Players and coaches spent the offseason focusing on the errors that have contributed to Nebraska going 12-20 with three fifth-place finishes in the Big Ten West Division since Frost returned to the program he quarterbacked to a national title in 1997. Frost felt he had his best team entering the season, one with the experience and maturity to play cleaner games in a conference that punishes the error prone.
But Huskers blunders contributed to almost every Illinois score on Saturday, starting with Cam Taylor-Britt catching a punt inside of his 2-yard line and being dropped for a safety while attempting to fling the ball out of the end zone. Nebraska appeared to be in control up 9-2 when Taylor-Britt intercepted a pass from Illinois backup quarterback Art Sitkowski. But linebacker Caleb Tannor was flagged for roughing Sitkowski, and also received an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on the play. The Illini drove for a game-tying touchdown.
Disaster struck in the final minute of the first half as Martinez fumbled and Illinois’ Calvin Hart Jr. recovered and raced 41 yards to the end zone. Nebraska’s lone turnover along with five penalties and two missed extra-point attempts from Connor Culp, the 2020 Big Ten Kicker of the Year, all contributed to the program’s first-ever loss in August.
Nebraska lost to an inferior opponent by 8 in a game where it missed two PATs, gave up a cheap safety on a misjudged punt and a touchdown on a scoop and score. Frost got outcoached by Bert, who hadn’t coached a college game in three seasons. Four years into his term and his team looks like a complete mess.
Worse, though, is how you go about replacing him as the season goes south. He’s got a huge buyout and if the hometown hero can’t fix things, who’s out there who can?
The only fans who are less happy than Husker fans appear to be Georgia fans who believe that a head coach who can’t enjoy some level of success over his first five years against Nick Saban is a failure.
Get The Picture 
Even under-talented teams can get the little things right. Not a good look Scott. Twitter is pushing a list of candidates; Muschamp’s on it. 😉
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I haven’t even seen that list yet, but I have to imagine that most Huskers have eyes for Matt Campbell and no one else.
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Is there a significant number of UGA fans unhappy with coach smart’s first five years? Or only a very very low number of vocal fans? I’m ok where we are. Happier with smarts first five than I was with richts last five
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I don’t think any would be dumb enough to actually suggest we should be looking for a replacement but they’re gonna crow about anything bad in the meantime or they don’t feel like they’re doing their “part.” Plus if things do turn south they can say I told you so. If we win it’s cause Kirby finally did all that stuff they’ve been demanding he do.
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I think you’re describing hack writers more than you are Georgia fans. Most all the ones I know think Kirby is the best coach we’ve ever had.
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Yeah…put me and the fans I know solidly in that camp. Despite the heart break, it’s been a great time to be a dawg. Once we got past that low point of Chaney running the 160lbs Isaiah Mackenzie on 4th down against vandy (If my memory is correct) when he had a stable full of NFL caliber running backs…
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TWICE IN A ROW.
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Nebraska lost to an Illinois team that was largely one dimensional and played with a backup QB at the helm for much of the game.
Nebraska will lose another 4 or 5 games this season if they can’t get better quick. They were bad on ST, bad on run defense, and bad on offense.
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They seem to be on the Tennessee 10-year plan.
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Watching the Nebraska game was actually fun CFB is back. They got off to a great start then knocked out the Illinois QB who threw a pick on his first pass. Penalty reverses the pick and it’s all down hill from there. Nebraska is a poorly coached team without play makers and no recruiting base to fix that problem.
Nebraska is a program with great history that has almost no chance of ever finding it again. They are the poster child for programs whose fans have yet to grasp their future can never equal their past. In the SEC there is another program in the same boat. On Rocky Top UT has the same we’ll never be great again future.
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The keys for a victory over clemmons are the same that produced the Husker loss…
Turnovers, penalties, and special teams!!
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Hated Nebraska growing up. Would run the score into the 70’s, if they could against the Kansas’s of the world. Karma is a bitch… And here’s the thing, Nebraska s near ‘nothing’, and means nothing to today’s players. It is a BORING place, with average looking woman, and frankly most being white. And it is COLD in the winter time.
There days are done and that is just fine with me…
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Bret Bowelmovement makes a brief appearance in the winner’s circle…where’s that carpet-bagging Illini guy when you need him???
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Eat it, I’m a born and bred Illini with two degrees from UGA and 36 years as a Dawg!!!
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Fuck Nebraska and their mule. I hope they lose every game they play.
How ’bout them Illini?!
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But the Georgia transfer, Ford, got his first collegiate touchdown…showed he was a recognized talent by Georgia.
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Frosty is melting.
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What’s that definition of insanity…maybe he’d be better off as the head corn shucker instead of the head husker guy…
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Kirby has taken our team to talent levels we’ve never seen. End of story. That gives us consistent chances we’ve only fleetingly enjoyed previously. Sure our perceived stubbornness (offense) has been frustrating at times (speaking for myself here), but by no means do I feel like we’d be better served by anyone else. Those “unhappy” with Kirby/our success against Saban and would seek a change (really?) seems unrealistic and a little too dramatic.
Friday I happened to catch the full Kirby interview on Marty & McGee that was highlighted here a few posts back. Kirby nailed it about his own changes (maybe even previous shortcomings). He was open about how he was kind of a control freak in all facets and would have burned out if he kept doing that, so he’s hiring people he trusts to delegate things he doesn’t know as well (like offense). Then mentioning he can focus his on field input to DBs, Defensive scheme & Special Teams, stuff he said “he knows.” He talked about having at-bats for the chance to hit home runs (w/ regards to winning it all). It was a great full interview if you have the chance to catch it. Refreshing honesty from Kirby to be frank.
Added bonus, the Pittman interview was outstanding, and the Leach interview was quirky and funny as you’d expect. (they interviewed all SEC coaches – I guess it was the yearly SECN carwash or something)
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How much does it say about the mediocrity of the American Athletic Conference that Frost could take UCF to 13–0 in his second season but has done nothing but trip over his own dick against B1G competition?
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Doug, try recruiting in Florida and then in the “talent rich” cornfields of Nebraska…that’s the difference…not Frost.
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Nebraska (who ranks about top 20 in recruiting year in and year out) lost to an Illinois team that ranks 50 – 100 in recruiting. Not only did they lose to them once. But TWICE! And they didn’t look any better than last year!
I think it is Frost. He proved he was decent in the AAC. But the level of competition going from a G5 school to a P5 school is the difference from minor league baseball to major league.
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I don’t want to speak poorly of a college player but the Nebraska QB has been there for seems like 20 years and he is absolutely horrible. Yes he can run but he missed wide open receivers all day. Nebraska has to get a trigger man since Scott can’t teach QB’s. He is also finding out that UCF was an easier recruiting destination than the windy plains. Last in the B1G no doubt.
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It’s hard to believe they haven’t found a better option at QB in four years. He’s pretty much Feleipe Franks, only less stiff and less accurate.
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GO ILLINI!!!!
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This was a team that beat Nebraska 41-23 last year. “Illinois will have 21 “super seniors” on its 2021 roster who will be using the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Illini have more returning scholarship “super seniors” than any Power-5 team in the nation, according to a report by the Associated Press, and five more than any other program in the Big Ten.”
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Nebraska still dealing with Tom Osborne retirement.
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But he beat Auburn and won a “national championship” so he’s good.
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If he beat Auburn, he can’t be all bad. We can still hate ’em though – ’cause they aint Dawg.
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If any of you poor bastards have had the misfortune of going to Lincoln, NE then you know what a desolate place it is. The entire state of Nebraska smells like cow shit, year round, all the time “borrowed that from the NE Chamber of Commerce, or was that Warren Buffet’s Travel NE commercial”. Take away the winning history and the wheels start to fall off for that football program…recruiting must be so difficult there…Scoob is right with his post above…Nebraska ain’t coming back…
Bret at IL actually makes sense to me…that division of the Big10 is built for manball play, just look at WI and Iowa…and big boy Bret has great recruiting in roads in the MW in WI, IL, and MN…I think with time IL will contend on that side of the Big10.
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You misspelled Bert.
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True dat
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I would watch them regularly if Bert would put his wife on the sideline as the water girl.
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Her and Lane Kiffin’s wife in a tickle fight…now I’d buy that for a dollar
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I used to Pheasant hunt outside of Lincoln, little town called Beatrice. Great fun, lots of birds and our host and his family were wonderful, gracious people.
There are fans of any team that spoil it for everyone. Nebraska is that team for me. I’ll say it again…I hope they lose every game they fucking play forever.
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Like watching two mules fight over a turnip.
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As long as the fucking mule in Nebraska garb loses spectacularly.
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Hunted in that area. And also visited several ethanol plants (impressive). Lincoln is depressing. But Omaha is a decent town (even a few hills). Very similar to Tulsa
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“Beware the former star QB who comes back as HC.” Ray Goff
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