SI's Andy Staples on Husker's National Perception

[GBRFAN]

I believe that the talent gap is closed with the spread offense in every group except the line. We are getting near elite talent at all the spots except o-line and as long as the o-line can handle their task we will hold our own.

I'm using 247's rankings from the recruits page here at huskerboard and I'm using http://www.ourlads.com/ncaa-football-depth-charts/depth-chart/nebraska/91303 for the two deep:

Starting:

LT Nick Gates -

LG Jerald Foster -

C Michael Decker -

RG Tanner Farmer -

RT David Knevel -

Second String

LT Matt Farniok -

LG John Raridon -

C Cole Conrad - Walk-On (probably 2-3 stars)

RG Boe Wilson -

RT Christian Gaylord -

Yeah boy we sure look to be lagging behind. Only 6 out of 10 of our two string O-Line recruits are 4 star. We really suck.

At no point did I say we suck on the O-line. We are in the mix and have gotten several players that are in the top 300 "elite" players - how many of those are skilled players? how many are o-line?

 

[dvdcrr]

Line development has not been the best, AND the star system is imperfect.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Line development has not been the best, AND the star system is imperfect.

I think evaluating linemen would be the hardest for the recruiting services. So many of those kids dominate in high school because they are just way bigger than their opponent. Yes, there are camps that put them against better players, but those are done without pads. It's tough to evaluate how the lineman will react when he is going up against guys his size. Does he have the motor and the competitive edge that will make him a good lineman? You can have the best technique and be well-coached, but sometimes you have to be nastier and meaner than the guy in front of you.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

That was with a QB that Riley and Langsdorf didn't want to pass. It will be interesting to see how that ratio changes with Lee. I don't have a problem with passing, but the team better be able to run the ball, too.

 

[Mavric]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

Benning and Schaefer were having quite the Twitter conversation about it this morning. It's not that far fetched.

I don't see why it's so hard to see people's skepticism about what kind of offense they're going to run. Supporters have been hanging their hats for two years on Langs getting a QB that can run his system. Then you try to act like he's not going to use that QB more? Doesn't make sense.

 

[Mavric]

Anectdotal but they are taking a QB to B1G Media Days who hasn't even been suited up for a game yet while not taking any RBs or Offensive Linemen who have played a lot.

Hmmmmmm........

 

[Nebfanatic]

Just because he may use the qb more doesn't mean they are going to pass more than they run. It may be closer to 50 50 but it's annoying when people assume we are going to turn into an air raid offense because we have a capable QB.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

That was with a QB that Riley and Langsdorf didn't want to pass. It will be interesting to see how that ratio changes with Lee. I don't have a problem with passing, but the team better be able to run the ball, too.

Under Pelini/Beck, Tommy Armstrong threw 345 attempts over 13 games in 2014, averaging 26 passes per game.

Under Riley.Langdsdorf, Tommy Armstrong threw 294 attempts over 11 games in 2016, averaging 26 passes per game.

Over at Alabama, they averaged 27 pass attempts per game to go along with 42 rushing attempts last season. Nebraska averaged 40 rushing attempts.

Maybe we fret about this ratio a little too much. Fact remains we have to get a little better at everything we do on offense. And fewer people would be complaining about our offense if the defense had been up to standard the past six seasons.

 

[dvdcrr]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

... there you go with facts again.

 

[Mavric]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

That was with a QB that Riley and Langsdorf didn't want to pass. It will be interesting to see how that ratio changes with Lee. I don't have a problem with passing, but the team better be able to run the ball, too.

Under Pelini/Beck, Tommy Armstrong threw 345 attempts over 13 games in 2014, averaging 26 passes per game.

Under Riley.Langdsdorf, Tommy Armstrong threw 294 attempts over 11 games in 2016, averaging 26 passes per game.

Over at Alabama, they averaged 27 pass attempts per game to go along with 42 rushing attempts last season. Nebraska averaged 40 rushing attempts.

Maybe we fret about this ratio a little too much. Fact remains we have to get a little better at everything we do on offense. And fewer people would be complaining about our offense if the defense had been up to standard the past six seasons.

Convenient that you skipped over 2015.

 

[Mavric]

Just because he may use the qb more doesn't mean they are going to pass more than they run. It may be closer to 50 50 but it's annoying when people assume we are going to turn into an air raid offense because we have a capable QB.

How exactly would one go about using a non-running QB more without passing more?

 

[Mavric]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

That was with a QB that Riley and Langsdorf didn't want to pass. It will be interesting to see how that ratio changes with Lee. I don't have a problem with passing, but the team better be able to run the ball, too.

Under Pelini/Beck, Tommy Armstrong threw 345 attempts over 13 games in 2014, averaging 26 passes per game.

Under Riley.Langdsdorf, Tommy Armstrong threw 294 attempts over 11 games in 2016, averaging 26 passes per game.

Over at Alabama, they averaged 27 pass attempts per game to go along with 42 rushing attempts last season. Nebraska averaged 40 rushing attempts.

Maybe we fret about this ratio a little too much. Fact remains we have to get a little better at everything we do on offense. And fewer people would be complaining about our offense if the defense had been up to standard the past six seasons.

Convenient that you skipped over 2015.

And this year's spring game.

 

[Nebfanatic]

Just because he may use the qb more doesn't mean they are going to pass more than they run. It may be closer to 50 50 but it's annoying when people assume we are going to turn into an air raid offense because we have a capable QB.

How exactly would one go about using a non-running QB more without passing more?

We can pass more and still pass less than we run. We ran the ball 120 more times than we threw it last year. The gap can be closed without throwing more than running. Try reading my post more carefully next time.
Example: next season we run the ball 480 times and throw it 440 times. We use the qb more and still run more than we throw. Now was that really that difficult?

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Riley doesnt use the pass to open up the run. He uses the pass to open up the PASS.

And the result is usually a well conditioned punt unit.

Nebraska ran the ball 523 times and passed the ball 400 times last season, and was fourth in 3rd Down Conversions among the Big 10, ahead of both Michigan and Penn State.

But whatever.

That was with a QB that Riley and Langsdorf didn't want to pass. It will be interesting to see how that ratio changes with Lee. I don't have a problem with passing, but the team better be able to run the ball, too.

Under Pelini/Beck, Tommy Armstrong threw 345 attempts over 13 games in 2014, averaging 26 passes per game.

Under Riley.Langdsdorf, Tommy Armstrong threw 294 attempts over 11 games in 2016, averaging 26 passes per game.

Over at Alabama, they averaged 27 pass attempts per game to go along with 42 rushing attempts last season. Nebraska averaged 40 rushing attempts.

Maybe we fret about this ratio a little too much. Fact remains we have to get a little better at everything we do on offense. And fewer people would be complaining about our offense if the defense had been up to standard the past six seasons.

We probably do fret about this ratio a little too much, and winning teams should have a higher rushing attempt ratio, as they are running the ball more in the 4th quarter to keep the clock running.

Most statistical analysis by the experts is done when the game is in the first 3 quarters and when the score is within 7-10 points either way. If NU was up by 3 TD's, a not running the ball every play, that would be concerning, and those run plays will skew the stats to more of a run percentage.