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Playing Freshman: Why not?

  • Thread starter Deleted member 4942
  • Start date
HuskerSuperGenius said:
Its not about liking or disliking Coach Riley, it's about wanting successful Husker football and searching for answers to that.
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I think we're all on the same page there, we're just looking at the contributions differently. There is a lot of Freshman and RFreshman playing this year. Folks can read into that whatever they want about prior talent, etc., etc., but the fact is there are more young kids than normal contributing this year. When you look at typical attrition, guys that just don't pan out, injuries, transfers, etc. I'd say the numbers are maybe a little higher than you'd normally see. IF NU had taken care of business against Arkansas State, NIU or Rutgers and been allowed to mix in more of the younger kids in live game action you might see another one or two, but I'm not even sure about that. Kids that young being solid contributors to a team is usually a sign that they've been very bad and I don't feel like the overall talent has been at that level.
 

Crabhusker

I agree with what you have to say.

This team is in desperate need of play makers, differences makers so that you don't have to rely on everyone doing their assignments perfectly every play.

My hope is that amongst the freshman we haven't seen such playmakers exist to help turn this season around.
 
HuskerSuperGenius said:
Crabhusker

I agree with what you have to say.

This team is in desperate need of play makers, differences makers so that you don't have to rely on everyone doing their assignments perfectly every play.

My hope is that amongst the freshman we haven't seen such playmakers exist to help turn this season around.
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I'm not sure this season will get turned around, but they can certainly salvage it and for better or worse assure the staff is back next year.

Some of these last two classes may be those guys, some will not. Kids develop at their own pace. Really good coaches and sometimes even teammates can help get more out of a kid early or more at the top end. What I've seen more of that concerns me going back almost two decades now is not getting the most out of every player. You'll have hits and misses, but if not every kid that sticks around isn't really giving it their all, you're not getting to the next level.
 
Crabhusker

Agreed.

Cant afford as many misses now as opposed to two decades ago with only 85 scholarships.

Another reason why the walk on program is such an asset to DONU.
 



HuskerSuperGenius said:
Discoverer27
IS there anything nonfactual in my posts in this thread?

Its not about liking or disliking Coach Riley, it's about wanting successful Husker football and searching for answers to that.
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You basically said that the freshmen aren't contributing because MR and co. have failed to "coach them up". I pointed out that 10 weeks time of practice is pretty short. Plus, at some of the positions guys need a year of S&C to put on weight and muscle. jaimes is playing tackle at 265. He is doing good, considering, but really would have benefitted from a RS year and putting on 20-30 lbs.
 
Discoverer27
This team needs help, i think you agree at the tight end position.
Our two freshman tight ends are the best two from Nebraska and Indiana.

Don't you wonder just a little that one of these highly talented young men could not be brought into a position where they could provide help at a position where we clearly desperately need help?

Thus my post seems to me to be a reasonable, factual statement of current events.
Things I'm suggesting would, by the way help Coach Riley KEEP his job, not lose it, so this hardly makes me antiRiley.
 
You twice now have failed to reply regarding the freshmen have only been at NU for 10 weeks. Also, I don't know how big our freshman TE's are but that is one of the positions that usually requires S&C time. Others like WR, DB, QB (except Gebbia) often don't. By the way, how many freshmen do you think should be playing/starting? All 14?
 
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look at the roster depth and you will see only 19% of the 3 deep are seniors and if you take off the walk on's it is 11%. Juniors make up 30% but without walk on's it is 25%. Those numbers don't take into account those not contributing. So when you have almost 60% of the 3 deep being So. RFR and F that isn't good.
 




I think Riley's been pretty consistent in playing a few Freshmen every year for whatever reason

2015

Morgan
Young
Ozigbo
Reed
Williams

2016

Lightbourn
Bryant
Jackson

I'm sure I'm missing a couple too. 2017 was covered in this thread.
 
chicago husker said:
look at the roster depth and you will see only 19% of the 3 deep are seniors and if you take off the walk on's it is 11%. Juniors make up 30% but without walk on's it is 25%. Those numbers don't take into account those not contributing. So when you have almost 60% of the 3 deep being So. RFR and F that isn't good.
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Exactly. And when 2 of the seniors who are starting at TE considered the weakest part of the team...
 
husker6 said:
I think Riley's been pretty consistent in playing a few Freshmen every year for whatever reason

2015

Morgan
Young
Ozigbo
Reed
Williams

2016

Lightbourn
Bryant
Jackson

I'm sure I'm missing a couple too. 2017 was covered in this thread.
Click to expand...

JoJo Domann
 



Discoverer27
Okay, first Illinois played 10 freshman when we played them so yes 10 weeks is enough time for them to be able to learn to participate and use their talent.

Second, no not all 14, as you can clearly see I have not mentioned any of the other O-linemen or D-linemen as they are the ones who commonly need S&C as you have mentioned, with only five O-linemen having started at DONU in the last what 40 years.

I remember Tommie Frazer playing as true Freshman, Ahman Green as true Freshman, Ralph Brown as true freshman, I think Grant Wistrom played as true freshman. All were Difference makers; that's what I'm hoping Coach Riley can find on our roster.
 

26 juniors: a lot more contributors than seniors--Young, Morgan, Gifford, Lee, Wilbon, Ozigbo, Williams, Reed, Stoltenberg, Ober, Conrad, Farmer, Foster, Gates, Reimers, Akunmoladun.

21 seniors: Newby, Jones, DPE, Williams (sort of), Brown, McNitt, Kalu, Weber, Knevel (sort of), Hoppes and Ketter.

DPE was projected as an all conference PR. Not sure he has earned that yet but has potential. Jones was projected as an all conference CB, but injury will bar that.

So on offense you have a WR a FB and two TE's starting as seniors. Defense has Weber, Jones, when healthy and Kalu, when healthy, starting on defense.

For a point of reference, Wisconsin had 7 senior starters on defense. Remember when you had to be an absolute stud to start for Nebraska as a Sophomore and almost never as a Freshman.

Calling for Freshman to play is an admission that our upperclassmen aren't cutting it. Or I think some people get wrapped up in recruiting and want freshmen to play because they are the new shiny toy.
 
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