last night's game might have been the best thing that ever happened to us. The team learned that they are not good enough to take anybody lightly but they also learned they have the resiliency to overcome adversity. The offense and our young starting QB learned that they can play at this level and score points to lead the team from a come from behind victory. The defense learned that they don't have to be perfect in every game because the offense can be trusted and that they have significant depth that can overcome injuries. Perhaps most importantly, the coaching staff learned that their young QB will make mistakes regardless but if they open up the playbook and play up tempo, he can also make a lot of plays and win a college football game for you. It's a good sign when you can defeat a good opponent even when things aren't all going your way. I think these are lessons that will serve this team very well the rest of this season as we enter the Big Ten conference schedule.
After a Good Night's Sleep I think.....
- Thread starter corbi296
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I agree. I didn't look at the box score when I got home from the game, but when I checked this morning NU had over 550 yards of total offense and a nice lead in time of possession. I have never seen so many injuries in one game, yet the back-up did OK. I felt like Neal outplayed CT, but looking at the stats NU actually defended the BSU QB pretty well. Kudos to the BSU punter for his rugby kicks, they put NU in a hole time after time and there wasn't much Shuler could do about it.
NU is still a work in progress offensively. But they showed flashes in the 3rd quarter that they can be at least an average Big 10 offense, and if the defense is healthy it is still very good.
You two said it well. I was a little down on Thorson at halftime, but I'm fully back in his corner this morning.
Here's to hoping it's our version of 1995 Miami (OH). There were some signs of life on offense, but the defense playing flat and not making plays where there were PLENTY of opportunities is concerning for a team whose defense will have to be its identity throughout the year.
I also would credit the coaching staff for regrouping and redirecting the team at halftime.
For the last time, this was no Miami. NU had a huge lead on Walk's team and were cruising going into the 4th, and just quit playing. Last night, the offense was lack luster in the first half, like they were going through the motions. Defense played hard and well for the most part. The first TD was more an issue with field position and a great throw and catch than a defensive break down. BSU had ONE TD drive all night. There is NO parallel to Miami.
There's no parallel between games that could play meaningful roles in a team's growth?
As Matt Rice pointed out, the Miami game might have been the best thing to happen to the 1995 team because it made them realize that maximum focus and preparation was needed every week. That's what I'm hoping the Ball State game does for the 2015 team.
PS -- the defense really didn't play all that well. Left a whole slew of potential turnovers on the field and were inconsistent against the zone read.
I'd feel a lot better about the game, along the lines of what you're describing, if we hadn't suffered so many injuries last night. That's the cloud with no silver lining. Hopefully some of those guys aren't as banged up as they looked.
No. Last night, the defense was fine. Guys got hurt which impacted the ability to make stops. And that excellent BSU receiver made plays. If you had told me before the game BSU would only score 3 first half points off their own drives I'd have thought NU would be running away with the game.
The offense seemed vanilla by design in the first half. The third quarter was what I thought we'd see from the NU offense.
I actually made the opposite point that the lesson could have been learned with an ugly win. It was by far the worst thing that happened all year. (IMO, many teammates who make the point that losing to Miami was a good thing do so as a coping mechanism even 20 years later...)
Assuming the injury situation isn't as bad as it looked last night, this is likely a blessing for several reasons. The defense has good players, but they've been dominant because of great focus, effort and tackling. When the focus, effort and tackling (which are all related) wane even a little, we look like a pretty average B1G defense. This is a nice lesson to learn in a game where you ultimately get a win. The other good thing is that we got ourselves in enough trouble through turnovers (not good) that we really had no choice but to turn the keys over to Thorson, and he was able to make plays. In hindsight, it paid off and the young QB has to have more confidence in himself. The coaches and his teammates have to have more confidence in him as well. It's good to have an experience like that before the B1G season.
Because we got the W, this game will be forgotten in 6 days assuming our injury situation isn't as bad as it could be. If this game is remembered at all, injuries will be the only reason.
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Apologies for misremembering that... Maybe was thinking of others in the follow up discussion?
Either way, my bad.
No problem. I agreed with your broader point though. It can be good to be humbled (close win), but it's never good to have your confidence shattered (close loss).
No team or unit has ever brought its A game to every game it plays. The good teams find a way to win anyway when they're not at their best.
The team was flat. The sidelines were not into the game and urging the team on. It is like we were waiting for something good to happen rather than making something good happen.
There was a spark to start the second half. Perhaps a decent half time speech, fear we were screwing it up, again?
It was a different coaching mindset. The offense started passing to set up the run. not run, run, pass on 3rd down. We were less predictable. Took a few shots down field. Its what you do when you know you can't just sit back and collect a win.
I think we are going to be pretty good, but in the big 10, every game will require that willingness to take some risks and mix it up. That is as much coaching approach as the players headset. We talk about players being up for a game. How about the coaches too. Stop holding back plays and now showing our hand. Press the advantage, field punts, take some kickoffs from the endzone. Play like you are going to go take it, not just strategize how you are going to avoid losing. That coaching approach flows through to the players on the field. Carpe Diem
There was a spark to start the second half. Perhaps a decent half time speech, fear we were screwing it up, again?
It was a different coaching mindset. The offense started passing to set up the run. not run, run, pass on 3rd down. We were less predictable. Took a few shots down field. Its what you do when you know you can't just sit back and collect a win.
I think we are going to be pretty good, but in the big 10, every game will require that willingness to take some risks and mix it up. That is as much coaching approach as the players headset. We talk about players being up for a game. How about the coaches too. Stop holding back plays and now showing our hand. Press the advantage, field punts, take some kickoffs from the endzone. Play like you are going to go take it, not just strategize how you are going to avoid losing. That coaching approach flows through to the players on the field. Carpe Diem
Just watched my recording of the 1st half. I'm changing my tune about our D. Q1 was not fun. And Q2, the Cards earned that TD-great catch. But, our defense did put a lot of pressure on their QB, and our secondary played close and tight. If we can bring the offense of the second half to the next one, I think we should be fine.
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