Is Watson pushing the right buttons?

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

NE Statepaper

 

Part of good coaching is knowing when, and how, to push player buttons to get the desired effect.

 

After Nebraska’s offense laid an egg in the first half of the Missouri game, wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore benched Niles Paul and Menelik Holt. He made them turn in their hand warmers and gloves. He stuck Antonio Bell and Brandon Kinnie out there, to no real avail other than it fired up Paul, who responded with two touchdown catches in the fourth quarter.

 

“It kind of let me get down on myself,” Paul said. “But then I kind of thought about it and was like ‘he’s doing this for the team.’ And he put us back in there.”

 

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson told his quarterback, Zac Lee, point blank: We’re thinking about sitting you for a drive, and inserting true freshman Cody Green.

 

“He said, ‘We’re going to do it for a series,’” Lee said. “‘Keep your eyes open.’”

 

Watson didn’t bench Lee. One wonders if his mere consideration was a fire he was trying to light under the junior, who came alive and threw his best passes of the game in the fourth quarter. If Green had entered the game, and played remotely well, Watson would have opened a Pandora’s Box in Husker Nation. As it is, he cracked it opened a little bit,

 

“It is what it is,” Lee said. “I had to deal with it. I know Coach Wats has my back, I know Coach (Bo) Pelini has my back, so it kind of motivated me to have their back. It’s just part of the game.”

 

How often do those motivational techniques work? Once? Twice? Ideally, you don’t use them much.

 

But Nebraska’s offense, especially the running game, has been a little slipshod at times since the Arkansas State game, when Lee looked like the best quarterback in the Big 12. Roy Helu’s bailed out the offensive line with some terrific individual efforts – more than half of his yards this year are after early contact - and Lee’s fired up that great arm of his at just the right times.

 

Can NU really afford to hope the switch flips at the right time? To assume offensive coordinator alights on just the right plays to beat the opposing defense?

 

Watson took considerable heat for his playcalling in Missouri. By Watson’s own actions and logic, he deserved some of the criticism.

 

Watson used the awful, rainy conditions to defend Lee, yet shrugged off those same conditions in defense of his playcalling because Missouri was “loading the box” against the run. But Watson didn’t exactly help his own case when he unveiled a quite successful quad-tight set at the end of the game that ground out 68 rushing yards in eight plays. The Tigers had ten guys hovering near the line of scrimmage – but the Huskers still ran the ball.

 

Now comes Texas Tech, a “vanilla” defense that doesn’t blitz much and relies on its front seven to stop the run. Will Watson impose NU’s size advantage? Or will the game, again, fall on Lee’s right arm?

 

The Huskers could, but should not, use the absence of Rex Burkhead as a built-in excuse for throwing the ball 40 times a game. Burkhead was valuable – he made several crucial plays in the Missouri game – but he was only averaging roughly 6-8 touches per game. If Helu has to carry it 30 times, so be it. He’s a great back, Nebraska’s best in a decade. If Helu’s shoulder is too banged up for the heavy load, Watson and Tim Beck need to trust their own coaching skills, and insert Burkhead’s replacement. It’s football, after all, not a North Korean nuclear treaty negotiation.

 

And defenses are going to start getting wise to Nebraska’s strategy. If it’s that easy to move NU away from the running game, they’ll take the chances with a quarterback and receivers who have been uneven at best over the last month. Missouri was a handful of plays away from a shutout, frankly. If Burkhead doesn’t make a nifty move to gain four yards on a third-down play, Lee never gets to make that throw to Paul, and the Tigers shift into the “eating game clock” mode. And the bulk of this week is a real bear for Nebraska and its coaching staff, instead of a celebration of Ndamukong Suh’s many defensive talents.

 

“Bottom line is, we need to score points,” head coach Bo Pelini said. “You’re not going to shut (Texas Tech) out. You’d like to, but they’re a pretty good offensive football team and we need to match them. We need to put some points on the board.”

 

You wonder if Bo will have to push some his coaches’ buttons to make it happen.

 

[irafreak]

Why does everyone insist that Green playing in Missouri would've been such a controversy. The guy is the stronger runner and under those conditions that was why I thought they should try. Not because Lee was failing. His strength is not in his legs. These were crazy weather conditions that you don't see every season (for each school that is). Of course Watson talking about sitting him down for a series was to let him see the field so that tells me he wasn't doing it to change the gameplan. That, to me is the only reason Green should be put in.

[junior4949]

Can you imagine what would have happened had Watson put Green in there and he turned the ball over resulting in a Mizzou score? I found myself saying in the third quarter that maybe we should put Green in there. This is probably why I'm not a coach. Hindsight 20/20, it's probably not a good idea to put in a cold true freshman QB to run the offense considering the weather elements. I came to this conclusion while watching Monday night football when Miami put White in there to run the wildcat and how ballsy the coach was for doing it.

[Never Skerd']

IDK if it is just me or did everyone miss the down pour that was happening? IMO he did fine, yes some plays you were left going ?!?!?, but that is what offense is about, he doesn't have a magic ball that says this is going to work, and I promise you if he just kept pounding it out on the ground we may not have won that game.

As far as Green is concerned I think it would have been a terrible idea. I am pretty sure I watched him on the coaches show and he admitted he knows maybe 20 plays and 10 of them he can run well. If you put him in the game is lost. Especially ON THE ROAD-RIVALRY GAME-IN THE RAIN. No question IMO.

I have decided we just have to throw everything we thought we learned about our team out the window except one thing, Our boys have heart. MIZZOU circles that date on their calenders you might as well throw everything out the window on what you thought you knew about them because they want to just punch you in the mouth, and then you throw the weather in an pshh. This goes for CU too. Right now everyone is trashing them, but when the time comes to play them, I bet they will give us a run for our money.

[Paul in WI]

This goes for CU too. Right now everyone is trashing them, but when the time comes to play them, I bet they will give us a run for our money.

 

It doesn't matter if CU wins another game between now and when we play them. They are going to make it a war.

[BigWillie]

Why does everyone insist that Green playing in Missouri would've been such a controversy. The guy is the stronger runner and under those conditions that was why I thought they should try. Not because Lee was failing. His strength is not in his legs. These were crazy weather conditions that you don't see every season (for each school that is). Of course Watson talking about sitting him down for a series was to let him see the field so that tells me he wasn't doing it to change the gameplan. That, to me is the only reason Green should be put in.

 

Because Mizzou was stacking the box with 8-9 people, playing man on the outside and daring us to throw into the rain?

 

See, that's the thing. People point the finger at Wats as if he was making horrid mistakes in the way he handled the playcalling. But the real fact is, Mizzou stacked the box, got us behind in down and distance thus forcing us to pass.

 

Mizzou took complete advantage of the weather and used it to negate our running game. They know we have no real playmakers on the outside and it would be tough for them to do much of anything in flood type conditions. So they stack the box and essentially tell us to pass or you will not do anything.

 

Up until that last drive our rushing totals were ..

 

Helu - 13 rushes for 32 yards

Burkhead - 3 for 25 yards

Lee - 7 rushes for 4 yards

 

Or a grand total of .. 23 rushes for 61 yards, which is 2.7 yards per carry.

 

Games like the one we saw Thursday aren't decided by how strong a rushing attack you have or how much speed you have. It's decided by who made less mistakes and that's exactly what we saw.

[REDSTEEL]

Why does everyone insist that Green playing in Missouri would've been such a controversy. The guy is the stronger runner and under those conditions that was why I thought they should try. Not because Lee was failing. His strength is not in his legs. These were crazy weather conditions that you don't see every season (for each school that is). Of course Watson talking about sitting him down for a series was to let him see the field so that tells me he wasn't doing it to change the gameplan. That, to me is the only reason Green should be put in.

 

Because Mizzou was stacking the box with 8-9 people, playing man on the outside and daring us to throw into the rain?

 

See, that's the thing. People point the finger at Wats as if he was making horrid mistakes in the way he handled the playcalling. But the real fact is, Mizzou stacked the box, got us behind in down and distance thus forcing us to pass.

 

Mizzou took complete advantage of the weather and used it to negate our running game. They know we have no real playmakers on the outside and it would be tough for them to do much of anything in flood type conditions. So they stack the box and essentially tell us to pass or you will not do anything.

 

Up until that last drive our rushing totals were ..

 

Helu - 13 rushes for 32 yards

Burkhead - 3 for 25 yards

Lee - 7 rushes for 4 yards

 

Or a grand total of .. 23 rushes for 61 yards, which is 2.7 yards per carry.

 

Games like the one we saw Thursday aren't decided by how strong a rushing attack you have or how much speed you have. It's decided by who made less mistakes and that's exactly what we saw.

 

 

Watson used the awful, rainy conditions to defend Lee, yet shrugged off those same conditions in defense of his playcalling because Missouri was “loading the box” against the run. But Watson didn’t exactly help his own case when he unveiled a quite successful quad-tight set at the end of the game that ground out 68 rushing yards in eight plays. The Tigers had ten guys hovering near the line of scrimmage – but the Huskers still ran the ball.

 

What changed that they could against 10 man front but not a 8 man front?

 

Through 3 quarters Nebraska took 51 offensive snaps. Nebraska called pass 31 times which netted 52 yards. Thats 1.7 per pass play.

 

Doesn't look like passing was doing to great either.

[Army Husker]

Hmmm...is it too much of a stretch to think that all this press on Watson's offense might just be a nice chess move on behalf of Watson himself? Keep everyone guessing, that way the team has some good playing time up our sleeves for the "large" games in the future? Granted VT and MU were big games, but we did win both of them. K, maybe just one of them, but I'm not going for the fire extinguisher just yet.............

[junior4949]

I'm at a loss with how some are dumping on Watson. Since he's really been at the controls of the offense (not just being Clownahan's towel boy), he's been faced with a first year starting QB. This offense along with Lee will get better and better as the year goes on. I had huge doubts about this team before the season because we were starting our 3rd string QB from the year before and were down one RB that had a lot of experience. I think Wats has done a pretty good job considering he lost his hammer back. I think by season's end people will look back and see how great of job this offense did considering some of the hurdles its had to climb.

[Igetbored216]

Because Mizzou was stacking the box with 8-9 people, playing man on the outside and daring us to throw into the rain?

 

See, that's the thing. People point the finger at Wats as if he was making horrid mistakes in the way he handled the playcalling. But the real fact is, Mizzou stacked the box, got us behind in down and distance thus forcing us to pass.

 

Mizzou took complete advantage of the weather and used it to negate our running game. They know we have no real playmakers on the outside and it would be tough for them to do much of anything in flood type conditions. So they stack the box and essentially tell us to pass or you will not do anything.

 

Up until that last drive our rushing totals were ..

 

Helu - 13 rushes for 32 yards

Burkhead - 3 for 25 yards

Lee - 7 rushes for 4 yards

 

Or a grand total of .. 23 rushes for 61 yards, which is 2.7 yards per carry.

 

Games like the one we saw Thursday aren't decided by how strong a rushing attack you have or how much speed you have. It's decided by who made less mistakes and that's exactly what we saw.

 

Sorry, I don't buy it. When we put some tight ends and a fullback in there and Missou KNEW we were going to run, they had more players in the box and yet we still ripped off huge yardage including some very important first downs which ultimately led to the "nail in the coffin" TD run by Helu.

 

Missou's weakness on D was their interior line. Run up the middle; don't stretch out run plays so that the much quicker LBs can stuff it. Don't try to pass it a million times in flood-like conditions.

 

The game plan made no sense. I hope he calls a better game for Tech this Saturday or we will flounder on offense again.

[BigWillie]

 

What changed that they could against 10 man front but not a 8 man front?

 

Through 3 quarters Nebraska took 51 offensive snaps. Nebraska called pass 31 times which netted 52 yards. Thats 1.7 per pass play.

 

Doesn't look like passing was doing to great either.

 

At some point, you expect the WR's to step up and make a play. We got a couple at the end.

 

It's no different if a team went completely into the nickel/dime packages and you still could not run on them. You keep running because eventually those holes will be exploited.

 

You don't run at 8-9 man fronts regardless of situation. Anyone thinking we would have had more success doing that is complaining just to complain.

 

 

Sorry, I don't buy it. When we put some tight ends and a fullback in there and Missou KNEW we were going to run, they had more players in the box and yet we still ripped off huge yardage including some very important first downs which ultimately led to the "nail in the coffin" TD run by Helu.

 

Missou's weakness on D was their interior line. Run up the middle; don't stretch out run plays so that the much quicker LBs can stuff it. Don't try to pass it a million times in flood-like conditions.

 

The game plan made no sense. I hope he calls a better game for Tech this Saturday or we will flounder on offense again.

 

End of the game, Mizzou quit. Team had given up on both sides of the ball, players crying - it was actually a bit funny to watch them implode at the end once we kicked their faces in the dirt.

 

Plus, Mizzou was blitzing almost every down from any distance to get a stop, playing less contain and thus opening the holes we got.

 

Like on Helu's big run - Sean Weatherspoon looked to make a big play getting upfield leaving a lane that Helu found. If Weatherspoon gets pushes inside or stands the tackle up instead of looking to make a play in the backfield, then Helu has two options. One is to take the loss, and the other being that he hopes Weatherspoon misses and he is able to bounce it outside which would give Mizzou a chance to chase him down in pursuit. But Weatherspoon wanting to make a play took outside leverage, allowing the RB into the hole for a big gain. Any other time in the game Weatherspoon drives on the tackle, forces the runner north-south and Helu is tackled for a short gain or even a loss.

 

Mizzou's "weakness" was handling us on the inside. The only quality gains we had running the ball were outside the tackle boxes.

 

The game plan made no sense if you look at it as "well this aint working!" and nothing more. But if you actually look at it deeper and what Mizzou was doing to force our hand, then you understand what Watson was doing.

 

Guy has put up the 9th and 12th ranked offenses in the country in his two years as our OC. Watson >> Armchair OC's, but just by a little bit.

[lilred]

All I know is I wish we still had Burkhead. Right when I was starting to get comfortable with our running game...

[rkhufu7]

UT runs a 4-3/3-4 and their OLBs can be muscled on. The running game needs to be mastered and depth at RB must be developed to take advantage of the great defense being played in Lincoln. At least 3 I-backs are needed, Helu takes to much of a beating, he needs 2 fresh guys behing him at least!