2 Average Guys

There’s a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that shows Calvin losing to Hobbes in a game and the next panel shows his parents.  His mother mentions how cute he plays both sides of the game and his dad goes, “I don’t know, I’ve heard him using words that he didn’t learn in this house.”  That’s the G rated version of how I’m sure we’re all feeling after yesterday’s game.  At first it was euphoria, then sickness, then anger, then numbness, and eventually acceptance with some positive thoughts, and then swear words after watching the results of two other games.  The first is Oklahoma knocking off Texas, which is awesome, but it’s a ranked team that isn’t as talented as we are tossing the number one ranked team in the country off a cliff while Dylan Raiola decides to crap on our hopes of knocking off a ranked team this coming weekend.  Jerk.  And I really love the kid and hope he is successful.  

It’s another week of talking ourselves down from that ledge and living in the sheltered comfort of a straight jacket, or an extra beer if you prefer.  It just sucks and there’s no way around that; sure there’s tons of positives that we can take away from Saturday’s game and there is no question that this coaching staff is doing something monumental given what they inherited, and this team is different, especially thanks to Anthony Colandrea, who is the ultimate competitor that won’t quit, no matter the situation.  Thank God for that young man, and I mean no disrespect to Dylan Raiola.  Dylan needs more credit for this than he is given.  Before he came, we didn’t have an elite athlete/competitor wrapped up together in a long time; he demanded better from his receivers and kept fighting even though he was a pocket passer with a sketchy offensive line.  He chose to come to Nebraska, not for money, which I know he received, but he genuinely believed Matt Rhule when he said he wanted to bring this program back and Dylan cared enough to try.  I can’t blame him for leaving to find a place that would better prepare him for the pro’s, which Oregon’s style of play does.  Just like Nebraska’s style was desperate for Anthony Colandrea.  It ultimately worked out for both programs.

Saturday’s game was different from years past.  There wasn’t a reliance on luck or a turnover, the other team didn’t play horribly for us to be close, we were the better team for the majority of that game, and the Huskers looked like they belonged there in that fight.  Their mentality this year is one of playing to win instead of playing not to lose, and that’s something we haven’t seen in a long time.  Frost didn’t have it, Riley surely didn’t, and let’s be honest here, Bo, who we all love, was getting slaughtered by higher ranked teams.  I still don’t feel that he was the main culprit, as he was navigating being a first time head coach of a blueblood program.  He did a damn good job, but just couldn’t seem to hire the right assistant coaches.  This problem started with our next head coach, Mike Riley.

This is where the cancer that has permeated the program started and took hold.  His approach brought in players that were just excited to play for a blueblood and created the culture of trying  hard meant we all still went out for pizza.  Enter Scott Frost, who seemed like the right choice at the time.  I think 99% of Husker fans would agree that we all wanted him and hoped that he would be the savior, but he was not the right surgeon to remove this aggressive, life threatening cancer.  When Matt Rhule came in, he was proven and had a vision, but still had to take time to access, try a couple of things to see if they would work, and ultimately find an identity that was reflective of the state and fan base that support it, while building for ultimate success.  In year four we have an identity that is similar to what we used to be: hard nosed, deep running game, with a mobile quarterback while building in the trenches.  

I wanted to write this yesterday when I was pissed off, but I’m glad I slept on it.  We really are getting there and Rhule will be the guy that gets us to the top of the mountain.  There’s still plenty to hope for.  Go Big Red.

We’re as good as we can be for where we’re at in the process. We are who we are and that may not always help the outcome but at least when we watch this team play on Saturdays they are committed to being a more physical team. There’s depth at a lot of positions, a good leader in Colandrea and we are starting to see an identity and sticking to it. It may not slay giants right now but it calms things down and allows us as a fan base to not to drink so much or be too disappointed. Maybe we need a year like this where we have to exist as we are and use that to overcome obstacles and turn them into victories. I’m a new athletic director at a small school and even though I’m not unfamiliar to the work or situations it still can be humbling at times and causes me not to get too far ahead of myself, staying in the moment and appreciating the learning experiences. 

Let’s talk about last game. My only thought in the first half was “Unacceptable”. It was trash and the penalties, whether correct or not, have got to stop. Especially the pre snap ones. The defense is still pretty concerning but we don’t exactly have a lot of studs in the trench just yet, hopefully that will come next year.

Against Indiana you just never know what could happen and the big ten can be a crap shoot every week, similar to the old big twelve days where everybody hated each other. The same level of hate may not be there as much but the opportunity to screw up someone’s season is always within reach. I shouldn’t ponder over those days but the old big 8 and big 12 games were fun. No small part of me wants us to right the ship, win consistently and then reform the old conference, without the greedy team in burnt orange though. Let them live in a mess of their own creating without Oklahoma. 

So here we are a couple days away from facing the defending national champions and still the best team in the country despite their ranking. They are coached by the best and that’s a tough mountain to climb. Im reminded of the scene from the movie Hoosiers, when they were in the semi finals and coach Dale tells them about the tradition in tournament play to not think about the step in front of you…”I’m sure going to the state finals is beyond your wildest dreams so let’s just keep it there”. Beating Indiana would be perfect but let’s just focus on each play first and then see what happens. The Huskers need to try and minimize mistakes , something that’s eluded them in recent years. With the exception of last game vs Maryland, Nebraska has done a better job in that regard. I want to steer clear of saying things like having play a perfect game because Indiana could come out flat. Winning doesn’t always play out like we have it in our heads either. It’s past our time to finally get a win over a top 25 team and Nebraska needs to win now instead of kicking this can down the road. This is a winnable game and moral victories don’t count anymore.

GO BIG RED!

It wasn’t a 60 point blowout, but it didn’t need to be as the defense only allowed one score and just 169 total offensive yards against Bowling Green on Saturday.  I know we all got a little nervous in the third quarter, but if you go back and watch the 95 team, even they had games where their inferior opponents would find ways to score and make a game of it early until having their hopes smashed against a rock.  We still crushed the spread and got the backups in, plus the thing to remember about this year’s team is Rhule and the other coaches are able to rotate players and create depth that way unlike previous seasons, so it still comes out as a positive.  The offense had over 500 yards with 264 coming on the ground through Rule, Nelson, and Mozee and Jacory Barney is showing why he deserves a lot of attention from opposing defenses, even if he needs to turn upfield and use his feet in that direction.  Not knocking Raiola who is a young quarterback, but Anthony Collandrea is a better fit by leaps and bounds.  His maturity shows in his determination and decision making ability, not to mention how good he is at extending plays with his feet.  The offensive line is quietly doing what we would expect them to do, which is put people on their backsides while the receivers are better at blocking this year.  

Granted it’s against the two weakest teams we’ll face all year, but unlike in years past, the weaknesses that flung open the door to proudly be on full display, aren’t as glaring.  This looks like a team that has a fresh new attitude, plays with a lot of confidence, has fun, and hopefully has forgotten about the past.  As a lifelong Cubs fan, I remember the same thing happening a couple of seasons before they finally won the World Series.  Now, I’m not even suggesting that Nebraska is close to championship caliber, but it is nice to see the right attitude and style of play for a change.  Dare I say it, but they seem to be finding out who they are and establishing an identity.  They are a run first team with a good mobile quarterback who can sling it accurately when they choose.  How this translates into Big Ten play, has still yet to be seen and soon we will against Michigan State and Maryland, but hopefully, this team is feeling good about themselves and isn’t afraid of some hard competition and uphill battles at times.  We certainly have the talent for it.  

It’s encouraging to see the defense play a little pissed off and fly to the ball a little more this year.  Sure, they’ll get burned at times, but as long as they stick to that style of play, the victories will come and so will other recruits.  Having a deep running back room with the offensive line playing sound ball is probably our greatest asset, especially in a conference where physicality is demanded from each team if you want even a slim chance to compete, an area that we have been lacking in for several years.  It’s a breath of fresh air, seeing the right coaches and mentors in place that demand high standards from our guys every play from practice through games.  My final thought comes from that staff in Ron Brown.  He’s been the one constant connection from the championship years and every coach with the exception of Mike Riley, sees his worth and how important it is for him to be involved in the program in a mentorship role.  Years from now we will look back and see how important he has been to this program, the university, and the state, being thankful we could claim him as one of our own.  Go Big Red.

It goes without saying that if the entire stadium isn’t decked out in #15 jerseys, holding replica Heisman Trophies, and chanting “Overrated” Eddie George’s way, then we have failed as a fan base. Those of us old enough to remember (can’t believe I’m saying that) know the moment when Tommie Frazier got robbed of the Heisman.  If you want to ask why, then go compare collegiate highlights of the two finalists.  It is cool, though, to see George as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons, having watched him as a player for his whole career.  So other than being everyone’s whipping post in various College Football video games, what do they bring to Lincoln and is there cause for concern?  

The Falcons were 4-8 last season and usually sit near the bottom of the MAC whereas our last MAC opponent, Ohio, sits near the top.  On paper it should be a walk, and not even close, but they do have an offensive identity in a physical running game which seems to be the achilles heel of our defense.  The talent level isn’t near what the Huskers bring to the table, however, in this era of college football, you can’t ever sleep on an opponent.  Quarterback Jay Kastantin is a dual threat in a run-first offense, something that can be difficult to defend, especially for Nebraska.  Our defense may struggle, but that’s kind of the norm for them lately.  Our offense however, needs to play a clean game, without all of the crucial, mind-blowing penalties that have plagued us for years.  

This is the game for Nebraska to play crisp, especially on offense where we tout a solid running back room, a stud in Jamal Rule, our own dual threat quarterback in Anthony Collandrea, and one of the best receiver groups in the conference.  Would 70 points be nice?  Sure, it’d be great, but not if it means we don’t get better and grow as a team.  50 would be just fine if that’s in the cards with our starters sitting midway through the 3rd quarter because if that isn’t the case, then we might have bigger issues to take care of.  Realistically, we haven’t flipped the script and become a juggernaut since last season, however, we should see considerable improvement, even if the defensive line is smaller. The dream scenario would be 300 plus yards rushing with two backs over 100 and the defense playing shut out ball to give them some confidence knowing that the schedule won’t get any easier than this. 

We’re allowed to dream, even if it’s dangerous, but we need to stay grounded.  Rhule hiring all the assistants he did in the last year reminds me of what Frank Solich did the year he was unjustly fired which should give us hope, considering Solich’s team did improve.  And being at the Alamo Bowl when Pelini lost it on the refs was one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had as a fan and the entire Husker crowd went crazy.  So any Huskers that may be reading, and you should be because that means you’re following 2 Average Guys like every Husker should, go out and play pissed off.  Because how dare this team agree to come into Memorial Stadium and have the audacity to play you.  You represent the greatest team, the greatest university, the greatest fans in all of sports, so go out and knock somebody’s head off on every single play.  Go Big Red. 

Nebraska vs Utah

Well it’s not the bowl game we had hoped for at the beginning of the year but is is two straight

under coach Rhule in his third season as Nebraska Head Coach. To say the Huskers

underperformed this year would be a fair statement. It wasn’t that they didn’t fight or play hard,

they just couldn’t establish an identity and based the entire offense around Dylan Raiola, who is

now entering the transfer portal. Honestly I’m surprised he lasted this long considering his track

record of changing schools starting in high school and continuing to college. This will mark his

fourth school he’s committed to playing for in two years. As talented as he is, that really speaks

volumes about his leadership drive and capability.

So bring in Utah, that is missing some key players due to the draft and their head coach just left

for Michigan. Normally you’d think that gives us an advantage but even if Raiola and Johnson

were playing, Utah would still be heavily favored. This game is about Nebraska committing to

an identity from here on out and this game is the perfect opportunity to do just that. Having bowl

practices allow the staff to make adjustments and prepare for one game over several weeks.

So when is a Cornhusker team going to play four solid quarters of sound, fundamental, all out

focus and effort and pull of an upset? It feels like we are the only team that can’t get it done.

We all have that hope and maybe naive belief that every game is that game, but we keep

getting our hearts shattered. All we want to see is that type of effort that casts doubt aside and

exudes confidence, but team after team keeps reverting and falling way short of that

expectation. We’re all well aware that they are 18 and 19 years old but it’s still more than

doable considering that’s the expectation anywhere they go to play ball. It should be the bare

minimum requirement so I don’t sympathize when they fail to meet that expectation. They are

now paid athletes without the expectation and consequence of a real, binding contract. How

does that help coaches teach them how to become men?

So what chance does Nebraska have in this game against a team with an incredible run game

and are solid all around? Not a good one, but on any given day, you never know what will

happen. After all, we’ve already seen virtually every conceivable way the Huskers can lose in

the past 20 years so why not hope for an improbable win. If every other school can pull these

upsets off, why can’t we? It’s been so long 2016 vs 22 ranked Oregon to be exact. Nine life

sucking seasons. My god, pull it together just once guys and leave it all out on the field to get

that elusive win over a ranked team.

Just imagine if the coaches prepare this team so well that they pull it off and look good doing it.

No luck, just good physical fundamental football, the way it’s supposed to be played. Imagine if

TJ Lateef shows complete command of the offense and the young undersized running backs

play bigger than they are, that the trenches become an absolute battle zone where we aren’t

pushed off of blocks and our o line just keeps wearing down their defense. Wouldn’t it be

something to end with 300 yards rushing and holding them to around 100.Wouldn’t that be something, to go out there and defy the odds, shock the world, and make it

look like we’ve been doing this all year. Holiday wishes, perhaps, and would likely cause us

more harm than good if Nebraska comes out and gets pummeled, keeping us locked in the

trance realm of the upside down from Stranger Things. But hope nonetheless, that finally we

can see progress and get this program to turn that corner, never looking back, just moving

forward with brighter days ahead….

If not, drink up y’all, it’s going to be a long offseas

That sucked.  

There’s no other way to spin Friday’s game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.  If this team wants us to be patient with them, then they’ve got to at least play sound, fundamental football from this moment on, with no “games off”.  These are professional athletes being paid a helluva lot more than the average fan that buys their stuff and supports them, sometimes going further into debt over tickets just to see them.  It doesn’t matter if they are 18 and 19 years old anymore, I’ve coached junior high volleyball teams that I’ve expected more from and they responded and appreciated the talk.  There’s no more press conferences that the coaches can give to smooth it over and defend the players, they need to not just be held accountable, but need to produce and if they don’t, then play the scrubs.  If we’re going to give up mentally and lose by a large margin, then give those guys their chance.  

When I started learning how to ride a horse, everything was one step forward, two steps back for a while, but I couldn’t stay there and expect to get better.  Sure I’d get thrown sometimes, but it wasn’t something I blamed on the horse, it was because I had made a mistake.  My trainer would give me a smirk every time after I’d get back in the saddle and say, “Don’t get thrown off.”  Simple, but it was true … .getting thrown is worse than relaxing in the saddle when they go crowhopping or bucking.  I’ve got the scars to prove it.  Everytime I decided that I knew more than the horse, I’d pay for it.  It’s the same with Nebraska football ever since Solich was fired and AD Steve Pederson decided to go away from our foundation.  Not counting Pelini, and don’t start on why we never should have fired him seeing as he would get slaughtered in big games, the coaches have all tried to rebrand Husker football.

Bill Callahan tried the west coast offense.  It was a disaster.  Mike Riley was pro style, coupled with the Hip Hip Hooray celebration.  That was a joke.  Scott Frost popped off about the Big Ten adapting to his pass first approach.  That was an absolute disgrace.  And now Holgorsen talks about a pro style offense again.  It’s clearly not working.  Matt Rhule said recently that he asked Dylan Raiola what he needed to make the offense successful.  If I, as a coach, ever ask a 19 year old kid what he wants me to do with my multi million dollar company, please slap me.  The point is, enough with trying to upgrade, or change the way it has always worked, because it clearly doesn’t.  We were tailor made for the Big Ten and its physical style of football, but yet we keep letting coaches implement other styles.  Do you think Ohio State really cares whether their quarterback goes on to have a successful NFL career?  The fans don’t.  They are focused on what we used to be focused on, playing within the system and bringing championships to the university.  The rest sorts itself out through development and training.  

Don’t tell the average fan that we need to be nicer to the players or coaching staff when that’s what we have been.  I truly believe that Rhule is the right guy and is learning just like the players are.  That’s just the way of life, you can’t expect to know everything at a new job, no matter how long you’ve been doing it.  It’s a new environment completely and Rhule gets that.  But it needs to start now and not in the offseason.  Does he realize how happy the fan base would be if from this moment on, he coached the team to play fundamental ball and go back to the basics for this bowl game, and how successful they most likely would be?  No more of one step forward, two steps back.  If you want to grow and get better, you have to overcome and make it two steps forward for every one back.  Bring this program back to the greatness it deserves and do it the right way

Black Friday is upon us and that means it’s the traditional Iowa game for the Cornhuskers.  This game hasn’t been friendly in any way to us seeing as the Hawkeyes have a 10-4 record since we joined the Big Ten conference and they hold a 9-1 record in the last ten meetings.  Most of those games have been rock fights that ended in one score losses and walk off field goals.  We’ve been taunted, trash talked, and embarrassed by Iowa and can’t seem to get out of our own way in that regard.  It reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns asks Grandpa Simpson if he can go five seconds without embarrassing himself.  One second later, Grandpa’s pants fall to the ground and he asks, “How long was that?”  That’s our reality as of late and if we judge this week based off of last week’s performance against Penn State, well, it doesn’t look too promising for Nebraska.  

It’s not for lack of talent because we are the more talented team in many ways and have been for years, yet we keep snatching defeat from the jaws of victory every stinking time.  Something has to give, right?  Not unless this team is so sick of the joke they have become in this game that they go to a place in their soul they’ve not shown us they can, a place so dark and disgusted from the mockery and year after year of coming up short, that they can’t take it any longer….and start throwing punches.  A place from where pre game hype and speeches no longer matter, in fact no words should be spoken.  It has to be growling from the pit of their souls and it comes out in their play on the field.  They have to do what we have yet to see them do, which is play a focused, disciplined game from start to finish where all their assignments have to be met with no more post game excuses.  They are more than capable of doing this.

Iowa is Iowa.  Their quarterback isn’t anything outstanding, but he is mobile and that tends to cause issues for Nebraska’s defense.  Special teams are talented on both sides between Jacory Barney for the Huskers and Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen who has been outstanding throughout his career.  Nebraska has an edge at running back, quarterback, receivers, and secondary, but Iowa has the strength and discipline where it matters the most….in the trenches.  That’s a tough one to overcome for this Husker team that is undersized on the defensive line and young on both sides of the ball.  Still, though, if Nebraska wins this game it shouldn’t surprise anyone, except maybe Iowa, who will do what they always do, wait for us to make the mistakes.

Losing this game will be hard to overcome and might set the program back a little bit heading into the bowl game and next season, but overcoming this obstacle that has ended so many seasons for us would be huge in terms of confidence and growth.  The Huskers just need to stick to the script that the coaches have in place and they will win, it’s as simple as that.  The team went off script mentally last week vs Penn State and could never recover and that can’t happen this Friday, in fact it can’t happen ever again if they want to get over this mental cancer that has plagued the team.  Jimmy Connors once said that tennis was 10% physical and 90% mental and that’s pretty accurate across all sports, you can have all the physical ability and toughness in the world but if you can’t be mentally tough, you’ll always lose.  Let this be the game where we step over that obstacle and never look back.  Take that god-awful trophy and never give it back.  In fact, come up with something better, like the golden ear of corn trophy that can be disconnected from the stalk so players can pretend to eat it or something along those lines.  Now that would be something worth fighting for and more meaningful and representative of both fan bases and programs.  Go Big Red!