Concerns about the offense

[HuskerTD]

I would like to point out that this is the first year of this offense. The offense since the Wisconsin game has had many long sustained drives and looks to finally be at the point that everyone is on the same page with this new offense. Second, Taylor is playing at a much higher level since the Wisconsin game as well and against good defenses. You do realize the learning curve this season has been for all the offensive players and inexperienced players right. Well again since the Wisconsin game guess who's passing completion has been over 63%, that is right Taylor Martinez. That 63 percent was against OSU, MINN, MSU and I hate to say it but the last 2 games our wr's have played poorly imo at catching the ball so it could of been even higher. I would take Taylor over any QB right now to run our offense. Any........GBR

[Enhance]

Agree - but you are making a HUGE assumption (I think) that we are going to be in close games or low scoring games where we can rely on running..... Are you sure about that with this d? I know I'm not. Until we see this def. stop a team that can run and get off the field on 3rd down, I'm not buying in.

 

To that end, I feel that we're going to be in a shoot out in the B1GC and BCS - and in order to win those games you'll have to convert a few 3rd and 8's or 3rd and 15's....

With this current defense? I don't know about that. They have played pretty well the last 9 1/2 quarters, but by no means do I think they're collectively at the level of the '10 or '09 defense. Could they win the rest of their games? Could they beat another BCS opponen in a BCS game? I think the answer is yes to both of those questions. I'm not too worried because every team in the nation has problems they have to deal with too. Each game is unique.

 

The thing about a running based offense, however, is a good/great defense is essential. Nebraska wouldn't have had near the success they did in the past had it not been for great defenses. Even an up-tempo running offense drains clock, meaning you need a defense that can compliment the offense's ball control basis.

 

I still think we can make those conversions you're worrying about. We converted a two 3rd and 11's last weekend...one with an option play and the other with a tunnel screen to Bell.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I think we all remember these games a little differently.

 

Burkhead was shut down completely in the first half against OSU. When Martinez came out firing in the second half, the running game opened up.

 

Against MSU our two first half scores came on very short fields, and on the second drive we couldn't run it in on three plays from the 2 yard line. Those long sustained drives we all wanted to see came in the second half, and they wouldn't have been sustained without a passing game (and a couple penalties).

 

Martinez's completion rate doesn't rank high in the NCAA echelon, but he ranks near the top among Nebraska QBs. And they rarely threw slants, which Martinez is actually pretty good at. For every blatant mis-throw Martinez has made, he's had a perfectly thrown ball dropped by a receiver.

 

Martinez has been instructed not to get hurt. It has changed the way he runs in the open field. It has changed in the playcalling. Being able to rely on Burkhead has actually opened this offense up. While it's great to know he CAN carry the ball 35 times a game, I doubt it will happen again. Beck is playing with a lot of new weapons and formations and I think the Nebraska offense is getting much tougher to prepare for, as opposed to last year when teams finally figured out how to scout Martinez.

 

They will run. They will pass. They'll pull some crazy sh#t out of their ass. Looks pretty fun to me.

 

And everyone will be back next year.

[Mulletpelini]

I think the way Beck has run the offense this year is outstanding. I think alot of the success by the offense can be attributed to the way he's consistently changed the tempo throughout the game. Starting off bang bang bang then doing the same in the second half but mixing in the "well lets see what the defense is lined up in because we might want to change this play". The defense becomes so overwhelmed with the possibility of whats coming next, they're consistently on their heels in the second half. I don't have any stats but I bet our second half time of possesion is pretty damn good and thats EXACTLY what you want with this type of offense. It's genius, it really is. I was really concerned about it before the season after watching Oklahoma try to force things by trying to play SO fast. Considering the turnover problems we've had in the past, I really thought it was going to be a nightmare match.

 

Also, I want to give kudos to Mr. Taylor Martinez on his ball protection this year, especially over the past few big games. He threw the pick on Saturday and ultimately, he probably shouldn't have thrown it, but KB had a shot at it so I can look past it, considering how well he has protected the ball recently. Turns out that pick was the only way MSU got points last Saturday. Would have loved the goose egg but I'll take the 3 on a short field anytime.

 

It's evolution.

 

[Joe_5700]

 

Further, T-Mart's explosive running ability has, in many ways, either evaporated or been contained by opposing defenses.

 

Do you think that this opens up other parts of our offense as a result?

[junior4949]

I've probably been as critical if not more critical of the OL as anyone. They played a pretty good game against MSU. I don't care if we pound the rock 100% of the time as long as we're eeking out right at four yards per carry. Martinez can be an effective passer, but only when he opposing defense doesn't know it's coming. I have absolutely zero problems with our offensive strategy against MSU.

[kchusker_chris]

I think we all remember these games a little differently.

 

Burkhead was shut down completely in the first half against OSU. When Martinez came out firing in the second half, the running game opened up.

I think you are not only remembering the game differently, but not really remembering it at all. Martinez started out the game 10 of 10, and we were still down 17-6 against Ohio State. If it was the passing that opened up the running game - how come we didn't have any rushing TDs when TM is 10-10 for almost 100 yards in the first half? It was his best 2 quarters of passing in his career.

[jgreen727]

What it ultimately comes down to is the fact that Nebraska is averaging 5.2 yards per rush and only 7.6 yards per pass. Beck has drastically reduced the likelihood of turnovers with his play calling. If we were averaging 3.0 yards per carry and 10.0 yards per pass then I could see a basis for airing it out. As long as the offense is consistently moving the ball and scoring points, we are doing our defense a favor.

[Guy Chamberlin]

I think we all remember these games a little differently.

 

Burkhead was shut down completely in the first half against OSU. When Martinez came out firing in the second half, the running game opened up.

I think you are not only remembering the game differently, but not really remembering it at all. Martinez started out the game 10 of 10, and we were still down 17-6 against Ohio State. If it was the passing that opened up the running game - how come we didn't have any rushing TDs when TM is 10-10 for almost 100 yards in the first half? It was his best 2 quarters of passing in his career.

 

Well mostly I'm tweaking one popular theory that we just needed to commit to the run and send Burkhead between the tackles. Stringing together some safe short completions to help Martinez get his confidence back didn't break the game open, either. Playing loose, mixing it up and going for broke in the second half is what broke it open. And in that case I think giving Martinez some first half confidence helped. The play calling wasn't all that different. The confidence and chemistry just made each play look a lot more brilliant in the second half.

[Guy Chamberlin]

What it ultimately comes down to is the fact that Nebraska is averaging 5.2 yards per rush and only 7.6 yards per pass. Beck has drastically reduced the likelihood of turnovers with his play calling. If we were averaging 3.0 yards per carry and 10.0 yards per pass then I could see a basis for airing it out. As long as the offense is consistently moving the ball and scoring points, we are doing our defense a favor.

 

Last I checked, 7.6 yards is 2.4 yards longer than 5.2 yards. It's not a great per attempt passing average, but it's not bad, either, and those passes are absolutely crucial to prevent defenses from stacking the box and dropping that rushing average.

 

We have more fumbles than we have interceptions, and as many rushes for loss or no gain as we do incompletions, so the notion that the passing game is more dangerous and inefficient than the rushing game is more of a blue-haired farmer's wife argument. They are designed to work together and Beck is creaeting a pretty good balance.

[Moiraine]

 

He's still a running threat. I don't know where people are getting the idea that he's not.

 

 

Sure, he makes yards, but his explosive 20+ yard runs have been dwindling (His last 20+ yard run by the stats I see on Huskers.com looks to have been a 28 yarder against Wash). Why have they dwindled? Defensive schemes? Play-calling?

 

Frankly, I think Beck has shifted the offense to lean far less on T-Mart needing to make 20+ yard runs to be successful. I think that is good. I think it protects/rests NU's D.

 

T-Mart is still a running threat sure, but the nature of his threat has changed.

 

What makes T-Mart intriguing, like D Rob at Mich, is that feeling he can take it to the house from 50 yards. But game play is showing that he is far less of a potential threat to do that lately.

 

Here's hoping he goes 65 yards tomorrow.

 

They're protecting him. We don't need him to have a huge play every series anymore, so it's best to be safe and not risk injury. IMO, he's not less of a threat now than last year. He just doesn't run it as often.

[bshirt]

What it ultimately comes down to is the fact that Nebraska is averaging 5.2 yards per rush and only 7.6 yards per pass. Beck has drastically reduced the likelihood of turnovers with his play calling. If we were averaging 3.0 yards per carry and 10.0 yards per pass then I could see a basis for airing it out. As long as the offense is consistently moving the ball and scoring points, we are doing our defense a favor.

 

Last I checked, 7.6 yards is 2.4 yards longer than 5.2 yards. It's not a great per attempt passing average, but it's not bad, either, and those passes are absolutely crucial to prevent defenses from stacking the box and dropping that rushing average.

 

We have more fumbles than we have interceptions, and as many rushes for loss or no gain as we do incompletions, so the notion that the passing game is more dangerous and inefficient than the rushing game is more of a blue-haired farmer's wife argument. They are designed to work together and Beck is creaeting a pretty good balance.

 

Well, the last I checked, some pretty keen minds (like TO...in interviews & his "More than winning" book) repeatably have stated that in his opinion "a yd rushed is better than a yd passed" due to physical and especially the physiological damage it does to defenses.

 

There's endless empirical evidence for any NU fan to back that up. We didn't win all those NCs in the 90s by being "balanced" whatsoever. TO frequently ran the ball around 80% of the time and while PA killed stacked boxes so did the option.

 

Run the ball......stop the run.....win the game.

 

GBR!!

[bshirt]

We can't make a living having TMart on the edge pitching the ball and being so lose with it...... or making the wrong read on a ZR option.

 

I think fans makes a HUGE mistake here. The plays you refer too are not "miss reads". They are much more likely call plays. In the option game you must keep defenses honest and use certain plays/looks to set up future plays. You have to feel out the defense, give them looks and get them thinking too much. As far as loose play pitching the ball, the option has been and always will be harrowing on the corner. It works best with the late pitch after someone on defense has committed to the QB. The safe part of running it to the short side is a bad pitch will likely harmlessly go out of bounds. Instead off jumping on Taylor every time a play looks suspicious, try asking yourself..."what are they setting up?" I have a feeling down the stretch as teams commit to stop Rex we again will see the speed of Taylor's feet shine. Last year I think Mizzu was 100% committed to stopping Taylor and Roy had a record setting day. Just my thoughts.

 

Great post!

 

I too think that's a weapon he's been holding back due to risk of injury. The final two road games (PSU & Michigan) is where I bet we'll see the ZR or misdirection option if the game is in question. Tmart is an absolute killer on those plays.

 

Very, very good pt regarding the option. It's "always" been scary pitching the ball on the edge for NU but the many big plays off it made it worthwhile (especially vs the stacked box). Frost was "easily" the best I've ever seen with that as his blind pitches to Green were a beautiful thing to behold but even Gill, Crouch, S. Taylor & Frazier struggled with it at times.

 

Lastly, fully agree that Roy ran for more yds than any NU rb "ever" did for a game vs Missou last year due to them fully focused on Tmart. Haha....just like they are now starting to focus on SuperRex.

 

I think we'll be ready.

 

GBR!!

[bshirt]

I also think a big part of the reason we're not seeing TM with as many long runs is we are not running the zone read near as much. The ZR sets him up for his best skill set, blistering acceleration to the edge. He hits that corner so fast that many times he's deep into their second level before the defense has even found the ball. On our down the line option, when he keeps, it involves more of a decisive cut which (in my opinion) he isn't as good at as hitting corner from a couple yards deep in the backfield.

 

I would like to see more of the short, quick throws just to get our playmakers the ball out in space, then let them do what they do best. But I really don't have any complaints about the way Beck is calling the games for us right now. My two main concerns now are keeping Rex healthy, and if what our D showed last week is a preveiw of the rest of the season.

 

Yepper!

 

That and the mis-direction option are pure death to defenses. Tmart just shatters their angles of pursuit with his acceleration. It's actually funny as hell to re-watch on slow motion.

 

GBR!!

[deedsker]

You guys remember kyler reed?