Coaches Thoughts from Tuesday

[Hunter94]

Tuesday post-practice chatter

After Tuesday's practice, Husker offensive coordinator Shawn Watson picked up where Bo Pelini left off earlier in the day, talking about the offense's search for an idenity.

 

“I’d like it to be rushing the football, however it looks,” Watson said. “Ironically, we found some things out this last ballgame. We’ve been trying to do some things that we’re maybe not ready to do yet.”

 

Watson said the last two weeks really forced the Huskers “to look at ourselves in the mirror really hard.”

 

Work ethic isn’t the problem, he said. But...

 

“We’ve had to make up some ground,” he said about the run game, noting how much the team threw the ball last season because of big deficits. “We’re re-teaching some things. We’re trying to get some things like fundamentals and an attitude about running the ball.”

 

Watson cited the fullback and tight end positions as areas that must develop to bolster the run game. Nebraska has averaged just 92.75 yards rushing a game in four of the five contests this year.

 

“Honestly, we wanted to hammer people with big run groups but that’s probably not our personnel,” Watson said.

 

Earlier in the day, Husker head coach Bo Pelini said: “You can’t always try to pound a square-peg into a round hole. You’ve got to evaluate, look at your personnel and what they do best and put them in positions to have success.”

 

What about the offensive line?

 

“I think the offensive line is very capable,” Pelini said. “Maybe the type of runs, that’s kind of what we’re looking at, what personnel groupings, what formations, where are we at our best. The vision of what you want it to be and what it needs to be at this point, you’ve got to be willing to adjust as you go a long. That’s part of where we are.”

 

*****

 

Why did Joe Ganz play to the final gun of Saturday's blow out?

 

“You keep him in because you’re still working on things and he still needs to work on things,” Watson said. “We need to get better. That’s evident.”

 

*****

 

Former Husker quarterback Tommie Frazier popped into practice. When it was over, he walked out with an arm around Ganz, conversing.

 

*****

 

Dan Titchener had a rough night punting the football Saturday, one of his kicks going just three yards. Jake Wesch came in for a punt in the fourth quarter, kicking it 40 yards. “Just like any other position, at that position the competition is on,” Pelini said.

 

Also, Watson said fullback Thomas Lawson is in a battle for his job with Hunter Teafatiller, who has been seeing some playing time there.

 

 

 

after reading this, here are my thoughts. we want to run, but we can't, bottom line the O line can't clear the way for the running backs, no big surprise here. ganz is throwing picks because we can't run, no big surprise. Teafatiller at fullback seems a little odd?.....we seldom use the fullback.

 

no matter how much Watson wants to run the ball, these guys up front just don't have the heart to put a helmet on a guy and clear the way.....to rebuild this team, we will need some O linemen who can move and want to hit someone, period.

[huskered17]

We have the AD, we have the O-line coach, that know all about building the O-line pipe line again, and we have a head coach that respects, and picks the AD's head for ideas. Get the pipe line going again. The running game starts there.

 

GBR!!!

[HuskerTrucker]

They need to stop talking about it and do it. Everyone is tired of hearing how they understand what they need to do, now they need to do it.

[skersfan]

It is not a question of wanting to do it. NO coach wants to fail, not even the ones before as silly as that may sound to some of us. But having the ability to be stronger, faster, smarter, quicker, meaner are some of the things we lack. Who knows why, but it is what we have. Hollaring just do it is not the answer. They have to find what they can do, and they have not yet. Pelini stated that.

 

Most of our fan problems are because all felt that BC/Coz was the only thing wrong with this program. Part true for sure, but not the whole problem. Attitude and athletic ability were lacking and it has not been coached in to this group yet. I doubt that it can be as quickly as some want.

 

Still think 7-5 is likely, but it could change quickly.

 

Be realistic and I think you can all see the 7-5 number. But it they fail, keep the faith, this staff needs our support more now than any other coach we have had. Take a deep breath and keep being the greatest fans in college football. It truly is up to us. We have to support this team, staff and program. If we don't the Nebraska we all know and love will not be back.

[T_O_Bull]

Old news.

In the late 80ies I met Boyd Epply, who was sitting a a table next to me in Wynona, MN. During the course of our conversation he said, "We recruit linemen based on their bone structure." This is how we find OL/DL personnel. It may take time but this is what we need t get back too. All the star spot athelets in the world can't do anything if there isn't somebody upfront knocking people down for them.

T_O_B

[newenglandhusker]

Old news.

In the late 80ies I met Boyd Epply, who was sitting a a table next to me in Wynona, MN. During the course of our conversation he said, "We recruit linemen based on their bone structure." This is how we find OL/DL personnel. It may take time but this is what we need t get back too. All the star spot athelets in the world can't do anything if there isn't somebody upfront knocking people down for them.

T_O_B

 

How about just getting a Boyd Eppley-type back?

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Let's just get it done then.........................