Does Nebraska need a niche?

[Stumpy1]

I agree. NU has to find an identity and recruit to it. Bo and Wats/Beck was a hybrid O that was a mesh of all the stuff thats out there. We were good at a lot, but great at nothing. When we needed 1 yard in a cloud of dust, no guarantee we would get it..... I see the same thing now.

Riley, a WCO guy, is trying to merge a scheme he know's a lot about with what NU has done the previous 7 years. A system that he, nor his staff have actually implemented..... I agree 100% with your premise. If NU has all of the these tangible recruiting issues i.e. cold, distance, location, etc..... How do we "over come" that and get kids that 20 other spots want with "better" amenities, locale etc..... We don't. That's the reality. Now if we went back to our roots (not triple option as we were not), but to power run with PA passes and an O based upon traps, counters and dives with the option thrown in, you'd have a winner.

Urban stated that he only recruits for a system that is known and shared by his staff. That is why he was able to seamlessly switch in Barrett for Miller and then Jones for Barrett. If the kid doesn't fit his "scheme" regardless of talent or star power, the kid doesn't get looked at. He doesn't recruit situational guys.........

We don't have an identity per Riley (per the announcers yesterday), announcers or fans.... It's hard to recruit for that. We need OL who can pass pro, run block, cut, chip, pull etc..... Hell no one does it all well. That's why a definitive system would help. We get guys who are plug and play.......

Regardless of scheme or identity, it all starts in the trenches. 3 games in, we look exactly like we did under Bo save for 2009/2010. Woefully average and many times inferior to our opponents in the trenches. That needs to be a prime concern for recruiting going forward......

Riley is working on getting the pieces he needs. Look at the recruits we have and the ones we are going after. He has the commitment of a QB he loves and the type he wants. He is going after some top flight WRs and TEs. He is recruiting bigger backs that can pass block. They seem to be going after agile linemen that can move. Give him a year or 2 and he will have his pieces in place or real close to it.

Who he gets on the defensive side of the ball will be the real question. Banker has mentioned that he wants speed, speed and more speed when it come to his defense. So far he has a top safety, 3 out standing LBs and a DE along with a CB that has that Florida speed we saw yesterday. I hope they pay a little more attention to the DL as that will be what makes us or breaks us on defense.

 

[HuskerPowerVA]

Not at all saying coaching change. Not saying I have been thrilled with the hire from the beginning either.

 

[shyndy]

No...they need to run this clown coaching crew out of town. Fast.

The sky isn't falling. It has already fallen. Get ready to see Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern, and Minnesota perpetually ranked higer than Nebraska in the standings unless we undo this mess....fast

I mean isn't that where we have been since joining the big 10?

 

[lo country]

I agree. NU has to find an identity and recruit to it. Bo and Wats/Beck was a hybrid O that was a mesh of all the stuff thats out there. We were good at a lot, but great at nothing. When we needed 1 yard in a cloud of dust, no guarantee we would get it..... I see the same thing now.

Riley, a WCO guy, is trying to merge a scheme he know's a lot about with what NU has done the previous 7 years. A system that he, nor his staff have actually implemented..... I agree 100% with your premise. If NU has all of the these tangible recruiting issues i.e. cold, distance, location, etc..... How do we "over come" that and get kids that 20 other spots want with "better" amenities, locale etc..... We don't. That's the reality. Now if we went back to our roots (not triple option as we were not), but to power run with PA passes and an O based upon traps, counters and dives with the option thrown in, you'd have a winner.

Urban stated that he only recruits for a system that is known and shared by his staff. That is why he was able to seamlessly switch in Barrett for Miller and then Jones for Barrett. If the kid doesn't fit his "scheme" regardless of talent or star power, the kid doesn't get looked at. He doesn't recruit situational guys.........

We don't have an identity per Riley (per the announcers yesterday), announcers or fans.... It's hard to recruit for that. We need OL who can pass pro, run block, cut, chip, pull etc..... Hell no one does it all well. That's why a definitive system would help. We get guys who are plug and play.......

Regardless of scheme or identity, it all starts in the trenches. 3 games in, we look exactly like we did under Bo save for 2009/2010. Woefully average and many times inferior to our opponents in the trenches. That needs to be a prime concern for recruiting going forward......

Riley is working on getting the pieces he needs. Look at the recruits we have and the ones we are going after. He has the commitment of a QB he loves and the type he wants. He is going after some top flight WRs and TEs. He is recruiting bigger backs that can pass block. They seem to be going after agile linemen that can move. Give him a year or 2 and he will have his pieces in place or real close to it.

Who he gets on the defensive side of the ball will be the real question. Banker has mentioned that he wants speed, speed and more speed when it come to his defense. So far he has a top safety, 3 out standing LBs and a DE along with a CB that has that Florida speed we saw yesterday. I hope they pay a little more attention to the DL as that will be what makes us or breaks us on defense.

Valid points. My concern is what will make him and NU winners? What is the magic bullet that he has? I am all for giving him time to get his system. Offensively, although I want a power based run game, we have scored enough to win if we a defense......

 

[alwayshusking]

No. I do think we need an identity to recruit and play to. That doesn't happen overnight unfortunately, but they are working at that.

I think a strength of Riley and Langsdorf is QB development, so going to a system that limits that wouldn't do us much good. I like what they've done with Armstrong. I really like the prospect O'Brien. Need to get better in the running game.

BTW the offense has performed pretty well all things considered. We have 70 plays of 10 yards or more which is #1 in the nation. We've played 2 teams with a pulse which most teams haven't yet as well. Plus our most explosive offensive player has been out in DPE.

Banker is under suspicion but we need better players over there. DE two deep (when healthy) is Gangwish, McMullen, Freedom, and Dzuris. Wow. Paper thin at LB. Just don't have the ingredients to be really good over there this year.

Based on who they are recruiting they appear to favor speed over size much like we did in the 90s. So that may be our identity in time, but the 2015 roster is what it is.

I'm not sure there is a coach out there that would've come in and given us all we wanted this year. Let's see what this staff can do in years 2-3-4 as their vision and recruiting start to come to fruition. We may really like what we see, or maybe we won't but we need to let it play out.

Long story short, there's no need to hit the panic button and think a "niche" system is necessary.

 

[Scratchtown]

I know you guys are not serious about a coach change three games in, and this is a general comment, not reflective of this coaching staff, or the last.

When I look myself in the mirror and get honest, I would totally love winning 9 games a year running a triple option offense.

There, I said it and feel better now.

No a coaching change would be dumb. I just thought that Troy Calhoun should have been given a shot. It may have taken him some time to get it going with recruiting, but he's obviously a great coach considering what he has to work with there. Recruiting to an Academy is way different than recruiting to Oregon State, also there is a limit on how many practice hours they can have and don't even get time in the summer dedicated to football training.

 

[lo country]

No. I do think we need an identity to recruit and play to. That doesn't happen overnight unfortunately, but they are working at that.

I think a strength of Riley and Langsdorf is QB development, so going to a system that limits that wouldn't do us much good. I like what they've done with Armstrong. I really like the prospect O'Brien. Need to get better in the running game.

BTW the offense has performed pretty well all things considered. We have 70 plays of 10 yards or more which is #1 in the nation. We've played 2 teams with a pulse which most teams haven't yet as well. Plus our most explosive offensive player has been out in DPE.

Banker is under suspicion but we need better players over there. DE two deep (when healthy) is Gangwish, McMullen, Freedom, and Dzuris. Wow. Paper thin at LB. Just don't have the ingredients to be really good over there this year.

Based on who they are recruiting they appear to favor speed over size much like we did in the 90s. So that may be our identity in time, but the 2015 roster is what it is.

I'm not sure there is a coach out there that would've come in and given us all we wanted this year. Let's see what this staff can do in years 2-3-4 as their vision and recruiting start to come to fruition. We may really like what we see, or maybe we won't but we need to let it play out.

Long story short, there's no need to hit the panic button and think a "niche" system is necessary.

Maybe niche is a poor choice of words. I would like an offensive and defensive identity. Time will tell if we develop that. To date, we are a blend of numerous "identities". We were under Bo for 7 years IMO and will be until Riley gets his "guys". A huge plus IMO, is that at least Riley and Langs appear to have the same vision as it relates to an identity. Bo/Wats/Beck appeared to be at odds in what each wanted.

I think it goes back to Urban's comments last year prior to the playoffs. He recruits to a system. Kids can't fit they don't get recruited. This system (identity), is also (per Urban) shared by the staff..... A huge plus. All the horses pulling the same way.

 

[Tomhusker64]

An identity would be nice. But all in good time I am sure. Three games in and I'd bet that the coaches are just now getting a real good feel on what they have on the roster.

 

[Husker67]

I agree. NU has to find an identity and recruit to it. Bo and Wats/Beck was a hybrid O that was a mesh of all the stuff thats out there. We were good at a lot, but great at nothing. When we needed 1 yard in a cloud of dust, no guarantee we would get it..... I see the same thing now.

Riley, a WCO guy, is trying to merge a scheme he know's a lot about with what NU has done the previous 7 years. A system that he, nor his staff have actually implemented..... I agree 100% with your premise. If NU has all of the these tangible recruiting issues i.e. cold, distance, location, etc..... How do we "over come" that and get kids that 20 other spots want with "better" amenities, locale etc..... We don't. That's the reality. Now if we went back to our roots (not triple option as we were not), but to power run with PA passes and an O based upon traps, counters and dives with the option thrown in, you'd have a winner.

Urban stated that he only recruits for a system that is known and shared by his staff. That is why he was able to seamlessly switch in Barrett for Miller and then Jones for Barrett. If the kid doesn't fit his "scheme" regardless of talent or star power, the kid doesn't get looked at. He doesn't recruit situational guys.........

We don't have an identity per Riley (per the announcers yesterday), announcers or fans.... It's hard to recruit for that. We need OL who can pass pro, run block, cut, chip, pull etc..... Hell no one does it all well. That's why a definitive system would help. We get guys who are plug and play.......

Regardless of scheme or identity, it all starts in the trenches. 3 games in, we look exactly like we did under Bo save for 2009/2010. Woefully average and many times inferior to our opponents in the trenches. That needs to be a prime concern for recruiting going forward......

Hey, lowcountry, it sounds like we're back to my favourite word from Beck and Bo; "Multiple"

 

[lo country]

I agree. NU has to find an identity and recruit to it. Bo and Wats/Beck was a hybrid O that was a mesh of all the stuff thats out there. We were good at a lot, but great at nothing. When we needed 1 yard in a cloud of dust, no guarantee we would get it..... I see the same thing now.

Riley, a WCO guy, is trying to merge a scheme he know's a lot about with what NU has done the previous 7 years. A system that he, nor his staff have actually implemented..... I agree 100% with your premise. If NU has all of the these tangible recruiting issues i.e. cold, distance, location, etc..... How do we "over come" that and get kids that 20 other spots want with "better" amenities, locale etc..... We don't. That's the reality. Now if we went back to our roots (not triple option as we were not), but to power run with PA passes and an O based upon traps, counters and dives with the option thrown in, you'd have a winner.

Urban stated that he only recruits for a system that is known and shared by his staff. That is why he was able to seamlessly switch in Barrett for Miller and then Jones for Barrett. If the kid doesn't fit his "scheme" regardless of talent or star power, the kid doesn't get looked at. He doesn't recruit situational guys.........

We don't have an identity per Riley (per the announcers yesterday), announcers or fans.... It's hard to recruit for that. We need OL who can pass pro, run block, cut, chip, pull etc..... Hell no one does it all well. That's why a definitive system would help. We get guys who are plug and play.......

Regardless of scheme or identity, it all starts in the trenches. 3 games in, we look exactly like we did under Bo save for 2009/2010. Woefully average and many times inferior to our opponents in the trenches. That needs to be a prime concern for recruiting going forward......

Hey, lowcountry, it sounds like we're back to my favourite word from Beck and Bo; "Multiple"

Hahaha. IIRC, Riley or Langs even used that word. I also just threw up in my mouth...

 

[chamrocck]

We need a niche. But it is not on offense. It is on defense. We have surrendered the blackshirt tradition. I think our offense over the last several years has been pretty good. The defense has been a disaster. This is what was so mind boggling with Pelini. Looked very stout with Suh but never did anything after that. A couple stud juco's in David and Gregory saved him somewhat. Sure there was a player or two here or there but in general the defense has been bad. Where is the stud DT, the speed off the edge disruption in the backfield, LB's that get to the ball carrier and make them go backwards not forwards, and secondary play that is shutdown/lights out. I think Riley can get players on offense to do a pretty good job. Defense? Not sure and we need a host of them to create that niche we desperately need. A good defense will keep you in every game.

 

[suh_fan93]

Nebraska used to be known for it's offensive lines and our mostly stingy defenses. The run was emphasized on offense. I guess I'd like to see us go back to and recruit for something that emphasized the offensive line and the run game more if we were to try to find a new identity (which ironically would be the same identity Nebraska used to be identified by). That of course would mean a new/different coaching staff.