Locked due to no posts in 60 days. Report 1st post if need unlocked Offensive Line Stats (2004-Present)

[HuskerRedDread]

Absolutely agree. As we saw in 2010, it doesn't matter if we can run for 5+ yards/carry if we can't inflict our will in short yardage situations and against strong D-Lines. Thanks for the conversation, all.

Yea, that was one of my pet peeves in 2010, how Roy/Taylor were able to fly for 60+ yards at will it seemed like at times, but let us have to gain 1-2 and we looked to be "out of our league" on the field. I think that was addressed this season and in the recruiting from last season to this season. We also seen packages this year that enables a "big back" to be able to step in and grind for those short yardage situations. Thing is we didn't have a big back capable of doing so this season as our biggest back was Rex (210) followed by AG (190), BH & AA (180). Now we bring in Cross (225 will likely get bigger before he takes a snap) and Marrow (250 will likely play FB).

Our recruiting class last year was one of the better ones for the O-Line and now we have guys to fill in with depth. I think the sting of our loss of A. Peat will settle a little easy than one would think with the talent that we will field in 2012.

 

[HuskerRedDread]

our O-Line is horrific!!!!!

I just had to put that out there. Our line play was lacking last year, to be honest. I don't know that all the blame is on Coach Cotton, but there is one thing about this staff that does bother me. There doesn't seem to be a lot of development of talent. Suh was a freak, so was Helu, and Rex is in the same league, a beast. David was a phenom in the Pelini defense, as was Dennard. That is all the "Stars" I can come up with that arrived after Bo & company came in. Unless I am missing something, the development of talent across the board, combined with the stubborn sticking with one QB, has probably done more harm than good. Imagine the stats with a more servicable QB.

Just my :2cents:

Horrific..........rather than yelling hows about giving some actual evidence that says this, as you post didn't point to nothing that suggest this one bit. Two of the names you dropped wouldn't even be a factor in the offense if we had a "horrific" line (Roy & Rex). Roy gave all the credit of his greatest day (record breaking 307 yards vs MU) to the offensive line. Rex has thanked the offensive line for his production repeatedly this year. Yet, that horrific line is able to produce beasts, as you put it.

Yes, Suh was a freak but what was his status before Bo's arrival. How many considered him dominant, pretty good, but not dominant. Davids raw talent was perfect for what Bo needed him for especially in the Peso (which I would like to see come back a bit especially against teams like tOSU, NwU, MSU, & MU).

And how do you miss out on the obvious "stars" whom also developed under the Bros Pelini.......P. Amukumara, E. Hagg, D. Gomes, P. Dillard, J. Crick, M. O'Hanlon, R. Thenarse.

 

[HuskerRedDread]

But, don't forget to consider that our defense struggled this last season stopping the opponent, allowing them to sustain drives which is also a contributing factor in TOP. While many dismiss it, I do think injuries across the board, and particularly to the interior line, contributed greatly to our inability to get the ball back in our hands.

It takes both sides of the ball to win TOP. The offense made strides in it's first year in a new system. Doesn't mean that there isn't work to do, but the positive signs outweigh the negative, IMO.

+1

 

[FeelLikeAStranger]

our O-Line is horrific!!!!!

I just had to put that out there. Our line play was lacking last year, to be honest. I don't know that all the blame is on Coach Cotton, but there is one thing about this staff that does bother me. There doesn't seem to be a lot of development of talent. Suh was a freak, so was Helu, and Rex is in the same league, a beast. David was a phenom in the Pelini defense, as was Dennard. That is all the "Stars" I can come up with that arrived after Bo & company came in. Unless I am missing something, the development of talent across the board, combined with the stubborn sticking with one QB, has probably done more harm than good. Imagine the stats with a more servicable QB.

Just my :2cents:

If our OL is "horriffic", then what description do you give the other ~95 teams who can't run the ball as well as we do?

To some people, perception is reality...but the perception is warped based on another era of football. I honestly don't think ANY team can line up and impose their wills on a defense like we did in the 90's. Was Wisconsin able to do that in all cases? Not at all. They were possibly better than we were, but I'd have to see numbers to convince me. Yes, we do need to get better in short yardage and be able to get those 1-3 tough yards. How many times did Burkhead do that this year vs. previous years? IMO, that facet improved somewhat.

One thing I think we do need to see is a better play mix on 1st and 2nd down. As others pointed out, we often did run 75-80% of the time on first down (approximately). Now, part of that is who we had in the backfield running the ball, another part of that is who we have as trigger man to throw the ball. Of COURSE Pelini would like to see us pass more. Beck's experience at KU tells me that HE would like to throw the ball more. But, just like we saw in 2003, 2004...you dance with the one that brung you. You can't ask a guy who isn't an extremely accurate passer with a slower release to make a lot of quick, pinpoint throws and expect a lot of success throwing the ball. Callahan tried to have Dailey do that a lot and it was a disaster. Cotton/Solich DIDN't try to force Lord to do so in 2003, even though that's what they WANTED to do, based on Cotton's track record at NMSU.

A better throwing QB is obviously desired in Beck's system, and I'm guessing Pelini wants that as well...but forcing it and getting behind the down/distance doesn't get you sustained drives or better TOP or better sucess, it goes the opposite way if you can't execute.

 

[utsker]

To me, 2011 may very well have been a more impressive effort by our team, and our line.

We had better success sustaining drives during the 2011 season, and running clock when needed, not relying on the "big" play as we did in 2010. And this with pretty much a brand new offense and new offensive coordinator. Not to mention playing in a more physical conference against opponents that paid more of a premium to the defensive side for the most part.

In 2010 we seemed to be plagued a bit with the fact that we were sporadic in trying to sustain drives. It was often either feast or famine with the "big" play.

We are definitely on an upswing, and it appears that our staff is on the same page now. This next year will be the first time in a number of years that we'll be running the same offense 2 years in a row.(with Watson it seemed we often changed gears mid-season).

While there's no doubt that Beck and company will pore through the film from this last year and tweak what they're doing, no doubt adding new wrinkles, it sounds like we'll carry the same philosophy for a change. That's got to help all of our guys across the board.

Looks like the Mayans were correct on that calendar thingy cuz I agree with Fred.

Still need to work on the shoot yourself in the foot penalties though

 

[Husker Mort]

Was Wisconsin able to do that in all cases? Not at all. They were possibly better than we were, but I'd have to see numbers to convince me.

2011 Team Stats
Wisconsin: 609/3298 - 5.4 - 48 - 235.6 (11) - 25
Nebraska: 611/2824 - 4.6 - 31 - 217.2 (15) - 21

Third Down Conversions
Wisconsin: 84/170 - 49.4
Nebraska: 79/194 - 40.7

Fourth Down Conversions
Wisconsin: 6/10 - 60.0
Nebraska: 8/16 - 50.0

Convinced?

 

[FeelLikeAStranger]

Was Wisconsin able to do that in all cases? Not at all. They were possibly better than we were, but I'd have to see numbers to convince me.

2011 Team Stats
Wisconsin: 609/3298 - 5.4 - 48 - 235.6 (11) - 25
Nebraska: 611/2824 - 4.6 - 31 - 217.2 (15) - 21

Third Down Conversions
Wisconsin: 84/170 - 49.4
Nebraska: 79/194 - 40.7

Fourth Down Conversions
Wisconsin: 6/10 - 60.0
Nebraska: 8/16 - 50.0

Convinced?

Not at all. I was responding specifically to the comments about "imposing will" and "blowing defenses off the ball", and how that perception was formed in the past. Wisconsin gets stuffed on 3rd and 1 sometimes these days, I'm sure.

Our stats in 2010 were slightly better than Wisconsin, and to many here, they represent the holy grail of OL, while our OL is 'horriffic'.


To your comparison above, Wisconsin had Russell Wilson this year. They improved their 'running stats', but that wasn't solely because of their OL. They lost 3 to the league, IIRC. Was their OL better this year by subtraction, or were there other factors?

Finding a good set of stats to accurately hone in on OL is virtually impossible, but this is about all we have. None really tell the story, unfortunately...too many variabled.

 

[Greatest Fan of All]

2011 Team Stats
Wisconsin: 609/3298 - 5.4 - 48 - 235.6 (11) - 25
Nebraska: 611/2824 - 4.6 - 31 - 217.2 (15) - 21

Third Down Conversions
Wisconsin: 84/170 - 49.4
Nebraska: 79/194 - 40.7

Fourth Down Conversions
Wisconsin: 6/10 - 60.0
Nebraska: 8/16 - 50.0

Convinced?

Well, I have not been one to criticize our OL, but those numbers should tell ANYONE that there is a huge difference between where we are as an OL and where we need to be.

 

[akweasel]

If you run a fast paced offence and don't catch well, or false start or drop passes or fumble you will lose the time of possession.

Exactly.....this was and is my biggest concern. Without a defense that is dominant or an offense that can actually stay on the field to allow your defense to rest what is the point of a hurry up offense?

Personally watching our defense this year hurt. They weren't that good, but imho our quote "hurry up" offense didn't do us any favors either. Our defense was on the field a lot this year, period.

What is wrong with a team, especially an offense that can:

1.) Sustain drives
2.) Wear out defenses, substitutes or not
3.) Executing by: catching, throwing and NOT fumbling
4.) Winning the time of possession.
5.) Basically, dominating the BALL

The only thing our "hurry up" did to us this year was get our offense off the field faster and put the defense back on.

As for specifically the O-line discussion.....

I wasn't that impressed with the run blocking at all this year and if anyone cares to see just how "OK" it was.......go watch a highlight tape of our RB's continually making cuts behind the line of scrimmage to get positive yards. Again, this is why I go back and laugh at all the calls for a game breaker at RB. We have one, and if not for Rex being as good as he is, that 4.6 would've been a heck of a lot worse guranteed.

Now, in the O-lines defense.....no one is going to do much better than we did considering anyone with half a brain would've and did stack the line of scrimmage all year. Why not I ask. All in all....4.6 is a solid year.

 

[MilesBFree]

You make some good points WRT the hurry-up.

But I think there is a difference between where the O in hurry-up mode was last year vs. where it can go once all the moving parts start clicking the way Bo and Beck intend things to do.

And this: I associate the hurry-up with defensively-minded guys like Bob Stoops, Bo, etc. They know what they don't like to see for their Ds, and this is it. Not everything was working in the first year of running it, but I think we should give it a few more years and see.

Another things is it isn't entirely designed to be a get back to the line and snap it ASAP thing. Sure, they do that a lot. But it also keeps the D from making substitutions not just for tiredness reasons, but to react to a new formation by the O. Last year if we had two IBs in the game they were medium size (Rex) and small (Abdullah). But think about what happens if you like up a guy like Cross (large) and Abdullah (small) at the same time in 2013 - you can hand off to either and the D doesn't have a chance to change guys out whereas all we have to do is shift the IBs around a couple of steps. I think they tried to do that with Legate some last year.

The D also can't change too much from what they lined up in initially as the QB could snap the ball at any second. So it doesn't give the opposing coaches the chance to signal in a new D formation or the DB in charge to call a new one. They have to go with what they started with if the O is ready to go NOW. I saw at least a few times where the TV was showing us signalling in a new play and the opposing coaches frantically waving at their guys to get them to change up.

Also, the sooner the O gets to the line, the longer the coaches have to look at the D and change the play up. This bit us a few times as the coaches still haven't perfected it, but that will improve.

The number of plays the O runs can also go up significantly, which if plays are working due to the D being not quite set (as above) should give more yards per game. Hopefully the yards result in points

So I don't think it is necessarily bad or that it has to result in a lot lower time of possession. We just need a few more years at it to get it down really well.

 

[FeelLikeAStranger]

When did we use the "check with me" as a bonafide "hurry up" this year? Not very often. Certainly not like OU or Oregon or others have used it.

 

[FeelLikeAStranger]

Exactly.....this was and is my biggest concern. Without a defense that is dominant or an offense that can actually stay on the field to allow your defense to rest what is the point of a hurry up offense?

Personally watching our defense this year hurt. They weren't that good, but imho our quote "hurry up" offense didn't do us any favors either. Our defense was on the field a lot this year, period.

What is wrong with a team, especially an offense that can:

1.) Sustain drives
2.) Wear out defenses, substitutes or not
3.) Executing by: catching, throwing and NOT fumbling
4.) Winning the time of possession.
5.) Basically, dominating the BALL

The only thing our "hurry up" did to us this year was get our offense off the field faster and put the defense back on.

As for specifically the O-line discussion.....

I wasn't that impressed with the run blocking at all this year and if anyone cares to see just how "OK" it was.......go watch a highlight tape of our RB's continually making cuts behind the line of scrimmage to get positive yards. Again, this is why I go back and laugh at all the calls for a game breaker at RB. We have one, and if not for Rex being as good as he is, that 4.6 would've been a heck of a lot worse guranteed.

Now, in the O-lines defense.....no one is going to do much better than we did considering anyone with half a brain would've and did stack the line of scrimmage all year. Why not I ask. All in all....4.6 is a solid year.

You don't think other teams' RB's make their intial cuts in the backfield?

Here's a stat for you...2011

Monte Ball 33 rushing TD's
Rex Burkhead 15 rushing TD's

I love Rex. I love his heart, I love his ability, his leadership, his durability, etc...look up 'football player' in the dictionary and his picture should be there.

But he's not running away from anyone in the open field. He's not breaking big gainers often. He's not putting the ball in the end zone 2-3 times a game. He's a 3-5 yard per carry guy with limited big play potential. That's not a criticism, it's reality. As good as he is and as reliable as he his...he's limited in what he can do once he's gotten into the clear.

We do need guys who can house a 60 yarder occasionally.

 

[HuskerWeatherman]

But, don't forget to consider that our defense struggled this last season stopping the opponent, allowing them to sustain drives which is also a contributing factor in TOP. While many dismiss it, I do think injuries across the board, and particularly to the interior line, contributed greatly to our inability to get the ball back in our hands.

It takes both sides of the ball to win TOP. The offense made strides in it's first year in a new system. Doesn't mean that there isn't work to do, but the positive signs outweigh the negative, IMO.

True and agree.

 

[Husker Mort]

As good as he is and as reliable as he his...he's limited in what he can do once he's gotten into the clear. We do need guys who can house a 60 yarder occasionally.

I don't know how to respond to this, honestly. To imply that Burkhead is anything less than one of college football's 5-10 best RBs is absurd. He was the ENTIRE offense in 2011, despite operating behind an inconsistent and undisciplined line and would probably have exhibited more of the scoot you worship if he wasn't toting the ball for 30+ times EVERY game. Behind Wiscy's line, the guy outperforms Ball and is in the Heisman conversation.

Burkhead is a 2nd/3rd round NFL workhorse with a great future ahead of him.

 

[huskrthill]

Well, I have not been one to criticize our OL, but those numbers should tell ANYONE that there is a huge difference between where we are as an OL and where we need to be.

Huge difference? We're talking about less than one 3rd down conversion per game, and a few extra yards here and there on the ground. These aren't "huge" differences. There is room for improvement, though.