The Game
Hello all from Husker Central here in Nebraska.
First off, wanted to congradulate you all on a close fought battle. It was hard fought, in the end, you guys didn't pull it out, but at least you can say that it came down to the nitty gritty. Who knew that a true freshman would have the poise he did on that final drive?
Secondly...I was reading some posts in this thread earlier kinda bashing Terrelle Pryor, but saying nothing about some of the questionable coaching decisions made during the game. While one could question Pryor's locking in on certain receivers during the game (which made it easy for the SC defense to key off), one should also question the offensive playcalling during the game by the coaching staff. Being a Husker fan (who's team played the same Trojans twice), I speak with a little experience on this subject. What do I mean? Well....
The Bill Callahan Project was still in full effect when the Huskers went into LA to face the vaunted Trojans. This was the senior season for Zac Taylor (who ended up being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the year that year), and the Huskers took a rather chippy team into LA.
Although the media makes this win out to be a dominant performance by the Trojans, Nebraska, in the 2nd Half, started to turn the game into a more competitive matter. Unfortunately, the coaching staff had other plans. They coached not to be blown out, and did not take aggressive advantanges of plays that would have went their way.
It was the beginning of the end for Bill Callahan. Never mind he won a Big 12 North title that same year....the lack of an apparent game plan hurt any chances he had with Nebraska fans. The following year, SC didn't make the same mistake. It was a slaughter from the getgo.
Now, fast forward to last week's game in the 'Shoe. Coach T seemed at first to have a decent gameplan - Stop SC on D, put points on the board with ball control offense and grind out a win. Unfortunately, you can't rest on your laurels against a pirate like Pete Carroll.
I hope and pray I don't sound like this is bashing, but Terrelle Pryor is too much of a talent to have him winging the ball back there all the time. Not once did I see a Zone Read (which would have KILLED SC). I didn't see too many screen passes, or draw plays which would have taken advantage of an overly aggressive defense. Yes, you can put some of the mistake on young Mr. Pryor...he is the leader on the field of that team. But you also do have to put some question in the gameplan that the coaches put in his hands. It took some of the fire out of the belly of the OSU offense.
I also don't listen to what the media says - OSU had about the same talent level as SC did, except in the offensive backfield. Other than that, comparable Defenses, decent offenses. The difference comes on the sideline.
Hopefully, it's a lesson learned both for Terrelle Pryor AND Coach Tressell. You're never too old to try new things. I know he's a very conservative play caller, but so was Tommy Tuberville....Bill Callahan....and some others that decided to stick to their way of calling a game.
Yes, he's the coach. But you have to change with the trends of college football. Grind it out style of football doesn't cut it any longer. Look at Michigan (gasp). If their defense played any last week, it's not even close. Ga. Tech lost tonight because Paul Johnson decided, "To hell with the forward pass...I'm running the ball." And they lost.
So, I wish you guys luck. You'll rebound, hopefully. Don't be hard on Mr. Pryor (or Coach T). Just hope that they have learned from this loss, realize that they left that one on the field, and come out next week with guns blazing.
I wish you well, and Go Big Red!
