Nebraska week

So, anybody ready to talk Nebraska?
 
What are everyone's thoughts on our chances in Lincoln.  I read on another forum about big wins on the road for this team since 2006 and, outside of our win at ND in 2010, I don't see any big road wins that would qualify.  One thing I've always believed in regarding winning conference championships is that you MUST hold serve at home and then steal a big one on the road.  So far, we've held serve at home and this is the game we need to steal on the road.  I think this game is ripe for the picking for Michigan as it really isn't as much of a  must win for us as it is for Nebraska. A loss only puts us into a tie with Nebraska, but we would no longer control our own destiny if we were to lose.  If Nebraska loses, that gives us a 2 game lead in the division with just 4 games to play!
 
Personally, I like our chances in this one.  I think both teams are pretty evenly matched offensively, but the difference in this game will be who has the better defense.  And statistically, we are the better defense by far. 
 
Tim Doyle from the B1G Network was predicting this game would be a Nebraska rout.  I wanted to ask him if he watched the Ohio State/Nebraska game where a mobile QB torched that vaunted Black Shirt defense for 63 points and then ask him how he thought that same suspect Nebraska D would suddenly be able to contain Denard??? 
 
Like I said, I have more faith in our defense being able to contain Martinez than I do in the Nebraska defense being able to contain Denard.  Furthermore, Martinez was lucky as hell to complete that 4th quarter comeback last week in Evanston.  Northwestern dropped what should have been 2 int's that could have allowed the Wildcats to close out the Huskers.  I think the view of Martinez would be a little different this week had Northwestern actually made the picks and Martinez didn't lead the heroic comeback...

This game scares the sh!t out of me.  I feel the same way....being both teams have explosive offenses but we have the better defense.  
Denard needs to take care of the football (which he did against Michigan St).  Obviously he will be able to run more....and hopefully break multiple big plays.  
We need to get in the endzone.  Can't settle for field goals.  
 
Martinez scares me but having Mattison puts me at ease...especially after 1st half adjustments.  Burkhead playing or not will be huge as well.
 
I think the crowd and the night game is the only thing that can get in our way.  I will be scared sh!tless come Saturday but also very optimistic.  I hope we put it on em like last year.   If we get this one it is HUGE.  

Unfortunately, I will be watching this game Sunday morning. Wifey has a Halloween party she committed us to on Saturday night so I will be dvr'ing the game.
 
 

cincymichman


This game scares the sh!t out of me.  I feel the same way....being both teams have explosive offenses but we have the better defense.  
Denard needs to take care of the football (which he did against Michigan St).  Obviously he will be able to run more....and hopefully break multiple big plays.  
We need to get in the endzone.  Can't settle for field goals.  

Martinez scares me but having Mattison puts me at ease...especially after 1st half adjustments.  Burkhead playing or not will be huge as well.

I think the crowd and the night game is the only thing that can get in our way.  I will be scared sh!tless come Saturday but also very optimistic.  I hope we put it on em like last year.   If we get this one it is HUGE.  

 
Same can be said about Martinez.  He can be as big of a turnover machine as Denard.  Like I said, NW had two picks they dropped and did you see him in the Ohio game?  His turnovers were the reason Ohio was able to pull away in the end.

The main thing that scares me is the crowd in Lincoln, never been but heard its a very tough place to play.  Our team has been on the big stage before though, so hopefully our experience will help.
 
Like others have said, I am a little worried about their offense, but I think our D will be able to stop Martinez and Co. more than they will be able to stop the Denard Show.  Our offense eats up average teams against the run, and Nebraska's run defense is average at best.  I think Denard will have a big game, and our defense will step up to the task.
 
GO BLUE!

I marked this as a loss at the beginning of the season...Lincoln, especially at night, is awfully tough!
 
But, with their porous D & our improved D, I like our chances much more now! Having said that, they probably have had this game marked for a year, since the 45-17 thrashing we gave them in 2011 & we must neutralize Martinez, somehow.
 
Given our recent track record in road games, I'm far from predicting a W but think it will go down to the wire.
 
As for Tim Doyle, he hates Michigan & should join the anti-Michigan clan that resides in Connecticut at ESPN

Playing in Lincoln at night is worth about 7-10 points for the Huskers right there. The crowd is going to be jacked and the players are going to remember last year. Michigan needs 2 or 3 big plays to quiet the crowd down, preferably 1 of them very early in the game. They must keep Nebraska from coming out hot and getting momentum early.
 
This one will probably come down to turnovers and penalties. If Denard keeps it down to 1 or no turnovers, I like Michigan's chances. If that happens and Nebraska keeps fumbling the ball and shooting themselves in the foot with penalties, Michigan *should* have no problem coming home with a big win.

Matty, 
You did say you are WATCHING the game Sunday morning.  I'm fine with that.
Will you keep up with the score at this party?  There is no way you will not have an idea of what is going on in Lincoln at this party?????
Also, won't there be a guys section at the party watching football?
 
Sorry, I know you're a die-hard and I'm just curious how you handle this situation on Saturday with more depth.  

I picked Nebraska to win by 10 at the beginning of the season but that was before I knew how good our defense would become (damn crystal ball!).  With the improvement we have seen on defense and DR taking better care of the football I now think it will be the other way around and Michigan may win by more.   Team 133 needs a signature road win and this may be the one they need to catapult them to a B1G championship!
 
GO BLUE!

This game has scared me from the jump. Big road game, night game, Nebraska got embarrassed by us last year.
 
I have a sinking feeling that we're walking into a buzz saw.

cincymichman


Matty, 
You did say you are WATCHING the game Sunday morning.  I'm fine with that.
Will you keep up with the score at this party?  There is no way you will not have an idea of what is going on in Lincoln at this party?????
Also, won't there be a guys section at the party watching football?

Sorry, I know you're a die-hard and I'm just curious how you handle this situation on Saturday with more depth.  

 
I work at my church 1 weekend a month on saturday nights.  Volunteering in the Sunday school program, basically.  My phone didn't leave my hand last Saturday as I constantly was updating it for the score.  When the updated score of 12-10 came in, we were singing REJOICE.......LOL.  It was very fitting.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
as for the Nebraska game, I think the key is playing with them in the first half.  We can't let them come out and get a quick lead.  Playing from behind would be a bad idea, IMO.

MichFan4Life


This game has scared me from the jump. Big road game, night game, Nebraska got embarrassed by us last year.

I have a sinking feeling that we're walking into a buzz saw.

 
Yes, but what has Nebraska done to improve themselves to be able to prevent a repeat of what happened to them last year?  Or a repeat of what happened to them in Columbus?  Or how about the nearly 653 total yards that Blackshirt defense gave up to UCLA?  Northwestern was up on them 28-16 in the 4th before their comeback last week and Wisconsin blew a 27-10 lead on them as well. 
 
Maybe I'm wrong, but Nebraska just doesn't scare me.  Martinez is improved, but not THAT much.  And the Nebraska defesne is worse than the one we put up 45 points on a year ago.  Our offense has been exploiting weaker defenses and I see no reason why we couldn't expose Nebraska Saturday night (unless Borges gets in his own way again).  And our defense is vastly improved from where they were at the beginning of the year and I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to get after Martinez and force him into some bad decisions.

My thoughts
1) yeah, like many have said, they have this marked
2) Special teams was awful for Nebraska last year...and you would think...nope according to an article I read at lincolon star ledger, Nebraska is in the 120's in I-A for special teams this year
3) Burkhardt is banged up that will help
4) Nebraska D has been VERY Porus. But, Borges MUST not be so predictable offensively. Michigan seemed predictable vs. Sparty, Mgoblog breakdown today only confirmed it. Go read it...geesh.
5) Yes, we def have better defense...we just need, as with all big road games, to survive the first quarter.
6) I'm betting, given AF's success vs. Michigan, that Nebraska will come HARD after our defense on the edges. 
7) The key is to jump out in front, and make Chicken Wing (my nickname for their qb and his goofy throwing motion) beat us with his..well...wing!

cincymichman


Matty, 
You did say you are WATCHING the game Sunday morning.  I'm fine with that.
Will you keep up with the score at this party?  There is no way you will not have an idea of what is going on in Lincoln at this party?????
Also, won't there be a guys section at the party watching football?

Sorry, I know you're a die-hard and I'm just curious how you handle this situation on Saturday with more depth.  

 
cincy, I'm the type that would prefer to not get updates on the score and such until I can watch it.  I'm planning on going on media silence until I wake up Sunday morning and watch the game as if I'm watching it live.  That's just how I am. 
 
The party is at the house of a co-teacher my wife teaches with.  We are friends with their family, but the rest of the party guests are their friends from college/high school and I don't really know them too well except for the fact that most of the guys would rather watch the Tour de France than college football (they're all hard core cyclists to the point of annoyance).  Besides, they're all Ohio fans if anything so I'm sure they would have no interest in watching the Michigan game which is fine by me because I would rather wait than try and watch it with a bunch of Ohio fans half interested in the game...

Get pressure on Martinez, we win. Simple as that. Easy to see watching ohio game that when he gets hit he starts to revert to his old ways. 
 
Play assignment football on defense, hold onto the ball, and get to martinez and we win going away.
 

MattyGoBlue!

MichFan4Life


This game has scared me from the jump. Big road game, night game, Nebraska got embarrassed by us last year.

I have a sinking feeling that we're walking into a buzz saw.

Yes, but what has Nebraska done to improve themselves to be able to prevent a repeat of what happened to them last year?  Or a repeat of what happened to them in Columbus?  Or how about the nearly 653 total yards that Blackshirt defense gave up to UCLA?  Northwestern was up on them 28-16 in the 4th before their comeback last week and Wisconsin blew a 27-10 lead on them as well. 

Maybe I'm wrong, but Nebraska just doesn't scare me.  Martinez is improved, but not THAT much.  And the Nebraska defesne is worse than the one we put up 45 points on a year ago.  Our offense has been exploiting weaker defenses and I see no reason why we couldn't expose Nebraska Saturday night (unless Borges gets in his own way again).  And our defense is vastly improved from where they were at the beginning of the year and I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to get after Martinez and force him into some bad decisions.

I toss everything out the window from last year honestly.
 
Completely comes down to the match ups and with this game in particular, the setting overall climate surrounding the game. Nebraska's defense has been leaky this season, but mostly on the road. Martinez's improvement has been pretty significant. His completion % is way up and he has a 14-4 TD-INT ratio. More importantly, Nebraka can hit us where we're weak and are statistically the best offense we`ll have faced. Toss in the atmosphere, extra motivation the Huskers have this year, and us coming off the high of beating Sparty and you have the makings of a trap IMO.

They aint no 'Bama!! That was a home game in all contexts for Bama, minus the endzone painting of Michigan.....
 
Nebraska doesnt scare me, our defense is improving more than I anticipated. As long as the Marshmallow men dont show up too often this saturday, I think he will be contained again......I think GM has a great scheme against N. I hope we execute it well, and we will win this one.
 
Drob wont be contained again this week, N's front seven vs MSu's? I will take my chances with N. I dunno, I dont have an statistics or facts for this game, just a gut feeling as usual from me.
 
I think we win it, not big, but comfortably
 
N-20  UMeechigan-34

This game is HUGE. Rivalries aside, this is the most important game of the year. Win this one and we are pretty much guaranteed to win our division. 

TheTeam16


Get pressure on Martinez, we win. Simple as that. Easy to see watching ohio game that when he gets hit he starts to revert to his old ways. 

Play assignment football on defense, hold onto the ball, and get to martinez and we win going away.

 
You nailed it right on the head. This really is the recipe to stopping our offense. If Martinez has time to throw he really can be dangerous in the pocket. Especially with the receiving talent we have this year. And this just opens up our running game. But, if you get any kind of pressure in his face his ability to make logical decisions goes straight out the window. 

Mr Red

TheTeam16


Get pressure on Martinez, we win. Simple as that. Easy to see watching ohio game that when he gets hit he starts to revert to his old ways. 

Play assignment football on defense, hold onto the ball, and get to martinez and we win going away.

You nailed it right on the head. This really is the recipe to stopping our offense. If Martinez has time to throw he really can be dangerous in the pocket. Especially with the receiving talent we have this year. And this just opens up our running game. But, if you get any kind of pressure in his face his ability to make logical decisions goes straight out the window. 

Sounds like a heavy dose of #47, Big Jake, should do the trick!! 

I don't know how you do it Matty.  I don't have the willpower.  
 
WolvyMike....great story about last Saturday....I love that kind of stuff.  Whenever I'm anywhere besides watching a Michigan game going on....my wife hates me because I constantly am looking at my phone and I can't concentrate on anything else......I also have to take deep breaths because I'm so nervous.