Nebraska's offense

[HuskerGBR]

I haven't been able to watch, or even listen for that matter, to a single yet this year. I have asked a few people what offense are we running and they all give me a long description that tells me nothing really. It just sounds like a jumbled mess when they explain it. I have only seen the highlights from the UTC game and I just saw a power offense...which looked very, very basic and very lacking in the "power" department. The players look much more suited to a spread offense imo.

 

 

My questions are

1. What type of offense are we? Are we trying to transition from a spread to power run?

2. What happened to the hurry up...so are we a hurry up power offense?

3. How do they look on offense? (please don't use your emotions after this last game to answer this question...I want to know how they are looking scheme wise, playcalling, and execution).

 

Just looking for insight...been depressed not being able to catch my Huskers, but it is probably good since I would probably be complaining about the team. Please don't post if your answer is we run a crap offense, we aren't good enough to run a hurry up, and they look like crap on offense...I want a little more in depth analysis then that.

[The Dude]

I'm not even sure our offense knows what they are yet. Right now I'd say they're a crappy power spread that isn't good enough to run a hurry up.

[HuskerGBR]

I'm not even sure our offense knows what they are yet. Right now I'd say they're a crappy power spread that isn't good enough to run a hurry up.

 

I will admit I laughed

[flatwaterfan]

I don't claim to have good answers I will give you my opinion though.

 

1) We are a grab bag offense - multiple. I think they have tried to take plays from different offensive philosophies that give teams problems and put them into an offense where the plays can work off each other. These plays are similar in nature in that they are not fundamentally different in how you execute them/block them so from the stand point of formation you are diverse but you use the same concepts to block. It's somewhat similar to last year but you are seeing less timing routes and a less emphasis on the spread read option with the one back. You are seeing pistol, 2 back, diamond etc.

I think they want to run more power, but the problem is that we don't have the personnel/development to get there yet. This will have to be an evolution.

 

2) They want to be able to control tempo whether it be fast or so. It depends on how they are doing and the opponent. We had a lot of 3-outs so you don't want to go up-tempo if your getting stuffed all the time. In fact you can't develop any tempo at all... I thought our defense looked tired at times. FSU developed tempo because they had long drives. We are a big play, feast or famine offense right now. Hard to develop tempo with that.

 

3) Lots of other threads on this. Scheme wise I was surprised not to see diamond formation. Playing calling I think they are opening up the play book a little but need to go further. We saw some effective play action. We still haven't seen many counters or boots or mis direction. Haven't seen many rollouts. Execution. The good is not many penalties, not to many sacks. They still are learning how to run option. There were a couple of passes that should of been caught. They did not control the LOS. Not sure if that's a physical thing or an execution thing. Probably both. Some of it may be WANT TO. We scored a significant number of points with some big plays. That suggests some good execution. We got stuffed a number of times and didnt have any drives with lots of plays. That's suggests poor execution. Maybe we should call it the Jeckyll Hyde offense.

[HuskerGBR]

I don't claim to have good answers I will give you my opinion though.

 

1) We are a grab bag offense - multiple. I think they have tried to take plays from different offensive philosophies that give teams problems and put them into an offense where the plays can work off each other. These plays are similar in nature in that they are not fundamentally different in how you execute them/block them so from the stand point of formation you are diverse but you use the same concepts to block. It's somewhat similar to last year but you are seeing less timing routes and a less emphasis on the spread read option with the one back. You are seeing pistol, 2 back, diamond etc.

I think they want to run more power, but the problem is that we don't have the personnel/development to get there yet. This will have to be an evolution.

 

2) They want to be able to control tempo whether it be fast or so. It depends on how they are doing and the opponent. We had a lot of 3-outs so you don't want to go up-tempo if your getting stuffed all the time. In fact you can't develop any tempo at all... I thought our defense looked tired at times. FSU developed tempo because they had long drives. We are a big play, feast or famine offense right now. Hard to develop tempo with that.

 

3) Lots of other threads on this. Scheme wise I was surprised not to see diamond formation. Playing calling I think they are opening up the play book a little but need to go further. We saw some effective play action. We still haven't seen many counters or boots or mis direction. Haven't seen many rollouts. Execution. The good is not many penalties, not to many sacks. They still are learning how to run option. There were a couple of passes that should of been caught. They did not control the LOS. Not sure if that's a physical thing or an execution thing. Probably both. Some of it may be WANT TO. We scored a significant number of points with some big plays. That suggests some good execution. We got stuffed a number of times and didnt have any drives with lots of plays. That's suggests poor execution. Maybe we should call it the Jeckyll Hyde offense.

 

The diamond formation...I am a big fan of this formation. That analysis is encouraging...sounds like they are trying to establish an identity and it is just going to take time for it to really come together. I can see why they aren't running many counters, roll-outs, boots, etc...no reason to show your hand this early in the season if those will be the staple of this offense. Are they setting plays up at all or is the playcalling sort of random? Granted if they aren't running counters and things like that then it sort of limits what plays you can setup I guess.

[chickenheart]

We're running the Taylor Martinez keeps it every play offense...I'm tired of him not using the tailback. For got sakes how does he plan to stay healthy if he's getting clock cleaned every down.

[HuskerGBR]

We're running the Taylor Martinez keeps it every play offense...I'm tired of him not using the tailback. For got sakes how does he plan to stay healthy if he's getting clock cleaned every down.

 

I don't really mind it if he is effective, but I am afraid he might get hurt. From what I am hearing from people...this team is going to go as far as Taylor can take it. It sounds a bit like Crouch, but he had a much better supporting cast.

[bournehusker]

We figured out we are an air it out offense first. Then if the other defense has less than 9 guys on the line Taylor checks into a option keeper and scores. It took 6 1/2 quarters to figure out that other teams sell out with 9 guys to stop the run so we should air it out. Amazing thing though is we seem to be able to throw deep to talented youngsters. Otherwise we are a 3 and out offense. Turner, Bell, enunwa and reed need to be in on every play.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I don't think we'll know what type of offense we are running until conference play. If we are truly built for the spread then run the spread.....the Big 10 has problems against the spread from what I'm told. Just run what we are built for and have the players for.

[HuskerGBR]

I don't think we'll know what type of offense we are running until conference play. If we are truly built for the spread then run the spread.....the Big 10 has problems against the spread from what I'm told. Just run what we are built for and have the players for.

 

See that is just it...it doesn't make sense to me. You have guys like Abdullah, Turner, Bell, Enunwa (sp?), and others that sound like big play guys. Running the spread would get these guys on the field at the same time, so that is why I am confused with what they are doing. I have no problem with them changing the offense, but it just seems weird with the personnel. Which makes me wonder if this is the offense we are really going to be running the whole year.

[notgoodatmath]

We want to run first between the tackles and some read option. if you bring your safeties up to stop it, we're going deep to the slot guy.

[godd2]

We're running the Taylor Martinez keeps it every play offense...I'm tired of him not using the tailback. For got sakes how does he plan to stay healthy if he's getting clock cleaned every down.

 

I agree with chickenheart!! Martinez can run there is no doubt but I question his mental abilities to run the option. I think Burkehead needs to have a minimum of 20-25 touches a game. then bring in the 3 freshman for a few and when nobody is looking, have martinez just run a QB keeper option looking play. Let our RBs run and get used to the game.

[knapplc]

We haven't seen a HUGE portion of our offense yet this year, so any analysis is about three games premature. If we get behind against Washington we'll see a lot more tricks pulled out of the bag, but just like against UTC and the first half of the Fresno game, we're going to run about the same half-dozen plays over and over until they prove to us they won't work.

 

I have no idea why we're doing this, aside from the "keep your cards close to your chest" theory that's going around, but that's what it seems like to me.

 

I have seen several plays in practice that we haven't ran in the first two games. There are many more plays available than what we're using.

[chickenheart]

We're running the Taylor Martinez keeps it every play offense...I'm tired of him not using the tailback. For got sakes how does he plan to stay healthy if he's getting clock cleaned every down.

 

I agree with chickenheart!! Martinez can run there is no doubt but I question his mental abilities to run the option. I think Burkehead needs to have a minimum of 20-25 touches a game. then bring in the 3 freshman for a few and when nobody is looking, have martinez just run a QB keeper option looking play. Let our RBs run and get used to the game.

EXACTLY!

[Hercules]

I like the scheme so far. I like the heavy dose of option football, I like Tim Beck's playcalling (against Fresno State), I like that we're using lots of different looks (both spread looks and power looks), and I like that the offense is simple enough that true freshmen can come in and contribute right away. We're getting our best athletes on the field, and that is huge.

 

I also like that Tim Beck seems committed to the run. The second quarter TD against Fresno, where we had the ball first and goal from about the 3 yard line, Beck just called four straight running plays. He didn't get cute with any playaction or shotgun (like Missouri) or jump passes or wildcat, he just stayed focused on pounding the ball in, and even though it took 4 downs, his offense finally executed and got it done.

 

I think this is going to be a no-huddle, fast paced, run-first offense when it's all said and done. I think there's going to be option football out of a lot of different looks, and they're going to find ways to get the ball to playmakers in space. It's going to use plenty of spread, but they're also committed to power football, which they will need at least in goalline situations or when they're grinding the clock out.

 

Right now, however, the offensive line seems to be a long ways off from being able to execute aspects of this, so we may be playing against our own limitations for a while. For everyone saying they want to see the tailback position established more, well, that's on the offensive line. They have to get better if we're going to see better production out of the tailback. Right now, it's virtually useless to hand off to our running backs if they're just going to gain 1-2 yards.

 

It's going to take time, but once it gets clicking, I think it's going to be fun to watch and difficult to defend.