For those of us who scrutinize the offensive side of the ball, Nebraska football will look significantly different in 2017 than it will this fall. A transition is coming – not in coaching staff, but in offensive philosophy.
In Tommy Armstrong’s senior season at quarterback, Nebraska’s best chance to win the Big Ten West in 2016 will be to average no more than 24 passes a game.
In 2017, with Patrick O’Brien or Tanner Lee calling signals, Nebraska may throw a lot more and win the West once again.
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</div>Both those scenarios could play out with equal success. Armstrong will bring his strengths and limitations to the table in 2016. His successor will bring a different set in 2017. Both could be effective. But one constant remains: Nebraska needs to run the ball well both years, and beyond, to return to the days of nine victories a season, no matter who’s at quarterback.
It all hinges on the development of the offensive line. That line will be athletic but very young in 2016. It will hit its stride in 2017.
Many in the crowd of more than 72,000 at Nebraska’s Red-White scrimmage last month were there to watch O’Brien, the freshman some think is the future of the Big Red. He didn’t dazzle anyone, but that’s no surprise. In fact, it’s not a problem. It’s to be expected; he’s had only 15 college practices. Coach Mike Riley in the postgame conference talked about using the part of the dropback passing game that you “have to do,†but seemed to not be too concerned about implementing too much of it into his offense this year. I appreciate Riley’s maturity and versatility. What Husker fans saw was much more important. They saw players like Gates, Foster, Decker, Farmer and Knevel take a major step forward.
Many more steps remain. The development of the Husker o-line will be long and slow. With at least three sophomores likely to start this fall, it will need all the option magic that Armstrong can produce. 2016 may be the last stand for the option era at Nebraska. The Huskers’ young offensive front will certainly need Armstrong to make them look good by racking up some big plays running the ball.
The Huskers’ wide receiving corps may be the most talented position group on the roster, but there will be reduced opportunities for catches this season. That doesn’t matter nearly as much as hanging onto the ball, grinding out first downs, running clock and keeping the rebuilt Husker defensive line off the field. Hopefully Terrell Newby, Devine Ozigbo and Mikale Wilbon will find a lot of success this fall. Both will figure prominently as the use of the draw play and screen pass increases, but Armstrong will need to make big plays with his feet.
In 2017, the page will turn. The offensive and defensive lines will be more experienced, and the pro-style era will begin in full force at Nebraska. The three sophomores will mature into juniors, and I expect they’ll improve at pass protection. Even so, the enterprise won’t be successful unless the opponent fears the Husker running game. A pro-style offense won’t work consistently well in the Big Ten unless it has a strong, diverse running component. I mean more – much more – than “just enough of a running attack to slow down the pass rush.â€
By strong, I mean 200-yards-a-game strong. I think Nebraska can win with a pro-style offense if it looks like Alabama or Stanford looked last year, with pro-style offensive linemen who can run block and pass block equally well. I don’t think it can ever win big throwing the ball 40 times a game like Jared Goff did at Cal, not even if POB can complete 60 percent of his throws.
The way to the promised land for the Huskers is not to hope that POB becomes a quarterback who tries to win every game with his arm. Eventually, he’ll have to win a few that way, there’s no doubt about that. They could be Big Ten title games or bowl games. But here’s a much more hopeful scenario: the offensive line improves enough this year that NU can run the ball effectively with Armstrong as its major weapon – and then improves even more in 2017, to the extent it can run the ball effectively with Ozigbo, Wilbon and possibly Tre Bryant, while Lee or POB becomes a dangerous passing threat.
His Oregon State game film shows that Riley is more comfortable throwing the ball. That may be true, but it’s more important to have a comfortable quarterback on the field than it is to have a comfortable coach on the sidelines. Riley and Danny Langsdorf may get stretched out of their comfort zones, but it needs to happen for NU to build a winner in this year. There’s no way Armstrong can throw the ball 35 times a game and avoid devastating interceptions. It’s good that Riley will need to lean on the running game in 2016, and I think he’s developing the patience to do it. That patience could serve him – and Husker fans – well in 2017, when he has the pieces in place to win with a more balanced attack.
Formerly the sports editor at the North Platte Bulletin and a sportswriter/columnist for the North Platte Telegraph, Tad Stryker started writing for this website in 2008. You can e-mail him at [email protected]. Stryker is a freelance writer, favoring topics related to Nebraska history or Christianity. You can buy his recent book at this link.
In Tommy Armstrong’s senior season at quarterback, Nebraska’s best chance to win the Big Ten West in 2016 will be to average no more than 24 passes a game.
In 2017, with Patrick O’Brien or Tanner Lee calling signals, Nebraska may throw a lot more and win the West once again.
<div style="width:440px; max-width:440px; float:left; margin:3px 20px 12px 0;">
It all hinges on the development of the offensive line. That line will be athletic but very young in 2016. It will hit its stride in 2017.
Many in the crowd of more than 72,000 at Nebraska’s Red-White scrimmage last month were there to watch O’Brien, the freshman some think is the future of the Big Red. He didn’t dazzle anyone, but that’s no surprise. In fact, it’s not a problem. It’s to be expected; he’s had only 15 college practices. Coach Mike Riley in the postgame conference talked about using the part of the dropback passing game that you “have to do,†but seemed to not be too concerned about implementing too much of it into his offense this year. I appreciate Riley’s maturity and versatility. What Husker fans saw was much more important. They saw players like Gates, Foster, Decker, Farmer and Knevel take a major step forward.
Many more steps remain. The development of the Husker o-line will be long and slow. With at least three sophomores likely to start this fall, it will need all the option magic that Armstrong can produce. 2016 may be the last stand for the option era at Nebraska. The Huskers’ young offensive front will certainly need Armstrong to make them look good by racking up some big plays running the ball.
The Huskers’ wide receiving corps may be the most talented position group on the roster, but there will be reduced opportunities for catches this season. That doesn’t matter nearly as much as hanging onto the ball, grinding out first downs, running clock and keeping the rebuilt Husker defensive line off the field. Hopefully Terrell Newby, Devine Ozigbo and Mikale Wilbon will find a lot of success this fall. Both will figure prominently as the use of the draw play and screen pass increases, but Armstrong will need to make big plays with his feet.
In 2017, the page will turn. The offensive and defensive lines will be more experienced, and the pro-style era will begin in full force at Nebraska. The three sophomores will mature into juniors, and I expect they’ll improve at pass protection. Even so, the enterprise won’t be successful unless the opponent fears the Husker running game. A pro-style offense won’t work consistently well in the Big Ten unless it has a strong, diverse running component. I mean more – much more – than “just enough of a running attack to slow down the pass rush.â€
By strong, I mean 200-yards-a-game strong. I think Nebraska can win with a pro-style offense if it looks like Alabama or Stanford looked last year, with pro-style offensive linemen who can run block and pass block equally well. I don’t think it can ever win big throwing the ball 40 times a game like Jared Goff did at Cal, not even if POB can complete 60 percent of his throws.
The way to the promised land for the Huskers is not to hope that POB becomes a quarterback who tries to win every game with his arm. Eventually, he’ll have to win a few that way, there’s no doubt about that. They could be Big Ten title games or bowl games. But here’s a much more hopeful scenario: the offensive line improves enough this year that NU can run the ball effectively with Armstrong as its major weapon – and then improves even more in 2017, to the extent it can run the ball effectively with Ozigbo, Wilbon and possibly Tre Bryant, while Lee or POB becomes a dangerous passing threat.
His Oregon State game film shows that Riley is more comfortable throwing the ball. That may be true, but it’s more important to have a comfortable quarterback on the field than it is to have a comfortable coach on the sidelines. Riley and Danny Langsdorf may get stretched out of their comfort zones, but it needs to happen for NU to build a winner in this year. There’s no way Armstrong can throw the ball 35 times a game and avoid devastating interceptions. It’s good that Riley will need to lean on the running game in 2016, and I think he’s developing the patience to do it. That patience could serve him – and Husker fans – well in 2017, when he has the pieces in place to win with a more balanced attack.
Formerly the sports editor at the North Platte Bulletin and a sportswriter/columnist for the North Platte Telegraph, Tad Stryker started writing for this website in 2008. You can e-mail him at [email protected]. Stryker is a freelance writer, favoring topics related to Nebraska history or Christianity. You can buy his recent book at this link.
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