 12 North is nuts. It's completely unpredictable and with today's win, Nebraska is in it. With a loss, we'd be out of it. So take heart, dammit!

We won this week! Forget that it was "Baylor". It's a win. Be Happy! That is my suggestion for you, Husker fan.

Next week's opponent is Oklahoma. If you think they'll kill us, if you think they'll destroy us, I'm going to tell you you're wrong. It will be a game, but don't think about it just yet. Wait ‘til Wednesday to start yer bitching.

Poll

What Should We Be Calling Dontraveyous Robinson? (We're getting big on nicknames)

tray - it's what his teammates call him, and that's good enough

119 votes

D-Tray

16 votes

D-Rob

9 votes

Tray-Rob

5 votes

what does his Mom call him? Go with that!

37 votes

186 votes | Poll has closed

The 300th Consecutive Sell Out! - Nebraska vs ULL: Game Day Photos

Jon Johnston — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:26 -0000

Our man professional photographer Dennis Hubbard made the 300th consecutive sell out just so we could have great photos of our star guys in those throwback unis. What a fun day to be in Lincoln!

If you like, feel free to make your own captions in the comments section. And if you have questions on how to post links to your own photos of "300th" day - please ask, we'd love to see them!

This is an absolutely gorgeous picture, love these uniforms. Yeah, that's it! Hey! The old school sweater look is really popular with fans!

Da Field

Roy Helu Jr with both hands on the ball - he did have a fumble near the goal line, but Ben Cotton jumped on it to save the score.

Zac Lee so fast he doesn't touch the ground! At least in this one his tongue isn't doing all the work.

Ndamukong Suh doing what he does best - kill the guy with the ball! Another excellent photo of our favorite quarterback hunter-killer.

Da Scoreboard

2009 Husker Football Offensive Depth Chart Starting to Come Together

Jon Johnston — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:19:32 -0000

Having followed Bo Pelini for a year now, Husker fans should expect him to release a full depth chart sometime in November, just before the Colorado game. Maybe. It's an understandable position - tell some guys they're a starter, and they might think they've achieved something worthwhile and stop being as hungry as they need to be to play to their full potential.

If you're doubting the technique, let's look at it from another perspective. (NSFW - Profanity)

First prize, a Cadillac El Dorado. Second prize, steak knives. Third, well.... not much difference than what we see on the team, eh? First prize, you're starting. Second prize, you might get into the rotation. Third... there's your place on the bench.

A B C - "Always Be Closing" - a parallel to Pelini's bio on twitter - "The secret to success is constancy of purpose". In other words, if you're not working towards a goal on a consistent basis, you're not working. The Glenngarry Glen Ross comparison is simply an over-the-top representation of Pelini being angry with a less than satisfactory practice yesterday.

I promise I'll never compare Alec Baldwin with Bo Pelini again (shouldn't one of them have moved to France or something?), unless it's really necessary.

Following the tidbits that have dribbled out of camp, however, it shouldn't be too difficult to put one together. Here's what the 2009 Husker offense looks like to date:

LT     Mike Smith
LG    Keith Williams

We haven't heard too much about these positions, and last year both of these guys were solid. They should retain their positions into this season.

C    Jacob Hickman, Mike Caputo

Hickman is one of the best centers in the Big 12 - he will be a member of the starting rotation for the season, barring injury. This position is settled, has been since last season.

RG    ?????

We haven't heard much about Ricky Henry. I'm beginning to think this guy is a figment of an internet hype machine. Andy Christensen and Derek Meyer are candidates here, but don't forget spring's move with Hickman sliding over here and Caputo taking center.

Ricky Henry = steak knives? Ah, competition.

RT    D.J. Jones

You have Marcel Jones fight with D.J. Jones for that right tackle spot, which isn't so bad, because one of them is going to end up in the rotation anyway.

TE   Mike McNeil, Dreu Young, Kyler Reed, Ben Cotton

We're stocked here. So stocked you might count on seeing a number of three tight end sets in an Ace formation. If you're really wondering about all the things Shawn Watson can do with a great group of tight ends - check this and then comment here.

WR - X
WR - Z

It's Niles Paul and something like seven other guys here. Spread the ball around and see who starts making plays. It'd be good to see Chris Brooks have a great senior season, but you can bet if Menelik Holt and Will Henry don't come around that the youngster Antonio Bell and Brandon Kinnie are going to take over.

QB    Zac Lee, Cody Green

This has already been announced, much to the chagrin of Latravis Washington. There's been some questions about why Cody Green was moved to #2. The answer to that - who else is going to be #2 - has to make you realize that some Husker fans don't realize how thin this position is.

RB    Roy Helu Jr, Rex Burkhead, (Third?)

Obviously, Helu is THE guy this season. Burkhead has played well enough and show enough maturity to move ahead of Collins Okafor, Lester Ward, Marcus Mendoza, and Austin Jones. That third back must be found, however. Second place for these guys

Summary

Two units on offense remain unsettled - offensive line and wide receiver. Perhaps Pelini's motivational skills will push all players involved at those positions to the point that everyone is nearly even. This would result in a fair amount of depth, something that can't be discounted as the season goes on - hard work now may pay off in a Big 12 North title later - not necessarily because the Huskers have the greatest athletes at their position, but that they were the last one's standing.

That's my position for now. I'll think I'll hold on to that until we see the Huskers on the field.

What Will The 2009 Nebraska Offense Look Like?

Jon Johnston — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:15:08 -0000

More photos » by DAVE WEAVER - AP

Nebraska's Kyler Reed (25), and J.T. Kerr work on blocking drills Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, during the first day of fall football practice camp in Lincoln, Neb. What do you want out of your tight ends - better pass receiving skills or better blocking?

Browse more photos »

I keep trying to get a handle on what this year's Husker offense might look like. It's troublesome because the assets that we have - running backs and tight ends - lead one to believe that we should move into double tight end sets and run the ball. Putting the offense into this type of formation also requires that you have a great offensive line that can run the ball when they need to.

And that's the other quandary. I mean no offense to our current group of linemen, the fact is that Nebraska's offensive line is nowhere near the powerhouse lines we had in the Osborne era. (Well, the fact is that no one has the offensive lines that Osborne had, largely because the defensive players have gotten that much better just like the six million dollar man - stronger and faster.)

Barney Cotton is still looking for someone to fill the right guard position, and losing both Lydon Murtha and Jaivorio Burkes at the right tackle position leaves that right side suspect. It doesn't give much confidence that we can rely on a tight set-based run game, but then there are the tight ends, Mike McNeill, Dreu Young, Ben Cotton and Kyler Reed. Surely there's a boost of confidence with such good depth and athleticism. Maybe get the running game going and then play-action to them like in the old days. McNeill and Reed have the speed to get behind defenses, while Young and Cotton have the size and strength to muscle up for the ball.

That's it, right? That's the offense we can expect to see. Right? Right?

Unfortunately, tight sets are diametrically opposed to the one theme that's made offenses in the Big 12 as explosive as they are right now - the spread formations. Regardless of the offensive philosophy - spread to run or pass - it seems that an offense must incorporate some elements of the spread to be successful.

If we spread to pass, we'll have to find more than one playmaker amongst our group of receivers. If we spread to run, will Shawn Watson allow Zac Lee to keep the ball knowing full well that if Lee is injured the next two quarterbacks have never taken a snap in a college game?

One of last year's bread and butter plays was the wide receiver screen because Todd Peterson and Nate Swift complemented each other so well. With both of them gone, will we see much of the play this season? Can Menelik Holt and Niles Paul complement each other in the same way?

I'm curious as to what other Husker fans have to say about our offense this season. What will this year's offense look like? What do you think will work? What will be the bread and butter plays off which we feast?

So many questions. Husker football fans are the best football geeks I know, so what say ye?

2009 Spring Game Report Card

Husker Mike — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:09:08 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

Red team quarterback Zac Lee throws during the annual Nebraska Red-White spring college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, April 18, 2009. The Red team defeated the White team 31-17.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

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This edition of the report card is a little more difficult than the regular report cards, since it was the Husker offense versus the Husker defense. And with so many new players on the field wearing jerseys without names, I spent a heck of a lot of time trying to figure out who was who out there, and whether plays were the result of something good or something bad. (It probably didn't help that my seats were in the nosebleed section of the north end zone...)

So here's my report card...feel free to disagree or comment otherwise.

Quarterback: A- No quarterback really made any mistakes out there. Playcalling was limited, and the green jerseys made it difficult to evaluate running ability. Zac Lee was laser efficient, while LaTravis Washington was surpringly efficient with a howlitzer for an arm. Cody Green looked fairly good as well for a guy who should have been spending a Saturday afternoon getting fitted for a tuxedo for the prom.

Running Back: B+ Quentin Castille had to face the white defense with Ndamukong Suh on the field, but did fairly well. Austin Jones looked good, but of all the young backs, I liked Lester Ward the best. What impressed me with Ward was his ability to fight for yards after contact. Collins Okafor disappointed me with his first few runs, but he showed great acceleration later on, especially on that long touchdown run.

Wide Receivers: B- The passing game was kept simple and short most of the day, so the receivers didn't have a lot to contribute. Antonio Bell had a nice catch, but I really liked Chris Brooks' ability to snare those missiles from Washington. Marcus Mendoza is going to be a weapon that can stretch the field this fall.

Tight Ends: A+ Are the Huskers loaded at tight end or WHAT? Mike McNeill emerged as a weapon towards the end of the year. Now let's add in Ben Cotton and Kyler Reed as well. Reed outraced the entire secondary on his 71 yard touchdown reception.

Offensive Line: B+ Running lanes were tough when Suh was in the game, but things opened up after he left. Sadly, without names on the backs of jerseys and numbers rolled up into their pads, it was tough from my perspective to keep track of everybody.

Defensive Line: B+ Suh is still Suh. Cameron Meredith made some nice plays early on as well. We're going to have a little more depth on the d-line this season.

Linebacker: C- With all of the new players wearing no-name jerseys, it was really tough to keep track of what was happening. The linebackers got roasted by the tight ends all day. Will Compton had a couple of nice tackles though.

Secondary: B- I really hoped I would have seen an interception, what with two first-time quarterbacks taking the majority of the snaps. P.J. Smith looks like he could become a playmaker back in the secondary.

Special teams: A- You could tell by the number of hankies that special teams hadn't been worked on much, but some nice individual efforts. Alex Henery missed wide right on a 50 yard field goal. What a bum, he's absolutely no good from that distance. He does show promise as a punter, though. Tim Marlowe had a very nice punt return late in the game.

Meteorologists: F Two weeks ago, there were predictions of a blizzard. Then, an 80% chance of rain. Instead, the sun broke through after kickoff and it was a gorgeous spring day in Nebraska.

Overall: B+ Nobody got hurt, and not a lot of mistakes out there.

Elsewhere in Spring Football

Missouri: Just 13,122 showed up, and the defense (with only 4 returning starters) dominated. Tiger fans should be worried.

Iowa State: 7,000 showed up to watch Austen Arnaud go 22 for 35 and 250 yards against the top defense. Clone Chronicles wasn't impressed.

Texas Tech: The next name to enter Tech's record books in Leach's high powered offensse: Taylor Potts. 12,500 fans showed up.

Texas A&M: 8,000 fans showed up trying to understand what the hell Mike Sherman is doing to the Aggie program. The final score: Offense 117- Defense 107. Nobody knows how it happened.

Oklahoma State: Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter didn't play, and the second half was a race to beat a thunderstorm to Stillwater.

Poll

Who impressed you more in Nebraska's 2009 Spring Game?

Quarterbacks

68 votes

Running Backs

3 votes

Wide Receivers

10 votes

Tight Ends

48 votes

Offensive Line

1 votes

Defensive Line

10 votes

Linebackers

3 votes

Secondary

3 votes

146 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!