Charting the Husker Offense

[Mavric]

I made this using the data Mav provided.

The bigger the circle, the more yards per carry.

The numbers inside the bubbles are the total carries

The color of the bubble is based on the total rushing yards. If the team had more than 100 yards the bubble is a shade of red. The brighter the red the more yards. If the team had < 100 the bubble is a shade of blue. The darker the blue the less yards.

So at a glance, you can see we could have run it more in the Northwestern game, even in the 1st half (although our passing stats are decent there too). With Wyoming, you can see that running more probably wouldn't have helped us much.

Awesome work.

You would expect that more attempts would lead to more rushing yards but it's a pretty solid trend that more attempts also correlates to a higher YPA as well. Now that's a bit of a chicken and the egg - did we run it more because it was working or did we wear them down by running more so we got bigger chunks later - but the trend is pretty obvious.

Wyoming was definitely the outlier but it was also the game where Newby barely got any carries (4) and we spent almost 80% of the time running Ozigbo and Newby straight into the middle of the line. So we weren't giving ourselves much of a chance by who we were giving the ball to and what plays were being called.

 

[Mierin]

Here's the passing version. I used green instead of red because Nebraska should never pass!

 

[Mavric]

Here's the passing version. I used green instead of red because Nebraska should never pass!

Great work again.

YPA doesn't seem to vary a whole lot. Wyoming first half on the high end, Oregon first half on the low end but the rest fairly similar (mostly between 7.0 and 10.1).

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

It's a small sample but pretty much shows that when Langsdorf stays committed to the run we score points. When he gets pass happy... not so much.

It shows that when the running game is working, the running game works.

And the running game doesn't work as well without a legitimate passing threat, something Langsdorf and pretty much every coach understands better than the guys who can't stop using the phrase "pass happy."

Did you watch the Illinois game? At the end of the 3rd quarter Nebraska had 89 yards rushing. Would you say that's going good? Because we stuck with it we were able to put them away. Spin it however you want. The numbers don't lie.

I was thrilled to watch our offensive line come together and Terrell Newby step up and have Nebraska power its way to a fourth quarter win. But it's not like we didn't run the ball in the first half. It's that we ran it better. Either wearing Illinois down or countering their defensive adjustments or both. There will be games where the defense does better against our running game. Langsdorf will have to adjust and you'll freak out.

Remember, some folks scream when three consecutive rushing plays don't get that crucial first down. That fumble hurts just as much as an interception.

Or to look at it another way, Nebraska scored 52 points in its most pass-happy game against Wyoming. The most points of the season. Using your logic, Langsdorf should have stayed pass happy because that's what works.

See? Numbers do lie. All the time.

Do you understand that a big reason we lost 7 games last year was mostly due to the fact that we abandoned the running game? We are also 4-0 this year because we have actually stuck with it. Is a coincidence that we are killing teams in the 4th quarter? Keep deluding yourself into thinking that passing the ball is going to take us to the promised land but I'll point out we've had 3 losing seasons in 5 years in your preferred offense.

I'm not sure you really read my post.

 

[admo]

I made this using the data Mav provided.

The bigger the circle, the more yards per carry.

The numbers inside the bubbles are the total carries

The color of the bubble is based on the total rushing yards. If the team had more than 100 yards the bubble is a shade of red. The brighter the red the more yards. If the team had < 100 the bubble is a shade of blue. The darker the blue the less yards.

So at a glance, you can see we could have run it more in the Northwestern game, even in the 1st half (although our passing stats are decent there too). With Wyoming, you can see that running more probably wouldn't have helped us much.

Awesome work.

 

[BRV920]

Sure I did! You don't really care what our offense looks like. Which is not a recipe for consistent success.

 

[admo]

Here's the passing version. I used green instead of red because Nebraska should never pass!

Great work again.

YPA doesn't seem to vary a whole lot. Wyoming first half on the high end, Oregon first half on the low end but the rest fairly similar (mostly between 7.0 and 10.1).

 

[Mierin]

Awesome work.

Spot on! Better computer.

 

[admo]

So I thought I would contribute and look at the numbers for each Huskers game.

The top number is what the opponent's run defense is averaging against all teams they played (not including against Nebraska)
The bottom number is what the Huskers did against that defense. Only the NW game pops out.

Fresno State
52-279 5.3 (Fresno's rush defense average per game)
51-292 5.7 (5TD) (Huskers against Fresno)

Wyoming
36-139 3.8 (WYO's rush defense average per game)
43-138 3.2 (2TD) (Huskers against WYO)

Oregon

41-208 5.0 (Oregon's rush defense average per game)
47-228 4.9 (2TD) (Huskers against Oregon)

Northwestern
38-120 3.1 (NW's rush defense average per game)
47-310 6.6 (TD) (Huskers against NW)

Illinois
39-158 4.1 (Illini's rush defense average per game)
49-203 4.1 (3TD) (Huskers against Illinois)

 

[Nebfanatic]

By these stats I'm seeing only one instance we threw more than we ran and that was in the first half vs Oregon. Every other half indicates we rely heavily on the run and set up our pass plays on that foundation.

Perfect offensive strategy for this group of players where we have fantastic skill at every position but out QB operates best with a limited number of throws that work with the ground game we've established.

I'm not sure how anyone could get the idea OCDL and company aren't running the ball enough this season. In my eyes they are doing a wonderful job of balance and "staging" other plays to hit big later in the game

 

[Mierin]

So I thought I would contribute and look at the numbers for each Huskers game.

The top number is what the opponent's run defense is averaging against all teams they played (not including against Nebraska)

The bottom number is what the Huskers did against that defense. Only the NW game pops out.

Here you go. On the "Nebraska" row we want to see bubbles that are bigger and less green than the "Other" row. If you add passing I'll do that too:

 

[Mierin]

This one is like the first two but with both passing and rushing.

Edit: Guess I should've edited the size range for the bubbles so you could see the color for the first half of Wyoming rushing. If you squint you can see it's green.

 

[drfish]

It's a small sample but pretty much shows that when Langsdorf stays committed to the run we score points. When he gets pass happy... not so much.

First of all, I solidly support running the ball. We are wearing down opposition defenses and that is a good recipe for success. However, I am not so certain that that the above observation is due to cause and effect. Taking the 4 quarters with the most pass attempts:

Wyoming First Half: 20 runs, 54 yards, 2.7 ypc, 0 fumbles lost; 11 completions, 18 attempts, 61.1%, 277 yards, 15.4 ypa, 1 INT; 52.6% runs, 8.7 ypp, 16:53 TOP, 17 points

Wyoming Second Half: 23 runs, 84 yards, 3.7 ypc, 0 fumbles lost; 10 completions, 17 attempts, 58.8%, 135 yards, 7.9 ypa, 0 INTs; 57.5% runs, 5.5 ypp, 16:04 TOP, 35 points

Oregon First Half*: 17 runs, 66 yards; 3.9 ypc, 0 turnovers; 12 completions, 25 attempts, 48.0%, 130 yards, 5.2 ypa, 1 turnover; 40.5% runs, 4.7 ypp, 16:30 TOP, 14 points

Northwestern First Half: 21 runs, 138 yards, 6.6 ypc, 2 fumbles lost; 10 completions, 17 attempts, 58.8%, 147 yards, 8.6 ypa, 0 INTs; 55.3% runs, 7.5 ypp, 17:18 TOP, 10 points

These are the halves with the highest passing attempts

It includes the first half against Oregon with a redzone turnover that led to a TD for Oregon but should have been either 3 or 7 points. Of course the turn over did come from the passing game in this case.

The Wyoming first have is the same scenario, a redzone turnover from the passing game, but the second half had only 1 fewer attempt and netted 35 points in one of the "pass happy" quarters.

The Northwestern first half scoring was held down by two turnovers at the goal line that occurred in the running game. It is pretty certain that in both cases a TD would have been scored, so it would have been a 24 point half.

I submit that the numbers show that turning the ball over leads to less scoring. Of the six halves in which the Huskers scored less than 21 points, 4 are halves in which turnovers occurred. A turnover occurred in only 1 of the 4 quarters where 21 or more points were scored.

 

[Nebfanatic]

It's a small sample but pretty much shows that when Langsdorf stays committed to the run we score points. When he gets pass happy... not so much.

First of all, I solidly support running the ball. We are wearing down opposition defenses and that is a good recipe for success. However, I am not so certain that that the above observation is due to cause and effect. Taking the 4 quarters with the most pass attempts:

Wyoming First Half: 20 runs, 54 yards, 2.7 ypc, 0 fumbles lost; 11 completions, 18 attempts, 61.1%, 277 yards, 15.4 ypa, 1 INT; 52.6% runs, 8.7 ypp, 16:53 TOP, 17 points

Wyoming Second Half: 23 runs, 84 yards, 3.7 ypc, 0 fumbles lost; 10 completions, 17 attempts, 58.8%, 135 yards, 7.9 ypa, 0 INTs; 57.5% runs, 5.5 ypp, 16:04 TOP, 35 points

Oregon First Half*: 17 runs, 66 yards; 3.9 ypc, 0 turnovers; 12 completions, 25 attempts, 48.0%, 130 yards, 5.2 ypa, 1 turnover; 40.5% runs, 4.7 ypp, 16:30 TOP, 14 points

Northwestern First Half: 21 runs, 138 yards, 6.6 ypc, 2 fumbles lost; 10 completions, 17 attempts, 58.8%, 147 yards, 8.6 ypa, 0 INTs; 55.3% runs, 7.5 ypp, 17:18 TOP, 10 points

These are the halves with the highest passing attempts
It includes the first half against Oregon with a redzone turnover that led to a TD for Oregon but should have been either 3 or 7 points. Of course the turn over did come from the passing game in this case.

The Wyoming first have is the same scenario, a redzone turnover from the passing game, but the second half had only 1 fewer attempt and netted 35 points in one of the "pass happy" quarters.

The Northwestern first half scoring was held down by two turnovers at the goal line that occurred in the running game. It is pretty certain that in both cases a TD would have been scored, so it would have been a 24 point half.

I submit that the numbers show that turning the ball over leads to less scoring. Of the six halves in which the Huskers scored less than 21 points, 4 are halves in which turnovers occurred. A turnover occurred in only 1 of the 4 quarters where 21 or more points were scored.

^^^ this. We have pretty good success on the ground and through the air but when we give possessions away is when we struggle. Otherwise the offense moves the ball very effectively thus far