SB Nation User Blog: Husker Mike

Revisiting Kansas

Husker Mike — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:29:50 -0000

Kansas went into this season with questions with the offensive line and with the linebackers...and those questions have become major issues as the Jayhawks entered Big XII play. The Jayhawks have lost four straight games after narrowly squeaking by Iowa State in the conference opener. Offensive line play has been horrible, leading to not only a lack of production in the running game but also forcing quarterback Todd Reesing to run for his life. And like Sam Bradford, Reesing has been injured due to a lack of protection, though he hasn't missed much time, except to be benched.

The defense has played better in recent weeks, but that's still not very good. Especially when combined with offensive struggles...that explains a 1-4 conference mark that not only has the Jayhawks tied with Missouri for LAST place, but also in danger of not making a bowl game.

So here's our preseason preview of the Jayhawks..what's your thought's on this Kansas squad? Are they starting to swirl the drain... or are they a dangerous team about ready to right their ship?

More photos " by Donna McWilliam - AP

Kansas coach Mark Mangino asks for a sandwich during Big 12 Media Day in Irving, Texas, Tuesday, July 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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From 2004 through 2007, Kansas head coach Mark Mangino had the upper hand on Bill Callahan. In Lincoln, Nebraska hung on to win 14-8 in 2004 and 39-32 in overtime in 2006. In Lawrence, it was another matter entirely as the Jayhawks blasted Nebraska 40-15 in 2005 and that infamous 76-39 rout in 2007. Last season in Lincoln, Nebraska fared better against the Jayhawks in winning 45-35, a score that to me was much closer than the game was. Nebraska went minus-two in turnovers, and turned in a Jekyll/Hyde performance on defense. The Blackshirts forced 7 punts, but also gave up six plays of more than 20 yards.

Much of the credit for those big plays goes to the Jayhawk offense, and the core offensive skill players all look to return in 2009. It all starts with senior quarterback Todd Reesing, who's already set 30 school records. In any other conference, Reesing would probably be a star, but the Heisman candidates in the South division cast a huge shadow. Last season, he completed 66% of his passes for 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. There's no argument from anybody that he's the best quarterback in the North division going into 2009.

Eight of Kansas' top nine receivers return in 2009 including second team all-Big XII and honorable mention all-American Dezmon Briscoe. Well, Briscoe hopes to return as he was suspended from spring practice to clear up some academic issues. Briscoe caught 92 passes for 1407 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. Backup senior quarterback Kerry Meier moonlights at wide receiver as long as Reesing stays healthy; last season, Meier caught 97 passes for 1045 yards and 8 touchdowns. Junior Johnathan Wilson rounds out the receiver corps, adding 43 receptions last season.

Jake Sharp returns for his senior season at running back after back-to-back 800 yard seasons the last two seasons. Senior Jocques Crawford left the team last month, leaving bruising freshman Toben Opurum as a possible backup to create a thunder and lightning tandem for the Jayhawks. Other candidates include converted wide receiver Rell Lewis and Deshaun Sands, whose father Tony ranks second on Kansas all-time rushing charts.

Running room could be tough to come by, with only two returning starters on the offensive line in sophomores Jeff Spikes at right tackle and Jeremiah Hatch, who moves from left tackle to center this season. Two redshirt freshmen in right guard John Williams and left tackle Tanner Hawkinson are expected to be thrown into the fire as starters, and possibly a third at left guard with Trevor Marrongelli, who's battling with junior Sal Capra. Lots of questions and inexperience to open the season, though those questions could be answered by mid-November when the Huskers come to town. If this line develops, they could become the standard for the Big XII North --- in 2011.

On defense, seven starters from a defense that ranked in the middle of the Big XII last season. Up front, junior defensive end Jake Laptad and senior defensive tackle Caeb Blakesley return after earning honorable mention all-Big XII last season. Also returning is junior defesive tackle Jamal Green, who added 21 tackles, 7 for losses last season as a part-time starter.

The Jayhawks will need to replace all three linebackers, who all happened to be the top tacklers on last season's defense. Kansas is switching to a 4-2-5 alignment to offset their lack of depth at linebacker with their depth in the secondary. Among the candidates to start is former running back Angus Quigley, who made the switch during bowl practice last December.

The entire secondary returns for the Jayhawks, led by senior all-Big XII safety Darrell Stuckey, who is the team's leading returning tackler (98) and pass interceptor (5). Juniors Phllip Strozier and Chris Harris, the 2007 Big XII defensive newcomer of the year, should start at the other safety and nickel spots. Senior cornerback Justin Thornton and sophomore cornerback Daymond Patterson, who switched from wide receiver to starting corner midway through last aseason, also return.

While many preseason national magazines picked the Jayhawks to win the Big XII North this season, the media has hedged their bets because of the questions on the offensive line, linebacker, and the Jayhawks schedule. The Jayhawks must face the gauntlet of Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech, which might potentially put them a game behind Nebraska and Missouri in the Big XII North race. That's a dangerous position with a rapidly improving Baylor squad in the South division. As such, the North division may come down to the winner of the round-robin between Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. If that's the case, it may be to the Jayhawks advantage since Kansas hosts Nebraska and plays Missouri less than an hour away at Arrowhead in Kansas City.

Poll

What's your prediction for the Nebraska-Kansas game?

17%

Nebraska is going to answer their questions sooner than Kansas, and will roll the Jayhawks decisively.

49 votes

46%

Kansas' offensive firepower will keep them in the game, but the Huskers should pull this one out.

135 votes

18%

It'll be closer than the last couple of games in Lawrence, but Kansas will win at home once again.

53 votes

17%

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Jayhawks blow out Nebraska in Lawrence.

51 votes

288 votes | Poll has closed

Reality Check Time for the Huskers

Husker Mike — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:57:02 -0000

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

Matt O'Hanlon: Three interceptions, Zero Stars. What means more? (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

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One of the biggest dangers of a big win is forgetting that unless it's the final game of the season, it's just one win. There's always another game coming up that needs to become the focal point right away. So now that Sunday has come and gone, it's time to focus on the next game. We can all be excited about the play of the Huskers, but there's a danger in reading too much into the victory.

Remember the elation from the monsoon victory over Missouri? All those positive emotions evaporated after losing to Texas Tech. Every week's a war, and as we learned a week after that, anybody can beat anybody in the Big XII.

The Husker offense is still an ongoing concern, though I'd suggest the situation isn't quite as bleak as it might appear. Oklahoma's defense might be the best the Huskers will face this season. Shawn Watson dialed down the offense and went ultra-conservative rather than risk turnovers. I'd like to think that opportunities exist in upcoming weeks to open up the offense and try to establish something in the passing game. Brandon Kinnie looked good on the rollout, and you never know if exiled receivers Curenski Gilleylen or Menelik Holt will step up their game.

Nebraska now has control of it's own destiny, win all three games, and the Huskers will win the Big XII North. All three games are winnable. Kansas has lost four straight, Kansas State is in Lincoln, and Colorado is, well, Colorado. But as Nebraska learned a couple of weeks ago, no game is a sure victory either. (See eight fumbles against Iowa State.)

But that hasn't stopped some from focusing on a potential matchup with Texas. And while it's easy to see how Nebraska's defense matches up well against almost anybody, it's way too soon to wonder if Alex Henery can drill Jerry Jones TV set. Three more games still remain, and the focus needs to be on Kansas first and foremost.

Others are focusing on the commitments from potential recruits this weekend. This one is more surprising and more disappointing. If Husker fans should have learned one lesson from the Bill Callahan years, it was to disregard the hype of recruiting. So-called recruiting "experts" told us how Nebraska's recruiting had improved, when in fact, the evidence shows otherwise.

No, the lasting impact of Saturday night's game might be Bo Pelini putting his signature on the Husker program. It was a physical game where the entire defense approached the level that Pelini wants. No matter where you looked at the Blackshirts, you saw it. Whether it was Ndamukong Suh tormenting the offensive line and quarterback, Phillip Dillard's emergence as an all-conference candidate at linebacker, Alfonzo Dennard making waves as a shutdown corner, or Matt O'Hanlon proving hard work and dedication matters so much more than star rankings, we saw the Blackshirt defense being reinvented and reborn out of the ashes the previous regime left behind.

All that means nothing if Nebraska fails to take care of business on Saturday afternoon in Lawrence. That's the focus for this week. Not Texas, not Oklahoma, not recruiting.

Husker Report Card: NU 10, Oklahoma 3

Husker Mike — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:11:31 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

Prince Amukamara's interception return to the Oklahoma 2 yard line put the Huskers in control of the game. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

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If you love old-fashioned defense, you had to love last night's Nebraska-Oklahoma game. Neither offense was able to get untracked, and it became a battle between defenses. One team tried to be the aggressor on offense, and the other one played a little bit of rope-a-dope. And in the end, it was the team that made fewer mistakes and forced more mistakes that won the game. Both teams are in the top 15 nationally in most defensive categories, so in that light, it's not surprising that we watched that battle unfold under the lights in Lincoln.

QB: Last night's game called for a game manager, not an inexperienced playmaker. Oklahoma sent out an inexperienced playmaker... who threw five picks. Facing a stout defense with your own stout defense, it came down to a battle of who made the least number of mistakes. Early on, I thought that would give Oklahoma an edge because Landry Jones had a little more experience than Cody Green. But after sensing that while Green hadn't made a mistake, he didn't give you the comfort level that wasn't going to happen. Enter Zac Lee, who threw the game winning touchdown pass. He did most everything that he was asked to do, which wasn't much. Could Green have made a game changing play? Absolutely. Could he have made a game changing mistake? Almost certanly, and once Nebraska got into position to win the game, that's a risk Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson couldn't take. Grade: C

IB: I offer Nebraska's biggest, if not only, offensive weapon: Roy Helu. Since Helu injured his shoulder late against Missouri four weeks ago, Nebraska's offense has sputtered. Helu finally felt comfortable and came up with a huge game. He also played smart, staying inbounds to keep the clock running rather than take a chance of going out of bounds and stopping the clock. My only criticism of Helu was an ineffective block that led to a sack of Lee. I still don't think his shoulder is 100%. Grade: A

WR: Nebraska went with double tight ends all night and typically only Niles Paul at receiver. Occasionally Brandon Kinnie or Khiry Cooper came in for fullback Tyler Legate, but the only receiver to catch a pass was Kinnie. The name of the game last night was blocking for the I-backs. Would have liked to see Nebraska try to stretch the field more to open up the running game, but I certainly understand why...and have no complaints about the results. Grade: C-

OL: The Sooners stacked the line and made it very difficult to get the line in flow. Some early penalties by the line didn't help Green in the early going. But every so often, the line created a seam up front to allow Helu to burst into the open. Grade: B-

DL: Ho hum...another Ndamukong Suh blocked field goal. I just don't see what the fuss is all about. Well, people who stare at the stat sheet might consider last night to be a ho-hum performance for the defensive line, but the those who watched the game know how disruptive the line was. Grade: A

LB: Since the Huskers lined up in dime coverage almost all night, this was all Phillip Dillard. And what a night: an interception, a 13 yard sack, and the unenviable task of trying to cover DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown. Grade: A+

Secondary: Larry Asante may have had one of the biggest hits of the game, blasting Adron Tennell to force an incompletion and knocking Tennell to the sideline for much of the game. Ironically, it was Asante who would eventually leave the game with a concussion. Alfonzo Dennard is becoming a star in pass coverage. Then, we get to last night's heroes. Matt O'Hanlon goes out and exorcises the ghosts of a blown coverage at Virginia Tech. 12 tackles and THREE interceptions. And some people still doubt this kid? For shame. I think they're the same idiots that used to criticize Barrett Ruud and Scott Shanle. And then there's Prince Amukamara, who broke up two passes and had the crucial interception that set up Nebraska's touchdown. Nebraska's shut-down corner; you throw at him at your own risk. Grade: A+

Coaching: The defense was ready to play, but the Shawn Watson took the gamble to play ultra-conservative. The play of the Blackshirts made that the correct decision in the end, but it was a risky gamble since playing not to lose is typically not a winning strategy. But considering the Huskers offensive futility the last few weeks, it was the correct decision. Grade: A

Overall: A Oklahoma has lost four games this season: One point losses to a pretty good BYU team and ranked Miami. Three points to Texas. And now, seven points to the Huskers.

Elsewhere in College Football

Iowa: D The fantasy of Iowa being in the BCS mix finally came to an end. Sadly, it took an injury to Ricky Stanzi to burst that balloon.

Missouri: F Somebody send out the ski patrol; Missouri's defense got lost in the Flatirons around Boulder at halftime last week and haven't been seen since.

Notre Dame: F Here's a suggestion on priorities. Start winning games of national prominence, then worry about things like the BCS and Heisman. Then you don't look quite so silly when you fail.

Poll

Rate the Huskers performance against Oklahoma

"Vince & Kevin's OU Prediction Show" previews the NU/OU game and that "Suko" guy who's pretty...

Husker Mike — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:14:50 -0000

"Vince & Kevin's OU Prediction Show" previews the NU/OU game and that "Suko" guy who's pretty awesome. Vince and Kevin think a "little double team" should neutralize that Suko guy.

(HT: Kevin Kugler with 1620 the Zone in Omaha)

Big 12 Roundtable - Down the Stretch We Come

Husker Mike — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:08:17 -0000

This is the latest installment of the 2009 edition of the SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable. Our hosts this week are the folks at Iowa State's Clone Chronicles.

1. Other than Texas most likely winning the South, and Baylor likely going o-fer in the conference, there's a lot of uncertainty with teams jockeying for position in the Big 12. As the teams head into this 3 or 4 game stretch, what concerns do you have about your team? What would be considered a good season, and what would be considered a bad season? If you've already decided it's a good season or bad season regardless of what happens down the stretch, what's the storyline you're looking for as we head into the final month of the regular season?

Anybody who's watched the Huskers in their televised games knows the concerns revolve around the offense..or lack thereof. At the end of the Baylor game, Nebraska was down to their fifth string I-back, a true freshman quarterback, and playing a redshirt freshman and sophomore juco transfer at wide receiver. That's a whole lot of inexperience on the field. But Nebraska's record is 5-3, which is where they were at this point last year. Finishing strong like last season would be the litmus test at this point. Road games at Kansas and Colorado look like they might be winnable, as the Jayhawks and Buffaloes have their own problems. Kansas State is much improved in recent weeks, but the game is in Lincoln. Win those three games, and the Huskers might still win the North division, and that would make it a good season. Maybe not as good as we would have hoped a few weeks ago, but still pretty good.

2. We haven't had a chance to talk a lot of about of the individual players. Some have performed as expected, others have had breakout seasons, while others haven't had the greatest season in 2009. By now, you're probably seen a handful of other Big 12 teams play. Pick one player on each side of the ball from another Big 12 team that you've been the most impressed with, and what about them has caught your attention.

Missouri's Danario Alexander has caught my eye throughout the season after a couple of injury plagued seasons. He's got the complete package; he's got great hands, great size, and great speed. Whenever he catches the ball, it has the potential to become highlight reel material. He's a sure early-round NFL draft pick in my book. I had to stop and think about a defensive player, but I'm going to go with Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon. He's definitely the leader of the Missouri defense. He even looks tough in his Snuggie.

3. What is your take on the Big 12 TV situation? It seems like every week, we have at least one Big 12 game that gets zero TV coverage, while many games are on stations that not every cable company/satellite carrier picks up (like Fox College Sports and Versus). As a Big 12 fan, do you think a change of some sort is needed, or are you happy with the coverage? Does it hurt the Big 12 that not every game is televised?

Fox College Sports is probably the worst deal of all; as far as I know, it's only available via satellite sports packages. Those games might as well not be televised for all practical purposes. But I actually like the Versus package. Even with DirecTV being complete morons for dropping Versus, Versus still appears in 20 million more homes than the Big Ten Network, NFL Network, or ESPNU. When you consider that FSN frequently pre-empts Big XII games for baseball (in September) and the NHL and NBA in many markets outside of Big XII territory, the Big XII could do far worse. I don't know what the solution is, but unless the Big XII can talk TBS to come back to carry the Big XII, I'd stick with Versus. And no, when you consider how poorly the Big Ten and NFL Networks are doing in households, the last thing the Big XII should do is consider starting their own network. (Some might argue that's what Fox College Sports is...)

4. Let's say you had a friend that's been living under a rock the past few months, and they want to know how your team's season has gone. You only want to spend a few minutes on it, you don't want to get into the game-by-game details, so you decide to play the song that best describes your team's season thus far. What song are you playing?

Wow...this one's out of left field. I finally settled on "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden. Let's face it, this season seems to be black, between the outstanding play from the Blackshirts and the horrible play by the offense over the last few games. (Not to mention all of the rain down at Missouri...)

5. Power Rank the teams! If you find it too difficult, or don't want to participate, rank the teams based on your projected Bowl Selection Order (just make sure you designate what you are doing. Also keep in mind that K-State is the only team in the conference with 2 FCS wins, so they need to get to 7 in order to be bowl eligible)

Texas
Oklahoma
Texas Tech
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
Nebraska
Missouri
Texas A&M
Iowa State
Kansas
Colorado
Baylor

Kansas State gets a bump-up by making it a game against Oklahoma in the 2nd half. Nebraska's defense keeps them above much of the rest of the North division.

Revisiting the Oklahoma Sooners

Husker Mike — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:50:02 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Fear the Stache! (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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We're resurfacing the preseason preview of the Oklahoma Sooners. The biggest change is that both Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham are out for the season with injuries. Think that had an impact on the Sooners? Well, they've lost three games this season ... by a total of five frickin' points. So even with Landry Jones ("Fear the Stache!") now at the helm, the Sooners are still a potent bunch. Invincible, obviously not.

The offensive line has struggled, leading to reduced production from DeMarco Murray and the shoulder injury to Bradford. The inexperience at receiver is starting to settle out, but Kansas State scoring 30 last week probably raises some eyebrows.

So what did we say back in the heat of summertime about the Sooners? While the Sooners aren't as potent as last season, I think the poll results probably still would hold.

Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has established themselves as the dominant team in the Big XII conference in this decade, with six conference championships in the last nine years. Yes, Texas got a national championship this decade as well, and the Sooners haven't done so well in bowl games, losing the last five BCS bowl games.

Losing those games hurts, no doubt...but any Sooner fan would take the 2000's over the 1990's, when the Sooners stumbled and bumbled and nearly became irrelevent.

Last season seemed like another Stoops-era team. Won the Big XII championship game, then lost to Florida 24-14 in the BCS Championship Game. From that squad, 14 starters return, ensuring that once again, the Sooners will be challenging for Big XII superiority once again.

Offensively, it all starts with quarterback Sam Bradford, who took home the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore last season. Completed nearly 68% of his passes for 50 (yes, FIFTY) touchdowns and only eight interceptions. He set an NCAA record for pass efficiency at 180.8. In summary: he's good. Especially at home ... or at least within the state of Oklahoma, where he's undefeated in his college career.

Junior DeMarco Murray and senior Chris Brown represent the best running back tandem in the Big XII conference. Murray was all-Big XII last season...yet Brown outgained him in yards: 1220 for Brown versus 1002 yards for Murray. (Murray's season ended due to a knee injury suffered on the opening kickoff of the Big XII Championship game, allowing Brown to pass Murray up.)

Graduation hit the rest of the Sooners offense hard; gone are wide receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson. Sophomore Ryan Broyles enters 2009 as the leading candidate to start; he set an OU record for freshman receiving yards. Broyles lit up Cincinnati for 141 yards and finished the season as the Sooners #3 receiver. Senior all-Big XII tight end Jermaine Gresham will be Bradford's favorite target. The 6'6" 261 freak is simply too fast for linebackers to cover and too big for the secondary to bring down. Defensive coordinators will lose a lot of hair trying to figure out what to do with Gresham.

Up front, the Sooners lose four of five offensive linemen, only returning senior all-Big XII left tackle Trent Williams. Three of the departing starters (Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson, and Jon Cooper) were all-Big XII in 2008. The anticipated replacements were all highly regarded recruits, but are generally light on experience with the exception of senior left guard Brian Simmons, who played in every game and started twice in 2008. We'll find out in 2009 just how much of Bradford's numbers in 2008 can be attributed to the fortress protecting him up front.

On defense, the Sooners are absolutely loaded. On the defensive line, junior all-Big XII defensive end Jeremy Beal, junior all-American defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, and senior all-Big XII (in 2007) defensive end Auston English all return. English sprained his knee against the Huskers last season, causing him to miss the next three games and relegating him to merely honorable mention all-conference in 2008. Junior defensive tackle Adrian Taylor started all 14 games last season to round out the defensive line.

Depth at linebacker is much the same story. Last year's Big XII Defensive freshman of the year and all-Big XII in 2008, sophomore Travis Lewis returns, as does senior Keenan Clayton, who was honorable mention all-Big XII last season. The heart of the defense, senior middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds returns after suffering a torn ACL in the Texas game. The Sooner defense never seemed to recover from the loss of Reynolds last season.

In the secondary, both senior cornerbacks Brian Jackson and Dominque Franks return. Franks, a second-team all-Big XII selection last season, jumped on the wide receiver screen pass from Joe Ganz to Nate Swift and easily scored on the pick-six before anybody in Husker gear realized what had happened. The Sooners will need to break in new safeties to replace all-Big XII Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes. Most teams would kill to only have those question marks going into the season.

Last year's Sooner defense forced three turnovers on Nebraska's first five offensive plays to jump to a 28-0 lead barely six minutes into the game. With almost all of that defense returning in 2009, it's going to make it even more difficult to pull off an upset in Lincoln. While Nebraska's defense looks to be able to match up better with the Sooner offense this season, the Husker offense is going to need to progress rapidly to get Nebraska into the game against this group of Sooners. Pulling off that upset is going to be quite the challenge.

Poll

What's your prediction when the Husker/Sooner Rivalry resumes in November?

Remember how Arizona State paid NU back in 1996? Nebraska shocks the world with a huge win.

24 votes

Nebraska pulls out a close win in another classic

61 votes

22%

Sooner Magic bites the Huskers again, and the Sooners break Husker hearts in a squeaker.

146 votes

64%

It'll take longer than 6 minutes this year, but it's still another Sooner blowout.

426 votes

657 votes | Poll has closed

Nebraska's Offensive Problems Run Deep

Husker Mike — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:54:11 -0000

More photos » by Jerry Larson - AP

Cody Green might be the most talented quarterback to come to Nebraska in over ten years. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald,Jerry Larson)

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Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has been fielding a lot of criticism in recent weeks over the play of the Huskers. And while the last few weeks haven't been Watson's finest, I don't think Watson the offensive coordinator deserves much of the blame. Looking over the problems Nebraska is facing, I think Watson's previous role as recruiting coordinator might actually deserve more of the blame. The Husker offense is suffering from a dearth of playmakers, and that's the result of injuries and, believe it or not, poor recruiting.

Steven M. Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star raised my eyebrows this afternoon in a radio interview with Kevin Kugler on KOZN radio (1620 AM in Omaha) when he said that he thought "Baylor had better players on offense, even without Robert Griffin." Stop and think about that statement, and let that sink in.

Baylor has more offensive talent than Nebraska?

The first response to that is disbelief, but after you think about it, it's hard to argue with that statement. Granted, injuries to Roy Helu, Rex Burkhead, and finally Dontrayevous Robinson really limited Nebraska offensively in Waco. When you factor in the dismissal of Quentin Castille, nearly every football team in the country would suffer greatly if they lost their top four running backs.

My primary concern is the lack of production at wide receiver. Nebraska started redshirt freshman Khiry Cooper, sophomore junior college transfer Brandon Kinnie, and junior Niles Paul at wide receiver on Saturday. None of those players even appeared in the last spring game (Paul was suspended, Kinnie was still in junior college, and Cooper was playing baseball). That's a whole lot of inexperience out there, and the direct results of recruiting problems.

That's right. Bill Callahan, the coach who was supposed to solve Nebraska's so-called "recruiting problem" might actually have created one instead. Look at his track record after he arrived at Nebraska in finding receivers. Other than Maurice Purify, just who did Callahan attract to Nebraska? Niles Paul is the nephew of Ahman Green, so he likely was going to come to Nebraska regardless. Terrence Nunn and Nate Swift committed to Nebraska prior to Callahan's arrival. Todd Peterson was a walk-on from Grand Island; he probably was coming to Nebraska anyway. Frantz Hardy might be the best name on the list.

With Swift and Peterson gone, Nebraska's offense has struggled and finally bypassed the depth chart to insert Kinnie and Cooper. Inexperienced, yes. But they aren't making the mistakes the older veterans made either.

It's not just wide receiver that's the problem, but receiver is where the problem is most glaring at this time. There are offensive line problems, to be sure, and substitutions aren't in the cards at this time there. This one may take time to unwind: college football doesn't have a waiver wire that allows you to immediately rebuild and start over. The process takes time and effort.

There's a huge difference between recruiting and recruiting ratings. The evaluation of recruiting is an inexact science at best, and the ratings are wrong almost as often, if not more so, than they are right. That doesn't make recruiting overrated, just the evaluation. Only time allows you to evaluate recruiting.

And right now, time is not reflecting well on Bill Callahan's work at Nebraska.

Husker Report Card: Baylor

Husker Mike — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:19:27 -0000

More photos » by Duane Laverty - AP

Nebraska Jared Crick sacks Baylor quarterback Nick Florence (11) in the second quarter. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Duane Laverty)

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Some week's, I go back and forth as to whether it's better to watch games in person (from my high end zone perspective) or on television. TV gives me many more replays, a bigger picture of the game, and the benefit of statistics. In person gives me the perspective of watching the entire field and the ability to watch key matchups through my binoculars. Yesterday's game was one of those games where watchig in person would have been clearly superior, because the Versus coverage was so bad. Most of the game action was shown from a high camera showing the entire field. That's great for identifying coverages early on, but it was nearly impossible to figure out who was who out there without the aid of replay. On my television, all I could make out was the color of jersey and where they lined up originally. So I feel somewhat uncomfortable grading action away from the ball this week, because I don't feel that I got as good of a read of the game.

QB: One thing is clear; Nebraska's offensive struggles weren't solved by changing quarterbacks. Cody Green brings positives (strong running) and negatives (inexperience and a more erratic arm) to the position. Green looked OK in the first half, but less though in the second half. His pick-6 interception will be a "teaching moment" for Shawn Watson. Grade: D-

IB: Once again, Roy Helu tried to go...and simply can't. I'm not sure I understand the point in putting an obviously limited Helu into the game and risk reaggravating his shoulder, rather than shutting Helu down for a week or two and get him back sooner. Dontrayevous Robinson did fine for the most part while he was in the game...but then joined the cast of injured I-backs on the sideline. Nebraska tried to scour the bottom of the depth chart to find an I-back..and couldn't. Lester Ward wasn't terribly productive and Austin Jones even less so. Grade: C

WR: In 2004, it was understandable that Nebraska didn't have the receivers to be really successful in a passing offense. So Bill Callahan recruited receiver after receiver to Nebraska. Five years later, other than Maurice Purify, those Callahan receivers are turning out to be a waste of good scholarships. Yesterday, the Huskers' starting wide receivers were Niles Paul, nephew of Ahman Green, Khiry Cooper, redshirt freshman outfielder for the baseball team, and Brandon Kinnie, a sophomore who just transfered from junior college. To be sure, that inexperience didn't help playcalling at all, but we also didn't see nearly the same mistakes made by the more experienced receivers. Whether giving Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen the Phillip Dillard treatment is going to improve things down the line But yesterday, that gives the receivers a C-.

OL: It all starts up front when it comes to offense, and as the game wore on, Baylor's defense stacked the line recognizing that the Huskers were green at all of the skill positions. While that's not entirely the line's fault, the line was Nebraska's best chance to break out of the offensive funk they found themselves in. And they couldn't. Grade: D+

DL: Spend too much time worrying about Ndamukong Suh, and you've got Jared Crick to worry about instead. If you want to find something positive to think about yesterday's game, keep in mind that Crick is just a sophomore and still has plenty of time to improve his game under the Pelini brothers. Grade: A-

LB: This is where the Versus coverage did me wrong, as I simply didn't get a good feel for linebacker play from the coverage. I did see a few good things from Sean Fisher, and Phillip Dillard was involved as well. I'll weasel out and put down a B, though I really can't defend it very well.

Secondary: Alfonzo Dennard and Dejon Gomes have really upgraded this unit over the last month...but sadly, Dennard reinjured his shoulder. When Anthony West replaced Dennard, you realized just how good Dennard has been this season. Gomes had an interception, but also a somewhat questionable (in my eye) roughing call when he came on a blitz. Prince Amukamara had a beautiful interception, making a break as soon as the ball was in the air. Grade: B-

Overall: C Defense had another good performance, but needs help from the offense. If 273 yards is all that this offense can produce against Baylor, what can we expect this week against Oklahoma? Wait, don't answer that question.

Elsewhere in College Football

Missouri: B- First half showed that Missouri is much better than their 0-3 start in the Big XII...but the second half has to raise concerns about the Tigers. Or maybe it's just the general suckage that is the Big XII North.

Kansas State: B Took the kids out trick-or-treating with the Sooners rolling...so imagine my surprise to find the Wildcats fighting back in the second half. Maybe Bill Snyder has another miracle left in him after all...

USC: D- The only thing funnier than watching Southern Cal implode will be listening to ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd try to blow off this one.

BCS Voters: F Funny how suddenly you forget how dominant Alabama has been all season once Florida and Texas finally play a complete game. Fer shame.

Iowa: First three quarters: F 4th quarter: A+ The first three quarters it looked like Iowa was finally going to get it's just desserts...then suddenly they come to life. I still think that eventually the Hawkeyes will get knocked off, but that fourth quarter is the type of quarter that a BCS title contender puts on the board. Usually not after total suckage for the first 45 minutes of the game, however.

Poll

Rate the Huskers performance against Baylor

Revisiting Baylor

Husker Mike — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:37:32 -0000

More photos » by Rod Aydelotte - AP

When Robert Griffin tore his ACL against Northwestern State last month, it also tore apart the dreams of a breakthrough season for the Bears. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Rod Aydelotte)

Browse more photos »

Baylor certainly started season on the right note, going 3-1 in the non-conference schedule including a 24-21 upset of Wake Forest in the season opener. But then the Bears took a turn for the worst when Robert Griffin tore his ACL. This month, Baylor has only scored 24 points in three games, a number that looks unlikely to change much with the Blackshirts coming for a visit this weekend.

It's not just the loss of Robert Griffin that has "da Bearsh" reeling. Running back Jay Finley has been injured along with defensive tackle Phil Taylor. In that light, it might seem irrelevant to look at our season preview of Baylor, but let's review it again.

During the first twelve years of the Big XII, Baylor established themselves as the doormat of the conference in football. Some even suggested that Baylor be removed from the Big XII, feeling it was hopeless for the Bears to ever be able to compete. Certainly it's unclear whether Baylor would have ever been invited to join the Big XII if it wasn't for the efforts former Texas governor (and Baylor alumn) Ann Richards. But a funny thing happened in 2008. Baylor football showed signs of life.

Baylor hired former Houston coach Art Briles to take over for Guy Morriss, and convinced his prized recruit, quarterback Robert Griffin to sign with the Bears. The season started in typical Baylor fashion, losing 41-13 to Baylor. But two weeks later, the Bears caught the notice of the nation by walloping Washington State 45-17 as Robert Griffin ran for 217 yards. Baylor would go on to finish 4-8 and break out of the Big XII doghouse by defeating Iowa State and Texas A&M rather handily. From that squad, the Bears return 18 starters in 2009; a scary proposition for the rest of the conference.

Robert Griffin returns at quarterback after a stellar true freshman season, being named the Big XII offensive freshman of the year. A dual threat wizard, he rushed for 843 yards and 13 touchdowns, and threw for 2091 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. He set an NCAA freshman record by throwing 209 passes in a row without an interception, nearly breaking the Big XII mark of 213. That's downright scary. Then consider his speed: he's a legitimate track star who hopes to run in the 2012 London Olympics.

That's freaky scary. I guess for Nebraska's sake, it's probably better to have Baylor on the schedule for Griffin's freshman and sophomore seasons, as opposed to his junior and senior seasons.

But Baylor isn't a one-trick pony; running back Jay Finley did outrush Griffin last season, adding seven touchdowns to the mix. He'll ensure balance in the Bears offense for his junior season. Griffin's primary targets in the passing game will be sophomore Kendall Wright, with 649 yards and five touchdowns last season, and senior David Gettis, a former track star in his own right.

Up front, the Bears return two starters, senior right guard James Barnard and senior center J.D. Walton. They'll miss all-American left tackle Jason Smith, who was drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the #2 pick this spring. Two junior college transfers will take over at tackle, junior right tackle Marquis Franklin and junior left tackle Danny Watkins. Watkins is a 24 year old Canadian who took up football a couple of years ago and became a junior college all-American.

If you were paying attention to the preseason all-Big XII teams, you might have been surprised that Baylor had more first team selections than Nebraska did. Here's the scary thing: they're all on defense. Up front, the Bears will be led by senior defensive end Jason Lamb and junior defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Taylor, who transferred from Penn State after getting into an on-campus fight, was named preseason newcomer of the year.

All three linebackers return, including all-Big XII senior middle linebacker Joe Pawelek, who had 128 tackles and six interceptions last season. Bookmarking Pawelek are the Antonios: senior Antonio Jones and junior Antonio Johnson.

In the secondary, two part time starters return at cornerback in juniors Antareis Bryan and Tim Atchison, but the star is senior all-Big XII safety Jordan Lake, who merely added 97 tackles and three interceptions last season. Senior Jeremy Williams will man the other safety spot.

Last year's Baylor squad got people's attention by scaring Connecticut, Nebraska, and Missouri last season. Just before Thanksgiving, the Bears beat A&M, thus ensuring that A&M can now be referred to as the "new Baylor" of the Big XII, since the Bears are no longer the conference doormat. This year, they get UConn and the Huskers at home. The schedule sets up a scary Halloween matchup for the Huskers with the Bears, who might finally be shaking the "Bad News Bears" reputation this season.

Poll

What happens when the Huskers visit Baylor on Halloween?

14%

The Bears go down in flames, much like David Koresh's compound

47 votes

54%

Just like last year, the Huskers find a way to win this game

177 votes

19%

Baylor finally breaks through and wins a close one

65 votes

11%

Baylor wins in a blowout, meaning that every Big XII team has embarrased Nebraska this decade.

37 votes

326 votes | Poll has closed

Big 12 Roundtable - Big XII North Roulette Edition

Husker Mike — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:51:49 -0000

This is the latest installment of the 2009 edition of the SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable. Our hosts this week are the folks at Mizery's Rock M Nation.

1. This question was posed by Rock Chalk Talk's Denverjhawk in Rock M Nation's Live Thread on Saturday: Could a Big 12 North all-star team compete with and/or beat Texas?

While Texas sure did a number on Missouri on Saturday night, I'm not completely convinced that they are that dramatically better than the rest of the league. Heck, I think if you take Nebraska's Blackshirt defense and combine them with Todd Reesing, Dezmon Briscoe, a healthy Alexander Robinson or Roy Helu, Kerry Meier, and Danario Alexander, I think you'd easily find a team that could not only compete with Texas, but likely win.

2. Forget ACC Roulette. For our intents and purposes, the Big 12 North is now the most entertaining battle of supremacy in mediocrity. Handicap what happens with the division from here.

I'm starting with the following ground assumptions...and you know what they say when you assume. But I still believe that Nebraska and Missouri aren't nearly as bad as their records indicate. Conversely, Kansas State isn't as good as their record indicates. Iowa State has lost two games they should have won, and won a game they should have lost. I think Missouri likely wins 4 out of their final five games to finish 4-4. Nebraska will likely lose to Oklahoma and beat Baylor. Nebraska's defense should be able to handle Kansas' offense, and the Jayhawk defense is so bad that I have to believe that even this Husker offense should find a way to score. Colorado and Kansas State are the x-factors; Colorado is horrid, but might want to send Dan Hawkins out in style. So I think NU finishes 5-3 or 4-4. Iowa State could beat A&M if Robinson and Arnaud come back, and should beat Colorado in Boulder. That would make the Clones 4-4 as well. Kansas State will lose to the Sooners this week, but still has games against Nebraska and Missouri. They'll need to pull off one of those games to enter the mix.

I really could see a 4-way tie evolving here.

3. Is Oklahoma back on track after taking care of business against Kansas? Their national aspirations are obviously done, but can we expect to see a fairly dominant Sooner team down the stretch?

I don't think they ever left the track. I still think the Sooners are one of the top ten teams in the nation, even with 3 losses (by five points, remember?)

4. Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Kansas State managed to completely shred the transitive property. What did the games between these schools tell us about these teams?

Taylor Potts will be transferring from Texas Tech at the end of the season? We knew A&M was bad, and Tech can be pretty good. But A&M's victory in Lubbock defies logic, unless you throw Potts under the bus. I think you've got to throw the A&M victory into the WTF category as the anomaly for now until A&M proves their mettle again. (Hell, even Colorado has managed to win a couple of games this season...)

5. Did Texas find its mojo in Missouri, and does Oklahoma State have enough to take the Horns down in Stillwater this week?

Hell no, unless that random suckage attack that seems to be inflicting itself on somebody each week this season decides to infect the Longhorns. Not saying it's impossible after last week's adventures on the scoreboard, just unlikely based on what we know at this point.

6. Power Poll! Who wins on a neutral field?

Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas Tech
Nebraska
Missouri
Iowa State
Kansas State
Kansas
Colorado
Texas A&M
Baylor

Yeah, I'm discounting the Iowa State victory over the Huskers; I just don't see eight turnovers happening again in a rematch. I'm also discounting the Jayhawks victory over Iowa State and the Buffs victory over Kansas. The only thing for sure at this point is Texas is on top, and Baylor folded much like Robert Griffin's ACL.

Poll

What's the biggest fluke of this season?

Texas A&M 52, Texas Tech 30

31 votes

Iowa State 9, Nebraska 7

123 votes

Kansas State 62, Texas A&M 14

21 votes

Colorado 34, Kansas 30

13 votes

Texas Tech 66, Kansas State 14

3 votes

Texas 16, Oklahoma 13

0 votes

Nebraska 27, Missouri 12

18 votes

209 votes | Poll has closed