Early in the game; 3rd & 2

T

TheKiD

Starter
I hear alot of people questioning why we don't run the ball more, and I agree somewhat. HERE is exactly what I have a problem with.

1st and 10: rush up the middle for 4 yds

2nd and 6: rush up the middle for 4 yds

3rd and 2: weird screen pass? completely busted up

4th and 2: punt

What's wrong with that picture? WHY OH WHY OH WHY did you rush it up the middle twice for 8 yds only to try a tricky pass play?

I think Watson gets a little too cute with his play calling somtimes. This may have been during scripted plays, anyone know? It seems these things happen more early in the game than later. Result of desperation, adjustments, or do we just need to scrap the scriped plays? This may very well explain why we have gotten to off to slow starts in every game this season.

Discussion please!

 
I agree. It threw me off too.

I can understand wanting to catch the defense off guard. But if it were my I would have run it some how. Granted, I have no experience coaching or even calling football plays in any level beyond street football :look:

 
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Did you see Oregon St. vs USC on thursday night? They came in wanting to run the ball up the middle, and they did it ALL NIGHT LONG. I think "catching the defense off guard" is overrated, alot of times it seems to catch our offense off guard instead.

 
TheKiD said:
Did you see Oregon St. vs USC on thursday night? They came in wanting to run the ball up the middle, and they did it ALL NIGHT LONG. I think "catching the defense off guard" is overrated, alot of times it seems to catch our offense off guard instead.
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To be fair, the defense made a good play on that 3rd and 2. The offense didn't just screw it up.

Also, there's nothing saying they wouldn't have stuffed another run for a 3 yard loss....

 
I question a lot of the play calling last night. At times, it seemed like Watson was going out of his way to make us one dimensional. The play action and misdirection seemed to work very well when we ran them, but then Watson would waste about 2 or 3 series in row turning Ganz into a drop back passer which definitely wasn't working.

 
DaveH said:
TheKiD said:
Did you see Oregon St. vs USC on thursday night? They came in wanting to run the ball up the middle, and they did it ALL NIGHT LONG. I think "catching the defense off guard" is overrated, alot of times it seems to catch our offense off guard instead.
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To be fair, the defense made a good play on that 3rd and 2. The offense didn't just screw it up.

Also, there's nothing saying they wouldn't have stuffed another run for a 3 yard loss....
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Well of course that is true, but you just got momentum going on the ground, why go away from it when you need to pick up a 1st down? It appears to show a lack of confidence in castille/lawson and the offensive line. I haven't seen anything this year which would make me think that it's risky to let castille/lawson pick up two yards if we need a first down *shrugs*

 
HuskerT said:
I question a lot of the play calling last night. At times, it seemed like Watson was going out of his way to make us one dimensional. The play action and misdirection seemed to work very well when we ran them, but then Watson would waste about 2 or 3 series in row turning Ganz into a drop back passer which definitely wasn't working.
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Agree. What happened to Ganz's running game? They didn't call any plays for him. Why take away THAT weapon?

 
HuskerT said:
I question a lot of the play calling last night. At times, it seemed like Watson was going out of his way to make us one dimensional. The play action and misdirection seemed to work very well when we ran them, but then Watson would waste about 2 or 3 series in row turning Ganz into a drop back passer which definitely wasn't working.
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Run until they can't stop it, then play action to the TE and it is wide open, without fail. This is supposed to be the bread and butter of the WCO, or whatever Watson wants to call it now, but he always predicated the offense on the run and play action to some pretty good TE's.

 
TheKiD said:
I hear alot of people questioning why we don't run the ball more, and I agree somewhat. HERE is exactly what I have a problem with.

1st and 10: rush up the middle for 4 yds

2nd and 6: rush up the middle for 4 yds

3rd and 2: weird screen pass? completely busted up

4th and 2: punt

What's wrong with that picture? WHY OH WHY OH WHY did you rush it up the middle twice for 8 yds only to try a tricky pass play?

I think Watson gets a little too cute with his play calling somtimes. This may have been during scripted plays, anyone know? It seems these things happen more early in the game than later. Result of desperation, adjustments, or do we just need to scrap the scriped plays? This may very well explain why we have gotten to off to slow starts in every game this season.

Discussion please!
Click to expand...
I agree. I haven't read any responses yet, but I thought about that series, too. We were picking up yards - I think Helu was in. It seemed another crack at it, and we'd get the first down. I thought, "we don't need another 3 and out here... D'oh!"

Overall, I thought the play calling was pretty Callahan-esque up until about 10 minutes left in the game.

 
motorboatjonesNU said:
TheKiD said:
I hear alot of people questioning why we don't run the ball more, and I agree somewhat. HERE is exactly what I have a problem with.

1st and 10: rush up the middle for 4 yds

2nd and 6: rush up the middle for 4 yds

3rd and 2: weird screen pass? completely busted up

4th and 2: punt

What's wrong with that picture? WHY OH WHY OH WHY did you rush it up the middle twice for 8 yds only to try a tricky pass play?

I think Watson gets a little too cute with his play calling somtimes. This may have been during scripted plays, anyone know? It seems these things happen more early in the game than later. Result of desperation, adjustments, or do we just need to scrap the scriped plays? This may very well explain why we have gotten to off to slow starts in every game this season.

Discussion please!
Click to expand...
I agree. I haven't read any responses yet, but I thought about that series, too. We were picking up yards - I think Helu was in. It seemed another crack at it, and we'd get the first down. I thought, "we don't need another 3 and out here... D'oh!"

Overall, I thought the play calling was pretty Callahan-esque up until about 10 minutes left in the game.
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Agreed, I think Watson panics very early and goes away from what is working. Instead of establishing a running game he gets to fancy and defeats why you have a running game. Being down by 9 points is not panic time. Scripted plays??? One of the dumbest things you can do. It will almost always loose momentum and the confidence in the team, early in the game. Bad idea! I was very disapointed in the play calling. I kept calling it Callahan like all game. We established nothing to keep them off balance. The whole team was let down.

And again.. you have to question putting Asante in the game. Sure he has athletic ability and is unbelievably fast but, is burned in crucial plays repeatedly. His effort at times is embarrasing or his understanding of what to do is completely abscent. Either way he has been a liablity we can't afford. Potential is just potential if it never comes to fruit, then its just a shoulda, coulda, woulda... they don't exist in my book.

 
For some reason last season's Texas A&M game comes to mind where Nebraska tried and failed to pass on 3rd and 2 THREE times. Did Watson keep that page from the Callahan play book?

I hope he will get better at play calling but something tells me he's at his best now. I've heard more than a few mention he did the same when he was at Colorado. One person said he had a talent for taking talented players at Colorado and making them look inept.

 
BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA said:
For some reason last season's Texas A&M game comes to mind where Nebraska tried and failed to pass on 3rd and 2 THREE times. Did Watson keep that page from the Callahan play book?

I hope he will get better at play calling but something tells me he's at his best now. I've heard more than a few mention he did the same when he was at Colorado. One person said he had a talent for taking talented players at Colorado and making them look inept.
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I think this was what pissed me off the most. Third and two after two successful runs and you throw some sort of screen BS? Come on. VT wasn't stacking the box. Run the freakin' ball.

This staff wants to establish a run game? It's BS if you ask me. They handed off to a RB 15 freakin' times on Saturday. Good job. Way to commit to the run.

The more I think about this loss the more it gets underneath my skin. Nebraska had no business losing this game.

 
Ultimately I hope this can be corrected WITH Watson. Hopefully BO sees the problems and puts some pressure on him. I think getting rid of watson would be a huge step backwards offensively. But, something has to change fundamentally. He seems to panick when he thinks the defense is going to put 8 in the box. You can run successfully against 8-9 in the box, just ask Oregon St.

 
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