OWH“We’ve been working hard on it,” offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “It’s got to be a big part of our game. We’ve got to execute it.”
Cavanaugh’s group may have the most influence on whether that happens.
The success of the screen pass so often relies on the offensive linemen — they have to subtly give up a rush lane, then hastily move downfield as they find a target to engage. If the defense gets to the quarterback too quickly or the pass catcher doesn’t have enough space, the play has no chance.
“We’ve just got to cover guys up to get it started,” Cavanaugh said.
The Huskers weren’t as efficient at it as they would have liked last year.
On the conventional screen passes to running backs, the Huskers averaged 5.8 yards per attempt.
They completed just 4 of 7 screens to tight ends, totaling 18 yards. One of those resulted in an interception.
NU does have a variety of screens for receivers, particularly those that single out defensive backs along the sideline. But on the 10 receiver screens over the middle that the Huskers ran last year, they averaged 7.5 yards per attempt.
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