The Model for Success at Nebraska: A Strong Physical Running Game

[Igetbored216]

I think everyone I talk to and watch the games with are getting tired of me saying, "Run the ball!" I think the part that annoys me the most is the absolutely baffling rotation at running back. Wilbon has disappeared (he is still on the team right?) and after having a decent game against Illinois, Ozigbo was rarely on the field against Wisconsin as Newby and Cross had most of the carries. Am I missing something? I think before you commit to the run game, you probably need to commit to one or two running backs...preferably ones that are actually good at running the ball . This staff, through six games, obviously has not done this.

 

[Blackshirt_Revival]

Every head coach and offensive coordinator football coach has a few choices when they develop their teams...

What is our philosophy? What do we want our run/pass ratio to be? What will make us successful in the environment that we play in?

For current Nebraska head coach Mike Riley he has now admitted that his preference is to use the pass to set up the run.



It is a philosophy that has worked on all levels of football, but this is not the right model for Nebraska. That model had a 4 year experiment and failed. [see Bill Callahan]

There is an offensive model that works at Nebraska. It is the model that produced numerous All-Americans, Outland winners, Heisman trophies, a hallway of Conference Championships, and yes...multiple National Championships. It is a model that worked for Nebraska for over 40 years, and it is this model that Nebraska MUST return to if it ever wants to return to producing consistent, competitive, championship level teams year in and year out.

The Model for Success at Nebraska is a commitment to a STRONG, PHYSICAL, Running Game.

Tom Osborne explains this in detail in the video below. Pay attention to #2 & #3 on his list.

Tom Osborne: "We wanted to have a strong running game. In our part of the country weather is often a factor. We felt that simply throwing the ball wasn't going to get it done. So we wanted to have a strong running game running both option football and power football. We wanted to play physical football. We were going to play with 11 people, our receivers blocked every play. Our quarterback would take the ball up the field. He would not hook slide, he would not run out of bounds...that was our philosophy. We wanted all ball carriers to get every yard after contact they possibly could."

This, this, this, a MILLION TIMES THIS!!!

This, of all reasons, is the number one reason why Riley, to me, is such an absolutely horrible fit here.

He is a pass first coach with a 'pass to set up the run' mentality.

He runs an offensive scheme that is absolutely antithetical to our DNA, and one we essentially already experimented with here that was a total joke with highly rated recruits, mind you.

In the press conference today, when asked about offensive production and what he thought their biggest problems or things they needed to get better at were, his first answer was something to the effect of "I think our passing game needs to improve. We need to get things going the screen game."

I literally facepalmed when I heard this.

Listening to his explanations of why we decide to go with which running back when, and how we have "utilized" (mismanaged) them thus far, and my stomach just turned. He totally talked about it just like a guy who has no commitment to the run game whatsoever and has a total pass-first mentality, because that's precisely what he is.

This is the number one reason, in my mind--drop all of the other reasons we have brought up and debated on here over the past couple of weeks--but THIS above all is the biggest problem with Riley and the hiring of Riley. His football philosophy, his football DNA and and the offensive scheme he wants to utilize is not one that matches Nebraska. At all.

 

[RedRex]

This West Coast offense crap doesn't work at Nebraska. It was proven with Callahan and it's being proven again now. The more I listen to Riley, the more I feel like he's just telling fans what they want to hear. Then, he goes out and does something totally different.

Why won't it work at Nebraska? Is our field shaped different than other fields in the Big 10? Is our turf specifically designed for a running game?

To run a successful offense you have to have proper coaching and talent. Osborne was successful because he was a great coach and developed players to run his system. Not every coach can duplicate that. When we hired Riley, we knew what kind of system he wanted to run. It's going to take time to implement.

We?...Who was "we" ? Perlman, Eichorst, and the turds in their pockets?

 

[GBRedneck]

It's funny to see the armchair keyboard warriors argue against TO ideas. smh

Other big reasons that system in the OP works better here is because of the walkon program and the homegrown talent. And, it's easier to recruit the types of players needed to run that system at Nebraska than to try and compete for recruits with all the warm, sunny teams.

I certainly don't expect Riley to even consider changing. Something about leopards and old dogs and spots and new tricks.

 

[Hunter94]

"He thought it was important that a team run the ball," Riley said of Osborne. "If you're a team that has to count on throwing 60 times per game, some games that might be difficult."
Riley chuckled. "That's what he said. And I get that."

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/blogs/mike-riley-gets-advice-from-tom-osborne-run-the-ball/article_cc25a7e6-becb-11e4-9fed-87b05187389e.html

100% with you. Riley says in this article that he gets it, but he's shown so far that he doesn't. Langsdorf and Riley truly believe that the passing is what sets up the run game. However, they veer away from the running game when it stops working, but won't veer away from the passing game when it's unsuccessful. Sure the running game isn't going to get you 7-15+ yards every time you run it. But if you keep pounding that rock, and controlling the time of possession you will wear down the defense so at the end of the game those 3-4 yard runs turn into 8+ yard chunks. Then when they stack up on the run, you hit them with a play action pass. It's pretty simple, but this staff is making it difficult.

they just don't believe in the run first philosophy that has been proven for decades.......you can set up the run with the pass first, but when you throw the ball 3 things can happen and two of them are bad. also, the passing game does not wear down the defensive line. recruit road graders and guys like our fullback and kick the sh#t out of the other guys. damit, f'ing Riley may just be Callahan 2.0 afterall.....

 

[Jim Hammer]

This West Coast offense crap doesn't work at Nebraska. It was proven with Callahan and it's being proven again now. The more I listen to Riley, the more I feel like he's just telling fans what they want to hear. Then, he goes out and does something totally different.

Why won't it work at Nebraska? Is our field shaped different than other fields in the Big 10? Is our turf specifically designed for a running game?

To run a successful offense you have to have proper coaching and talent. Osborne was successful because he was a great coach and developed players to run his system. Not every coach can duplicate that. When we hired Riley, we knew what kind of system he wanted to run. It's going to take time to implement.

We?...Who was "we" ? Perlman, Eichorst, and the turds in their pockets?

Ignore the meat, attack the parsley.

"When Riley was hired, we (everyone who did their research) knew ..."

Better?

 

[Jim Hammer]

It's funny to see the armchair keyboard warriors argue against TO ideas. smh

Other big reasons that system in the OP works better here is because of the walkon program and the homegrown talent. And, it's easier to recruit the types of players needed to run that system at Nebraska than to try and compete for recruits with all the warm, sunny teams.

I certainly don't expect Riley to even consider changing. Something about leopards and old dogs and spots and new tricks.

If it were so easy to duplicate what TO did, why wasn't Solich successful? Why haven't other teams run his system?

Under Osborne, we had coordinators and coaches who'd been here together for many years. We had a system that developed all-American linemen who taught and developed the underclassmen to replace them once they graduated. TO finally recruited speed on defense and that's when it all came together.

Riley has his system, we need to give him time to implement it.

 

[Hunter94]

It's funny to see the armchair keyboard warriors argue against TO ideas. smh

Other big reasons that system in the OP works better here is because of the walkon program and the homegrown talent. And, it's easier to recruit the types of players needed to run that system at Nebraska than to try and compete for recruits with all the warm, sunny teams.

I certainly don't expect Riley to even consider changing. Something about leopards and old dogs and spots and new tricks.

If it were so easy to duplicate what TO did, why wasn't Solich successful? Why haven't other teams run his system?

Under Osborne, we had coordinators and coaches who'd been here together for many years. We had a system that developed all-American linemen who taught and developed the underclassmen to replace them once they graduated. TO finally recruited speed on defense and that's when it all came together.

Riley has his system, we need to give him time to implement it.

yeah, he was at Oregon State and never did perfect it, doing the same sh#t over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

 

[Jim Hammer]

It's funny to see the armchair keyboard warriors argue against TO ideas. smh

Other big reasons that system in the OP works better here is because of the walkon program and the homegrown talent. And, it's easier to recruit the types of players needed to run that system at Nebraska than to try and compete for recruits with all the warm, sunny teams.

I certainly don't expect Riley to even consider changing. Something about leopards and old dogs and spots and new tricks.

If it were so easy to duplicate what TO did, why wasn't Solich successful? Why haven't other teams run his system?

Under Osborne, we had coordinators and coaches who'd been here together for many years. We had a system that developed all-American linemen who taught and developed the underclassmen to replace them once they graduated. TO finally recruited speed on defense and that's when it all came together.

Riley has his system, we need to give him time to implement it.

yeah, he was at Oregon State and never did perfect it, doing the same sh#t over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

Would you rather he ran a system he's uncomfortable with?

I get that you want him fired, but he's here and will be for a while. Nebraska's best chance for success is letting him do what he knows.

 

[Hunter94]

It's funny to see the armchair keyboard warriors argue against TO ideas. smh

Other big reasons that system in the OP works better here is because of the walkon program and the homegrown talent. And, it's easier to recruit the types of players needed to run that system at Nebraska than to try and compete for recruits with all the warm, sunny teams.

I certainly don't expect Riley to even consider changing. Something about leopards and old dogs and spots and new tricks.

If it were so easy to duplicate what TO did, why wasn't Solich successful? Why haven't other teams run his system?

Under Osborne, we had coordinators and coaches who'd been here together for many years. We had a system that developed all-American linemen who taught and developed the underclassmen to replace them once they graduated. TO finally recruited speed on defense and that's when it all came together.

Riley has his system, we need to give him time to implement it.

yeah, he was at Oregon State and never did perfect it, doing the same sh#t over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

Would you rather he ran a system he's uncomfortable with?

I get that you want him fired, but he's here and will be for a while. Nebraska's best chance for success is letting him do what he knows.

yup, he's the coach, just like a cook, better like what he is serving up.........or go hungry.

 

[Xmas32]

Duke - I couldn't agree more. Excellent topic which I have brought up many tiimes. In my opinion, NU will NOT get to national title prominence again until it goes back to adopting Osborne's blueprint. I've given reasons in other posts, but here's another thing....I think a lot of fans have lowered their standards to where they think about "winning the Big 10 championship", or even worse, "winning the West division". Who cares? I couldn't give a damn about a conference or divisional championship. Means nothing to me. Just tells me you outplayed 6 or 13 other teams. What I care about is NATIONAL prominence, being #1 again, being taken seriously (feared) by other teams, being physical and running teams over.

Having a cookie cutter passing offense is Ok for guys like Riley who never won anything, but to get back to winning NATIONAL TITLES and being in the hunt for them year after year (like today's Alabama's, Ohio State's, etc.) requires a SOLID running game, and for that...Riley is NOT the answer. He MIGHT get NU to 6-6, 7-5, maybe even 8-4 on a good year, which maybe for some fans is good enough. But he will NEVER get NU to national titles (or even in the conversation of one).

Undone - you're right.....what one personally wants to see run as far as offensive philosophy and what could actually work can be entirely two different things. A lot of fans like passing. I hate it. I despise it. To me, it is WUSSY football. It's throwing the ball over someone's head so they can't get to it (basically, monkey in the middle). I'd rather run a team over, physically beat them up. With rule changes over the years, they have geared the game more to passing and less to running. They've taken the brutality of the game away. Osborne had it right...EVERYONE (including the QB) blocks, everyone (including QBs) runs (and no slides or running out of bounds). Qb's should not be given any special status when it comes to the BRUTALITY of the game...they should hit and be hit just like everyone else. No prima donnas.

So since you mentioned preference, I will say my preference is to run the ball (80/20 ratio or higher, 90/10 even). But to do that you need the right coach who knows the ins and outs of the running game...and Riley is not that coach. He is not a run-the-ball TECHNICIAN. So we are stuck with Riley and his West Coast wussy throw the ball around offense, which, like I said, will absolutely not bring NU back to national titles, hence, it is not good enough for me. I won't settle for "winning the West division". I want PANCAKES. When is the last time you heard the word Pancakes? Offensive linemen used to compete to see who could get the most pancakes in a game. They took pride in it. They enjoyed firing off the line to smash the defensive linemen into the ground on run plays. What happens on a pass play? Offensive linemen BACKPEDAL, forming a nice cushy pocket for the QB (in other words, very passive, and defintiely not gonna lead to any pancakes).

So to sum up....my preference...run the ball. What will bring Nebraska back to the promised land of national title?....run the ball (but only with the right coaches who know what they're doing and are true technicians in rushing attack philosophy and execution).

Your philosophy works great when you have unlimited rosters and the old scholarship rules where they could offer everyone under the sun. 85 schollies makes things just a wee bit tougher. Solid rant though.

 

[Nebhawk]

Good Grief gents: Smashmouth football was a by-product of having NFL caliber offensive line. Keep talking about the golden era of NU football, but reality gents, reality.

How many of these linemen will get drafted? How many have been drafted in the last 12 years?

Smashmouth football would be great, but you have to have the blockers.

Listened to 590am this afternoon. They pointed out on the last offensive series against Wisky that on 2nd down Cross ran right when the design of the play was left, where he had Jank, and linemen pulling to run the ball in that direction. It was blocked wonderfully, accept our RB went right where the whole defense was. Include that when bitching about this team, include that. Was that coaching or was that players not knowing left from right!

 

[Xmas32]

It's funny to see the armchair keyboard warriors argue against TO ideas. smh

Other big reasons that system in the OP works better here is because of the walkon program and the homegrown talent. And, it's easier to recruit the types of players needed to run that system at Nebraska than to try and compete for recruits with all the warm, sunny teams.

I certainly don't expect Riley to even consider changing. Something about leopards and old dogs and spots and new tricks.

The emergence of schools like Ohio, Wyoming and FBS schools like UND, SDSU, etc have also really cut down on the amount of kids that would probably walk on at NU. College is crazy expensive nowadays.

 

[JJ Husker]

Good Grief gents: Smashmouth football was a by-product of having NFL caliber offensive line. Keep talking about the golden era of NU football, but reality gents, reality.

How many of these linemen will get drafted? How many have been drafted in the last 12 years?

Smashmouth football would be great, but you have to have the blockers.

Listened to 590am this afternoon. They pointed out on the last offensive series against Wisky that on 2nd down Cross ran right when the design of the play was left, where he had Jank, and linemen pulling to run the ball in that direction. It was blocked wonderfully, accept our RB went right where the whole defense was. Include that when bitching about this team, include that. Was that coaching or was that players not knowing left from right!

I think most everybody involved in this discussion realizes that we currently don't have the OL, running backs, or maybe even the QB to run the ball like we used to. It would take a totally different run philosophy than what the current staff has and totally different players and recruiting emphasis than we have had. Anyway, speaking for myself, that is the offense I would prefer to see at Nebraska and yes I realize it would take quite a few years to get back to it.

 

[benjibean1]

Duke - I couldn't agree more. Excellent topic which I have brought up many tiimes. In my opinion, NU will NOT get to national title prominence again until it goes back to adopting Osborne's blueprint. I've given reasons in other posts, but here's another thing....I think a lot of fans have lowered their standards to where they think about "winning the Big 10 championship", or even worse, "winning the West division". Who cares? I couldn't give a damn about a conference or divisional championship. Means nothing to me. Just tells me you outplayed 6 or 13 other teams. What I care about is NATIONAL prominence, being #1 again, being taken seriously (feared) by other teams, being physical and running teams over.

Having a cookie cutter passing offense is Ok for guys like Riley who never won anything, but to get back to winning NATIONAL TITLES and being in the hunt for them year after year (like today's Alabama's, Ohio State's, etc.) requires a SOLID running game, and for that...Riley is NOT the answer. He MIGHT get NU to 6-6, 7-5, maybe even 8-4 on a good year, which maybe for some fans is good enough. But he will NEVER get NU to national titles (or even in the conversation of one).

Undone - you're right.....what one personally wants to see run as far as offensive philosophy and what could actually work can be entirely two different things. A lot of fans like passing. I hate it. I despise it. To me, it is WUSSY football. It's throwing the ball over someone's head so they can't get to it (basically, monkey in the middle). I'd rather run a team over, physically beat them up. With rule changes over the years, they have geared the game more to passing and less to running. They've taken the brutality of the game away. Osborne had it right...EVERYONE (including the QB) blocks, everyone (including QBs) runs (and no slides or running out of bounds). Qb's should not be given any special status when it comes to the BRUTALITY of the game...they should hit and be hit just like everyone else. No prima donnas.

So since you mentioned preference, I will say my preference is to run the ball (80/20 ratio or higher, 90/10 even). But to do that you need the right coach who knows the ins and outs of the running game...and Riley is not that coach. He is not a run-the-ball TECHNICIAN. So we are stuck with Riley and his West Coast wussy throw the ball around offense, which, like I said, will absolutely not bring NU back to national titles, hence, it is not good enough for me. I won't settle for "winning the West division". I want PANCAKES. When is the last time you heard the word Pancakes? Offensive linemen used to compete to see who could get the most pancakes in a game. They took pride in it. They enjoyed firing off the line to smash the defensive linemen into the ground on run plays. What happens on a pass play? Offensive linemen BACKPEDAL, forming a nice cushy pocket for the QB (in other words, very passive, and defintiely not gonna lead to any pancakes).

So to sum up....my preference...run the ball. What will bring Nebraska back to the promised land of national title?....run the ball (but only with the right coaches who know what they're doing and are true technicians in rushing attack philosophy and execution).

There is much to love about this brand of football - Husker teams of yesteryear called it "smashmouth" football. Dominate the line of scrimmage and pound the defense into submission. You throw over the top 6 to 8 times a half just to scorch 'em with a big ugly tight end lumbering down the field as little DBs slip and fall off his back for 29 yards into the dreadful 4 down territory inside the opponents' 40. From there, the opponent's defenders knew what was coming - more tough running backs and hard hitting fullbacks pounding away. It was brutal at times - yes. The toughest team won 90% of the time.

Want to know how much Nebraska fans love this brand of football...smash-mouth football? Want to know how much they miss those tough running, physical types of running games?

Just listen to the crowd on Saturday after Janovich's 55-yard touchdown run.

This is just one example of what Nebraska football is, what it was...

.... and what it should be.

That play brings a tear to my eye. I miss the "Mac" trucks and the "Sledge" Hammers of yesteryear.