Newby vs. Ozigbo - who should start & who should see the most carries

Mavric said:
GBRFAN said:
Mavric said:
Fourth Possession

Pretty ugly possession overall. Included DPE's fumbled exchange, a timeout because Foster wouldn't go in motion and a blocked punt.

Probably not great to call a draw at this point in the game (when you've only thrown one pass) and Newby has to avoid a defender as soon as he gets the ball and does well to get back to the line.

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Looks like a poor read by Newby - Left side is sealed for a big gain if he cuts right away.
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Not if you actually watch the play.
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Yup, that dude was right in his face as soon as he got the ball +1

 
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I think both Newby and Ozigbo did well but Ozigbo had a lot more room to work.
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Pulled this from Mavric's first breakdown post. This is what I would say, too. Watching the game live it seemed like more magic happened when Ozigbo was in the game. Watching on film, Ozigbo had MUCH better blocking most of the time. The longest run of the night was Ozigbo's 17-yard scamper - the hole was huge and he wasn't touched until about 15 yards downfield. Newby could have run that play just as effectively.

I was all for casting Newby aside in favor of Ozibgo and Bryant. But after watching Newby's burst, power in the pile and improved shiftiness, I'm back on the Newby Hype Train.

I still think Tre Bryant is going to be a better back, and Ozibgo may very well be better than Newby right now. But if we had to go with Newby for an entire game, I'm far more comfortable with that now.

 
Going by my own eye test, I think they really like what Newby has to offer all around and try to create spark early in a game. We saw it against Minnesota last year - he got going early and turned in his best performance as a Husker.

After the start of a game though, it feels like they tend to rely on other backs down the stretch. I don't have any data to back that up other than the one game so far this season and my surface-level recollection from a few games in 2015.

I'm guessing a large part of it is feel, too. For whatever reason, if one back is having more success and getting better blocking from the team, then the responsible decision is to keep feeding that back over the other. This very well could change who sees the most carries week to week.

 
Quick, what's everybodies favorite Newby Big Moment play? (Without having to look one up)

 
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I watched the game again with a different POV and less agitation.

Our offensive line was getting a lot of push. Particularly the left side. But Tommy and Ozigbo seemed to instinctively cut back to the middle.

i.e. the offensive line was opening some holes that weren't put to good use.

Not a bad problem to have at the moment. I honestly don't care who starts or gets the most carries. I'd encourage platoon competition for half the season, then start narrowing down the roles. Ending with Tre Bryant beginning his four year run as featured RB.

 
I thought Newby ran well against Fresno, but for some people on here to still think he is the #1 I honestly cannot wrap my head around that.

Ozigbo - Not great at anything but good at everything. Vision, balance, footwork.

Bryant - Similiar to Ozigbo, but has a little bit more spark/speed. Being young slightly gets ahead of himself; will be a very good player

Wilbon - The one carry he got he put his foot in the ground twice (juke) and off for 16 yards. Has that wiggle that no one else has on this team

Newby - Just plain vanilla player. Not great speed, not over powering. Just a solid average player

 
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BIG ERN said:
I thought Newby ran well against Fresno, but for some people on here to still think he is the #1 I honestly cannot wrap my head around that.

Ozigbo - Not great at anything but good at everything. Vision, balance, footwork.

Bryant - Similiar to Ozigbo, but has a little bit more spark/speed. Being young slightly gets ahead of himself; will be a very good player

Wilbon - The one carry he got he put his foot in the ground twice (juke) and off for 16 yards. Has that wiggle that no one else has on this team

Newby - Just plain vanilla player. Not great speed, not over powering. Just a solid average player
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Agreed.

It really boils down to what kind of run game they want us to have moving forward. Thus far it appears to be a power and grind approach.

 
xlbder said:
I think Adam Taylor is going to be the second coming. What happened there? Did he transfer?
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Pretty sure he was seen on special teams on Saturday. He had a season-ending injury just prior to the start of the 2014 season and wasn't able to climb the depth chart last season I guess.

 
Ozigbo is the better running back, he runs lower with more power and keeps his feet churning even after contact. That stood out to me after rewatching that game.

Newby just doesn't run with the same power, and when he takes a hit he doesn't always keep his feet moving, and worse his vision is still in question. He did good early but the last couple carries he had didn't impress, and I think that's why he took a back seat to Ozigbo for the rest of the evening. Newby is more of a finesse back, and would do better in a spread scheme where he spent more time catching the ball on screens and routes.

If we want to have a solid run game it's Ozigbo all day, but if we are going to pass, and I think we will plenty this year, we need Newby back there because he is the better receiving back. Ozigbo got one catch against FSU and he didn't do a good job of boundary awareness and stumbled out, and you could tell it made him mad because that is the only thing keeping him fro supplanting Newby as the number 1 RB.

That's just my two cents, it will be interesting to see if Ozigbo develops his passing game skills to a point that he becomes our feature back with Bryant and Newby subbing in to give him a breather.

 
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BlitzFirst said:
Things I know are this:

1. Everyone loves to hate on Newby because he sucked last year

2. He sucked last year because he was hurt for a majority of the year

3. No one will give him the benefit of doubt for #1 and #2 despite him putting in more years through more turmoil than any other RB we have.

4. Despite his obvious experience/new found jitter/running with authority and his obvious speed (he IS the fastest back we have), he's still counted out because people can't get past #1 and #2

It's the 'cool thing' to bash on Newby right now and it's getting old really fast. As others have said in this thread, Oz benefited from some better blocking...he also got the entire 4th quarter. If it had instead been given to Newby, things might have turned out differently. Newby didn't get a carry in the 4th.

Anyone out there want to give him a break yet?
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I do! I didn't care for him last year and felt Wilbon was much stronger.

Truth is that newly looked good this game. He had moves I haven't seen from him. Go get 'em Newb. Keep it up!

 
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