McKewon: Why Huskers Can't or Won't Run the Ball

huskerfan92

huskerfan92

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http://www.omaha.com/huskers/why-can-t-or-won-t-nebraska-run-the-ball/article_7434f2aa-8016-11e5-9e61-fff3075408df.html

Most telling quote:

Too many carries for loss. Langsdorf said Nebraska tried running the ball more in the first half, but couldn't always get untracked because of tackles for loss.

“If we can just get 1 yard out of it, we wouldn't be playing so far behind the chains,” Langsdorf said. Purdue had six tackles for loss, two of which were sacks. An end around to De'Mornay Pierson-El was blown up on the opening drive by an unblocked Purdue defender, while another end around was botched between Fyfe and wideout Jamal Turner after Pierson-El got hurt.
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So they blame the tackles for loss, but 4 of the 6 involved an end around or sack. Are they not aware that on some running plays you'll lose a yard? Sorry but 2 tackles for loss on running back carries is not a good enough excuse to say they couldn't run the ball.

Yet they won't even think about abandoning the pass, with all of those interceptions....this staff is lost.

 
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This is most definitely a "won't" run the ball. Or - probably more accurately - "looking for any excuse to throw the ball".

We came into this game - on the road - with a walk-on QB who'd barely played. Purdue has the #100 rushing defense in the country. There is absolutely no reason not to run the ball basically every play. Unless you simply don't like running the ball and would rather throw it whenever you can.

Newby averaged 5.6 yards per carry. He had one carry for negative yardage that came in our last possession before the half. We still got a first down after that.

Cross averaged 4.9 yards per carry. He had one carry for negative yardage on the first play of the second quarter.

The only other negative yardage play from someone not named Ryker Fyfe (which were all called passes) was the failed Jet Sweep to DPE.

So we ran 77 plays on the day. Exactly three of them were negative rushing plays.

This isn't the first game that Langsdorf has used the Phantom Excuse of the running game having a bunch of negative plays as the reason he went away from it. He is looking for any excuse to throw the ball.

Three negative rushing plays is more of an excuse to quit running the ball than four interceptions is an excuse to quit passing it.

He doesn't get it.

 
Everything is eerily similar to the Callahan era. The mistakes, the losses, the high pass attempts, lack of a running game. The loss today I consider a blowout even though we managed to get garbage points late in the game very similar to '07 USC game where we lost 49-31 but everyone saw how bad Nebraska got beat and the score didn't indicate that at all. We're in for a wild one, that's for sure. We have fired two guys in the past 12 years who both finished 9-3 and traded it for a guy and his staff for a possible 3-9 outcome... It's a nightmare.

 
Im really down on these guys, cuz I bought into thinking with their experience they would find a way to be comfortable with being uncomfortable for the sake of making the players comfortable. But it's just so clear, and depressing, that they cant. Today was proof if we havent seen it before. They are incapable. Maybe it's just a case of "cant teach what you dont know". They better put all the eggs in the POB basket and pray like hell.

 
Part of the issue is Newby, he's a good kid, but he isn't seeing the open running lanes. Cross and Ozigbo proved today they are the better backs, they don't fit into Langsdorf's vision of throwing the ball however.

Had we run the ball the way Cross and Ozigbo ran later in the game in the first half I think this game might have gone a different way.

It comes down to personnel and scheme mismanagement.

 
Exactly Mav. If there was a game that the coaches would commit to the run game it was this one. Every bit of the formula was there. And they still decided to scrap it all together. With Riley's 40 years of experience he somehow never picked up how the run game works. You aren't going to bust open 10 yards on the first few plays, if you do that's great but that's not how it works. You keep running at them, and if you are only getting 2-3 yards a carry don't sweat it because you're beating up the defense. Once you wear down that defense towards the end of the game those 2-3 yard runs turn into the 7-10 yard bursts you want to see. That's how you win the game. It's also why Northwestern's defense didn't seem tired at all despite facing double the plays. We didn't try running at them, so they weren't worn out.

It's almost like boxing, Muhammad Ali would dance around the ring letting his opponents throw punches till he wore himself out. Then Ali, full of energy would knock his opponent out in the later rounds. Same philosophy, and it's a winning philosophy.

 
Unless the Oline is as big and talented as Alabama, tOSU, LSU, etc, please stop running up the gut all the time. And please stop using the fly sweep as the only option to run it outside. The fly should be sprinkled in and not featured.

 
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You are not going to win more than about 5% of your games when your opponent scores 55! You must play DEFENSE and SPECIAL TEAMS. Both we awful today

 
husker98 said:
Part of the issue is Newby, he's a good kid, but he isn't seeing the open running lanes. Cross and Ozigbo proved today they are the better backs, they don't fit into Langsdorf's vision of throwing the ball however.

Had we run the ball the way Cross and Ozigbo ran later in the game in the first half I think this game might have gone a different way.

It comes down to personnel and scheme mismanagement.
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When 80% of your carries are right up the middle, there aren't many running lanes to see.

 
This staff only pays lipservice to running the ball. The reasons we don't run the ball are;

1- Riley and Langsdorf want to throw first. It's who they are.

2- If you spend most of your time concerned about being able to throw the ball, how good are you going to get at running it? Our running backs are selected based on their ability to pass protect. That is about all you need to know about these clowns commitment to the run game.

3- Our O line is atrocious at run blocking. This may be a personnel issue but is also likely the result of focusing energy elsewhere.

4- The running scheme they try is remedial and actually just plain stupid. No creativity. Just ram it into the backs of O lineman that are getting manhandled with backs that go down in a stiff breeze.

5- Our players may not be great but they are good enough to run the ball on this horrendous Purdue rush defense. Our coaches are weak, don't understand how to have a successful run game, and wouldn't stick with it if it were working.

 
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