My Thoughts on Neb

[gef21]

1. Massive credit to our defensive staff. Their game plan was elite, and they did it with multiple hurt or missing players. I still wish we made more collision contact when we are in zone, I think we allowed some of those crossers to get up when we could have matched up, contacted, and carried more. But the defense did more than enough to win the game. Their pressure and coverage packages were tremendous.

2. Offense. I think we out schemed ourselves. We are very, very predictable right now. First down Neb brought heat consistently, which is why some of those sideline routes were open. They brought numbers, played man press with little to no help and tried to put us behind schedule. If we got to 2nd and 7+ we rarely if ever ran the ball. This allowed Neb is sit back with 6-7 in coverage and play match up zone. I was begging for a run on 2nd and long all game, but we didnt get it. That being said the Neb defense gave us issues. They brought from depth a lot, their interior DL were animals, but we killed ourselves all game long.

2a. The OL was not ready for the game. Beyond having a new LG we jumped all over the place. We have to get that fixed for when we go on the road.

3. Our young WRs are going to be really good. They made big plays all game long, Black, Duff, and Strong are going to have very nice careers here. I have been a big Long fan since high school, but he still does not squeeze the ball well in contact.

4. Special teams is a roller coaster of emotions. Two blocked punts are awesome but letting the ball bounce and bounce for yards is unacceptable. I also find it completely unacceptable with how we gave up the fake punt. For a coach that micromanages everything, to not be prepared for a fake is unacceptable. I was watching our gun stoppers on blocks earlier this year and we just let the gunners go. That being said it was a nice throw by their punter. The fake FG was terrible (I would have rather we just ran it on 3rd and 4th down) but Schiano said they did not run it correctly and I am going to believe it was player error vs just a terrible call.

5. The goal line series. If I am a coach I am calling a TO and losing my mind. I am not asking the side official if it is a TD I am asking my guys in the box their thoughts and if they even think it is close to a TD I am calling the TO and using it.

6. I would love to hear the rationale of why we went away from the run game directly from the staff. I have some thoughts, we were getting gashed inside, but again on 2nd down Neb was backing way off, but it seems that if we are 2nd and 7+ we will never run the ball. I really feel like, at times, we are running an offense the OC wants to run and not the offense to fit our players.

7. We are using RPOs too much now. at times we just need to run zone or bob blocking and get it to our backs. We were slowing the run plays down with running RPOs and not getting KM or SB going.

8. We are hurt in all 3 phases of the game. Injuries across the board are dangerous. I think we go 2-1 the next three games, but we need that bye week to get here badly.

9. I am still on the 9-2 or 8-3 prediction for the year. We lost a close defensive slugfest in the B10 on the road. We would have paid money to be in games just 5 years ago.

 

[RW90]

Thanks gef21, your posts are like a master class in scheming.

Fully agree that Nebraska had our number with their defensive matchups. Even in Minnesota, KC's offenses were never elite and just seemed to rely on his talented back.

 

[Scarlet16E]

To me it feels like KC gets into a rut of calling all runs or all passes for extended periods of time. It’s like he spilled coffee on his plays sheet and can’t see half the plays.

 

[RuSnp]

1. Massive credit to our defensive staff. Their game plan was elite, and they did it with multiple hurt or missing players. I still wish we made more collision contact when we are in zone, I think we allowed some of those crossers to get up when we could have matched up, contacted, and carried more. But the defense did more than enough to win the game. Their pressure and coverage packages were tremendous.

2. Offense. I think we out schemed ourselves. We are very, very predictable right now. First down Neb brought heat consistently, which is why some of those sideline routes were open. They brought numbers, played man press with little to no help and tried to put us behind schedule. If we got to 2nd and 7+ we rarely if ever ran the ball. This allowed Neb is sit back with 6-7 in coverage and play match up zone. I was begging for a run on 2nd and long all game, but we didnt get it. That being said the Neb defense gave us issues. They brought from depth a lot, their interior DL were animals, but we killed ourselves all game long.

2a. The OL was not ready for the game. Beyond having a new LG we jumped all over the place. We have to get that fixed for when we go on the road.

3. Our young WRs are going to be really good. They made big plays all game long, Black, Duff, and Strong are going to have very nice careers here. I have been a big Long fan since high school, but he still does not squeeze the ball well in contact.

4. Special teams is a roller coaster of emotions. Two blocked punts are awesome but letting the ball bounce and bounce for yards is unacceptable. I also find it completely unacceptable with how we gave up the fake punt. For a coach that micromanages everything, to not be prepared for a fake is unacceptable. I was watching our gun stoppers on blocks earlier this year and we just let the gunners go. That being said it was a nice throw by their punter. The fake FG was terrible (I would have rather we just ran it on 3rd and 4th down) but Schiano said they did not run it correctly and I am going to believe it was player error vs just a terrible call.

5. The goal line series. If I am a coach I am calling a TO and losing my mind. I am not asking the side official if it is a TD I am asking my guys in the box their thoughts and if they even think it is close to a TD I am calling the TO and using it.

6. I would love to hear the rationale of why we went away from the run game directly from the staff. I have some thoughts, we were getting gashed inside, but again on 2nd down Neb was backing way off, but it seems that if we are 2nd and 7+ we will never run the ball. I really feel like, at times, we are running an offense the OC wants to run and not the offense to fit our players.

7. We are using RPOs too much now. at times we just need to run zone or bob blocking and get it to our backs. We were slowing the run plays down with running RPOs and not getting KM or SB going.

8. We are hurt in all 3 phases of the game. Injuries across the board are dangerous. I think we go 2-1 the next three games, but we need that bye week to get here badly.

9. I am still on the 9-2 or 8-3 prediction for the year. We lost a close defensive slugfest in the B10 on the road. We would have paid money to be in games just 5 years ago.

The defensive performance in the 2nd half was elite. I'm seeing 50 yards given up but that includes the fake punt throw. In reality it was in the 30s(!) I think.

We need AK to put an entire game together - I like how he bounced back in this one and V Tech. But right now he's not playing well enough for the entire game for us to get where we want to get.

Black made that defensive back look uncomfortable a few times. Almost like how you know a pitcher is good by how the batter reacts to his curveball.

 

[gef21]

The defensive performance in the 2nd half was elite. I'm seeing 50 yards given up but that includes the fake punt throw. In reality it was in the 30s(!) I think.

We need AK to put an entire game together - I like how he bounced back in this one and V Tech. But right now he's not playing well enough for the entire game for us to get where we want to get.

Black made that defensive back look uncomfortable a few times. Almost like how you know a pitcher is good by how the batter reacts to his curveball.

I think we tried to make AK be a player he is not in this game. When we ran play action, when we were on schedule, and when we blocked he did a good job. He is not a 30+ pass attempt a game QB, and we tried to play that game Saturday.

 

[kupuna133]

To me it feels like KC gets into a rut of calling all runs or all passes for extended periods of time. It’s like he spilled coffee on his plays sheet and can’t see half the plays.

Spilled coffee is hilarious. His playcalling is mind boggling to me. I come from a mindset of do we what we do best and bend the will of the opponent. I think Kirk comes from the mindset of over analyzation. And lets the d dictate what he is going to do forcing him to get away from things that are working and will work.

Let the run open up the pass versus pass open up the run.

 

[kupuna133]

1. Massive credit to our defensive staff. Their game plan was elite, and they did it with multiple hurt or missing players. I still wish we made more collision contact when we are in zone, I think we allowed some of those crossers to get up when we could have matched up, contacted, and carried more. But the defense did more than enough to win the game. Their pressure and coverage packages were tremendous.

2. Offense. I think we out schemed ourselves. We are very, very predictable right now. First down Neb brought heat consistently, which is why some of those sideline routes were open. They brought numbers, played man press with little to no help and tried to put us behind schedule. If we got to 2nd and 7+ we rarely if ever ran the ball. This allowed Neb is sit back with 6-7 in coverage and play match up zone. I was begging for a run on 2nd and long all game, but we didnt get it. That being said the Neb defense gave us issues. They brought from depth a lot, their interior DL were animals, but we killed ourselves all game long.

2a. The OL was not ready for the game. Beyond having a new LG we jumped all over the place. We have to get that fixed for when we go on the road.

3. Our young WRs are going to be really good. They made big plays all game long, Black, Duff, and Strong are going to have very nice careers here. I have been a big Long fan since high school, but he still does not squeeze the ball well in contact.

4. Special teams is a roller coaster of emotions. Two blocked punts are awesome but letting the ball bounce and bounce for yards is unacceptable. I also find it completely unacceptable with how we gave up the fake punt. For a coach that micromanages everything, to not be prepared for a fake is unacceptable. I was watching our gun stoppers on blocks earlier this year and we just let the gunners go. That being said it was a nice throw by their punter. The fake FG was terrible (I would have rather we just ran it on 3rd and 4th down) but Schiano said they did not run it correctly and I am going to believe it was player error vs just a terrible call.

5. The goal line series. If I am a coach I am calling a TO and losing my mind. I am not asking the side official if it is a TD I am asking my guys in the box their thoughts and if they even think it is close to a TD I am calling the TO and using it.

6. I would love to hear the rationale of why we went away from the run game directly from the staff. I have some thoughts, we were getting gashed inside, but again on 2nd down Neb was backing way off, but it seems that if we are 2nd and 7+ we will never run the ball. I really feel like, at times, we are running an offense the OC wants to run and not the offense to fit our players.

7. We are using RPOs too much now. at times we just need to run zone or bob blocking and get it to our backs. We were slowing the run plays down with running RPOs and not getting KM or SB going.

8. We are hurt in all 3 phases of the game. Injuries across the board are dangerous. I think we go 2-1 the next three games, but we need that bye week to get here badly.

9. I am still on the 9-2 or 8-3 prediction for the year. We lost a close defensive slugfest in the B10 on the road. We would have paid money to be in games just 5 years ago.

Once again great analysis.

I never thought I would ever hear the term using too much RPO considering the charade we witnessed the last 3 years. Scripted predetermined reads from the sidelines But I agree. Let the bigs line up over their bigs and let’s see what our RB’s can do without a delay of the mesh.

Also I never thought I would hear Schiano afraid of calling a TO The man is famous for not having them when he needs them because he wasted them in the first 30 seconds of the second half.

The d and defensive staff deserve a bonus. The O staff needs to be told what they did is not acceptable and need improvement immediately.

 

[RUinPinehurst]

My thoughts on Nebraska: their refs are very effective, in fact, they're a game changer....

 

[RuSnp]

I think we tried to make AK be a player he is not in this game. When we ran play action, when we were on schedule, and when we blocked he did a good job. He is not a 30+ pass attempt a game QB, and we tried to play that game Saturday.

That's fair and I agree but he's a very interesting player. Seems to be able to make the throws but not consistently.

 

[winfield102]

The Nebraska defense did a very good job. I didn't see a lot of opportunities for AK to have success.

GS talked about how the weather was absolutely crazy and here we are throwing the ball 37 times with a game manager.

From my view, KC screwed the pooch on the 1st 4 drives of the game. we were either in 4 down territory or right on the cusp on all 4 drives.

GS's special teams lost to their special teams despite blocking 2 kicks.....
Botched fake fg attempt (wtf)
Missed fg
Allow a punt to bounce 61 yds
Give up a 30 yd play on a fake punt
Allow the last punt to go 69 yards

KC and GS should have had to walk home. They have to do better and GS needs to see a therapist about his fear of TO's. Name another program that refuses to participate in the punt catch/return game.

 

[gef21]

The Nebraska defense did a very good job. I didn't see a lot of opportunities for AK to have success.

GS talked about how the weather was absolutely crazy and here we are throwing the ball 37 times with a game manager.

From my view, KC screwed the pooch on the 1st 4 drives of the game. we were either in 4 down territory or right on the cusp on all 4 drives.

GS's special teams lost to their special teams despite blocking 2 kicks.....
Botched fake fg attempt (wtf)
Missed fg
Allow a punt to bounce 61 yds
Give up a 30 yd play on a fake punt
Allow the last punt to go 69 yards

KC and GS should have had to walk home. They have to do better and GS needs to see a therapist about his fear of TO's. Name another program that refuses to participate in the punt catch/return game.

I actually do not think AK is a game manager, I think we can win us game (he has this year). My issue is the plays we called. AK does well across the middle, level reads, choice RPO reads, as well as boots. We became a drop back team this weekend and it does not fit his skill set or the skill set of the team.

The interior DL was killing us, so why did we not boot away from it?

Why did we not screen on first down to deal with their pressure from depth?

To me the offense felt unprepared for what the other team was going to adjust to. We had no plan b, or c, or d.

 

[RW90]

The Nebraska defense did a very good job. I didn't see a lot of opportunities for AK to have success.

GS talked about how the weather was absolutely crazy and here we are throwing the ball 37 times with a game manager.

From my view, KC screwed the pooch on the 1st 4 drives of the game. we were either in 4 down territory or right on the cusp on all 4 drives.

GS's special teams lost to their special teams despite blocking 2 kicks.....
Botched fake fg attempt (wtf)
Missed fg
Allow a punt to bounce 61 yds
Give up a 30 yd play on a fake punt
Allow the last punt to go 69 yards

KC and GS should have had to walk home. They have to do better and GS needs to see a therapist about his fear of TO's. Name another program that refuses to participate in the punt catch/return game.

Agreed. For a coach who truly prides himself as a game manager, we had a TON of head scratchers.

 

[gef21]

The Nebraska defense did a very good job. I didn't see a lot of opportunities for AK to have success.

GS talked about how the weather was absolutely crazy and here we are throwing the ball 37 times with a game manager.

From my view, KC screwed the pooch on the 1st 4 drives of the game. we were either in 4 down territory or right on the cusp on all 4 drives.

GS's special teams lost to their special teams despite blocking 2 kicks.....
Botched fake fg attempt (wtf)
Missed fg
Allow a punt to bounce 61 yds
Give up a 30 yd play on a fake punt
Allow the last punt to go 69 yards

KC and GS should have had to walk home. They have to do better and GS needs to see a therapist about his fear of TO's. Name another program that refuses to participate in the punt catch/return game.

I think the program needs a true special teams coordinator. Schiano is awesome but he has to oversee everything, I think we need a true STC, who gets to create their own identity but fitting into what schiano wants to do.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Good commentary - one add on:

AK’s leg being in a brace was a definite factor in this game. While not an explosive run first QB, he has never before Saturday been immobile. He had several great scrambles in the past few games for first downs and multiple opportunities he passed up Saturday. I actually think what happened on the RPO was Nebraska realized he wasn’t a running threat at all after the one with open field where he slip after like 4 yards and that allowed them to make key adjustments on D. The RPO won’t be effective with solid LBs like Nebraska has (we couldn’t dink pass like vs VTech) and an immobile QB. I do wonder why we don’t pass to the RBs more.

 

[knightfan7]

I did hear the TV mention the weather. Was the wind as bad as predicted because it seemed like a bad day for both when compared to their seasons to date. Raiola came in averaging over 70% and almost 250ypg. Saturday it was 48% and 134yds with 1 pick. Aiden came in averaging 62% and 184 yds but only completed 41% and his avg of 186 yds with 2 picks on many more throws than previously. There was 1 major drop.

Neither team had overall offensive output you'd want to put in a time capsule.

 

[kupuna133]

I actually do not think AK is a game manager, I think we can win us game (he has this year). My issue is the plays we called. AK does well across the middle, level reads, choice RPO reads, as well as boots. We became a drop back team this weekend and it does not fit his skill set or the skill set of the team.

The interior DL was killing us, so why did we not boot away from it?

Why did we not screen on first down to deal with their pressure from depth?

To me the offense felt unprepared for what the other team was going to adjust to. We had no plan b, or c, or d.

I said all of those things in the in game thread. It was 95 degrees with a steady 30mph wind and we decide to go pass heavy. We have 2 backs that can gain yards in a phone booth and we decide to go pass heavy. We are down one of our best linemen and we decide to go pass heavy.

1. I called for screens.
2. Roll the pocket away from pressure
3. Draws
4. Crossing routes
5. Quick hitters versus long mesh reads
6. Stretch plays with zone blocking

Instead we play into their strength of long developing plays attacking the sidelines on throws.

 

[RUbacker]

I think the program needs a true special teams coordinator. Schiano is awesome but he has to oversee everything, I think we need a true STC, who gets to create their own identity but fitting into what schiano wants to do.

Bingo

 

[HPNJRUfan]

I think the program needs a true special teams coordinator. Schiano is awesome but he has to oversee everything, I think we need a true STC, who gets to create their own identity but fitting into what schiano wants to do.

I remember when we played Arkansas 12 years ago at home (Janarion Grant punt return for a TD, and a second 50+ yd return) - we clowned Bielema for not having a STC and thinking he could handle it himself.

We are now them.

 

[winfield102]

I like AK. In this offense, he is a game manager. Make good decisions and keep the chains moving.

He isn't a drop back QB that's gonna throw for 350 yards.

There were so many reasons in this game why having AK try to execute drop back pass plays made no sense. Kirk owes the team one.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I like AK. In this offense, he is a game manager. Make good decisions and keep the chains moving.

He isn't a drop back QB that's gonna throw for 350 yards.

There were so many reasons in this game why having AK try to execute drop back pass plays made no sense. Kirk owes the team one.

I suspect it wasn’t that simple. Kirk obviously knew AK’s limitations. When Nebraska played us straight up to start the game we ran. He knows Kyle is dangerous and can beat guys in that situation. Nebraska sold out in blitz / run D after the second series. We really had no choice riding a QB who couldn’t scramble. Check out Kyle’s totals until they switched back to more traditionally D at the end of the game when they wanted the clock to run. He had no space to run.

 

[gef21]

I said all of those things in the in game thread. It was 95 degrees with a steady 30mph wind and we decide to go pass heavy. We have 2 backs that can gain yards in a phone booth and we decide to go pass heavy. We are down one of our best linemen and we decide to go pass heavy.

1. I called for screens.
2. Roll the pocket away from pressure
3. Draws
4. Crossing routes
5. Quick hitters versus long mesh reads
6. Stretch plays with zone blocking

Instead we play into their strength of long developing plays attacking the sidelines on throws.

I agree with it all except draws and crossing routes. The A gaps were completely taken away by their interior linemen.

Crossing routes were eliminated because of their match up zones. We had to attack the edges, and they gave us the edges.

 

[ashokan]

Instead we play into their strength of long developing plays attacking the sidelines on throws.

I hate all the dinky-dunky passes that go 15 yds down the LOS to make 4.5 up the field (sideline usually).
I think opposing DC and DBs have an easy time prepping for RU.
Things will get easier for them as they get more video of weaknesses.

Drop Howard and Akron, and RU has only two passing 2 TDs with 2 INTS in last three games
The passing offense (102 of 132) and QB (85 of 100) are already in bottom quarter of team rankings for passing.
RU rushing is 22nd so team went from strength to weakness for some mysterious reason

RU isn't built for hero athletes as much as a tuned-up machine hitting on strong run game, defense and strategic specials.
Sat was what happens when the engine starts misfiring and the car is all over the road.

cfbstats.com - 2024 National

 

[ScarletNut]

@gef21 , what do you think about using Ajani for a wildcat series now and then? If Nebby had seen Ajani on film, we could have used him on the goal line and let him hand it off to KM while their defense could have keyed on Ajani to run off tackle or outside.

 

[RU205]

1. Massive credit to our defensive staff. Their game plan was elite, and they did it with multiple hurt or missing players. I still wish we made more collision contact when we are in zone, I think we allowed some of those crossers to get up when we could have matched up, contacted, and carried more. But the defense did more than enough to win the game. Their pressure and coverage packages were tremendous.

2. Offense. I think we out schemed ourselves. We are very, very predictable right now. First down Neb brought heat consistently, which is why some of those sideline routes were open. They brought numbers, played man press with little to no help and tried to put us behind schedule. If we got to 2nd and 7+ we rarely if ever ran the ball. This allowed Neb is sit back with 6-7 in coverage and play match up zone. I was begging for a run on 2nd and long all game, but we didnt get it. That being said the Neb defense gave us issues. They brought from depth a lot, their interior DL were animals, but we killed ourselves all game long.

2a. The OL was not ready for the game. Beyond having a new LG we jumped all over the place. We have to get that fixed for when we go on the road.

3. Our young WRs are going to be really good. They made big plays all game long, Black, Duff, and Strong are going to have very nice careers here. I have been a big Long fan since high school, but he still does not squeeze the ball well in contact.

4. Special teams is a roller coaster of emotions. Two blocked punts are awesome but letting the ball bounce and bounce for yards is unacceptable. I also find it completely unacceptable with how we gave up the fake punt. For a coach that micromanages everything, to not be prepared for a fake is unacceptable. I was watching our gun stoppers on blocks earlier this year and we just let the gunners go. That being said it was a nice throw by their punter. The fake FG was terrible (I would have rather we just ran it on 3rd and 4th down) but Schiano said they did not run it correctly and I am going to believe it was player error vs just a terrible call.

5. The goal line series. If I am a coach I am calling a TO and losing my mind. I am not asking the side official if it is a TD I am asking my guys in the box their thoughts and if they even think it is close to a TD I am calling the TO and using it.

6. I would love to hear the rationale of why we went away from the run game directly from the staff. I have some thoughts, we were getting gashed inside, but again on 2nd down Neb was backing way off, but it seems that if we are 2nd and 7+ we will never run the ball. I really feel like, at times, we are running an offense the OC wants to run and not the offense to fit our players.

7. We are using RPOs too much now. at times we just need to run zone or bob blocking and get it to our backs. We were slowing the run plays down with running RPOs and not getting KM or SB going.

8. We are hurt in all 3 phases of the game. Injuries across the board are dangerous. I think we go 2-1 the next three games, but we need that bye week to get here badly.

9. I am still on the 9-2 or 8-3 prediction for the year. We lost a close defensive slugfest in the B10 on the road. We would have paid money to be in games just 5 years ago.

#4 special teams fake punt.
Every punt I think it was Dixon #10 on the gunner. He was flat footed looking into the backfield and let the gunner run by. No attempt to block. Not sure if they have him looking into the backfield to watch for a TE or someone coming out of that backfield on a fake punt. If that’s the case he shouldn’t be at the line with the gunner. He should be 10 yards back to keep everything in front of him.

 

[gef21]

@gef21 , what do you think about using Ajani for a wildcat series now and then? If Nebby had seen Ajani on film, we could have used him on the goal line and let him hand it off to KM while their defense could have keyed on Ajani to run off tackle or outside.

I am not a fan of doing packages like that. I would not be opposed to Ajani going in and running our RPOs and him pulling it and running it. I have never been a fan of specific gimmick packages like the wildcat.

I am concerned that AK is hurt, and if he is hurt Ajani should be getting a series or two for many reasons.

 

[gef21]

#4 special teams fake punt.
Every punt I think it was Dixon #10 on the gunner. He was flat footed looking into the backfield and let the gunner run by. No attempt to block. Not sure if they have him looking into the backfield to watch for a TE or someone coming out of that backfield on a fake punt. If that’s the case he shouldn’t be at the line with the gunner. He should be 10 yards back to keep everything in front of him.

It appeared his job was to prevent a rollout with the pressure coming from the right side, that being said it left us vulnerable to the pass (which is unacceptable).

 

[Knight Shift]

To me it feels like KC gets into a rut of calling all runs or all passes for extended periods of time. It’s like he spilled coffee on his plays sheet and can’t see half the plays.

I just ordered this for him from Amazon.

 

[Knight Shift]

I think the program needs a true special teams coordinator. Schiano is awesome but he has to oversee everything, I think we need a true STC, who gets to create their own identity but fitting into what schiano wants to do.

We had that, and he was pretty good. He is still at Temple.

 

[Knight Shift]

I did hear the TV mention the weather. Was the wind as bad as predicted because it seemed like a bad day for both when compared to their seasons to date. Raiola came in averaging over 70% and almost 250ypg. Saturday it was 48% and 134yds with 1 pick. Aiden came in averaging 62% and 184 yds but only completed 41% and his avg of 186 yds with 2 picks on many more throws than previously. There was 1 major drop.

Neither team had overall offensive output you'd want to put in a time capsule.

The wind was steadily above 20 mph for most of the game, with gusts up to 35 mph. When walking down the concourse, nearly lost my hat several times, before figuring out I needed to carry it. On the field, when the cheer team went out with flags, you could see the wind whipping around on the field. That MAY have been a factor in the drop, as AK threw into the wind.

 

[Eagleton96]

1. Massive credit to our defensive staff. Their game plan was elite, and they did it with multiple hurt or missing players. I still wish we made more collision contact when we are in zone, I think we allowed some of those crossers to get up when we could have matched up, contacted, and carried more. But the defense did more than enough to win the game. Their pressure and coverage packages were tremendous.

2. Offense. I think we out schemed ourselves. We are very, very predictable right now. First down Neb brought heat consistently, which is why some of those sideline routes were open. They brought numbers, played man press with little to no help and tried to put us behind schedule. If we got to 2nd and 7+ we rarely if ever ran the ball. This allowed Neb is sit back with 6-7 in coverage and play match up zone. I was begging for a run on 2nd and long all game, but we didnt get it. That being said the Neb defense gave us issues. They brought from depth a lot, their interior DL were animals, but we killed ourselves all game long.

2a. The OL was not ready for the game. Beyond having a new LG we jumped all over the place. We have to get that fixed for when we go on the road.

3. Our young WRs are going to be really good. They made big plays all game long, Black, Duff, and Strong are going to have very nice careers here. I have been a big Long fan since high school, but he still does not squeeze the ball well in contact.

4. Special teams is a roller coaster of emotions. Two blocked punts are awesome but letting the ball bounce and bounce for yards is unacceptable. I also find it completely unacceptable with how we gave up the fake punt. For a coach that micromanages everything, to not be prepared for a fake is unacceptable. I was watching our gun stoppers on blocks earlier this year and we just let the gunners go. That being said it was a nice throw by their punter. The fake FG was terrible (I would have rather we just ran it on 3rd and 4th down) but Schiano said they did not run it correctly and I am going to believe it was player error vs just a terrible call.

5. The goal line series. If I am a coach I am calling a TO and losing my mind. I am not asking the side official if it is a TD I am asking my guys in the box their thoughts and if they even think it is close to a TD I am calling the TO and using it.

6. I would love to hear the rationale of why we went away from the run game directly from the staff. I have some thoughts, we were getting gashed inside, but again on 2nd down Neb was backing way off, but it seems that if we are 2nd and 7+ we will never run the ball. I really feel like, at times, we are running an offense the OC wants to run and not the offense to fit our players.

7. We are using RPOs too much now. at times we just need to run zone or bob blocking and get it to our backs. We were slowing the run plays down with running RPOs and not getting KM or SB going.

8. We are hurt in all 3 phases of the game. Injuries across the board are dangerous. I think we go 2-1 the next three games, but we need that bye week to get here badly.

9. I am still on the 9-2 or 8-3 prediction for the year. We lost a close defensive slugfest in the B10 on the road. We would have paid money to be in games just 5 years ago.

I would have liked to see us take a few deep shots on first down to loosen up the D, and be willing to run it on 2nd and 10.

 

[satnom]

I agree with it all except draws and crossing routes. The A gaps were completely taken away by their interior linemen.

Crossing routes were eliminated because of their match up zones. We had to attack the edges, and they gave us the edges.

C and D gaps were gone as well. Neb DE made our right tackle look silly in space.

Screen pass, toss sweep or dump off to the flats on the right side was there most of game.

Our wrs were open even on last drive but AK had no time to step and throw. AK throws well to his right. To the left and across his body not so much.

GO RU

 

[gef21]

I would have liked to see us take a few deep shots on first down to loosen up the D, and be willing to run it on 2nd and 10.

We have taken shots on first down, but we have shown we will not run when we are 7+ yards, and I think it needs to change drastically.

If I am playing us here is my defensive game plan.

1st Down: Aggressive always. I am going to man press, stunt, and bring 1-2. If I am just bringing 1 it will be inside, if I am bringing 2 it is inside and off of the wide side of the field edge.

2nd Down and 7+. bringing 4-5 with stunts inside and strait speed off of the edge. Bringing edge pressure to weakside of the field if I am bringing 5. Match up zone carry.

2nd Down and 1-6. This is where rutgers gets dangerous. I am going with the idea of stopping the run here. Press zone coverage in 2 or 3 with 7-8 in the box.

3rd and 3+ same exact as my 2nd down. I do not fear the run here at all

3rd and short. I am expecting run up the middle or that RPO motion. 7-8 in the box. Match up zone. Bringing heat away from the motion and rolling my coverage to the motion.

 

[RW90]

We had that, and he was pretty good. He is still at Temple.

While I have no inside info, at the time I always thought Scheier's ummm "departure" seemed unusual, and found it difficult to believe it just a case of allotting his salary elsewhere amongst the staff. That said, I don't remember many (if any?) blocked kicks under his tenure.

 

[Shelby65]

Guys...see the forest. it's not about particular plays, it's the overall philosophy. We're just not often going to outscore teams with more talent and more creativity on offense, no matter how well the defense plays. We couldn't even score from the 2, on how many plays was it ?

The team could well be 2-3. Count your blessings. We've overachieved so far, but the clock struck midnight on Saturday. All things considered, RU is an average football team with a coach who is barely that.

Schiano is the reason we can't attract a top QB or WRs. They aren't going virtually every place else instead because sweeps aren't in the playbook or because we don't do Wildcat on short yardage. They are going elsewhere to be featured in the offense.

 

[gef21]

Guys...see the forest. it's not about particular plays, it's the overall philosophy. We're just not often going to outscore teams with more talent and more creativity on offense, no matter how well the defense plays. We couldn't even score from the 2, on how many plays was it ?

The team could well be 2-3. Count your blessings. We've overachieved so far, but the clock struck midnight on Saturday. All things considered, RU is an average football team with a coach who is barely that.

Schiano is the reason we can't attract a top QB or WRs. They aren't going virtually every place else instead because sweeps aren't in the playbook or because we don't do Wildcat on short yardage. They are going elsewhere to be featured in the offense.

I disagree with the top talent. We are building a pretty damn elite WR room, and we have gotten them before never running a true spread offense. Our youngest and incoming QB are legit QBs.

Honestly I still want us to go back to the stretch zone play action game. Give me a fullback/H, a TE, a RB and two WR with 3 wr packages. I would even be happy under center.

 

[Rokodesh]

Great analysis.

Ignoring the run game was disappointment. We are not a passing offense and it's not our recipe for success.

Ben Black needs more snaps. The kid can play.

We really missed Strong in this game, hope he is back soon.

RPO's are great at times, but sometimes it takes FOREVER to hand the ball off, and it leads to minimal gain.

I don't think we'll face another defense like Nebraska all season.

Bring on Wisconsin.

 

[huskersalways]

Couple things from the NU side of things just for the conversation.
The fake punt- NU said after the game that they had noticed some things about the gunners on film from previous games and had installed the fake for this game. They even went into the indoor facility and practiced it a few times to make sure everyone was on the same page. If the gunner cover man man reacted(as he did) to the punter taking steps towards him when he got the ball he would throw it. If he didn’t react he would just punt it. They were 95% sure it would play out the way it did.
On your fake field goal- NU was positive it was going to be a fake with the wind and knowing Schiano and your kicker. They were in kick safe for it with all gap coverage.
On stopping your run- NU in the first quarter played their normal line play to see how RU would attack them. Once they learned that NU switch how far the d-lineman would go upfield on obvious run downs. They also switched to a 52monster type of defense with 5 lineman and 2 backers. NU has not shown it this year and RU didn’t get good adjustments when NU lines up in it.
Tell-NU said they had figured out some “tells” for run or pass plays but wouldn’t share them. They also knew that RU likes to shorten the games so when you folks were lined up the first look on defense was not what they were going to be in. After RU made calls being lined up NU would change coverages and line stunts with extra guys blitzing. There was too much time from when RU made their final play call to when they snapped the ball and gave NU a chance to switch because they knew they would run play clock down.
NU did care if QB ran the ball. They didn’t think he could beat them with his feet so RPOs were to attack the RB. They wanted the qb to have to move in pocket even just a little because he would only throw short then.
NU was not afraid of the receivers going deep and getting beat. They didn’t think your qb had the arm and thought NUs dbs were faster than recievers.

Your defense made great adjustments at the half that NU didn’t adjust to well at all.
RU took advantage of a new left tackle and right guard for NU. They knew NU was on their 3rd team LT and backup RG.
NU expected a scrap and that’s what it was.

Hope nobody got hurt on your side and good luck going forward!

 

[Knight Shift]

Couple things from the NU side of things just for the conversation.
The fake punt- NU said after the game that they had noticed some things about the gunners on film from previous games and had installed the fake for this game. They even went into the indoor facility and practiced it a few times to make sure everyone was on the same page. If the gunner cover man man reacted(as he did) to the punter taking steps towards him when he got the ball he would throw it. If he didn’t react he would just punt it. They were 95% sure it would play out the way it did.
On your fake field goal- NU was positive it was going to be a fake with the wind and knowing Schiano and your kicker. They were in kick safe for it with all gap coverage.
On stopping your run- NU in the first quarter played their normal line play to see how RU would attack them. Once they learned that NU switch how far the d-lineman would go upfield on obvious run downs. They also switched to a 52monster type of defense with 5 lineman and 2 backers. NU has not shown it this year and RU didn’t get good adjustments when NU lines up in it.
Tell-NU said they had figured out some “tells” for run or pass plays but wouldn’t share them. They also knew that RU likes to shorten the games so when you folks were lined up the first look on defense was not what they were going to be in. After RU made calls being lined up NU would change coverages and line stunts with extra guys blitzing. There was too much time from when RU made their final play call to when they snapped the ball and gave NU a chance to switch because they knew they would run play clock down.
NU did care if QB ran the ball. They didn’t think he could beat them with his feet so RPOs were to attack the RB. They wanted the qb to have to move in pocket even just a little because he would only throw short then.
NU was not afraid of the receivers going deep and getting beat. They didn’t think your qb had the arm and thought NUs dbs were faster than recievers.

Your defense made great adjustments at the half that NU didn’t adjust to well at all.
RU took advantage of a new left tackle and right guard for NU. They knew NU was on their 3rd team LT and backup RG.
NU expected a scrap and that’s what it was.

Hope nobody got hurt on your side and good luck going forward!

Had a great time in Lincoln and in Memorial Stadium. Could not believe how LOUD the crowd was on every down of every Rutgers play on offense in the second half. It was deafening, and impressive. Had an issue with probably the only jackass Nebraska fan who was the only one in our section who insisted on standing on every play. And then later, some punk in his group did not like my small celebration with the Dixon INT-gave me a mean stare down, and I advised them to turn around, shut up and let a fan enjoy a good play just like they do. Other than that, it was an A+ experience. I found the trough urinals in the Men's room to be very charming. Haymarket area was a lot of fun with lots of great restaurants and bars.

 

[huskersalways]

Had a great time in Lincoln and in Memorial Stadium. Could not believe how LOUD the crowd was on every down of every Rutgers play on offense in the second half. It was deafening, and impressive. Had an issue with probably the only jackass Nebraska fan who was the only one in our section who insisted on standing on every play. And then later, some punk in his group did not like my small celebration with the Dixon INT-gave me a mean stare down, and I advised them to turn around, shut up and let a fan enjoy a good play just like they do. Other than that, it was an A+ experience. I found the trough urinals in the Men's room to be very charming. Haymarket area was a lot of fun with lots of great restaurants and bars.

Can’t ever get through a game it seems without a jackass or 2. Sorry
You must have been in south stadium(sec 19 or 20). I think them are the only troughs left but not positive. South stadium is coming completely out and a new one being put in. It’s the only side that hasn’t been redone. Prepping for a $600mil redo with screens on both ends and new smaller ones along with new south stadium with new skyboxes and terrace.

Hope you enjoyed your time there.

 

[Scarlet16E]

I am also perplexed about GS not calling a TO following the non-TD run by KM.
If ever there was a time to risk burning a TO, it’s when your stud RB just fell over the goal line with the football and was denied the points. Especially with the difficulty we had getting points on the board in this entire game. I’m a huge Schiano fan, but come on. Some emotion at this point could be helpful as well. Fire up that offensive line who was just denied.

Also can’t fathom why we didn’t run that same KM run play as one of the following 6 attempts.