[Husker] Thoughts

[Kurt Gauger]

Here is one of Greg's posts.  After the first three
games of what turned out to be Solich's last, many
were complaining about the Huskers even though we were
3-0.  (My how times have changed.  Back then it was
"not only had you better win, but you darn well better
look good doing it".)  After many negative posts I
responded with one looking at the positive side of
things and this was Greg's response.  Seems rather
prophetic now (especially the part after the "record
3-0").

> Josh Davis finding holes and running tough
> Josh Davis making some good punt returns
> Josh Davis not having to return many kickoffs

Josh Davis must be having the time of his life. Good
for him.

> Pilkington knocking that PSU defender on his arse.

Wow!  That's hard to do.  If you watch the game again
you'll see Liley
making a great block for a wide-out on that play.  He
does a good job
 of
'playing basketball' with his man and shielding him
from the play. Out
 in
space that's the safest way.  Or they cut block.  NU
is famous for
 those,
and most of the receiver knockdown blocks are cuts. 
What Pilkington
 did was
what you see in the contained interior line area. 
That is very
 difficult in
space.  That clip will live on long after that
sophomore has used up
 his
eligibility.

> Incognito controlling his temper

It was nice of ABC to get a nice camera shot of that. 
Way to go,
 Richie!

> I like the quick out to Leflore.  That's new for us
> isn't it?

That's what Purdue calls a bubble screen, and, ya,
that's pretty new to
 NU.
One of the few really new things from Cotton.

> Lord has made some nice timely runs

He's an amazing runner.  He goes from start to full
gallop so fast.
  What
strides.  I was driving during the game and listening
to Jim Rose
 describe
those runs (especially the screen that Lord chose not
to throw into
 traffic
and turned into a first down run), and it struck me,
that we have seen
 four
fabulous QB runners at NU in the last ten years, and
yet, the four had
 such
different running styles.  Frazier would skate and
explode; Frost would
attack and deliver punishment; Crouch would dart and
disappear (even
 dart
doesn't connote the speed); and Lord gallops. All
amazingly effective.
  All
different.


> Record 3-0

That's three wins.  Nine left, right?  Two OOC and
seven Big XII.  Nine
 to
win six.  Bet the staff would like to get seven more. 
Ten wins and
 they
stay.  I think nine is safe, but I bet they're aiming
at ten.  They
 worry
that the nine might not be the right nine or the right
kind of nine,
 and ten
seems safer.  I don't blame them.

Make no mistake, that is very much on their minds. 
The rules have
 changed,
and Nebraska is just like everyone else, and these
guys need wins to
 make
sure they get a chance to have a next year.

Some of what is making fans scratch their heads about
the way NU has
 played
out these three wins is a result of this. We're used
to watching NU
 teams
look to pile up wins and build for the future at the
same time:  Win
 this
game and build the kind of team it takes to win a
conference title this
 year
and the kind of program it takes to win another next
year.  And so on.

That is no longer the situation.  Think of the strange
loses that teams
 like
Colorado and Ohio State and Texas and such have all
the time.  The kind
 that
make us smile and think, "How'd they let that happen?"
Now, we play by
 their
rules, where you have to win this week, and don't
worry so much about
 the
future, 'cause you ain't going to have one if you
don't get enough W's.
  We
joined their world when we ran those coaches out last
year.

Every see NU coaches so emotional at the end of
regular season games?
  Any
games? Hugging and Jim Valvano-ing around the field
looking for someone
 to
hug?  That ain't just individual coaching style
differences.  That's
 the
smell of coaching fear hangin' around the South
Stadium.

Is it better to establish a passing game?  Will they
need it down the
 road?
Sure.  Got time to worry about it?  Nope. Win this and
then we'll see
 if we
can figure out how to beat Southern Miss.  Is that
going to bite them
 in
the butt someday.  Oh, yea.  Some season?  Probably.  
Unless they can
 roll
a lot of sevens (make that elevens) in a row and
recreate the kind of
 job
security that NU was famous for so long ago, it will
lead to those same
good-good-vile kind of cycles that we laugh at when
they happen to
 Notre
Dame and Ohio State and Colorado.  Welcome to the
beginning of the
roller-coaster ride.  We'll get what we've paid for.


Greg



--- todd strong <strongtodd at msn.com> wrote:

 
> Greg Mays. Is it possible to find some of his posts
> from years ago? 

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