SB Nation User Blog: Husker Mike

Rivals/Yahoo: Turner Gill Hired By Kansas

Husker Mike — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:28:56 -0000

Rivals/Yahoo: Turner Gill Hired By Kansas

After Stanford's Jim Harbaugh turned down the KU job, it appears that Turner Gill is the next choice for the Jayhawks.

Update: 5:45 pm CT The Kansas City Star has confirmed the Gill to Kansas story.

StiffArmTrophy.com Projection: Suh Gaining But Still 3rd

Husker Mike — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:53:46 -0000

StiffArmTrophy.com Projection: Suh Gaining But Still 3rd

The projection for the Heisman Trophy: Ingram 42%, Gerhart 41%, Suh 40%, McCoy 31% as of late Wednesday night. Suh cuts the margin between him in Gerhart in half...

Ndamukong Suh Wins the Lombardi

Husker Mike — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:40:57 -0000

Tonight in Houston, Ndamukong Suh won the Lombardi Award for the nation's top lineman (offense or defense). That's two for two for Mr. Suh.

Bye Bye Gabbert and Carter, Hello OT Jermarcus Hardrick and LB LaVonte David

Husker Mike — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:33:42 -0000

Bye Bye Gabbert and Carter, Hello OT Jermarcus Hardrick and LB LaVonte David

On the wake of losing two four-star recruits come two new four-star commitments from Fort Scott Community College. Jemarcus Hardrick was an LSU commit who's switching to the Huskers, while David is from Miami originally

Tyler Gabbert Decommits

Husker Mike — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:00:12 -0000

Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Tyler Gabbert has broken his pledge to attend Nebraska, and will make a visit this weekend to Missouri. That's two high-profile decommits this week; earlier, receiver Curtis Carter also dropped his plans to sign with Nebraska.

After results of Nebraska's offensive problems? Carter indicated that he didn't think Nebraska's offense fit his style of play. But truth be told, any player should realize that Nebraska's offense became what it is because of a lack of playmakers on the field...and that after watching Brandon Kinnie leap up the depth chart, should realize that if you can play, you'll play.

Gabbert's decommitment shouldn't be a surprise. His brother did the exact same thing. What it does suggest is that this staff needs to come up with some answers about what they want their offense to be, and start recruiting in that direction. If players aren't a fit in that style, then we shouldn't be worried about decommitments.

I wonder if this opens up a scholarship for Millard South's Bronson Marsh, who looked intriguing in the Class A championship game, despite only being a "two star" recruit by Rivals.

StiffArmTrophy.com Now Confident It'll Either be Ingram or Gerhart

Husker Mike — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:39:20 -0000

StiffArmTrophy.com Now Confident It'll Either be Ingram or Gerhart

While Suh leads in the Heisman ballots that they've counted, more ballots from the southwest region (which includes Nebraska and the Big XII area) have also been received. Due to the interest, more ballots in this area have been publicly released in this area, and the assumption that voters in other regions will follow their regional patterns.

Suh Falls to Third in Heisman Projection Behind Ingram and Gerhart

Husker Mike — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:50:43 -0000

Suh Falls to Third in Heisman Projection Behind Ingram and Gerhart

Suh still leads in overall points and first place votes, but isn't marked on as many ballots. Also, the Nebraska media annnounced their results early, and now the rest of the world is catching up.

At least one Colt McCoy voter regrets voting early.

Suh Leads Preliminary Heisman Poll at StiffArmTrophy.com

Husker Mike — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:43:37 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Ndamukong Suh prepares to throw his lifesize Colt McCoy doll around JerryWorld at the Big XII Championship Game. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

StiffArmTrophy.com, who claims to have correctly predicted the Heisman winner seven out of the last eight years, has their initial projection out there, and the early returns has #93, Ndamukong Suh, in the lead with 59 ballots counted. The projection takes into account regional biases, so that trims Suh's early results...but Suh still shows up in the lead.

Before Husker fans get too worked up, note that many of the early voters are Nebraska media members: Tom Shatel, Lee Barfknecht, Sean Callahan, and Brian Christopherson. Tonight, Travis Justice announced a first-place vote for Suh.

As one would expect, the Kansas City Star's resident college football whackjob Mike DeArmond voted Tim Tebow #1 and Colt McCoy #2. Not sure what he's been watching, but it's not college football. I can accept his vote for Danario Alexander for #3; Alexander deserves some love after getting stiffed badly for the Biletnikoff award.

National writers Joe Schad of ESPN and Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated have Suh #1 as well. ESPN's Ivan Maisel gave Suh a #3 vote.

Last night's game truly might have ignited a groundswell of support for Mr. Suh; this "Suh for Heisman" campaign might actually be a realistic goal

Poll

Does Ndamukong Suh REALLY have a chance to win the Heisman?

Husker Report Card: Texas 13, Huskers 12

Husker Mike — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:49:06 -0000

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

Ndamukong Suh claims yet another Big XII quarterback as his own. Suh now has a harem that rivals the size of Hugh Hefner's. (AP Photo/Amy Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

The parallels between last night and the 1994 Orange Bowl are simply stunning. Nobody gave Nebraska a chance, and presumed the opponent would dominate in their home state. Nebraska takes the lead on a field goal in the final two minutes, then kicks the ball out of bounds, gives up a costly penalty to set up the game winning field goal. Even had the refs put a second back on the clock.

It's painful, to be sure... but the true test of character is how you respond to adversity. In 1994, that ending knawed at the team for months. "Unfinished Business" was the theme, and that 1993 season was the first year of the greatest five year run in modern college football history.

Nebraska had plenty of opportunities to win the game last night. Nebraska's not "back"...but game by game, they are becoming more and more relevent on the national scene. Keep making progress and resolve to never allow this program to be in those circumstances again should be the goal. Last night should stick in the craw of this program like 16-14 did.

Don't get mad, get even.

Here's how last night graded out; as always, your comments are always welcome!

QB: Texas leads the league in rushing defense, passing defense, and total defense. So it should not be a surprise that Nebraska struggled on offense last night. But even so, that doesn't excuse some of the mistakes Zac Lee made last night. Underthrowing a wide open Niles Paul against Kansas State could be forgiven because an underthrow was better than an overthrow in that situation. (A better pass to Brandon Kinnie on 3rd and goal could have been a game changer as well...) Underthrowing a well-covered Paul against Texas was deadly. That being said, Lee made the plays on that final drive to get Nebraska into position to kick that field goal. I'm also not ready to put Cody Green out there either; watching Green's throw on 3rd down out of the end zone was uncomfortable, to say the least. Grade: D+

IB: I know there wasn't much room out there but Nebraska hasn't had that type of futility in the running game since playing Miami in the Orange Bowl in the early 90's. Was Roy Helu banged up more than we thought? Rex Burkhead had more carries...and was less effective. It could be because of blocking; Helu had a key miss on a blitz pickup that resulted in a sack of Lee. Grade: F

WR: Niles Paul could have helped Zac Lee out by catching that pass on a crossing route on 3rd and 8 late in the 2nd quarter. But Brandon Kinnie made a couple of nice catches last night, including the key pass on that final drive. Grade: C-

OL: Not respecting the Nebraska passing game made life difficult on the o-line...but still Lee, Helu, and Burkhead needed more from this group. James Dobson, you've done great work overall, but there's still more to be done. Grade: F

DL: Could you ask for ANYTHING more from Ndamukong Suh? 12 tackles, 7 for losses? I'll let Beergut from IamThe12thMan.com speak for us, because when we say it, we can be dismissed as homers. Grade: 110%.

LB: Well, most of the night, it was just Phillip Dillard. But on that fateful 3rd and 10 on the Texas 1, NU stayed in a base defense and Jordan Shipley made Nebraska pay. Grade: B+

Secondary: You can tell that the secondary is really playing well when Alfonzo Dennard becomes the whipping boy for making a bad play. Solid, if not spectacular play from everybody. Grade: A

Special Teams: Alex Henery didn't tilt the field on punts, but was solid. Kunalic was outstanding on his first few kickoffs...but oh, that final kickoff hurt and hurt badly. Niles Paul's punt return was simply amazing. So grade it a B overall.

Coaching: The defensive gameplan was absolutely outstanding; the defense was ready for just about everything Texas tried to throw at the Huskers. Offensively, well, Shawn Watson can only play the cards he's got, and he's playing with a short deck. That's something Bo Pelini and Watson will need to address in the weeks ahead, but for now, it's what should have been expected. Grade: A

Overall: A- Nebraska did everything they could do last night...it just wasn't enough.

Elsewhere in College Football

Alabama: A Congratulations for earning your spot in the BCS championship game.

BCS: F Some people keep touting a "Plus-1" model as the solution for the BCS. Well, what about this season where you have Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State in the mix. Uh oh.

Pitt: B- How important are extra points now? I've got to admit that I had mixed feelings on that. I harbor no love for Pitt, but the idea of matching up Nebraska and Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl was just too delicious to overlook

Poll

Rate the Huskers performance against Texas

Husker Report Card: Huskers 28, Colorado 20

Husker Mike — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:23:00 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

Bo Pelini asks Matt O'Hanlon whether the post game meal should be single-patty or double RalphieBurgers. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Browse more photos »

No matter what we thought earlier this season, we've found that the 2009 edition of Nebraska football plays ugly football. But you know what? For the most part, it's been successful. Combine a defense that might be one of the best in the country at times with an oefense that, well, doesn't seem to get in the way, and you've got a nine-win team. Combine the two, and you've got a glass half-full team that actually has done better than that on the ledger. But at times, you have to wonder how much smoke and mirrors is going on here, keeping this team on target for a division championship.

As always, your comments and feedback are encouraged.

QB: When Zac Lee left the game with a twisted ankle, you had to wonder how the team would respond. Could Cody Green give the team a spark by depending on his physical talents without the pre-game jitters? He came in for two plays, but after two somewhat irrelevant carries, returned to the bench once Lee got treatment. Lee had several bullet throws that were perfectly placed to convert key third downs. On the downside, there was almost no running room for Lee as the Buffs blitzed hard and often. Many people will criticize Lee's draw play on 3rd and long, but on that play, CU went from 8-9 men in the box to only 6. Grade: C

IB: Roy Helu looked tired, and his fumble could have been a game changer. Enter Rex Burkhead, who sparked the Huskers in the 4th quarter to seal the win on that 80 yard drive. But ohh, that missed block that resulted in a sack of Lee. Grade: C+

WR: Helloooooo Ben Cotton, who came up with a nifty touchdown catch. Niles Paul caught a couple of bullets as well. But somebody on the perimeter needed to account for Cha'pelle Brown, who was closing out his career with a Buffalo Chip on his shoulder. Grade: C-

OL: Loved to see the line grind things out in the 4th quarter, but I wish it didn't take that long to get the power game going. Too little protection of Lee, though that might be more on the perimeter again. Grade: C-

DL: Pretty quiet game from the d-line, though Ndamukong Suh did make his presence known in the 4th quarter. But too much running room for Rodney Stewart. And no sacks of Tyler Hansen, after he'd been sacked 31 times in the last month and a half? For shame. Grade: D+

LB: Phillip Dillard led the team with 8 tackles, but Sean Fisher and Will Compton showed a lot of rust out there. Those guys are young, and they'll learn. But not a great grade. Grade: D+

Secondary: Bo Pelini won't be pleased with the touchdown on the last play of the game, or the 269 yards passing. But he had to like the interceptions by Matt O'Hanlon, Dejon Gomes, and Prince Amukamara. Larry Asante is bringing a physical presence to the secondary, and I'm starting to wonder if his reputation is leading to his personal foul penalty. I'd have to see more replays of it because the one saw looked like it was hardly necessitated a flag. Maybe an end-zone view would change my opinion. Grade: B-

Special Teams: All Alex Henery does is tilt the field and help this squad play the field possession game to perfection. Even when he messes up and kicks it a little too hard, Colorado was so intimidated that they fielded the punt at the goal line anyway rather than take a chance on it going out of bounds. And frankly, I'm becoming convinced that field goal kickers are altering their placekicking to avoid Ndamukong Suh. How else can you explain all of the missed field goals by Husker opponents this season? And finally...Niles Paul breaking a long punt return. The only way to grade this is A+.

Overall: C- Thank goodness this performance was against the worst team in the North. It was their bowl game, and NU escaped with a win. They'll have to upgrade their game significantly this next week to have a chance; fortunately, we know this team can play much better than they did Friday afternoon.

Elsewhere in College Football

USC/UCLA Sportsmanship: F Skippy started it by using his timeouts when USC took a knee with 51 seconds left and a two score lead. Pete Carroll upped the ante by throwing a deep ball. Then Skippy's boys took offense and left their sideline. No matter what colors you wear in LA...you should be red with embarassment.

Kansas: F What a way to choke away your season with some completely brain-dead Callahan-esque playcalling in the final three minutes. And thus ends the Mark Mangino era in Lawrence. Who'da thunk that this season, it would be Mangino being the Big XII coach to be fired?

Oklahoma: A Now THAT'S the Sooner squad I was voting top 20 all season. Problem is that they don't play nearly this well when they leave the friendly confines of Owen Field.

Ohio: A Congratulations to Frank Solich on a 9 win season and a MAC Championship game berth.

Poll

Grade the Huskers 28-20 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes?

A Great win against a team with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

3 votes

B Solid win against a motivated opponent

30 votes

C It's a win. Some good, some not so good.

127 votes

D Uggh. It's a win, but even homlier than the last one.

49 votes

F Thank goodness the Huskers were playing Colorado this week.

24 votes

233 votes | Poll has closed