From: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=38&u_sid=2043656
LINCOLN - Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor will return to his hotel room tonight knowing what the Huskers' first offensive play will be against Baylor.
I-back Cory Ross will wake up Saturday morning knowing when his first carry will come against the Bears.
Two or three hours before kickoff Saturday night, receiver Terrence Nunn can focus on which pass routes he'll be running early in the game.
That's the way head coach Bill Callahan likes it.
"Sometimes it allows for a fast start, and some of the times it's hit and miss," Callahan said. "But it gives you a starting point and lets everybody kind of settle in and sink their teeth into the game plan."
Part of Callahan's offensive philosophy is to "script" the first 15 plays of a game. Nebraska has done that since he took over last season.
There's no documented proof that it works. None that it doesn't, either. But Callahan swears by it, and his players embrace it.
"I really like it," Taylor said. "We haven't always scored, but defenses really have been caught off-guard."
"It just kind of gets your mind ready," guard Brandon Koch said. "You know what to prepare for. I mean, it's right there. You can go through and think about what you're going to do and what you might see from their defense."
NU offensive players will leave their final meeting tonight with the script. Those first 15 or so plays won't necessarily be run without interruption after the 6:05 kickoff Saturday night, allowing, for example, alterations because of field position or down-and-distance situations.
Callahan said he starts thinking about those first 15 plays on Wednesday and scripts it out in his mind by Thursday night. The offensive assistant coaches submit their own 15-play lists, and the staff will "mix and match" Friday before putting it on paper.
"It's more of a confidence-builder for your offense than anything," Callahan said. "I think it takes out all the anxiety of that first call and that first series."
The scripted plays have yet to produce a touchdown for the slow-starting Huskers, but have begun to garner more yardage. The first 15 plays produced 104 yards and four first downs against Texas Tech, 80 yards and five first downs against Iowa State.
NU offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said they've helped Nebraska get a feel for what's next.
"There's a lot of reasons you script plays, but the big thing is to kind of see what the opponent is going to do," Norvell said. "It basically sets up the structure for how you call a game."
Callahan said the first 15 plays don't necessarily tip NU's hand. But the Pittsburgh script included 11 runs as the Huskers rushed 48 times overall. Ten passes were called against Iowa State (Taylor turned two into runs) on the way to 55 throws.
Nebraska mostly will flash different personnel groupings and shifts and motions.
Some early possessions this season have been squashed by turnovers, penalties, dropped passes or missed field goals. Eventually, Taylor believes the scripted plays will translate into points.
"I don't know how much the crowds have seen it, but we've had success with our first 15 plays," he said. "We have a lot of confidence in how we do things."
Talk of scripting plays became popular with Bill Walsh-coached San Francisco 49er teams. Callahan said Illinois was doing it when he was an Illini assistant in the early 1980s.
The First 15
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opponent Run Pass Yds FD Pts
Maine 9 6 62 4 0
Wake Forest 7 8 29 2 0
Pittsburgh 11 4 80 5 0
Iowa State 7 8 80 5 3
Texas Tech 8 7 104 4 0
Note: FD denotes first downs
LINCOLN - Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor will return to his hotel room tonight knowing what the Huskers' first offensive play will be against Baylor.
I-back Cory Ross will wake up Saturday morning knowing when his first carry will come against the Bears.
Two or three hours before kickoff Saturday night, receiver Terrence Nunn can focus on which pass routes he'll be running early in the game.
That's the way head coach Bill Callahan likes it.
"Sometimes it allows for a fast start, and some of the times it's hit and miss," Callahan said. "But it gives you a starting point and lets everybody kind of settle in and sink their teeth into the game plan."
Part of Callahan's offensive philosophy is to "script" the first 15 plays of a game. Nebraska has done that since he took over last season.
There's no documented proof that it works. None that it doesn't, either. But Callahan swears by it, and his players embrace it.
"I really like it," Taylor said. "We haven't always scored, but defenses really have been caught off-guard."
"It just kind of gets your mind ready," guard Brandon Koch said. "You know what to prepare for. I mean, it's right there. You can go through and think about what you're going to do and what you might see from their defense."
NU offensive players will leave their final meeting tonight with the script. Those first 15 or so plays won't necessarily be run without interruption after the 6:05 kickoff Saturday night, allowing, for example, alterations because of field position or down-and-distance situations.
Callahan said he starts thinking about those first 15 plays on Wednesday and scripts it out in his mind by Thursday night. The offensive assistant coaches submit their own 15-play lists, and the staff will "mix and match" Friday before putting it on paper.
"It's more of a confidence-builder for your offense than anything," Callahan said. "I think it takes out all the anxiety of that first call and that first series."
The scripted plays have yet to produce a touchdown for the slow-starting Huskers, but have begun to garner more yardage. The first 15 plays produced 104 yards and four first downs against Texas Tech, 80 yards and five first downs against Iowa State.
NU offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said they've helped Nebraska get a feel for what's next.
"There's a lot of reasons you script plays, but the big thing is to kind of see what the opponent is going to do," Norvell said. "It basically sets up the structure for how you call a game."
Callahan said the first 15 plays don't necessarily tip NU's hand. But the Pittsburgh script included 11 runs as the Huskers rushed 48 times overall. Ten passes were called against Iowa State (Taylor turned two into runs) on the way to 55 throws.
Nebraska mostly will flash different personnel groupings and shifts and motions.
Some early possessions this season have been squashed by turnovers, penalties, dropped passes or missed field goals. Eventually, Taylor believes the scripted plays will translate into points.
"I don't know how much the crowds have seen it, but we've had success with our first 15 plays," he said. "We have a lot of confidence in how we do things."
Talk of scripting plays became popular with Bill Walsh-coached San Francisco 49er teams. Callahan said Illinois was doing it when he was an Illini assistant in the early 1980s.
The First 15
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opponent Run Pass Yds FD Pts
Maine 9 6 62 4 0
Wake Forest 7 8 29 2 0
Pittsburgh 11 4 80 5 0
Iowa State 7 8 80 5 3
Texas Tech 8 7 104 4 0
Note: FD denotes first downs
