Minnesota- What did we learn?

[Enhance]

THAT'S identity. We need to get back to that.

I may be in a minority, but I think Nebraska has an identity. A fairly strong one in fact. It often feels like many Nebraska fans want identity to equal power football... so it's really less about 'identity' than it is conforming to what the fan wants to see on the field. Perhaps that's not the intention, but that's definitely how it comes off to me.

The problem with Nebraska is they are completely incapable of operating within the parameters of their identity, specifically on offense. It's hard to find a single position group that's performing at a consistently acceptable level, but I can see what they want to do and accomplish. Those two big scoring drives in the first half were perfect examples of Nebraska's identity on offense.

 

[Huskers93-97]

We do have an identity. Big Ten bottom feeder who loses twice as many as we win 

 

[Jeremy]

I may be in a minority, but I think Nebraska has an identity. A fairly strong one in fact. It often feels like many Nebraska fans want identity to equal power football... so it's really less about 'identity' than it is conforming to what the fan wants to see on the field. Perhaps that's not the intention, but that's definitely how it comes off to me.

The problem with Nebraska is they are completely incapable of operating within the parameters of their identity, specifically on offense. It's hard to find a single position group that's performing at a consistently acceptable level, but I can see what they want to do and accomplish. Those two big scoring drives in the first half were perfect examples of Nebraska's identity on offense.

I agree in part, but it's more about the identity the football team, not the fans, needs to have. Physical, downhill running. Run the clock. Move the chains. Hit them with play action every now and then. Robinson's long run came out of the Pistol, running downhill. 

I think Frost is just trying to do too much,  over-thinking it, trying to scheme his way into the end zone. In P5 football, especially the B1G,  you can't scheme for scores. It's about blocking and execution. Make a hole at the defensive line, get a blocker up to the second level at the point of attack, and get what you can. It's how Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan State have been successful in the past. It's boring, methodical, but it works. 

 

[admo]

I learned Minnesota is real good.  Like Illinois good

 

[UniversalMartin]

I learned that anyone, from here on out, who shouts "we need a Nebraska guy" for a coach to build us back is likely on a combination of Natty Ice and opioids 

 

[admo]

We need more Walkons and culture stuff.  And less Riley guys.  Oh, and 3 years for the playbook stuff.  Swing passes are super hard to learn   

 

[Enhance]

I agree in part, but it's more about the identity the football team, not the fans, needs to have. Physical, downhill running. Run the clock. Move the chains. Hit them with play action every now and then. Robinson's long run came out of the Pistol, running downhill. 

I think Frost is just trying to do too much,  over-thinking it, trying to scheme his way into the end zone. In P5 football, especially the B1G,  you can't scheme for scores. It's about blocking and execution. Make a hole at the defensive line, get a blocker up to the second level at the point of attack, and get what you can. It's how Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan State have been successful in the past. It's boring, methodical, but it works. 

I agree in part, as well. I just don't think Nebraska needs to be pigeon-holed into one identity to find success. Minnesota had absolutely no answer for Nebraska on two drives in the first half when things were clicking. And it wasn't because Nebraska was necessarily out-scheming Minnesota. The Huskers just got hats on hats, blocked well in the second level, the QBs/WRs made the right reads, etc. It was largely the basic stuff they're supposed to do.

The when things were clicking part is the issue, though, which is why I 100% agree that it's clear they are doing too much and/or not coaching the offense in a way that effectively capitalizes on their available talent and that talents' skillset

But is a drastically altered playbook and offensive philosophy the answer? I don't know. Wisc/MSU/Iowa may have had more 'downhill' identities during their recent successful seasons, but they also scheme well and execute well. I'm not a huge fan of this perhaps unintentional narrative that those offenses aren't good at scheming.

 

[MyBloodIsRed16]

do we know exactly why Flemming was shown the door?  I keep seeing instagram.  But I also remember reading that he wasn't going to class and showing up to practice late as well as going through teammates lockers.  That tells me he doesn't care much for his teammates.  Could we have use him, sure, need him, no.  Some kids get away from their parents for the 1st time and don't know how to act.  

 

[Bledred]

This I know.  Coach Frost is a smart guy.  I wouldn't be worried about any ego issues either.  This season should be enough to humble anyone.  I know some will disagree.

I also know he wants to right the ship more than anyone.  As maddening as games like Minny were/are, I think he will do it, but it is going to take a complete re-evaluation of the program.  I'm not calling for firings of coaches because, although we all have our suspicions, I don't know for sure if anyone is underperforming.  I'll trust Coach on that.

Play calling?  Yes it looks bad at times, but if the plays work, not so much.  

Confidence?  If the Purdue game wasn't enough to make the players feel confident about a beating depleted/bad MN team, then nothing will.

Physicality?  We're clearly bigger and more physical than we've been for a while.  

Scheme?  Perhaps.  I still long for a downhill running attack as part of the offense and I'm not sold on the 3-4 concept--no pass rush, inconsistent run-stuffing.

If Coach were to ask me, I'd say the problems are deeper than just just one or two units on the team not cutting it.  Even if AMart completed those 4 or 5 downfield key passes and we had a running back game, we still probably win the game by one or two scores.  Minny was a team that should have been blown out by a good team.  Iowa would have beaten MN by at least 4 scores yesterday.

We keep hearing over and over again about how a good week of practices somehow doesn't translate into a good game day.

 Is it a stretch to suggest that they re-evaluate every facet of our practices?  

Are morning practices working?  Is the scout team making it difficult enough for the 1s?  Do we ever go 1s vs 1s?  Is the roster to damned big?  Are the players "toughened up enough"?  Is there enough pressure put on the players (especially QBs) during these scrimmage sessions?  Are QBs hit or at least thudded-up?  So many more questions...

Somehow these "great practices" and "improving culture" isn't translating into good Saturdays.  I watched Iowa, who has an average offense at best, essentially impose their will on Wisky.  Yes a bad/mediocre Wisky, but still it's Wisconsin.  When was the last time NU did that to any opponent?

Practices.

That's where I'd suggest he start. 

This week we will have the "best practices yet!" and will lose to freaking Rutgers.  This is the broken record twilight zone episode we are stuck in until we find a competent Head coach (which won't happen until the end of 2021 because $$$ and contracts and yada yada yada). 

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I really don’t understand. These guys are super talented and can clearly help you. Maurice Washington gets the longest leash ever for some reason, and then we essentially box out Fleming who by all reports was the most dynamic punt returner and absolutely electric with the ball in his hands because he likes Instagram and is “immature”? That just doesn’t make sense to me, this team needs TALENT. It’s on the coaches to evaluate every aspect of a prospect before they get on campus and then when they get here help them succeed. It’s really hard for me to believe in a span of 4 weeks it went from Fleming starting at WR and looking awesome to him not being on the team anymore, it just doesn’t add up. If he’s a Jr in 2 years and still acting up then yes, part ways. But as an 18 year old freshman in a pandemic 1400 miles from home? Maybe help that kid out and keep him around when he’s proven he can help and he knows he’s better than guys like Wyatt Liewer and Levi Falck who are getting reps because they block RB swing passes well even though we can’t execute them in games.

Nothing about the offensive snap rotation has made any sense or been consistent. 

QB: Joke of a rotation and the McCaffrey insertions are becoming more and more random and disruptive. They’re probably sticking him out there because they don’t want him to leave but... it’s not helping NU win games and it totally throws off Martinez’s rhythm and confidence. They’re just not necessary.

RB: The best running back on the team is Luke McCaffrey who really should be a WR. Maybe he said he doesn’t want to play there or WR anymore- fine. But what is insane is then you can argue the next best RB we have is also a WR in Robinson. Here are the leading rushers for NU’s offense in total rushing yards this year in order: 

1. Adrian Martinez 364/5.4 ypc

2. Luke McCaffrey 364/5.6 ypc

3. Wandale Robinson 216/5.5 ypc

4. Dedrick Mills 205/3.5 ypc

5. Marvin Scott 62/2.6 ypc

6. Rahmir Johnson 30/4.3 ypc

7. Ronald Thompkins 24/4.8 ypc

The “starting” running back Dedrick Mills has played in 5 games and has 59 attempts for 205 yards- good for 3.5 YPC. The next leading rusher from the RB position Marvin Scott averages 2.6 YPC. The two RBs “behind” them- Thompkins and Johnson- average 4.8 and 4.3 YPC respectively  How on Earth is anything with this situation possible? For some reason our red zone back is Wandale Robinson? How does that make sense?

WR: Don’t even know where to begin with how poorly this situation has been handled this year. Robinson is the best WR on the entire team and they keep taking him out of the slot to put him at RB. Betts’ potential is through the roof and apparently we just forgot he existed against Minnesota. Only play we seemingly run for him is one jet sweep per game. Cool. Guy couldn’t even get on the field yesterday against a team playing all backups and we actually were trying to take down field chances for once. The best recruit of the entire class last year was Omar Manning and I don’t even know if he’s on the team anymore and has 1 target the entire season. The best HS rated WR we recruited Marcus Flemming we kicked off the team because he liked Instagram. Alante Brown- where is this guy? Dog house? Nance/Houston/Nixon/Hickman- where the heck are these guys? You’re telling me our issues are perimeter blocking and lack of a downfield threat and we have a 6’6 former TE that we moved to WR who’s played snaps on the edge last year in key games and moments in Chris Hickman who is just sitting on the bench? Oliver Martin has actually been pretty good and a pleasant surprise- where are his targets? Kade Warner for some reason was a starter getting numerous targets and now is totally MIA (which I’m fine with but why was he even out there to begin with with all the options listed above)? Meanwhile (and I don’t mean this with disrespect), the group we currently start and play consistently is a complete non-threat to anyone. Seriously- read through all those names above and then think about how all of those guys are on the bench or not even in uniform while we trot out Liewer, Falck, and Warner. I just do not get it at all. 

TE: Tight end has actually been pretty solid. They block really well and Austin Allen has made a massive jump. Vokolek was completely overhyped (NU media overhyping a guy? Shocker!) and Stoll obviously is a cornerstone. They’re underutilized as a group and I don’t know that it’ll change going forward or ever- did you know yesterday was Austin Allen’s first TD ever?

OL: Dear God help me. The center finally appears to have fixed the snapping issues but didn’t get benched until the Iowa game of his second season despite not being able to accurately snap the ball to the quarterback. When Jurgens was out, we don’t go to the backup center but we move our RG to C and plug in another backup to the OL at RG? The whole offseason i kept reading about needing Farniok to stay at RG to help Benhart who is young, then Jurgens is out and we immediately throw that out and move him to C when his brother and Wilson both have previous experience with snapping? I’m not an expert in OL play but this unit seemingly has made a jump despite the insanity and inconsistency of the bunch. They struggle with poorly timed mistakes and picks but Nebraska’s entire team does so who knows

So yeah. I don’t know what else to say really. We essentially recruit really good classes, then get the super talented players here and don’t play them. Then when they get mad about not playing over guys they’re obviously more talented than, we get upset that they’re mad and tell them “its gonna be tough! You can leave if you don’t like it!” And so they obviously leave. Then we get a spiel about how kids are impatient and blah blah while the team can’t do basic things on offense well like run the ball with a running back up the middle of the field or throw the ball deep. “We lack explosion and talent at WR”- okay, well everyone you bring in that has it is either gone or sitting on the sidelines. I haven’t even dove into the play calling and our inability to put guys in a position to succeed. The entire situation with our roster management is maddening and I seriously don’t understand why anyone who is a talented player would sign up to play in this version of the offense at this moment in time with how the roster is handled/treated. Scott has a LOT of soul searching to do in the coming weeks- the roster management and play calling have been atrocious. He has every right to establish his culture but he needs to lift the hood on who he is recruiting and what he’s doing when they get to Lincoln to see why they’re leaving and where the disconnect is. Then he needs to swallow his pride and 1. Review the actual plays that are not working (there are a lot of them) and determine in sincerity if 1. They aren’t working because of the scheme/design of the play or 2. If they aren’t working because of who is on the field currently. NU currently can’t throw down the field- that is a talent/athlete issue. Would you rather have more athletic WR’s out there that can stretch the field and make explosive plays but it takes out the short swing passes/quick screens we run? I’d argue yes- we aren’t successfully able to execute those short passes and screens correctly as is. 

TL; DR- Scott and the entire staff need to review how they are going about managing their roster and implementing the culture. I’m not saying the culture itself is bad or they’re wrong for emphasizing it- I’m saying they need to reflect on how they’re handling each transfer situation and how they’re trying to merge these guys into the culture they’re trying to instill in the program. There is obviously a disconnect- I’d argue it stems from not playing the most talented and explosive players at their positions even if there are likely to be wild swings in production and errors at times. Roster management needs to be addressed and they need to do better in evaluating kids as recruits before they get here to avoid large departures from the team and guys getting frustrated with their roles. 

Post of the year.

If anything, not savage enough. You haven't discussed our AD and HC's bizarre complaining and excuse making.

Lastly, in two years when our next head coach arrives, can the World Herald please refrain from writing a book about his arrival? 

 

[TDHusker]

When this offense doesn’t begin a drive  with a backwards pass for a loss, or turn the ball over, or get a holding call at a crucial time, or a whiff on a block to allow untouched defenders a clear path to the QB, or get another avoidable false start, or get into the red zone and go completely into play calling panic mode they actually  look like a decent enough team, but of course the problem is, they do all of the above about 70% of the time. 

The worst comes after halftime! If Frost and company don’t understand how badly they’ve been out coached, then how can they ever improve on it? There are serious  internal reflections this coaching staff needs to have about their future! They can’t expect different outcomes if they don’t implement changes. This is why they get paid the big bucks! 

 

[Loe Doesnt Know]

Buffalo is a great team. Whoever hires Lance Leipold is getting an awesome coach. Winner. 

So.. thought I'd look into this as more useless football info to file in my already overfilled brain..

Looking at his wiki.. his first 3 years at buffalo were anything but spectacular. It took him 3 seasons with his first spectacular Div 1 season being his 4th. Might Frost also see the same jump in his 4th.. Here's hoping and thinking with a glass half full.

 

[All Hail Herbie]

When this offense doesn’t begin a drive  with a backwards pass for a loss, or turn the ball over, or get a holding call at a crucial time, or a whiff on a block to allow untouched defenders a clear path to the QB, or get another avoidable false start, or get into the red zone and go completely into play calling panic mode they actually  look like a decent enough team, but of course the problem is, they do all of the above about 70% of the time. 

The worst comes after halftime! If Frost and company don’t understand how badly they’ve been out coached, then how can they ever improve on it? There are serious  internal reflections this coaching staff needs to have about their future! They can’t expect different outcomes if they don’t implement changes. This is why they get paid the big bucks! 

I absolutely love all of the caveats mentioned.  When Coach Frost mentioned that his statistical folks confirmed that his offense scored on 70% of drives (the percentage is likely wrong) where none of the above happened, you must forgive me as I was amused.

The old adage applies here, figures lie and liars figure.  

This offense is its' own worst enemy.  Lack of o-line fundamentals, receivers unable to get open, and plays suited for Mahomes (not Martinez).  Worst yet, with a lack of playmaking ability, we leave our biggest playmaking threat in the run game (McCaffrey) on the bench.  For the last time, he is a utility player and needs to be on the field with Martinez and Robinson.  Luke's brother is an All-Pro at running back so let's utilize his talent similarly.  Smothers / Masker should back-up.