B10 Fit

[robsker]

The Huskers are fast, quick, and small --- in terms of offensive skill position players and defensive LB'ers and secondary. The B10 skill position players are bigger (not as fast, but bigger). I read that the average starting RB in the B10 is 219 pounds. Next year we'll have Rex at 202 or so and Aaron Green at 185 (maybe Braylon Heard at 190). The average OLB in the B10 is 230 pounds and their MLB are ca. 250. Our LB'ers are, on average, 20-25 pounds lighter. What this might mean...

 

1) Our offense is designed such that our QB's will take tons of hits. This is much more an issue in the B10 than in the B12 --- again because the size differential of the guys hitting you in the new conference is greater than in the old conference. Michigan had to dial back some of the hits that their running QB takes as the season progressed and his effectiveness is a shadow now of what it was. To have a running QB in the B10 is hard to maintain as the punishment adds up over time. If Tmart is to be expected to last out the season, he will have to take fewer hits in the B10 than in the B12 --- that comes in either ow two ways... either you run him much less per game... or you play him much less per game --- meaning that you have to have a second effective QB that is dual threat who plays 1/3 or so of the snaps... meaning Brion Carnes. Cody Green, as much as I like him and am thankful that he is a Husker, respecting his heart and attitude... well he will not contribute at QB. Thus, Brion Carnes is huge for NU. He needs to be ready --- and not just to step in when Taylor gets hurt (and he will get hurt in the B10 if he takes 20+ hits a game) --- he needs to be depended upon to carry ca. 1/3 of the load --- so as to spread the abuse over multiple bodies.

 

2) Defensively, if we retain the fast/quick but small motif at LB and at safety, then we need depth and I mean depth where no single LB plays more than ca. 60% of the defensive snaps (that is a 60/40 split with another LB so as to again spread out the abuse) or 75% for a player in the secondary. That is... we need to have a massive array of player substitution going on w/o drop off. Otherwise, our undersized (albeit fast) defense will wear down in the 4th quarter and wear out after mid-season and get gashed (particularly on the ground).

 

Generally, as I see it... we are not a good "fit" for the B10. Now...our speed will give the B10 people some fits... but over the long haul... unless Bo and company liberally substitute and use many players to spread out the physicality of the play in the B10... well NU might get ripped by teams just pounding the ball on the ground against us and by abusing our small RB's and our QB to the point that they are not so effective anymore (or sidelined with injuries).

 

Moral of the story... Guys like Brion Carnes, Braylon Heard, Aaron Green, and a slug of back-up OL (and DL... Moore, Rome, and Guy need to really be ready ... and Sean Fisher, A. Whaley, W. Compton, and E Martin better all step up huge to aid L. David --- these guys are going to make us or break us. We need depth.

 

I guess my hypothesis is that our success next season will critically depend on the quality of our back-ups and... the extent to which they are played.... certainly much, much more so than is the case now.

 

Thoughts?

[SkerMin8r]

Thoughts?

 

Bo and staff have got their work cut out for them this off season...

 

But seriously, I think Bo and Carl are good enough to recognize what will and won't work against the teams in the Big Ten. If not then they aren't the coaches many of us give them credit for.

[corncraze]

Dennard Robinson had more carries than Martinez, so I don't we limit his carries too much. We force our opponents to choose between a 2 headed monster, and then play the opposite of whatever their focus is. Besides Im not sure Martinez will be caught as much in the Big 10.

 

Other than that I agree for the most part of what you are saying, but I think we'll play the B10 a lot stronger than everyone is thinking. That being said we will need to stop spreading our d so thin when playing these bigger "3 yards and a cloud of dust" offenses

[robsker]

Thoughts?

 

Bo and staff have got their work cut out for them this off season...

 

But seriously, I think Bo and Carl are good enough to recognize what will and won't work against the teams in the Big Ten. If not then they aren't the coaches many of us give them credit for.

 

 

I agree with you... Bo and his staff both have a huge task before them and are equipped for the task. And... among the tasks... perhaps chief among the tasks is to come up with depth and have massive substitutions going to prevail in the physicality of the B10 while undersized ... and with an offensive game-plan that exposes your QB to much punishment. Really, the B10 is probably the least likely conference for a running QB to last out a season in. These are significant issues. Brion... may you truly be a player that can get it done... you are a key for next year.

[HuskerJosh]

I disagree with the entire premise that players are so much "bigger and tougher" in the Big Ten.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

This is something I've thought of as well. Our guys need to hit the weights real hard in the off-season to help offset this size gap a little bit. Having said that the Big 10 teams don't play teams like us, we are fast and we make you pay for it. I have a feeling it may balance itself out some, but we need to avoid the big hits or we're in trouble.

[robsker]

I disagree with the entire premise that players are so much "bigger and tougher" in the Big Ten.

 

 

That they are bigger is not an issue for opinion. Their RB's average 219 pounds --- our RB's for next year --- Rex (202), Aaron green (185) are much smaller. The B10 OLB'ers are 230 on average --- we have L. David at 205-210 or so) E. Martin at 215, S. Fisher at what 205? Their MLBers' are 250 on average. Compton is our heaviest and he is perhaps 230. No... there is no doubt that the B10 is a "bigger" conference. No opinion. Fact.

 

Tougher? Who knows.. But 20 hits a game to your QB when those hitting him are comparable in size up to perhaps 20 pounds heaver versus 20 hits a game against guys weighing 30-45 pounds more than your QB... that is quite a difference.

 

I think few would logically argue against the notion that the B10 teams that are much larger are more physical than the teams we lined up against, on average, this year.

[robsker]

This is something I've thought of as well. Our guys need to hit the weights real hard in the off-season to help offset this size gap a little bit. Having said that the Big 10 teams don't play teams like us, we are fast and we make you pay for it. I have a feeling it may balance itself out some, but we need to avoid the big hits or we're in trouble.

 

 

Excellent point re: we will make them pay with our speed. Also astute is the concern that as time in the season progresses our fast guys still need to be upright (and not injured or beat up and running at less than season-beginning speed). Our speed will offset early on... but after a time, will the physical toll be too much?

 

As a 25 year long avid Husker follower, the irony here is that the physical size/physicality advantage had historically resided with the Huskers --- in the 80's and early 90's it was the big bruising Huskers versus the smaller swifter opponents. Now, oddly enough... the roles look to be reversed.

[bshirt]

Our run defense is a potential HUGE problem vs several Big10 teams. But I'm not too worried about it as no doubt Bo/Carl know that 1,000 times better than me and will compensate accordingly.

 

We'll be ok. We just really, really need to improve our short run game and/or develop the guts/will to use it. Always throwing the ball all over the place on 3rd & short will kill us in the Big10.

[ICT HSKR 10]

Our run defense is a potential HUGE problem vs several Big10 teams. But I'm not too worried about it as no doubt Bo/Carl know that 1,000 times better than me and will compensate accordingly.

 

We'll be ok. We just really, really need to improve our short run game and/or develop the guts/will to use it. Always throwing the ball all over the place on 3rd & short will kill us in the Big10.

 

I think we miss Philip Dillard a lot more than most give credit to. It may have taken him a lot longer to see eye-to-eye with Bo that it should have, but he was a beast as our LB.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

It'll be interesting to see how the first year goes. I'm not expecting it to be great given our schedule, but I'm extremely happy our schedule is getting tougher. It's so hard to predict what may happen based on who we are now. We could go in and just light everyone up, it's very possible, but it's very possible we could get blown off of the ball and the difference in the Big XII and the Big 10 may show up.

[funhusker]

I disagree with the entire premise that players are so much "bigger and tougher" in the Big Ten.

 

 

That they are bigger is not an issue for opinion. Their RB's average 219 pounds --- our RB's for next year --- Rex (202), Aaron green (185) are much smaller. The B10 OLB'ers are 230 on average --- we have L. David at 205-210 or so) E. Martin at 215, S. Fisher at what 205? Their MLBers' are 250 on average. Compton is our heaviest and he is perhaps 230. No... there is no doubt that the B10 is a "bigger" conference. No opinion. Fact.

 

Tougher? Who knows.. But 20 hits a game to your QB when those hitting him are comparable in size up to perhaps 20 pounds heaver versus 20 hits a game against guys weighing 30-45 pounds more than your QB... that is quite a difference.

 

I think few would logically argue against the notion that the B10 teams that are much larger are more physical than the teams we lined up against, on average, this year.

 

I don't think you're giving enough credit to the size of NU's linebackers. Fisher is close to 230lbs (he is just freakin' tall), Martin is in the range of 235-245lbs, Whaley is in the 225 area. I don't have a roster in front of me, just going off of memory. I will see if I can find a current roster and post. If anyone has one saved, please post. I may or may not be wrong

 

My link

 

We are not near as small as you make us out to be. D. Robinson is 6-1 230lbs, we have size at RB if we need it.

Edited November 8, 2010 by funhusker

[Hingle McCringleberry]

Although having speed is not a bad thing. Yes we really beat the tar out of people in the 80s early 90s, but remember those Fla teams just running away from us. TO went to faster guys and look what happened. Not to discount size, I think we need more of it, but speed will always be a factor.

[jimk]

What are the ave. sizes for the big 12?

[robsker]

Our run defense is a potential HUGE problem vs several Big10 teams. But I'm not too worried about it as no doubt Bo/Carl know that 1,000 times better than me and will compensate accordingly.

 

We'll be ok. We just really, really need to improve our short run game and/or develop the guts/will to use it. Always throwing the ball all over the place on 3rd & short will kill us in the Big10.

 

I think we miss Philip Dillard a lot more than most give credit to. It may have taken him a lot longer to see eye-to-eye with Bo that it should have, but he was a beast as our LB.

 

Indeed! We need a Dillard (or two) for next year... But do we have any --- that big/strong and yet mobile? It does not seem that we do. Is Martin maybe such a player?... Not as big as Dillard, but....

 

We need some LB help of the solid 235-250 pound sort that can bang. I see no such beast on our roster. This is a concern.