I absolutely love the style of football Craig Bohl has used at both Wyoming & North Dakota State. He has that Wyoming team on the right track, and with another recruiting cycle after this season the Cowboys will be serious contenders for many years to come in the Mountain West.
Mikey Riley and his staff deserve more time to get their own players into the fold, and their true offensive system in place.
But they would also be very wise to seriously study the offensive philosophy's of both Wyoming & North Dakota State...specifically how those teams run the football.
It's the perfect blueprint for Nebraska.
Mike Riley wants his offense to be a Pro-Style system. Wyoming & North Dakota are the same way in that they both use West-Coast passing schemes. The difference is Wyoming & North Dakota State's main running scheme is multiple ways to run Power-O. They also rely heavily on Isolation blocks.
Nebraska under Mike Riley is more Inside Zone & Outside Zone.
This is just one man's opinion, but I do think Nebraska should stick with our zone running game. However, there are two schemes utilized by Wyoming, North Dakota State, and the great Nebraska teams of the 80's & 90's that could really help Nebraska's rushing offense:
Both schemes are power-based, physical running schemes, with the Iso serving as the
(in your face North-South) ability to run, while the Counter gives your offense misdirection and a tool to attack aggressive over-pursuing defenses.
With all that being said, I am very happy for Craig Bohl and the success he's had at both North Dakota State and the way his Wyoming team is playing this season. He's proven he is a better head coach than he was a coordinator...and that's ok.
Craig Bohl is a very good man, a Lincoln, NE native son. He's taken Tom Osborne's model for how to coach & recruit for a team in the great plains, and has proven that model still works in this part of the country. Best of luck to Coach Bohl & the Cowboys the rest of this season!
