Newby vs. Ozigbo - who should start & who should see the most carries

[Elf]

Things I know are this:

 

1. Everyone loves to hate on Newby because he sucked last year

2. He sucked last year because he was hurt for a majority of the year

3. No one will give him the benefit of doubt for #1 and #2 despite him putting in more years through more turmoil than any other RB we have.

4. Despite his obvious experience/new found jitter/running with authority and his obvious speed (he IS the fastest back we have), he's still counted out because people can't get past #1 and #2

 

 

It's the 'cool thing' to bash on Newby right now and it's getting old really fast. As others have said in this thread, Oz benefited from some better blocking...he also got the entire 4th quarter. If it had instead been given to Newby, things might have turned out differently. Newby didn't get a carry in the 4th.

 

Anyone out there want to give him a break yet?

I thought Newby had a good game. He ran with authority and he did well after first contact. He also had 5.1 ypc and that's nothing to sneeze at. As others have pointed out, Newby is our most complete back, he's our fastest back and he can be used as a receiver out of the backfield. I thought last season was a disappointing one for Newby and it was, just not how I thought originally. I didn't realize he'd been injured as seriously as has been reported since the season ended.

 

He looked pretty good on Saturday night and I look forward to seeing more of him this year.

[Redux]

I just want to go with the Running Back with the best capabilities week in and week out.

 

Regardless of anyones feelings on Newby, most weeks that Back is going to be Ozigbo.

[Scratchtown]

Give em both 20 carries. They both look good to me right now. Great problem to have

[Enhance]

I just want to go with the Running Back with the best capabilities week in and week out.

 

Regardless of anyones feelings on Newby, most weeks that Back is going to be Ozigbo.

That's one thing I'm interested in seeing with the data. One week's worth of information showed the play calling slowly shifted to Ozigbo over the course of the game, and there could be a variety of reasons for that. But, if it becomes a theme or trend, that could tell us a lot, particularly in crunch time.

[Mavric]

 

I just want to go with the Running Back with the best capabilities week in and week out.

 

Regardless of anyones feelings on Newby, most weeks that Back is going to be Ozigbo.

That's one thing I'm interested in seeing with the data. One week's worth of information showed the play calling slowly shifted to Ozigbo over the course of the game, and there could be a variety of reasons for that. But, if it becomes a theme or trend, that could tell us a lot, particularly in crunch time.

 

 

I think that was the case last year as well - my guess would be most of Newby's carries are are early in the game. Don't know why.

[husker98]

 

Ozigbo is the better running back, he runs lower with more power and keeps his feet churning even after contact. That stood out to me after rewatching that game.

 

Newby just doesn't run with the same power, and when he takes a hit he doesn't always keep his feet moving, and worse his vision is still in question. He did good early but the last couple carries he had didn't impress, and I think that's why he took a back seat to Ozigbo for the rest of the evening. Newby is more of a finesse back, and would do better in a spread scheme where he spent more time catching the ball on screens and routes.

 

If we want to have a solid run game it's Ozigbo all day, but if we are going to pass, and I think we will plenty this year, we need Newby back there because he is the better receiving back. Ozigbo got one catch against FSU and he didn't do a good job of boundary awareness and stumbled out, and you could tell it made him mad because that is the only thing keeping him fro supplanting Newby as the number 1 RB.

 

That's just my two cents, it will be interesting to see if Ozigbo develops his passing game skills to a point that he becomes our feature back with Bryant and Newby subbing in to give him a breather.

 

 

I disagree. Evidence is provided in this thread to show they are about equal...just different running styles.

 

Newby is faster.

 

You need to go back and rewatch this game if you think Newby can't take a hit and keep running...watch the run he had that setup Oz TD...running after contact happened a lot because he didn't get as good of blocking early in the game.

 

 

Also, if you think that Newby wouldn't fit in the offense, you need to go back and watch videos from Riley's time at Oregon State. More than enough evidence to show he does.

 

 

 

Faster is nice, but in this scheme not necessary. If you have watched the scheme Riley ran at Oregon State you would know this. His last back at OSU, storm woods i think, was a slower power back, and everyone tends to forget that this is the same scheme that developed an excellent power runner who had a nfl career, Yvenson Bernard.

 

And contrary to the evidence of this thread that Newby is so good at running the ball, he still rode the sideline for most of the game. A game in which we clearly intended to run the ball most of the time. If he had gotten so much better from last year to now why would that happen? Because common sense would dictate that either he was hurt, or that Ozigbo is just the better runner. And i really do believe the latter is more likely.

 

I agree with you they are both equals in that they have both mastered certain aspects of what it means to be a RB in this scheme, but the grinding pounding style is not Newby's game, just as being a receiver isn't Ozigbo's.

 

I really like Terrel Newby, but i really don't like it when we all seem to like to pretend he's something he's not. He may yet develop into a great runner this year, but why should we wait on that which may never happen when Ozigbo already is what we need right now. The last thing i want to see this year is what we saw early last year. A Newby who is missing open gaps and running into blockers while Ozigbo rode the sideline after making plays and moving the chains.

 

end rant.

[knapplc]

Speed is no longer necessary in college football.

 

I've seen it all now.

[husker98]

Speed is no longer necessary in college football.

 

I've seen it all now.

 

I think, and hope you know what i meant, but if not, oh well.

[knapplc]

I'm being a little deliberately obtuse to make a joke, yes.

[Bowfin]

Since I haven't seen either of them practice even once and since I don't know what the game plan is for Wyoming, Oregon, or beyond, I would not be able to make an intelligent decision based on what I haven't see and don't know.

[husker98]

I'm being a little deliberately obtuse to make a joke, yes.

 

Well to make my point about speed here is a great highlight tape on bernard who really was only second to steven jackson while at OSU during the Riley era. In said tape you'll notice some interesting similarities in play style to ozigbo, and you'll notice a lack of long yardage plays that end in touchdowns, and the fact he never seems to quite out run the defense. Yet this player had a very successful career collegiality and some success in the NFL with out a 4.4 forty time.

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCqiN5sJC9I Yvenson Bernads highlights

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSabQm7Uz_I And Steven Jacksons tape, Rileys best back during his era there for comparisons sake.

 

And then last weekends game to compare against, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDD8nczqwk

[Redux]

Since I haven't seen either of them practice even once and since I don't know what the game plan is for Wyoming, Oregon, or beyond, I would not be able to make an intelligent decision based on what I haven't see and don't know.

 

You take that rational way of thinking and GEEEET OUT!

 

[cornhuskers4ever]

Rather than relying on one, I like the possibilities of a triple threat at I back. I loved in 1995 we could put in any one of our I backs and not skip a beat.

[Enhance]

 

 

I just want to go with the Running Back with the best capabilities week in and week out.

 

Regardless of anyones feelings on Newby, most weeks that Back is going to be Ozigbo.

That's one thing I'm interested in seeing with the data. One week's worth of information showed the play calling slowly shifted to Ozigbo over the course of the game, and there could be a variety of reasons for that. But, if it becomes a theme or trend, that could tell us a lot, particularly in crunch time.

 

 

I think that was the case last year as well - my guess would be most of Newby's carries are are early in the game. Don't know why.

 

That's my perception, as well. I believe I made the comment earlier in the thread, but it feels like the coaches try to get Newby rolling early. If there's a spark or things are going well then they feed him. Otherwise, they're comfortable changing gears.

 

Both Newby and Ozigbo finished with similar numbers in the first half, yet Ozigbo became the featured back in the 2nd half (and really from the second quarter on) when the game was still only two possessions.

[Redux]

During his 5 years here, when has he ever actually "broken away"?