Husker 7-on-7 Tourney

BY JEFF SHELDON

WORLD-HERALD CORRESPONDENT

LINCOLN — As coach of a football team more known for its smashmouth ground attack than aerial excellence, Mark King was quick to praise the latest addition to Nebraska's football camp schedule, an event Cornhusker coaches hope will be more than just a passing fancy.

King's Lincoln Southwest High School Silver Hawks were among 28 teams taking part in the first Nebraska Run-N-Gun 7-on-7 passing tournament, NU's final high school camp of the summer at Memorial Stadium.

"It's throwing and catching," said King, who guided Southwest to an 11-1 record last year behind a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. "We're a running football team, but for us to win, we're going to have to throw it efficiently, and this really helps."

The Run-N-Gun tournament placed teams in scripted down-and-distance situations with each team having the chance to earn points on two offensive and two defensive possessions. Olathe South (Kan.) came away as the first Run-N-Gun champion, beating Southwest 48-20 in the tournament final.

"For the inaugural event, we thought it was great," said Tim Cassidy, NU's associate athletic director for football. "It's the first time we've had a camp such as this, and we're looking to build on it. I think it can be a great future not only for our program to have great teams out here, but also I think it can help the level of competition not only here in the state of Nebraska but in the surrounding states as well."

Cassidy said Nebraska was one of few schools in the Midwest to sponsor a 7-on-7 tournament, an event that has recently exploded in popularity in states like Texas and Pennsylvania where the tournament is governed by high school athletic associations. Cassidy had a hand in running a 7-on-7 tournament in Texas when he worked at Texas A&M.

"We took some ideas that we had in Texas," he said, "and we took some ideas that we had from other coaches on our coaching staff — and tried to combine those together to make something we think can be pretty special."

Aside from allowing NU coach Bill Callahan's staff to continue to develop relationships with high school coaches and identify future prospects, Cassidy said instruction during the Run-N-Gun would help high school teams learn more about executing and defending passing systems, especially in the run-heavy Nebraska high school culture.

"I think with Coach Callahan coming on with the West Coast offense and the things we're doing to open up the game a little bit, I think you'll start to see teams throwing the ball around a little bit," Cassidy said.

Coaches and organizers alike said the tournament ran smoothly despite it being the first such event at Nebraska. Cassidy said that while NU would have accepted 48 teams Saturday, he hopes to expand the field to 64 clubs in the future as word gets out about the Run-N-Gun.

With endorsements like King's, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a more crowded field next summer.

"It was great," King said. "We went from game to game to game, and when we had a break, we knew when the break was and when we were playing next. I think it was as efficient as it could be run. It's a first-class operation down here. We'll be back next year."

 
definitely on the right track, all this relationship building has good long term effects on future recruiting.

 
Hunter94 said:
definitely on the right track, all this relationship building has good long term effects on future recruiting.
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I couldn't agree more, I hope 7 on 7 is huge in the next few years. I'm sure they gave all these players a tour of the facilities while they were there too.

 
Pillen08 said:
If they went to other cities and had these type of "mini-camps" and "7-on-7 Tournaments" I believe that it would impact recruiting in a BIG WAY.
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by having it in Lincoln it is kind of a unofficial/official visit, and the kids get to see the facilities at NU

 
There are a few important details I pulled from this article that I'm wondering if others noticed / were thinking about.

The article starts with the coach of a Neb HS stating that he runs a "smashmouth offense", which is probably a derivative of the Cornhuskers offense of the past. My hope is that with these annual camps, the connections with the local HS coaches, and the continual improvement of the Cornhuskers themselves we can change and develop more of our own local talent.

This type of mindset has flourished in other states. HS players are basically groomed on the WCO and are then a better fit for Callahan and co. If all the major schools in Neb were running some type of WCO their athletes would be better suited and prepared to be a part of the offense we run. Until recently Neb as a whole has not been considered a talent hotbed, but we've seen on the Huskers that often the less physically gifted athlete with the firm grasp on the offense will play over the stud that can't figure out his routes.

What do you guys think? Can this help to change the run first mindset of Nebraska HS's and bring them around to Callys WCO? Or is it reasonable to ask these coaches to deviate from what they know and love to help a coach that might not be here a few years from now?

 
I think in some aspect it may change the mindset of some of the HS coaches and influence them to run more of a WCO. But at the same time, I don't think that any HS team needs to be pass dominant to win. At the HS level, you can win games in any class if you are productive in running the football. A HS team that is able pass the ball just has that much more of an advantage. Its a luxury. I think it does help younger players get a feel for what a WCO is and what coaches are looking for.

 
This is a great move by BC and staff. There is a college that is pretty close to where I grew up that did this same type of concept. It was a good chance for the coaches to get a look at the juniors and seniors that could play for them. They came to my high school and other area schools was very beneficial. It sets up a relationship before the football season even begins.

I hope BC looks into traveling around the state and do this Getting your face out there cannot hurt!

 
Pillen08 said:
husker rob said:
Pillen08 said:
If they went to other cities and had these type of "mini-camps" and "7-on-7 Tournaments" I believe that it would impact recruiting in a BIG WAY.
Click to expand...
by having it in Lincoln it is kind of a unofficial/official visit, and the kids get to see the facilities at NU
Click to expand...
Exactly. So by going and doing this in other cities AND in Lincoln would be perfect. This way you can get more looks at more players and get more players to come look at more of the University.
Click to expand...
If it got big enough you could do it as a longer tournament with different host sites and the championships in Lincoln with everyone who participated being brought in for the game. I think that might be a few years down the road but that would be nice.

 
hastingshusker said:
Pillen08 said:
husker rob said:
Pillen08 said:
If they went to other cities and had these type of "mini-camps" and "7-on-7 Tournaments" I believe that it would impact recruiting in a BIG WAY.
Click to expand...
by having it in Lincoln it is kind of a unofficial/official visit, and the kids get to see the facilities at NU
Click to expand...
Exactly. So by going and doing this in other cities AND in Lincoln would be perfect. This way you can get more looks at more players and get more players to come look at more of the University.
Click to expand...
If it got big enough you could do it as a longer tournament with different host sites and the championships in Lincoln with everyone who participated being brought in for the game. I think that might be a few years down the road but that would be nice.
Click to expand...
they said that they were hoping to have up to 64 teams in the future

 
KCforNU said:
There are a few important details I pulled from this article that I'm wondering if others noticed / were thinking about.

The article starts with the coach of a Neb HS stating that he runs a "smashmouth offense", which is probably a derivative of the Cornhuskers offense of the past. My hope is that with these annual camps, the connections with the local HS coaches, and the continual improvement of the Cornhuskers themselves we can change and develop more of our own local talent.

This type of mindset has flourished in other states. HS players are basically groomed on the WCO and are then a better fit for Callahan and co. If all the major schools in Neb were running some type of WCO their athletes would be better suited and prepared to be a part of the offense we run. Until recently Neb as a whole has not been considered a talent hotbed, but we've seen on the Huskers that often the less physically gifted athlete with the firm grasp on the offense will play over the stud that can't figure out his routes.

What do you guys think? Can this help to change the run first mindset of Nebraska HS's and bring them around to Callys WCO? Or is it reasonable to ask these coaches to deviate from what they know and love to help a coach that might not be here a few years from now?
Click to expand...
As a high school coach in this state, I doubt it. Your best athletes normally wind up as running backs or running quarterbacks. The key in high school is winning, and to do that you keep the ball in the hands of your best player which is normally running back or the QB which probably runs the ball a lot. Before I was coaching I was a sports editor and spoke to several coaches about this very topic and not one said they would pass the ball more.

 
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