Fans recognize two serious problems in the Nebraska football program, and this week’s pregame survey shows they are pretty much equally concerned about both.
Boys toss a football at a tailgate on the west edge of the university campus before the Northwestern game.
Tad Stryker
Saturday afternoon before Nebraska played Northwestern, I surveyed 100 Husker fans in three locations: the University of Nebraska campus near Broyhill Fountain, a tailgate on the western edge of the campus and at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel.
I asked this question: “What sign of progress are you most hoping to see tonight against Northwestern?” My three choices were:
- More takeaways by the Blackshirts.
- Better blocking and discipline by the offensive line.
- More stability in the kicking game/special teams.
Full disclosure: the most common response was, “Do I have more than one choice?” Many would have voted for “all of the above.” But when I forced them to choose one, it rapidly became evident that at this point of the season, nobody is too worried about the Husker defense, but plenty have concerns about the offense and the special teams.
The biggest vote getter, by a 55-45 margin, was “better blocking and discipline by the offensive line.” Nobody voted for “more takeaways by the Blackshirts.”
Curt Spahn, a native of Lincoln who lives in Mossyrock, Washington, flew in for the game. He’s worried about an overall lack of discipline in the program.
“I believe the lack of discipline is coach-driven,” Spahn said. “I believe in coach Frost, but there’s a disconnect between the coaches and team as far as discipline is concerned.”
Jeff Cotter of Minneapolis supported that theme, saying the Huskers will continue to struggle until they stop the self-inflicted wounds. “We’re beating ourselves,” he said.
Jeff Frank of Des Moines thinks the current Huskers are feeling too much pressure.
“They put a lot of pressure on themselves,” Frank said. “If they play more freely, they’ll do better.”
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