Flop of the year in Big Ten

[dirtwrap]

The problem with Frost and Nebraska is systemic, as I have said many times before that by Frost not respecting and focusing on defense they will continue to lose games. Especially in this conference. They will win some games when they just out score someone, but they won't win championships.

Also, when you hitch your wagon to a running quarterback, you have to know every time he runs that your season or job is on the line. I understand the advantages of the scheme but you risk so much with that especially when your number 2 is not very good. Sometimes you get lucky and live a charmed life but often times you don't. I know injuries are a part of the game but it's especially hard to lose the most important position on your team.

 

[Hawk1960]

What's the deal with being so literal about black shirts? As I understand the defense wore black shirts in practice and they became known as 'the blackshirts' it was a thing for the players on the D. Not for uniforms on game day.

Seems really cheap and cheesy and does not honor the players that came before. Like a 13 year old wearing his dad's suit

You had a typo there ... the black shirts are now known as black skirts.

 

[NikeHawk21]

Isn't Nebraska 4-5? I think they have to win 2 to get a bowl?

Correct. They need to beat Maryland and either Wisconsin or Iowa.

 

[Hawk1960]

Correct. They need to beat Maryland and either Wisconsin or Iowa.

They have to go to Maryland and I could see the Terps coming out of their shell for that game. ESPN predictor currently has Maryland with a 55.5% chance to win. That game is also between Wisconsin and Iowa on their schedule so I could see them losing focus and not showing up on the road. Frost is already 1-8 on the road the past two years.

 

[NCHawker]

You had a typo there ... the black shirts are now known as black skirts.

 

[Grady]

From the outside Sparty looks like a dumpster fire, but last weekend when spending a day along Lake Michigan I ran into a guy wearing a MSU jacket and hat. Had him take a pic of my wife and I and we got to talking. He agreed it's been a tough year for MSU, but insisted that Dantonio is "a great coach". I think folks need to realize all the good will he's built up during his years there -- taking a consistently underperforming program for years and turning them into a program consistently challenging for championships. I lost all respect for him after he defended his players faking injuries after a game at Kinnick, but he's obviously still got a lot of support in E.Lansing.

 

[racerhawk]

What's the deal with being so literal about black shirts? As I understand the defense wore black shirts in practice and they became known as 'the blackshirts' it was a thing for the players on the D. Not for uniforms on game day.

Seems really cheap and cheesy and does not honor the players that came before. Like a 13 year old wearing his dad's suit

The hype gets really old. The blackshirt defense was good decades ago. These guys have a horrible run defense.

Brownshorts.

 

[hawkinn3]

The hype gets really old. The blackshirt defense was good decades ago. These guys have a horrible run defense.

Brownshorts.

yeah, when it’s been 20 years since you fielded a great defense maybe it’s time to retire the whole black shirts bullshit.

 

[Xerxes]

From the outside Sparty looks like a dumpster fire, but last weekend when spending a day along Lake Michigan I ran into a guy wearing a MSU jacket and hat. Had him take a pic of my wife and I and we got to talking. He agreed it's been a tough year for MSU, but insisted that Dantonio is "a great coach". I think folks need to realize all the good will he's built up during his years there -- taking a consistently underperforming program for years and turning them into a program consistently challenging for championships. I lost all respect for him after he defended his players faking injuries after a game at Kinnick, but he's obviously still got a lot of support in E.Lansing.

Dantonio is the only guy in the B1G who is as safe as Kirk.

2 B1G championships and a tied championship in non-division era
3 divison championships
Rose & Cotton Bowl wins
8-4 record vs Michigan

The only dangers I see for him is if he can't put out a functional offense & starts taking beatdowns from Michigan. Last year was only 21-7 loss on the scoreboard but MSU was not competitive. MSU's only TD came on 8 yard drive after a Michigan fumble. They had less than 100 yards of total offense. It was like the Iowa/Wisconsin game 2017. Somehow the score was close in the 3rd quarter but they only seemed to wake up the better team to put their foot on the gas and dominate.

 

[Xerxes]

What's the deal with being so literal about black shirts? As I understand the defense wore black shirts in practice and they became known as 'the blackshirts' it was a thing for the players on the D. Not for uniforms on game day.

Seems really cheap and cheesy and does not honor the players that came before. Like a 13 year old wearing his dad's suit

If I was a Nebraska defensive player in the mid 1990s I'd call Frost and tell him to put a stop to that shit. Blackshirts used to mean something there. Last week they wore them and embarrassed themselves.

 

[Iceman]

were you alive during the '70's and early '80's? think of this years jNW offense lasting multiple seasons. i mean, they lost 34 games in a row at one point.

I remember those days.....Iowa was shit under Bob Cummings too. NW was the only team Iowa could compete with back then.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

I remember those days.....Iowa was shit under Bob Cummings too. NW was the only team Iowa could compete with back then.

exactly and they had to be on the order of the worst program in history to not be able to beat Bob Cummings coached teams.

 

[Hawk90]

Say what? Do you realize that Fat Fitz and company absolutely despises the Hawks. Are you even a fan?

By wishing him well is kinda like inviting the dude that's bangin' your wife over for Sunday pot roast to talk about her favorite position.

You are about 10 years behind the times, Fitzgerald has had nothing but good things to say about Ferentz and the Hawks. I take it you quit going to games 10-15 years ago, if you ever went.

 

[DDThompson]

Dantonio is the only guy in the B1G who is as safe as Kirk.

2 B1G championships and a tied championship in non-division era
3 divison championships
Rose & Cotton Bowl wins
8-4 record vs Michigan

The only dangers I see for him .....

legal issues always trump field success so we shall see.

 

[kicker22]

yeah, when it’s been 20 years since you fielded a great defense maybe it’s time to retire the whole black shirts bullshit.

When I hear talk of Black Shirts for whatever reason I also think mullets, mesh trucker hats, and jorts. The Black Shirt have been extinct almost as long as dial up internet.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Rutgers is, has been, and always will be the flop of the conference.

You can't really flop from the low bar, especially when you are the low bar.

 

[1980HAWKFAN]

Nebby hands down I think is this year's flop. I saw the Purdue Nebby game and Nebby just looked disorganized all over the place. Frosty looked like he just couldn't believe his team was this bad. They can put up some points on weaker opponents but their defense is just plain awful. Wisky and Hawks should lay the beat down on them and put them out of their misery.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

For Northwestern to stink is surprising to me. Nobody saw that coming. They had a 5 star QB transferring in which to many folks thought would be the missing piece for them to do well. Hell he's been terrible from what little bit he's been healthy enough to play. At this point in there season they probably will have guys going through the motions and trying to not get hurt.
Nebraska shouldn't have had any of the preseason hype they had. For the lazy national media folks to start that hype train was just stupid and lazy. That defense wasn't going to overnight get considerably better. Not a little bit but they had to get a ton better to be competitive. Their QB is talented no doubt. But he's inconsistent and not accurate nearly enough. You have to show me it before I'll predict it and they did nothing last yr (4-8) to show they would make any significant jump. Especially with the rest of the league expected to be pretty good too. (MN Wisky Iowa) It just made no sense.

 

[InGoodCo]

Northwestern is shocking... I mean, I didn't expect them to be as good as last year, but the fact they're this bad immediately following a West title is shocking. I would consider that a bigger flop. From 9-5 and West Champs to 1-7 is a huge contrast.

Nebraska on the other hand is just funny. ....it's not at all odd or shocking to me that a team that's only won a combined 8 games the previous 2 seasons is currently sitting at 4-5.

 

[hawkfan2679]

That NW situation is a bit perplexing. Thorson should probably be given retroactive co-player of the year honors for what he was able to hide about that offenses shortcomings. A couple of years ago they had that WR, Austin Carr, who caught about 1000 passes and is now playing in the NFL. They struggled early last year and then put it together through the B1G season to make the CCG. Hunter Johnson (the 5 star from Clemson) got injured and has been a bit of a mess off-the-field (his mother's battle with cancer; part of the reason he wasn't playing is Fitz "took football off his plate" because of what he was dealing with at home) and their QB2 was lost for the season in early September to injury. I think someone mentioned it already but they do run an offense that puts a little more pressure on the QB and that position has been far from delivering thus far this year, which has stopped their offense stone cold.