I will admit watching the Navy-Army game got me all nostalgic about option offenses and how great it was to see, then i look at our team and think we need more of that in the gameplan. I all for a more balanced offense but our offense just doesn't work against the better teams. Martinez had 1 good game passing all season. Our wide receivers drop too many balls. We can't have a good qb but no good receivers or a poor passing qb like now but good receivers. We need both. The one constant we have had was good running backs. If it wasn't for Georiga Tech having good success running the option i wouldn't even think of going to it. But they have a conference title(later vacated) and been to a BCS bowl game. I just hate watching our offense struggle and the staff keep thinking we have the players to run it. Against lesser teams sure. Notice how this season in our conference games we won all the tough ones running the ball and lost all the ones where we passed way too much. Maybe Bo sees this for next season and realizes we can't just go 3 and out all the time and rely on our defense to save us. Eventually the defense will get wore down.
Time to start implementing more option
- Thread starter husker_99
- Start date
Hammerhead
All-Conference
We ran plenty of option this season, and it was rarely effective. We don't have the personnel to consistently run it effectively.
must of been the couple of games i missed watching. From what i saw we rarely ran it. Plus you need to include your fullbacks too to make it effective.
Lyons in the Sea of Red.
All-Conference
We ran the option, many times to the short side of the field.
that's why Martinez wouldn't be running it. Carnes would be. Martinez's speed isn't as effective in the Big Ten like in the Big 12. He was getting caught from behind. Plus it also reduces passing attempts which would limit throwing out prayers. Our coaches need to teach a lot of things still cause we are simply making dumb mistakes. illegal formation, ball security those can be fixed.
HUSKER FREAK
Starter
Martinez's biggest problemis he isn't able to sell the option for what ever reason. IDK if he is just that indecisive, gun shy, or what, but he can not sell it so it won't work.
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Hammerhead
All-Conference
I think that could work, because it establishes more threats that defenders have to worry about.
Running it to the long side of the field would be nice too... for a change...
n.e.husker
Starter
This was our first season in this offense with a new cordinator with no previous D1 play calling experience. My guess is that we will continue to get better as a whole offensively.
The Dude
Heisman Trophy Winner
I'm fine with running it to the short side as long as Martinez attacks the defender instead of attacking the sideline.
The Dude
Heisman Trophy Winner
I would have said the same thing about Michigan State. Worked out pretty good then. I don't think we're a great option team yet, but there's only one way to get there.
This has nothing to do with a new cordinator. This has everything to do with player personnel. We simply don't have a good passing qb with receivers that can constantly catch it.
JJ Husker
Assistant Coach
This offense tries to do too many things to be ultra effective at the option game. There are so many intracasies to running the option perfectly that you would have to be 99% committed to only running the option if you want the same results as we had with Frost, Crouch, Frazier, etc. Currently we do not have the O linemen and I doubt they commit the required practice time to doing it much better than we see on Saturdays. I really think Martinez could learn to run it but not when he has so many other things to consider with the other formations etc. He doesn't make defenders commit on the corners but I think that is a product of coaching emphasis and not due to any limit of his ability.
The OP stated that we won all the tough conference games by running and lost the others because we passed too much. While that appears true on the surface, the real problems with those losses were that we were forced into passing situations for many different reasons. Inability to run the ball, inability to gain yards on 1st or 2nd down, penalties, game time issues that caused the play calling to go to the pass rather than the run, etc. It's not just that we passed too much it's that we HAD to pass too much. And then there's the whole issue of simply being outplayed and generally looking like crap in those games. I too would like to see us run more option but it requires a lot more than simply calling more option plays.
The OP stated that we won all the tough conference games by running and lost the others because we passed too much. While that appears true on the surface, the real problems with those losses were that we were forced into passing situations for many different reasons. Inability to run the ball, inability to gain yards on 1st or 2nd down, penalties, game time issues that caused the play calling to go to the pass rather than the run, etc. It's not just that we passed too much it's that we HAD to pass too much. And then there's the whole issue of simply being outplayed and generally looking like crap in those games. I too would like to see us run more option but it requires a lot more than simply calling more option plays.
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