YSUGO great post. Our defense is very average at best. Our defensive line in every game except St Francis gets pushed around. We give up huge chunks of yardage in the run game every week. Allow too many big plays. Our corners are awful, this Kenneth Durden is a joke. You watch the corners from South Dakota State, thats how you play, in fact their entire secondary played as a unit and together.
Way to early in the Pelini era, but I said when hired and I say now, he is not the answer. In most of his big games at Nebraska, his defense was embarrassed, games at Wisconsin and Ohio State were not competitive. A Wisconsin running back once ran for over 400 yards on his defense. Not going to rehash Pelini hire, it is done. But his 9 wins at Nebraska, very similar to Heacock and Wolford winning 6-8 at YSU, and both got fired. You have 2-3 lock wins each year when you play the teams we do before conference play begins.
I am disappointed in the lack of progress of Wells, especially since Montgomery built him to be the next great QB here. Maybe Montgomery is the problem as well. Our offense is predictable and good teams shut us down.
Right now we are an average team, average program. I also think Pelini needs to quit whining about the fans, what we have seen the last two weeks, can you blame them for not coming. Also, big picture, most games at the FCS level are played in front of 5-8 thousand fans, we are where we should be. Even with a winning program maybe 12-14 thousand fans, but we need a reality check. FCS football is regional, and maybe even local interest. Other than ND State with ESPN exposure, most could care less and would prefer to stay home at watch a good game on TV.
Because there are 24 teams in a watered down playoff, and just about the great FCS programs have made the jump to FBS, there will be some not so good teams in the playoffs, and we could be one of them. Appy State, Georgia Southern, Troy, Nevada, Marshall, and the list goes on, have all moved to FBS. We may be the lone one not stepping up. And if we had the money, and they would take us, we would be in the MAC.