Hunter94 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Castille makes most of first real opportunity Robin Washut HuskersIllustrated.com At some point last week, Quentin Castille needed to know where he stood. Frustrated with Nebraska's three-game losing streak and his own lack of involvement in the offense, Castille met with NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and running backs coach Time Beck to try and figure out exactly what his role was in the Huskers' offensive game plan Watson and Beck told him to be patient, and that they agreed Castille had been under-utilized the past few weeks. As a result of the discussion, the sophomore from LaPorte, Texas, had one of the best games of his career on Saturday. Castille double his yardage from the previous three weeks with 11 carries for 70 yards, highlighted by a 19-yard touchdown run to close out Nebraska's 35-7 win over Iowa State. "I just talked to (Watson) about where I fit in as a player in the offense," Castille said. "He just told me that I fit in as well as anybody else does. He just told me to go out there and play, and so did Coach Pelini. Just go out there and play and let everything hang loose. I'm a good player, and just to not hold myself back anymore and dominate whoever. "I brought it up because I was thinking, 'Man, I'm tired of being that team that loses all the time.' I just went in there and I was like, 'I want to know where I fit in in the offense, and anywhere I can help just let me know.' That's basically what I asked him, and (Saturday) is what I got in return." Beck said he regretted not using Castille more in the Huskers' overtime loss to Texas Tech two weeks ago, and he agreed that the running back needed to be more involved in the offense. Beck and the NU coaches didn't waste anytime getting Castille in the mix, as he rotated into the offense from the first series of the game against ISU. "Quentin played very well," Beck said. "He ran hard and did everything we asked him to do. He had a real good game for us… We wanted to give Q a chance because he didn't play as much as I had hoped against Tech. We felt we left a lot of yards on the field, so wanted to give Q a chance." With the help of Castille's increased role, the Huskers were able to rush for 220 yards – their second-highest total of the season – with four touchdowns on the ground against the Cyclones. Coming into the season, Castille was dubbed by many as the Huskers' short-yardage and goal line back because of his 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. However, his unique combination of size, speed and agility makes him a weapon the Nebraska coaches say shouldn't be limited to short-yardage situations. In fact, Saturday may have just been the start of Castille's increased involvement. "He's feeling good," head coach Bo Pelini said. "He's practicing well. You'll see more and more of him. He's been practicing well, and we feel that he's ready to break out and be a factor… I think he think he can be a factor in all plays, (whether) inside or outside. "He's a good football player and I think his confidence has grown and I think he's ready to be a factor for us. If you get a guy his size that can move out on the perimeter and put him on defensive backs, he can be a big factor." Castille said he was running with a bit of mean streak on Saturday because he wanted to show what he could do with his first chance to be a big part of the offense. Not only did his coaches take note of his performance, so did his teammates. "He ran really physical this game," senior running back Marlon Lucky said. "Coach (Pelini) has been on him every day saying run hard, run behind your pads. He did a heck of a job last weekend. He was just punishing them." Though Castille made the most of his time on the field on Saturday, he said he doesn't expect to suddenly start competing with Lucky for the starting running back job or anything. Castille knows he's still young, and will have plenty of chances down the road to further establish his role in Nebraska's offense. All he ever wanted was a chance to prove himself, to show that he could do more than simply plow away for two or three yards at a time up the middle. With his performance last week, chances are he'll get plenty more. "There were times when I got down on myself when I knew I should've been playing, but in certain situations it's just not going to happen," Castille said. "It's over and done with now, I just need to look ahead." OK, here is the deal. is Watson missing something here or "playing favorites"? i am not trying to start a controversy, but when you read this it does not "read" well, at least for me. yes, we knew a 3 back rotation would be difficult for the guys to thrive in and this probably explains why no one gets 16-20 carries per game, as all three have strengths and weaknesses, but it sure sounds like Q had a legitimate gripe here, even though he has had trouble holding on to the ball on occasion. it sounds to me like if he can consistently hold on to the ball, he has almost the quickness of a Lucky and more power than Helu. i think he will be the man next year...IMHO. Quote Link to comment
Pedro Guerrero Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Lucky is a proven pass catcher and blocker that is why he plays more. IMO Castille will get his in due time. Quote Link to comment
DJR313 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 OK, here is the deal. is Watson missing something here or "playing favorites"? i am not trying to start a controversy, but when you read this it does not "read" well, at least for me. yes, we knew a 3 back rotation would be difficult for the guys to thrive in and this probably explains why no one gets 16-20 carries per game, as all three have strengths and weaknesses, but it sure sounds like Q had a legitimate gripe here, even though he has had trouble holding on to the ball on occasion. it sounds to me like if he can consistently hold on to the ball, he has almost the quickness of a Lucky and more power than Helu. i think he will be the man next year...IMHO. By fumbling the ball as much as he does, it negates a lot of the good that he does on the field. I think Lucky has lost 1 fumble in his Husker career and I am not sure Helu has had a fumble yet. A QB with a rocket arm doesn't play if he continually throws interceptions. I agree that Castille is without a doubt an absolute freakish specimen, but until he can hang onto the ball, he is going to have to split carries/snaps. I think Castille should be unhappy and be hungry, he will play better when he is hungry and strive to get better. Running backs aren't supposed to be ok with splitting carries, that's why they are called "I" backs. But seriously, the fact that he is unhappy right now and the way he attacked the field with that hunger is a good sign. Quote Link to comment
Hunter94 Posted October 22, 2008 Author Share Posted October 22, 2008 true, but when Lucky falls down instead of trying to break tackles, it's pretty hard to strip the ball from him......just an observation...i suspect Lucky's average yards after contact are precious few at that...... Quote Link to comment
admo Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 The offense sputters when the game plan is to run the ball / establish the run. Doesnt matter who is lined up at I-back. We should all know this by now. The success the past few weeks is due to an offense that gets Ganz into a rhythm. That's first and foremost. It then opens up the running game. Besides, you want the ball to be in the hands of your best player. The offense must go through Ganz. These backs are good, but I'm sorry to say, they are not the go-to guys. They are good role players that can do some exciting things from time to time. IMO. Q is good. I dont think he should leap Lucky or Helu this week. Or get more touches than them. Watson has been doing a solid job with the past 2 game plans. And the Huskers are executing. Quote Link to comment
DJR313 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 true, but when Lucky falls down instead of trying to break tackles, it's pretty hard to strip the ball from him......just an observation...i suspect Lucky's average yards after contact are precious few at that...... Regardless, if you are going to be fighting for extra yards, the ball needs to be secured. That is priority #1. What good are those extra yards if you fumble after you get them? Ball security is key. I seriously don't understand the continued Lucky bashing. It is not like someone breathes on him and he falls down. The guy is going to finish his Husker career in the top 10 in rushing and receiving and people will still say he sucks. I don't get it. Quote Link to comment
melscott62 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 true, but when Lucky falls down instead of trying to break tackles, it's pretty hard to strip the ball from him......just an observation...i suspect Lucky's average yards after contact are precious few at that...... well I think for every broken tackle Q has lucky makes a tackler miss.... I think Q can be a great back... but lucky is head and shoulder above him as of right now..... the fumbling thing is HUGE. he can be jim walter/emmit smith/ and barry sanders all in one, if he coughs up the ball like he has the past year and a half it seriously damages his value Quote Link to comment
In the Deed the Glory Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Lucky is the better back, especially in the way we are running the offense now. It shouldn't be a question anymore. Can't play if you fumble, TO believed that. Quote Link to comment
junior4949 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 true, but when Lucky falls down instead of trying to break tackles, it's pretty hard to strip the ball from him......just an observation...i suspect Lucky's average yards after contact are precious few at that...... 2 plays pretty much sealed the deal for me on Castille. The first one was the option where the ball hit him right in the numbers before bouncing off and falling to the turf. This play was a good 8-10 yard gainer but ended up horribly. The next play was him jumping over the pile. The only problem was he left the ball on the pile. Here's my 2 cents. I would take a RB falling down not trying to break tackles any day over a RB who has shown a consistant pattern of fumbling the ball. Falling down not breaking tackles is a lot better than fumbling on your own 10 or 20 yard line. At least you can punt the ball down field after falling down not breaking tackles. Quote Link to comment
junior4949 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Lucky is the better back, especially in the way we are running the offense now. It shouldn't be a question anymore. Can't play if you fumble, TO believed that. Isn't this why Benning(sp) got benched and LP got his chance because of fumbling problems? Quote Link to comment
EbylHusker Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Castille sits more because he's not as good of a back yet. It's pretty simple and pretty obvious. He's doing well, though, and will only continue to get better. He'll get his time, no question. Quote Link to comment
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