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Post by davecisar on Dec 6, 2009 7:13:42 GMT -6
If you watched the NU-tu game last night you saw an incredible defense from NU along with an equally awful offense from NU.
They did this against one of the top teams and offenses in the country and one of the top Heisman contenders in Colt McCoy.
NU was 115th in scoring defense in 2007, this year they are #3.
Why such a dramatic turnaround?
Some probably will say it has something to do with Suh- great player (just 1 guy) but he really wasnt a force or anything special his first 2 years.
How much of it is scheme, coaching the kids up, other stuff- what is the other stuff?
How long does a great coordinator like Carl Pelini, stay as an assistant coach? How long was it before Bob Stoops lost his brothers to other teams?
What's amazing to me is the defense is on the field all the time, all season, the offense didnt help them much. NU had 8 turnovers against ISU (still held them to 10 points) and was inept in most games minus the sunbelt games. Texas got to play a lot of the game on NUs part of the field because NU simply had no chance at even making first downs for a good part of the game.
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Post by emptybackfield on Dec 6, 2009 9:13:07 GMT -6
I was getting on here this morning to ask some similar questions. I really have to tip my hat to that defensive coaching staff. The Nebraska defense might be playing the best defense in the country right now. Just over a year ago I remember my Tigers going up to Lincoln and hanging 50 on them in 3 quarters.
I think the main thing Bo has done is install a toughness in them that was lacking under Callahan. Those dudes go out there every series and think they're either going to force a punt or get a turnover no matter who the offense is.
I know they play a lot of field/boundary stuff and can give you a lot of different looks but haven't looked at it much deeper than that.
As for Carl Pelini...sure he has the title of defensive coordinator but we know who is in charge of that defense.
Ndamakong Suh...good riddance. Possibly the best defensive player I've ever seen in college football.
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Post by davecisar on Dec 6, 2009 13:15:39 GMT -6
That defense has most everyone coming back except Suh, a walk on safety and a first time starter at LB, and some very promising redshirt freshman coming up. These are mostly the same kids that gave up 76 to KU and 70 to TT 2 years ago.
The d-line blocks more passes than Carter has pills and the coverage of the texas recievers was simply outrageous. Almost always had the right pieces in the right places and had texas out of rythem the entire game. Brought walk on saftey on blitzes etc and gosh they do something much better than 2 years ago, the TACKLE really well. They went away from a ton of that 1/2 pad stuff and according to Pelini, went back to absolute zero Pee Wee football stuff and coached the heck out of it.
The 1 clinic I went to he was speaking at: we got 75 minutes of hard core coaching on the linebackers first 3 steps.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2009 16:55:46 GMT -6
I think you stated a big part of the solution when you said,"It's mostly the same kids that gave up 76 to KU and 70 to TT two years ago." Experience does wonders in college football! Mix that with good coaching and I think you have your answer.
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Post by emptybackfield on Dec 6, 2009 17:49:51 GMT -6
So as someone that watches all of their games...
Are they doing anything extraordinary schematically or just doing a great job of mixing up looks and executing?
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Post by coachd5085 on Dec 6, 2009 17:56:06 GMT -6
I think you stated a big part of the solution when you said,"It's mostly the same kids that gave up 76 to KU and 70 to TT two years ago." Experience does wonders in college football! Mix that with good coaching and I think you have your answer. Exactly, because it is important to realize that the players who scored 76 and 70 respectively ARE NO LONGER PLAYING for KU and TT, but these kids at NU still are. That is not to take anything away from Coach Pelini (both of them). They obviously are doing things better than the previous regime. |
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Post by poorbob on Dec 6, 2009 18:22:43 GMT -6
The Texas Tech defense gave up 24 points to UT, but really only 17 because they got the ball on the five or something once. That was accomplished with one scholarship end. TT is #2 in the nation in sacks after losing their top 3 guys on the depth chart from last year and returning virtually no-namers. Charlie Sadler is one of the best D-end coaches in the country if you want to talk coaching. I believe great D is coaching, technique especially, but it really, really helps to have the D-line NU does.
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Post by davecisar on Dec 6, 2009 19:53:40 GMT -6
I think you stated a big part of the solution when you said,"It's mostly the same kids that gave up 76 to KU and 70 to TT two years ago." Experience does wonders in college football! Mix that with good coaching and I think you have your answer. Exactly, because it is important to realize that the players who scored 76 and 70 respectively ARE NO LONGER PLAYING for KU and TT, but these kids at NU still are. That is not to take anything away from Coach Pelini (both of them). They obviously are doing things better than the previous regime. Reesing and his top recievers and running back were at KU this year, the kids that scored 76. |
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Post by davecisar on Dec 6, 2009 20:04:26 GMT -6
So as someone that watches all of their games... Are they doing anything extraordinary schematically or just doing a great job of mixing up looks and executing? Im no college football expert, my best guess: Totally different way of coaching the defensive backs vs what Phil Elmassen was doing. Kids playing MUCH faster, fewer "check downs" Simpler scheme DTs playing much better with their hands, when held up reading the QB and getting lots of pass blocks They TACKLE well Much more physical They anticipate everything, screens, swing passes, bubbles etc, 1 step ahead of the offense it looked pretty much all season. In spite of being on the field a TON. According to Suh the base techniques were completely different than what they had learned earlier, quoting him in the papers. They went back to ground zero and base fundys. Pelini and company challenged the really good players to be great and the average players to be good. Set a very high bar Previous admin- gave up over 600 yards to Ball State and won 41-40, they would be celebrating the win and saying "what is all the fuss about, we won?" These guys now give up a meaningless TD on the last play of the game vs CU to make it 28-20 and Pelini is livid. A MUCH higher standard of play is expected/required EX-They didnt hand out black shirts until almost end of season last year, this year after maybe game 5 and then only 11-12-13, previous admin handed out something like 15-16-17-18 etc all before first game. Much less 1/2 pads practices Went back to more of a Boyd Eppley strength and conditioning program, no more timed 2 mile runs for the linemen- must beat a certain time to get their pads stuff. Yes, absolute true fact, saw it in the papers and heard Eppley talk about it 2 times in person last year. Doing better than the previous admin is putting it lightly. NU went from 115th in scoring defense to #3 and with an offense ranked #90, just awful offense, very little help etc Not a surprise, Pelini had top 3 defenses at OU and LSU, now Nebraska- looks like he is pretty consistent there, no matter the team. I dont know why exactly was hoping the X and O experts could add some insight. |
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Post by Tooch43 on Dec 6, 2009 20:26:55 GMT -6
Didn't see much of the game. What offense does nebraska run?
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Post by cqmiller on Dec 6, 2009 20:31:13 GMT -6
Didn't see much of the game. What offense does nebraska run? The "hope our defense picks it and takes it to the house" kind... The "Raiders with JaMarcus Russel" kind... The "Holy cow! You mean we get to have the ball too?" kind... haha... Very simple offense. 4-3 Defense |
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Post by davecisar on Dec 6, 2009 20:36:42 GMT -6
Tooch, pretty accruate. IMO We should have kicked in the 2nd half- our choice, especially with having just 2 first downs in the first half. But what the heck do I know, not much.
Early in the season, mostly spread. They did great against Sunbelt teams, then hit a brick wall playing real competition. Last year it was more WCO, then later went more spread with some zone read stuff. Base stretch, IZ, OZ running stuff.
With all the turnovers including 8 vs ISU, they went more 22 personell and ran the ball, PA passes. TOO many very untimely Ints. Great special teams all year (minus the KO out of bouonds in last minute to give tu the ball on the 40)
They are a 12-1 team if they have a #50 ranked offense. The QB they have ( 2nd year former Juco Player of the year type) simply can not go to a secondary reciever- he telegraphs everything, the backup is an 18 year old true frosh. You cant run the offense they want to run with the QBs they have, simple as that. Not consistent enough to dink and dunk down the field and now not competent enough to even make a few big throws every game/ not throw Ints. Inconsistent wideouts. Last night 3 Ints in what 15 attempts?Less than 70 yards passing. Unlike last night the QB didnt take a bunch of sacks, all season he simply wouldnt take off and run OR toss the ball out of bounds. Looked alot like some NFL QBs the way he held onto the ball, not like many of the successful college QBs I see. Im sure a great, nice hardworking kid, just not a good fit it maybe.
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Post by brophy on Dec 6, 2009 20:51:56 GMT -6
Hats off to the Pelini boys and what that defense looks like. The Suh kid is just flat out bananas.....and made me think he would've been kicking the asses of Grant Wistrom, Jared Tomich, and the Christian brothers at the same time!
One thing, and this isn't hyperbole, that really stood out for me last night was the consistent LEVERAGE and SEPERATION the entire defense played with. I know they lost and Texas did get their yards, but I don't believe I've seen that (lev/sep) so dramatic all night as what the Blackshirts did. Basic fundamentals works wonders
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Post by davecisar on Dec 6, 2009 21:01:22 GMT -6
They collapsed the pocket all night with 4 and even when texas went to that half roll, they still put McCoy ( who at the time was top 1-2 Heisman candidate, all time winningest starting QB) on the ropes. 9 sacks and tons of hurrys ( not all sacks by DL) McCoy did a nice job of throwing it away a number of times and if you watched closely lots of holding. Not 1 called the entire night on 1 Suh sack of McCoy, he has McCoy by jersey, the other hand is stiff arming an offensive lineman that is well outside the frame clutching on to Suh like a man who cant swim thrown overboard holding onto a life ring. 9 sacks and 4 hurrys and no holding calls, pretty odd deal. Most amazing play of the night, ref looking right at it from about 3 yards away. Suh made the one handed tackle, no flag.  |
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Post by coachd5085 on Dec 6, 2009 21:51:30 GMT -6
Reesing and his top recievers and running back were at KU this year, the kids that scored 76. And how did those guys do against everyone else, with the SAME coach that hung 76 ? Bottom line, different team. And NEB is a much different team as well. |
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Post by mahonz on Dec 6, 2009 21:57:06 GMT -6
Dave
That was probably the best defensive effort I have ever seen at this level ....especially considering that the Texas O played a good portion of the game in Nebraska territory and the Nebraska O played a good portion of the game in Nebraska territory.
Should help recruiting a ton.
Coach Mike
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Post by khalfie on Dec 6, 2009 22:09:32 GMT -6
Umm...
Before we finish off all the RED kool aid... Texas got handled by Oklahoma pretty much also!
As a matter of fact... though Texas was running through everyone they played... they only really played a couple of exceptional teams... Texas Tech... who was down this year... Ok State, who wasn't as good as previously thought... After that... what? Soft schedule? Running up scores? Trying to win a heisman?
I'm not sayin... I'm just sayin...
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Post by captain31 on Dec 6, 2009 22:20:50 GMT -6
If Nebraska had ANY offense, we'd probably be talking about Suh as a legitimate Heisman candidate (and I guess I am anyway). Think about how close they were to beating Va. Tech (last-minute bomb TD to win) and Iowa State (offense had like two dozen turnovers) and we are looking at like 12-1 and Suh probably the Heisman favorite.
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benrt1
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Post by benrt1 on Dec 6, 2009 23:08:11 GMT -6
NU's defense is almost back to the "Blackshirt" days. This is all the more impressive,given it's Pelini's second season. Nobody had that game being closer than 14 points vs Texas. Any semblance of an offense would have wrapped the game up IMHO. I wonder if NU takes a look at bringing the option back to Lincoln,given the lack of production since Solich was fired?
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Post by theguru on Dec 7, 2009 9:18:35 GMT -6
Ndamukong Suh is the best player in college football, period. If the heisman voters ever really voted on the award correctly and gave it to the best player and not the best player on the best team, he would win it. This would be a good for year it, no one is having a truly stand out year offensively.
I have never seen a defensive lineman dominate a game like that before, college or pro. He was making tackles 10 yards down the field. amazing!!! The tried chop blocking him 3 times and got called for it twice ( but he is so quick the center missed him). As the point was made earlier, not 1 holding call. If they would have called even half of the calls, texas might not have scored.
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Post by coachcb on Dec 7, 2009 9:59:54 GMT -6
Having watched the NU defense, I have noticed several things:
1. Simple scheme, they don't appear to do a whole lot between coverages, blitzes, etc... I see a lot of college teams that bounce around between all kinds of personnel, fronts, etc...
2. Fundamentals; those boys know them. Shedding, tackling, covering, etc.. They turn stuff back inside, they spill stuff when they need to They're good at them and it allows them to play much, much faster.
3. Attitude; they're friggin nasty. They bring it every down and enjoy playing defense.
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Post by spreadattack on Dec 7, 2009 23:08:58 GMT -6
Pellini needs an offense to go with that defense. Disgraceful to score 12 points and have that kind of performance and your offense only net you 100 yards for the game. Convert one FG to a TD and you win. Suh is amazing.
I give Pellini credit for rebuilding that D, and quick. A disruptive DLine is the quickest way to a great defense, though. Pellini even said it took him awhile to realize how good his defense really is. Last year I saw them get shredded a few times because they blitzed a lot and took a lot of chances. The Missouri game in particular was brutal. They later realized they didn't need to, and the results are obvious.
We'll see how they do once Suh and others are gone. I expect them to be good but you can't undervalue how well those guys played.
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Post by davecisar on Dec 8, 2009 6:15:24 GMT -6
The offense is atrocious
Just 1 offensive TD vs top 20 competition and that was a 1 yard drive- got the ball at the 1
That is what makes this defense all the more amazing- not a bad offense, a historically for the record books awful offense, that gives zero help to the defense- none- Hard to imagine an offense much worse- 2 times have had 1st and goal and have ended up punting- now you might understand some of the frustration.
If the offense was bad instead of horrific, they are 12-1 right now
Looks like you cant win on defense and special teams alone
Looks like you have to havea fairly strongQB to run the WC/Spread whatever they tried to run earlier and are trying to run now- The Juco QB of the year and 4 star frosh from texas dont seem to foot the bill. Looks like you need to have better than average wideouts- 3 star kids etc who can stretch the field some and catch the ball consistently.
NU doesnt lose much on defense- other than Suh
Pelini has had a top 3 defense everywhere he has gone- I suspect he will continue that string of success whereever he coaches
If it is a talent issue on offense, huge opp for kids to play there then, the talent gap must be canyonesque if that is the issue
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Post by tiger46 on Dec 8, 2009 21:01:38 GMT -6
Out of pride I have to post; it's UT not tu.  |
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