Spring Position Battles - Running Backs

Riley seemed to have Terrell Newby and Devine Ozigbo on one tier, with Mikale Wilbon and Adam Taylor on that next tier. Riley said Wilbon should be "in the mix" athletically, while the coaches are intrigued to see what Taylor can do now that he's fully recovered from a devastating leg injury suffered in fall camp 2014. If you read between the lines, Wilbon's opportunity is clearly upon him. At fullback, Harrison Jordan will get the first look, with perhaps Graham Nabity mixing in. Nabity is a good runner who will need to transition to blocking.
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OWH

 
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We haven't even started spring ball and this thread is in mid season form!

We've got 3 different conversations happening, arguments over former players, clamoring for back ups!

Great start but pace yourselves guys.

 
I think it will be quite telling as to whether we see a redshirt from Bryant this fall early on. That will tell me they have confidence that the Newby Wilbon, Taylor are all adequate backups for Ozigbo who Riley recruited and it would seem looked like the likely starter after the bowl game in my opinion. I think Riley prefers a back with pass catching hands that does not fumble and pass blocks well and can move the pile forward after contact. While any coach wants a back who can break the big one, Riley is more interested as I see it in having a back who gets a couple extra yards after contact and avoids the tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

i think we will see that Bryant and Ozigbo fit that billing more so than Wilbon, Taylor and Newby. Newby might be a little undersized and too much 'all purpose' and not enough power and blocking. He does tend to dance instead of advance sometimes as well. We haven't seen enough of Wilbon or Taylor to really know first hand but if the scuttlebut is to be believed you read on here, then Taylor lacks good blocking skills. Of course he has been hurt so much apparently. Wilbon is more of a scat back as I recall. Often those guys are good pass catchers out of the back field but won't move the pile much and sometimes struggle for lack of size in blocking on the blitzes.

Just my take from reading, listening, and watching the film etc I have found.

I am excited to see what Bryant will be able to show come fall. Assuming we get to see much.

 
84HuskerLaw said:
Rex Burkhead was a dam fine RB and certainly would have been a FB in TO's days and could have played IB as well but lacked the break away 4.4 speed it would have taken to crack the line up from the deep spot. During the 90s we had almost zero RBs on the roster that played any significant time in their careers that ran slower than 4.55 and few were over 4.5 really. Even big Dan Alexander who finished under Solich was a sub 4.5 guy. Cory Ross was perhaps the slowest IB to start for the Huskers unless you go back to the '70s with big slow guys like Monte Anthony, etc. At that time the RBs were favored if they were bigger and 'pile pushers' when we tried to over power instead of out run defenders.

It is rather stranged that Omaha has failed to produce any really high caliber RBs in the past deade or so. We used to always take the top backs out of Omaha Central. Solich recruited David Horne out of Omaha instead of North Platte's star Danny Woodhead and instead of USC star Reggie Bush. Horne ran a 4.8 or so and never could have turned the corner on anybody. The option game was not going to work as the QB would have already turned the corner or been tackled waiting on the IB to get to the pitch location.
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Wow that is a lot of rivisionist and wrong history. Woodhead graduated from NP in 2004 and Horne graduated in 2002, so he didn't take Horne over Woodhead. I have no idea where this Reggie Bush stuff comes into play he was not coming to Nebraska. Rex would have been a fine RB in the old TO offense. I think he ran a 4.52 at the combine. Monte Anthony was not slow. Jays Simms was the fastest Iback on the team in the 90's and he couldn't crack the top 4. Straight line speed is nice and you don't want a kid to be completely slow, but it is a little down on the list as to what makes a great RB. Mike Rozier ran around a 4.6, no one complained he was too slow.

 
OK we are going to play a little game regarding elite players, pantheons and such. If we start with a pool of elite players, and want to replace one with another on a " first team" it shouldn't matter very much who we switch out for a half, after all it's one elite for another correct?

OK lets start with DT. We have Suh and Parrella in the game, and on the bench we have Rich Glover. OK when we sub Glover in for Suh, not a big deal, right?

OK lets look at Elite Running Back. We have Rozier, Phillips, Calvin Jones, Ahman Green. Which one are you going to be OK taking out and putting Burkhead in for a half?

If you are like me, the answer is NONE.

 
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I concur with girl, I think Tre Bryant has ample opportunity to step in and contribute. The field is wide open. I am concerned how effective the position will be, though. Every player has to make a big step up from where they were last year. It's not clear at all that NU will find anyone to equal what Rex or Roy or Ameer were to this team.

 
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Sounds like Ozigbo bulked himself up in the offseason. One reporter said his legs are huge. Question I have is did he add speed or does that almost certainly solidify him as the up the middle power back and short yardage back?

 
girlknowsfootball said:
Sounds like Ozigbo bulked himself up in the offseason. One reporter said his legs are huge. Question I have is did he add speed or does that almost certainly solidify him as the up the middle power back and short yardage back?
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As long as he didn't lose speed he could still be the every down back. Firmly believe he should be our #1 guy, until someone takes it from him.
 
I'd rather have a feature back gain power at the expense of speed if he has the choice. Being a power back doesn't prevent long gains (see Imani Cross, Quentin Castille) or take away from pass-blocking. The screens and sweeps, etc, that finesse backs often do can be replaced by slot receivers in Riley's offenses. And having to feature a finesse-only back with speed presents obvious challenges to getting and keeping the run game going.

 
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If we are still talking about Newby and Ozigbo as our main guys once the season is about to start I can't say I'm going to be terribly excited about our run game heading into this season.
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Never thought I'd feel like that about something that has been such an integral part of Nebraska football as long as I can remember.

Riley better pull his head out and get Wilbon out there. If he's not fumbling there is absolutely no reason he shouldn't be seeing touches. I'm not buying the whole needs to learn the position better bit.

 
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suh_fan93 said:
If we are still talking about Newby and Ozigbo as our main guys once the season is about to start I can't say I'm going to be terribly excited about our run game heading into this season.
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Never thought I'd feel like that about something that has been such an integral part of Nebraska football as long as I can remember.

Riley better pull his head out and get Wilbon out there. If he's not fumbling there is absolutely no reason he shouldn't be seeing touches. I'm not buying the whole needs to learn the position better bit.
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Can we just admit the staff isn't as stupid as some want to think concerning the RB position?

I'm pretty sure the Wilbon decline is from thr lack of pass blocking he presents, which was discussed already. If he improved that, he will compete. Simple as that. And if it ends up being Ozigbo, to say you aren't excited is just being biased for no good reason.

 
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