You can't change the nature of an OC

[Jeremy]

Elite as in Big 10 elite or national level? Ohio St won last year with passing and running. Elliot is an all-american that can change a game with one run.

I think whats lost on people is that Neb doesn't have that talent level. Not even close. Talent level is average, and yes with average talent you should do things that play into there strengths, but still, average talent can't lineup and just blow guys off the line and gain 4 or 5 yards per carry.

LSU has Fournette, best running back I have seen since maybe Adrian Petersen in the college game. Gains yards by himself. Elliiot is right there with him. 1a and 1b if your comparing what they can do for a team. Yes, winning the games in the Big 10 you should be able to run first. Green Bay however plays in maybe one of the worst weather areas for any football team and they pass the ball a lot, and win a lot.

Stuck in time guys, stuck in time. If you want to be relevant, you have to have playmakers to run and catch the ball. If you want elite level recruits to even visit, you have to pass some and have a good QB system in place. Solich was ran out because he wouldn't change some from the option to a more standard offense. Remember Jamal Lord? He could run, he could run the option, but he couldn't hit an open receiver 10 yards away.

I don't believe the game has changed as much as people say it has. If anything, it's easier to run the ball now than it was, given all the jersey grabbing I see EVERY play. Elliot absolutely had an elite line to run behind. Granted, OSU had elites at QB and reciever, but we will NEVER get everything.

We CAN get linemen and backs if we focus on it, but Mr. Golden Arm isn't going to leave Florida, Cali, or Texas to come to Lincoln, nor is the next Megatron or Keyshawn.

I can't believe we haven't learned this lesson from '04-'07.

Might want to pay attention to what is happening in recruiting for Nebraska these days....just sayin

So, what is happening? Last I heard, we're hovering around what, 20th to 23rd? Didn't Callahan pull a 'top 10' class in '05? Yeah, that turned out great.

 

[Whs from cb]

Think about this: We hired a OC that worked in the NFL, a head coach that worked in the NFL, and much of there play calling and time management comes from there belief that the pro game is superior to the college level. It is but we are at the college level. The WCO works for teams that have 4-5 star receivers that can catch the ball and a 4-5 star QB that can get the ball to the receiver. How many 4-5 star recievers do we have? Is our QB strength in his arms or his ability to run the ball? What happened to we are going to work to the strength of the program? From what I can see we are setting up a game plan based on NFL level players, and not working to the strength of the program. This may work in Green Bay because those players are the best at what they do. We don't have that level of talent here, and is a primary reason we have so many dropped passes and can't make the third down and short yardage needed for a first down. Until we get that type of player to come to Nebraska we are not going to get much better with this type of play calling. We need to focus on what works for us and the majority of the college game. Run the Ball. Stop the stupid penalties, run the game plan based on the the strength of your team. We need to put players in a situation that has the highest percentage of success to win games.

 

[Mavric]

I got overall, 46.61% run, 53.38% pass. You have to adjust for sacks because those aren't running plays obviously.

The wins it's almost exactly 50-50. That's what's telling to me. Even with a lead they didn't lean on the run.

In the losses, 44.09% run, 55.90% pass.

Yep. 190 pass attempts plus 7 sacks is 197 passing plays. 179 rushing attempts minus the 7 sacks is 172.

Then if you really want to get the true picture, you adjust for the number of times TA has scrambled on a called pass play. He has 37 rushing attempts which includes the 7 sacks. How many of the other 30 were called pass plays? I'd guess 10-15 (2-3 per game). If it's 10, that makes it 56/44 passing to rushing.

 

[Bowfin]

I think we saw a prime example of what the Original Poster is saying. Nebraska had a first and 10 and then Wisconsin went offsides. That would make it first and five, and Newby seems to be running better, more decisively, at that time Cross seemed to be getting 2-5 yards on demand, and we have Armstrong and Janovich running well.

So what does the OC call? A screen pass which went incomplete, then another that failed, then a pass play that resulted in a holding call, and then another pass play that broke down and Armstrong ran for the first. Play calling turned a first and five into something like a third and more than ten. I just don't get it, probably never will, but that is what the OP is pointing out. It's not what they do, it's who they are.

 

[Dansker]

The OP makes valid points. I was furious as to why we kept passing on first down as well. At one point WI got penalized and it was 1st and 5 and we just kept tossing it around like a hot potato... what the heck? And when you're shuffling running backs in and out of the game like they're on an ice hockey shift, you've got problems. We have no identity to hang our hats on, nothing but predictable mistakes.