Danny Bateman
Heisman Trophy Winner
So, I'm sitting there watching highlights as we're getting ready to go out for dinner last night pretty deflated from how the game ended. There's footage of Michigan kicking Cincinnati's butt, Louisville handling business, Wisconsin running all over FAU, Iowa escaping Iowa State in overtime...
In all of these games, players made plays. Wisconsin did what they typically do: a roadgrading offensive line blocks some very basic Power O plays very well and a truck of a RB gets up a head of steam and rumbles for days. The Michigan QB throws a laser on a rope and drops it right in the bucket to his WR, who just runs away from his defender. Louisville airs it out and doesn't take long to put up points on anyone. Iowa runs their damn play action to the flat with the TE/H-back all dang day long off their run game, and it's still effective.
All of these offenses know what they are, first and foremost. Then they have players to make those plays. They may not be the most effective or cerebral ways to run an offense, but they know what they do and they are able to do it well.
NU, I think, is starting to figure out what they want to do. They're finding their offensive identity after two years of forcing TA into a Mike Riley offense to clunky results. MR has his guys, including Lee.
I badly want this offense to develop the offensive identity of a Wisconsin or an Iowa. It's GOT to be easier to run an offense effectively when everyone knows exactly what you're going to do and you can still do it. It's a cultural thing at that point with a team, and it requires buy in from everyone.
Of course, we still need players to make plays. If NU can develop a strong offensive identity, it will mitigate the talent gap with other teams that outclass us in star power. But I still find myself wondering why NU doesn't have QBs that throw a frozen rope on the money to a WR who can outrun his defender stride for stride for a TD. We still have to go find players that can do THAT and make THOSE plays, because JUST having an offensive identity is never going to be enough to compete with Wiscy and OSU and Michigan and PSU and MSU for supremacy in the Big Ten. We still need an infusion of talent, which, to their credit, Riley has done a pretty good job attracting to Lincoln thusfar. More work needs to be done, though.
Ultimately, this offense is still growing. It's still coming together as a unit, which seems silly since it's year 3, but it's a ton of new players and of course a new guy under center. I'm going to sit back and wait and watch how it develops. Maybe Riley gets their poop in a scoop & the offense really pulls it all together to carry the team. Lord knows the D needs a strong counterpart while it goes through its growing pains...
But, ultimately, as an NU fan, it seems like we're always waiting. Patience is absolutely required. Wait for Riley to teach these kids his system (year 1). Wait for it click for TA. Wait for Riley to get "his guys." Wait for Lee to pick things up and the offense to gel. Wait for Diaco to get the guys coached up in HIS system. Wait for recruiting to pick up steam. Wait for some of the new talent to get ready to the college game.
I'm predisposed to waiting. I was too young to drink in the glory days in any real way, so I'm not delusional and expecting a return to national title competition from every single Husker team every year. But sometimes I do worry that we're going to be stuck in a purgatory of perpetual waiting. We're forever "almost" there, but "almost" is always going to be "almost." At that point, to continue to ask for patience from everyone is an exercise in futility that's only going to leave a bad taste in our mouths. If we can ever objectively decide we're stuck in "almost" with nothing but a strong sense of wait under Riley, as we'd been with so many other coaches since the days of ole, we might as well turn the page and roll the dice one more time. Maybe the payoff is finally there, that time.
But until then, we've got no other choice. Nobody is going anywhere just yet. So just... wait.
In all of these games, players made plays. Wisconsin did what they typically do: a roadgrading offensive line blocks some very basic Power O plays very well and a truck of a RB gets up a head of steam and rumbles for days. The Michigan QB throws a laser on a rope and drops it right in the bucket to his WR, who just runs away from his defender. Louisville airs it out and doesn't take long to put up points on anyone. Iowa runs their damn play action to the flat with the TE/H-back all dang day long off their run game, and it's still effective.
All of these offenses know what they are, first and foremost. Then they have players to make those plays. They may not be the most effective or cerebral ways to run an offense, but they know what they do and they are able to do it well.
NU, I think, is starting to figure out what they want to do. They're finding their offensive identity after two years of forcing TA into a Mike Riley offense to clunky results. MR has his guys, including Lee.
I badly want this offense to develop the offensive identity of a Wisconsin or an Iowa. It's GOT to be easier to run an offense effectively when everyone knows exactly what you're going to do and you can still do it. It's a cultural thing at that point with a team, and it requires buy in from everyone.
Of course, we still need players to make plays. If NU can develop a strong offensive identity, it will mitigate the talent gap with other teams that outclass us in star power. But I still find myself wondering why NU doesn't have QBs that throw a frozen rope on the money to a WR who can outrun his defender stride for stride for a TD. We still have to go find players that can do THAT and make THOSE plays, because JUST having an offensive identity is never going to be enough to compete with Wiscy and OSU and Michigan and PSU and MSU for supremacy in the Big Ten. We still need an infusion of talent, which, to their credit, Riley has done a pretty good job attracting to Lincoln thusfar. More work needs to be done, though.
Ultimately, this offense is still growing. It's still coming together as a unit, which seems silly since it's year 3, but it's a ton of new players and of course a new guy under center. I'm going to sit back and wait and watch how it develops. Maybe Riley gets their poop in a scoop & the offense really pulls it all together to carry the team. Lord knows the D needs a strong counterpart while it goes through its growing pains...
But, ultimately, as an NU fan, it seems like we're always waiting. Patience is absolutely required. Wait for Riley to teach these kids his system (year 1). Wait for it click for TA. Wait for Riley to get "his guys." Wait for Lee to pick things up and the offense to gel. Wait for Diaco to get the guys coached up in HIS system. Wait for recruiting to pick up steam. Wait for some of the new talent to get ready to the college game.
I'm predisposed to waiting. I was too young to drink in the glory days in any real way, so I'm not delusional and expecting a return to national title competition from every single Husker team every year. But sometimes I do worry that we're going to be stuck in a purgatory of perpetual waiting. We're forever "almost" there, but "almost" is always going to be "almost." At that point, to continue to ask for patience from everyone is an exercise in futility that's only going to leave a bad taste in our mouths. If we can ever objectively decide we're stuck in "almost" with nothing but a strong sense of wait under Riley, as we'd been with so many other coaches since the days of ole, we might as well turn the page and roll the dice one more time. Maybe the payoff is finally there, that time.
But until then, we've got no other choice. Nobody is going anywhere just yet. So just... wait.
