Editorial Looking Ahead: What Does Rhule Really Have to Build On Going Into Year 4?

[Irv]

Did OP call Seinfeld season 3 mediocre?

 

[TampaBaySkers]

Did OP call Seinfeld season 3 mediocre?

I’m not OP - but it was. No soup nazi or man hands back in those days

 

[realbp]

LOL yes. 28 years of coordinating a defense. 32 years of coaching football. 10 semifinals, 3 state championships. 1 runner up. 4 state championship games in which we gave up a total of 26 pts. (0, 12, 7, 7).

I would say I have some perspective.

Nebraska's offensive identity can be summed up in one word. Ambiguous! Spread, Air raid, Pro, Wing, Tempo, etc... .
Right now its a hodge podge of stuff. This can be great if you have the dudes to do it. Keeps a defense off balance, attacks weaknesses using a variety of formations, shifts, RPO...etc. I think at a place like Nebraska its hard to recruit to that. I would love for us to get back to a power/pro style offense. One that can utilize the spread as needed but is rooted in a basic principled system. Run first. I don't care if it gap or zone scheme or a combo of both, but establish a run game identity and build from there.

Right now our offense and to an extent our defense look like Fred's first few years. Just trying to find something that works and works fast. Problem is it never works long.

Im all for a big step back in year 4 and even 5 to establish identities on both sides of the ball with the hopes of a giant leap forward in year 6. What's another couple of years after 18 years of mediocrity?

Appreciate your resume. I think an offensive identity begins with how you want to block the run. Are you going to run power, are you going to run zone, how do you use TEs. It starts there and once you know that your offense compliments those schematic desires.

 

[Cavalot]

Appreciate your resume. I think an offensive identity begins with how you want to block the run. Are you going to run power, are you going to run zone, how do you use TEs. It starts there and once you know that your offense compliments those schematic desires.

When I think offensive identity I think Tom Osborne. I personally believe that Nebraska needs something unique to compete at the very top. Im not saying we need to run the option but i don't believe, and history seems to be proving me right, that we can recruit to the spread, or run-n-gun, or air attack as well as others can. We can get a component here or there but seemingly not all at the same time.

Personally I think we should go gap scheme with elements of zone read (dual threat qb) and rpo game. We showed flashes of that this season and our OL seemed to do well with that. I think we can recruit offensive lineman more easily to that scheme then any other. Then we don't have to be competing against the elites every year.

If it were me. I would have loaded up on defense.... Become stout as hell early on that side of the ball (which usually helps ST) and then let the offense mature over time.