Dana Holgorsen Hired as Offensive Coordinator

[Husker in WI]

He's a refreshing interview. 

 

 

[Husker in WI]

Now I will say that Satterfield also called out the same issues. But the difference is (at least through one game), Holgorsen called it out and got them to fix it. I didn't really have issues with the WR blocking against USC, and even if Holgorsen was on Barthel about it at halftime the backs did more than they had in a while. It's amazing what executing the call can do - that 3rd and 10 conversion to Bonner was the kind of thing Satt was getting flamed for calling. But if you can get them to run it right it's a great call. 

[Toe]

I mean WR blocking has been an obvious, massive problem with the offense, so that's not exactly a revelation. But good to see he's not pu&&yfooting around with it. Have to think he's not too impressed with the job McGuire's done with them, either.

[Savage Husker]

50 minutes ago, Husker in WI said:

He's a refreshing interview. 

 

Glad someone said it.

 

Confirms what we knew, the players don’t respect the WR coach and he doesn’t know how to command respect. I think we have hashed that out already.
 

If McGuire has been coaching up his unit and the players don’t listen, then I don’t fully put blame on McGuire here. He was hired into this position - who would turn it down? I put majority of blame on the OC/HC for not supporting the WR coach. 

 

We’ll either see a new position coach or a better leader in the offense. Well, or we can still suck. 

[Toe]

He also mentioned how the WRs haven't been getting much separation in man coverage. A lot of people have complained that Raiola hasn't been very good vs man, but I still feel like it's more on the WRs than him.

[hskrpwr13]

23 minutes ago, Husker in WI said:

Now I will say that Satterfield also called out the same issues. But the difference is (at least through one game), Holgorsen called it out and got them to fix it. I didn't really have issues with the WR blocking against USC, and even if Holgorsen was on Barthel about it at halftime the backs did more than they had in a while. It's amazing what executing the call can do - that 3rd and 10 conversion to Bonner was the kind of thing Satt was getting flamed for calling. But if you can get them to run it right it's a great call. 

 

Its cliche, but sometimes you need the right person with the right attitude in the role. The same exact words can be said from one person that isnt heard unless its spoken by someone else.

[Wistrom Disciple]

22 minutes ago, Savage Husker said:

Glad someone said it.

 

Confirms what we knew, the players don’t respect the WR coach and he doesn’t know how to command respect. I think we have hashed that out already.
 

If McGuire has been coaching up his unit and the players don’t listen, then I don’t fully put blame on McGuire here. He was hired into this position - who would turn it down? I put majority of blame on the OC/HC for not supporting the WR coach. 

 

We’ll either see a new position coach or a better leader in the offense. Well, or we can still suck. 

They hired Mozee, a very experienced and well-respected coach, as well as having Ron Brown and a GA as support. I suspect with Satterfield freed up from coordinating the offensive, I'd like to think he was involved with helping to focus the group on technique the past couple of weeks. 

In the end, it comes down to the players executing what they are taught. Given the evidence last week, they have the physical ability to block with anyone. It therefore comes down to a mental hurdle and having the will to make it all work.

[huskerfan99]

I will say it again and it’s painfully obvious after hearing Holgorsen speak today that….

 

This off season Rhule needs to let him hire “his” assistants on offense for us to take the next step.

 

Barthel, McGuire and Raiola have NO reason to be coaches at a major D1 university. Look at their resumes, they are comical.

 

[huskerfan99]

12 minutes ago, Toe said:

He also mentioned how the WRs haven't been getting much separation in man coverage. A lot of people have complained that Raiola hasn't been very good vs man, but I still feel like it's more on the WRs than him.

Well maybe the WRs don’t respect their 24 year old position coach? 

[Husker in WI]

Just now, huskerfan99 said:

I will say it again and it’s painfully obvious after hearing Holgorsen speak today that….

 

This off season Rhule needs to let him hire “his” assistants on offense for us to take the next step.

 

Barthel, McGuire and Raiola have NO reason to be coaches at a major D1 university. Look at their resumes, they are comical.

 

 

OL is fine - and while it's probably reading too much into it, here's how Holgorsen spoke about each position group:

• Very positive about QB
  • Would assume he still wants to be the QB guy, so not necessarily an endorsement of Thomas
• Critical of RBs
• Critical of WRs
• Positive about the OL

And while some of those were intended as challenges to the players, they reflect on the coaches. I think McGuire has a few things going from him - the WRs did respond to a degree (at least in the blocking), and he's young and will improve. I would rather he get this experience somewhere else but I think there's hope he develops into the coach Rhule thinks he can be. And assuming Holgorsen sticks around, there's probably not an OC in the country better equipped to bring along a young WR coach. Barthel is who he is at this point, and his room has seemed off both years. I'd bet on a new RB coach and I'd assume Thomas/Satterfield are gone, but I'd be a little surprised if McGuire was let go and shocked if Raiola was.

[Mavric]

42 minutes ago, Husker in WI said:

Now I will say that Satterfield also called out the same issues. But the difference is (at least through one game), Holgorsen called it out and got them to fix it. I didn't really have issues with the WR blocking against USC, and even if Holgorsen was on Barthel about it at halftime the backs did more than they had in a while. It's amazing what executing the call can do - that 3rd and 10 conversion to Bonner was the kind of thing Satt was getting flamed for calling. But if you can get them to run it right it's a great call. 

 

I mean .... we had one play that worked against soft coverage.  We still threw several other screens that didn't work any better than what we've seen all year.

 

I'm not putting that one in the "fixed" category yet.

[Mavric]

Like I've said for awhile, I'm fairly confident it's mostly the position coaches who determine the rotation.

 

Now, it sure seems to me like Satt or Rhule - or now Holgorsen - could put their foot down and say "that guy's not getting it done" but I think our choices for who've we've been putting on the field are questionable at best.

 

 

[SWIHusker]

2 hours ago, Husker in WI said:

He's a refreshing interview. 

 

 

Love this because in reality, Holgerson doesn’t give a crap and will say what’s on his mind! 

[knapplc]

Sounds like Rhule tried to get Holgerson to come here in the offseason and Holgerson said no.

 

 

 

“I was bored. [pauses] I have a great deal of respect for coach Rhule. We visited in December and I didn’t think it was fair to him, me or the program at that point. I was tired, I had been through a lot. Just didn’t have to do it at that point and I didn’t feel like I was ready to give it my all. I was very grateful to Sonny Dykes and TCU for being a consultant there, which kept me around the game. I was there for three weeks in camp, then went on vacation for two weeks and came back. I was there for two games and I didn’t like being part of the games, because I wasn’t part of the games. I was up in the head coach’s suite for a game and I was on the sidelines for a game. I was just like ‘I don’t like this part of it.’

 

“If I don’t have any control over it, I don’t want to do it. I would just help prep them in the beginning of the week and then I would go do something else. It was fun to do other things, but I was slated to go back to Fort Worth on Sunday night and Coach Rhule called and said ‘let’s come try to figure this out. I need your help.’ I was grateful to him for saying that ‘I needed your help.’ I think a great deal of him. I think a great deal of this program. I was excited to jump on it. Rules allow it now. In years past, rules wouldn’t have allowed it. I just wanted to insert myself and try to help Coach Rhule and try to help this football team and try to help this great program.”

[Husker in WI]

8 minutes ago, Mavric said:

 

I mean .... we had one play that worked against soft coverage.  We still threw several other screens that didn't work any better than what we've seen all year.

 

I'm not putting that one in the "fixed" category yet.

 

Fair, it at least looked improved and less-used. This one also got 12 yards, and was the best block I've seen by Banks all year. 

 

 

We did more of the NFL-style swing checkdown with a TE leading too, which wasn't wildly successful but is at least interesting. Time will tell on the WR blocking, but I at least saw instances of goof blocks and off the top of my head don't recall a promising play derailed by a missed block. Looking at it again we had 3 non-sack negative plays, all in the second half. I don't actually think the blocking was to blame for any of them.

 

This is that lead check down, but it's not great if Fidone is flatfooted at the sideline, and Dowdell seems pretty deep. Not sure if they need to delay this a second longer or what, but when it works the back and TE are both usually still moving.

 

Next play, they blew this up. Not actually a blocking issue, just turns out 3 times with the same playcall was too many.

 

Then the last one was the should've been TD to Banks, ended up with a very late checkdown to Emmett for a loss. There is some traffic between Raiola and Banks, but you've got to trust that your 6'4 receiver is at the pylon where he's supposed to be and let this rip:

 

So I haven't done this for other games, but I'd chalk one of the losses up to perimeter blocking (although with partial blame to how they ran the checkdown), one to the playcall/tip your cap to USC's DC for adjusting, and one on the QB. It's an improvement. This one also had some promise (although the safety is flying up toward Barney), just threw it straight into the dirt. 

 

We also had a screen deflected on a nice play by the defender, but seemed blocked up well. Fidone went to block and then shucked the guy, but he stuck with him and we're lucky it wasn't a pick. 

 

So let me put it this way - I think the WR blocking was much improved, and I don't think it can be reasonably argues otherwise. The screen game as a whole was more of a mixed bag, and I don't know how to grade the checkdowns. 2 of our 3 negative plays were checkdowns, but so was our offensive TD.