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Running Backs

canadianhusker said:
Wow I forgot all about Bryant. There's an Athletic article that I could only read the first few paragraphs of that says he's still with the program in some capacity. Good for him being able to move on from playing and contribute.
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Yep he's helping with graphics and what not. As many of us have said, if you come play football at Nebraska and at least have some sort of name or success, you can probably make it long term if you stay around. Someone wants to hire you and hear the war stories.
 

ShortSideOption said:
I am by no means saying move on from Held. I think he's had bad luck with injuries, some head cases, but there's one or two we need to see better from (like Bell). Again, I think he's a must keep, I just don't understand what's going on. You should be able to have Mills as your bell cow, have Thompkins/Johnson spell him, throw Robinson back there for a series or two, then one of your freshmen should be capable of 5 carries a game. We just seem to be a revolving door there. One freshmen one week then another the next. I'm sure it's just consistency issues but RB/WR we should be able to get guys on the field early, those are the easiest spots to play right away.

I'm not on a "fire this coach" train, I think Frost knows what's working and what isn't. But if he got rid of Verduzco I wouldn't be mad. He was the OC/QB coach at Oregon with Mariota and he's more than capable of pulling in one QB recruit a year. That would be an easy transition.

Lubick is a bit hampered by not having a spring at all, I get that. But the fact we are in the exact same situation as we were in 2019 and will probably be there for 2021 is unacceptable. Again, not sure I just put Lubick in front of the firing squad, but we returned 9 starters on offense and our offense has regressed so much it is ranking lower than the 2009 Nebraska offense.

Austin i'm right there with you. Our OL isn't getting it done, but how much is him? Is it Frost/Lubick play calling? Is it Austin technique? Is it Duval S/C? When Riley was struggling I was privy to the fact that it wasn't all him, so when people blew him up, I defended the guy. But I really don't know how much autonomy the guy had. I can tell you last year he was not happy with the run play calling, and it's theoretically him this year.
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I think we're on the same page more or less. Move on from Verz. and replace him with a full-time WR coach. We can't fire Lubick right now IMO, he's had zero time really to do anything. No Spring, not much of a fall and an overall jacked up season. I don't know that he gets a long leash though.

Frost either needs to come out and say he's the problem with the OL (in terms of personal or play calling) or let Austin go. There's a huge problem and obviously everything starts and stops with the OL. I'm guessing Austin is let go but Frost is stubborn as hell.
 
Honest question for the film study gurus: are some of these younger backs not hitting the correct holes when they are there? I know Mills struggled with that early last year and then it clicked in the 2nd half of the season? Or has the blocking just been that bad this year? I thought I saw a few times in the Iowa game where Scott totally missed the hole.
 
Where is the guy on 24/7 sports who used to dissect the offensive line play and show us what the h*ll was going on?
I loved it when he, like *** would show who should have gone where and whether the issue was failing to hit the hole, the line blocking the correct guy or the scheme incorrect for the defense.
Sure wish the column would return.
 



goodnterribles said:
Honest question for the film study gurus: are some of these younger backs not hitting the correct holes when they are there? I know Mills struggled with that early last year and then it clicked in the 2nd half of the season? Or has the blocking just been that bad this year? I thought I saw a few times in the Iowa game where Scott totally missed the hole.
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I think there's a combination of things. First, I think consistency is lacking (like with WRs) so guys struggle in practice then they don't get to play in games. Secondly, I don't think we are getting a very good push on the OL (thus inserting our +1 QB). But I think third you may be right that the hole was missed by some of our younger guys. The problem becomes when your veteran guy isn't there to "lead the way" then they are having to learn on the fly rather than film study. How Robinson runs is different than some of our other backs (pointing out the obvious).
 
ShortSideOption said:
I think there's a combination of things. First, I think consistency is lacking (like with WRs) so guys struggle in practice then they don't get to play in games. Secondly, I don't think we are getting a very good push on the OL (thus inserting our +1 QB). But I think third you may be right that the hole was missed by some of our younger guys. The problem becomes when your veteran guy isn't there to "lead the way" then they are having to learn on the fly rather than film study. How Robinson runs is different than some of our other backs (pointing out the obvious).
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Thanks for the response. I definitely see the potential with Scott and like his future a lot. And I liked the way Johnson ran against Iowa. We just haven't seen enough of anyone else to make any kind of judgment. What a disappointing year for Mills though. He might have played his way into the draft, and now he'll be lucky to get an invite to camp.
 
I mean if held really can't coach RB's we could always move Held to a different position just like Bo Pelini did with Cotton back in the day. Running back is my fav position in football so my heart hurts so much right now watching Nebraska.
 
goodnterribles said:
Thanks for the response. I definitely see the potential with Scott and like his future a lot. And I liked the way Johnson ran against Iowa. We just haven't seen enough of anyone else to make any kind of judgment. What a disappointing year for Mills though. He might have played his way into the draft, and now he'll be lucky to get an invite to camp.
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I thought everyone was allowed to come back next year. Isn't this year a free year?
 




SWVAHusker said:
Honestly, Mills kind of reminds me of Greg Bell. Neither of them are good enough for the Big Ten IMO.
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I think both are plenty good enough to play in the B1G. Hell, when Mills got moderately decent line play last year, he flourished:

1606953240071.png


Put Mills behind the Wisconsin line and he's a 1000+ back all day every day.
 



goodnterribles said:
Honest question for the film study gurus: are some of these younger backs not hitting the correct holes when they are there? I know Mills struggled with that early last year and then it clicked in the 2nd half of the season? Or has the blocking just been that bad this year? I thought I saw a few times in the Iowa game where Scott totally missed the hole.
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Mills had never run Zone scheme offensive plays until he came to Nebraska, and it showed at the start of the 2019 season as he kept hitting "the hole"* hard when he was supposed to be following a delayed path until a gap opened up. If you don't understand what I mean by a Zone scheme, let me know, and I'll link some videos. He figured things out as the season wore on, and he was a very good RB by the end of the year. He looked great against OSU in '19 in that series when we ran I-Formation, and he played FB. THAT was the running style that he'd run at GA Tech and everywhere else.

To my eyes, Rahmir and Thomkins both look like great fits for Zone scheme, but Rahmir needs more muscle, and Ronald needs to get healthy and stay healthy. I need to see more Scott, but he seems to have everything now, but he struggles with his keys to instantly know when and where to cut, similar to Mills at the start of 2019.

More than anything, we need better O-Line play. Every one of these RBs will look like studs if healthy and running behind a solid O-Line.

*There technically isn't "a hole" to hit in a Zone run scheme because the back is supposed to follow a run path while reading key defenders' shoulders to see where a running lane will open. If you commit too early, you'll likely run into the pile and gain nothing, which was what Mills kept doing in early 2019.
 
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ShortSideOption said:
First I want to point out that there probably is some improvement we are missing that we just can't see. For example, Rhamir Johnson probably got better but we haven't seen much of him. Dedrick Mills I assume got better but has been really hurt. But I guess I feel like we should have some visible results on the field to point to more than Ozigbo and thinking that the guys I mentioned are better.

Held and the RB room is such a head scratcher for me. Arguably our best recruiter as his spot always has talented guys inking with us on signing day, not to mention his JUCO connections to save our tail the last 7 days last year for the 2020 class (had a hand in 6 of our 12 guys we signed from December on with Joseph, Manning, Mauga-Clements, Cooper, Riley, and Payne). Those are huge hauls when you think about how we struck out but were able to grab some capable bodies that we didn't dedicate 4-5 years to but 2-3 years.

Continuing with my confusion with our RB spot and Held, I made this post elsewhere this week, but look at our room when he got here:

Ozigbo - stud
Bell - stud
Washington - stud head case
Bryant - Averaged 150 yards per game before hurting his leg in 2017, injury retired
Wilbon - four star but just got a little too big
Jones - four star

Now I get that Bryant injury isn't his fault, you are going to miss on a guy like Jones, Wilbon was a four star that didn't do a ton except in 2017 rushed for over 4 ypc, Washington you take a chance on that talent all day, etc., but that was a pretty good room of veteran guys mixed with your recruits you just brought in. We had the ability to sit the #1 JUCO RB in the country (Bell) and put in a guy you inherited and get better (Ozigbo).

We now have Mills and a bunch of youngsters. It's just a confusing situation there for me because I think Held is an unreal recruiter and a really good coach.
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Can't argue any points, and I have no insider Info, but to keep ringing the "bell" is the dead horse. Why did he leave? Afraid of the competition? Wanted to be the man? Don't know. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall and felt MW was the future and there was already a present. Glad he is doing good. Gee T.O. could have had Marshall Faulk.
I don't see any coaches losing their job over this year. Can't say I don't wonder about a couple, but not WR. Just my opinion. But maybe UF was right, the job was Frosts for the taking except they wouldn't let him bring in his own Assts.
I think much of this talk wouldn't be here without things like having no kickers last year-to have the special teams decimated by injuries such a way cost games. But I still wonder on why special teams coaching seemed to be and afterthought by Frost (although getting corrected it seems) And now look at the RB room you mention. I wanted to see more of RJ, but would have been nice to have it not as part of a whole room out with injury. Makes me think of last Sunday's Broncos-how did that work for them?
If the team was as much as a mess as everyone said as far as training and expectations then the fix is longer-I get that. I see the administration sees that. Are the players going to quit these last 1-3 games, ala BC when TO was hired? If so , I will buy into the clean house, but seeing the team on Friday says they are still all in. Heck, maybe with a little luck with the no restrictions bowl requirements the Huskers can sneak into any bowl with 2 wins (can't see it with 1). The extra practices for development would be crucial. AND, with many southern states not having harsh attendance restrictions, the Huskers will always travel well.
Anyway, keep up the good work, and always appreciate reading the posts by the Husker fans.
 

36Blast said:
I think both are plenty good enough to play in the B1G. Hell, when Mills got moderately decent line play last year, he flourished:

View attachment 56069

Put Mills behind the Wisconsin line and he's a 1000+ back all day every day.
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Heck put me behind the Wisc. line, well I'll still be old and slow, but I would probably get 1 yard closer to the line of scrimmage before my demise.
 
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