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Nebraska and Northwestern Eval

Auger

HR All-American
Sep 14, 2007
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Iowa should be 2-0 vs these two this year. Both these teams looked weak in the trenches.

Nebraska still hasn't figured out that they need to be strong in the trenches and they need to be able to control the clock and the field.

Frost just isn't a B1G level coach. Scares me because if he gets fired and Nebraska actually gets a coach that knows what it takes to win in the B1G West Nebraska like Purdue and Northwestern will be a toss up game for Iowa every year. Remember Pelini was 3-1 vs Iowa and had Nebraska playing B1G style football.

Frost insists on playing his style of football and is incapable at making in game adjustments. His QB was at a loss when Fitz and Northwestern made adjustments and Nebraska had no answer.

Northwestern controlled the clock, the field and made the in game adjustments to win the game. Classic Fitz and why he beats teams he shouldn't be beating from a talent standpoint. However their D is not at the level it typically is when they pull off those West Championship seasons. They have holes at all three levels of the defense. Holes the top of the division should be able exploit all game. Fitz is a master at controlling the clock, and where the ball is on the field at key moments of the game. Its not by accident its by design. Its amazing how lost Frost is at that aspect of the game. It's why he will never do more with less, but always less with more.

Iowa 2-0 vs these teams this year.
 
Northwestern is going to be a challenge. I’m not ready to say our defense will dominate them. Hilinski surprised me. He’s extremely accurate and is mobile enough to escape. Northwestern looks like they’re playing the type of football they play when they’re good - playing keep-away and being opportunistic on defense.

It’ll be extremely important that our offense comes to play its A game when we face them.

Frost is going to be fired after Indiana unless they upset Oklahoma. Expect them in the cellar.
 
Northwestern every year is a mystery game for Iowa. Thats on KF and the coaches just being out coached. The Nebraska OL was crap today and the Nebraska D played poorly. Few thought the D would be good this season.With that in mind yeah maybe there is something there for the Northwestern Offense but I would like to see them play against a solid D first.

On defense Northwestern had almost no pressure on the QB. Frost being Frost never truly attempted to establish a run game despite the fact Northwestern showed softness there. Northwestern also had holes in the middle and on the edges two areas they don't typically give you extra yardages at. They also looked suspect at the deep ball something they rarely ever get beat at. Not that Petras and Iowa can make them pay in that area. I'm not sold on the Northwestern D being able to control the field like the typically need to do for them to win against the top half of the division. Nebraska today showed they're at the bottom with Illinois again this season.
 
First game of the season, I wouldn't be too quick to call any opponent on the schedule a gimme.
It's hard to evaluate how much nw has improved over how dreadful they were last year given their opponent. Let's see what the fighting fitzes look like when they've played a few more games.
nebby looks much like the nebby we've seen throughout the frost era.
 
Nebraska looked poised to take full control of the game when up 28-17. Then they took that inexplicable onside kick attempt, and the game flipped right there. They never looked the same again. got the exact same vibe from them as previous years, the culture hasn’t changed.

northwestern looked solid. Not great in any area, but disciplined and good on fundamentals. they didn’t beat themselves.
 
Nebraska looked poised to take full control of the game when up 28-17. Then they took that inexplicable onside kick attempt, and the game flipped right there. They never looked the same again. got the exact same vibe from them as previous years, the culture hasn’t changed.

northwestern looked solid. Not great in any area, but disciplined and good on fundamentals. they didn’t beat themselves.
Snatched defeat from the jaws of victory!
 
Nebraska's OL and DL were question marks coming in...so I'd take NW wearing them out with a grain of salt. They aren't deep with either line...and that hurt them today...it's why Fitz made a few inexplicable calls to run on 3rd and 5 deep in Nebraska territory...he saw it as two down territory if he got to 1 yard or maybe 2...but they didn't and he settled for field goal attempts.

I doubt Nebraska or NW will be able to run the ball on Iowa. The other thing that is a huge advantage for Iowa...is that they are literally 10 deep in the DL. Both of these teams are up tempo and run a ton of plays...we are going to get pressure with our top 8 as they are going to always be fresh. Helinski won't have the time he had today...and neither will Thompson. Thompson doesn't make it to our game...he's going to take a pounding with no running game.
 
i thought nw was solid throughout. they dominated top with trench play. qb, rbs, receivers, ol played high level fb and they neutered a potent o in the 2nd
i do hope you are right on the outcomes but nw will be a fistfight
Nebraska will be a fistfight too unless our offense is noticeably improved. Margin of victory VS terrible Frost teams has been 3, 3, 4, 7. Anything can happen when your O is shit
 
Nebraska will be a fistfight too unless our offense is significantly improved. Margin of victory VS terrible Frost teams has been 3, 3, 4, 7. Anything can happen when your O is shit
Well and KF plays way to conservative against them. If Iowa has a run game that can pound the ball up the middle this year I think Iowa can actually beat them by two or more scores. Nebraska has been really weak in the trenches and up the middle. With bigger backs and an OL that is going back to power run blocking Iowa should be able to play conservative this year while still creating distance from the Nebraska's.
 
Nebraska will be a fistfight too unless our offense is noticeably improved. Margin of victory VS terrible Frost teams has been 3, 3, 4, 7. Anything can happen when your O is shit
Nebraska has played everyone close under Frost, including some very good other teams (Michigan and OSU). They are just good enough to find a way to lose.
 
Frost has a great chance to survive this year if he could get off to a good start. Now any fantasy of winning the B1G West is gone and he's looking at 2-2 going into the Indiana game on Oct 1...the day his buyout drops. Any game from there on could be his last.
 
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Northwestern will be a dogfight if KF foolishly comes out playing conservatively like he usually does against Northwestern. He allows Northwestern to play closed up and lets them hang around. Then by the 4th quarter with the game being a 1 score game Fitz has set his pieces in place (field position and clock) and makes his moves while KF plays to not make a mistake. Fitz boxes KF in and wins the game. Same crap every time Northwestern wins and KF plays right into it.

When Iowa wins its because Iowa scores early and doesn't allow Fitz to play for the 2nd half and set his pieces in place. Fitz has to open up the offense where things begin to unravel. Its like what Purdue has been doing to Iowa.
 
Northwestern will be a dogfight if KF foolishly comes out playing conservatively like he usually does against Northwestern. He allows Northwestern to play closed up and lets them hang around. Then by the 4th quarter with the game being a 1 score game Fitz has set his pieces in place (field position and clock) and makes his moves while KF plays to not make a mistake. Fitz boxes KF in and wins the game. Same crap every time Northwestern wins and KF plays right into it.

When Iowa wins its because Iowa scores early and doesn't allow Fitz to play for the 2nd half and set his pieces in place. Fitz has to open up the offense where things begin to unravel. Its like what Purdue has been doing to Iowa.
Normally I'd agree with you but have you seen our quarterback play? If we lose it won't be so much whether he's aggressive or conservative - we just won't be good enough at that position IMO.
 
Normally I'd agree with you but have you seen our quarterback play? If we lose it won't be so much whether he's aggressive or conservative - we just won't be good enough at that position IMO.
It's more about take your shots when you can. KF will play to kick a FG when Iowa crosses the 50 instead of opening things up and playing for a TD and settling for a FG if you have to. Even if a mistake happens Fitz won't open things up unless he is inside his 30. Its all about boxing Iowa into a corner by the 4th with him.

Plus even if you have nervous nelly Petras back there I would rather him be taking his shots in the first 2 and half qtrs then with 8 mins left in the game and Iowa needing a TD. The kid throws INT after INT when the game is on the line.
 
I think everyone expected weak line play from the Huskers.

Now...did anyone anticipate it was THAT bad?
At this point in Frost's career I am shocked that Nebraska still has no strength in the trenches. With Nebraska's pull and resources if you want solid to great line play you can build it through recruiting and hiring the right coaches they just flat out have the resourcesto do that. The fact Frost has failed to build solid lines in the B1G is just idiotic and neglectful at this point. He deserves to be fired.
 
Iowa should be 2-0 vs these two this year. Both these teams looked weak in the trenches.

Nebraska still hasn't figured out that they need to be strong in the trenches and they need to be able to control the clock and the field.

Frost just isn't a B1G level coach. Scares me because if he gets fired and Nebraska actually gets a coach that knows what it takes to win in the B1G West Nebraska like Purdue and Northwestern will be a toss up game for Iowa every year. Remember Pelini was 3-1 vs Iowa and had Nebraska playing B1G style football.

Frost insists on playing his style of football and is incapable at making in game adjustments. His QB was at a loss when Fitz and Northwestern made adjustments and Nebraska had no answer.

Northwestern controlled the clock, the field and made the in game adjustments to win the game. Classic Fitz and why he beats teams he shouldn't be beating from a talent standpoint. However their D is not at the level it typically is when they pull off those West Championship seasons. They have holes at all three levels of the defense. Holes the top of the division should be able exploit all game. Fitz is a master at controlling the clock, and where the ball is on the field at key moments of the game. Its not by accident its by design. Its amazing how lost Frost is at that aspect of the game. It's why he will never do more with less, but always less with more.

Iowa 2-0 vs these teams this year.

Pelini was definitely the best the Bugeaters have had since they joined the B1G. Not sure I agree about him playing B1G style football. They weren't physical and defense was an option. They gave up 40+ points six times in his four years; 50+ three times; 60+ twice, and 70 once.
Their 3-1 record vs Iowa coincided with a dismal stretch for the Hawks.
 
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It's more about take your shots when you can. KF will play to kick a FG when Iowa crosses the 50 instead of opening things up and playing for a TD and settling for a FG if you have to. Even if a mistake happens Fitz won't open things up unless he is inside his 30. Its all about boxing Iowa into a corner by the 4th with him.

Plus even if you have nervous nelly Petras back there I would rather him be taking his shots in the first 2 and half qtrs then with 8 mins left in the game and Iowa needing a TD. The kid throws INT after INT when the game is on the line.
Against Northwestern in 2020, we passed up at least one FG chance and turned the ball over in FG range, in a 1 score game where we lost 21-20 and had a first team all american kicker on the roster. Not always a winning strategy against Fitz. The evidence suggests with Petras that it is much better to be conservative than aggressive with him at the helm. We're like a bottom 10 team in passing success rate and in negative rushing attempts right now.

Now, if you want to argue that we need a different approach on offense or that we should have been much more aggressive in recruiting the QB and WRs that it takes to run an effective offense in this league, I'm all ears for that.
 
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Against Northwestern in 2020, we passed up at least one FG chance and turned the ball over in FG range, in a 1 score game where we lost 21-20 and had a first team all american kicker on the roster. Not always a winning strategy against Fitz. The evidence suggests with Petras that it is much better to be conservative than aggressive with him at the helm. We're like a bottom 10 team in passing success rate and in negative rushing attempts right now.

Now, if you want to argue that we need a different approach on offense or that we should have been much more aggressive in recruiting the QB and WRs that it takes to run an effective offense in this league, I'm all ears for that.
Not sure what you're talking about in 2020. We put the pressure on Northwestern early only to start settling for FG's and calling conservative plays resulting in 3rd & longs and 4th & longs. We missed a 52yd FG . Went for it on 4th and long when we were outside of FG range. Would have been a 60 plys yd FG. We got conservative after Northwestern got back into it and waited until late in the game and started throwing picks after we had to open up the offense when Northwestern was ready for it. Basically what I am talking about and how we lose. We played right into Fitz's hands in that game after taking our foot off the gas early. We took a 1 score lead into halftime and let Fitz and Northwestern control the field the entire 2nd half. That forced Petras into throwing 3picks in the final quarter and a half.
 
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Pelini was definitely the best the Bugeaters have had since they joined the B1G. Not sure I agree about him playing B1G style football. They weren't physical and defense was an option. They gave up 40+ points six times in his four years; 50+ three times; 60+ twice, and 70 once.
Their 3-1 record vs Iowa coincided with a dismal stretch for the Hawks.
They gave up a lot of points against really good top 10 - top 15 teams but overall their D ranked in the middle of the B1G all 4 years during Bo's time. They also had a balanced B1G offense with 5 backs that went over 1,000yds during those 4 years. They had one of the best ground games and all-around offenses in the B1G during those 4 years under Bo. They gave Bo the boot because he had a hard time beating top 15 teams. Bo ran a very successful B1G style offense with a D that was typically in the midddle of the B1G.

Bo also had to play MSU 4 times, Wisconsin 4, Michigan 3, Penn St 3, and Ohio St twice in those 4 years. Yet he was able to get Nebraska to 9 wins or better all 4 years. I highly doubt KF could get to 9 wins any of those years if he had to play those 5 teams that many times in 4 years. Not a nock against KF but just how idiotic Nebraska fans are about firing Pelini. Your defensive numbers are going to take a hit when you play those 5 teams that many times.
 
At this point in Frost's career I am shocked that Nebraska still has no strength in the trenches. With Nebraska's pull and resources if you want solid to great line play you can build it through recruiting and hiring the right coaches they just flat out have the resourcesto do that. The fact Frost has failed to build solid lines in the B1G is just idiotic and neglectful at this point. He deserves to be fired.
Yep, typically you win with strong line play.

Nebraska football is one of the laughingstocks of college football in the last decade.

Frank Solich and Bo Pelini are still smiling.
 
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Nebraska has played everyone close under Frost, including some very good other teams (Michigan and OSU). They are just good enough to find a way to lose.
That's coaching, with a dash of recruiting mixed in. Nebraska has not been mentally (or physically) strong at the end of games to get those W's.

For example, the Neb defense was flying around in Q1, But, on NW's last TD, I thought the ref blew the play dead because it seemed like Neb wasn't even trying.

It also seemed like every time they said a Neb player's name is was "a transfer from _______".

And they STILL get respect from the media and recruits! I don't get it.
 
That's coaching, with a dash of recruiting mixed in. Nebraska has not been mentally (or physically) strong at the end of games to get those W's.

For example, the Neb defense was flying around in Q1, But, on NW's last TD, I thought the ref blew the play dead because it seemed like Neb wasn't even trying.

It also seemed like every time they said a Neb player's name is was "a transfer from _______".

And they STILL get respect from the media and recruits! I don't get it.
I don't know, but I am curious... did Nebraska kick out a number of their own recruited guys and replace them with transfers?

I thought there was a scholarship limit.. so its puzzling to me how you can bring in so many transfers without it effecting the kids you already recruited and have on your roster.
 
Helinski looked like the real deal. NW will be a dogfight...it's just how this matchup is.
He isn't great, but is solidly on what I would consider the bottom rung of the acceptable QB ladder. That's vision, accuracy, and pocket presence. He would add at least 2 wins for us this year if we get last year's QB performance.

But let's not forget that we did hit the portal for a 4th or 5th team TE.
 
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I don't know, but I am curious... did Nebraska kick out a number of their own recruited guys and replace them with transfers?

I thought there was a scholarship limit.. so its puzzling to me how you can bring in so many transfers without it effecting the kids you already recruited and have on your roster.
Neb lost 13 guys to the portal and picked up 11.
 
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I don't know, but I am curious... did Nebraska kick out a number of their own recruited guys and replace them with transfers?

I thought there was a scholarship limit.. so its puzzling to me how you can bring in so many transfers without it effecting the kids you already recruited and have on your roster.
Yes, limit 85. As someone else said 11 out and 13 in. Also, scholarships are good for 1 year and do not have to be renewed, just ask Nick Satan at Alabama about that issue.
 
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I don't know, but I am curious... did Nebraska kick out a number of their own recruited guys and replace them with transfers?

I thought there was a scholarship limit.. so its puzzling to me how you can bring in so many transfers without it effecting the kids you already recruited and have on your roster.
I believe they had the same mess that MSU did a couple of years ago. They had about a dozen players leave so they had a lot of holes to fill
 
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