Huskers Upset at Home by Wildcats

Is Northwestern the new Iowa State?

take the blackshirts away.

I understand this happens to everyone at some time. Losing an upset is well, upsetting!!!!

But really BO, you get paid MILLIONS. Have the boys prepared!

Disapointment Tim beck maybe mix it up a bit on run plays in first half unreal by by big ten champ game.

It always seems like our team comes out flat in these types of games.  ( Games where we are double digit favorites) 
The responsibility falls directly on the shoulders of Bo.  We played without enthusiasm, which led to a very lack luster and sub-par performance. 
I have serious doubts about the rest of the season.  We may have played our best game of the season last weekend and may face disappointment for the rest of our games…. 
Man I hate losing..

Aw yes, we’re headed to another Tijuana bowl.  As I’m watching Alabama and LSU play, I know that under Bo’s leadership we will never get to that level again.  What a disappointing loss and it almost certainly guarantees another disappointing season.  Good thing is that there will be a lot of tickets available for people who couldn’t normally get tickets at greatly reduced prices.

Remember the Alamo!
Your team sought to humiliate us in the Alamo Bowl, running up the score (and running trick plays even when the score was way out of reach).
Now you taste the payback.
Anyone surprised by Northwestern’s fierce play today was obviously too arrogant to have remembered that you were owed a comeuppance.
Welcome to the Big Ten, Cornlosers.

Go Cats is a troll.  Hold a grudge for 11 years.  What an original nickname for us too!  Wow, that expensive, fancy Northwestern education sure is evident with such prose!  You even used comeuppance correctly!  Bully for you! Now, go back to your Old Style in a can, and drink to your incredible football team.  By the way, how is that “Persa Strong” campaign coming along?

I would just like to jump in (as a Northwestern fan) and say that we are not all like Go ‘Cats.  We are obviously excited about the win, but I must say, Nebraska fans have been some of the nicest and most well educated fans I have come across, and I’m so happy to have you in our conference (and even our divisions although I’m sure there will be years I rue it).  Please don’t judge us all based off of one crazy troll.  See you next year and hopefully we can help you out by knocking off MSU too!

Thanks you for that tpt78 respect is earned and the cats did that today.. im disappointed in our defense. Blackshirts need to be pulled and put away this year we drank to much of our own Kool aid again…

tpt78 - we are glad to be here, also.  It is going to be a long fun ride.  Your team came out today and looked great - totally prepared and not intimidated.  Your coaching staff and players need to be commended.  Congrats on your win!

tpt78 Your guys played great, and Im glad you had a pleseant trip, .. Good Luck with the rest of the season..

The ominous part of a loss like this, is, it doesn’t look correctable.
All along, the weakness of the D, was considered to be the middle.
At the beginning of the season, it seemed more of a game experience issue, with Compton and the safeties, plus backups to Steinkuhler and the Crickster.
Now though, there’s problems across the board, save David, Meredith and Dennard. Especially at DT, which, this morning anyway, looks sorta drastic.
If it was just a matter of, maybe the Pelinis over thinking things.
Players can overcome that. Except, Nebraska doesn’t have to personnel. Justin Jackson? Anyone opposite of Dennard. Poor Ciante.
Now, you’ve got at PSU and Michigan, whose strengths happen to line up cleanly to Nebraska’s weaknesses.
Certainly, Nebraska can pull it together.
At the moment, I’d just like to see how.

That was sure tough to watch, and I’m upset about it too, but for some of the comments I read above, there’s no need to blame coach Pelini. He and his staff do a great job. Are they perfect? Of course not, neither are you and I.  I really doubt that any of us could do a better job. Let’s try and stay thankful for what we have, as we could be in a much worse place than we are with both our coaching and performance. That said, I want to congratulate Northwestern. They played a great game. I think they are coming into form, and have a good shot at taking down Michigan State, which could put us right back in the Legends race! So Go B1G RED and Go Northwestern!

I really don’t want to hear how the Blackshirts played poorly; I think they played a good enough game considering who they played.  I would have liked to see more pressure on the QB more often, but our defense is not built for mobile QBs, and everyone on this board that claims to know the Blackshirts should know that.
I think that the Northwestern offense played their game and did well doing so.  I think that our defense held them to a point total that we could have beaten them as well.  I will not take anything away from the Northwestern offense, they are as good as it gets.
That is where we have to look at the offense!  Nobody can say that T-Mart had a bad game, kind of funny actually, your QB has a really good game, yet the team loses.  When I think about the game, what comes to my mind is the OL, they didn’t do a very good job blocking on the run plays.  To many plays I watched, the Northwestern defense had 2 – 3 players in our backfield with no one was on them.  You can’t run the ball like that, no matter if it is superman or not.  Even in the OSU game you got that feeling that they were going to come back, I didn’t get that feeling at all yesterday.  They were absolutely flat through the whole game. 
The offense didn’t have any fire in the belly, none!  Or, the Northwestern defense just played way above their level, and shut us down.  Northwestern wasn’t known to have a tough defense, but we really played into their strengths obviously.
Many can blame the coaches, but at the end, if you take the horse to the water, it is still up to the horse to drink.  If this team was thinking too much about how well they did last week, or what they are going to do at Penn State, well they forgot something.  To many people believed this was going to be a breeze of a game for us, they should have been thinking that Northwestern is not a push over.  No matter the record of a college team today, if you don’t focus and prepare properly, then they will beat you endlessly.
My hat is off to Northwestern for coming into our home and playing one hell of a game.  They stayed with it, and didn’t even hesitate when the number 1 QB went down.  I didn’t notice one bit of slightness from them.  I hope that Persa is ok, and will be able to continue this year, he has had a bit of bad luck through this season.
The good thing is that there is still another weekend, and always another year!!

GBR!!!

I love the fact that we have Bo and his staff. With that being said I am really getting tired of losing to teams we should beat handedly, no disrespect to northwestern. The Wisconsin loss I can understand but this one just makes me sick. GBR!!

So its ok for the blackshirts to give up 400+ plus yards one 85 yard td pass, and the game losing drive of 80 yards which came all on the ground just because its a mobile quarterback? I dont think so… this is northwestern not Oregon…. also it just shows we are still along ways from being back to the elite status in the college football ranks…

Never said that it was ok to do either of those things, my point was that Northwestern does have a very good offense, and for the Blackshirts to give up that much yardage and hold them to 28 points is pretty good.  The offense should have scored at least 17 additional points in that game, so don’t bash the Blackshirts here.  There was way too many 3 and outs, which means that the defense was on the field way too much.  If Martinez had 300 yards passing, and we had a total of 400 yards, why didn’t we have 28 points?  Because we couldn’t run the ball.  Their defense shut us down cold and hard.  This game doesn’t fall on our defense not playing, our offense didn’t respond.  If there is anyone that though we would walk into this game and shutdown Northwestern’s offense, then you were carrying the hangover from last weekend as well.
All week I heard only how our Blackshirts were going to do this and do that, but no one was talking about how well Northwestern’s offense was playing.  They have a legitimate offense, what was supposed to be weak was their defense; it didn’t look very weak to me yesterday.
Last note, you are right they are not Oregon here, but they are not ISU either.  This is a program that has come along in leaps and bounds over the last few years.  They are not going down anytime soon either.

GBR!!

Our players seemed flat, maybe even a little banged up from last weekend.  Not sure what happened this weekend but it’s not the time-n-place to beat up on our players-n-coaches.  Yeah, I disagree with things that the coaches do but after a loss we need to support the whole team not tear them apart. 

Beck is getting better but gets lost in games, usually he gets to refocus and does better but this game got away from them.  It also puzzles me why we are not using our 3 freshman RBs a lot more, granted they are young and inexperienced but the only way to get experience is playing in actual games.  Rex is a great ball player but we need to build depth and experience with the talent we have.

Bo & co frustrate and confuses me on how they basically don’t use their back up players much. 

We need to give Bo & co our support, even if we don’t agree with how he coaches.  I’m not a fan of Bo’s because of how he treats us fans like flies and a few other reasons BUT I support Bo and the team.

Mark, I agree with you!  I am not trying to tear them down in any way, pointed out the obvious on offense only.
I don’t think that this was even a coach’s problem, Bo usually gives the players all that is required to go into a game.  But the players have to do what they need to do to win the game.
I have supported the Huskers from around the world, even before the internet made it easy to find out the score.  When I would have to go an entire season without seeing them on TV, I still dug up as much information as possible.
I was there for them last week, and will be here this week!!

GBR!

Either way we lost. Time to get ready for another good team in Penn State. I am willing to bet the Husker will be ready for this one. Go big red baby always.

To Bo’s supporters:  You won’t have to worry about Bo going to Ohio State.  He won’t get a sniff for that position.  OSU has got Bo right where they want him and that’s at NU.  They know we’ll have average to above average teams while he is here and that’s just what they want.  They want the Nebraska name but they don’t want that top talent and COACHING that will challenge every year for the championship.  Our coaching situation couldn’t be any better for the Big Ten.

As an Iowa Hawkeye fan, I can answer YES to that question!  On any day, just like ISU can beat the Texas’ and Nebraska’s of the world, so NW can beat anyone.  After catching the last half of the NB-NWestern game, I noticed the following:
* Nebraska’s defense looked thoroughly exhausted on the last NW drive, when they just shoved it down the NB D with little resistance.  NW’s offense can do that—they had 92 plays vs. Iowa this year…also interesting this happened on the week after the ‘blackshirts’ were awarded;
* RB Rex looked like he had no juice in the 4th qtr.  I know Pelini said this week after 30+ carries last week he was pretty bruised up and had to rest during the week, and it looked it.
Penn St. has a pretty salty defense—should be a good, low-scoring, BTen game.

The defense wilted in the second half, but I agree with the comments about them being tired.  Our offense gave them no help in the entire first half (90+ ranked D, 3 points?!?!)...granted they gave up two key TD’s when we were trying to take momentum in the fourth quarter.  Holding them to 7 in the first half, thanks in part to a key penalty for pass interference near the goal line…I’d take that any day.  Overall, it rests on the offense and our lack of ability to run the ball, and thats on both the players and coaches.  If the players aren’t successful with certain plays…call different ones…use misdirection, whatever.  Watching Burckhead run up the middle over and over, for real?  Burkhead was limping during the first series…we needed to work in the back ups for sure.  Mr. Beck, the dude isn’t really superman, that’s just a nickname.  Northwestern would put up 28ish on any defense, so I’d take that.  It comes down to this, Penn State and their train wreck of an offense scored 34 on these guys.  We scored 25…at home…and that says it all.

Hey BRN - Northwestern fan here.  Just got back yesterday afternoon from the best Big Ten road trip I’ve ever gone on, and I was saying that before the game even started. 

Got into Lincoln late Friday night - had a nice time out on O St in the 45 min between our arrival and bar time.  Saturday morning, breakfast at the Red Onion where everyone was extremely nice and welcoming.  That continued through our tailgate in Lot 7 where we had a great time and met a lot of exceptionally nice Husker fans and great people.  If my friends and I in Evanston can be halfway as decent and friendly to all the red that comes to our house next year as you all were to us, I’d be happy.  You bring the Runza. 

Your fans and your town are top-notch.  I’ve been across the B1G and by far this was my favorite.  Welcome to the league, we think UNL is a great fit.  That being said, I do remember the smack down we got in the Alamo Bowl too so it was nice to turn the tables.  This has the opportunity to be a season-changing win for the ‘Cats, hopefully they can carry this defensive effort forward in their last three games.  Best of luck to you all the rest of the way, I’m already planning for a return trip in 2013!

Another Northwestern fan here.  Not a big poster in general. But, I really wanted to say thank you to Husker fans having such class and really being incredible hosts. I have never met more aggressively nice people. And, it was consistent across the board - before and after the game. It is very clear that hospitality is ingrained in the culture of the fans and the state. On Friday night we couldn’t stand still for more than a couple minutes without someone coming up and wishing us good luck and then buying us a drink. We are guys in our 30s and college students were buying us drinks. It was almost embarrassing. On Saturday morning we walked into Sidetracks and after a pretty fun razzing from the DJs a free pitcher was sent over from a table of Nebraska fans. This continued throughout the day as we walked the tailgates. And, amazingly, it continued after the game. It was a true measure of class that the fans didn’t change a bit. I’m sure on the inside you guys were burning up but it didn’t change your behavior towards us. In two days in Lincoln I did not hear one negative comment.  You guys take hospitality to a new level and I’m even more pumped to have Nebraska in the conference.  I share Mike’s sentiment that this was by far my favorite trip in the Big Ten. Good luck the rest of the season!

NU fan here – Have to stand up for the guy talking about the Alamo Bowl.  Before we talk about the Wildcats bringing up that game from long ago, I think it is actually Nebraska that can’t stop talking about it.  I was listening to the Husker pregame show on satellite radio, and the former Husker player (don’t know who it was) that was a co-host started in about the game again, about how they could have put up 90, how NU’s co-Big-Ten championship shouldn’t have counted because they didn’t play Michigan or Ohio State that year.  I’m thinking to myself, do you have to be a poor winner even 11 years later?  I mean, the Huskers coach then is now heading up the mighty Ohio Bobcats, and NU’s is deceased.  I am happy to hear that the fans in Lincoln were classy, because I was in San Antonio then, and class was the last thing coming from the red sideline that night. 

Let’s officially put this to rest:  fourth quarter trick plays aside, Nebraska smoked NU fair and square.  We are happy to proclaim Nebraska the 2000 Alamo Bowl Champs.  Let’s move on.

This loss hurts. What also hurts is the fact that we burned 4 red shirts. The fab 3 and turner. Did not see the bone, did not see the reverse, etc.. However we did see Bo beat Rex into the ground.
I think against MSU when we were up by 21, we could have given another back a chance. In the NW game Rex was limping in the first quarter. Cramps?
Something is wrong with this coaching staff.

The criticisms I see of Bo could very well been leveled at Coach Osborn in the 1970’s with yearly losses to Oklahoma and some others. In fact TO almost went to Colorado because of the negativity. The college landscape has changed drastically since then with much more parity at the top level. How would TO due if he was just starting today? Bo did coach a national championship defence at LSU and recruited for them (and TO coached a national championshio offence before he started). Can we give Bo as much time as we did TO to get to the top? Given a choice do we want Bo, Nick Sabin or Les Miles as our coach. I’ll stay with Bo.

Sabino,

Is it the coach or the talent that seem’s to be the problem, in this case?

That couldn’t be true about Coach Osborne because that would be saying that Nebraska fans are not classy!

Yea, fans are fans. The same no matter where you go.

I don’t know if it’s the talent or the coaching. Before Saturday, I was giving the coaching staff all the props in the world…coming back like that against OS, then the win against MS was awesome. I think we all said “this is a team! These guys can play and they’ve finally put it together”! Then Saturday happened. Everybody else showed up but them. Now I don’t know what we’ve got or how we’ll do through the rest of the season. Frustrating season for sure. I liked last season a lot better, the first half anyway. We were a MUCH better team, both defensively and offensively overall last year. If Taylor hadn’t got hurt…lookout.
But I’m sick of being dissapointed and frustrated. Can we just have some consistancy please? If nothing else, in those situations like Saturday, can Taylor please come out and play? Let him tear it up for at least one long highlight run a game! Now I have no idea which team will show up for the rest of the season. And here I thought the blackshirts were back. They should take a large number of those blackshirts away.
I think we’ve got pretty good talent. We should have red shirted all those freshmen. It is a young team, so I guess we can blame a lot on that, but I really think it’s a coaching issue. Maybe it’s fair to say they’re young too. Bo is only in his fourth year as a head coach. If the players aren’t doing what they’re capable of, or showing up not ready to play, or have a bad mindset, then whose fault is it? The coaching. I think our recruiting is fairly weak still too. If you follow the top players coming out of high school every year and look at who’s offering the top guys, Nebraska is hardly ever anywhere near the top. Hell, Clemson has better recruiting than Nebraska.

I was wondering why not much has been said about the lack of defense when defense is Bo Pelini’s forte’? Kind of odd really.

Really, there is just too much emphasis on a black shirt.

SabinoHunker,

Are you really serious about having Pelini over Coaches Miles and Sabin? Man, I cannot even imagine that. Those 2 coaches are masterminds in football. Models of consistency but let’s be serious though, they would require mega cash for their services. Both coaches would also require some sort of immediate recruiting base to work with. They are both excellent recruiters and get the most from their recruits…even the one’s who like to kick guys in the head at bars.

It would be interesting to see what they would have in taking over the Nebraska Football program. One thing I am real sure of is that NU would be in the NC picture on a regular basis.

OU7times:  In my opinion both Coach Miles and Sabin walked into an already talent rich SEC and had a great deal of talent just waiting.  They are great HC’s and know how to manage the other coaches.  That is their claim to glory.  But like already mentioned, how could they miss with their players, recruiting, etc.

Pelini walked into a much different environment and it has taken him 3 years to surround him with the coaches he wants.    Callihan basically tore apart a tradition rich football program and almost brought the Husker football program to the gates of utter destruction.  Yeah I know, I’m being over dramatic, sorry I couldn’t resist.  Comparing these three coaches is like comparing apples to oranges.

Yes, I would take Pelini over Sabin and Miles.  No, I’m not a fan of Coach Pelini and at times I wished that TO would fire him.  BUT, we need Bo, we should support Bo and our fans need to get a life and stop using the internet to attack him.

I get the feeling that Coach Pelini will jump if Ohio State calls. I do have to say that BP has calmed down way more than I ever thought he could. Either Tom Osborne scared the living crap out of him or he attended anger management classes (probably both).  Really, to go from a foaming at the mouth person to what i see now is just incredible. That’s a serious morph right there. I kind of felt that after TO ‘talked’ to him that he would leave shortly after because that is who BP is.
If he does leave, Chris Petersen would be who I’d think NU would want. In fact if Coach Stoops hangs it up I would want Petersen as OU’s next head coach, first choice.

OU7times:  I think Bo still loves Ohio State and would have liked to have coached for them but that time is past.  Bo is in the middle of rebuilding the Huskers and he is probably a year from winning the B1G and fitting in with a hunt for a NC.  Bo has put his blood-sweat-n-tears into the Husker over the last 4 years.

Bo’s not leaving Nebraska.  He is also making over $2 million a year, he’s sooo close to returning the Huskers back to the Glory days, he’s basically treated like a god here in Husker Land,  taking his family out of the schools and moving to a new place, new schools, new friends isn’t happening.  Unless he is fired and that only happens if he has losing seasons the next 2 year.  That’s not happening either.

If TO spoke to Bo then he probably needed it.  Glad to hear Bo isn’t foaming at the mounth anymore.  ha ha ha ha

Also, when did TO speak to Bo?  I miss a lot of Husker news here in Virginia?

Mark,
I am impressed as Coach Pelini is so calm in comparison to his earlier days at NU.
Tom Osborne and Harvey Pearlman (he just sat there without saying a word, i’m sure) had a ‘talk’ with coach about his behavior as being unbecoming to the University. Not sure of the exact words used but you get the meaning.
What do you think about Coach Peterson in general? This guy is the real deal.

OU7times:  Coach Pelini has seemed calmer on the side lines and Bo is probably learning that as HC is must remain level headed during the game.  Bo is growing into a fine HC and this is part of his learning curve.

All I know about Coach Peterson is that he put Boise State on the CFB football map.  That’s all I know.  Do you know anything about Coach Peterson?  Do you think he’ll step in as HC if Stoops retires?

Mark,
I hope so. If he can do what he’s done with Boise State imagine what he could do with better talent. I guess he just has a way of bringing out the best in his players.

If Coach Petersen stays at BSU for 10 more years he will shatter college football winning percentages.