Kansas Vs. Nebraska Offensive Analysis

[lilred]

Anyone who says Zac Lee "can't" be better than Todd Reesing is crazy.

[Overland Park Husker]

I get your point Rob, seriously I do and tend to agree. Like I said earlier though, it just rubs me the wrong way when someone dismisses what guys like Swift and Peterson accomplished on the field because they lack "athleticism". They may lack the ability to put up combine numbers that in the end count for little, but they do have the ability and athleticism to put up numbers that counted, points. I still though don't buy the argument that unless you make it in the NFL you were not a good athlete in college.

 

Let me ask you this though, to expand on your question: What if you asked those same 100 people if you could either have Todd Reesing or Joe Ganz starting for your team, who would you pick? I'd take Ganz. His numbers were certainly better than Reesing's last year when they met.

Show me in my post where I did that?

[SkullandBones]

"Fact is, KU has a very good offense that produces. Athelic ability aside, the numbers show they're productive and we have a lot to prove. Nate Swift and Todd Peterson were not athelitcally gifted"

 

Look, I get what you're saying, I just don't think it's fair to say that they weren't atheletically gifted because they don't have 4.2 speed and a 6' vertical leap. I don't think anyone gets on to the field at the D1 level without being a pretty damn good athlete. And to be fair you didn't dismiss their accomplishments, far from it, even though I wasn't specifically talking to you when I said that. I've no doubt you are as big of a fan as I am. I was more speaking in general, and you heard all the time last year with things like..'not a proto-typical wideout', 'while not the best athlete on the team he has good hands', or my favorite, 'doesn't have track speed, but finds a way to get open'. Well what the f...., he's not ON the track team. That is what I meant when I said it rubs me the wrong way.

 

I also didnt' notice anyone here saying KU sucks. They don't.

[dawhuskerkc]

I get your point Rob, seriously I do and tend to agree. Like I said earlier though, it just rubs me the wrong way when someone dismisses what guys like Swift and Peterson accomplished on the field because they lack "athleticism". They may lack the ability to put up combine numbers that in the end count for little, but they do have the ability and athleticism to put up numbers that counted, points. I still though don't buy the argument that unless you make it in the NFL you were not a good athlete in college.

 

Let me ask you this though, to expand on your question: What if you asked those same 100 people if you could either have Todd Reesing or Joe Ganz starting for your team, who would you pick? I'd take Ganz. His numbers were certainly better than Reesing's last year when they met.

 

 

I will take Lee based on the rest of the team. KU will need to outscore their opponents big time to stay in every game, this will not be possible against NU or a host of their other opponents who do play good to excellent defense. Reissing is one of 11, his recvrs are very good as is the slot and Mangino is a very good coach who handles kids well.

 

Still Lee will win the battle on the basis of the whole team being better than the package R has around him.

Lee will need to be serviceable to just stay even, KU's oline will have its hands full with NU's Dline meaning R could find his backside hurting after this game. Meanwhile without Mortenson and Rivera at LB KU will struggle to stop our power and inside game short and middle levels, leaving us lots of opportunity for deep balls where productivity per catch will go sky high.

 

No Problem what so ever picking Lee here.

 

KU will be lucky to be 4 and 5 going into our matchup.

[jayhawker]

Reesing could be the second coming of Joe Montana but if he's running for his life and/or on his butt the whole time, we'll win the game.

 

Reesing is better when he is running for his life. His big plays are usually on broken plays.

 

 

 

And this was against your D last year.

 

 

our biggest weekness last year was our DL. Which from what everyone is saying will be much better this year.

[knapplc]

Reesing is better when he is running for his life. His big plays are usually on broken plays.

 

 

 

And this was against your D last year.

 

 

our biggest weekness last year was our DL. Which from what everyone is saying will be much better this year.

That's all well and good, but you remember the result of the game. The bottom line is, our defense figures to be better as well, perhaps leaps and bounds better.

 

It's gonna be a great game. I don't see either team blowing out the other. It could come down to a field goal, and there I gotta give the Huskers the edge.

[robsker]

I get your point Rob, seriously I do and tend to agree. Like I said earlier though, it just rubs me the wrong way when someone dismisses what guys like Swift and Peterson accomplished on the field because they lack "athleticism". They may lack the ability to put up combine numbers that in the end count for little, but they do have the ability and athleticism to put up numbers that counted, points. I still though don't buy the argument that unless you make it in the NFL you were not a good athlete in college.

 

Let me ask you this though, to expand on your question: What if you asked those same 100 people if you could either have Todd Reesing or Joe Ganz starting for your team, who would you pick? I'd take Ganz. His numbers were certainly better than Reesing's last year when they met.

 

Great question. I'll take a sixth year with Ganz... I think. Both Reesing and Ganz are proven --- both are good, very good. It might be close a call. nationally, probably more would go with Reesing than Ganz --- by this I mean that a national group of 100 football savvy people would likely slightly favor Reesing (I'd guess) even over Ganz. That said, I'd take either over any unproven QB in their 1st year (including lee --- who may end up really great, who knows? but i know that Reesing and Ganz would be good for sure.

 

 

To the one poster who thinks that the supporting cast at NU is better than the supporting cast at KU --- well, that may be more an assessment from hopeful thinking than any real analysis. If anything, the distribution of strengths and weaknesses between KU and NU might be different --- but I'd wager that, overall, the talent level between the top units of each program are comparable and no real compelling reason to assert that one is better than the other exists. But again, they hold the trump card. The proven QB and that places them as favorites over NU (that, coupled with home field advantage).

 

NU can win. I sure hope they will. But that will be a tough task for the Huskers.

 

If the Huskers have a trump card at all --- one to counter their trump card --- it might be our coaching. Theres is good ours is better.

[knapplc]

Also, Jayhawker, you may want to watch

.

 

Pay special attention to:

 

0:20

1:12

1:34

2:14

3:29

4:42

5:30

and last but not least:

5:44

 

Notice how many times Reesing is run down by a defensive lineman. Speed on defense kills, and we have it.

[jayhawker]

Seriously... And you know this is true... every single person or sight that predicts KU will win the North points to the fact that their skill position players on offense are SOOO much better than ours. I just don't but it. QBs- Yes, Reesing has proven dependable and tough, with a hell of a lot of heart for somebody his size, but based on what we're hearing about Zach Lee, what we saw of him in the spring game, and his JUCO career (went to JUCO State Championship game at CCSF)... I honestly think Lee has the much higher ceiling and will be the far better QB.

 

We had a RB last year that played for and won a Championship in Juco. He didn't do much for us and is no longer on the team. I won't even comment on your comparison of him to Reesing. You realize Reesing is 20-6 with a BCS bowl victory don't you?

 

RBs- Jake Sharp is pretty good... He amassed 860 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, but honestly, with Helu and Q both hungry to tote the rock more than last year and split carries, You've got to think we trump KU in the RB department. They have no depth behind Sharp, with a sophomore and two freshman. Crawford got kicked off team and the third RB from last year, Angus Quigley, pulled a Cody Glenn and switched to LB. Freaking Mangino... hope OUR MOVE doesn't work for you!

 

i'll give a slight edge to N here. We do have depth at RB and I think you greatly underestimate Sharp.

 

WRs- Alright, Dezmon Briscoe IS a stud. He is EVERYTHING they say he is... he's their best offensive weapon. But his status with the team is still unclear after being suspended, and Mangino even acknowledged that he has a few hurdles to clear to see his way back onto the field this year. Kerry Meier has played extremely well for a converted QB, putting together 97 receptions for 1045 yds and 8 touchdowns, but I feel the same way about him as I do Reesing... they're productive, but not as physically gifted as some of our unproven players. You've got to say, especially if they lose Briscoe, we own them here, too. Physically, at least... experience would probably go to them.

 

you've had "more physically gifted players" even in the callahan years. I'll take production over gifted any day.

 

TE, OL- Honestly, with our depth and talent at TE, we totally OWN whoever Kansas puts out there... I couldn't even find who played TE for them most of last season. Wasn't it a freshman from Nebraska, of all places? Our O Line has less depth than TE, but on the whole is more experienced and talented than their O line. Our D Line feast on their O Line... we'll probably hit them like a Suhnami.

 

could it be that we play in the spread and do not use a TE much?

 

Don't even get me started defensively. They have one playmaker... Stuckey. They lost all three linebackers and didn't have a good D line to begin with. It's clear... we should own them this year.

 

The DL on paper is much more "physically gifted" than last years DL and we will have experience this year. Ever heard of Laptad? Our LB's are also more "physically gifted" than what we have ever had at any time. They are fast and big. I doubt Quickly is a starter. Our DE will get to the QB and we have huge guys to plug up the middle.

 

Here are some stats for you.

 

Rushing D

NU 116.46 ypg

KU 123.08 ypg

 

Passing D

NU 233.28 ypg

KU 273.62 ypg

 

Scoring D

NU 28.54 ppg

KU 28.85 ppg

 

Tackles for loss

NU 6.31 pg

KU 6.31 pg

 

Sacks

NU 35

KU 29

 

Sacks

Suh .58 per game

Laptad .54 per game (as a soph)

 

Turnovers

NU 17 total

KU 25 total

 

I notice you prefer just rankings instead of what those rankings mean, but show me how Nu had a "way better" d last year than KU. The difference is you didn't have to face Texas and their O.

[strigori]

Reesing is better when he is running for his life. His big plays are usually on broken plays.

 

 

 

And this was against your D last year.

 

 

our biggest weekness last year was our DL. Which from what everyone is saying will be much better this year.

That's all well and good, but you remember the result of the game. The bottom line is, our defense figures to be better as well, perhaps leaps and bounds better.

 

It's gonna be a great game. I don't see either team blowing out the other. It could come down to a field goal, and there I gotta give the Huskers the edge.

But the KU offensive line is going to be filled with newer players, and a converted tight end is currently slotted to protect Reesing's blind side. I feel pretty confident in the line match ups.

[RedDenver]

 

Reesing is better when he is running for his life. His big plays are usually on broken plays.

 

 

 

And this was against your D last year.

 

 

our biggest weekness last year was our DL. Which from what everyone is saying will be much better this year.

I think you mean that Reesing is better when running for his life than most QB's. I can't imagine he's better running for his life than standing in the pocket with time to throw.

 

In an offensive analysis (which is the title of this thread), KU holds big edges at the QB and WR positions. NU holds a big edge at TE. I'd also give NU an edge at OL and RB. The question then becomes which of those matters the most. IMO, the OL advantage for NU will be a difference in this game followed by the RB. That should give NU a decent running attack against KU. Will KU's OL hold up well enough to allow their advantages at QB and WR to make for NU's running game? KU fans certainly hope so, but I don't think it'll be enough.

 

P.S. I'd like the Husker posters to note that his name is spelled Reesing.

[RockyMountainOySker]

I get your point Rob, seriously I do and tend to agree. Like I said earlier though, it just rubs me the wrong way when someone dismisses what guys like Swift and Peterson accomplished on the field because they lack "athleticism". They may lack the ability to put up combine numbers that in the end count for little, but they do have the ability and athleticism to put up numbers that counted, points. I still though don't buy the argument that unless you make it in the NFL you were not a good athlete in college.

 

Let me ask you this though, to expand on your question: What if you asked those same 100 people if you could either have Todd Reesing or Joe Ganz starting for your team, who would you pick? I'd take Ganz. His numbers were certainly better than Reesing's last year when they met.

 

Great question. I'll take a sixth year with Ganz... I think. Both Reesing and Ganz are proven --- both are good, very good. It might be close a call. nationally, probably more would go with Reesing than Ganz --- by this I mean that a national group of 100 football savvy people would likely slightly favor Reesing (I'd guess) even over Ganz. That said, I'd take either over any unproven QB in their 1st year (including lee --- who may end up really great, who knows? but i know that Reesing and Ganz would be good for sure.

 

 

To the one poster who thinks that the supporting cast at NU is better than the supporting cast at KU --- well, that may be more an assessment from hopeful thinking than any real analysis. If anything, the distribution of strengths and weaknesses between KU and NU might be different --- but I'd wager that, overall, the talent level between the top units of each program are comparable and no real compelling reason to assert that one is better than the other exists. But again, they hold the trump card. The proven QB and that places them as favorites over NU (that, coupled with home field advantage).

 

NU can win. I sure hope they will. But that will be a tough task for the Huskers.

 

If the Huskers have a trump card at all --- one to counter their trump card --- it might be our coaching. Theres is good ours is better.

 

If the people polled had no allegiance to either school (no huskerboard members :-).......95% would take Reesing. I would take Reesing over every NU QB that followed Crouch without hesitation. Have you watched football the last 4 years? There is no valid argument favoring Ganz against Reesing.

 

Todd Reesing STILL IS a top 5 QB in all the NCAA. Joe Ganz was not a top 5 QB (a great QB but not top 5). Zach Lee will not be a top 5 QB. Zach Lee will be a great QB just like Joe Ganz and Zac Taylor. Cody Green has the potential to be a top 5 QB.

 

NU didn't beat KU last year b/c Joe outplayed Todd. NU won b/c our defense was better then KUs (which will be the same this year) and we dominated the line of scrimmage (which will be the same this year). Todd Reesing is everything to that team...Joe was a piece of the puzzle just like Lee will be this year. Switch Joe with Todd and KU wins 2 less games (MU and the huge comeback vs. ISU) last year and NU probably wins 2 more games (Va Tech - take away that early pick....and Texas Tech - take that late pick away).

[knapplc]

Everyone stop. Just stop.

 

The name of the Nebraska quarterback is Zac Lee. Not "Zach" Lee.

 

There is no "h" in ZLee's name.

 

Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac. Zac.

 

Learn it, know it, live it.

 

Resume thread.

[jayhawker]

Also, Jayhawker, you may want to watch

.

 

Pay special attention to:

 

0:20

1:12

1:34

2:14

3:29

4:42

5:30

and last but not least:

5:44

 

Notice how many times Reesing is run down by a defensive lineman. Speed on defense kills, and we have it.

 

no doubt speed kills. KU's D will be much faster this year. Also notice with all that speed we still scored 35 in lincoln.

[jayhawker]

 

 

 

But the KU offensive line is going to be filled with newer players, and a converted tight end is currently slotted to protect Reesing's blind side. I feel pretty confident in the line match ups.

 

our AA LT in 07 was a converted TE. Mangino knows what he is doing.