After starting 3-0 I didn't feel good at all. Now surprisingly after the first loss, I actually feel better about the team. I just watched the game a 2nd time and wrote down some notes. The Game Plan was great, but the players were understandably nervous. It was the mental errors that kept us out of the game. We couldn't keep our emotions in check. The game and the moment was just too big for some of them, but I believe we can learn from it and get better from it. Brett Smith played remarkable for a true Freshman and Tashaun Gipson made a lot of nice tackles and had his best game by far. But we needed to make them earn everything they got. Very first play of the game, Illegal Formation, 1st and 15.. First play actually run... Ol Z. Rushing pisses his pants and blocks like a kindergardener. 3 and out. 1st play on defense, anderson, nzeocha and biezuns missed a tackle on burkhead..... nerves.
McNeil had a huge dropped pass that stalled the next drive.
Martinez is a horrible, horrible passer and throws like a girl.
Then McNeil ruins another great drive with the stupid personal foul. 2 drives in a row ruined by mcneil.
Biezuns makes a nice hit and the crowd gets into the game... This is where Wyoming falls short. After the big hit by Biezuns, nebraska wakes up and takes it right in for a 14-0 lead. We really need to understand when the other team is waking up and rise to the occasion. Unfortunately we never do, they always seem to respond to everything we do. This game was never really a game for one reason: After a score, they always answer. Just one time in my life in a huge game, I want to see us get a TD AND FOLLOW IT UP WITH A DEFENSIVE STOP!!!!! This never happens. The other team always answers. Our TD seems to wake the other team up and they always respond. We score a nice TD, score is now 14-7. We must follow it up with a defensive stop. But instead on 3rd and 10 at the 50 yard line Martinez rolls right shot puts the ball about 4 yards and marqueston huff totally whiffs on the tackle,then Nzeocha gets carried the remaining 5 yards for a HUGE NEBRASKA 1st down. This play was huge and I can understand why Huff needs to be concerned about his job security now! Make the fvcking easy tackle and they are punting. Luckily the drive and the half ends in a "missed fg".
Now the most important series in the young lives of the Wyoming Cowboys Defense is the 1st series of the 3rd quarter. Can we get a stop?? If we get a stop to start the 3rd quarter and get the ball with a chance to tie the game, its GAME ON!
What happens?? We kick the ball to the 20 yard line, the runner isn't touched til he gets to the 40 yard line, tackled at the 45 yard line.. Then tack on 15 yards after a personal foul on DeAndre Jones. Nebraska lines up, tack on another 5 yards offsides on Nzeocha. Nebraska runs its first play of the 2nd half from the Wyoming 35 yard line. Instead of GAME ON! IT WAS GAME OVER! 21-7 Nebraska. Then our first drive stalls at the 50 yard line. Everyone in America (who was watching) knew to watch for the fake punt, it was the most obvious point in the game for a fake punt. From TV you could see the Nebraska coaches yelling fake punt, fake punt... It fooled no one. Nebraska starts its 2nd series of the 2nd half at the 50 yard line.. 24-7 Nebraska Game Over.
Then what happens as we continue to implode in the 3rd quarter? Ogbonna drops a deep TD pass. Then we miss a 32 yard field goal. Nebraska gets the ball back and what was a good 14-7 game at halftime turned into 31-7 rout just 1 minute into the 4th quarter. By this time the defense is just about out of gas.
We put together a nice drive to please the crowd and make the score 31-14, but can we follow it up with a stop? HELL NO. And then came the play that absolutely pissed me off the worst. 5:25 left in the game.. Nebraska running down our throat, we just scored to make it 31-14 and we force a 3rd and 3 at our 15 yard line..... Lets just hold em to a FG PLEEZ. Nooo. Martinez JOGS to the left all the way back to the 20 yard line and it looks as if theres no way he can make the 12 yard line. BRIAN FVCKIN HENDRICKS gives up on the play and walks into a blocker and allows himself to be blocked and Martinez inexplicably jogs for a first down. Hendricks didn't even attempt to make a tackle. Couple plays later....38-14.
Utah State is the biggest game of the season. There are a ton of positives to take away from the Nebraska game. It'll be interesting to see how this team responds mentally. I'm glad they have 2 weeks.
McNeil had a huge dropped pass that stalled the next drive.
Martinez is a horrible, horrible passer and throws like a girl.
Then McNeil ruins another great drive with the stupid personal foul. 2 drives in a row ruined by mcneil.
Biezuns makes a nice hit and the crowd gets into the game... This is where Wyoming falls short. After the big hit by Biezuns, nebraska wakes up and takes it right in for a 14-0 lead. We really need to understand when the other team is waking up and rise to the occasion. Unfortunately we never do, they always seem to respond to everything we do. This game was never really a game for one reason: After a score, they always answer. Just one time in my life in a huge game, I want to see us get a TD AND FOLLOW IT UP WITH A DEFENSIVE STOP!!!!! This never happens. The other team always answers. Our TD seems to wake the other team up and they always respond. We score a nice TD, score is now 14-7. We must follow it up with a defensive stop. But instead on 3rd and 10 at the 50 yard line Martinez rolls right shot puts the ball about 4 yards and marqueston huff totally whiffs on the tackle,then Nzeocha gets carried the remaining 5 yards for a HUGE NEBRASKA 1st down. This play was huge and I can understand why Huff needs to be concerned about his job security now! Make the fvcking easy tackle and they are punting. Luckily the drive and the half ends in a "missed fg".
Now the most important series in the young lives of the Wyoming Cowboys Defense is the 1st series of the 3rd quarter. Can we get a stop?? If we get a stop to start the 3rd quarter and get the ball with a chance to tie the game, its GAME ON!
What happens?? We kick the ball to the 20 yard line, the runner isn't touched til he gets to the 40 yard line, tackled at the 45 yard line.. Then tack on 15 yards after a personal foul on DeAndre Jones. Nebraska lines up, tack on another 5 yards offsides on Nzeocha. Nebraska runs its first play of the 2nd half from the Wyoming 35 yard line. Instead of GAME ON! IT WAS GAME OVER! 21-7 Nebraska. Then our first drive stalls at the 50 yard line. Everyone in America (who was watching) knew to watch for the fake punt, it was the most obvious point in the game for a fake punt. From TV you could see the Nebraska coaches yelling fake punt, fake punt... It fooled no one. Nebraska starts its 2nd series of the 2nd half at the 50 yard line.. 24-7 Nebraska Game Over.
Then what happens as we continue to implode in the 3rd quarter? Ogbonna drops a deep TD pass. Then we miss a 32 yard field goal. Nebraska gets the ball back and what was a good 14-7 game at halftime turned into 31-7 rout just 1 minute into the 4th quarter. By this time the defense is just about out of gas.
We put together a nice drive to please the crowd and make the score 31-14, but can we follow it up with a stop? HELL NO. And then came the play that absolutely pissed me off the worst. 5:25 left in the game.. Nebraska running down our throat, we just scored to make it 31-14 and we force a 3rd and 3 at our 15 yard line..... Lets just hold em to a FG PLEEZ. Nooo. Martinez JOGS to the left all the way back to the 20 yard line and it looks as if theres no way he can make the 12 yard line. BRIAN FVCKIN HENDRICKS gives up on the play and walks into a blocker and allows himself to be blocked and Martinez inexplicably jogs for a first down. Hendricks didn't even attempt to make a tackle. Couple plays later....38-14.
Utah State is the biggest game of the season. There are a ton of positives to take away from the Nebraska game. It'll be interesting to see how this team responds mentally. I'm glad they have 2 weeks.