In 2010, Nebraska averaged 65 plays per game.
Through one game in 2011, Nebraska has already eclipsed that average by using an up-tempo offense - an offense that produced 68 plays against UTC. But from what we've heard players and coaches say, this offense can go even faster.
Offenses that effectively run up-tempo can cause a world of trouble for defensive coordinators. Not only do players need to play sound fundamental defense, but they also need to avoid getting beat up too early.
Three extra plays per game, and only one game into the season never-the-less, may not seem like a lot. But if this offense truly has a faster tempo, I'd love to see it. It turns the game into a game of attrition. And as Husker fans know from the 1995 Orange Bowl, offenses can quickly gain the upper hand when it comes to fatigue.
To me, this is one promising stat coming out of last Saturday's game. I'd love to see our guys ramp up the speed while playing disciplined.
There are two issues to consider, however. First - if we don't execute, we run the risk of getting our defense back out onto the field far sooner than we would hope, especially if we do a lot of poor passing plays. Therefore, discipline and execution is going to be far more important this year than it has been in the past for this offense. I just hope our guys are up to the challenge
Second, some might view plays per game as an arbitrary statistic, a lot like time of possession. Therefore it really comes down to which side you sit on in this debate. However, I'd prefer we can get 70-80 plays consistently this year, rather than games like last year where we only had 58, 52 and 59 plays. Some of those low play count games turned into blowout victories, however they were also some of Martinez' most statistically better games where he would rush for 200+ yards and be responsible for much of the scoring.
Through one game in 2011, Nebraska has already eclipsed that average by using an up-tempo offense - an offense that produced 68 plays against UTC. But from what we've heard players and coaches say, this offense can go even faster.
Offenses that effectively run up-tempo can cause a world of trouble for defensive coordinators. Not only do players need to play sound fundamental defense, but they also need to avoid getting beat up too early.
Three extra plays per game, and only one game into the season never-the-less, may not seem like a lot. But if this offense truly has a faster tempo, I'd love to see it. It turns the game into a game of attrition. And as Husker fans know from the 1995 Orange Bowl, offenses can quickly gain the upper hand when it comes to fatigue.
To me, this is one promising stat coming out of last Saturday's game. I'd love to see our guys ramp up the speed while playing disciplined.
There are two issues to consider, however. First - if we don't execute, we run the risk of getting our defense back out onto the field far sooner than we would hope, especially if we do a lot of poor passing plays. Therefore, discipline and execution is going to be far more important this year than it has been in the past for this offense. I just hope our guys are up to the challenge
Second, some might view plays per game as an arbitrary statistic, a lot like time of possession. Therefore it really comes down to which side you sit on in this debate. However, I'd prefer we can get 70-80 plays consistently this year, rather than games like last year where we only had 58, 52 and 59 plays. Some of those low play count games turned into blowout victories, however they were also some of Martinez' most statistically better games where he would rush for 200+ yards and be responsible for much of the scoring.
Last edited by a moderator:
