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USC's WCO isn't as complicated, they have a true freshman QB, a true freshman WR that gets playing time. NU isn't running their offense. NU doesn't have the WRs for it to work or the big time blue chip 4-5 star pro-style QBs. NU should be running a run/gun with true reads and options along with some power-I.

NU's defense is better than BYU and Miami and just as good as UT's. If OU can't score 3 TDs vs those 3 teams why should they get double that or more vs NU at home? OU can't run, they have a TE weighing 265 playing LG! They are not a great offense! Their one BIG win was over Tulsa, who has lost to Boise St. and UTEP, so get REAL!

Ah, those "Pound the Rock" campaigns and 4-headed RB monsters. It was just a cover. So opposing defenses wouldn't expect it coming. Also, the reason we didn't run much this last game, couldn't possibly be due to Helu's recovering from injury and the lack of viable options behind him? I'll give you that one but what about oh lets say the previous 50 games??? What was the excuse then?? How about trying to be all smashmouth and big last year, not getting it done, until Wats started spreading it out after the Missouri game? Back then we were all "PLEASE RUN THE SPREAD." They wanted a WV/Tulsa/Florida type spread, not a Kansas/Missouri/Tech/UT spread. We fans wanted REAL zone reads, where the QB actually reads the backside DE, not just a give or keep. The big plays in the running game will come with true reads, just like the double reads from the TO era offense.

NU beat Missouri. Where the eff have you been? he must have turned it off after the 3rd quarter. I wish i had... SEE BILLYBALL, RCRUTER AND REALITY CHECK!

1. If you do not play the backs behind Helu, he won't be around because he can't take the pounding and then you will be FORCED to play inexperienced backs! 2. VaTech and Missouri were BOTH ranked when NU played them in their houses and should have won both. 3. Last year, NU lost to MU, and Tech, BUT this year they split and WHILE last year they tied for first in the north. This team is in a MUCH better position to win the north than last year. 4. UT is not a world beater! I live in Austin and OU was the best team they have played and they are 3-3. UT has ZERO running game, and don't be fooled because of the weaker defenses they will face until the Big 12 title game. Their defense is good, but not they have not played any ranked teams save for a 3-3 OU and OU still leads the Big 12 in scoring defense and is 3rd in the nation, way ahead of UT's 15th ranking. NU is in the top 3 in the Big 12 and top 12 in scoring and total defense and are more than good enough to win a big 12 title. The FG kicker is EXCELLENT and far superior to OU's scrub kicker and better than UT's Lawrence, who is also good. The offense limiting TOs and being able to control the LOS has more than enough to win the Big 12!

This team has more than enough defense to take UT down in the title game. They should have won two road games vs ranked teams, but didn't. The OL is good at run blocking, but do not do enough in live practices, or games because the offense's goal is to have balance in attemps, if not yards or scoring. UT has only faced one great defense and were releaved when NU lost at home to Tech so that maybe they would face a defense-less north rep in the title game. This is a team that can start molding a hard running, physical mentality and style that can propell them to a Big 12 title and BCS game. Physical practices will tranfer to physical games and by playing more backs in games, we can go 4-5 deep at I-back and by mixing in more true QB runs and options/reads the defenses will be forced to spend more time in prep. This team seems like it has more plays than formations, while the 90s teams had few plays from multiple sets. I think they should also vary pace, like go fast when a first down is made on a completed pass and such and kill clock at other times.

The kid from Houston was an athlete, but he was not on a great team and he was no where near Reggie McNeal or VY who took their teams to state semis and titles. Solich was HORRIBLE recruiter, he also had no I-backs! When he was fired Lord was no where near as good as highly recruited VY, McNeal or Brad Smith or Ell Roberson III. Why would you put all your eggs ina QB from a weak HS program in inner city Houston? Where were the other QBs or I-backs, going to Cananda for an average RB or a Thunder Collins, who was to skinny to be a good I-back. Solich could not recruit the offensive skill players to run the NU system at the 90s level.

Why are teams going to figure out the option, but not the spread? That sounds so DUMB! VaTech fell apart and could not handle the offense. He ran it at Navy with "inferior" talent, yet he always was in a bowl game. He is getting kids from Texas 4/5A schools to attend GaTech. They have a state 5A 100 meter finalist and 3000 yard rusher from SA Reagan, Marcus Wright at one of the RB spots and a 6'3" WR from Austin LBJ. Both these kids are smart and athletic. The RB was a burner and has 4.3 speed and would have been a big time I-back under TO. I don't think NU has anyone with Wrights credentials on ship at the RB spot. Johnson might benefit from the city in recruiting. The QB was a LB, he wasn't recruited by Gailey to play QB and the RB wasn't a star, Johnson's offense has done this. In a few years Tech will have OU type Slot backs from the 80s and a Big Jerome Bettis type FB and a Tommie Frazier type QB running the show with an NU type OL. Check out how SMALL his OL is compared to others? The flexbone (Arkansas and Air Force) is the wishbone, but with both HB's on the wings. Johnson runs a spread option, like you stated, a wing-t and wishbone combo with elements of the run and shoot.

Aaron Green likes the I-formation, but they run some spread and he can catch.

Old offense ran many sets, but a few plays well blocked from multiple formations. Plays like the pitch and counter sweep were NU staples. I remember being a freshman back in the early 80s and watching Rozier run the pitch up the gut. I thought pitches were outside plays, but i noticed NU ran that play up the gut or off-tackle and of course the counter sweep play and FB traps that were set up for big plays by the options and outside runs. A team needs a signature play, like the Redskind under Gibbs, inside/outside, power and counter. Dallas with Emmit ran 2-3 plays, SC ran pitch and blast (iso). We need plays that work and are feared by the opposition and trusted by the offense.

In old system RBs didn't go out of bounds and neither did QBs. The physical pratices got them ready to be physical in games.

5 deep! Helu, Burkhead and 3 other healthy bodies. Remember, Aaron Green loved the I-formation and his brother is freshman DB. He could be the nation's top RB in 2011.

2 TEs and the I-formation sounds like Dontravius Robinson's HS offense at Trinity.

Tech had a new starter in his first road game and they did not turn the ball over and committ penalties says alot about leadership at the QB position and within the team.

Cotton knows the schemes, he's not the OC or HC.

Sheffield, the QB for Tech was in a playoff game, where they were killing the clock and they ran pitches and counters over an over and the defense could not stop it. HS teams still run the ball an so do the pros!!!

NU in a spread option gets Russell Shepard instead of having him ride the bench at LSU.

An offense that looks like the old KSU/NU + Okie State type of offense combo. A WV spread with more I-formation. Run first and pass as a CHOICE!

Couldn't agree more. NU actually had an edge in recruiting for this style of ball. We were THE program to go to if you were an option qb, lineman, hb in high school. NU took the QBs that others turned in WRs, DBs and such. We took the OL that were not tall enough and made them All-Americans in the Nu system, while beating the blue chip, NFL factory programs. Focus on instate interior linemen, FBs, TEs, ILBs and WRs with out of state recruiting adding QBs that we can't get enough of here and all other skill players. The Big 12 has allowed NU to hit Texas big for talent and there are plenty of RBs, REs, DBs, OLBs and such to fill out a very talented roster. GaTech runs the archaic offense but two kids from good Texas schools went their that I know, one was a WR from Austin LBJ and the other was a 3000 yards rusher with 4.3 speed from SA. Kids wanna win and HS teas still rujn and win with the NU system here in Texas, Judson, Trinity and Katy as well as North Shore all run power I and mix in some option and play hellacious defense!!!

and tweak it. NU should not waste time trying to be USC, LSU or Florida, when they will not get that caliber of offensive talent. It is less than 10 years ago when NU lost to Miami in the Rose Bowl and the FOOLS who say that defenses are to fast and that you have to pass now days do not know anything about football! USC, Alabama and Miami all use FBs and run the I-formation and they are not spread teams. Teams that run a passing spread, save for UT are teams that went that way because of a lack of talent or just HC preference like TTech. The NFL runs the power I just not the option and they even run the Wildcat. Check the rosters and depth charts, NU didn't have the biggest OL in the 90s and the teams that won big, ALL had SPEED defenses! The reason the offense was scrapped is that the old TO regime was dumped and so went the ties to the DYNASTY. The offense had many instate OL that would not be recruited now days because they are looking for the 6'8" OT and passing QB. Didn't folks notice that KSU won mucho games under Snyder with dual threat QBs and WRs that made it to the NFL. The system needed tweaking and Solich was part of that, but the defense, walk on program could have been kept and the offense just needed some top quality skill talent and Solich wasn't getting it!!! POOR RECRUITING BY SOLICH took him out and hiring Callahan finished the program off. FOOLS point to these offensive stats ran up vs BAD defenses and then say WE HAVE A GREAT OFFENSE... Where is this offense in big games? Where was it vs Missouri in 07-08 or against OU last year? The old system kept scoring with the 3rd FB and 4th I-back and the 3rd walk on QB in the game on running plays. The 90s offense scored in Seattle and in the Orange Bowl vs Ray Lewis, Warren Sapp, Leonard Little, Al Wilson, Overstreet and other NFL players. NU doesn't get the best Texas WRs, RBs and such, they get kids that UT and OU did not recruit from Texas. NU is competing with Tech, OSU and Missouri for second tier players that are playing for TCU and UH. You are not gonna beat UT or OU for Big 12 titles and play for and win a BCS/MNC trying to run THEIR offenses with players THEY didn't want!!!

Ganz won ZERO big games and why is he praised, because he won 9 games, won a minor bowl vs a team whose coach was fired in mid season? This offense is to complex and NU can't recruit the athletes to run it like USC!

Our university intramural flag football champions all ran the spread, it works great, for FLAG FOOTBALL!!! By the way, we are here to win college football games and titles, not be the minors for the NFL. Osborne was the HC for 25 years and after the 70s, he basically dumped the NFL passing game and went to what works best in college and Nebraska! Notice that the NFL is not to up on spread QBs!!!

That's it, the 90s NU teams were just to physical and that style of play has been outlawed in favor of the spread offense from INTRAMURAL FLAG FOOTBALL!

Crawford was a great athlete on a SORRY team. He was gonna be a another Jamal Lord. Frazier was a LEADER! Solich could not recruit, who are HIS I-BACKS? The dude had to go to Cananda because for some reason the top RBs did not wanna go to NU anymore. Thunder Collins, was skinny and looked like a WR... He just didn't have the personality to be a HC here at NU and keep the kids coming in. If Gill was older, he would have been the perfect fit before Solich and I highly doubt the program would have crashed and burned. CU would be SMART to get Gill with their self imposed recruiting restrictions they need a guy that can bring in the Texas and California kids that CU used to get.

otherwise there will be no more MNCs in Lincoln. We are not gonna beat UT, SC, OU, Florida for all the blue chips and neither did Osborne. He meshed the state's culture with a system and recruited to its strengths and went out of state for key skill players, like I-backs, DBs, some QBs and such. Football is football and this school won't win w/o a system set in place like before.