SB Nation - Jacob Hickman

Should Shawn Watson and Barney Cotton Be Fired?

Jon Johnston — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:03:22 -0000

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

I know one of our guys is somewhere down at that end of the field.... here goes.....

Before I start, let me note that it's always an easy proposition to suggest firing people, especially when you're not the one that has to pull the trigger. If you've read my writing long enough, you know that I have a weak spot for firing people - I'm not part of the crowd that's constantly asking for someone to be shot in the head. It's too easy a solution, although I admit, a popular one.

I like the Shawn Watson's philosophy of a "multiple offense". I'm not ignorant of the fact that a powerful running attack is part of Nebraska's heritage, but the ability to shift into a spread and use the zone read and spread option plays give us a huge advantage over our opponents - we just didn't execute them well this season.

I disagree with the notion that Nebraska can't recruit skill position players that can run anything other than a power running game. If Bill Callahan could recruit decent quarterbacks (Zac Taylor, Joe Ganz) and receivers (Maurice Purify, Nate Swift), then why can't this staff?

You can write off some of the offensive problems as turnover in players, but only some. Still, the West Coast offense is largely dependent upon timing and that timing has to be developed between a quarterback and his receivers. We knew it would be tough to replace Joe Ganz, Nate Swift, and Todd Peterson, but I don't think anyone could have foreseen the difficulties Watson faced early in the season when the receivers were not performing as well as was needed. Menelik Holt started the first five games, then disappeared along with Curenski Gilleylen and Chris Brooks. Holt had 15 receptions for 175 yards, none after the Iowa State game. Brooks had 13 receptions for 177 yards, but none since Texas Tech when he had five receptions for 66 yards to lead the receivers. Gilleylen had 16 receptions for 299 yards, none after Iowa State.

They were replaced by Khiry Cooper and Brandon Kinnie. Kinnie finished the regular season with 13 receptions for 129 yards, with 12 of those receptions coming after Iowa State. Cooper's receptions were split throughout the season, as he finished with 13 receptions for 80 yards, with seven coming after Iowa State.

The only consistent receiver all season was Niles Paul and even he had problems (turnover at the goal line, Iowa State). Paul finished with 36 catches for 673 yards to lead the receivers, having six receptions against Iowa State and 13 the rest of the season.

That level of turnover doesn't allow a quarterback to develop the much heralded "chemistry" with his receivers. Granted, Lee's accuracy didn't seem to improve over the season, so you could argue it didn't make much difference as to whom he was throwing the ball.

As for Barney Cotton, the offensive line did progress somewhat throughout the season although the offensive output did not. The number of holding calls and false starts dropped as the season went on, and the line was asked to do a lot with defenses stacked against them to stop the run.

Add to that a general lack of depth. Jacob Hickman played well at center, and Ricky Henry started every game at right guard (the position that was unsettled before the season began). Marcel Jones and D.J. Jones played in rotation at right tackle while Mike Smith started every game at left tackle. Derek Meyer started when Keith Williams was injured, then Williams took over the starting left guard position for the final ten games. The loss before the season of Jaivorio Burkes at tackle and incoming freshman Brent Qvale certainly didn't help the depth issue. Off the top of my head, what we didn't see is the level of in-game rotation that we've seen in past seasons. (I"ll look into this more in the off-season.)

I suspect that most people would like to see Cotton fired because of his association with failed coaching regimes of the past (Solich at Nebraska, McCarney at ISU) rather than knowing much about offensive line coaching. In his defense, keep in mind that, other than Ricky Henry, these are still Bill Callahan's offensive linemen (In other words, Callahan's preference for size over speed still plagues the offense).

Going back to Watson, I'm not 100% sure what to think, other than he got hit with a perfect storm this season - a new starting quarterback, inconsistent receivers, and an offensive line that, well, had its problems. Add to these the fact that one quarterback left before the season started (Patrick Witt) while another was lost to injury at the start of the season (Kody Spano). Running back depth was severely hampered by dismissal (Quentin Castille) and injury (Roy Helu, Rex Burkhead).

A counter argument would point out that every team has to deal with injuries and then list all of the teams that did well despite them. For that, I have a response: Oklahoma.

The biggest problem with firing a coach, especially an offensive coordinator, is that you're going to throw away a year while the new guy implements his system. The counter argument here (I assume) is to bring in someone who runs a much simpler offense, so easy that you and I and a trained monkey can run it. Or perhaps magic happens and everyone instantaneously learns the new offense by having chips implanted in their brains or something like that. (If you're voting for a simplified offense, I vote for Texas Tech's then, because they replace quarterbacks and receivers year after year and seem to get the same fantastic results.)

So, give me your answer to the title question. Does one of these guys need to answer for this season? Or maybe both?

How Nebraska Will Beat Texas And Win the Big 12 Championship

Jon Johnston — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:42:01 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

Bo Pelini has done an incredible job in getting his Husker team this far. Now we get to see if they can be champs.

Browse more photos »

The odds are stacked against Nebraska so much to the point that it's doubtful you'll find a single paid pundit pick the Huskers in this game. If they do, their colleagues might think they're mad.

It's a given that Nebraska will have to play mistake-free football. They can't give up the big play (Virginia Tech), they must minimize turnovers (Iowa State) and they can't afford to have drives killed by silly false starts or holding penalties (too many games this season). There's little margin for error.

To win, Nebraska will require a perfect game in all areas. It can happen, and here's how.

- First Quarter Draw

It's imperative that the Huskers to keep Texas off the scoreboard in the first quarter. The Blackshirts could give up a touchdown at, but if Nebraska goes down by two scores, the task will become nearly impossible.

Expect Nebraska's first series to be an experiment to see how Texas is going to line up. It'd be nice if we got a drive going right away, but don't get too worried about initial results. Expect that Texas will want to get on the board right away, although look for short passes from them in the hopes that the Blackshirts will miss tackles. We haven't seen much of that this season, and as long as we're tackling well, we should handle the one-on-one match ups with their receivers. It's time that Texas found out just how well Alfonzo Dennard and Prince Amukamara can cover and Larry "Assasin" Asante can hit.

Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick must get going early. Texas will double-team Suh, single Crick and hope to run their zone read plays with that combination. If Suh and Crick can occupy space in the middle with an upfield surge (not an all out rush), while Barry Turner and Pierre Allen contain the edges, the Huskers can negate the zone read. If Crick can play well enough to demand a double-team, getting to the edge will be that much more difficult. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis will take time to adjust his offensive scheme, and with each series failure, the Huskers confidence will grow.

- One On One Excellence

Any offense looks for the match up to get their best player in a one-on-one situation. Defense counters by doubling that player, and by default that leaves an offensive player to be accounted for. Texas has too many weapons on offense for Nebraska to double any one player. Take McCoy out of the zone read, and Tre Newton or Fozzy Whittaker will burn you. Double-team Jordan Shipley and you take your chances with James Kirkendoll and Malcolm Williams.

Move that concept to a defensive zones and the thought remains the same. The game will be a chess match of Texas trying to maneuver their receivers into a one-on-one situation in the hopes that the Blackshirts miss a play. That is the biggest key to this game - defenders consistently making plays in one-on-one situations. A single missed tackle or assignment in a low-scoring game means you lose.

- Bore America To Death

Americans hate games that end 10-3, or 16-13. There just isn't enough scoring. You could chalk it up to the need for constant excitement, but whatever it is, Husker fans have to hope most of American is bored by watching this game. If it turns into a track meet, it's going to be a one-sided affair in favor of the Longhorns.

Don't expect many gimmicks in this game. The Huskers are not going to go to a no-huddle. They're not going to try to spread out the Texas defense and run the zone read as a core part of their offense. Fans will see the same approach the Huskers have used throughout their winning streak - a conservative offense that tries to pick up first downs on the ground and takes occasional shots down the field.

The long shots are the key to offensive success. Niles Paul has been the recipient of most of the long balls, while tight end Mike McNeill has largely gone unnoticed this season. McNeill has the speed and game awareness to pull in the big play - and his lack of production may leave him ignored by the Texas defense when it counts the most.

- No Fear

Quarterback Zac Lee has had problems when running zone read and option plays. He hasn't held the ball long enough to make the unblocked defender commit, a key to making those kinds of plays work properly. Lee must play this game fearlessly. If he's not a threat to run the ball when it's called for, he's given the defense a huge edge. Example - if Lee runs an option pass, the defense won't respect his feet enough to not cover his receivers.

Having no fear doesn't mean that Shawn Watson whips open his whole bag of tricks to see what might fool the Texas defense. It means he must commit to the running game, even if it isn't working early. The downfield shots will only work if the Huskers can establish something on the ground with Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead.

Before this season started, Husker fans heard plenty of rumors about Ricky Henry's "fiery nature" and Jacob Hickman's longevity. Put Tyler Legate at fullback behind them, and smash that ball right into the center of the Longhorn defense.

The Huskers don't need an offensive explosion, but an implosion will kill any hope this team has of winning.

- Special Teams Convergence

Alex Henery had a 76 yard punt against Virginia Tech. He leads the Big 12 in punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Niles Paul has had some big special teams plays, including his punt return against Colorado. Adi Kunalic can negate any chance of a kick return with his touchbacks. Ndamukong Suh and his counterparts have the ability to block kicks. Add to these the fact that Nebraska's special teams haven't given up a touchdown yet this season.

Bring great special teams plays all together in one game and we've got a shot.

- Leave It All On The Field "Bo's Way"

The Texas A&M game didn't tell us as much about the ‘Horns defense as we think. Turn the table and ask yourself if the Colorado game was an example of how well the Blackshirts have played, then look again at the Longhorns' performance. Chalk both teams poor performance up to a short week and lack of incentive. Add to that that we're coming down to the end of the season - both teams had to be a little exhausted.

The teams have had over a week off, which has given time them time to heal and rest. That's good news, especially for the Blackshirt defense that's had to carry a heavy load this season. They've seen more plays than any other top 25 defense in the nation, and they'll see it again in this game.

Husker fans have seen Ndamukong Suh take over a game. He'll have to do it again, early and keep making plays throughout the entire game. His brothers-in-arms will have do the same. The effort must be solid on every play. Double the effort for the offense, particularly on the line.

Bo Pelini has taken a group of players who were left for dead two years ago and gotten them to a shot at the Big 12 title and a BCS Bowl. It wasn't just the genius of understanding defense that got them this far. It happened because Pelini demands consistency of effort, settling for nothing less. It's "Bo's Way".

It's time to see how his team responds when not many believe they can be champions.

2009 All-Big 12 Football Awards - Suh Defensive Player of the Year, Crick, Amukamara, Asante Make First Team

Jon Johnston — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:17:06 -0000

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

Look! Two at once! You'll see the same thing Saturday night except that'll be Colt McCoy getting squished and flying apart like Mr. Potato Head.

Browse more photos »

The 2009 All-Big 12 football awards have been announced, with some nice surprises for Husker fans.

Ndamukong Suh was named Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year. He and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy were the only unanimously-selected players on the first team. Is that appropriate or what?

Nebraska placed four on the first-team All-Big 12 list, all from the defense including defensive linemen Suh and Jared Crick. Cornerback Prince Amukamara and safety Larry Asante from the secondary. The selections should give pause to Texas fans who are convinced the Blackshirts are lacking in pass defense.

Roy Helu made second team, as did Alex Henery as placekicker. Phillip Dillard gets rewarded with a second-team placement at ilnebacker, a great recognition of how far he's come since spring.

Mack Brown as coach of the year..... I'm not sold on that. Brown has all the players, had a pathetically easy non-conference schedule, and didn't have to deal with the NCAA suspending any star players. The guy had an easy path to where he is now. Why coach of the year for him?

Interesting to note that Texas did not have a single offensive or defensive lineman selected on the first team. Instead Chris Hall and Adam Ulatoski dropped to second on offense, and Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston are regulated to second team defense.

The complete list of awards is after the jump.

2009 INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS

Coach of the Year	Mack Brown, Texas
Offensive Lineman of the Year	Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
Defensive Lineman of the Year	Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Offensive Freshman of the Year	Christine Michael, Texas A&M
Defensive Freshman of the Year	Aldon Smith, Missouri
Special Teams Player of the Year	Brandon Banks, Kansas State
Defensive Newcomer of the Year	David Sims, Iowa State
Offensive Newcomer of the Year	Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
Defensive Player of the Year	Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Offensive Player of the Year	Colt McCoy, Texas

2009 ALL-BIG 12 FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM

Offense
Pos.	Player	School	Class	Hometown/Previous School(s)
QB	Colt McCoy **	Texas	Sr.	Tuscola, Texas/Jim Ned
RB	Daniel Thomas	Kansas State	Jr.	Hilliard, Fla./NW Mississippi CC
RB	Keith Toston	Oklahoma State	Sr.	Angleton, Texas/Angleton
FB	Bryant Ward	Oklahoma State	Jr.	Stillwater, Okla./Stillwater
WR	Jordan Shipley	Texas	Sr.	Burnet, Texas/Burnet
WR	Danario Alexander	Missouri	Sr.	Marlin, Texas/Marlin
WR	Dezmon Briscoe	Kansas	Jr.	Dallas, Texas/Cedar Hill
TE	Jeron Mastrud	Kansas State	Sr.	Beaverton, Ore./Southridge
OL	Russell Okung ^	Oklahoma State	Sr.	Houston, Texas/Bush
OL	Trent Williams ^	Oklahoma	Sr.	Longview, Texas/Longview
OL	Nick Stringer	Kansas State	Sr.	Topeka, Kan./Hayden
OL	Brandon Carter	Texas Tech	Sr.	Longview, Texas/Spring Hill
OL	Nate Solder	Colorado	Jr.	Buena Vista, Colo./Buena Vista
PK	Grant Ressel	Missouri	So.	Jackson, Mo./Jackson
KR/PR	Brandon Banks	Kansas State	Sr.	Garner, N.C./Bakersfield College
Defense
DL	Ndamukong Suh **	Nebraska	Sr.	Portland, Ore./Grant
DL	Gerald McCoy ^	Oklahoma	Jr.	Oklahoma City, Okla./Southeast
DL	Von Miller	Texas A&M	Jr.	DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto
DL	Brandon Sharpe	Texas Tech	Sr.	Lyons, Ga./Fresno City CC
DL	Jared Crick	Nebraska	So.	Cozad, Neb./Cozad
LB	Sean Weatherspoon ^	Missouri	Sr.	Jasper, Texas/Jasper
LB	Jesse Smith	Iowa State	Sr.	Altoona, Iowa/Southeast Polk
LB	Travis Lewis	Oklahoma	So.	San Antonio, Texas/Robert E. Lee
DB	Earl Thomas	Texas	So.	Orange, Texas/West Orange Stark
DB	Perrish Cox	Oklahoma State	Sr.	Waco, Texas/University
DB	Dominique Franks	Oklahoma	Jr.	Tulsa, Okla./Union
DB	Prince Amukamara	Nebraska	Jr.	Glendale, Ariz./Apollo
DB	Larry Asante	Nebraska	Sr.	Alexandria, Va./Hayfield/Coffeyville CC
P	Derek Epperson	Baylor	Jr.	Southlake, Texas/Keller

** - Unanimous Selection
^ - Repeat first team selection from last season.

2009 ALL-BIG 12 FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM

Offense
Pos.	Player	School	Class	Hometown/Previous School(s)
QB	Jerrod Johnson	Texas A&M	Jr.	Humble, Texas/Humble
RB	Roy Helu Jr.	Nebraska	Jr.	Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley
RB	DeMarco Murray	Oklahoma	Jr.	Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman
FB	Jamie McCoy	Texas A&M	Sr.	Midland, Texas/Lee
WR	Ryan Broyles	Oklahoma	So.	Norman, Okla./Norman
WR	Kerry Meier	Kansas	Sr.	Pittsburg, Kan./Pittsburg
WR	Brandon Banks	Kansas State	Sr.	Garner, N.C./Bakersfield College
TE	Riar Geer	Colorado	Sr.	Grand Junction, Colo./Fruita-Monument
OL	J.D. Walton	Baylor	Sr.	Allen, Texas/Allen/Arizona State
OL	Chris Hall #	Texas	Sr.	Irving, Texas/Irving
OL	Kurtis Gregory #	Missouri	Sr.	Blackburn, Mo./Santa Fe
OL	Adam Ulatoski	Texas	Sr.	Southlake, Texas/Carroll
OL	Brody Eldridge	Oklahoma	Sr.	La Cygne, Kan./Prairie View
OL	Lee Grimes	Texas A&M	Sr.	Brownwood, Texas/Brownwood
PK	Alex Henery	Nebraska	Jr.	Omaha, Neb./Burke
KR/PR	Perrish Cox	Oklahoma State	Sr.	Waco, Texas/University
Defense
DL	Sergio Kindle	Texas	Sr.	Dallas, Texas/Woodrow Wilson
DL	Lamarr Houston	Texas	Sr.	Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty
DL	Jeremy Beal #	Oklahoma	Jr.	Carrollton, Texas/Creekview
DL	Jaron Baston	Missouri	Sr.	Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs
DL	Daniel Howard	Texas Tech	Sr.	Wichita, Kan./Butler County CC
LB	Joe Pawelek	Baylor	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas/Smithson Valley
LB	Roddrick Muckelroy	Texas	Sr.	Hallsville, Texas/Hallsville
LB	Phillip Dillard	Nebraska	Sr.	Tulsa, Okla./Jenks
DB	Jamar Wall	Texas Tech	Sr.	Plainview, Texas/Planview
DB	Quinton Carter	Oklahoma	Jr.	Las Vegas, Nev./Cheyenne
DB	Brian Jackson	Oklahoma	Sr.	De Soto, Texas/De Soto
DB	Jordan Lake	Baylor	Sr.	Houston, Texas/Memorial
DB	Cha'pelle Brown	Colorado	Sr.	La Puente, Calif./Los Altos
DB	Trent Hunter	Texas A&M	So.	Katy, Texas/Katy
P	Tress Way	Oklahoma	Fr.	Tulsa, Okla./Union

A tie in voting created an additional second-team offensive line and defensive back spot.
# - Repeat second team selection from last season.

2009 ALL-BIG 12 HONORABLE MENTION

Baylor	Justin Akers, TE; David Gettis, WR; Jason Lamb, DL; J.D. Walton, Off. Lmn of Yr.; Kendall Wright, WR
Colorado	Jake Behrens, FB; Jalil Brown, DB; Benjamin Burney, DB; Marquez Herrod, DL; Scotty McKnight, WR; Ryan Miller, OL; Jeff Smart, LB; Jimmy Smith, DB; Rodney Stewart, RB
Iowa State	Michael Brandtner, P; Kelechi Osemele, OL; Paul Rhoads, Coach of Yr.; Alexander Robinson, RB; Reggie Stephens, OL
Kansas	Tanner Hawkinson, OL; Jake Laptad, DL; Todd Reesing, QB; Alonso Rojas, P; Darrell Stuckey, DB
Kansas State	Jeffrey Fitzgerald, DL; Tysyn Hartman, DB; Joshua Moore, DB; Bill Snyder, Coach of Yr
Missouri	Danario Alexander, Off. Ply. of Yr.; Carl Gettis, DB; Jake Harry, P; Dan Hoch, OL; Jared Perry, WR; Kevin Rutland, DB; Jasper Simmons, DB & Def Nwcmr. of Yr.; Aldon Smith, DL; Derrick Washington, RB
Nebraska	Dejon Gomes, DB & Def Nwcmr. of Yr.; Eric Hagg, DB; Alex Henery, P; Jacob Hickman, OL; Mike McNeill, TE; Matt O'Hanlon, DB; Niles Paul, WR; Barry Turner, DL
Oklahoma	Jeremy Beal, Def Ply of Yr.; Chris Brown, RB; Ryan Broyles, PR/KR; Keenan Clayton, LB; Auston English, DL; Landry Jones, Off. Fr. of Yr.; Jonathan Nelson, DB; Gerald McCoy Def. Lmn. of Yr. & Def Ply of Yr.; Ryan Reynolds, LB; Adrian Taylor, DL; Trent Williams, Off. Lmn of Yr
Oklahoma State	Hubert Anyiam, WR; Ugo Chinasa, DL; Patrick Lavine, LB; Swanson Miller, DL; Zac Robinson, QB; Andre Sexton, LB; Quinn Sharp, P
Texas	Emmanuel Acho, LB; Sam Acho, DL; Curtis Brown, DB; Blake Gideon, DB; Kyle Hix, OL; Michael Huey, OL; Sergio Kindle, Def. Lmn. of Yr.; Hunter Lawrence, PK; Alex Okafor, Def. Fr. of Yr.; Keenan Robinson, LB; Jordan Shipley, PR/KR; Charlie Tanner, OL
Texas A&M	Ryan Epperson, P; Jeff Fuller, WR; Cyrus Gray, RB & PR/KR; Michael Hodges Def Nwcmr. of Yr.; Jerrod Johnson, Off. Ply. of Yr.; Patrick Lewis, OL; Kevin Matthews, OL; Jamie McCoy, TE; Von Miller Def. Lmn. of Yr. & Def Ply of Yr.; Uzoma Nwachukwu, WR & Off. Fr. of Yr.; Jordan Pugh, DB; Ryan Tannehill, WR; Garrick Williams, LB
Texas Tech	Baron Batch, RB; Bront Bird, LB; Cody Davis, Def. Fr. of Yr.; Alex Torres, Off. Fr. of Yr.; Colby Whitlock, DL; Marlon Winn, OL

Tuesday Buff Bites - Hawkins Talks About Mistakes Recruiting Son, Predicting 10 Wins

irish1611 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:11:46 -0000

CU Buffs coach Dan Hawkins says he regrets bringing son Cody to Colorado - Boulder Daily Camera
No matter how mad you are about the situation in Boulder, writing messages on Hawkin's facebook page is a pretty cowardly thing to do.

Dan Hawkins said his son has been attacked by angry fans on his Facebook page and in messages on his cell phone this season as the Buffs have produced a 3-8 record. Cody Hawkins also was booed several times by the home crowd at Folsom Field earlier this season.

Ringo: CU's Hawkins admits '10 wins' was too optimistic - Boulder Daily Camera

Guess it was just one of those days for Dan Hawkins on Monday. He has them occasionally, days when he decides to be a little more forthcoming and straightforward than usual. There weren't a lot of "We'll see," answers to questions when he met with reporters at the Dal Ward Center. Not only did Hawkins say he would not bring his son, Cody, into the Colorado program if he had it to do over, but he also acknowledged that he might have been a little too optimistic in the preseason when he challenged his team to win 10 games. Hawkins pointed to signposts that were there at the beginning of the season that he should have recognized as significant hurdles for the team just to get to the postseason, let alone win 10 games. He pointed to the overall youth of the roster and inexperience on the offensive and defensive lines as being the biggest problems that should have led him to a more cautious approach. Inexperience at wide receiver was another.

Coach, Kasa reveal conflicting plans - The Longmont Times-Call
Is this article telling at all? We have heard this before where position coaches and player have a differing take than what coach Hawkins says...

Coach Dan Hawkins said Monday that freshman defensive end Nick Kasa, the program’s highest rated recruit last February, is expected to play Friday in Colorado’s season finale against Nebraska (1:30 p.m., ABC). That was news Monday to Kasa. "I don’t know why he would say that," Kasa said following practice. "I really haven’t been practicing at all, and I’m trying to get that redshirt still. If I play, then definitely I’m not going to." Prior to the Missouri game on Oct. 31, doctors told Kasa he had mono and an enlarged spleen, and CU announced he would not play again in 2009. "(Bandison) knows I’m not playing," Kasa said.

Coach regrets recruiting son - The Longmont Times-Call

Speaking Monday during what might be one of his final days at Colorado, Dan Hawkins sounded more like a father than a head coach. Hawkins, whose future remains to be seen following CU’s finale Friday against Nebraska (1:30 p.m., ABC), discussed his program’s quarterback situation Monday. He revealed that if he had it to do over again, he would not recruit his son, Cody, to CU. His explanation was long, but it included his belief that Cody took too much of the blame when things went wrong. "It’s not fair to him," Dan Hawkins said. "Here’s a guy trying to do his best to win games and help his team, and he does everything right and he’s a good student, and he’s getting killed on Facebook and he’s getting killed on his cell phone. "The great thing about this job is, you meet some unbelievable people, great people. But you also see another side of humanity that’s not real fun.

Krieger: Father-son gig impossible to win - The Denver Post

Even Dan Hawkins now thinks it was a mistake to bring his son Cody with him to CU. That makes it pretty close to unanimous. Which is no reflection on Cody Hawkins, one of the most level-headed college kids I've met. In fact, I think he's more level-headed than his dad — and more accountable too.

Buffs Fall Short Against Gonzaga - CUBuffs.com

"I walked out of the locker room for the first time since I've been at Colorado and felt like our kids believed we were going to win that game," said Associate Head Coach Steve McClain. "I knew they'd (Gonzaga) come back and be even, and we would have to fight. But I give our kids lots of credit. I thought we showed passion. I thought we were prepared. They made a shot where we didn't."

Wisconsin defeats Arizona 65-61 in foul-plagued game | www.azstarnet.com ®
Arizona (2-1) fell into a consolation bracket game against Colorado today at 2 p.m while Wisconsin (3-0) will face Gonzaga in the semifinals.

Woelk: If Hawkins knows future he`s not showing it - Boulder Daily Camera

If you believe in numbers, history and trends, Friday`s Colorado-Nebraska game will turn out to be bad news for one of the coaches involved. It`s not hard to make an educated guess as to which one that might be. Since 2003, every Colorado-Nebraska game in Boulder has proven to be the last regular season game for one of the coaches involved: In 2003, Nebraska`s Frank Solich coached the Huskers to a 31-22 win in Boulder to improve NU`s record to 9-3. Nevertheless, he was fired soon thereafter. In 2005, Colorado`s Gary Barnett`s Buffs fell 30-3 to the Huskers at Folsom Field in the regular season finale. Barnett did coach in one more game -- a 70-3 loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game -- but he also was fired a few days after that. And, in 2007, Bill Callahan brought the Huskers to Boulder, where they absorbed a 65-51 defeat. A couple of days later, Nebraska was again looking for a new coach. Which, of course, brings us to 2009 and another game at Folsom Field.

CU's Barringer fails in title bid - The Denver Post

CU impresses in Maui opener - Boulder Daily Camera

Bzdelik put the Buffs through some intense practices and had the game plan for Gonzaga in place before his sudden departure. CU was the sharper team and led by as many as 15 points in the first half after executing the offense to near perfection. "I thought Colorado did a phenomenal job preparing for us," Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. "Steve McClain knows us and they were ready. It was obviously a game they were pointing towards. They spread us out and made shots."

Colorado, Gonzaga Quotes - CUBuffs.com—Official Athletics Web site of the University of Colorado

On Colorado's performance "We love our young players. (Cory) Higgins is going to be a really good player. Alec's (Burks) going to be a very good player. Again, our young players looked like they belonged out there. They weren't intimidated by it. Alec got a couple charges that I felt could have gone either way. But you know what, I know this: you expect your team to compete and leave it all on the court and I think our kids did that. We got a nice run going early, our kids kept their composure and got up, yet you knew they'd come back. I think Cory knows he's got help out there and it probably came down to one play. We pushed it, we had Casey (Crawford) wide open here, but the ball goes in and out. If we go up three it might have changed the whole thing. But he at least shot the ball like he believed he was going to make it and you live with the misses. I'm not going to fault our effort. We played like we believed in CU today."

Players seek success for CU coach Hawkins - The Denver Post

"The only thing we can do to help him, if his job is in jeopardy, is to go out and win on Friday," senior cornerback Cha'Pelle Brown said of the Buffaloes' home game against Nebraska. "I don't think he's doing a bad job," running back Rodney Stewart said. "I think he's doing a great job. I don't think Coach should go anywhere." Added wide receiver Scotty Mc-Knight: "It's kind of crazy to think about. If we're affecting so many people, we should take it as a pride thing and say if we're going to affect people, let's affect them in a good way. So let's win football games."

Lunch with Bo: Colorado is Nebraska's rival

In part, Pelini decides what a rivalry game is based on the fans. "I know this is a special game to our fans and to Colorado fans," Pelini said Monday during his weekly news conference. "The two states are close together and this game is important to our fans in western Nebraska, and they want bragging rights. They make a lot of sacrifices driving a long way to see us play, and we’ve got to have their back this week."

Brooks: When Bo Shouts/Chews, Huskers Listen - CUBuffs.com

Bo's answer: "I don't even want to talk about that. I know what we have in front of us. I know it's going to be a challenge. I know we have to play good football. I fully expect to go win this football game. "Texas - that means nothing to me right now. The only thing that matters to this football team is Colorado. I told our people in the offices (and) the coaching staff I don't want to hear about plans, about travel plans, about tickets or anything else about the Big 12 title game. "That means nothing. That time will come. Our full focus is on Colorado."

Pelini focused on Colorado game > The Independent > Sports > Huskers Hq

If game vs. Neb. is Hawkins' last stand, Huskers' Hickman knows what Buffs going through - KDVR

Center Jacob Hickman said he remembers the turmoil well. He said there's probably a split between players who like Hawkins and those who don't. Hickman says no matter how the players feel about their coach, it'll be an emotional game for them. Hickman said CU played tough in a 31-28 loss at Oklahoma State last week and that he expects nothing less than the Buffs' best effort Friday.

Husker Offense vs Jayhawks: Play It Conservative, Or Let ‘er Rip?

Jon Johnston — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:36:10 -0000

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

Helu, explosive!

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For most of the season, I've done a "Keys to Victory" article. In mid-November that format seems next to worthless. Anyone who's watched this team this season knows that turnovers will be the biggest key to this game. Both teams have struggled with them. Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing has played horrifically at times this season. For Nebraska, the Iowa State game might have been an anomaly, but eight turnovers are still the 800-pound gorilla that cannot be ignored.

So instead of doing a "keys" article, I'm going to focus on what the offense needs to do to win.....

The Oklahoma game appeared to establish a clear blue print for the rest of the season. The game plan was simple - play it conservative, establish a strong running game, establish field position and let your defense win the game. Then Jon Nyatawa of the Omaha World Herald comes out with an article that states the exact opposite of what we were thinking:

Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson says he isn't sure that the low-risk, ground-oriented attack he went with in the win over Oklahoma is the right blueprint for victory from here on out.

"That was that week's plan," he said. "Every week's a little bit different. That's certainly not the deal this week."

It's clear from the rest of the article that neither Bo Pelini nor Watson have abandoned their desire for a ‘multiple' attack that is more productive than what we saw against Oklahoma. I don't think anyone can argue with their direction, but the bottom line is whether or not it can be successful.

Husker fans have debated (argued with homicidal tendencies?) throughout the season whether or not the offensive problems are the fault of the quarterbacks, offensive line, running back injuries, or Watson's play calling.

The offensive line has an easier task this week than last as the Jayhawks defensive line is no where near as formidable as Oklahoma. Kansas has some decent players, such as defensive ends Jake Laptad, who has 6.5 sacks this season, and Maxwell Onyegbule, who has four. They rank first and second in tackles for loss, respectively, for the Jayhawks this season. The middle should be softer than the edges, giving Watson reason to run straight ahead behind Jacob Hickman, Keith Wiliams, and Ricky Henry.

Nebraska's offensive line has had its moments, but they're not strong enough to establish a strong running game if the Jayhawks put eight or nine guys in the box. You know that is what the Jayhawks will do as Kansas will want to force Nebraska into short gains on first and second down to establish clear passing downs.

It's an obvious statement that if the Husker offense is going to be more productive, then Roy Helu needs to have another 100-yard rushing performance like he did against the Sooners. Helu can make many yards on his own, while Traye Robinson has shown he can gain yardage with tough running.

Once again Pelini has kept mum about which quarterback will be the starter, even though the drama hasn't been quite as strong this week. After last week, is there little doubt that Zac Lee will get the nod?

Zac Lee has become known as a game manager, not a playmaker. He's looked uncomfortable running the offense most of the season. Part of his problem appears to be his tentativeness in executing the running plays such as the spread option and zone read. On the option, he has a tendency to pitch the ball too soon instead of making an unblocked defender commit. On zone read plays, he's either making incorrect reads or failing to run the ball with the determined nature required in those situations. Bluntly, he looks afraid to take the hard hits.

If Lee can be tougher when executing those plays it will go a long ways towards establishing the offensive productivity that Watson is looking for because it will make defenders account for him on running plays. He will become the dual-threat player that Husker fans expected. If not, expect more of the same below average offense we've seen so far this season.

Putting It All Together in Play Calling

Given Watson's desire to be more productive, what's to be done? You could take the Nyatwa article as a red herring, meaning that Nebraska will go ahead with the heavier formations and attempt to pound the ball directly at the Jayhawks middle. Such an attack might be successful should Watson be willing to stick with it and grind it out long enough to establish some play-action passes to the tight ends.

The other benefit of this type offense would be to break the will of the Jayhawks. They're already reeling from a four-game losing streak, including a loss to in-state rival Kansas State. It may not take much to convince them their season is over.

The fear is that Kansas gets their offense going. They were picked to win the Big 12 North on the strength of Reesing, and returning receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe. Meier and Briscoe account for 1,675 yards so far this season, only 138 yards less than Nebraska has in passing so far this season. If Reesing can move to avoid pressure, the Jayhawks can light it up.

If the Husker offense can't come up with some big plays in the ground game, Watson will be forced to throw the ball. That increases the risk for mistakes as neither Husker quarterback has shown great accuracy this season. The receiving corps has shown some big play ability, ala Niles Paul's long touchdown that broke the game open against Missouri, but hasn't shown any sign of consistency.

Husker fans are looking for the team to win the Big 12 North. It'd be great to have an offense that could average over 20 points per game for the rest of the season as that should be all it'll take to win them all.

Keys to Victory Over Baylor, Revisited

Jon Johnston — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:44:02 -0000

More photos » by Jerry Larson - AP

He got the start. Is everyone happy?

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Nebraska comes up with a must win over Baylor and there is much gnashing of teeth throughout the land. I have to admit, I don't understand the angst. Husker fans got their wish when Cody Green got the start over Zac Lee, the first true freshman to start at quarterback since Tommie Frazier took the reigns in 1992.

Freshman receiver Khiry Cooper got his first start as well. Another true freshman, Dontraveous (Tray) Robinson looked pretty good running the ball until an injury in the second half ended his day. If that weren't enough, a true freshman, Eric Martin, blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown by (gasp!) freshman Justin Blatchford. You sense a theme here?

Fans tend have a video game mentality when it comes to watching young players. In other words, they believe that swapping one player with another doesn't much much of a difference. Unfortunately, it's the same as any other skill, it takes time to get good. You're not the same at your job as you were when you just started, right? Why, then, should anything different be expected from the football team?

Friday I posted the weekly keys to victory article regarding Baylor. This is an examination of how we did in those key areas.

Find A Leader:

Here's What I Said:

You might say we're searching for playmakers, but that would only be partially correct. What we're searching for is someone who wants to lead.

Not all playmakers are leaders, but all leaders are playmakers. They're the guys who make the tough catches on third down to keep the offense going or make an extra block to spring someone else for a long gain. They're the guys who the team looks to for strength and confidence when everyone's is wavering. Name the Nebraska player who does this on offense and you quickly understand what's missing because there isn't one.

Cody Green rushed eight times for 43 yards and 12 of 21 for 128 yards passing. In the first half he was six-of-nine for 85 yards. Second half - not so great. He had an interception returned for a touchdown. That sounds typical of a true freshman starting for the first time, doesn't it?

Green's first rush picked up a first down to keep a drive going, a play that was missing from Zac Lee's repertoire most of the season. His 45-yard pass to Niles Paul to set up Nebraska's second touchdown was a beautiful throw.

Robinson looked great running the ball. Khiry Cooper tied with him in leading the team with receptions. The best reception of the day, however, came from Martin to Blatchford on a blocked punt to start the day.

Bottom line - Nebraska found some leaders. Now it's only a matter of how quickly they can improve. I have no intention of writing off this season, but if this doesn't make you feel good about the future, then I don't know what to tell you.

Wear ‘Em Out

Here's What I Said:

Wouldn't it be nice to see a strong running game (not necessarily a power running game, mind you) that could sustain drives, picking up third downs, and eventually wearing a weaker Bear team out by the end of the game?

It would warm the hearts of Husker fans everywhere. Make it happen without excuses about what the defense did or didn't give you.

The Huskers ran the ball 38 times while attempting 21 passes. For those (like me) who wanted to see more emphasis on the run game, we got it. Unfortunately the ground game gained only 145 yards and had a 3.8 yard per carry average. That's not earth-shattering by any means.

The one series that bugs the hell out of me came right after Green's interception was returned for a touchdown. Green and Robinson combine on consecutive rushes for 24 yards and it looks like the ground game is going well. On a second-and-one, Ricky Henry completely misses his block and Austin Jones gets buried for no gain. Next play, Henry picks up a false start, making it a difficult conversion.

A Green to Niles Paul pass converts first down. On the first down play, Jacob Hickman gets called for holding, and we move to first-and-20. The next two plays, Green and Jones rush for a combined 11 yards, then Khiry Cooper drops a pass and Nebraska is forced to punt.

The offense committed zero penalties in the first half. Then they commit two in a single drive. The result is a lack of success. More than halfway through the season, and there's still inconsistency. Turn that around, and we have a good football team.

No Big Plays On Defense

Here's What I Said:

The defense is playing very well, but given how poor the offense has done they have no margin for error. Stop giving up the big plays and the Huskers win all their games the rest of the season. Is that too much to ask?

That 40-yard pass from Baylor's Nick Florence to David Gettis right after Cody Green's fumble had to make you say "Oh, not again!", but Baylor was unable to capitalize after Ben Parks missed a field goal.

Then after three Lester Ward rushes failed to gain a first down, it's Florence to Gettis again, for 41 yards this time. Again, Baylor failed to capitalize after failing to convert a fourth down.

The secondary play in the fourth quarter (after Alfonzo Dennard's injury) was discouraging. I don't know what it is about this defense that they consistently give up big plays, but if they do this against Oklahoma, they'll get killed.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 10.14.09

Seth C — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:47:15 -0000

Ask a Husker: Make sure and check out Corn Blight's FanPost, Ask a Husker and feel free to ask just about anything you want. I had told Jon that with my work schedule this week, I wouldn't be able to properly answer questions, but I'll see if we can't get something similar up on Corn Nation and would even appreciate you guys helping out with answering questions about our Red Raiders.

Ball-Control: LAJ's Don Williams (be careful when clicking on the link as a video starts whether you like it or not) writes that the defense will try and stop the Nebraska ball-control offense and DC Ruffin McNeill says that the Cornhuskers changed their offense before the Texas Tech game last year:

"They changed their whole offense before our game last year,’’ said McNeill, who said what Nebraska ran was nothing like what he had watched that week on videotape. "Totally different plays. Totally different passes.

And LB Bront Bird sounds as if he's done this before:

"They like to run the ball, and they like to bootleg,’’ Tech strong-side linebacker Bront Bird said. "That’s one thing they like to do is run a lot of stretch plays — get us used to those — and then fake a stretch and run a bootleg. They kept our offense off the field a lot.

"I think we’ve all improved as a defense and as individual players. We didn’t feel that we played as good as we could have last year. We’re excited about this challenge.’’

Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the Red Raiders are finally getting healthy as FS Cody Davis was back at practice as was C Shawn Byrnes, DE Daniel Howard and QB Taylor Potts . . . Williams also reports that there is no chance of the TT vs. TAMU game being on television . . . OL Coach Moore thinks that DT Ndamukong Suh and RG Brandon Carter will be lined up against each other almost all night:

"From what I’ve seen, he plays every snap over the right guard,’’ Moore said. "He plays 95 percent of the snaps over the offensive right guard. Same thing last year. He moved to the nose maybe four plays (in the Tech-Nebraska game). Other than that, he played over Carter every snap.’’

Lots of Balance: DT's Alex Ybarra writes the team is finally playing some balanced football, and QB Steven Sheffield agrees:

"We needed this week to be that week that everything came together,’’ said quarterback Steven Sheffield, who spelled starter Taylor Potts and had 370 yards and five touchdown passes by halftime against the Wildcats — both school records. "We hadn’t played a full game on all three sides of the ball – just played a smooth game. Since day one, that hasn’t happened this season."

And RT Marlon Winn thinks that this is all part of the maturation process:

"It’s something we have been working for and something were finally getting to experience," said right tackle Marlon Winn of the balance. "We experienced it for one game, and I think everybody liked the way it felt."

Texas Tech Links: TR's RRR with a comparison of the QB's, Steven Sheffield and Zac Lee . . .

Nebraska Cornhusker Links: CN's Corn Blight notes that tackles and sacks aren't the only measure of how good DT Ndamukong Suh is and also notes that backup RB Rex Burkhead is out with a foot injury . . . BRN's Steve Hanway believes that Captain Leach is lacking something . . . StatePaper's Samuel Mckewon talks with C Jacob Hickman about the Texas Tech defense:

"Pretty vanilla," Hickman said. "They don’t blitz much. They’re gonna play one or two defenses. They’re gonna play so they don’t make mistakse. Basically their goal is to let their offense score points and minimize mistakes.

. . . HuskerExtra writes that Bo Pelini is confident in their offense . . . Omaha.com with lots of notes from yesterday's NU press conference . .

Neglected Video: It's after the jump and it's a sportacular Pete Christie going one-on-one with Captain Mike Leach . . .

Open Practice: Pat Knight and his 2009-2010 squad will have an open practice at 5:00 p.m. this Friday at the United Spirit Arena. See the link for more details, and this is yet another reason I need to move back to Lubbock.

The promised neglected video:

Matchups :: Nebraska Cornhuskers Edition

Seth C — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:00:55 -0000

Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-2, 1-1)

vs.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1, 1-0)

Game Information:
October 17, 2009 :: 2:30 p.m. CST :: Weather: Lincoln, NE
TV: FSN :: Radio: Affiliates :: Game Cast: Fox Sports

The figures next to the team name are, in order: yards per game / national rank / conference rank.

Texas Tech Passing Offense vs. Nebraska Passing Defense

Texas Tech (443.50 / 2 / 1): QB Steven Sheffield has been electric in two games for Texas Tech, albeit he's done it against two teams that aren't top 25 teams, like Nebraska. In 1.5 games for the Red Raiders, Sheffield is 53-70 for 780 yards, 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Not to be too critical, but Sheffield's interception on Saturday night seemed like a play where Sheffield had determined where he was going to go as the play was snapped. That cannot happen against Nebraska. Tramain Swindall has become this team's playmaker amongst the receivers, averaging 92.8 yards a game and 19.33 yards per catch. The rest of the group is rounding out their roles. I think I mentioned last week that Texas Tech would need at least 1 receiver to step up their game, and right now, Swindall is in a zone. The bigger the threat that Swindall is, the easier it becomes for Detron Lewis, Alexander Torres and Lyle Leong. And this doesn't even take into account Jacoby Franks big night (3 receptions, 99 yards and 1 touchdown) against KSU. Quite simply, there's a lot of receiving threats out there and Sheffield is finding them. There's no doubt that the offensive line has looked better in the last two games, in part because Sheffield's mobility has allowed him additional time, but this unit still leads the conference in sacks allowed at 13 and must play like a cohesive unit. Perhaps the matchup of the night will be RG Brandon Carter and the below-mentioned Suh.

Nebraska (162.60 / 14 / 1): The Cornhusker pass defends begins and ends with DT Ndamukong Suh, who may be the best player in college football right now, and has an unbelievable stat line: 32 tackles (leads team), 5.5 TFL (leads team), 3 sacks (leads team), 7 passes broken up (leads team) and an interception. Suh is an absolute dominate interior defender and to think that Texas Tech's offensive line is going to control Suh to an extent would be wishful thinking. The pass defense is 14th in the nation and have played prolific passing teams such as . . . Missouri, in a rain-storm. In other words, much like Kansas St. last week, the Cornhuskers haven't really played a team that's truly proficient passing the ball other than the Tigers. And to give Nebraska credit, they held Blaine Gabbert to 17-43 for 134 yards and 2 interceptions. I think you'll see a lineup of Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard at cornerback and Matt O'Hanlon and Larry Asante at safety. Keep in mind that Nebraska has a distinct advantage that other Texas Tech opponents haven't had, which is a dominant player up front. Nebraska has broken up 25 passes during the year and had 17 quarterback hurries. That's 42 pass plays that have been affected by the secondary or the defensive line.

Verdict: This is the strength of the Texas Tech offense and the offense is clicking.

Texas Tech Rushing Offense vs. Nebraska Rushing Defense

Texas Tech (78.00 / 114 / 12): Baby steps. The Red Raiders went from the worst rushing offense in the NCAA to the 114th worst rushing offense, all in one week. But there's progress there to those of us who watch closely. I mentioned after the game on Sunday that the running backs rushed for 182 yards on 21 carries. That's an 8.67 yard per carry average and for a team that's absolutely struggled to garner any sort of run game, the fact that this team has pulled itself up a bit, especially after having such a tough time establishing anything resembling a running game is encouraging. The truth be told though is that the Red Raiders hae steadily improved the rushing game after a somewhat slow start (73 and 60 yards in their first 2 games). It's still tough to be sure what offensive line coach Matt Moore will do, although you would expect that unless something drastic happened, he would settle on the offensive line that would be the most successful against Nebraska, which was to start Lonnie Edwards at LG rather than Chris Olson, who Moore may be figuring will need to give multiple positions a break against the Cornhuskers. The more I think about this idea, the more I like it.

Nebraska (110.80 / 33 / 5): Nebraska is sitting 5th in the conference, although Nebraska has been a team that you could run on (i.e. there's yards to be gained), but the difference is that they are yielding few points on the ground and allowing less than 5 yards a rush. In addition to all-world Suh, the defensive line is rounded out by Barry Turner and Pierre Allen at defensive end and Jared Crick joins Suh up front. I'm not sure how much the linebackers will play on Saturday and would guess that Pelini will adjust with an additional defensive back, which should, in theory, open things up for the Texas Tech running game. When Nebraska is in their base package, I think you'll see Phillip Dillard, Will Compton and Sean Fisher. This is a stout run defense, and last year, I think you might see a defense more focused on the run as Texas Tech and Baron Batch ran for 137 yards on 23 carries and 3 touchdowns.

Verdict: Nebraska, hands down.

Nebraska Passing Offense vs. Texas Tech Passing Defense

Nebraska (236.60 / 44 / 7): I'll be the first to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised by Zac Lee's passing efficiency thus far this year. Lee's been very effective and probably most important to a Pelini offense, he doesn't turn the ball over, with only 3 interceptions this year to 10 touchdowns. Lee's not prolific as his biggest game this year was 340 yards against Arkansas St. A very balanced group of receivers lead the way for Nebraska, including receivers Paul Niles, Curenski Gilleylen, and Chris Brooks. TE Mike McNeill is a receiving threat as he's caught a pass every game thus far this year, but the truth is that the 3 receivers mentioned above are the main threats for Nebraska. Nebraska is 10th in the country in sacks allowed, giving up only 4 all year. Other than RT Marcel Jones, the Nebraska offensive line is a veteran group, including LT Mike Smith, LG Keith Williams, C Jacob Hickman and RG Ricky Henry. We're looking a the short passing game, keeping the Texas Tech offense off of the field and that can be so painful to watch.

Texas Tech (242.50 / 92 / 11): Texas Tech has really struggled here, and this may be an indication that Texas Tech played some proficient passing teams early in Texas and Houston (although the killer game was 316 to New Mexico). Still, this unit has been a little up and down, giving up yards, but not necessarily points. Despite the yardage given up, Texas Tech leads the conference in passes defended, including 33 passes broken up and 4 interceptions. Perhaps part of the reason is that the secondary hasn't been healthy in weeks, as SS Franklin Mitchem was out early in the season, FS Cody Davis was out last week, and LaRon Moore missed almost the entire game last week. This has forced two freshmen, S Will Ford and CB D.J. Johnson to step up their game. Also sitting a-top the conference is Texas Tech (along with Oklahoma) with 18 sacks for the year. Same as the secondary, much of this has been done with players that no on else in the conference would recognize. I've said it before, but it bears repeating, this group isn't as physically gifted as others, but they will out-work out and it seems that this unit gets more sacks late in the game. It's constant pressure.

Verdict: Statistically, I feel like I have to give this to Nebraska.

Nebraska Rushing Offense vs. Texas Tech Rushing Defense

Nebraska (168.00 / 43 / 8): When I first started to look at the numbers, I was surprised that Nebraska was only 8th in the conference in rushing. I was expecting a bit more. RB Roy Helu, Jr. is 13th in the nation in rushing, and was a bit under the weather against Missouri last week. Helu had a monster game against Virginia Tech (169 yards on 28 carries) and that's the sort of thing that bothers me about what Nebraska is capable of on any given night. There's not much behind Helu as true freshman, and DFW guy, Rex Burkhead is seeing the most significant carries behind Helu. Right now, Burkhead is a change of pace sort of back, getting 5 or 6 carries a game, although he's fairly effective.

Texas Tech (107.17 / 28 / 4): I'm shocked by those numbers and I'll keep repeating this and hope that it becomes true, but one of the hallmarks of a team that does well is a good to great rush defense. Much like most other things this early in the season, you can partially blame opponents, but thus far, the Red Raiders have only allowed a little over 100 yards a game. The DT's Colby Whitlock and Richard Jones have quietly been very solid and give plenty of credit to a linebacking corp of Brian Duncan, Bront Bird and Marlon Williams that seem to be getting better game by game. You would think that Duncan and Bird would be tailor made for Nebraska and it will be interesting to see if Whitlock, Jones and Victor Hunter, to an extent, will be able to allow the linebackers to scrape and make plays.

Verdict: Seems strange, but the stats play the winner out here.

Texas Tech Special Teams vs. Nebraska Special Teams

Texas Tech: Freshman P Ryan Erxleben has been a breath of fresh air, handling 14 punts on the year, but being able to pin a few inside the opponents 20 yard line is a nice weapon have, especially in a game that could come down to field position. You'd like to see more consistency from K Donnie Carona kicking off, but he's still 6th in the conference and Matthew Williams hasn't had to kick a lot of field goals, but he has been solid in PAT's (34/35) ending the horror that was 2008. Texas Tech hasn't been spectacular returning punts and tried WR Austin Zouzalik for a number of games, but switched to CB Jamar Wall last week. Wall might be a bit more daring, but Zouzalik is solid. The Red Raiders are 2nd in the conference in kickoff returns, led by true freshman RB Eric Stephens.

Nebraska: P Alex Henry is 6th in the conference in punting. Much like Texas Tech, there's nothing really spectacular there. PK Alex Henery is clutch, making 8 of 9 field goals this year and making all of his PAT's. WR Niles Paul is returning punts, and again, like Texas Tech, aren't lighting the world on fire and as far as kickoff returns, Niles is again, mediocre (59th in the county and 9th in the conference).

Verdict: These teams are about as even as you could be for the most part, with slight advantages in one category over another. PUSH

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Louisiana-Layafette Ragin' Cajuns Postgame Overreaction

Jon Johnston — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:30:45 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

Oh, man. Hippies not from Colorado? I was disappointed that I didn't see more crewcuts with butchwax and horn rimmed glasses.

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The 300th sell-out went as expected, with Nebraska crushing an inferior opponent into the ground as they've done so many times over the past 47 years. It wasn't great football, but it was a great celebration. The game was a good old-fashioned Nebraska butt-kicking, with the Huskers taking a 34-0 halftime lead on their way to the first shutout since 2006.

It was a game in which everyone got to play and there was plenty of time to talk about past games and recognize Husker legends without having to worry about the game being close. The Husker defense made sure the Cajuns could do nothing while the Husker offense scored on their first five possessions, piling up three touchdowns and two field goals.

There are some things to be concerned about. Even in a 55-0 route, Nebraska's offense isn't nearly as crisp as it should be, especially if we expect to make a lot of noise in the Big 12.

More after the jump.........

Some quick notes on what we saw from the offense:

- Zac Lee is a work in progress. He made some throws that were way off the mark. If this shocks you, it's kind of your fault for setting your expectations so high. He's a first-year starter, and everyone knew going in there would be some growing pains. Still, maybe I'm just picking nits, as he was 15 for 18 for 238 yards and a touchdown.

- The rushing offense had some issues. Short yardage wasn't good, and Helu's fumble into the end zone. The Huskers had a 3.9 yard per carry average as a team, but it doesn't help when you're losing yardage on bad snaps either.

- Is there any doubt left that Cody Green is not a suitable replacement for Zac Lee at this point in time? Someday the guy might be an incredible quarterback, but right now he just needs to grow and learn.

- Work out the long snapping, Jacob Hickman!

- For that matter, what is with the wide receivers and tight ends having false start problems? Did you love the look that Bo Pelini gave Kyler Reed after he got one attempting to convert a fourth and short?

The defense is exceptional, possibly the best in the Big 12. Having a solid front four is an unbelievable benefit.

- It was cool that Cameron Meredith got the first sack against ULL that they'd given up this year. I don't know why, but I like this guy.

- Do they track batted balls? Maybe they should. Ndamukong Suh would be leading in that category, easily.

- Larry Asante AND Rickey Thenarse injured. That sucks a lot. Hopefully neither is serious, especially Asante's. The guy is playing at an All-Big 12 level. It isn't just that we can't afford to lose him, it's that it's hellacious fun to see how well he's playing now after what he's been through the past couple years.

Should the Blackshirts be handed out after this game? No. It's Louisiana-Lafayette, for crying out loud. They were supposed to be destroyed. Beat Missouri, and you can hand out Blackshirts, unless Bo Pelini uses them for motivation before the team heads to Columbia.

There's still time to get Ndamukong Suh's throwback uniform, but if you want it, you're going to have to sell out the bucks. As of this writing, it's at $3,125.

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.