[Husker] Be honest, what would you have done? (LONG, but worth it IMO)

[Skylar Dodds]

A lot of people wanted Cody Green to get a few plays in the game, which I
understand.  I was thinking that during the game myself.  I went through the
drive charts to try to figure out when I would have put in Cody (aka, when I
felt Zac wasn't getting it done).  I'll post my opinion below.

I challenge ALL OF YOU to read through this and tell me when you would have
put him in and why.  I'm not saying there's not a good answer, I'm just
saying there's not an EASY answer.

I don't want "at the start of the game" because none of us observed practice
this week and none of us know who earned what (unless you were at practice
this week, then go ahead!)

Try to take (if you can) the terrible emotion we all walked away with on
Saturday and look at it as a coach.  


*********
*Drive 1*
*********

Drive Started: NU 36, 14:44 1Q 
Score: 0-0
What happened: Helu fumbled first rush
End Result: Fumble in NU territory

Lee's Drive: Nothing
Lee's Total: Nothing


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*Drive 2*
*********

Drive Started: NU 26, 13:19 1Q
Score: 0-3
What happened: Moved into ISU's territory, drive stalled after a 3rd and 4
incomplete pass to McNeil
End Result: PUNT

Lee's Drive: 3-4 20 yards, 2 rush 5 yards
Lee's Total: 3-4 20 yards, 2 rush 5 yards


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*Drive 3*
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Drive Started: ISU 42, 07:32 1Q
Score: 0-3
What happened: D. Robinson touchdown run
End Result: TOUCHDOWN

Lee's Drive: 4-5 40 yards, 1 rush -1 yards ** Fumble, recovered by Gilleylen
**
Lee's Total: 7-9 60 yards, 3 rush 4 yards 1 Fumble


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*Drive 4*
*********

Drive Started: NU 14, 00:12 1Q
Score: 7-3
What happened: Long drive, freakish interception with 4 tips (LB, McNeil,
DB, Helu) and the 5th guy intercepts the ball (ball throw a bit low by Lee,
allowing a LB to tip the pass)
End Result: Weird INT, touchback

Lee's Drive: 6-7 49 yards INT, 1 rush 1 yard
Lee's Total: 13-16 109 yards INT, 4 rush 5 yards 1 Fumble

*********
*Drive 5*
*********

Drive Started: NU 34, 6:48 2Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: Helu rush for nothing, back to back incompletes...3 and out.
End Result: PUNT

Lee's Drive: 0-2 0 yards
Lee's Total: 13-18 109 yards INT, 4 rush 5 yards 1 Fumble


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*Drive 6*
*********

Drive Started: NU 22, 05:04 2Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: 72 yard pass to Niles....you saw the fumble.
End Result: Niles Fumble, touchback

Lee's Drive: 1-1 72 yards
Lee's Total: 14-19 183 yards INT, 4 rush 5 yards 1 Fumble


*********
*Drive 7*
*********

Drive Started: NU 16, 01:49 2Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: Two DPIs, 1 run (by Lee) and 5 passes (I suppose why not, Zac
had passed very well on them up to this point)
End Result: PUNT

Lee's Drive: 0-3 0 yards, 1 rush 4 yards
Lee's Total: 14-22 183 yards INT, 5 rush 9 yards 1 Fumble


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HALFTIME
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+


*********
*Drive 8*
*********

Drive Started: NU 48, 12:03 3Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: Helu fumbled near the goaline after a minor brush of the
shoulder.
End Result: Helu Fumble

Lee's Drive: 3-4 33 yards
Lee's Total: 17-26 216 yards INT, 5 rush 9 yards 1 Fumble


*********
*Drive 9*
*********

Drive Started: IA 41, 08:07 3Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: D. Robinson looks great until he fumbles inside the 20.
End Result: D. Robinson fumble

Lee's Drive: Nothing
Lee's Total: 17-26 216 yards INT, 5 rush 9 yards 1 Fumble


**********
*Drive 10*
**********

Drive Started: NU 17, 00:32 3Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: Holt fumbled on a middle slant route
End Result: Holt Fumble

Lee's Drive: 1-2 10 yards
Lee's Total: 18-28 226 yards INT, 5 rush 9 yards 1 Fumble


**********
*Drive 11*
**********

Drive Started: ISU 34, 12:47 4Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: 2 bad rushes, incomplete on a long 3rd down (13 yards)
End Result: PUNT

Lee's Drive: 0-1 0 yards
Lee's Total: 18-29 226 yards INT, 5 rush 9 yards 1 Fumble


**********
*Drive 12*
**********

Drive Started: NU 19, 04:03 4Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: Zac intercepted on off a pass of the hands of Gilleylen
thrown a bit high and behind him after 2 nice completions and an incomplete
pass
End Result: INTERCEPTION

Lee's Drive: 2-4 23 yards, INT
Lee's Total: 20-33 249 yards 2 INT, 5 rush 9 yards 1 Fumble


**********
*Drive 13*
**********

Drive Started: NU 36, 01:53 4Q
Score: 7-9
What happened: Helu fumbled first rush
End Result: INTERCEPTION on a bad pass by Lee

Lee's Drive: 0-4 0 yards INT
Lee's Total: 20-37 226 yards 3 INT, 5 rush 9 yards 1 Fumble


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ END OF GAME
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+


***********
My Analysis
***********

There are really 3 places I could see putting him in there and I could
understand why Shawn/Bo decided not to in either situation.

1) To start the 2nd half.  Lee's last possession wasn't very good and we got
20 yards basically on two DPIs.  However, I could understand why SW/BP
didn't because overall Zac played a very decent half and completed 64% of
his passes and one freakish INT.
2) After drive 12.  Lee started to looked really bad on 2 straight passes
and we were desperate.  However, do you really put in a true freshman QB for
the last drive of the game with 2 minutes left down by 2?  Especially when
that freshman's best weapon is his feet?
3) After drive 11, not because of what he did on that drive, but because of
how he ended the 1st half (assuming a repeat performance in the 2nd half).
This one's a stretch, as the two don't really correlate.  Plus, why wouldn't
you hope he pulled off something like he did vs Missouri where he lit them
up for the last bit of the game?

Overall, I can understand why Cody didn't make it into the game.  The last
two drives he really fell apart, but up until that point he was 18-29 (62%)
for 226 yards with one really freakish INT and was a Niles Paul blunder from
away from having a TD.

I think he WOULD have put in Cody if ISU didn't have that LONG possession in
the 4th quarter (7 min, 12 seconds) just to 'mix it up'.  However, down 2
with only 4 min left, I don't think he felt he had the luxary.

Sorry for the long post, but I really want to challenge Husker fans to think
through it and not just get emotional.