Well the honeymoon between us fans and Bo Pelini will officially end at 6 PM Saturday, August 30, 2008 in Memorial stadium with the kick-off of the game against the Western Michigan Broncos. Bo has been riding extremely high for the past 7 months with nothing but dreams of his swarming defense bringing back the glory days that disappeared under the previous regime.
Yes for the past half year Bo has done no wrong in the eyes of Husker Nation, because we haven't played a game. Once the game begins, mistakes will happen, wrong plays will be called, wrong substitutions made, mental breakdowns will occur. Bo knows this, he has been around the block before, maybe never as a head coach (sans that 2003 Bowl game), but he has coached in the NFL and as a coordinator in college to understand the situation. I have actually read on some websites where fans are predicting/expecting a shutout Saturday, just on Pelini's reputation alone. Maybe that happens if the defense forces 6-7 turnovers, but I certainly would not put my house on it. This defense will be much faster than last seasons and a lot of people will play. As many as 12 different players will probably see time in the back 7 on the defense. As of Friday morning, still no word if Pelini will award the "Blackshirts" to the defense. I would not be surprised if he waits until after the first game, maybe longer until he sees if they are making the sacrifice necessary to earn that honor.
To me the key to this game and the following 3 games is simple. RUN THE BALL. Play old-school Husker football and pound it 30-40 plays per game. Chew the clock; keep your inexperienced, young defense off the field as much as possible. We have the horses to do so, three returning good running backs in Marlon Lucky, Roy Helu and Quentin Castille plus an offensive line that is a solid 2-deep at each position; remember from last season it wasn't our offense that was a problem. The Huskers will have problems I believe if they get into a basketball up and down the field type game. They may be good enough to win their first 3 games against mid-major type programs, but once they hit Virginia Tech and the Big-12 schedule (leading with Missouri) that will not work.
Bo knows (I keep using that term), that he needs to get his defense some confidence in these early games and the way to do that is to pound the rock, chew the clock wear down the thinner Bronco team so that the first unit is sucking gas and has to put in the backups, where your offense will have a better chance to bust loose on scoring plays, get a lead and make Western Michigan throw the ball, this is where Pelini can cut loose his defense with his blitz packages and create turnovers. The Huskers will not win consistently unless they are running the ball for 200 plus yard per game, I promise you that.
One thing to watch for on Saturday will be clock management. This is the first time a 40-second clock will be used, just like the NFL, where the play clock will start as soon as the previous play ends. Shawn Watson the offensive coordinator will be in the press box calling the plays this season instead of on the sidelines. Watson feels more comfortable in the box, as he can see the field better and make calls based on what he sees. But unlike the NFL, college doesn't have a radio directly to the quarterback's helmet, so Watson will be radioing the plays to the sidelines to the receiver's coach, who will give the play to the backup quarterback who will signal in the play. The coaching staff hopes to accomplish this with 10-12 seconds left on the clock so that Ganz has time to survey the defense and make any adjustments at the line. There could be a few false starts or out of rhythm plays until they get accustom to the different time allowance.
As for the game, I look for the defense to be up, way up for this game, wanting to make amen's for last season. I do believe that the offense will be more efficient and will run for close to 300 yards, while Ganz should pass for about 200. Final outcome; Huskers 33, Broncos 21. GBR!
Original Story:
http://deathrattlesports.com/20080829141....
Yes for the past half year Bo has done no wrong in the eyes of Husker Nation, because we haven't played a game. Once the game begins, mistakes will happen, wrong plays will be called, wrong substitutions made, mental breakdowns will occur. Bo knows this, he has been around the block before, maybe never as a head coach (sans that 2003 Bowl game), but he has coached in the NFL and as a coordinator in college to understand the situation. I have actually read on some websites where fans are predicting/expecting a shutout Saturday, just on Pelini's reputation alone. Maybe that happens if the defense forces 6-7 turnovers, but I certainly would not put my house on it. This defense will be much faster than last seasons and a lot of people will play. As many as 12 different players will probably see time in the back 7 on the defense. As of Friday morning, still no word if Pelini will award the "Blackshirts" to the defense. I would not be surprised if he waits until after the first game, maybe longer until he sees if they are making the sacrifice necessary to earn that honor.
To me the key to this game and the following 3 games is simple. RUN THE BALL. Play old-school Husker football and pound it 30-40 plays per game. Chew the clock; keep your inexperienced, young defense off the field as much as possible. We have the horses to do so, three returning good running backs in Marlon Lucky, Roy Helu and Quentin Castille plus an offensive line that is a solid 2-deep at each position; remember from last season it wasn't our offense that was a problem. The Huskers will have problems I believe if they get into a basketball up and down the field type game. They may be good enough to win their first 3 games against mid-major type programs, but once they hit Virginia Tech and the Big-12 schedule (leading with Missouri) that will not work.
Bo knows (I keep using that term), that he needs to get his defense some confidence in these early games and the way to do that is to pound the rock, chew the clock wear down the thinner Bronco team so that the first unit is sucking gas and has to put in the backups, where your offense will have a better chance to bust loose on scoring plays, get a lead and make Western Michigan throw the ball, this is where Pelini can cut loose his defense with his blitz packages and create turnovers. The Huskers will not win consistently unless they are running the ball for 200 plus yard per game, I promise you that.
One thing to watch for on Saturday will be clock management. This is the first time a 40-second clock will be used, just like the NFL, where the play clock will start as soon as the previous play ends. Shawn Watson the offensive coordinator will be in the press box calling the plays this season instead of on the sidelines. Watson feels more comfortable in the box, as he can see the field better and make calls based on what he sees. But unlike the NFL, college doesn't have a radio directly to the quarterback's helmet, so Watson will be radioing the plays to the sidelines to the receiver's coach, who will give the play to the backup quarterback who will signal in the play. The coaching staff hopes to accomplish this with 10-12 seconds left on the clock so that Ganz has time to survey the defense and make any adjustments at the line. There could be a few false starts or out of rhythm plays until they get accustom to the different time allowance.
As for the game, I look for the defense to be up, way up for this game, wanting to make amen's for last season. I do believe that the offense will be more efficient and will run for close to 300 yards, while Ganz should pass for about 200. Final outcome; Huskers 33, Broncos 21. GBR!
Original Story:
http://deathrattlesports.com/20080829141....
