If I live to be 100, I will never see a scenario where we lose this one

[Wingback Reverse]

Honestly, this is one I will never in a hundred years understand.

If you look back on this game, Virginia Tech had only two plays of any significance...the kick off return to open the game and the blown coverage (brain dead) pass in the last minute.  In reality, from the beginning of the second quarter on, we kicked them up and down the field.  How you put up nearly 400 yards of total offense and walk away with only five field goals is impossible for me to understand.

But here is the bottom line, as much as I like Bo (and I really like Bo), the lost touchdown is clearly on him.  I can accept the holding call (in reality there isn't a play in any game where holding couldn't be called), but the touchdown pass to Holt was clearly a touchdown and everybody understands that.  The problem is that Bo squandered two timeouts early in the second half so he couldn't risk losing his third one by losing out on a challenge.  Had we not wasted those time outs, there is no question he would have challenged the call and he would have won.

Beyond that however, Shawn Watson's play calling in the fourth quarter is as bad as I have seen in 50 years of watching Nebraska football.  He had Zac Lee (who clearly wasn't up to the challenge today) throwing the football in the second half when the clock was clearly our ally.  There was also a point in the game where you could see the quarterback draw coming from a mile away.  Yes, it worked a few times, but VT seemed to figure it out, but we kept after it.  And the last two drives, when we their defense was clearly gassed and we wouldn't make a commitment to run the ball down their throats.  I'll never understand it.  I would have run the ball at them and dared them to stop me.  How you can't pick up 10 yards and get one first down when they are out of time outs with a minute and a half to go is unfathomable. 

Poor time out management (yet again) and poor offensive play calling.  This team played their hearts out, but we lost because of poor coaching.  Don't get me wrong, I am a Pelini fan (big time), but this one baffles me.  I just feel bad for this team.  This game was a game that we should have won and that we needed to win.  My biggest concern is that we get in another tight ball game (especially on the road) and the memory of this one comes back to haunt us.  Football is a game of momentum and confidence.  A loss of this nature is a confidence destroyer.

[Husker94]

Honestly, this is one I will never in a hundred years understand.

If you look back on this game, Virginia Tech had only two plays of any significance...the kick off return to open the game and the blown coverage (brain dead) pass in the last minute.  In reality, from the beginning of the second quarter on, we kicked them up and down the field.  How you put up nearly 400 yards of total offense and walk away with only five field goals is impossible for me to understand.

But here is the bottom line, as much as I like Bo (and I really like Bo), the lost touchdown is clearly on him.  I can accept the holding call (in reality there isn't a play in any game where holding couldn't be called), but the touchdown pass to Holt was clearly a touchdown and everybody understands that.  The problem is that Bo squandered two timeouts early in the second half so he couldn't risk losing his third one by losing out on a challenge.  Had we not wasted those time outs, there is no question he would have challenged the call and he would have won.

Beyond that however, Shawn Watson's play calling in the fourth quarter is as bad as I have seen in 50 years of watching Nebraska football.  He had Zac Lee (who clearly wasn't up to the challenge today) throwing the football in the second half when the clock was clearly our ally.  There was also a point in the game where you could see the quarterback draw coming from a mile away.  Yes, it worked a few times, but VT seemed to figure it out, but we kept after it.  And the last two drives, when we their defense was clearly gassed and we wouldn't make a commitment to run the ball down their throats.  I'll never understand it.  I would have run the ball at them and dared them to stop me.  How you can't pick up 10 yards and get one first down when they are out of time outs with a minute and a half to go is unfathomable. 

Poor time out management (yet again) and poor offensive play calling.  This team played their hearts out, but we lost because of poor coaching.  Don't get me wrong, I am a Pelini fan (big time), but this one baffles me.  I just feel bad for this team.  This game was a game that we should have won and that we needed to win.  My biggest concern is that we get in another tight ball game (especially on the road) and the memory of this one comes back to haunt us.  Football is a game of momentum and confidence.  A loss of this nature is a confidence destroyer.

Honey it's football and sometimes the best team DOESN'T win.

[BleedsHuskerRed]

Jesus christ...
Some of you people are taking this loss way too hard. Its one game. We're 0-0 in big 12 play. Most of the season is still ahead of us. Oklahoma has won the big 12 the last 3 years. Guess what? They lost football games before they did that. The last 3 national champions lost football games before they won the titles.
This season still has much hope.
Get over this loss

[Husker94]

Jesus christ...
Some of you people are taking this loss way too hard. Its one game. We're 0-0 in big 12 play. Most of the season is still ahead of us. Oklahoma has won the big 12 the last 3 years. Guess what? They lost football games before they did that. The last 3 national champions lost football games before they won the titles.
This season still has much hope.
Get over this loss

Bleeds,

Sometimes I want to kiss you...on the cheek of course...

[Wingback Reverse]

Yes, Husker94, we all understand that sometimes the better team doesn't win.  But going into that final drive, we had almost double the total offense of those guys and we just couldn't finish anything.

I endured Sooner Magic in the late 70s and early 80s, but this is, without question, the most disappointing letting one get away from you that I can recall.  I'm not saying it hurts as bad as some of those Oklahoma losses (I'm a whole lot older and wiser now than I was then), but this one is by far the most baffling.

[SUHnami]

Yes, Husker94, we all understand that sometimes the better team doesn't win.  But going into that final drive, we had almost double the total offense of those guys and we just couldn't finish anything.

I endured Sooner Magic in the late 70s and early 80s, but this is, without question, the most disappointing letting one get away from you that I can recall.  I'm not saying it hurts as bad as some of those Oklahoma losses (I'm a whole lot older and wiser now than I was then), but this one is by far the most baffling.

We let on get away on Jan 1 1994 in the OB.  Why is this loss any different?  The better team didn't win that night either.

[BleedsHuskerRed]

Bleeds,

Sometimes I want to kiss you...on the cheek of course...

Well this is a first. Glad we're on the same side of this issue. 

[Roscoe Pound]

I'm just tired of getting kicked in the crotch. I'm tired of having to look for things to take from a game to try to feel better about it.

[HuskersNC949597]

I'm just tired of getting kicked in the crotch. I'm tired of having to look for things to take from a game to try to feel better about it.

Well the difference here is the leadership in charge is much better than it has been in a while.  This team will not be lost like 2002, or 2004, or 2007.

[Red Said Ted]

Bleeds,

Sometimes I want to kiss you...on the cheek of course...

Well this is a first. Glad we're on the same side of this issue. 

Bleeds!  Wow.  I take back about half of the crummy things I've said about you!  

Good point.  There's plenty of blame to go around any time you lose a game.  And a close one like this, man, it really stings.  There are so many plays that could have made a difference, but we didn't get it done.  As upsetting as the loss is, I see good things for this team.  Gotta love the way they played ball compared to where they were at the beginning of the 2008 season.

Perhaps some lessons were learned that will come in handy when we start league play.

I'm gonna chalk this one up to growing pains.  This is a team that is still learning to close out games.  It'll come this season...

[HuskersNC949597]

This is a team that is still learning to close out games.  It'll come this season...

Yes.  Yes it will.

[Husker94]

Yes, Husker94, we all understand that sometimes the better team doesn't win.  But going into that final drive, we had almost double the total offense of those guys and we just couldn't finish anything.

I endured Sooner Magic in the late 70s and early 80s, but this is, without question, the most disappointing letting one get away from you that I can recall.  I'm not saying it hurts as bad as some of those Oklahoma losses (I'm a whole lot older and wiser now than I was then), but this one is by far the most baffling.

I agree.  I'm just saying that this loss can be more accurately pinned on the ineffectiveness of the offense than the final two or three plays of the defense.

[txhuskers]

I think the home game against Texas Tech a couple years ago was worse.  LeKevin Smith intercepted a pass with just a minute or so to go in the 4th quarter and decided to run with the ball.  Then he fumbled.  Texas Tech recovered and scored a TD.  That was worse than today.

[SUHnami]

I think the home game against Texas Tech a couple years ago was worse.  LeKevin Smith intercepted a pass with just a minute or so to go in the 4th quarter and decided to run with the ball.  Then he fumbled.  Texas Tech recovered and scored a TD.  That was worse than today.

I agree.  All he ahd to do was go down and the game was over! 

[Wingback Reverse]

Yes, Husker94, we all understand that sometimes the better team doesn't win.  But going into that final drive, we had almost double the total offense of those guys and we just couldn't finish anything.

I endured Sooner Magic in the late 70s and early 80s, but this is, without question, the most disappointing letting one get away from you that I can recall.  I'm not saying it hurts as bad as some of those Oklahoma losses (I'm a whole lot older and wiser now than I was then), but this one is by far the most baffling.

I agree.  I'm just saying that this loss can be more accurately pinned on the ineffectiveness of the offense than the final two or three plays of the defense.

No question, 94.  I will never jump up and down and scream about the defense's performance today.  That was clearly the most encouraging thing about the whole ball game.  This group can play.  If you look back on this performance and compare it to the first few games last year, the improvement is almost hard to believe.  This game wasn't lost by our defense.  It was lost because of poor timeout management and ineffective play calling by our offensive staff.  Lee's performance wasn't good, but you can't pin the loss on him either.