I just watched the 1997 Big 12 CCG. I really miss that offense! I noticed that at least 8 offensive starters, including the entire backfield, were Nebraska natives.
Now I wonder, what happened? Did Nebraska high school football quit producing quality players? Do Nebraska high schools just not turn out the right "kind" of players? Do they run the "wrong" offenses? How could we go from winning a National Championship with 8 native starters on offense to a horrible pathetic offense with 3 native starters in just 12 years? Where is the disconnect and can it be fixed?
Any ideas? I'm truly perplexed by the relative lack of home-grown talent.
**WARNING - THE FOLLOWING MAY CONTAIN A LOT OF INFORMATION**
I wish there was a straight forward answer to your question but the parameters of the situation are just way too complicated. But, if I had to give an educated answer, here is what I would say.
First and foremost, the biggest issue is culture. We had guys like Milt Tenopir and Charlie McBride still coaching during this game. Both of these guys had 20+ years with the program by this point if I'm not mistaken. The entire program was just one huge family full of familiar faces. Having such continuity in a program gives you the opportunity to know exactly how you want to play football and what direction you are going to take the team.
Our coaches are still learning the ropes of one another. Ekeler and the Pelini Bros are really the only guys on the team that know each other extensively well. Cotton could also be thrown in that group, but nearly everybody else is new. It takes awhile for coaches to get comfortable with themselves and players.
Secondly, and I think this is a bigger issue than some realize, is offensive philosophy. The option-run offense is not an overly complex offense to run. In fact, it is my honest opinion that it is one of the easiest offenses to run. I ran both a spread and an option-run offense when I played football, and I'd be the first to admit that I understand the option game better and thought our team played a lot better with that system in place.
You can take relatively average players and make them successful in an option offense. The blocking schemes and assignments create a lot of mismatches against opposing defenses. You wouldn't see a guy like Ahman Green put up the numbers he did in an offense that was more pass heavy.
Tom Osborne liked the option offense so much because it was different than what everybody else was running, which meant that he had an advantage when it came to preparing for his team. He was familiar with what other teams ran, but his offense was something opponents hadn't seen often. Plus, he didn't have to compete with multiple other schools for the same type of recruits. He went after the guys he knew could be successful in his system and take Nebraska to BCS games.
