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SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
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… Previews for CU’s opponents will be posted each week leading up to the start of Fall Camp … Previous posts: Oregon State … Washington State … New Hampshire …
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Game Two – CU at Nebraska – September 8th (1:30 p.m., MT, ABC)
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Last game between the two schools … November 26, 2010 – No. 16 Nebraska 45, Colorado 17 …
Colorado was riding the high of a two-game winning streak, needing one more win to qualify for a bowl game. Instead, the Buffs reverted to old bad habits, falling on the road to No. 16 Nebraska, 45-17. Three Colorado turnovers were all converted into touchdowns by the Cornhuskers, who held the ball for almost 40 minutes of game time.
With the loss, Colorado ended its final season as a member of the Big 12 conference with a 5-7 record. Cody Hawkins, who had only two interceptions (and 12 touchdowns) in four games after taking over for an injured Tyler Hansen, threw two interceptions early in the third quarter, allowing Nebraska to turn a close game into a rout.
While it was impossible to know it at the time, the game may have turned on the fifth play from scrimmage. Nebraska took the opening kickoff, and, on second-and-eight at the Cornhusker 47 yard line, Nebraska quarterback Cody Green hit running back Rex Burkhead for a short gain. Burkhead fumbled the ball, with the fumble picked up Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith and returned to the Nebraska 23 yard line. The 3,800 Buff fans in attendance were in full voice – Colorado had the ball and the momentum!
After a booth review, however, the play was ruled an incomplete pass, and Nebraska maintained possession.
It was as close as the underdog Buffs would come to a turnover all day, and as close as Colorado would come to dictating play.
… The full game story and You Tube video of the game, along with the essay for the game, “A November to Remember“, can be found here …
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2017 Nebraska results – 4-8 (3-6 in Pac-12 play)
– Returning starters, Offense: 6 … Returning starters, Defense: 8
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– 2017 Nebraska National Rankings (Offense)
— Scoring – 84th … 25.9 points per game (Colorado scoring defense – 74th … 28.2 points per game)
— Rushing – 119th … 107.5 yards per game (Colorado rushing defense – 108th … 208.0 yards per game)
— Passing – 27th … 277.5 yards per game (Colorado passing defense – 94th … 242.6 yards per game)
— Total – 67th … 385.0 yards per game (Colorado total defense – 109th … 450.6 yards per game)
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– 2017 Nebraska National Rankings (Defense)
— Scoring – 115th … 36.4 points per game (Colorado scoring offense – 81st … 26.4 points per game)
— Rushing – 114th … 214.8 yards per game (Colorado rushing offense – 74th … 157.2 yards per game)
— Passing – 60th … 221.4 yards per game (Colorado passing offense – 39th … 260.4 yards per game)
— Total – 100th … 436.2 yards per game (Colorado total offense – 48th … 417.6 yards per game)
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Nebraska storylines …
– He’s Here!! The second coming of Tom Osborne is here!! ….
Think Nebraska fans aren’t hungry for a return to glory?
Try over 80,000 in attendance for Scott Frost’s first spring game.
The former Nebraska Cornhusker quarterback has returned to Lincoln, bringing with him massive expectations. Frost took a Central Florida team which went 0-12 the year before Scott’s arrival, and turned it into a 13-0 Peach Bowl winning team in just two years.
For a fan base which hasn’t celebrated a conference championship since 1999, and hasn’t been relevant on the national stage in over a decade, the hiring of Scott Frost couldn’t have come at a better time.
Nebraska went 4-8 last season, and didn’t look particularly good in doing so. As noted, above, the Cornhuskers were 100th or worse in a number of defensive categories, including scoring defense and total defense. Nebraska went 1-6 in October and November last year, needing a comeback to top Purdue, 25-24, for its lone victory, while giving up over 50 points to Ohio State (56-14), to Minnesota (54-21), to Penn State (56-44), and Iowa (56-14).
Preseason scribes are gushing over the return of Frost, seeing a quick return to greatness for the Big Red. From The Athletic:
The presence of Nebraska’s past greatness is very much felt in Lincoln this spring now that Frost has come home. The new head coach is reviving and modernizing so much of what Osborne mastered to make Nebraska a powerhouse. He sees fundamental areas – strength training, nutrition, the walk-on program – where the Huskers have ceded their advantages and their edge over time.
“I think you’re a fool if you don’t look at a program that was the best program in the country for 25 to 30 years and try to emulate a lot of those things,” Frost told The Athletic. “There’s a formula that works at every school. There’s a formula that works at Alabama. There’s a formula that works at Boise State. There’s a formula that is proven to work here. A couple times in the recent past, people have tried to plug a different formula into this place. I just don’t think that fits Nebraska.
“I’m lucky I have a bunch of guys around me that understand a lot of the things that made Nebraska what it was. We’re certainly not gonna do everything like they did back then. But there’s a lot of things we’ve identified as important to make Nebraska go. Some of those things have been completely neglected.”
The assumption is that Frost will turn Nebraska back into a national power.
The only question, apparently, is not if he can do it, but how long it will take.
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– Players make plays …
Scott brings to Lincoln a resume which includes running an offense at UCF which led the nation in scoring. Whether the no-huddle, fast-tempo offense (so much for bringing traditional ways back to the Cornhuskers) will translate effectively to Nebraska remains to be seen.
Nebraska will enter the 2018 season with a lineup of quarterbacks who have never started a collegiate game. If Frost can find a quarterback, the rest of the offense is in fairly decent shape. The top rushers and receivers are back, including one of the Big Ten’s best 1-2 wideout combos in Stanley Morgan and J.D. Spielman. Nebraska ran for just 107.5 yards per game last season, and is still lacking an elite back (junior college transfer Greg Bell may be the answer here). The offensive line returns four starters, but, as CU fans have learned, experience doesn’t necessarily translate to improved play.
The Nebraska defense last year was awful … almost as bad as Colorado’s defense.
The Cornhuskers gave up 436.2 yards per game (CU gave up 450.6). The defense gave up 5.57 yards per rush, with the opposition gaining over five yards on almost half (46.8%) of all carries (second-worst percentage in the FBS). Seven starters return, including the entire defensive line … good news or bad news? The secondary has some talented starters, but the depth is thin, and may prove a liability by season’s end.
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… Bottom Line …
Take the following resume of an FBS team heading into the 2018 season:
— A 4-8 record the previous season, with the head coach being fired;
— A team which, but for a game-winning touchdown in the last 14 seconds against a mediocre opponent (Purdue) on October 28th, would be entering the fall on a seven-game losing streak;
— A defense which ranked 100th or worse in numerous statistical categories, including total defense and scoring defense. A defense which gave up 54, 56, and 56 points in its final three games of 2017;
— An offense which will be featuring a quarterback entering the season with no collegiate starts.
Given those bare facts, most Colorado fans would be salivating at the opportunity to take on just such an opponent.
But ... this particular 4-8 team is Nebraska, and the game will be in Lincoln (September 8th, 1:30 p.m., MT, ABC). Scott Frost has returned to make Nebraska great again, and there will be 85,000 fans on hand in September in his first game against a Power-Five opponent as the Cornhusker head coach. The game will be televised by ABC, and will receive national attention.
Can the Buffs handle the pressure?
It has been eight years since the Buffs have faced the Cornhuskers. The players on the 2018 CU roster were in elementary school the last time the black-and-gold ventured into Memorial Coliseum in Lincoln.
Perhaps that will work to CU’s advantage.
CU fans know how hard it has been for the Buffs to defeat the Cornhuskers, especially in Lincoln (8-26 all-time).
These Buff players, however, don’t have a history of disappointing finishes in Lincoln.
Perhaps they can write a new (and positive) chapter to the CU/Nebraska rivalry …
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Stuart
Continue reading...
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
—
… Previews for CU’s opponents will be posted each week leading up to the start of Fall Camp … Previous posts: Oregon State … Washington State … New Hampshire …
—
Game Two – CU at Nebraska – September 8th (1:30 p.m., MT, ABC)
—
Last game between the two schools … November 26, 2010 – No. 16 Nebraska 45, Colorado 17 …
Colorado was riding the high of a two-game winning streak, needing one more win to qualify for a bowl game. Instead, the Buffs reverted to old bad habits, falling on the road to No. 16 Nebraska, 45-17. Three Colorado turnovers were all converted into touchdowns by the Cornhuskers, who held the ball for almost 40 minutes of game time.
With the loss, Colorado ended its final season as a member of the Big 12 conference with a 5-7 record. Cody Hawkins, who had only two interceptions (and 12 touchdowns) in four games after taking over for an injured Tyler Hansen, threw two interceptions early in the third quarter, allowing Nebraska to turn a close game into a rout.
While it was impossible to know it at the time, the game may have turned on the fifth play from scrimmage. Nebraska took the opening kickoff, and, on second-and-eight at the Cornhusker 47 yard line, Nebraska quarterback Cody Green hit running back Rex Burkhead for a short gain. Burkhead fumbled the ball, with the fumble picked up Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith and returned to the Nebraska 23 yard line. The 3,800 Buff fans in attendance were in full voice – Colorado had the ball and the momentum!
After a booth review, however, the play was ruled an incomplete pass, and Nebraska maintained possession.
It was as close as the underdog Buffs would come to a turnover all day, and as close as Colorado would come to dictating play.
… The full game story and You Tube video of the game, along with the essay for the game, “A November to Remember“, can be found here …
–
—
2017 Nebraska results – 4-8 (3-6 in Pac-12 play)
– Returning starters, Offense: 6 … Returning starters, Defense: 8
—
– 2017 Nebraska National Rankings (Offense)
— Scoring – 84th … 25.9 points per game (Colorado scoring defense – 74th … 28.2 points per game)
— Rushing – 119th … 107.5 yards per game (Colorado rushing defense – 108th … 208.0 yards per game)
— Passing – 27th … 277.5 yards per game (Colorado passing defense – 94th … 242.6 yards per game)
— Total – 67th … 385.0 yards per game (Colorado total defense – 109th … 450.6 yards per game)
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– 2017 Nebraska National Rankings (Defense)
— Scoring – 115th … 36.4 points per game (Colorado scoring offense – 81st … 26.4 points per game)
— Rushing – 114th … 214.8 yards per game (Colorado rushing offense – 74th … 157.2 yards per game)
— Passing – 60th … 221.4 yards per game (Colorado passing offense – 39th … 260.4 yards per game)
— Total – 100th … 436.2 yards per game (Colorado total offense – 48th … 417.6 yards per game)
—
Nebraska storylines …
– He’s Here!! The second coming of Tom Osborne is here!! ….
Think Nebraska fans aren’t hungry for a return to glory?
Try over 80,000 in attendance for Scott Frost’s first spring game.
The former Nebraska Cornhusker quarterback has returned to Lincoln, bringing with him massive expectations. Frost took a Central Florida team which went 0-12 the year before Scott’s arrival, and turned it into a 13-0 Peach Bowl winning team in just two years.
For a fan base which hasn’t celebrated a conference championship since 1999, and hasn’t been relevant on the national stage in over a decade, the hiring of Scott Frost couldn’t have come at a better time.
Nebraska went 4-8 last season, and didn’t look particularly good in doing so. As noted, above, the Cornhuskers were 100th or worse in a number of defensive categories, including scoring defense and total defense. Nebraska went 1-6 in October and November last year, needing a comeback to top Purdue, 25-24, for its lone victory, while giving up over 50 points to Ohio State (56-14), to Minnesota (54-21), to Penn State (56-44), and Iowa (56-14).
Preseason scribes are gushing over the return of Frost, seeing a quick return to greatness for the Big Red. From The Athletic:
The presence of Nebraska’s past greatness is very much felt in Lincoln this spring now that Frost has come home. The new head coach is reviving and modernizing so much of what Osborne mastered to make Nebraska a powerhouse. He sees fundamental areas – strength training, nutrition, the walk-on program – where the Huskers have ceded their advantages and their edge over time.
“I think you’re a fool if you don’t look at a program that was the best program in the country for 25 to 30 years and try to emulate a lot of those things,” Frost told The Athletic. “There’s a formula that works at every school. There’s a formula that works at Alabama. There’s a formula that works at Boise State. There’s a formula that is proven to work here. A couple times in the recent past, people have tried to plug a different formula into this place. I just don’t think that fits Nebraska.
“I’m lucky I have a bunch of guys around me that understand a lot of the things that made Nebraska what it was. We’re certainly not gonna do everything like they did back then. But there’s a lot of things we’ve identified as important to make Nebraska go. Some of those things have been completely neglected.”
The assumption is that Frost will turn Nebraska back into a national power.
The only question, apparently, is not if he can do it, but how long it will take.
–
– Players make plays …
Scott brings to Lincoln a resume which includes running an offense at UCF which led the nation in scoring. Whether the no-huddle, fast-tempo offense (so much for bringing traditional ways back to the Cornhuskers) will translate effectively to Nebraska remains to be seen.
Nebraska will enter the 2018 season with a lineup of quarterbacks who have never started a collegiate game. If Frost can find a quarterback, the rest of the offense is in fairly decent shape. The top rushers and receivers are back, including one of the Big Ten’s best 1-2 wideout combos in Stanley Morgan and J.D. Spielman. Nebraska ran for just 107.5 yards per game last season, and is still lacking an elite back (junior college transfer Greg Bell may be the answer here). The offensive line returns four starters, but, as CU fans have learned, experience doesn’t necessarily translate to improved play.
The Nebraska defense last year was awful … almost as bad as Colorado’s defense.
The Cornhuskers gave up 436.2 yards per game (CU gave up 450.6). The defense gave up 5.57 yards per rush, with the opposition gaining over five yards on almost half (46.8%) of all carries (second-worst percentage in the FBS). Seven starters return, including the entire defensive line … good news or bad news? The secondary has some talented starters, but the depth is thin, and may prove a liability by season’s end.
—
… Bottom Line …
Take the following resume of an FBS team heading into the 2018 season:
— A 4-8 record the previous season, with the head coach being fired;
— A team which, but for a game-winning touchdown in the last 14 seconds against a mediocre opponent (Purdue) on October 28th, would be entering the fall on a seven-game losing streak;
— A defense which ranked 100th or worse in numerous statistical categories, including total defense and scoring defense. A defense which gave up 54, 56, and 56 points in its final three games of 2017;
— An offense which will be featuring a quarterback entering the season with no collegiate starts.
Given those bare facts, most Colorado fans would be salivating at the opportunity to take on just such an opponent.
But ... this particular 4-8 team is Nebraska, and the game will be in Lincoln (September 8th, 1:30 p.m., MT, ABC). Scott Frost has returned to make Nebraska great again, and there will be 85,000 fans on hand in September in his first game against a Power-Five opponent as the Cornhusker head coach. The game will be televised by ABC, and will receive national attention.
Can the Buffs handle the pressure?
It has been eight years since the Buffs have faced the Cornhuskers. The players on the 2018 CU roster were in elementary school the last time the black-and-gold ventured into Memorial Coliseum in Lincoln.
Perhaps that will work to CU’s advantage.
CU fans know how hard it has been for the Buffs to defeat the Cornhuskers, especially in Lincoln (8-26 all-time).
These Buff players, however, don’t have a history of disappointing finishes in Lincoln.
Perhaps they can write a new (and positive) chapter to the CU/Nebraska rivalry …
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
