I have said this repeatedly on this board and other places, Riley and Langsdorf and company are not, and will never be, the ones to bring Nebraska back to glory, and certainly not with a powerful rushing attack.
Just listen to them in their press conferences. The running game is barely mentioned, maybe as a quick comment on the running game (I laughed to myself when Langsdorf said they did a good job running the ball when all the team had was a paltry 150 yards or so...really? That is a "good job" running? Try 300+). All their focus and attention is on the passing game. It is what they know, what they are comfortable with. Just listen to them...it is always about "routes, coverage, throwing the ball, pass protection, QB made some good throws"...even when talking about running backs, more of their choice of words (hence, focus) is on "running routes" and "pass protection" than it is actually running the ball. These are dead giveaways of showing just how committed this staff is to the passing game and how little they are committed to the running game.
And I still have yet to see any kind of audible system on running plays for getting out of dead plays and checking into good running plays. If the playcall from the huddle is I-back inside zone and clearly the defense has the middle clogged up based on their formation, check out of it into an outside stretch play away from the free safety, QB counter or bootleg, etc. It's all about the numbers game at the point of attack. If you have 5 guys versus their 7 in that area, not a good idea. Yet, it looks to me like Nebraska sticks with the huddle playcall regardless of what defensive front is shown. Dumb if that is true.
I get it when fans say to RUN THE BALL. I say the same thing every gameday this season. But this staff is very limited in what they know about building a solid running attack. They aren't capable. To execute the running attack CORRECTLY and in a DOMINANT way, you have to have the talent (which I feel NU has, it is good enough) and you need the right coaching staff technicians for knowing and understanding the running game, and that at the moment Nebraska does not have.
Langsdorf and Riley want to gunsling the ball around 50 times a game if they can (49 today) and to fans like me, that really really sucks. So if Riley and Langsdorf aren't the answer, then what is....unfortunately until NU gets a new coaching staff in that DOES understand and place a huge emphasis on the running attack, we are stuck with a has-been-that-never-was coaching staff and their gunslinging ways. And that is a travesty.
Just listen to them in their press conferences. The running game is barely mentioned, maybe as a quick comment on the running game (I laughed to myself when Langsdorf said they did a good job running the ball when all the team had was a paltry 150 yards or so...really? That is a "good job" running? Try 300+). All their focus and attention is on the passing game. It is what they know, what they are comfortable with. Just listen to them...it is always about "routes, coverage, throwing the ball, pass protection, QB made some good throws"...even when talking about running backs, more of their choice of words (hence, focus) is on "running routes" and "pass protection" than it is actually running the ball. These are dead giveaways of showing just how committed this staff is to the passing game and how little they are committed to the running game.
And I still have yet to see any kind of audible system on running plays for getting out of dead plays and checking into good running plays. If the playcall from the huddle is I-back inside zone and clearly the defense has the middle clogged up based on their formation, check out of it into an outside stretch play away from the free safety, QB counter or bootleg, etc. It's all about the numbers game at the point of attack. If you have 5 guys versus their 7 in that area, not a good idea. Yet, it looks to me like Nebraska sticks with the huddle playcall regardless of what defensive front is shown. Dumb if that is true.
I get it when fans say to RUN THE BALL. I say the same thing every gameday this season. But this staff is very limited in what they know about building a solid running attack. They aren't capable. To execute the running attack CORRECTLY and in a DOMINANT way, you have to have the talent (which I feel NU has, it is good enough) and you need the right coaching staff technicians for knowing and understanding the running game, and that at the moment Nebraska does not have.
Langsdorf and Riley want to gunsling the ball around 50 times a game if they can (49 today) and to fans like me, that really really sucks. So if Riley and Langsdorf aren't the answer, then what is....unfortunately until NU gets a new coaching staff in that DOES understand and place a huge emphasis on the running attack, we are stuck with a has-been-that-never-was coaching staff and their gunslinging ways. And that is a travesty.
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