Have a seat. The discussion has gotten serious quickly.
Tanner Farmer opened the door Sept. 17 when he told reporters that Nebraska football coach Scott Frost essentially told his players, "Buy in or move out."
Mohamed Barry pushed the door open even wider Saturday when, following a 56-10 loss at Michigan, he said, "There are some people who want it and some people who don't. That's why we're playing the brand of football we're playing right now."
Nebraska is 0-3 for the first time since 1945. Virtually nobody expected such a rugged start to the Scott Frost era. As people search for answers, it's easy to point to players' level of "buy-in" because, well, Frost has raised the issue himself. An unfortunate byproduct of the discussion is speculation about certain players who might not be fully on board. Individuals can be wrongfully indicted.
People are also reading…
Make no mistake, though, if lack of buy-in is indeed a significant issue, it's difficult to imagine the season ending in a bowl game. Nebraska's talent level is such that it's paramount that the team is fully engaged as a unit, with emphasis on unit. Because as Bo Pelini used to say repeatedly, football is the ultimate team sport. Which means for a given unit to thrive, all 11 players must fully understand and execute assignments. It's a beautiful element of the sport, unless there are breakdowns.
Nebraska's special teams have experienced a rash of breakdowns this season. Its struggles are particularly germane to this discussion because if you're sizing up any organization's culture, or buy-in, you look immediately toward areas where people don't get much credit for their work. You look to the dirty work. If an organization attacks those tasks enthusiastically and successfully, well, it indicates strength in culture.
Special teams is all about dirty work. Plus, because practice time often is limited in this area, players have to be dialed in especially hard on assignments. Freelancing is discouraged. In other words, Nebraska's issues in special teams naturally cause one to wonder about the team's overall buy-in. After all, it ranks 108th nationally in net punting, 125th in average punt return yards (0.2) and 88th in average kickoff return yards (19.0). It's already allowed two punt returns for touchdowns.
"It's just one of those things where guys have to give effort," says Husker senior Tre Neal, "and I'm at fault for it, also. I have to lead guys by example. I should be going 100,000 percent no matter what. Special teams cost us a game (against Troy), and it took the life out of us in the last game.
"Guys in the games aren't in the right leverage," he adds. "They're not doing what they're supposed to do. They're just running freely and kind of doing whatever they want. But guys are starting to understand."
It makes sense for Nebraska fans to be very concerned about special teams if only because of the sports axiom, "A team is only as strong as its weakest link." There's also this: Many coaches identify favorable field position (often created by special teams) as one of the three keys to winning, along with turnover ratio and play in the trenches. The Huskers this season have faltered in all three critical areas. So, Frost has to try to manage his way through it.
It's also a fact that Frost inherited the culture of a .500 program (Mike Riley was 19-19 at Nebraska and 93-80 at Oregon State). It's why Frost already has 50-plus new faces on the 2018 roster and why the roster overhaul will continue at season's end. Until then, well, cross your fingers, Husker fans.
Finally, consider that the Big Ten is arguably the nation's premier coaching league. Coaches study game film incessantly. They can identify players who are freelancing or failing to take assignments seriously. Coaches devise plans to attack those players like sharks attack blood in the water. That's when a lack of buy-in becomes like a debilitating disease that reveals itself fully on autumn Saturdays.
Nebraska knows it all too well.