Septmeber 5, 2010

Post gameday reflection today....gotta a lot to say...

THE HOT LIST:

1. Post-Game Reflection: Western Kentucky
2. Around the Big 12: Thoughts


1. Well we can put it in the books now...we've started the season. Nebraska looked good last night...in the first half on both sides of the ball. Clearly the story that will sweep through the state in the next week will be the continuing competition at Quarterback and the play of Freshman (rising sensation) Taylor Martinez. For those fans who didn't think that he could start as a true freshman...look again...Taylor became Nebraska's first freshman to EVER start a season opener. Its the changing times in College Football, teams across the landscape are throwing out rules if it gives them a chance to win...and win now. Taylor arguably gives Nebraska a serious threat at QB simply because of his running ability. He's fast, shifty, and showed in the open field he's got the vision to get into the endzone. Alum Husker Fans probably were excited to see some of the glory days of QB play where they would consistently rush for 2-3 touchdowns every game. I also came away very impressed with his ability to look off over anxious safeties and hit underneath WR's in the passing game. It's an area that I feel Taylor will continue to work on in the coming weeks. I also was impressed with Cody Green as well. You can tell an area of his game that he's really worked on is staying composed in the pocket and getting better touches on his passes. His TD pass to Niles Paul was very impressive.

When you break down the reps of the QB's, one thing stands out: Zac Lee entering the game with only 6 mins left. I dunno if this was meant to be a message, but it clearly radiates out to the state...our senior QB is buried on the depth chart right now. He hasn't done what the coaches demand consistently to warrant more playing time. You have to remember this...this offense is evolving where our QB running ability will become a pivotal part of our offensive philosophy. Zac may have the most knowledge of the play book, but his lack of running for first downs last season and his par speed have placed him where he is now. It'll be an interesting story line for the week...we could all be singing a different tune if Cody Green gets the bulk of the playing time next week against Idaho. I don't foresee that to happen, as I think we'll begin to see the coaches mold Taylor into the manageable QB that can just win games without turning over the ball....would of been nice to see him play against Texas last year if he continues to look like the real deal. We haven't had one of those in a long long time.

I thought the defense played well in the first half but did get gashed a little bit in the second half. Bo wasn't to pleased with his defense especially when they gave up 219 of Western Kentucky 299 in the second half. This will have to be addressed because if you give up that many points in the second half against higher quality teams, you could find yourself on the losing end of most of those games. No matter how you slice it up, its a start...its by no means where we wanna be at the end of the season....we have room to grow and improve to be a dominate team.


2. Around the Big 12:

Many teams were in action last night. If your fans of Texas and Oklahoma you might be a tad concerned. OU's defense got gashed by Utah State and needed a late INT to seal their win, while Texas was unable to put away Rice in early parts of the game...I think the most impressive team was Oklahoma State. The dismantled Washington State 65-17. Their offense clicked for over 500 yards of total offense and their newly remodeled defense game the Cougars fits. Its not that impressive if they can't do that against the big dogs but its a good start. Robert Griffin looked back to form giving the Bears a nice 34-3 win. Iowa State, K-State, Colorado, Missouri, Texas A&M all get W's on opening weekend.

The most shocking game was Kansas. Turner Gill's first game in a coach in a BCS school will be memorable. The Bison of North Dakota State shocked the Jayhawks with a 6-3 win in Lawrence. Kansas amassed 293 yards of total offense but three costly turnovers sealed their fate. For a team with a lot of questions, that question bag got a whole lot heavier after yesterday's game. If Turner can't get things back on track...it could be a long long season for Kansas Fans this year.....I'm still in awe about it today....

Back later this week....Enjoy the Labor Day weekend....