MaxHuskers34 said:

Considering that against UCLA it seemed not having Dylan was about a 14 point swing on the line. I'd think we'd be around 6-7 point favorites with Dylan.

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It wasn't a 14 point swing on the line, more like 10

But also, before that game, TJ hadn't played a P4 opponent. Now he has, and did very well, so you'd expect less of a drop. We would very likely still be like 3 point underdogs with DR

Quint said:

Knowles will be ready with athletes that UCLA doesn’t posses to go with a full four quarters of game film .

I had kind of hoped they’d slip up against Michigan State and lose all shot at a bowl. I don’t know how much weight the kids on that roster are putting into making a bowl at 6-6, but I have to believe theres something there as well as not wanting to be a part of the first losing season at Penn State since 2020 and the first non Covid losing season since 2004.

I have no doubt Holgorsen and Co have been working the hell out of the BYE week getting Lateef up to speed with some additional wrinkles he’s comfortable with and can execute, but I don’t suspect they’ll vary greatly from what we did against UCLA.

It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. Tough crowd, on the road against a great DC with very good talent.

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This game will be determined by if we can run between the tackles on them. If no we are cooked. Which IMHO is what the line is all about. That and Penn ST. will likely rush for 275.

Kaladin said:

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This is interesting. Not sure what to take from it yet, but very interesting. Maybe, all 5 teams are above average but not great by any means? Also the 2 SEC teams (UT and Mizzou) have the weakest “adjusted strength of wins”.

Also don’t know what to make of the statistical category… Combined Conf W-L of P4 wins? WTF is that? Basically which ever team on the list has the best conf record (most conf wins) will also own this statistic. I mean, we have one team (Arizona St) with a 19-19 record in this statistical category, 38 total games accounted for. And another team (Louisville) with an 11-14 record, 25 total games accounted for… I think this is deep in the realm of statistical gobbly gook and doesn’t mean a gawd damn thing.

V-Doub said:

This is interesting. Not sure what to take from it yet, but very interesting. Maybe, all 5 teams are above average but not great by any means? Also the 2 SEC teams (UT and Mizzou) have the weakest “adjusted strength of wins”.

Also don’t know what to make of the statistical category… Combined Conf W-L of P4 wins? WTF is that? Basically which ever team on the list has the best conf record (most conf wins) will also own this statistic. I mean, we have one team (Arizona St) with a 19-19 record in this statistical category, 38 total games accounted for. And another team (Louisville) with an 11-14 record, 25 total games accounted for… I think this is deep in the realm of statistical gobbly gook and doesn’t mean a gawd damn thing.

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His whole point was how much easier it is to be ranked when you start the year ranked. Tennessee and Missouri started the season ranked but haven't really outdone the other teams on that list, yet remain ranked while the other three are all just fighting to get recognition.

Sous Chef said:

This game will be determined by if we can run between the tackles on them. If no we are cooked. Which IMHO is what the line is all about. That and Penn ST. will likely rush for 275.

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I think there has to be just enough successful passing and Lateef runs to keep them honest, but generally I agree.

The encouraging is they’ve been run on in their losses. As good as their talent is in the front seven, it seems more pass rush oriented than it is stopping the run. I have to assume they scheme to stop 21, which should open up other things. Problem is we have a twenty year plus history of not being able to adjust to those ‘other things’ in game.

On the defensive side of things, I agree they’re going to try to shove it down our throats. How we scheme/respond to that as well as tackle on first contact is as big as what we do on offense.

WillBoltsBurner said:

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I miss the good old fashioned pitch.

cwessel76 said:

If I’m Butler I’m selling out on stopping the run. Make them try and beat us through the air.

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He’ll absolutely walk the safeties up and have the LB’s looking at run support first. Risk there is their QB can deliver the ball and they do have receivers who can give us fits in man.

Penn States ratio last week was 50 runs to 13 passes. Completed 8 and two went for TD’s. A similar ratio is likely what we’ll see Saturday, and barring a complete shutdown of both their run and pass games, I’m sure we’ll see complaints about Butler. It’s pretty comical.

iruletheskool said:

Idk how anybody can be unhappy with our defense this year.


Offense has let us down again iyam

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Knowing what we’d lost on the front and how they’ve played, I completely agree. That said, I see it every week on this board. Butlers soft on the run. We need to ditch the 3-3-5. Who do we bring in to replace him? It’s completely insane.

I really thought we’d be better than we are on offense as well. Actually went into the fall thinking they’d bail us out as our youth in defense grew into their roles. Boy was I wrong.

iruletheskool said:

Idk how anybody can be unhappy with our defense this year.


Offense has let us down again iyam

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4 Plays and a QB Injury have kept this team from being 9-1 right now.

iruletheskool said:

Our defensive stats are solid. I don't think we need change, just time. I'm happier with JoBu than I was with Tone.

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100%

Look at the youth in our current 2 deep and time is absolutely what’s missing.

I’m not saying you don’t take a difference maker in the portal, especially on the DL, but what’s not to like about our youth?

RVP is about where Nash was as a Soph. Pietrzak and Davis are going to be really good and I wouldn’t sleep on Hoffken.

Outside of the line, we’ve got Rogers, Shavers and Merritt all looking to play even bigger roles next year in the LB room and Guthrie, Benning and Jones all looking like they’ll just continue to improve and fill the holes left in the secondary and that’s not even touching the two or three in each of those rooms that are close.

So young and so much potential.

Just leave it the hell alone and get the offense on par with the defense and special teams and we’re golden.

Quint said:

100%

Look at the youth in our current 2 deep and time is absolutely what’s missing.

I’m not saying you don’t take a difference maker in the portal, especially on the DL, but what’s not to like about our youth?

RVP is about where Nash was as a Soph. Pietrzak and Davis are going to be really good and I wouldn’t sleep on Hoffken.

Outside of the line, we’ve got Rogers, Shavers and Merritt all looking to play even bigger roles next year in the LB room and Guthrie, Benning and Jones all looking like they’ll just continue to improve and fill the holes left in the secondary and that’s not even touching the two or three in each of those rooms that are close.

So young and so much potential.

Just leave it the hell alone and get the offense on par with the defense and special teams and we’re golden.

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I agree for the most part, however, they absolutely need to go out and get another DT/NG in the transfer portal and spend big on a good one. After that, they need to get a RT, Gottula is not the answer. I imagine we'll swing hard for a big time RB in the portal this year and also another Receiver or 2.

Edit: They also need to spend big on a JACK position player. Dylan Rogers is decent depth but I doubt he'll be the starter next year. You need to find a game wrecker in that position if one is available.

MaxHuskers34 said:

I agree for the most part, however, they absolutely need to go out and get another DT/NG in the transfer portal and spend big on a good one. After that, they need to get a RT, Gottula is not the answer. I imagine we'll swing hard for a big time RB in the portal this year and also another Receiver or 2.

Edit: They also need to spend big on a JACK position player. Dylan Rogers is decent depth but I doubt he'll be the starter next year. You need to find a game wrecker in that position if one is available.

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We say the bolded like it’s just us either us wanting to or not, and I assure you that’s not the case. Those guys just don’t usually portal out. Guys that are as good as what you or I would call a ‘difference maker’ at Nose, likely aren’t available. A guy that is either on a stacked team that can’t pay him what he can demand in the open market, or is a notch or two below a true difference maker at the position. Now that’s not saying we could get a diamond in the rough from a lesser school or even an FCS school, but they’d be viewed as a project by the fanbase and Rhule ’Settling’ again. As has been discussed in this string of posts, our biggest team issue is actually the other side of the ball and where much of the Portal money needs to be spent in the off season.

On Rogers, he’s a sophomore who’s shown flashes this year. Much like the Nose conversation, a truly disruptive LB is someone nearly every college team would throw money at and IMO we’re not back to the point that kids with top 20 options are going to pick Nebraska. Yet.

cwessel76 said:

The 3-3-5 can work if you have the horses up front to run it. This year we don’t.

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Agreed.

I’m a 4-3 guy from way back, but the 3-3-5 has really grown on me.

Now if we can get stud DT’s and DE’s like we used to get, I’d rethink that, but we have a better recent track record of getting serviceable to good DB’s and hybrid guys who can play safety or linebacker, so for now this fits, is really flexible/multiple and really looks like a 3-4 about 75% of the time. We do so many things with the front six, I don’t know if there is even a point in calling it a 3-3-5 other than we need to write something down in the ‘Base Defense’ slot for the media guide.

Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen​

***Looking back, Holgorsen said he was happy with how TJ Lateef handled “everything” with his first start at UCLA. He thought “the coolest thing” was how well Lateef handled the emotions of returning home and playing in front of so many friends and family.

***Overall, Holgorsen said the UCLA win was probably the offense’s “most efficient game” of the season. He said he called the game “like I normally would” and the unit’s confidence built on every play.

***Holgorsen said playing at Penn State was “a different animal” than UCLA for several reasons. He doesn’t care about PSU’s record, saying it was an extremely talented team that maybe played “their best two games” in the last two outings.

***Holgorsen said “it’s killing” Dylan Raiola not to be on the field after his injury. Still, Raiola has been around practice and doing all he can to help Lateef prepare.


***Holgorsen said Penn State DC Jim Knowles’s scheme was “very multiple,” noting Knowles was pressuring and blitzing more than he has in past years.

***On Nebraska’s perimeter blocking, Holgorsen said he’s “really proud of how they’re playing” and how they’ve embraced a team-first mentality as blockers. “They all know the ball is going to find them if they just go out there and play hard… It’s as impressive of a blocking receiving corps as I’ve seen.”

***Holgorsen said he always knew Emmett Johnson could have this type of impact. What he didn’t know was whether Johnson could handle 30 touches a week. Johnson has proven more than capable of that workload and was “getting the credit he deserves.”

***Holgorsen said NU made Johnson take some time off over the bye to rest his legs. He came back this week with some “great” practices and has looked “100 percent.”

Defensive coordinator John Butler​

***Butler is a Philadelphia native, just three hours from State College. He grew up watching Penn State and even coached there early in his career under Bill O’Brien. He’ll have a bunch of family and friends at the game, but “When I get there, it’s just another game.”

***Butler said Penn State has built its offense on “a great offensive line” with elite running backs and a mentality to run the football. “They’re going to run the football… We have to understand that’s the type of game it’s going to be.”

***Butler said Keona Davis is “really progressing” in his development. He said the “level of havoc he’s creating” has been an emphasis, and that’s showing up in games.

***Butler said new PSU quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer had “a big, strong arm” who made high-level throws vs. Indiana this season. He’s making key “intermediate throws” and “winning plays” that complement Penn State’s running game very well.

***Butler said Dylan Rogers embodied Nebraska’s “culture of physcality” and had really stepped up in the past two games. “Sometimes these guys just need an opportunity… Sometimes you’ve just got to throw them out there.” Butler said he hadn’t noticed a drop-off when Rogers had been on the field.

***Butler said he continuously checks in with Mike Ekeler about guys who have flashed on special teams. Jeremiah Charles’s name keeps popping up. He thinks that will set Charles up well to make a move on defense going forward.

***Butler said Nebraska has been tackling the quarterbacks over the past few weeks because of how the QB run game has hurt them this season.

***With how much Penn State wants to run it, it will likely put Nebraska’s cornerbacks in man-to-man coverage on the perimeter. Butler said his CBs “understand the challenge there” and the defense is “looking forward to it.”