Iceland12
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Enjoy the "Play Calling" Grade. Turns out the Gophers aren't the only team with fans upset about play calling. 
RUNNING GAME (B)
Ameer Abdullah’s fumble was a blemish, and even though Taylor Martinez busted loose for a 35-yard run, it sure didn’t look like the senior quarterback was healthy enough to run on a consistent basis. He was still too hesitant. But Martinez and Abdullah had something cooking on the option, didn’t they? Abdullah averaged 8.7 yards per carry and showed his athleticism when he hurdled a defender on a 22-yard run down the sideline.
PASSING GAME (D)
This was a mess, from quarterback to receiver to offensive line. How much of it was a rusty quarterback resulting in a lack of overall sync? Receivers slipped countless times, partly because they were coming back for underthrown balls, offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. They also dropped passes. And Martinez was sacked four times, or one more sack than Nebraska had allowed all season entering the game. Just a cluster all the way around.
AGAINST THE RUN (F)
We’ve seen this before, and so, too, had Minnesota’s coaches. They used a variety of shifts, motions and personnel groupings to bewilder and confuse Nebraska’s defenders, who overpursued plays, looked hesitant, blew tackles or missed assignments. It didn’t appear as though Minnesota would have to get too fancy, though, because the Gophers’ offensive line, which has no senior starters, blew away Nebraska’s defensive front. Overall, Minnesota was the more physical team.
AGAINST THE PASS (D)
Minnesota is not an established passing team, as we saw on the third-down drop by a wide-open receiver in the fourth quarter that could’ve put the game away a few minutes earlier. But the Gopher coaching staff did a masterful job of using the run to set up the pass, and got big tight end Drew Goodger loose for three catches for 68 yards. He’d averaged 5.5 yards on six receptions for the season. The fourth-and-10, 33-yard touchdown pass was a killer, too.
SPECIAL TEAMS (B)
The biggest positive from Saturday: Nebraska found its field-goal kicker in senior transfer Pat Smith, who booted field goals of 45, 42 and 37 yards, the last one coming after he’d already made a shorter field goal that was negated by a penalty. That’s not easy. I swear, that 19-yard punt return by Jordan Westerkamp was Nebraska’s longest since the Dejuan Groce days. Sam Foltz has been strong this season, but he picked a bad time for a 27-yard shank. That set up the Gophers’ decisive drive.
PLAY CALLING (F)
Why did Nebraska get away from the run and rely more on passing? “It fit for the game what they were doing,” Beck said. “We didn’t make plays, all over the field. We just didn’t make plays, at every position.” Abdullah, aside from his fumble, made plays, but didn’t get the ball enough. Nebraska didn’t have a first-down pass gain positive yards after the first quarter. Abdullah, meanwhile, helped Nebraska average 8.8 yards on first-down runs for the game. Yet, Nebraska had an even split of 30 passes, 30 runs.
GAME MANAGEMENT (D)
Remind me again, which team had the bye week, and which team was battling some adversity with the absence of its head coach? Minnesota had a fine game plan, and executed it well. Time used to be when Nebraska was that dominant team that dictated the game and made the other team look hesitant and uncertain of what it wanted to do. Roles were reversed Saturday. Oh, and that time management at the end of first half left something to be desired.
OVERALL (D)
I’m not really sure what more can be said. This program’s identity crisis continues. Nebraska got outcoached by an inspired team with an acting head coach, and by an offensive coordinator who called a brilliant game. You know Nebraska’s problems. I know Nebraska’s problems. What we saw during the game, and heard after it, isn’t anything new. Now, what’s the solution?
http://journalstar.com/sports/huske...cle_185b9a18-591f-55c0-9bb6-0116087c2c2d.html
RUNNING GAME (B)
Ameer Abdullah’s fumble was a blemish, and even though Taylor Martinez busted loose for a 35-yard run, it sure didn’t look like the senior quarterback was healthy enough to run on a consistent basis. He was still too hesitant. But Martinez and Abdullah had something cooking on the option, didn’t they? Abdullah averaged 8.7 yards per carry and showed his athleticism when he hurdled a defender on a 22-yard run down the sideline.
PASSING GAME (D)
This was a mess, from quarterback to receiver to offensive line. How much of it was a rusty quarterback resulting in a lack of overall sync? Receivers slipped countless times, partly because they were coming back for underthrown balls, offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. They also dropped passes. And Martinez was sacked four times, or one more sack than Nebraska had allowed all season entering the game.
Just a cluster all the way around.AGAINST THE RUN (F)
We’ve seen this before, and so, too, had Minnesota’s coaches. They used a variety of shifts, motions and personnel groupings to bewilder and confuse Nebraska’s defenders, who overpursued plays, looked hesitant, blew tackles or missed assignments. It didn’t appear as though Minnesota would have to get too fancy, though, because the Gophers’ offensive line, which has no senior starters, blew away Nebraska’s defensive front. Overall, Minnesota was the more physical team.
AGAINST THE PASS (D)
Minnesota is not an established passing team, as we saw on the third-down drop by a wide-open receiver in the fourth quarter that could’ve put the game away a few minutes earlier. But the Gopher coaching staff did a masterful job of using the run to set up the pass, and got big tight end Drew Goodger loose for three catches for 68 yards. He’d averaged 5.5 yards on six receptions for the season. The fourth-and-10, 33-yard touchdown pass was a killer, too.
SPECIAL TEAMS (B)
The biggest positive from Saturday: Nebraska found its field-goal kicker in senior transfer Pat Smith, who booted field goals of 45, 42 and 37 yards, the last one coming after he’d already made a shorter field goal that was negated by a penalty. That’s not easy. I swear, that 19-yard punt return by Jordan Westerkamp was Nebraska’s longest since the Dejuan Groce days. Sam Foltz has been strong this season, but he picked a bad time for a 27-yard shank. That set up the Gophers’ decisive drive.
PLAY CALLING (F)
Why did Nebraska get away from the run and rely more on passing? “It fit for the game what they were doing,” Beck said. “We didn’t make plays, all over the field. We just didn’t make plays, at every position.” Abdullah, aside from his fumble, made plays, but didn’t get the ball enough. Nebraska didn’t have a first-down pass gain positive yards after the first quarter. Abdullah, meanwhile, helped Nebraska average 8.8 yards on first-down runs for the game. Yet, Nebraska had an even split of 30 passes, 30 runs.
GAME MANAGEMENT (D)
Remind me again, which team had the bye week, and which team was battling some adversity with the absence of its head coach? Minnesota had a fine game plan, and executed it well. Time used to be when Nebraska was that dominant team that dictated the game and made the other team look hesitant and uncertain of what it wanted to do. Roles were reversed Saturday. Oh, and that time management at the end of first half left something to be desired.
OVERALL (D)
I’m not really sure what more can be said. This program’s identity crisis continues. Nebraska got outcoached by an inspired team with an acting head coach, and by an offensive coordinator who called a brilliant game. You know Nebraska’s problems. I know Nebraska’s problems. What we saw during the game, and heard after it, isn’t anything new. Now, what’s the solution?
http://journalstar.com/sports/huske...cle_185b9a18-591f-55c0-9bb6-0116087c2c2d.html
