Cross back up to 230 lbs after trimming down to 219 last spring. Says that's where he wants to be.
LJS Article
3rd down back all the way. Not a lot of people talked about it, but Cross's carries would instantly go up if Nebraskas offense just gets themselves into more manageable 3rd down situations. 3rd and 1-3 yards equals instant carries for Cross, especially at that weight, you would think. That would instantly settle the Huskerboard dispute on splitting carries between these guys.
I'm pretty sure the concept of "3rd down back" isn't something seen very often anymore. Too easy to key on for defenses. At least thats my thought process on it. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm 26 years old and coached for 4 years. I know that I still have a long ways to go in the football knowledge department in terms of scheme. Always learning. I just think that there are easier ways to get 3 yards than to ram your head against a wall.
Thats just my philosophy though.
I'm sure Stanford has something to say about that...
Edit: Also, I was sitting in on the RB's session at the coaches clinic listening to Coach Brown talk about drills and scheme and all that jazz. There was one specific clip he showed us, it was Cross, and
he was talking about how Cross has a tendency to run too tall. His pad level needs to get lower. In the clip he got "should have scored a TD" but instead looked like he was crowd surfing in a group of guys. Maybe this has a part in Cross not getting carries. Rather than his weight.