Final series - offense

[zoogs]

Thoughts on the last drive by the offense today?

Three straight, very conventional runs up the middle. Very safe plays. Cost Wisconsin 3 TOs, but maybe about 10-15 seconds only off the clock.

A first down would have sealed the game, and we gave ourselves almost no chance for that. However, 0 TOs did constrain the Wisconsin offense on the last drive and give them a little bit of clock pressure.

I was thinking of maybe going for the pass and win, but in retrospect...imagine leaving Wisconsin a TO to help them on their final drive. Or, imagine throwing an interception, which has significant return potential even if it's deep. Or, imagine getting sacked or strip-sacked ... perhaps coming off the edge on the backup RT.

After last week's busted 3rd & 7 and reaction, keeping it safe and leaving it in the hands of the defense seems like the right call. Even though it resulted in conceding that Wisconsin would have plenty of time to score.

It's too bad Wisconsin had just enough clutch left in them. What a game. What a game.

 

[Bball1091]

Thoughts on the last drive by the offense today?

Three straight, very conventional runs up the middle. Very safe plays. Cost Wisconsin 3 TOs, but maybe about 10-15 seconds only off the clock.

A first down would have sealed the game, and we gave ourselves almost no chance for that. However, 0 TOs did constrain the Wisconsin offense on the last drive and give them a little bit of clock pressure.

I was thinking of maybe going for the pass and win, but in retrospect...imagine leaving Wisconsin a TO to help them on their final drive. Or, imagine throwing an interception, which has significant return potential even if it's deep. Or, imagine getting sacked or strip-sacked ... perhaps coming off the edge on the backup RT.

After last week's busted 3rd & 7 and reaction, keeping it safe and leaving it in the hands of the defense seems like the right call. Even though it resulted in conceding that Wisconsin would have plenty of time to score.

It's too bad Wisconsin had just enough clutch left in them. What a game. What a game.

Zoogs,
First, you are a very intelligent poster and I really do respect you. With that said, I agree with you that the conservative play calling at the end of the game was the right call after last week. However, I think me, you, and everyone else knows that the game should never have came down to the 4th quarter. If you only play one quarter of successful football, you lose. That is why we lost. We had plenty of chances to put that game away, and we didn't unfortunately.

 

[huskerfan92]

I don't mind running three straight plays. However, the creativity on the runs was just awful honestly they may have been better off just kneeling with the plays we called. Read Option? nah Outside runs? nah. Imani Cross who has no speed to get outside running up the gut two straight plays? you betcha! I'm convinced this staff is on a mission to be the most disliked people in Nebraska

 

[brophog]

It was smart football, but I'd like to see those out of a 10 or 11 personnel set. Even though you're still not going to throw, they have to respect that and it gives you better angles.

Today's game is more about angles than power. Everyone is just so big it's hard to gain a lot of yards when both sides load the box. Give yourself better spacing and it's easier to get a yard or two that can help move the chains. One back offenses have become dominant the past decade for this reason.

 

[zoogs]

However, I think me, you, and everyone else knows that the game should never have came down to the 4th quarter. If you only play one quarter of successful football, you lose. That is why we lost. We had plenty of chances to put that game away, and we didn't unfortunately.

Yeah, I agree. Another week, similar story: could have put the game away and didn't. The end of game scenario we saw was kind of a lousy situation for us.

Just kind of interesting to see how they changed their approach a little this week. Didn't take any chances, though they had much more reason to try to this time.

Thanks for the kind words, by the way!

Interesting points, brophog -- do you remember what the actual personnel was? And to be clear, 10 = 1 RB, 4 WR and 11 = 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR? Do I have that right?

 

[zoogs]

I don't mind running three straight plays. However, the creativity on the runs was just awful honestly they may have been better off just kneeling with the plays we called. Read Option? nah Outside runs? nah. Imani Cross who has no speed to get outside running up the gut two straight plays? you betcha! I'm convinced this staff is on a mission to be the most disliked people in Nebraska

You have to wonder if maybe the coaches were a little too gunshy to call a fake inside, outside run with our best runner. With the way they loaded up, though, a bootleg was probably doubly inadvisable.

 

[huskerfan92]

I don't mind running three straight plays. However, the creativity on the runs was just awful honestly they may have been better off just kneeling with the plays we called. Read Option? nah Outside runs? nah. Imani Cross who has no speed to get outside running up the gut two straight plays? you betcha! I'm convinced this staff is on a mission to be the most disliked people in Nebraska

You have to wonder if maybe the coaches were a little too gunshy to call a fake inside, outside run with our best runner. With the way they loaded up, though, a bootleg was probably doubly inadvisable.

Oh man I don't want a bootleg called the rest of the season after the controversy it's caused. What would've been smart is to have Ozigbo or Newby in the backfield and Jano at fullback. This way the defense doesn't know for sure if we'll go to an outside run with the running backs, or inside with Jano. Putting Imani out there was literally telling Wisconsin the play call.

 

[brophog]

, brophog -- do you remember what the actual personnel was? And to be clear, 10 = 1 RB, 4 WR and 11 = 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR? Do I have that right?

No I don't remember, but I'm sure someone does.

Yes, first number is backs, second is tight ends. Remainder are receivers.

 

[huskerfan92]

However, I think me, you, and everyone else knows that the game should never have came down to the 4th quarter. If you only play one quarter of successful football, you lose. That is why we lost. We had plenty of chances to put that game away, and we didn't unfortunately.

Yeah, I agree. Another week, similar story: could have put the game away and didn't. The end of game scenario we saw was kind of a lousy situation for us.

Just kind of interesting to see how they changed their approach a little this week. Didn't take any chances, though they had much more reason to try to this time.

Thanks for the kind words, by the way!

Interesting points, brophog -- do you remember what the actual personnel was? And to be clear, 10 = 1 RB, 4 WR and 11 = 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR? Do I have that right?

1st down: 2 RB's (Jano Cross), 2 TE's, 1 WR

2nd: Same personnel, Jano lined up as H-back this time.

3rd: Same personnel as first down play.

Literally, besides lining up Jano as H-back, the formations were identical

Really hope this is what you wanted...had to rewatch the missed field goal which was painful

 

[brophog]

1st down: 2 RB's (Jano Cross), 2 TE's, 1 WR

2nd: Same personnel, Jano lined up as H-back this time.

3rd: Same personnel as first down play.

Literally, besides lining up Jano as H-back, the formations were identical

Really hope this is what you wanted...had to rewatch the missed field goal which was painful

Thank you. That's what I thought I remembered but couldn't say for sure.

 

[GBRedneck]

The coaches have no situational awareness. It's mind boggling how they can have so much experience and be so clueless.

 

[Scratchtown]

I don't view the situation during the Illinois game the same as the situation yesterday vs Wisconsin.

Illinois, the only thing that should have happened was run the ball with 1 min left and no Illini timeouts.

This week, you can argue trying to "win" the game by throwing for the first down, but I wouldn't have agreed with that call. Hindsight. If the pass is incomplete then we take no time off the clock AND Wisconsin has a timeout to use on offense for their last series.

I also don't mind the play calls. Running slow developing run plays isn't going to help especially when a defense is expecting run anyway. We did what we did, and it was ok. Just sucks that Wisconsin had all their timeouts.

 

[admo]

Again, second guessing when it fails. Running the ball to force the TO's is protocol. Play it safe and don't turn it over is part of that. Punt and defend.

I'm starting to think that if Cross broke one for a first down there would have been a thread "See! Power Football! Why didn't we run up the middle more?!"

I also tried to consider if we ran a bootleg run, that they probably had someone on the outside ready for that. Same if we ran outside or off tackle. Hindsight can tell you something else might have equaled a similar result as much as it does for a better result.

 

[GBRedneck]

Again, second guessing when it fails. Running the ball to force the TO's is protocol. Play it safe and don't turn it over is part of that. Punt and defend.

I'm starting to think that if Cross broke one for a first down there would have been a thread "See! Power Football! Why didn't we run up the middle more?!"

I also tried to consider if we ran a bootleg run, that they probably had someone on the outside ready for that. Same if we ran outside or off tackle. Hindsight can tell you something else might have equaled a similar result as much as it does for a better result.

There are plenty of non-passing plays they could've run besides three in a row up the gut. They needed a 1st down to ice the game and they didn't even try to get it.

 

[TheSker]

I'm starting to think that if Cross broke one for a first down there would have been a thread "See! Power Football! Why didn't we run up the middle more?!"

You're about 5 weeks late.....it's been brought up many, many times.