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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Welcome to the Gator Chronicles, the people show.
00:09 Checking the pulse of Husker Nation.
00:10 Ladies and gentlemen, the pulse of Husker Nation
00:12 is beating fast, healthy, and excited.
00:15 What a weekend for Husker sports.
00:17 It was, in particular, football and volleyball.
00:20 If you missed it, go back and check out
00:21 my gut reaction, Nebraska.
00:23 Okay, a very game Northwestern walked into Memorial Stadium
00:27 and tried to make it a game, and they did.
00:28 They fought, they scratched, and clawed.
00:31 Nebraska found a way to win that football game,
00:33 overcame some adversity.
00:34 If you missed my gut reaction to that football game,
00:37 go back and check it out.
00:38 Also, Nebraska volleyball, the number two team
00:40 in the country at the time,
00:41 takes down number one Wisconsin, and now,
00:44 now the polls haven't come out just yet,
00:46 but we know Nebraska volleyball's gonna be
00:47 the new number one volleyball team in the entire country.
00:51 Now, the show today, okay, there was a couple things
00:53 I thought about talking about when it came to a topic.
00:56 The first topic that came to my mind
00:58 was Nebraska football's in control of their own destiny,
01:00 referring to the Big Ten West division,
01:03 and them possibly making a run at the Big Ten West title.
01:06 Now, I looked at the Big Ten West standings.
01:09 We're not there just yet, but I'll explain that in a minute,
01:11 'cause I do wanna give you some interesting stats
01:13 about volleyball, and then come back to football.
01:15 All right, so real quick, the volleyball girls,
01:18 as we know, new number one team in the country, 19-0.
01:21 I went back and looked through their schedule
01:23 up to this point in the season so far again.
01:25 Of their 19 games, they have played eight ranked teams.
01:29 That means 42% of their schedule
01:30 has been against ranked opponents.
01:33 I'm assuming Wisconsin's gonna be number two
01:35 in the country when the new volleyball polls come out,
01:37 so that means they beat the number two team
01:38 in the country in Wisconsin,
01:40 and the current number three team in the country,
01:43 which is Stanford.
01:45 Now, Stanford plays number eight Oregon later today.
01:47 We'll see how that game shakes out.
01:49 But ladies and gentlemen, if you wanna show
01:50 the new number one volleyball team in the country
01:52 some love, smash that like button,
01:54 and/or this is what you talk about
01:56 when you talk about being battle-tested.
01:59 All right, Nebraska volleyball teams up to this point
02:02 in the season, smash that like button as well.
02:05 I know I'm jumping all over the place,
02:07 but back to football, ladies and gentlemen.
02:09 So I looked at the Big Ten West standings,
02:12 and I don't wanna get ahead of ourselves,
02:13 'cause we need to go to a bowl game first.
02:16 Then we can talk about other things,
02:17 or not, depending on what happens.
02:19 But I took a gander, I took a gander
02:21 at the Big Ten West division standings.
02:22 There's four teams that are realistically, okay,
02:26 left in the Big Ten West to compete
02:27 for that Big Ten West division titles.
02:29 Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
02:32 Now, alas, we play Iowa, we play Wisconsin.
02:36 The problem is we have the same Big Ten record
02:38 as Minnesota, and they have the tiebreaker over us
02:40 because they beat us.
02:41 So I'm not gonna talk about us
02:42 controlling our own destiny just yet.
02:44 I'm not gonna talk about the Big Ten West division just yet.
02:47 Here's what needs to happen.
02:49 Nebraska needs to win at least one more game or two
02:51 before I'm gonna talk about it.
02:53 I don't wanna get ahead of ourselves.
02:54 Also, Minnesota needs to at least lose one more game.
02:57 Then we control our own destiny as long as we keep winning.
03:00 But I did take a look at Minnesota's schedule as well.
03:03 Lot of similar teams to Nebraska on this schedule.
03:06 Okay, they play Michigan State, just like us.
03:08 They play Purdue, just like us.
03:09 They play Wisconsin, just like us.
03:11 They also have Illinois.
03:12 But there's a team on here named Ohio State.
03:15 There's no more Ohio States or Michigans
03:17 left on Nebraska's schedule.
03:19 So here in the very short future,
03:21 as long as Nebraska keeps winning,
03:23 we may be in control of our own destiny.
03:25 But I'm not gonna get ahead of ourselves just yet.
03:28 Here's what I wanna talk about today.
03:29 Because this is appropriate for right here, right now,
03:31 in my humble opinion.
03:33 Is Nebraska football in a good spot?
03:35 I think so.
03:36 Here's why.
03:37 I'm gonna give you five reasons why,
03:38 and then I'm gonna give you my two biggest concerns
03:40 that I have as well.
03:41 Gotta try to be objective on this show.
03:42 Now real quick, before I dive into all that,
03:43 as you know, Nebraska's overall record is four and three.
03:47 Now I get all sorts of messages from fans,
03:50 from friends, family, people at the university.
03:54 Some of them are like, "Adam, you're way too negative."
03:56 No, I'm just trying to be objective and realistic.
03:59 I had some people message me,
04:01 "You're just happy we have a winning record.
04:03 "Your expectations are way too low.
04:05 "Have you watched Nebraska football
04:06 "the past half decade?"
04:08 All I can do is give my opinion.
04:09 It's all I've ever tried to do.
04:10 I back it up with stats, facts, and evidence.
04:12 It doesn't mean I'm right or wrong,
04:14 but that's all I can do, ladies and gentlemen.
04:15 It's all I've ever tried to do,
04:17 and have some fun in the process.
04:19 Now, I will say this, right now,
04:21 okay, especially with the opponents we have left
04:24 on the second half of this schedule,
04:25 all I really care about is did we win the game.
04:27 That's all I really care about.
04:29 There's gonna be some beautiful.
04:30 There's gonna be some ugly.
04:32 Probably a lot of low scoring, close games.
04:34 All I care about at this point is do we go to a bowl game,
04:37 and did we win the most recent game we played?
04:40 At the end of the day, that's what really matters,
04:41 and if you agree with me on that,
04:42 let me know in the comments below.
04:44 Now, yes, there are some very ugly things
04:47 that need to improve for this team.
04:48 We all know that, okay, but do you realize
04:51 that Heinrich Harburg is four and one
04:53 as our starting quarterback?
04:54 Also, we're the state champs of Illinois now.
04:58 I'm just gonna pause and let that sink in.
05:01 All right, real quick,
05:02 is Nebraska football in a good spot?
05:04 I think so, and here's five reasons why I believe so,
05:07 and my two biggest concerns for the rest of the season.
05:09 Before I light that candle, dive into it,
05:10 and have some fun, ladies and gentlemen, real quick.
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05:52 All right, five reasons why I believe Nebraska football
05:54 is in a good spot right here, right now.
05:56 Number one, we have a legit defense.
05:59 The best defense we've had, in my opinion,
06:01 in the last 14 years since 2009.
06:03 Now that 2009 defense, as we know, is phenomenal.
06:06 Number one scoring defense in the entire country that year,
06:08 giving up 10 points per game.
06:10 You could argue they're the best Nebraska football,
06:12 the best Husker defense ever.
06:14 You can make that argument.
06:15 Going all the way back to 1971,
06:17 when that legendary defense gave up an average
06:19 of eight points per game.
06:21 Okay, different era, different type of offenses,
06:24 different types of football.
06:26 Okay, even the three phenomenal national championship teams
06:28 in the mid-90s gave up more points per game.
06:30 Obviously, they were phenomenal.
06:32 But I'm just saying, in the last 14 years since 2009,
06:34 we have a legit defense, and in my opinion,
06:36 the best defense we've had in a decade and a half.
06:39 All right, we have a chance to win every single game,
06:43 because if your opponent can't score, they can't win.
06:46 All right, now there's not an elite,
06:49 barely a good offense left on our schedule.
06:52 Maybe Maryland.
06:53 Okay, number two, we tend to get stronger
06:56 as the game goes along.
06:57 Now this hasn't always been true
06:59 every single game this year.
07:00 Okay, but more often than not this year,
07:02 we do, as ugly as Saturday was versus Northwestern at times,
07:07 we actually outscored Northwestern by four points
07:09 in the second half/fourth quarter.
07:11 Now before you chuckle at that,
07:12 because I chuckled writing that down,
07:13 like four whole points.
07:15 Ladies and gentlemen, I said it before
07:17 and I'll say it again, there's gonna be a lot of ugly,
07:19 beautiful, low-scoring, very close football games.
07:22 We're gonna need every single point we can get.
07:25 And my dad, and I've said this before on the show,
07:27 when I was very young, I used to get really nervous,
07:29 especially for a big game.
07:30 He'd go, "Adam, it's not that hard.
07:31 "All you gotta do is outscore your opponent by one point."
07:34 We outscored Northwestern by four times that amount
07:36 on Saturday, and I know as ridiculous as that sounds,
07:39 four points is a big deal
07:40 in every single game going forward.
07:42 Reason number three, I believe Nebraska football
07:44 is in a good spot, at least at this moment in time.
07:46 This is a very fluid situation, as we know.
07:48 But right now, the number three reason I think
07:50 they're in a good spot is this team just found a way
07:52 to win back-to-back the kind of games
07:56 that we've lost in recent years.
07:59 Now I could argue Illinois and Northwestern,
08:03 okay, those are games, the types of games,
08:04 the types of close games that we may have found a way
08:07 to lose in the past half decade or so,
08:10 we found a way to win them.
08:12 In other words, this team is learning how to win.
08:14 Okay, reason number four, we have a warrior at quarterback.
08:17 And yes, he needs to get better at certain things,
08:20 but watch him run the football.
08:22 Just to give you one example
08:24 of why this kid's easy to root for, okay?
08:27 Watch him run the football.
08:29 This is the type of kid who teammates will rally around.
08:34 Wanna play for and with.
08:37 All right, and now part two of number four
08:38 is actually Malachi Coleman.
08:41 The deep threat we haven't had all year.
08:42 Now here's the deal.
08:43 I've talked about how if I was an opposing
08:45 defensive coordinator playing Nebraska this year,
08:47 I wouldn't put eight guys in the box, I'd put nine.
08:49 Number one, we don't have an offensive line
08:51 that's great at pass protection,
08:53 so you're not gonna have to cover for long.
08:54 Number two, we don't have quarterbacks
08:55 who are great at the deep ball.
08:57 And number three, we don't have anyone
08:58 who can stretch the field as a pass catcher.
09:01 The closest we had was Thomas Fidoni, okay?
09:04 And Malachi Coleman is a young guy, talented as we know,
09:09 who's getting an opportunity to start
09:10 because of a bunch of injuries
09:11 at the wide receiver position.
09:12 But here's the thing, as an all-around wide receiver,
09:14 yeah, he's gotta get better than he's going to,
09:16 and his future's uber bright.
09:18 But the one thing he can do right here, right now,
09:21 may be the thing this offense needs the most.
09:24 Give us a vertical deep threat to stretch the defense.
09:28 If we can take a couple of shots,
09:29 especially early in games,
09:31 whether we complete 'em or not,
09:32 obviously if we complete 'em,
09:33 that's phenomenally phenomenal.
09:34 But even if we don't,
09:35 just making the defense respect that and back up,
09:37 and just have the fear of getting beat over the top
09:40 can open up so many things underneath.
09:42 And then if we start to connect on those deep threats,
09:44 like we did last Saturday,
09:45 and essentially that fake option deep pass,
09:47 44-yard touchdown from Heinrich Harburg
09:49 to Malachi Coleman, that's what sealed the win
09:51 for Nebraska over Northwestern, it really was.
09:53 If we can connect on a couple of those,
09:55 this could be the biggest thing
09:57 that our offense was missing,
09:59 other than taking care of the football,
10:02 this may have been the biggest thing
10:03 our offense has been missing all year
10:04 as a deep threat down the field.
10:06 All right, number five.
10:07 Well folks, Dave Portney,
10:09 the Barstool Sports President,
10:11 if you don't know who that is,
10:12 he kind of made a mockery,
10:15 'cause he's a Michigan guy,
10:16 when he came into town from Michigan,
10:17 he said, "Ha ha, let's make Nebraska mediocre again."
10:19 Well, we're mediocre again,
10:21 or at least we gotta at least win two more games.
10:24 Okay, we have five games left,
10:25 we gotta at least win two of 'em
10:26 to prove that we're mediocre, at least.
10:29 I know it sounds crazy,
10:31 but to go to a bowl game.
10:32 Okay, but here's my point.
10:33 Win at least two more games,
10:35 and all five of those games are winnable, to be clear,
10:37 to validate that we're at least mediocre.
10:39 But the reason number five
10:41 that I feel good about where Matt,
10:43 about where our Nebraska football is, is Matt Rule.
10:45 He's the coach that's gonna make us good again,
10:47 just like Temple, just like he did at Baylor.
10:50 I don't know if he'll make us great, okay?
10:53 But I hope so, and time will tell.
10:56 But let's start by being mediocre,
10:58 winning at least two more games the rest of this year,
11:00 and we can definitely win more.
11:01 Then get good, then whatever's next after that, okay?
11:05 Like Coach Rule says, it's a process, day by day.
11:09 Now here are my two biggest concerns
11:10 for the Husker football team the rest of this year.
11:12 Number one, injuries on offense.
11:14 Good Lord.
11:15 My rookie year at the Rams,
11:17 back when it was in St. Louis,
11:18 good old Edward Jones Dome, 2007,
11:21 we had Isaac Bruce, Torrey Holt, Orlando Pay,
11:23 Steven Jackson all get hurt.
11:25 I'd never seen a team get injured,
11:27 so many injuries on a team like that,
11:30 until my rookie year in the league.
11:31 Speedy recovery to all the guys who've been hurt
11:33 so far this year on Nebraska's offense,
11:36 but the injuries are a concern,
11:37 and Marcus Satterfield has his work cut out for him.
11:40 Number two is turnovers, my second biggest concern.
11:43 We're 127th in the country in turnover margin,
11:45 at minus seven on the year, including seven lost fumbles.
11:48 That doesn't even include the other times
11:50 we put the ball on the turf and got in the back.
11:51 We had three fumbles on Saturday that we didn't lose.
11:54 The ball's on the ground way too much.
11:57 Now, I do feel we're much better
11:59 than Illinois and Northwestern, okay?
12:02 Those games shouldn't have been as close as they were.
12:05 Also, we're not good enough to keep turning the ball
12:08 over like that and beat teams like Wisconsin and Iowa,
12:11 'cause those teams don't beat themselves.
12:13 Now I know I just shared my biggest concerns,
12:15 but here's the deal.
12:17 I actually do feel pretty optimistic
12:18 about the Nebraska football team the rest of the season,
12:20 so here are my questions for you.
12:21 Let me know your response in the comments below.
12:23 Are you as optimistic about the rest
12:25 of the Nebraska football season as I am?
12:27 Number two, does Matt Rule, the coach,
12:28 they can eventually make us good or even great again?
12:32 And number three, and I'm gonna read my own tweet.
12:34 You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, #cheapplug.
12:36 Great weekend for Husker sports.
12:38 Only thing that bothers me is you have the number one
12:41 and two teams in the country in volleyball,
12:43 both undefeated, playing each other.
12:45 That match should have been prime time
12:47 in the national spotlight, and it wasn't.
12:49 That bothers me.
12:50 Does that bother you as well?
12:51 Let me know in the comments below.
12:52 As always, check out CarrikerChronicles.com.
12:54 Go Big Red and always remember to throw the bombs.