This game can’t be an excuse to make no changes.

Solid!

I am reading posts from the armchair coaches and you are all full of it. I have been to games for 26 years. This was the worst game conditions I have seen. During the game, they warned that the stadium may be cleared because of weather. The wind picked up as the game went on. Stroud throws a beautiful ball. With the wind, his ball was going all over the place. It was not only directional, but the wind swirled all over the place. A passing game was out. Both teams kept their defense close to the line of scrimmage. I could dispute some of the calls, but unless you were at the game, any of your opinions are full of crap.

The weather is blowing big time which will make it difficult to throw the football. I'm sure the grass is ankle high to slow down OSU. I can't believe it, but I like the Cats plus the points (+38.5)

Do it asap till 2035! Go Cats!

PFF just posted a 2023 Mock Draft and had Tomi A going 29th Overall to the Chiefs. (See Here)

I thought intent was not in the equation when there is clear helmet to helmet contact. Perhaps this will be reviewed by the officials this week? Too bad it didn't get called at the time as the penalty yards could have made a significant difference in keeping the drive alive.

Just a few midweek thoughts....

1. I have to think that last Saturday was the final nail in JON's coffin. That's not based on anything from sources. That's just my gut feeling. To watch Iowa -- the worst offense in FBS -- go up and down the field against the Cats was stunning. Iowa didn't hit any plays of 25 or more yards, and they didn't get any short fields on turnovers. They just methodically shredded NU's defense. Something is seriously wrong. I now believe JON will be relieved of his duties at the end of the season.

2. One name to watch if JON gets sacked is Iowa's Seth Wallace. He is currently the assistant DC/LB coach. DC Phil Parker's scheme is very similar to Hank's -- Cover 8 is basically Cover 4 with inverted safeties. They play excellent, sound, fundamental defense, with about the same talent as NU has. Wallace is 42 years old and is known as a very good recruiter. The only question is whether he'd leave. He grew up in Iowa, played at Coe College, was a grad assistant at Iowa and has now been on Ferentz's staff for eight years. But Parker has been at Iowa as long as Ferentz has. If Wallace wants to be a DC, he may have to leave.

3. If JON gets fired, the question then is whether Fitz will retain Bajakian. I don't think Bajakian has done much to distinguish himself at OC in three years. But would Fitz fire both his OC and DC in the same year? Hiring two coordinators would be a daunting task -- although Fitz did it before when he brought on Hank and McCall together back in 2008 (Hank because Colby was fired, McCall because McGee left). If the Cats end up 1-11, with a two-year record of 4-20, Fitz might be willing to blow it all up and start over. But even if Jake stays, I think there will be some position coach changes regardless.

Trevor Chumbly and Max Mayfield are tough! Our 74 and 97 looked great too, Fisher and Davison. 84 was strong also!

NU released the 2022 schedule today. Seems odd that the defending National Champions are playing more games away from campus than on it. Are the trips out east for recruiting purposes?

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Mel Tucker taking the fighting Bert’s into the tunnel and giving em the old what for!

The two biggest plays of the game were the two runs by Stroud where he faked the handoff and took off around the end. The NU defenders bit hard both times and didn't hold the edge. Why does this keep happening game after game? The first one was on a 4th and short play, and Heard and Lewis both ended up out of position. Surely they were told that Stroud could hold the ball in that type of situation. Very frustrating, as both plays led to subsequent TDs.

I stumbled across the above game on the NFL Network. The score was 21-21 early in the first half.. The remainder of the half was also high scoring and ended with SMU leading 56-35. Each team added 3 TDs in the second half for a final of 77-56 with about 1500 yards of total offense
The one thing that stood out was SMU's ability to generate long passes into single coverage. Other teams do this to NU but it seems like NU deep passes always have 2 defenders covering

It was fun watching these teams play because I watch NU so much and this was so different

Hance was signed today by the Jags off the Niners practice squad. Was on the Jags practice squad in 2019.

4th down and two feet to go, and you call the Wildcat with Hull?? You put the ball 6 yards away from the line of scrimmage to make 2 feet? Why not a QB sneak with a FB pushing the QB? That was the game right there.
Idiots!

As I headed down my street this Halloween morning on my way to work, these two ungulates made their appearance. Eventually they made it to the base of my driveway. When I glanced out my side window there was in addition a Black Cat staring at me and the four footed Halloween visitors.

FWIW, this is the first photographed moose sighting on my street since the week before our win against Nebraska.

Coaches like Day, Harbaugh, Kiffin, and Smart NEED to win. If they don’t, they lose their multimillion dollar annual salaries.

Fitz wants to win; he doesn’t need to win. Every decision he makes is driven by what he is incentivized to do — and that’s to run a clean program and not embarrass the university. He’s not incentivized to win — the bulk of his compensation comes purely from just being head coach. He’s coached NU for 15+ years and has built generational wealth for his family without achieving a conference championship (which is the basic goal of every D1 college program).

His objective is to not rock the boat. He has an amazing gig — making upper tier compensation without any of the pressure/expectations that every other coach making that kind of money experiences. It drives his personnel decisions, football strategy, everything. Everything. Fitz is who he is because he’s incentivized to be that way.

Pay Fitz $100k salary + $1mm per win and his entire coaching philosophy / in-game management would change. JON would have been gone after 3 games last year.

Incentives matter.

Nfm

Can’t let him get away.

Before our blood gets all lathered up again for the second half of this game, let me just express my excitement that I’d guess many of you share at the first half start. Will we be great all year? Maybe maybe not. Will we even win this game? Maybe maybe not. Will we go to a bowl? Still unsure.

But we at least have a competitive squad again, and that means we can be excited to watch the Cats the next 12 weeks rather than dreading our weekly humiliation. This fun part of our life is given back to us! Let’s have a great year.

There has been a lot of (understandable) kvetching about the failed 4th down wildcat calls and about over using that formation without a wrinkle as the game went on, but the play that set me over the edge was the OSU punt with a little over 8 minutes to go and the score at 14-7. I understand the terrible conditions, but it was a low line drive, and the coverage was both ragged and no where near Navarro. If he fields it, Cats start probably no worse than the 30, and it is the sort of play on a slick field he might rally break a long one. As it was, it was downed for a 45 yard punt at the 11. The Cats simply need better special team coaching. That play was huge in the outcome of the game, as Fitz did not open it up due to field position and went 3 and out, give OSU the opening to seal the game.

I really fell bad for the players. They left it all on the field today.