What did we learn? Northwestern Version

cheekygeek said:
The biggest thing I learned, between the offensive play calling and the postgame comments by Rhule, are that Run the Dang Ball Coach knows we still are going to need to develop a functional passing game - especially with less experienced players being thrust into the fray by receiver injuries. They are going to “coach through” the difficulties and the process. I think this is wise and, like sausage making, isn’t going to be pretty.

I also learned that Omar is FAST. I can’t remember the last time a breakaway play against Nebraska was caught from behind, and it also happened with Farmer’s TD saving pursuit near the 10 yd line. Both HUGE plays.

Finally, I’m shaking my head over how many of us were afraid of a 3-3-5 and how it would work in the Big Ten.The Blackshirts are back baybee - now I’d like to see a return to throwing the bones.
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Yes.  

I was thinking about this during this week's game.  I think sometimes they are passing to....learn how to pass and what this team can and can't do.  We aren't going to get better at passing if we don't pass.

And...it's not like the run game was running all over NW.

For me, the passing game wasn't the disappointment this game.  It was that we couldn't line up and run against NW when we wanted/needed to.

 
Problem with the offense is simple and devastating

*We have a below average OC calling an offense he doesn't know.

*We have a below average OL that now has injuries

*We have a below average WR room that has been devastated with injuries.

*We had an average RB room, that now has been devastated with injuries.

*Our starting QB may have been slated to be a TE this year??

Heck, we are lucky to have 4 wins and we may get 6.

Need to hit the portal in the off season and send a bunch there.

 
Born N Bled Red said:
Do you know what trendlines are? A one season variation of half a percent does not make a trend. Do I need to back the chart up 5 more years to more clearly show the Huskers have been trending down since 1997??? Seriously you are arguing just to argue. We have been in a 25 year decline. The only hope is last year we hit our floor and we.go back on the upswing. 
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Here you go, I backed the data up 5 more years, and included trendlines. 

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BigRedBuster said:
For me, the passing game wasn't the disappointment this game.  It was that we couldn't line up and run against NW when we wanted/needed to.
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We had 163 yards rushing and 85 yards passing. Our leading rusher averaged 6.1 yards per carry. What would the number of rushing yards be that would have made it not disappointing?

BigRedBuster said:
I was thinking about this during this week's game.  I think sometimes they are passing to....learn how to pass and what this team can and can't do.  We aren't going to get better at passing if we don't pass.
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The coaches are pretty dumb if they can't see what Haarberg isn't capable of doing at this point. There's plenty of opportunity for the 1's on offense to improve in the passing game against the 1's on defense in practice.

I think the play call on the first play by the coaches is way less about "learning how to pass" and more about being a little too worried about not being able to line up and run the ball on a B1G opponent. We wanted the element of surprise and there's nothing wrong with that, but I think we've seen enough of Haarberg in those situations to know it's maybe not worth the risk.

I think this is the second time we've done this on the first play (not that the first time was a pick, but an incompletion). So to the point of seeing what the team can and can't do...let's maybe just not do that anymore.

 
Undone said:
The coaches are pretty dumb if they can't see what Haarberg isn't capable of doing at this point. There's plenty of opportunity for the 1's on offense to improve in the passing game against the 1's on defense in practice.

I think the play call on the first play by the coaches is way less about "learning how to pass" and more about being a little too worried about not being able to line up and run the ball on a B1G opponent. We wanted the element of surprise and there's nothing wrong with that, but I think we've seen enough of Haarberg in those situations to know it's maybe not worth the risk.

I think this is the second time we've done this on the first play (not that the first time was a pick, but an incompletion). So to the point of seeing what the team can and can't do...let's maybe just not do that anymore.
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And yet, we only scored 17 points.  We put up 163 yards rushing, but it wasn't putting points on the board.

I could go back and forth with the first play of the game.  If that ball leads Fidone, he goes a very long ways.  Then, HH throws two very catchable balls to him and he drops them....I think one was the second Int.  So, HH isn't totally inept in the passing game.  And, my comments is not just about HH.  The entire team needs to get better in this part of the game.

 
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BigRedBuster said:
Yes.  

I was thinking about this during this week's game.  I think sometimes they are passing to....learn how to pass and what this team can and can't do.  We aren't going to get better at passing if we don't pass.

And...it's not like the run game was running all over NW.

For me, the passing game wasn't the disappointment this game.  It was that we couldn't line up and run against NW when we wanted/needed to.
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Rhule has said this specifically in press conferences. How are we going to get a better passing attack if we don’t try to pass it. 
 

that’s why I said in another post. Some of you would gain a lot of valuable insight into actually listening to at least Rhules press conferences. 

 
With all the debate about who is the better QB (Sims or Haarberg), at least when HH drops a shotgun snap he falls on it and lives to run another play & JS tries to pick it up and make a play but never actually does so.

 
knapplc said:
Interesting tidbit from Jack:
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You just need a bad offense and a home-state kicker - Ohio State 2016 (62-3) was the previous time I can find, along with that farce of a game against against A&M in 2010 (9-6). Some other possibilities (2018 Michigan where Mazour scored our only TD, 2018 MSU where we won 9-6) ruined by an out of state kicker.

Now getting at least 17 points all by in-state guys and winning probably goes back a ways. I'd guess Crouch era, but would have to be games where he didn't pitch much because most of those RBs were from other states.

 
BigRedBuster said:
And yet, we only scored 17 points.  We put up 163 yards rushing, but it wasn't putting points on the board.
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Because we had only 87 yards passing and 40+ came on 1 play.   The passing game is atrocious, beyond  awful, is the concerning part of the team and is what’s holding the offense back.
 

It’s actually very hard to have only 87 yards throwing in a game in todays age of offense.  

 
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