Husker Fullback Roundtable: Former fullbacks discuss the program, concussions, NU's future and more

[Saunders]

Nebraska also had a S&C program unlike anyone else in the country. Teams didn't start catching up until the 90's. That gap is no longer there. There's a lot of revisionist history when it comes to Nebraska and our offensive legacy. The simple fact is, we were bigger and stronger than most every team in the country (hello steroid accusations), which allowed us to steamroll teams. Only when we met equal or greater athletic skill/talent did NU lose. All this talk of willpower and wanting it more is extremely inflated. Wishing that we would just go back to the I and blow guys off the ball for 15 games isn't a guaranteed recipe for success like some think it is.

 

We have to be smarter, and innovative.

[sd'sker]

We have to be smarter, and innovative.

going back to the 'i' and using a fullback would be innovative nowadays. and playing to our strengths (a stable of backs) would be smart.

[The Duke]

Nebraska also had a S&C program unlike anyone else in the country. Teams didn't start catching up until the 90's. There's a lot of revisionist history when it comes to Nebraska and our offensive legacy. The simple fact is, we were bigger and stronger than most every team in the country (hello steroid accusations), which allowed us to steamroll teams. Only when we met equal or greater athletic skill/talent did NU lose. That gap is no longer there. Wishing that we would just go back to the I and blow guys off the ball for 15 games isn't a guaranteed recipe for success like some think it is.

 

We have to be smarter, and innovative.

+1

 

Excellent post saunders45! Nebraska may still have one of the best strength and conditioning facilities in the country, but in terms of strength and conditioning philosophy as it pertains to football their is no question that other teams have caught up.

 

I'm not advocating we go back purely to the I-formation. Granted that formation can be extremely effective. My point is that I really feel our up-tempo / no-huddle offensive philosophy does a real dis-service to our defense and our team as a whole. I think Nebraska, especially with Bo Pelini's defensive scheme would thrive much better if our offense would control the clock more than it has in the past.

 

I also agree with you that we have to be smarter and more innovative. Sometimes that means looking to the past to see what worked and what didn't.

[TheSker]

In the 80's and especially the 90's Nebraska didn't care if the defense knew what was coming. Any college football fan who would watch those teams play could easily see that both from a philosophical and mental standpoint, Nebraska just wanted to be the more physical team...and believed they were the more physical team.

 

What set Nebraska apart from the rest of college football during those years was the brilliant meshing of power football & option football. Opposing defenses had a very hard time preparing for all that Nebraska threw at them from a running game standpoint.

Ironically, some of the toughest losses and blowouts of the Osborne era came during this time period......as did the 7 straight bowl losses.

[teachercd]

Wasn't "that time" the time with no scholarship limits?

[NUinID]

When Nebraska was really good in the 90's there just happened to be a lot of really good athletes coming from the state of Nebraska at that time.

 

Nebraska has 2 starting QB's from the state during the 90's that doesn't really happen to often in Nebraska.

 

Calvin Jones, Clinton Chides, Damon Benning, Ahman Green those are all instate talents at I-back.

 

Terwilliger, Hesse, Ogard, Perella, Kieser, Connely Sweeney, the guy from GI that started a Mike in 95 that I can't remember his name. Those are just a few off the top of my head defenders from instate.

 

All of these guys were scholarship guys from the get go not counting all the o-linemen and walkon's that contributed.

 

The state of Nebraska has not been producing that type of talent for quit a while.

[TonyStalloni]

When Nebraska was really good in the 90's there just happened to be a lot of really good athletes coming from the state of Nebraska at that time.

 

Nebraska has 2 starting QB's from the state during the 90's that doesn't really happen to often in Nebraska.

 

Calvin Jones, Clinton Chides, Damon Benning, Ahman Green those are all instate talents at I-back.

 

Terwilliger, Hesse, Ogard, Perella, Kieser, Connely Sweeney, the guy from GI that started a Mike in 95 that I can't remember his name. Those are just a few off the top of my head defenders from instate.

 

All of these guys were scholarship guys from the get go not counting all the o-linemen and walkon's that contributed.

 

The state of Nebraska has not been producing that type of talent for quit a while.

 

Would that be Phil Ellis?

[Abdullah the Butcher]

Is the talent in Nebraska really much worse or are they not being given the same chances as before.

[NUance]

 

When Nebraska was really good in the 90's there just happened to be a lot of really good athletes coming from the state of Nebraska at that time.

 

Nebraska has 2 starting QB's from the state during the 90's that doesn't really happen to often in Nebraska.

 

Calvin Jones, Clinton Chides, Damon Benning, Ahman Green those are all instate talents at I-back.

 

Terwilliger, Hesse, Ogard, Perella, Kieser, Connely Sweeney, the guy from GI that started a Mike in 95 that I can't remember his name. Those are just a few off the top of my head defenders from instate.

 

All of these guys were scholarship guys from the get go not counting all the o-linemen and walkon's that contributed.

 

The state of Nebraska has not been producing that type of talent for quit a while.

 

Would that be Phil Ellis?

 

 

Yeah, that has to be the guy. MLB from Grand Island with 3 unassisted plus 3 assisted tackles in teh Fiesta Bowl. +1

[Saunders]

 

Nebraska also had a S&C program unlike anyone else in the country. Teams didn't start catching up until the 90's. There's a lot of revisionist history when it comes to Nebraska and our offensive legacy. The simple fact is, we were bigger and stronger than most every team in the country (hello steroid accusations), which allowed us to steamroll teams. Only when we met equal or greater athletic skill/talent did NU lose. That gap is no longer there. Wishing that we would just go back to the I and blow guys off the ball for 15 games isn't a guaranteed recipe for success like some think it is.

 

We have to be smarter, and innovative.

+1

 

Excellent post saunders45! Nebraska may still have one of the best strength and conditioning facilities in the country, but in terms of strength and conditioning philosophy as it pertains to football their is no question that other teams have caught up.

 

I'm not advocating we go back purely to the I-formation. Granted that formation can be extremely effective. My point is that I really feel our up-tempo / no-huddle offensive philosophy does a real dis-service to our defense and our team as a whole. I think Nebraska, especially with Bo Pelini's defensive scheme would thrive much better if our offense would control the clock more than it has in the past.

 

I also agree with you that we have to be smarter and more innovative. Sometimes that means looking to the past to see what worked and what didn't.

 

I agree, and I wasn't really pointing it at you (which is why I didn't quote it). It just seems to be this prevailing attitude by some that if we just ran the old offense and "wanted it more", that everything would fall into place. It's simply not true.

[Saunders]

Is the talent in Nebraska really much worse or are they not being given the same chances as before.

It's easily worse. Not just in overall talent, but comparison to other states the gap is larger as well.

 

Think of all the guys named above. Would they have been successful at other schools? Most likely yes. How many kids from in state have left and starred elsewhere?

[RedDenver]

 

Is the talent in Nebraska really much worse or are they not being given the same chances as before.

It's easily worse. Not just in overall talent, but comparison to other states the gap is larger as well.

 

Think of all the guys named above. Would they have been successful at other schools? Most likely yes. How many kids from in state have left and starred elsewhere?

 

This is also a reflection of how advanced our S&C was back then. I don't think the talent in Nebraska is really that different, just that the rest of the colleges and even the highschools have caught up in S&C.

[walksalone]

So what can set Nebraska apart in 2014 and beyond?

 

Everywhere you look teams are running more and more spread-no huddle, up-tempo offenses. How can Nebraska set itself apart and be different? Here are my own opinions:

 

• Huddle. Slow the game down. Control the clock. Rest your defense. Keep opposing offense off the field.

​

• Play great defense.

​

• Establish a punishing in your face running game designed more around misdirection / counters / options.

​

• Utilize more big offensive sets of two & three tight end formations.

​

• Be counter to the rest of the college football world. Embrace the fullback position. Make it part of your identity whether it's from the I-formation or 2-Back Pistol.

 

• Establish a PHYSICAL---DOMINANT---NO QUIT ATTITUDE.

​

• Blend old-school blocking schemes with modern day read-option / inverted veer schemes.

​

 

These are just my opinions. Feel free to agree or disagree with them as you wish. I personally feel if Nebraska would completely scrap their no-huddle philosophy and go back to a more traditional offense that huddles and controls the clock, similar to a current day Stanford, Michigan State offense, but also include the option game which those two teams don't do as much...I really believe this would set our program a part from the rest of the country.

 

 

 

So what do you all think? Where do you personally want to see this Nebraska program and it's identity/philosophy in the next 5 years? 10 years?

 

nothing would make me happier...

[NUinID]

 

When Nebraska was really good in the 90's there just happened to be a lot of really good athletes coming from the state of Nebraska at that time.

 

Nebraska has 2 starting QB's from the state during the 90's that doesn't really happen to often in Nebraska.

 

Calvin Jones, Clinton Chides, Damon Benning, Ahman Green those are all instate talents at I-back.

 

Terwilliger, Hesse, Ogard, Perella, Kieser, Connely Sweeney, the guy from GI that started a Mike in 95 that I can't remember his name. Those are just a few off the top of my head defenders from instate.

 

All of these guys were scholarship guys from the get go not counting all the o-linemen and walkon's that contributed.

 

The state of Nebraska has not been producing that type of talent for quit a while.

 

Would that be Phil Ellis?

 

Yes, that is it I remembered his name about an hour after I posted this.

 

Again my point was that yeah we had a lot of guys from Nebraska playing at NU then, but there was a lot of talent in the state. Some of the guys that came into fold in the 90's were definitely projects, but TO and McBride saw the potential.

 

I remember a story I heard McBride tell about Loren Kieser and his recruitment. They were looking at him out of HS he was a 6'4" 235lb TE. Not probably fast enough to be that at the next level, but very athletic. McBride took one look at his tape and said I'll take him and make a d-tackle out of him. Three years and 50lbs later they had a pretty good d-tackle. Terry Connely was exactly the same way.

 

It would be nice if NU could get back to this sort of a situation, that they could take good raw instate talent with potential and let them work and get better and bigger and plug them into the system as juniors and play. Right now NU doesn't have that luxury, I think they are getting close to this on the O-line, but the d-line is still thin at spots.

[ColoradoHusk]

Ahh I love the "good old day syndrome" of the former players and some posters here.