More to the point, the flow worked perfectly well against lesser teams, and the multiple came in handy when those teams decided to go all-in stopping Ameer. Hard to remember, but we were recently among the top rushing, scoring and third down conversion offenses in the country. This same team also notched the highest total offense in a single game in Big 10 history.
The flow goes to hell when we match up against stronger, faster defenses. Not surprisingly, I suppose, but usually more of an indictment of our offensive line than the actual play being called. Also, these same offensive players get the same yips at the same time as the defense and special teams. They aren't mentally tough under big game pressure. When your best player coughs up the ball three times on a play he's made a thousand times, the yips are screwing up far more flow than the playcalling. As head coach, these big game yips are on Bo Pelini.
To think a cure is as simple as handing it to Ameer more, or less, or as obvious as swapping Cross for Abdullah, or committing to the I-formation, or diamond formation, or abandoning the zone read, or letting Armstrong zone read audible more, or checking down to that safety screen (it's always there!) or letting Ryker Fife start just means we have as many sure-fire no-brainer "multiple" solutions as any armchair OC.
When I watch the elite NCAA teams play -- and most NFL teams for that matter -- I see teams throwing on first down. Or three downs in a row. I see their running games rip it up for a quarter, then the offense go "pass happy" for a quarter. Depending on what the defense gives them. I see them rotate quarterbacks and sit star running backs. I see multiple schemes and formations. I see bread and butter plays that work and bread and butter plays that get sniffed out and shut down. I see elite teams that walk all over cupcakes and struggle against peers. Virtually every game these days I see a team inside the 10 yard line and an OC who calls a timing fade route in the end zone rather than trust the run game. Sometimes I see a quarterback like Marcus Mariota or Tom Brady and go "oh yeah. That helps."
Watch match ups of Top 10 teams and you rarely see four quarters of offensive flow. You see good defenses making adjustments, a of lot of three and outs and punts, and plenty of slugfests decided by a singular fourth quarter offensive drives. You see games won in the trenches by huge, highly recruited linemen.
Nebraska has problems right now. Offensive playcalling is not at the top of my list.
