Why the option?

[GoBigRed66]

I couldn't agree more....I think to run a diamond, wing t, wishbone that's great but only as packages...i think size and speed is the answer! Football is changing as they are trying to spread you out more and hurt you with big, fast athletes! Running some of these older packages keeps defenses honest and they must prepare for it but I don't know if that should be your bread n butter. Besides you wont get any skill position recruits in a offense like that!

 

[Jeremy]

3 yards and a cloud of dust. All of Nebraska's offensive success was and is based on this philosophy - we ran to open up the pass, but we only passed to keep teams honest and create space for our big bruisers in the backfield.

Think about it. When Joe Flippin' Dailey broke so many passing records in that disastrous '04, it should say something about how Nebraska approached offense up to that point.

 

[Enhance]

Every program in the country like us who has tradition and is at or even close to the 800+ ncaa win club has the tradition because of a heritage or a mantra or identity that works. Nebraska has never won a national title throwing passes. We have sucked trying to but never succeeded. Point is regardless of ESPN or anyone else's analysis ....they don't know husker football. They talk out of their rear ends and think they know but don't. See callahan experiment. We recruit well for speed option and power running. Not pro style anything. Pound the rock.

Not really.

I don't know what Oklahoma ran in the Wilkinson era, but it wasn't Switzer's wishbone, which isn't anything close to their passing offense these days.

Texas followed a similar path of change.

USC used to be Tailback U, but under Carroll they are much more balanced, if not pass oriented, and usually feature a QB ready to step right into the pros--unless he's Matt Leinart, who should've been ready.

Ohio State hasn't been "3 yards and a cloud of dust" in years.

These teams all evolved over the years, and sometimes made dramatic changes away from what they were. Osborne certainly evolved, as others pointed out. Anybody who thinks we had 25 years of power option is dead wrong.

What? 1980 - 2003 is pretty damn close to 25 years.

How often does NU get recruiting classes rated as high as Texas, Ohio State, USC & Oklahoma? Duh! Surely I don't need to type out why?

We tried being a "balanced" offense like everyone else under Callahan with truly massive disastrous results. How much total failure do you really want?

NU proved for decades we can run the ball with authority with some good rbs and well developed road-graders. Trying to "pretend" we can stand toe to toe with Ohio State, Texas, ect and play the same type of NFL offense is a losing game for NU. We've got our nitch, our identity, our tradition with smashmouth. We can win and win big with it. I think Bo will.

GBR!!

ps.....yeah Devaney won big without it due to two reasons...."Devaney" & the Jet. Imo, we haven't had anyone as good as the Jet since his last year (1972). Dudes like him don't grow on trees.

This is exactly the point I was trying to make earlier. Nebraska simply can't compete with USC, Texas and Ohio State on a consistent basis for those great recruits. We pretty much get second hand talent from the state of Texas after teams like Texas, LSU and Florida have had their pick of the litter.

 

[irafreak]

To me the biggest issue with our offense is balance against the defense. Let me explain.

One of the staples of Dr. Tom was misdirection. Keeping the defense thinking instead of reacting. Bo understands this and that's why his defeneses are so good. He teaches initial reads but sets his guys up to react.

I loved watching TO utilize the shovel pass. He'd allow the pocket to just collapse around our qb and just dump it off to Ahman or Lawrence, etc in open space.

So many times last year I just thought "where is a good screen pass to Roy or Rex?" as the defense was all out blitzing Taylor.

We need an identity...a staple that we can rely on and then build confusion out of that. I think most agree we got tired of hearing multiple from the coaching staff because there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to our strategy.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

To me the biggest issue with our offense is balance against the defense. Let me explain.

One of the staples of Dr. Tom was misdirection. Keeping the defense thinking instead of reacting. Bo understands this and that's why his defeneses are so good. He teaches initial reads but sets his guys up to react.

I loved watching TO utilize the shovel pass. He'd allow the pocket to just collapse around our qb and just dump it off to Ahman or Lawrence, etc in open space.

So many times last year I just thought "where is a good screen pass to Roy or Rex?" as the defense was all out blitzing Taylor.

We need an identity...a staple that we can rely on and then build confusion out of that. I think most agree we got tired of hearing multiple from the coaching staff because there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to our strategy.

This.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Double Bubble Toil and trouble...sorry for the double post.

 

[Cdog923]

I thought Oregon was more of a spread type thing.

Oregon runs the spread option. Very similar to what Nebraska was just starting to run in 1997 before Osborne Retired and Solich went more conservative.

Similar to what we ran last year I'd say.

Or where we have been trying to get to recently, at least.

Remember how sick of the read option we got last year? Guys were denouncing it left and right.

Because we ran it 75% of the time and half the time Taylor made the wrong read.

Uhhh.....because he had a bad ankle on one leg and turf toe on the other "might" have had something to do with it?

I didn't realize that you read defenses with your ankles and your toes...

 

[ZRod]

I thought Oregon was more of a spread type thing.

Oregon runs the spread option. Very similar to what Nebraska was just starting to run in 1997 before Osborne Retired and Solich went more conservative.

Similar to what we ran last year I'd say.

Or where we have been trying to get to recently, at least.

Remember how sick of the read option we got last year? Guys were denouncing it left and right.

Because we ran it 75% of the time and half the time Taylor made the wrong read.

Uhhh.....because he had a bad ankle on one leg and turf toe on the other "might" have had something to do with it?

I didn't realize that you read defenses with your ankles and your toes...

I believe he is implying that Taylor may have predetermined his reads because he didn't feel comfortable trying to create a play with his injuries.

 

[Saunders]

I thought Oregon was more of a spread type thing.

Oregon runs the spread option. Very similar to what Nebraska was just starting to run in 1997 before Osborne Retired and Solich went more conservative.

Similar to what we ran last year I'd say.

Or where we have been trying to get to recently, at least.

Remember how sick of the read option we got last year? Guys were denouncing it left and right.

Because we ran it 75% of the time and half the time Taylor made the wrong read.

Uhhh.....because he had a bad ankle on one leg and turf toe on the other "might" have had something to do with it?

I didn't realize that you read defenses with your ankles and your toes...

I believe he is implying that Taylor may have predetermined his reads because he didn't feel comfortable trying to create a play with his injuries.

After the injury, they were predetermined by Watson.

 

[jsneb83]

I thought Oregon was more of a spread type thing.

Oregon runs the spread option. Very similar to what Nebraska was just starting to run in 1997 before Osborne Retired and Solich went more conservative.

Similar to what we ran last year I'd say.

Or where we have been trying to get to recently, at least.

Remember how sick of the read option we got last year? Guys were denouncing it left and right.

Because we ran it 75% of the time and half the time Taylor made the wrong read.

Uhhh.....because he had a bad ankle on one leg and turf toe on the other "might" have had something to do with it?

I didn't realize that you read defenses with your ankles and your toes...

I believe he is implying that Taylor may have predetermined his reads because he didn't feel comfortable trying to create a play with his injuries.

After the injury, they were predetermined by Watson.

If they were predetermined, they why run them? It's nothing more than an off-tackle or draw with zone read blocking. If he isn't going to read the defense and hand it off the entire time, then just call a dive or off-tackle play where you actually have pulling guards and man-up blocking. We would have had a better chance at gaining yards than running an off-tackle with an unblocked DE running down the HB every time.

 

[Cdog923]

I thought Oregon was more of a spread type thing.

Oregon runs the spread option. Very similar to what Nebraska was just starting to run in 1997 before Osborne Retired and Solich went more conservative.

Similar to what we ran last year I'd say.

Or where we have been trying to get to recently, at least.

Remember how sick of the read option we got last year? Guys were denouncing it left and right.

Because we ran it 75% of the time and half the time Taylor made the wrong read.

Uhhh.....because he had a bad ankle on one leg and turf toe on the other "might" have had something to do with it?

I didn't realize that you read defenses with your ankles and your toes...

I believe he is implying that Taylor may have predetermined his reads because he didn't feel comfortable trying to create a play with his injuries.

After the injury, they were predetermined by Watson.

If they were predetermined, they why run them? It's nothing more than an off-tackle or draw with zone read blocking. If he isn't going to read the defense and hand it off the entire time, then just call a dive or off-tackle play where you actually have pulling guards and man-up blocking. We would have had a better chance at gaining yards than running an off-tackle with an unblocked DE running down the HB every time.

More reasons as to why Watson isn't around anymore.

 

[VA Husker Fan]

Every program in the country like us who has tradition and is at or even close to the 800+ ncaa win club has the tradition because of a heritage or a mantra or identity that works. Nebraska has never won a national title throwing passes. We have sucked trying to but never succeeded. Point is regardless of ESPN or anyone else's analysis ....they don't know husker football. They talk out of their rear ends and think they know but don't. See callahan experiment. We recruit well for speed option and power running. Not pro style anything. Pound the rock.

Not really.

I don't know what Oklahoma ran in the Wilkinson era, but it wasn't Switzer's wishbone, which isn't anything close to their passing offense these days.

Texas followed a similar path of change.

USC used to be Tailback U, but under Carroll they are much more balanced, if not pass oriented, and usually feature a QB ready to step right into the pros--unless he's Matt Leinart, who should've been ready.

Ohio State hasn't been "3 yards and a cloud of dust" in years.

These teams all evolved over the years, and sometimes made dramatic changes away from what they were. Osborne certainly evolved, as others pointed out. Anybody who thinks we had 25 years of power option is dead wrong.

What? 1980 - 2003 is pretty damn close to 25 years.

How often does NU get recruiting classes rated as high as Texas, Ohio State, USC & Oklahoma? Duh! Surely I don't need to type out why?

We tried being a "balanced" offense like everyone else under Callahan with truly massive disastrous results. How much total failure do you really want?

NU proved for decades we can run the ball with authority with some good rbs and well developed road-graders. Trying to "pretend" we can stand toe to toe with Ohio State, Texas, ect and play the same type of NFL offense is a losing game for NU. We've got our nitch, our identity, our tradition with smashmouth. We can win and win big with it. I think Bo will.

GBR!!

ps.....yeah Devaney won big without it due to two reasons...."Devaney" & the Jet. Imo, we haven't had anyone as good as the Jet since his last year (1972). Dudes like him don't grow on trees.

I meant Osborne's 25 years. I realize 18 years is still a strong majority, but people seem to think Osborne had the same playbook every year, while it evolved quite a bit even in those years when we were run focused.

Devaney had another team in the mid 60s that played for the championship and a couple others that came close, so it wasn't just the Jet.

I don't disagree all that much with the notion that the option/power game is right for Nebraska. I'm just pointing out that it is not at all a fact that the only way that teams with a long record of success have it because they have an identify they don't stray from.

 

[eliot1171]

Bottom line, how can you argue with this. (From UNL archives)

 

[zoogs]

if they (zone reads) were predetermined, why run them?

What else were we going to run with Taylor?

I thought they were predetermined all year actually, and it often worked quite well.

 

[knapplc]

if they (zone reads) were predetermined, why run them?

I thought they were predetermined all year

This is why I asked if people even watched the games last year in reference to the zone read. Go back and watch the first part of the season, pre-injury, and watch Taylor make the read off the DE. Watch how long he holds the ball in the RB's gut. He was making the read then, and it was only post-injury that the calls were predetermined. Mostly they were predetermined for Cody, who could not make the read. Many, many times the call from the booth was wrong, and Cody was never looked at by the DE, but he didn't pull it back and run with it.