What did we learn: Illinois

[ColoradoHusk]

1 minute ago, Moiraine said:

 

 

A good enough % to be ranked #72!

Thanks for that clarification.  I think that's one thing that Frost does well is stick with the run game, even when behind on the scoreboard.

[ColoradoHusk]

11 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

Lovie Smith's offense isn't a lot different than Frost's either, and that A.J. Bush runs it pretty damn well. Frost and Martinez just ran it better. 

 

Also, this same board complained almost constantly about pass-happy playcalling, even when Pelini's teams were winning. 

 

If I'm riding this too hard, it's because I remember spending the last ten years arguing that the dreaded "balance" offense was actually a pretty good idea, that a lot of smart coaches pass on 3rd and 2, and that if we could find a dual-threat quarterback who was a better passer it could make all the difference in the world.

 

Also: defense. 

Your idea of "balanced" may not be the idea that other coaches have (see Mike Leach).  Going off of Leach's argument of spreading around the touches to the 5 skill positions, here are the combined touches (rushing attempts and receptions) for NU against Illinois:  Ozigbo 14, Martinez 13, Morgan 8, Spielman 7, Warner 5.  That looks like Frost is spreading around the offense pretty well.  This was a game where they held out Washington and Spielman didn't play the 4th quarter.

[Ulty]

10 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

If I'm riding this too hard, it's because I remember spending the last ten years arguing that the dreaded "balance" offense was actually a pretty good idea, that a lot of smart coaches pass on 3rd and 2, and that if we could find a dual-threat quarterback who was a better passer it could make all the difference in the world.

I don't think many people would disagree with this at all, but...

 

10 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

Also, this same board complained almost constantly about pass-happy playcalling, even when Pelini's teams were winning. 

 

The complaints, if I recall, were not so much about being too pass-happy itself, but being being pass-happy when we were not all that efficient as a passing team and a running play in the same situation would have had a higher likelihood of success. Watson and Beck had a tendency to get cute with low percentage passes when the running game had established a good rhythm. Nothing wrong with passing, but it is maddening when the play selection seems random and haphazard. Frost appears to have a better strategic mind for when to run and when to pass, and has the right QB to do it effectively.

 

If your argument is that we are giving Frost more benefit of the doubt than other coaches, that may be true right now, but the offense is also humming better than anything we have seen for a while. Earlier in the season, the complaints were plentiful about Frost's clock management, O-Line play, and certain situations. But it has gotten better. Playcalling under prior coaches didn't really get that much better, no matter how much time we gave them.

[Mavric]

20 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

Also, this same board complained almost constantly about pass-happy playcalling, even when Pelini's teams were winning. 

 

They were not complain about the offenses being pass-happy.  They were complaining about him passing in certain situations where they would have preferred to run it.  

 

Again, those are not the same thing.  But you continue to lump dissimilar things together and act as if they are the same.

[Hayseed]

I’m still up in the air about whether running helps passing or passing helps running or field position helps both, but I’m not up in the air on the defense giving up 50 points a game hurting everything. However, I’m still trying to hash out whether letting them run all over you or pass all over you is worse??

[TheSker]

Frost mentions the run setting up the pass in today's presser.

[Mavric]

 

[huskerfan74]

Frost is not pass happy. The offense has a very good balance between pass and run. Sometimes I wonder why we go away from the hot hand but it could be because the player is either tired or has some health-related issue. To be honest, as long as we keep scoring on teams, I could care less how the scores come. If the pass game is working and spielman and Stanley are doing great, then keep passing. If Ozigbo and washington are running effectively then keep running. Interrupting the pass game because the fans like it when we run the ball is plain stupid. Also, passing when the other team can’t seem to be able to stop us is also not smart. 

 

I will say this again: I do not understand why we keep talking about the offense when the issue is the defense. Our offense is clicking on all cylinders and we keep the opponents guessing. Our defense is the one that can’t stop anyone.

[Moiraine]

5 hours ago, Mavric said:

 

 

 

 

Honestly the uniforms would've been great if it was a cream colored helmet with the N. They look really good there.

[Mavric]

16 minutes ago, Moiraine said:

Honestly the uniforms would've been great if it was a cream colored helmet with the N. They look really good there.

 

Yep.  The rest of the uni was pretty good.  But you could barely see what the helmets were from the wide shot.  Only on a close up.  Your idea would definitely have been better.

 

I also think it might have been better if they had made the "leather" darker so it stood out more.  Not sure I still would have liked it but at least it would have been more noticeable.

[runningblind]

19 minutes ago, Moiraine said:

 

 

 

Honestly the uniforms would've been great if it was a cream colored helmet with the N. They look really good there.

 

1 minute ago, Mavric said:

 

Yep.  The rest of the uni was pretty good.  But you could barely see what the helmets were from the wide shot.  Only on a close up.  Your idea would definitely have been better.

 

I also think it might have been better if they had made the "leather" darker so it stood out more.  Not sure I still would have liked it but at least it would have been more noticeable.

 

I thought with a throwback leather looking helmet it would have been perfect. Like these Washington ones. 

[Mavric]

Just now, runningblind said:

 

 

I thought with a throwback leather looking helmet it would have been perfect. Like these Washington ones. 

 

Thanks for that.  I thought maybe I had seen something like that before but couldn't remember where.  That would have been better than what we got.

[Landlord]

mav sure loves those agendas that everyone has

[CharBroiled]

Frost's offense is attacking with what the defense gives them. There was a great article before the season started about how his offense works with what they see in the box.

Under Langsdork's offense was a constant eye roll. Watch some Pac-12 games with Cal, Arizona, Arizona State and you see the motions, jet sweeps, and the things Langsdork ran constantly and it's almost as if they are all running the same playbook. Remember, Langsdork was the one who didn't even know it was 3rd and 2, he thought it was 3rd and 4. And being down, Langs would run play action in 3rd and long situations which no defender even gave a second glance.

Beck would just try to get cute during inopportune times.

 

Watson kept changing the scheme year to year.

 

Balance is a good, but versatile is even better. Sure Wisconsin lines up and punches you in the mouth, but can you really see Wisconsin rallying from 21 down in a half because they are forced to throw on every other down as a 7-minute grind-out-clock drive puts them down only two scores with half of the quarter gone?

 

What really cracks me up are the people who continue to say "you can't throw in the cold and the snow of the B1G, you have to line up and smash into each other, blah, blah, blah. Get off my yard."

 

[Hayseed]

On 11/12/2018 at 12:03 PM, Hayseed said:

I’m still up in the air about whether running helps passing or passing helps running or field position helps both, but I’m not up in the air on the defense giving up 50 points a game hurting everything. However, I’m still trying to hash out whether letting them run all over you or pass all over you is worse??

Hey, what do you eye rolling people think?