The 'Old' Nebraska Offense ... Why The Hell Not?

[gratefullred]

I think it could work, but who could coach it? Dont say Tom.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Was it still a triple option offense even though the first fake to the FB was never an actual read in Osborne's option? Whenever the FB got the ball on that play, it was always a called play. That's what I've always heard anyway. I could be wrong.

That is untrue, there were called FB gives but we ran a triple option, speed option, zone option, etc. The speed option did not utilize a FB read, only QB and IB.

 

[Mort Blort]

...

IIRC, Colin Cowherd said a long time ago that NU would be just fine sticking with the option offense because we can't compete with west coast & southern teams in trying to recruit 5* WR's. Go to Fla. or Nebraska? Not a hard decision for a kid that doesn't like to be cold.

...

Goood fit in Big 10 though.

That's a powerful part of the reason we need to go our own way on offense. We won't win championships with a finesse offense that requires that we out-recruit the local schools in California, Florida and Texas.

AND we just plain need an offense that's adapted to, or adaptable enough for, our weather extremes. Nebraska/Big Ten weather is just great for a finesse offense in September and most of October. November's cold and wind sometimes dictates that you need to have a smashmouth capability in your offense.

 

[audiciter]

Why the hell not the old offense?

...because we don't have anywhere near the talent here on the OL to run it. You need fast, agile, elite lineman at all 5 positions to run that offense. We have a hodgepodge of lineman that aren't cohesive together because half are run blockers and half are pass blockers.

You can't ask a 6'7" 350 lb. guy to play in a triple option offense, how is that guy going to be a pulling guard/tackle?

I disagree. 2 reasons...

1. Georgia Tech #1 in rushing yards per game at 327.

2. Air Force #2 in rushing yards at 306

They might have fast linemen, but they're far from 'elite'. Option football is assignment football at its finest. When ran well it is one of the hardest offenses to defend. The option is today what the spread offense was a long time ago. Only a few teams ran the spread back in the day and it was hard for teams to defend it. Largely because they couldn't prepare for it in practice with their personnel. Same thing with the option today. Everyone seems to run some version of the spread and they can get a good look at it with the scout team in practice. What happens when you go up against an option team and you try to get some quality reps from the scout team running the option? You don't get many quality reps.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Why the hell not the old offense?

...because we don't have anywhere near the talent here on the OL to run it. You need fast, agile, elite lineman at all 5 positions to run that offense. We have a hodgepodge of lineman that aren't cohesive together because half are run blockers and half are pass blockers.

You can't ask a 6'7" 350 lb. guy to play in a triple option offense, how is that guy going to be a pulling guard/tackle?

I disagree. 2 reasons...

1. Georgia Tech #1 in rushing yards per game at 327.

2. Air Force #2 in rushing yards at 306

They might have fast linemen, but they're far from 'elite'. Option football is assignment football at its finest. When ran well it is one of the hardest offenses to defend. The option is today what the spread offense was a long time ago. Only a few teams ran the spread back in the day and it was hard for teams to defend it. Largely because they couldn't prepare for it in practice with their personnel. Same thing with the option today. Everyone seems to run some version of the spread and they can get a good look at it with the scout team in practice. What happens when you go up against an option team and you try to get some quality reps from the scout team running the option? You don't get many quality reps.

Rushing yards don't tell the whole story, here is the whole story...

Georgia Tech: 6-7

Air Force: 9-4

Played each other in the Independence Bowl, Air Force won 14-7.

You don't need elite lineman to make it to or win the Independence Bowl. You need them to win National Championships. Isn't that what we are chasing here?

btw, I agree with your assessment on the option. We don't have the pieces to run that offense right now, is what I'm saying.

 

[Danimal]

We ran the option but we weren't an option-team ala GT and the service-academies. Plenty of our run-plays weren't options and we were fairly effective through the air. I think a little more-balanced(60/40) version of our old O would work well. You know, enough passes that we can get some talent at qb and wr but still a run-oriented power-team.

 

[huskerSoldier321]

I've been watching a few 95 highlights. Is it just me or does the Oline look like big linebackers. I mean there slimer, faster, and stronger. Just well condition guys. IMO We would need a Oline like that to bring back the old offense

 

[krill]

They might have fast linemen, but they're far from 'elite'. Option football is assignment football at its finest. When ran well it is one of the hardest offenses to defend. The option is today what the spread offense was a long time ago. Only a few teams ran the spread back in the day and it was hard for teams to defend it. Largely because they couldn't prepare for it in practice with their personnel.

Doesn't really matter how much you practice against a prolific spread offense...if you don't have good corners and a decent pass rush there's no way to stop it. The no huddle OU / OSU / Oregon add into it creates another dimension that limits the effectiveness of practice.

Let's go back to 1998, the first year we played the good Texas teams in the Big 12. We lost both those games and K-State dropped a 40 bomb on McBride's defense with Michael Bishop running zone reads.

Spread formations and zone read plays are not going away any time soon...we can run that offense but we have to be able to pass too. Not going to win many big games with baseball players at wide out and pass protection like we saw against OU and Washington. Oh and 3000 fumbles and 100+ penalty yards a game.

 

[bshirt]

Call me old school. Call me hopelessly out of touch with football as it's played in this millennium.

Go ahead. Resurrect the old idea that the Husker offense that built the program -- the product of ~30 years of refinement to fit a particular situation of available athletes and weather extremes -- the offense that Callahan abandoned -- can't be done anymore. People say it with conviction: "We can't go back."

And I wonder ... Why The Hell Not?

Bring back Rathman. Bring back Frost. Start here (http://trojanfootballanalysis.com/?p=25); add in a few things based on experience to make it better, just like Ozbo did every year.

BE IT RESOLVED: The wheels fell off when we abandoned the old playbook like it had leprosy.

What a stupid post.

If we ditched our "multiple" WCO for TO's offense we could never go 3 & out all game long with zero TDs vs any decent defense. What in the world were you thinking? :dunno

 

[bshirt]

Why the hell not the old offense?

...because we don't have anywhere near the talent here on the OL to run it. You need fast, agile, elite lineman at all 5 positions to run that offense. We have a hodgepodge of lineman that aren't cohesive together because half are run blockers and half are pass blockers.

You can't ask a 6'7" 350 lb. guy to play in a triple option offense, how is that guy going to be a pulling guard/tackle?

Our offensive line isn't good for any offensive system right now. I have a hard time imagining us taking a step backwards.

Exactly.

What risk would there be at all? That our offense would be "worse" than the last two years? I highly, highly doubt it.

 

[Ziebol]

It all starts with the line. I'm excited for the new faces we should see next year, but this year was inexcusable by them. Our bread and butter is the run but towards the end and any fast defenses we were mediocre at best.

 

[deedsker15]

Actually I think our lined proved quite the opposite this year. We had a good run blocking line and were decent at pulling which are needed in an option offense. I think there terrible pass protection skills are why we are bashing them for the most part.

 

[audiciter]

Why the hell not the old offense?

...because we don't have anywhere near the talent here on the OL to run it. You need fast, agile, elite lineman at all 5 positions to run that offense. We have a hodgepodge of lineman that aren't cohesive together because half are run blockers and half are pass blockers.

You can't ask a 6'7" 350 lb. guy to play in a triple option offense, how is that guy going to be a pulling guard/tackle?

I disagree. 2 reasons...

1. Georgia Tech #1 in rushing yards per game at 327.

2. Air Force #2 in rushing yards at 306

They might have fast linemen, but they're far from 'elite'. Option football is assignment football at its finest. When ran well it is one of the hardest offenses to defend. The option is today what the spread offense was a long time ago. Only a few teams ran the spread back in the day and it was hard for teams to defend it. Largely because they couldn't prepare for it in practice with their personnel. Same thing with the option today. Everyone seems to run some version of the spread and they can get a good look at it with the scout team in practice. What happens when you go up against an option team and you try to get some quality reps from the scout team running the option? You don't get many quality reps.

Rushing yards don't tell the whole story, here is the whole story...

Georgia Tech: 6-7

Air Force: 9-4

Played each other in the Independence Bowl, Air Force won 14-7.

You don't need elite lineman to make it to or win the Independence Bowl. You need them to win National Championships. Isn't that what we are chasing here?

btw, I agree with your assessment on the option. We don't have the pieces to run that offense right now, is what I'm saying.

6-7 and 9-4 with horrible defenses. Air Force ran for 351 yards against Oklahoma. 458 yards total. Can you imagine if we could have had that kind of output in addition to our defense? It would make our defense even better as well. We eat up more clock and opposing offenses have even less yards/points because they are never on the field.

 

[Blaze1up]

I agree, love the offense more then anything. Ground and pound but you won't get the top QB recruits. Keep it flexible with power formations and playactions otherwise your looking to attract Joe Daileys and Jamal Lords.