What will Nebraska's offense ultimately morph into?

A fair amount discussion of the Nebraska football team has been what will the offense morph into? That question is not so much geared for 2009 but more so for the extended portion of the Bo Pelini era.

Last season, the Huskers incorporated various elements of “The Spread” but still also had rudiments of the “West Coast Offense” left behind from the Bill Callahan regime. Some have theorized that Nebraska will morph into being a Spread offense while others have mused that Pelini prefers that the Huskers move toward becoming an I-formation, power-running team.

The prevailing theme, however, seems to be that offensive coordinator Shawn Watson will adapt the offense to whatever talent he possesses at his disposal.

Look at last before season when a percentage of Husker fans, citing a lost identity as a physical team under Callahan, emphasized how the team needs to get back to power football that involves use of the fullback.

It took four and half games to discover that the Huskers simply did not have the personnel to be that way so Watson junked the heavy sets and ran the ball out of the spread formation a lot more. As a result, the Huskers became a much more efficient offense.

You see, I find it laughable how people get on their high horse and say, “You can’t win unless you run the ball,” or “You can’t win unless you throw the ball,” or “You win by running the option,” or “You win by running the West Coast Offense.”

I say, “Nonsense” to all of those statements. You win by doing what you do well. If your personnel is such that you run better than throw – then run it. If your personnel is such that you can pass better than run – then throw it.

I don’t give a rat’s behind what scheme a team runs, the key is to execute your scheme better than the opposition executes theirs.

“Balance” is also another buzzword you hear from football talking heads. The biggest misconception with the word balance is that sometimes it is associated with “how often” a team runs and throws. Let’s take a few examples from say a college football game with 70 snaps:

Scenario A:

Passing: Complete 16-of-35 passes; Rushing: 35 attempts, 213 yards.

That is not a balanced offense because the team averaged 6.0 yards per carry but also completed 45.7 percent of its passes. The number of running and passing plays might be the same but the level of efficiency was not.

Scenario B:

Passing: Complete 22-of-35 passes; Rushing: 35 attempts, 115 yards

That is not a balanced offense because the team completed 62.8 percent of its passes but also averaged only 3.2 yards per carry. Again, the number of running and passing plays might be the same but the level of efficiency was not.

Scenario C:

Passing: Complete 9-of-15 passes; Rushing 55 attempts, 279 yards

That is a balanced offense because the team completed 60 percent of its passes and averaged 5.1 yards per carry. The disparity in running plays versus passing plays might be significantly different but both were done equally efficient. It does not mean the team cannot pass the ball. They just chose not to do so.

Scenario D:

Passing: Complete 36-of-55 passes; Rushing 15 attempts, 65 yards.

That is a balanced offense because the team completed 65.4 percent of its passes and averaged 4.2 yards per carry. The disparity in running plays versus passing plays might be significantly different but both were done equally efficient. It does not mean the team cannot run the ball. They just chose not to do so.