How much will Beck evolve as a playcaller?

Perhaps the most scrutinized aspect of offensive football is play-calling.

For years, Nebraska fans clamored for a pass-oriented offense because, “it seems like all we do is run between the tackles.” You heard this argument through much of the Tom Osborne and Frank Solich eras. After Solich was fired, Nebraska did the unthinkable, hired Bill Callahan and adopted the West Coast Offense. Despite what some people think, the West Coast Offense is not exclusively “passing offense.” It is a philosophy and an approach to the game than it is a set of plays or formations. Traditional offensive thinking argues that a team must establish its running game first, which will draw the defense in and open up vertical passing lanes downfield. The West Coast Offense takes the opposite approach – pass to set up run.

Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense differs from traditional offense by emphasizing a short, horizontal passing attack to help stretch out the defense, thus opening up options for longer running plays and longer passes that can achieve greater gains. The West Coast Offense as implemented under Walsh features precisely run pass patterns. With the defense stretched out, the offense is then free to focus the remaining plays on longer throws of more than 14 yards and mid to long yard rushes. Paul Brown, the head coach of the Massillon Tigers, the Cleveland Browns, and founder of the Cincinnati Bengals, was the originator of this playbook; however, he did not name it the West Coast Offense.

Anyhow, the Callahan era saw the Huskers go 27-22 and you heard fans say, “we need to get back to running the ball and being physical.” Current head coach Bo Pelini has constantly stated that he wants the offense to be “multiple.” Pelini kept Shawn Watson as offensive coordinator and as a result Nebraska tried to blend the West Coast Offense with option football and that philosophy led to not having a true offensive identity. With Tim Beck at the helm, Nebraska is still looking to be proficient at both the run and the pass but with more of an emphasis on the former.

While most fans remember the Osborne era for the wishbone option, people also forget that before 1980 he actually preferred a mixture of run and pass. He simply adopted the wishbone option because defenses were having trouble defending conference rival Oklahoma’s version. Osborne’s version of the option later was run out of the I-formation with a Power I look as well.

In 2011, with the possible exception of the Huskers 48-17 loss when running back Rex Burkhead had just six carries in the first half, Beck was very conservative in his play calling. The mentality of ramming it down their throat was certainly there and it seemed like this happened regardless of whether the Huskers were leading or trailing.

I watch certain strong offensive teams such as Oklahoma State and Boise State and they are always attacking on the offensive side. I’m certainly in favor of a strong running game but it just irks me when the defense knows what type of play the offense are bringing on a regular basis. I’m the first to admit the Nebraska offensive line might not be as dominant as it was in the 80’s and 90’s and the Huskers do not have the best passer in the world in quarterback Taylor Martinez. Based on that shouldn’t the Huskers at least try to catch teams off guard a little bit?

It seems like the Huskers have this habit of Burkhead/Martinez right followed by Burkhead/Martinez left and then a third and eight pass that the offense gets pressed into unfavorable down and distance scenarios. This seems to be especially true when the game is tight and the offense is in need of some big plays. Instead, there are often too many scenarios that involve three and out with two running plays and a pass. If you have a weak passing offense, why not use it when teams are not expecting it? Honestly, the idea of “run to set up pass” is an outmoded idea. The pass can set up the run equally well if not better because regularly completing passes on first down would eventually make a run up the middle on first down worth a few easy first downs.

Keep in mind though; Beck was in his first season as offensive coordinator in which case that presents a scenario with growing pains similar to a first-year quarterback. Oklahoma State and Boise State also had attacking style offenses because they had four-year starters at quarterback with 28-year old Brandon Weeden and Kellen Moore. Colt McCoy was also a four-year starter at Texas and in his fourth year especially, the Longhorn offense took a similar approach as Oklahoma State and Boise State.

I think you’ll see more aggression this year on offense from the Huskers but I think staying creative in the run game, getting two viable backs in the lineup at one time with the shotgun option game, and attacking through play action is the key for Nebraska.

Tempo is about knowing when to speed up and slow down

After watching the first year of Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s offense, we saw a lot of different things from him. We also saw some similar things that that the Huskers ran the previous year from former coordinator Shawn Watson.

The tempo was at various times different under Beck. Nebraska ran a lot of no-huddle offense, which is not to be mistaken for a hurry up offense. Just because a team is not huddling up before the snap does not necessarily mean they are in a hurry to run plays. The hurry up offense is more reflective of how many (or few) seconds are left on the play clock when the ball is snapped.

Personally, I liked the way Beck went about calling the offense last year in regards to the tempo. I like how Beck would be up in the skybox, see the play develop, and relay the plays from above down to the field. In a way, it was like how the Huskers been running the offense since 2004, but the tempo was much higher, and it showed with how quickly they lined up.

Because of the way Beck and Bo want balance, I think Beck needs to be in the press-box so he can see more, as opposed to previous Nebraska offenses where it wasn't necessary to have someone in the pressbox overseeing every play.

Although it was not on the level of an "Oregon-Blur" offense, I think it suits Nebraska well given its offensive talent is based on a mix of speed and power. It seemed the Husker offense worked more efficient the faster coaches called the plays in, as at the end of the play, guys were looking toward the side-line, read the signs, got the play, and they were lined up ready to go again within seconds as guys subbed in and out quickly.

It's just another way to wear out a defense, and as Husker fans know all about wearing out opposing defenses.

I'm guessing head coach Bo Pelini saw how some offenses ran their spread/no-huddle against him in previous years, especially Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in 2010, that he decided to incorporate it himself for the offense. Oklahoma State in 2010 was ridiculous against a very solid Nebraska defense, and Oklahoma in the Big XII title game simply wore the Husker defense out, but the offense in the second half didn't do the defense any favors.

I want to see the up-speed tempo continue to keep defenses gassed, off-balance, and would welcome more of it under Beck.

However, I believe if Nebraska is up by 7 or 10 or something to that effect, especially up in the fourth quarter, we need to slow it down, and possibly even come out of a huddle to wind the clock down in our favor. The Huskers should use the tempo to get up in the game, or to come back, but once Nebraska is in a comfortable situation, I think it should use its slowest gear to grind it out and frustrate opponents as to not getting used to the tempo we are running. The Huskers don't need to run a high-tempo offense especially if they are struggling on the road, or trying to close a game out. I think the tempo should be predicated on situation and how the offense is performing.

I thought the no-huddle/hurry up was mostly effective last year. I think Nebraska needs to expand on it and keep making adjustments that both the players and coaches are comfortable with but there are times though when huddling up can be very good for a team too, especially if the game isn't going your way and the players need to refocus. (This is where team leaders really need to make their voice heard).

What I would love to see Nebraska use is a no-huddle/hurry up power rushing offense out of multiple I-formation sets. Have the base plays be ISO, Power O runs, and counters off of those plays. Then have our passing game consist of play-action passes and quick drop backs. Sprinkle in the option here and there, along with some draws and screens.

Need for offensive identity important but overstated

“Identity” – look up the word in a dictionary and is described as “the sense of being oneself but not another.”

Football teams have that same issue. Are you a running team or a passing team? Do you run the spread? The veer? The Wing-T? The option? The West Coast Offense? The Run-n-Shoot? Everyone has their preference but I have never found one offense to be any better or worse than the other. If 11 guys execute their assignment, you can run the simplest fullback dive play time after time and gain consistent yardage. Or you can spread five wide receivers out and not even pretend to care about running the ball.

When I read Nebraska football message boards, the question becomes, will head coach Bo Pelini and offensive coordinator Tim Beck “finally” commit to any offensive scheme? In the Bill Callahan years, Nebraska ran the West Coast Offense. Option-loving Husker fans despised even the thought of it but Nebraska’s ultimate downfall of the Callahan years was more about defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove’s Swiss Cheese defense than Callahan’s offense. After Nebraska fired Callahan at the end of a 5-7 season in 2007, Shawn Watson was retained as offensive coordinator. The problem was that Nebraska tried to mesh West Coast Offense and Spread option with I-Formation option but the results were not good.

Under Beck, Nebraska was clearly a running team but ran everything from I-Formation option to Spread option. Yet, a segment of Husker fans still groveled about lacking an identity. In fact, when asked about the Husker scheme, Pelini continues to say, “We will be multiple.”

Count me among those who think that an offense “having an identity” has been a little overvalued. The Nebraska offense “has” an identity, its option football through multiple formations. There is a huge difference. Having multiple formations is not the “multiple” anyone is referring to, which the Huskers are not by the way. I can’t believe how the discussion comes up on message boards. When you talk about “offensive scheme,” you hear things zone read, option, and diamond. I’m no offensive coordinator but Zone Read IS option football; it’s just not the traditional veer option, power option, load option, etc. Furthermore, the diamond, is NOT a scheme. It’s a formation. Big difference.

I think this concept of having an “offensive identity” is popular amongst fans and not a thought of concern for any coach in the country. I really think the value of such an idea is extremely overvalued.

Whether it’s zone read, I-Formation option or Diamond, Nebraska’s identity is running the football. That’s the basis of the Huskers “identity,” their bread and butter, and what will continue to be the focal point. Formations and personnel grouping will change but what they will do without fail is pound the rock.

Translation = Spread Option is the “offense.” Zone read is a “play within the offense.” Diamond is a “formation within the scheme.” The schemes and offensive identity are fine. Being better on the offensive line and having more consistency at quarterback and wide receiver are the key issues this team faces.

If the line improves and starts knocking people over again, if the quarterback decision making of Taylor Martinez improves (it started to last year) and the passing game (both the QB being consistent and the WR's catching the ball consistently) improves then the scheme will look a LOT better.

Give me a lunch-pale coach over a CEO anyday

In Tuesday night’s edition of the Lincoln Journal Star, columnist Steve Sipple chronicled how Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini insists he is not looking elsewhere despite rumors the last two seasons to head coaching jobs at Miami, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.


Sipple also addressed the notion of can Pelini continue to grow as a CEO despite always being so heavily involved on the defensive side of the ball.

“I think that's crazy,” he shot back, refuting Sipple’s stance. He noted South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier’s heavy involvement with the Gamecocks’ offense. There obviously is a long list of head coaches who also serve as coordinators.

Even with John Papuchis being hired as defensive coordinator to replace Carl Pelini, who has since become the Florida Atlantic head coach, rest assured that Bo Pelini will continue to be the straw that stirs the drink for the Husker defense. Keep in mind, there is a large segment of Nebraska fans clamoring for Pelini to make a splash hire with dismissed Arizona head coach Mike Stoops. The fact that Pelini hired Papuchis instead of Stoops created a perception that Pelini would prefer to hire a “yes man” rather than someone who is his equal.

Pelini seems to have the respect of his players and coaches, not to mention athletic director Tom Osborne. So, he must be doing something right. Pelini relied too much on now former offensive coordinator Shawn Watson early-on and learned a hard lesson, hire your own people. Now, he has a lucrative contract, has his own staff, and has at least nine wins each of four years. Hopefully, the Huskers can get No. 10 on Monday in the Capital One Bowl against South Carolina.



Pelini hasn’t done himself many favors in dealing with the media, often choosing the approach of secracy and suspicion and that also goes for fan interaction. His horizons are still too narrow in the PR arena.



Overall, he has been a partial success (39-15 in four years as Nebraska’s head coach), even without any championships but, that needs to change for the long haul. A long term contract would still be appropriate in my opinion to cement his effort here. I think that Pelini has his principles and priorities firmly in place. Sometimes, they just don’t coincide with the fans’ need for information. I doubt Pelini will change much there.



If Watson had done his job in the first place, Pelini would have been fine. The offensive failures have pushed Pelini to expand his horizons, which has been good for him and the team.



The idea that Pelini looks to hire “yes” people, however, is somewhat laughable. Where is the proof in that? Are you saying Papuchis never is allowed to have any personal input, and just says “anything you want, coach.” And current offensive coordinator Tim Beck apparently doesn’t really call the plays?



Newsflash. Any head coach will staff his program with assistants who share the head coach’s visions and wishes. When they don’t, you end up with a Watson situation, where the coach has a vision for an offense that differs from the offensive coordinator’s vision.



I’ve seen nothing in Papuchis’ resume to hint that he’s not ready to step up to be the defensive coordinator. Likewise, isn’t Rick Kaczenski an experienced defensive line coach with a proven record of success in the Big 10?



Always something to complain about, I guess.



Pelini was also confronted with making some disciplinary decisions and he “gathered all the facts available” and made some decisions regarding player involvement in bowl activities. This year as well as last year.



The final point I would make is, Osborne doesn’t seem to have any problems or questions with the manner in which Pelini is managing his program. Given that, I have to acquiesce to Osborne’s coaching experience (offensive minded) and decision making.



Besides, the term CEO sort of conjures up this image of a man in a three piece suit too afraid to get it soiled and wrinkled by placing a shoulder into a blocking sled. Rolls eyes and thinks. Heaven forbid that Pelini give up his baseball cap and sweats. I like that lunch pail attitude and work ethic that Pelini brings and is instilling into the team.

A more in-depth look at Taylor Martinez's evolution

Regardless of who takes the snap from center for the Nebraska football team, he is subject to an intense microscope. That pressure intensified to a greater degree after Tommie Frazier led the Huskers to consecutive National Championships in 1994-1995.


The pressure intensified whether it was Scott Frost, Eric Crouch, Jamal Lord, Joe Dailey, Zac Taylor, Sam Keller, Joe Ganz, Zac Lee and now Taylor Martinez.

Frost carved out his place in Husker lore by leading the team to a split National Title with Michigan in 1997. What added to the angst Husker fans initially showed against Frost was the fact that he was a native Nebraskan who decided to go to Stanford initially as he was heavily courted by then Cardinal head coach Bill Walsh, who was also a Hall-of-Fame NFL head coach. Frost then transferred to Nebraska after Walsh retired from coaching.

Crouch won a Heisman Trophy in 2001 but like Martinez had a polarizing career. Keep in mind, for all of the good things Crouch brought, he presided over the two embarrassing losses (62-36 to Colorado and 37-14 to Miami) that contributed to sending the Huskers into a tailspin. Those were Crouch’s last two college football games.

Lord took a ton of heat from fans and justifiably so but even with his athleticism was better suited to being a defensive back. Dailey would have been well suited as an option quarterback but the problem is that Bill Callahan became the Huskers head coach during his sophomore year and in came the West Coast Offense. Taylor was perhaps the saving grace of the Callahan years. Keller was a flop after transferring from Arizona State. Ganz and Lee did some good things but were only starters for one year.

You look at the raw numbers of Martinez’s first two seasons and there appears to be very little difference. In 2010, he completed 107 of 195 (54.8 percent) for 1,631 yards, ten touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a runner, he gained 966 yards 172 carries (5.6 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns. In 2011, Martinez completed 152 of 272 passes (55.9 percent) for 1,973 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a runner, he gained 837 yards on 172 carries (4.8 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns.

Knowing what we know about Martinez's career up to this point, interpret the stats however you see fit, but don't forget to factor in his injury last year game as well as the offensive coordinator change from Shawn Watson to Tim Beck.

Statistics can convince you of just about anything so sometimes you have to look beyond just the raw numbers.

In the first ten games of 2010, Martinez was a big play waiting to happen. He rushed 887 yards on 112 carries and 12 touchdowns. In the passing department, he completed 63 of 119 for 1,161 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions. After sustaining an ankle injury, however, Martinez became pretty ordinary as he carried 50 times for 79 yards. In the passing department, he completed 44 of 76 for 470 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Nebraska, however, gave up 29 sacks last year but more specifically they gave up 12 sacks in their last 2 games (seven against Oklahoma and five against Washington). So far they've allowed just 15 sacks this season entering the Capital One Bowl game against South Carolina.
Martinez made a noticeable improvement this year on moving the chains by making good decisions in the passing game - whether to hit a check-down or scrambling.

He was more of a team leader.

His running stats are down a bit as some zealots point out the fewer jaw-dropping runs this season but much of Martinez's 2010 running stats came in the first few games against suspect defenses. Great highlights, but not very meaningful numbers. Also, turnovers are down a bit this year. He threw the same number of interceptions on about 77 more passes.

The cynics would point out that Martinez has not played well in big games. At which point I say, “Let me know when there’s a little one.”

The Huskers 48-17 loss to Wisconsin was the only game he played terrible. The rest of the time he was somewhere between OK and good. In the 28-25 loss to Northwestern he played well but the defense gave the game away and the 45-17 loss to Michigan was a total team failure as was the aforementioned loss to Wisconsin.

The other factor becomes, are the Huskers using him right? Nebraska appears to have a more clear cut identity under Beck than they did under Watson. The Huskers run a mixture of zone read, pistol and old school option. The zone read and pistol suit Martinez well but not the old school option, which gets the fans going from a nostalgia standpoint but doesn't suit Martinez's running skill which is a straight ahead burst or nothing.

To execute the option, you need to have a physical guy playing quarterback. Martinez is not that guy. The quarterback needs to step up and into traffic in order to force the edge to commit to him or the running back. Martinez runs back and out instead of into pursuit and outside. He doesn't really force the pursuit to commit as more often than not, Martinez runs towards the running back.

Some people would argue that coaching staff has hamstrung Martinez by turning him into a game manager. However, it should also be pointed out that the Huskers have faced much better defenses in 2011 than a year ago. This season, Nebraska has faced five teams (Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State) that rank in the Top 25 in total team defense and will be facing a sixth (South Carolina) in the Capital One Bowl. In 2010, the Huskers faced only one defense (Missouri) that ranked in the Top 25 in total team defense. That was the game Martinez got hurt in 31-17 win but in that contest it was running back Roy Helu that did the heavy lifting in rushing for a school record 307 yards.

Does Martinez still need to improve more? Sure, what sophomore doesn’t but he has improved more than the numbers suggest and more than his critics want to acknowledge.

Beck learning but Year One as OC a success so far

The fact that the Nebraska football team is ranked No. 17 in the latest AP poll and sports an 8-2 record entering Saturday’s road game at No. 20 Michigan (also 8-2); it is how the Huskers arrived at this point that is the biggest surprise.


The defense was viewed as the team strength coming into the season but has been inconsistent. The offense was expected to show improvement but with lot of youth and a new coordinator (Tim Beck replacing Shawn Watson) it was hard to say how soon the improvement would come. Without the offense performing at the level it has the Huskers would likely be 5-5 instead of 8-2. Nebraska beat Fresno State 42-29, Washington 51-38 and Ohio State 34-27.

In a Lincoln Journal Star blog entry, however, Beck was pretty critical of himself.
"I think some games I get conservative ... I play not to lose instead of playing to win," Beck said after Saturday's 17-14 win at Penn State. "I think that was evident in some of the games. You get too conservative. The play-calling gets that way.
"As I look back and really thought about it, we have to be who we are, and that's an attacking offense. Sometimes I don't do that. For whatever reason, I don't."
He felt Nebraska's offense was too conservative in the second half Saturday, "with the lead and trying to use the clock," Beck said.
Beck’s point has merit to a certain degree extent but Nebraska also attacked Penn State via the run and pass on Saturday which is important because if you try to making a living by beating a stout defense by running right at them you will starve.

Beck has had a couple of poorly called games but overall, I think he's doing very well considering he is running a new scheme as a first-time offensive coordinator. It'll be interesting to see what this offense does next year. If it improves much, and the defense rounds into form earlier, we should be a pretty formidable team.
But most of the way through Year One of the Tim Beck Experiment, I'm cautiously optimistic about where we're headed.
The cynical side would suggest, “anything is better than Shawn Watson” but I think Beck has definitely hit the ground running. I still cuss at the television on 3rd and short when we run a sweep (as opposed to quarterback Taylor Martinez up the gut) but I’ll live. On the whole, I would call the first year a success as of right now.
The biggest positive that I see here is that Beck recognizes that sometimes he gets too conservative, meaning that he is likely to change. I think this has been the biggest problem with our past offensive coordinators, they don’t know what they are doing wrong and don’t know how to change.
It seems like Beck can watch game film and analyze like a coach and a fan. He can nitpick specifics like a coach, but he can also sit back in the chair like the rest of us and say the same things we do.
After sitting through years of bitching at the television watching Watson's sick joke walk out there and lose games for us, I have to say that I am thrilled with Beck in his first year. There is one major reason why. The Huskers are showing improvement both on offense and at quarterback.

Watson and former head coach Bill Callahan tried jamming a square peg through a round hole for too damn long. Beck is finding what we are good at and using it. Yes he might get astray from it sometimes but can you blame him. The guy wants to learn what we are capable of in game situations. What might work in practice doesn't always work in games.

He is winning ball games and scoring points though. Can you imagine if we could have gotten 20 points a game back when Watson was here? Our defense was so good, that's all we would have needed. Watson found a way to blow it every time.

I might be a overstating it a bit because I have to be honest, I never liked Shawn Watson's offense or his playcalling. So the change really made my offseason. I've been praying for Watson to move on for his entire tenure. I'm rooting for Beck, and I think we have found our guy. As long as Martinez keeps improving, this offense will continue to improve.

Martinez the least of Nebraska's problems

Welcome to another Monday of addressing knee jerk reactions. If you listen to some Nebraska football fans, message board posters and in some cases mainstream media members, you would think quarterback Taylor Martinez was the primary (and only) reason for the Nebraska football team's problems.


The term problem, of course, should be taken with a grain of salt since many college football teams would gladly take the Huskers problems of being 5-1 and ranked No. 13 in the latest Associated Press poll after Saturday's stunning 34-27 come-from-behind win over Ohio State. Nebraska being 5-1 is not necessarily a problem, only the process most people figured is not what most (including myself) anticipated. In head coach Bo Pelini's four seasons, the Huskers made a transformation from being the worst defense known to man under former defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove in 2007 when they were 114th in the nation in total defense to No. 4 in 2009. The defense was not as strong last season but definitely strong enough in 2009 and 2010 to where if Nebraska had an even mediocre offense, it would have bee good enough to win a Big 12 title.

Fast forward to 2011, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson leaves and Husker fans celebrated pretty much en masse as running backs coach Tim Beck was promoted to offensive coordinator. Watson's departure alone made Nebraska fans dance in the streets. Most people figured the offense would take time to find its way in 2011 while the defense did a lot of heavy lifting. Sure, losses like cornerback Prince Amukamara, safeties Eric Hagg and Dejon Gomes would be felt. However, the Huskers boasted a high end returning player at every level of the defense -- tackle Jared Crick, linebacker LaVonte David and cornerback Alfonso Dennard.

So far, only David has lived up to his preseason hype. To be fair, Dennard is still working his way back into form after missing the first four games to a quad injury. Crick and defensve end Cameron Meredith, however, have been big disappointments. If not for David's mid third quarter forced and recovered fumble of Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller, the Huskers don't even begin to make their second half charge.

So how does all of this pertain to Martinez? Let's talk about that for just a minute. Does Martinez have his issues? Yes. Is Martinez free of fault? No. However, when you look at the Huskers entire body of work over the course of six games, the team's problems are less about him and much more about the defense. In fact, it's not even close.
Forget the Ohio State game for just a nano-second. Let's just assume Nebraska has a defense that most of us come to expect under Pelini. Keep in mind, Nebraska entered Saturday's game ranked No. 73 in total defense. For the sake of discussiom, let's say they are ranked in the top 40 in a worst case scenario. None of the games are even close except for Wisconsin, which was a 48-17 loss.

Even in that game, Nebraska trailed 20-14 late in the first half. The offense actually looked OK at that point before. The offensive line was blocking, running back Rex Burkhead was running well and Martinez was throwing at least decent. If the defense had been playing well, perhaps Beck and Martinez (who let's face it is an average at best passer) wouldn't have been in a position where they felt they constantly needed to score. Though it's easy to hammer Martinez for forcing passes into double coverage, perhaps he would not have been compelled to do so if it did not appear that Wisconsin was going to score on every damn possession.
On Saturday, Nebraska's Blackshirts (if you want to call them that) gave up 246 yards of offense in the first half. If the defense came to play, Nebraska wins this game going away. Keep in mind, Ohio State had a 12-3 minute top of possession edge in he first quarter. So Martinez is not Joe Montana. This may shock the "Bench Martinez's ass" camp but he came up big in the second half along with running back Rex Burkhead.

Martinez completed 16 of 22 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. He also added a rushing touchdown, 95 yards on 16 carries. All of that while guiding Nebraska to its biggest come-from-behind win in school history. OK, Martinez, I know it kills you but give the kid some credit.

The bottom line is quarterbacks will have games where they throw interceptions. In case you have never watched a game in your life, great ones throw the. Average ones throw them. Bad ones throw them. The point is Nebraska's defense is supposed to be good enough to where the offense can make a couple mistakes a game so that they can overome them. At this point, that is not close to being the case.

Speaking of the defense, we'll examine that more during the bye week as the Huskers next play at Minnesota on Oct. 22. However, to take a preliminary look, I ask, at what point does Nebraska play the Peso (4-2-5)? It worked like a charm the last few years. I realize conventional widom says you need a three linebacker defense against the Big 10, but right now conventional wisdom sucks. Are the Huskers served better by putting more speed on the field. Does it pay off to have the linebackers in the game when they are non-productive anyway?
Back to Martinez, here's a late breaking story for football fans. Quarterbacks are going to have incompletions, bad reads, and intereptions at every level. It's part of the game. Has Martinez played as well as he can? No. He definitely needs to improve but it stans to reason that the difference between a top ten Nebraska team and the team we see today is not and has not been Martinez. It has been the defense.
Though I have been a Husker fan for 24 years and a graduate for 14, I simply do not get a certain segment of our fans. I get it that Martinez's throwing motion and decision making can be frustrating but we all need to realize that if we want to put in a quarterback that doesn't throw interceptions, you'll never find one. Gee whizz. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers must al really suck.

So while you are busy being convinced that Martinez is the problem, I say this: Keep a healthy Martinez and fix the damn defense and everything else will fall into place.

Husker offensive line needs to walk in tall Cotton

While former offensive coordinator Shawn Watson took the brunt of the criticism for Nebraska’s offensive struggles in 2009, and to a lesser degree in 2010, offensive line coach Barney Cotton was a close second.

Running backs coach Tim Beck has since replaced the departed Watson, who is now the quarterbacks coach at Louisville. Cotton remains the offensive line coach and associate head coach. John Garrison is the associate offensive line coach as well as tight ends coach.

Cotton took his share of lumps from Husker fans and while some of it was warranted, the amount of venom was pretty brutal. What one fails to take into account was that a huge reason for the offense’s struggles was the effort to marry too many different philosophies. The disparity in philosophies between Cotton and Watson really accelerated the waffling between power football and influence blocking, resulting in the total ineffectiveness that was witnessed last year up front. Cotton also had no control over the injuries that made a bad situation really ugly. I am in no way excusing his role but a segment of Nebraska fans lay it all of the blame at his feet. Was he part of the reason for the line’s problems? Yes. Entirely? No.

The problem is, too people have the IQ of a pea plant and think, “Well, the O-Line stinks, so Cotton stinks too.” True, the offensive line play has left something to be desired but if you have even a shade of football knowledge, poor line play can also be because of injuries, offensive coordinator, philosophy, bad talent or bad depth. The injuries Nebraska has had up front are a factor along with the lack of recruits present when head coach Bo Pelini and his staff arrived in 2008 along with Watson’s complex West Coast Offense that lent itself to players thinking more so than playing.

Since Watson is a West Coast Offense advocate while Cotton espouses a power running back, it’s fair to say that Cotton was trying to figure out what Watson wanted, and that he actually was like a player, studying the play book, trying to figure out what Watson wanted. Let’s face it, Cotton had a hard time teaching the Watson/Bill Callahan system.


Callahan has been a reputable offensive line coach in both college and the NFL but Cotton was a bad match for the system the Huskers were trying to run 2008-2010 with Watson and without Callahan and Dennis Wagner. It made sense to keep Watson after Callahan was dismissed at the end of the 2007 season and not go through another radical change the way they did in 2004. Bringing in Barney in Year No. 1 was probably one of the few mismatches (short term issues) for Pelini and he is still dealing with it.


So where are we at today? The line definitely needs more consistency considering the Huskers are looking at potentially starting a true freshman, a redshirt freshman, a true sophomore and a redshirt sophomore if Marcel Jones cannot go which is a distinct possibility. And maybe another true freshman will see playing time for Mike Caputo if Nebraska plays 3-4 defenses with a nose tackle that can take advantage of Caputo like Texas A&M did.


The offensive line will need to find its consistency especially in hostile Big 10 road environments like Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State.

What is the State of the Program?

“State of the program.” You hear the term so many times when evaluating anything. Ask any Nebraska football fan “what is the state of the program?” and most will give a forthright answer to such an open-ended question.



After posting a 44-32 record from 2002-2007 (which spanned the last two years of the Frank Solich tenure and the entire Bill Callahan regime), the Huskers have gone 29-12 in Bo Pelini’s three years at the helm. Nebraska has definitely made progress under Pelini, just not BCS Bowl game material progress. The reasonble thinking fans knew it would take time for Pelini to get Nebraska to the prominence it enjoyed from 1961-2001. However, “patience” and “Nebraska football fans” go together like oil and water.


This is also a much different era of college football. Everyone has their theories such as scholarship limitations creating more parity. That angle can be overstated but it has some truth.


That said, the Nebraska football program appears poised for big things. In this day and age of college football, there are plenty of good teams with plenty of talent who can trip you up over the course of the season. Over the past three years the Huskers definitely shown a propensity to let those teams stick around and, in some cases (Iowa State’s 9-7 win in 2009) SU at home) those teams have beaten Nebraska.


That set of circumstances has to change but I think it’s fair to predict that as Pelini grows as a coach and the staff develops together, that there will be improvements on that front. What I do see as a huge positive is that even though Pelini’s win-loss success is similar to Solich’s 58-19 mark from 1998-2003. The reason that Frank got fired )rightly or wrongly) was that in his last three years, the team looked completely outclassed at least twice a year.


In the past two years, Pelini’s teams have shown that they can compete with anyone on a given day. The only losses in the last two years that couldn’t have been a win if one play had gone differently was the Texas Tech game (31-10 loss) in 2009 and the 19-7 Holiday Bowl loss to Washington last December. During that stretch, Nebraska took the No. 2 team (Texa) in the country to the last second before losing 13-12. The Huskers also led Oklahoma 17-0 in last year’s Big XII title game before losing 23-20. The Huskers also lost 18-15 in 2009 a eventual ACC champ Virginia Tech.


In this day and age in college football, the first thing a top program needs to do is be in every game. Clearly Nebraska needs to win those games and its track record in those situations has not been good but we only have a sample of two years to examine considering how bad the 2007 team Pelini succeeded happened to be.


The reason the Huskers haven’t been far more successful the last two years has been the offense, which has been absolutely putrid at very important points of the season. The posters who have pointed out the fact that the biggest contributors to that failure are still around have a great point. The offensive line has not been able to pass block for two years and has been supremely undisciplined, false starting way more than is acceptable. For an offense which is so weak that it needs down and distances to be favorable, this is not promising. Additionally, for the naysayers, it’s not like we revamped our offensive staff and brought in a proven coordinator with a track record of success. So, overall, I understand arguments against our improvement on offense.


However, I have more hope than the antagonists. I think that the Huskers performance over the last few years has been as bad as it can possibly get. Sometimes a situation can evolve where otherwise capable individuals fall into a trap of stagnation. More than anything I thought that former offensive coordinator Shawn Watson got too caught up in his own head and became a terrible playcaller. I hope that a fresh face will improve things and that the addition of John Garrison will result in more eyes on the offensive linemen watching their bad habits and identifying the things that confuse them so that those things can be rectified. If Nebraska’s offense progresses to middle of the pack Big 10, which there is no reason not to expect, its fortunes will change significantly.


As for our defense, I think that Pelini has assembled a staff of great defensive minds capable of game planning for any opponent. As long as the loss of defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders does not prove disastrous (and it could considering how amazing our secondary has been), the Huskers should be able to count on that unit to keep us in every game.


So overall, I think Nebraska’s prospects are bright. I think that the Huskers will be competitive against everyone and should be able to win their division more often than not. I think that their biggest competition will be Michigan and they will have a slight advantage there because Michigan’s cross-division rival, Ohio State, is slightly stronger than Nebraska. The years to be concerned will be when Iowa is (Nebraska’s main rival), plays Purdue while Nebraska plays Penn State. At least the Huskers will have the opportunity to play Iowa in the last game of the year, though, so they’d have to build a two game lead to eliminate Iowa’s chances of a division title before the end of the season. Once you win your division the conference becomes a one game crapshoot.


There are, obviously, points of concern. The Husker offense may not progress as hoped. The defense may not be as rock solid every year. Northwestern is scrappier than they have any right to be. Minnesota has no business being as bad as they are considering their large population base and excellent facilities. Overall I think that the Huskers are poised to be very successful in the new conference. Again, success in my mind is measured by winning the Division at least five out of every ten years (if not more) and winning the whole thing at least two or three times every ten years. That can be done. The State of the Program is probably better than we could reasonably expect it to be.


The dismal collapse at the end of last season along with the attendant negative publicity generated when Pelini went ballistic on the sideline in the 9-6 loss to Texas A&M, followed by the mail-in at the bowl game led to an extremely negative offseason both locally and nationally. Imagine trying to look forward to another season in which the offensiive coordinator attempts to prove his cleverness at the expense of winning games, while everyone else tries to figure out what happened to the electrifying Taylor Martinez that disappeared after Missouri.


Instead, Nebraska is in a new conference better suited to to it in a myriad of ways who actually seemed to embrace what the Huskers bring. Nebraska has new blood to help offensve line coach Barney Cotton, a new offensive coordinator (Tim Beck), fresh energy in the form of new coaches, vastly improved national exposure and respect and a badgered conference badly in need of positive press into which the Huskers fortuitously slipped.


Oh, and by the way, Nebraska has a defense and speed. I’d say the State of the Program is looking good.

Sometimes simpler is better

Through spring practices, the buzz surrounding Tim Beck’s appointment as Nebraska football offensive coordinator was about “keeping things simple” and “sticking with what works.”



When Bill Callahan was the head coach, he had a tendency to at times call the same play even if it was not working but also had a tendency to out-think himself. When Shawn Watson was the Huskers offensive coordinator, he fell into the latter category.


Husker fans are counting on Beck’s simplified approach leading to more consistent results. After all, the Nebraska defense played well enough the last two seasons to win Big 12 titles but a subpar offense cost Nebraska consecutive conference crowns.


Beck’s offensive philosophy is about what happens at the point of attack. Basically, there’s no point running six yards to gain two and no point throwing three straight passes when it’s first-and-goal from the 1.


The challenge Beck faces is that Nebraska will be young on the offensive line. The Huskers have 29 offensive linemen on the roster but only four of which are seniors. The good news is three have starting experience. In the meantime, there are three juniors, eleven sophomores, three redshirt freshman and eight true freshman.


The root of Beck’s simplified approach will revolve around keeping which plays have worked but using simplified verbiage rather than having it take a full sentence like the West Coast Offense.


On the passing side, look for the receivers to run where the defenders are not so as to include option routes within the play to get open and put the defender at a disadvantage.


On the running side, the simplified approach is more likely to be guys firing off the ball and knocking people down. The key is to get a real play action and normal passing game going that compliments the run game or can be gone too just for the heck of it for fun.

I believe Beck can and will accomplish those things in time.


The key to success this season will be how fast Beck can adjust to being the guy in charge. Some people can handle it and others are not very good at it. When there are 85,000 fans watching your every move even if you are hiding out in the sky box, the results will be seen on the sidelines, getting players on and off the field, getting plays in timely and last but not least, what happens once the ball is snapped.


More to the point, however, is that football is not a hard game if you outexecute your opponent,

Like it or not -- patience will be required of Husker offense

Not long after taking over as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator to replace Shawn Watson, Tim Beck indicated the Huskers are starting with a clean slate on offense.


After two consecutive years that saw the team fall short in the Big 12 title game, Watson resigned and is now the quarterbacks coach at Louisville. Beck had been Nebraska’s running back coach the previous three seasons.

Neither Beck nor head coach Bo Pelini have been openly definitive about what direction the offense will go other than “being multiple.” That statement can mean any number of things. Part of the criticism of Nebraska’s offense, even dating back to the Bill Callahan era that spanned from 2004-2007 was that the unit had no identity. Were they a running team? Were they a passing team? How quickly some people forget that the Huskers had a true identity for 30-plus years under Tom Osborne and Frank Solich as an option team that run the ball down opponents’ throats. That offense was the greatest thing known to man from 1993-1997 when the Huskers went 60-3 and won three National Championships. Then in 2002-2003 when the team went 17-10, the offense was stale.

More than likely, Beck’s version of the Nebraska offense will include a steady diet of zone reads but after that, who knows? Given how a suspect offense wasted outstanding defensive efforts in back-to-back conference title game losses, change was necessary. Change, however, requires patience as players and coaches make the adjustments. Will the players be fully comfortable with the changes in time for their first season in the Big Ten? Will fans be patient?

Husker fans being patient? Good luck. The dynamic behind the concept of change after the fact is that most people will back change until Nebraska does not win big. Then the complaining will begin. It may start with a trickle, but it will grow. That is until the Huskers start to win big again.


Just as an example, ask any random Husker fan about Coach Osborne now and you hear words like “legend” and “icon.” In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, those same bipolar fans were saying things to the effect of, “The game has passed him by” or “Option football is dead. The defenses are now to fast to run that type of offense against.” See seven consecutive bowl losses. However, Osborne stuck to his guns, and went on to coach Nebraska to three national titles.


As for coach Beck, Husker fans love him now because he’s not Watson. Just wait until the first time Nebraska’s offense struggles, you’ll hear plenty of groaning.


This change isn’t about having a good offense this season. It’s about having a killer offense for the next ten years or more.


Maybe it will happen fast. Or, more likely, it will take some time to iron out the kinks in the new offense. Keep in mind, it would time whether Pelini hired Tim Beck or Urban Meyer or Tom Osborne to be his offensive coordinator. This kind of overhaul doesn’t happen all at once, and fans throwing temper tantrums about it won’t make it happen any faster.

2011 Huskers more under the radar than last year

The 2011 Nebraska football team is not being counted out by any means and is projected by many to win the Legends division in its first season in the Big 10.



In fact, with the trials and tribulations of Ohio State, some are saying that the Huskers could win the Big 10 title outright. Keep in mind, Nebraska’s last conference title was 1999.


To refresh your memory on Ohio State, on March 8, head coach Jim Tressel was suspended by the university for two games, and fined $250,000 for not informing the university and the NCAA that he had information that five of his players received improper benefits from a tattoo shop in downtown Columbus. Among those those players, including Mike Adams, Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Solomon Thomas, Jordan Whiting, was quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The five players are suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. Pryor has since decided to enter the supplemental NFL draft.


Tressel’s suspension was also later increased to five games by the university. The NCAA filed a letter of allegations in late April 2011 with Ohio State alleging that Tressel lied to the NCAA in December, 2010 when he claimed to have no knowledge of the players activities with the tattoo shop. Furthermore, he is alleged to have knowingly used ineligible players during the 2010 season. On May 30, Tressel resigned as head coach.


Nebraska and Ohio State meet in Lincoln on Oct. 8 and could potentially play on Dec. 3 for the first ever Big 10 title game at Lucas Oil Stadium.


In 2009, Nebraska went 10-4 but won six of its last seven games. The last two of those contests included a controversial 13-12 loss to Texas in the Big 12 title game and a 33-0 flogging of Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.


That strong finish had a lot of Husker zealouts (including this one) sipping the Kool Aid in the form of thinking Big 12 title, BCS bowl bid and potentially a shot at the National Championship.


Those aspirations looked realistic when the Huskers opened the season 5-0 and moved as high as No. 5 in the polls with quarterback Taylor Martinez having a Heisman Trophy candidate season. Then Martinez was banged up in the second half. The Huskers had three close losses (20-13 to Texas, 9-6 to Texas A&M and 23-20 to Oklahoma). Nebraska then took Washington lightly in the Holiday Bowl and lost 19-7.


Even though Phil Steele’s magazine, which has been the most accurate preseason predictor the last 13 years, picked Nebraska to meet Oregon in the Rose Bowl, this preseason of expectations has a “under the radar” feel compared to last year.


On the surface, the Big 10 schedule makers did Nebraska no favors in its maiden voyage in the conference. The Huskers face what most tab as the top three clubs in the Leaders division (Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State) but despite just 12 starters returning, Nebraska has a better-than-average chance to win the Legends division. Michigan State might have a say in that matter but the good news is the Spartans have to come to Lincoln on Oct. 29.


Much of the fate of Nebraska’s season will come down to the return to health of Martinez. When he was healthy, Nebraska’s offense averaged 38.9 points per game but when he was banged up that scoring average dropped to 22.7. The other half of the equation will be how soon does new offensive coordinator Tim Beck find a scheme he wants to settle in with and develop. Keep in mind, that was the ultimate downfall of his predecessor Shawn Watson, who changed schemes about as often as most people change underwear.


On defense, despite losing quality players like CB Prince Amukamara, S Eric Hagg, S DeJon Gomes and DE Pierre Allen, Nebraska has more than enough quality talent defensively. Keep in mind some consider Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini as bright of a defensive mind as Alabama head coach Nick Saban even though Pelini is not in Saban’s class as a head coach.


The Huskers definitely do not lack for talent on defense because DT Jared Crick, LB LaVonte David and CB Alfonso Dennard are among the best in the nation at their respective positions.


Even though preseason hype is not where it was entering last year, look for Nebraska to be better than certain people think.

Martinez at a crossroad entering sophomore campaign

No position determined the fate of the Nebraska offense more in 2010 than quarterback. That figures to be the case once again in 2011. Granted, that could be said about any football team at any level but – you get the concept.



In the first ten games of 2010, Husker quarterback Taylor Martinez was a big play waiting to happen. He rushed 887 yards on 112 carries and 12 touchdowns. In the pasing department, he completed 63 of 119 for 1,161 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions. After sustaining an ankle injury, however, Martinez became pretty oridinary as he carried 50 times for 79 yards. In the passing department, he completed 44 of 76 for 470 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.


Martinez sat out wins over Iowa State and Colorado but also left losses against Texas A&M and Washington, giving way to since transferred Cody Green in relief each time.



Other than since departed offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, Martinez was perhaps the biggest scapeoat in the offense’s struggles in the second half of the season. However, the coaching staff would have been much served to have Martinez sit out and hopefully return in the Big 12 title game, or whenever he reached full health. Putting a less than full strength Martinez on the field was a liability more than an asset.


Martinez’s performance in the second half of the season had may Husker fans wondering if the talented sophomore is truly the right person to lead the offense. One must also realize, however, that with the exception of Tommie Frazier, the great majority of other good college quarterbacks (San Bradford, Tim Tebow, Terrelle Pryor to name a few) as far as recent times go didn’t start shine right out of the gate. Most of them were unknowns outside of their local fanbase until they were juniors or seniors which is when they were finally good enough to start.


As far as the Martinez’s inconsistency goes, I think it’s only something that needs to be developed just like anything else. Many players improve after their first year of starting and while I’m not saying he’s going to be zipping the ball around with pinpoint accurancy like Stanford’s Andrew Luck, he should be better in every aspect of the game over last year.


Where Martinez especially needs to improve is his game management and leadership skills. He has the ability to be a great player, if he can understand the defense better and earn the respect of his comrades. Some people were put off by Martinez’s aloof demeanor but great NFL quarterbacks like Joe Montana and Tom Brady to name a few were the furthest thing from being drill seargants and it didn’t stop them from being all-time greats.


Again, there is plenty of reason to wonder how good Martinez truly is but when he is intact and has opportunities, look out! When the offensive line looks like a sieve and he is injured, Nebraska is in for a long game.


Nebraska’s 20-13 loss to Texas signifies why there is reason to wonder. The worst Texas team in literally years was able to shut Martinez totally down when he was plenty healthy.In that game, Martiez carried 13 times for 21 yards and completed just 4 of 12 passes for 63 yards before getting replaced by Zac Lee.


However, in that game, Nebraska receivers dropped five passes, two would have been for sure touchdowns. If anyone could catch a ball that day, his passing numbers would have been much better and probably would have opened up a lot more running lanes. Could have been a totally different game.


As for the leadership issue, if your quarterback has excellent leadership skills, that’s great but leadership also must come from coaches. They should be able to make the team play well together regardless of whether the quarterback is shy, a jerk or whatever.

You don’t want a jerk as your quarterback, but in college I don’t think he has to be the undisputed leader of the team. I’d rather see him perfom well on the field and keep to himself clean off of it (as long as it doesn’t cause locker room problems) than be a terrific guy who can’t play.


One also has to consider that Martinez became a starter as a freshman, which means even with his dynamite start, he probably would have endured growing pains at some point. Keep in mind, most good starters at good programs don’t start when they’re freshmen or sophomores, they struggle or sit behind someone for 2-3 years a lot of times.


We can only hope Martinez improve in general. Actually, if he can just hold on to the ball, that would be a major improvement. The problem is that if the Huskers don’t fix many of the problems with the offensive line, regardless of how well Martinez plays, the offense will stall.

What will the Beck offense morph into?

With Shawn Watson long since out of the picture as Nebraska’s offensive coordinator, the question has become, what is the Huskers’ offensive attack going to be based on?




I keep hearing everything from a return to smash mouth football to something out of a science-fiction novel with Mike Leach calling plays via broadband internet connection implanted in new offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s brain.



I don’t care what anyone says, no offensive system is any better than any other. If you develop and execue right it will work. I don’t give a damn if it’s running the option out of the power-I, West Coast Offense, Spread, Wing-T, Veer, whatever.



My hunch is that we will see what we saw during the spring game. That would involve a heavy dose of zone read and true option attack with some spread principles based on what Oregon does. Based on the limited look we got during the spring game, I would venture a guess that we are going to see something similar to the pistol set used by Nevada and variations on that.



I would say that the pistol is kind of a next generation or development of the I-formation which gives you the ability to do the best of both worlds in regards to the zone read and true triple option along with passing out of the shotgun. I like what Nevada has done with that system and would be very happy with that that system at Nebraska.



I also hope the offense has no name. Just line up, move the chains and score more than the other guy.



To be successful, the offense needs to unveil everything (base runs and passes) from the start rather than waiting until conference play to see what part of the offense actually works. Nebraska needs to iron out the kinks against live opponents, not just the scout team. The Huskers can ill-afford to face say a Wisonsin or Ohio State and realize their timig is off too much to run an effective option or suddenly realize the pass patterns look a little different when the cornerback plays bump and run.



When asked what offense the team will be running, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini says, “We’re going to be multiple” but that doesn’t tell anyone anything. I agree that you have to be able to run and pass with equal efficiency. However, efficiency should not be confused with frequency. It’s about how WELL you do both, not how OFTEN.



The biggest problem with the offense the last two years was that it featured “a little of this and a little of that.” In addition, there were too many competing philosophies. You have a quarterback (Taylor Martinez) who can run an Oregon like spread, an offensive line coach (Barney Cotton) whose background is the old-school triple-option and an offensive coordinator (Shawn Watson) whose offense of choice is the West Coast Offense. That would be like putting a Tea Party conservative, far left liberal and a libertarian in the same room together. Long term, it is not going to work.



There is a segment of Husker fans that would say, “Let’s just get physical and run it down people’s throats like we did in the 90s.” That sounds good but this is not the 90s. Plus, just lining up in the I-Formation and running the football does not automatically make a team physical. The 2001 and 2002 teams ran plenty of option plays but those were hardly physical teams. Conversely, just because a team lines up with four wide receivers does not automatically mean they are finesse. Whatever that means.



The big question about Beck that we truly will not know until Nebraska faces a critcal juncture in a game is, how much of a risk taker will he be? One school of thought suggests that with the liklihood of Pelini fielding a strong defense on a regular basis, Beck doesn’t need to be a risk-taker. I beg to differ because against equal or superior foes you can’t just “play not to lose.” Granted, I don’t want an offensive coordinator going for it on fourth and five at his own 28-yard line. However, if Nebraska is trailing say, Wisconsin 24-21 with 1:30 left in the game and has a third-and-three at the Badger 35, I don’t think that’s a scenario where you call a low risk running play either.

Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better

Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. When you enter a football season with gaudy expectations of being a BCS bowl team like Nebraska did a year ago, such a statement is a hard sell.
Nebraska made coaching staff changes for the 2011 season on the heals of finishing 2010 with a thud capped by losing three of its last four games, culiminating with a 19-7 to Washington in the Holiday Bowl. The same Huskies team Nebraska chewed up and spit out 56-21 three months earlier. On the offensive side, out went offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore. Both were Bill Callahan holdovers.
Running backs coach Tim Beck became ofensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Ron Brown slid from tight ends to running backs coach. Offensive line coach Barney Cotton remained the O-Line coach and became the associate head coach. Former Husker offensive lineman John Garrison became tight ends coach annd assistant offensive line coach. With Garrison and Cotton, the Huskers went old school in this move because keep in mind for several years Milt Tenipor and Dan Young were co-offensive line coaches.
The Huskers went through defensive staff changes too as linebackers coach Mike Ekeler became the defensive coordinator at Indiana and defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders resigned. Ross Els replaced Ekeler while Corey Raymond replaced Sanders.
The offensive changes, however, are much more significant because suspect offense alone cost the Huskers consecutive Big 12 title games in a 13-12 defeat to Texas and a 23-20 loss to Oklahoma in 2010.
In 2009, the Husker offense was especially inept as only 18 Div. I-A teams averaged fewer than the Huskers’ 317.2 total yards per game and only seven teams averaged fewer than the 15.9 first downs per game that Nebraska compiled.
The 2010 offensive stats, however, are a little bit skewed because while the Huskers finished 34th in total yards per game, they only averaged 18.4 first downs per contest. To add further perspective, Memphis was dead last at 14.3.
Keep in mind, the first eight games featured a healthy Taylor Martinez at quarterback. Martinez’s speed alone masked a few deficiences from Nebraska’s offense. However, when Martinez became limited phyically by his sprained ankle, his confidence and swagger went South as well. So too did the Husker offense.
The Huskers finished the regular season 10-2. One week later led Oklahoma 17-0 in the Big 12 title game only to lose 23-20. The season was capped off with a giantic thud in losing 19-7 in the Holiday Bowl to Washington, whom the Huskers destroyed 56-21 in September.
Yes, it stunk to end the season that had so much promise with a thud. However, let’s say best case scenario Nebraska beats Oklahome and goes to the Fiesta Bowl to play Connecticut. If that happens, I think there’s a good chance Nebraska runs UConn off the field and goes 12-2. If that happens, there’s probably a good chance Watson is still with Nebraska.
Granted, it was generally believed that the Huskers would blast Washington in the second meeting. However, bowl games are often decided by who is more motivated, in which case the Huskies clearly were and the Huskers were not. Keep in mind, Washington was playing in its first bowl games since 2002 and the Holiday Bowl was not even on Nebraska’s radar in its preseason goals. I don’t Nebraska would have been unmotivated to play UConn.
Rewind to 2007. Nebraska falls to 4-4 just one week after Tom Osborne becomes athletic director. The Husker offense, while inconsistent, was putting up good numbers. The defense, meanwhile, was a sieve. So head coach Bill Callahan and his staff asked Osbore for benchmarks on what it would take for the coaching staff to save its jobs. Osborne said if the team won out and finished 8-4, there’s no question the staff would return. Anything less and the possibilities would range from not at all (4-8 or 5-7) to slim (6-6) to perhaps (7-5).
Let’s say best case scenario, Nebraska wins out and goes 8-4. Then Callahan and his staff return. There’s probably a good chance the Huskers would have maxed out at that point under Callahan.
Let’s face it, sometimes winning can sometimes insulate you from the reality of changes needing to be made. Whereas, finishing last season like the Huskers did left no gray areas that changes needed to be made.

Expectations for 2011

Nebraska might have officially joined the Big 10 today – as in July 1. However, they mentally joined the Big 10 last summer. Whether they care to admit it or not is another matter entirely.
So, let’s put aside the arguments about former offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, current offensive coordinator Tim Beck, offensive line cach Barney Cotton, etc. Lets put aside Beck’s offense and all the talk about spread and no-huddle because no one really knows what it’s really going to be like. Let’s talk about expectations.
Bo Pelini’s initial impact as Husker head coach was great in taking Nebraska from a down and out 5-7 season under Bill Callahan in 2007 to a 9-4 campaign in 2008. The Huskers went 10-4 in both 2009 and 2010, therefore not truly taking the next step as a program. Yes, Nebraska is “back” in that it is capable of beating any team on any given day. However, it is not “back” as far as being a bonafide National Championship contender.
Pelini is a very good coach who has breathed much needed life back into the program but his grace period is over. What are realistic expectations for the 2011 Huskers?
It begins with quarterback Taylor Martinez. If he’s physically healthy, he can be dynamite. When he’s hobbled, he’s pretty ordinary. Also, can he take ownership of the offense as a leader?
Watson came under brutal fire from fans and media alike so if the offense does not perform, do you blame Beck’s inexperience or will Pelni have to answer as a head coach? Pelini got a semi-pass on Watson because he was one of only two holdovers from the Bill Callahan era. Since the offense was producing good numbers under the previous regime, Pelini (at the recommendation of athletic director Tom Osborne) kept Watson. Though Pelini said good things publically about Watson, he was not a true Pelini choice like Beck (who has served as the Nebraska running backs coach since Pelini arrived in 2008).
The 2010 season ended on a bad note - the worst season in Pelini’s short tenure especially with the expectations coming into 2010. The fact that Nebraska has a returning starter at quarterback and the Big 10 is not as daunting as say a couple years ago. Hoewever, the schedule will have its landmines. Wisconsin for one. The Ohio State game looks more winnable but the Buckeyes still have some talented players on their roster.

People keep dogging Michigan but mark it down, just like Pelini taking over in 2007 immediately restored the BlackShirts, so will Brady Hoke’s presence be felt at Michigan. Their defense will make marked improvement and with shoelace that game could be a dogfight. The Penn State game could be a tossup as well but the media consensus is that Nebraska is a top-10 team and should be favored to win just about every game.
However, everything hinges on the offensive line and if they see significant improvement. Just a gut feeling but I envision Tennessee-Chattanooga, Fresno State, Washington, Wyoming, Minnesota, Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa being wins. The games against Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State I envision could go either way. Michigan and Iowa could be iffy but should be wins.
If Nebraska can split the four toss up games half and half , then a 10-2 season with a probable trip to the big 10 championship is strong possible. Winning the Big 10 Championship game would be an excellent start.
However, if the offensive line implodes like last year, then it could get real ugly such as 8-4 or 7-5. I have a gut feeling this won’t happen.
I don’t have the rose colored glasses on like I did at the beginning of last year. I have been bit too many times before thinking we go with one loss or less for the season. That being said, I think Nebraska should be pretty good.

Watson's remaining window at NU likely a short one

“Stability” and “continuity” were two words commonly uttered throughout Tom Osborne’s 25-year head coaching tenure at Nebraska as well as the first four years of Frank Solich’s stint.

Then in 2002, the Huskers became just another program and that goes even beyond their subpar 44-32 (for Nebraska) record from 2002-2008. Solich uprooted most of the coaching staff after a disappointing 7-7 season in 2002, bringing in assistants such as Bo Pelini, Marvin Sanders, Tim Albin and Barney Cotton. Despite a 10-3 season, then athletic director Steve Pederson fired Solich, named Pelini interim head coach and later passed over both Pelini and Turner Gill for Bill Callahan. In Callahan’s four years, the staff also went through various changes as well as a 27-22 record.

Nebraska fired Callahan after a 5-7 season in 2007 and went 9-4 in 2008, Pelini’s first as head coach. Most importantly, every staff member returns for 2009. Stability and continuity might be overstated words but are very important nonetheless because a youngster can come into the program as a freshman, knowing that what he learns then will apply every single year. When a staff experiences an upheaval, it takes time for players to not only learn the new system but for players and coaches to build a rapport.

Most of these assistants give you the impression of being here for the long haul. However, the reality is that while we all long for the days of Charlie McBride, George Darlington and Milt Tenopir staying for 25-plus years, those days are likely gone but as long as the core of the staff stays together, the Huskers will continue to sow the seeds for long term success.

Now, to bring up a hypothetical, yet likely, scenario that I hope doesn't happen, but something that has to be considered. The Huskers probably will lose offensive coordinator Shawn Watson at some point. I believe Watson is as good as any OC out there but he also has aspirations to be a head coach. I get the impression that he is just looking for the right offer to come along. I don't think he will leave NU for another OC job, that would be a lateral step but a head coaching job? Well, it depends on the program that calls him.

As much as I hate to say it, I think that Watson will be gone in 1-3 years, regardless. Hopefully, closer to three than one. The only thing that would keep him around is to offer him the head coaching position at NU, and that is something we can't offer as long as Pelini builds on his success.
The question begs: does Pelini have a short list somewhere that he is saving and tweaking for that rainy day when he needs it? Will he try to hire someone of Watson's caliber away from another program? Or will Pelini try to find a young, diamond-in-the-rough somewhere who is just looking for the opportunity to make it in the big-time? This is a bigger risk, yet will be easier to pull off and has a greater chance of sticking around the program long-term.

Another factor is that it takes so long to recruit for an offensive system that we should do whatever we can to keep the same offensive philosophy. Well, as long as the Huskers keep producing 30-plus points per game and the defense becomes stouter under Pelini.

Another option would be to promote from within with Barney Cotton, Ted Gilmore, Ron Brown, and Tim Beck as the options. I don’t think Beck would be ready just yet. Gilmore will be a downgrade, and Brown - as much as I respect the guy - is a permanent assistant at this level. That leaves Barney Cotton who was Solich's OC for one year, and then Cotton served as OC for Iowa State for a couple years. I just do not put Cotton in the same league as guys like Watson. Cotton may be a great line coach, but I don’t see him as an offensive coordinator. My money is on Beck if Pelini stays in staff. He has a pretty good resume when you think about it.

Of course, I hope Watson never leaves but let’s not be delusional. Hopefully, Watson at least sticks around through next year as the entire line except for Jacob Hickman returns. With Zac Lee (quarterback), Roy Helu (running back) and Mike McNeill (Tight end) returning the offense could be dynamite. At wide receiver, Menelik Holt will be gone but I have a feeling that JUCO transfer Brandon Kinnie will press Holt for playing time this year.

If Watson leaves, it'll be for a major conference program, in my mind. Settling for less wouldn't be worth it for a guy his age (49). He's got a 15-year head coaching window, essentially. Spending a quarter of that at a MAC school that'll struggle in hard economic times is a waste.

I think he is looking for something at least as good as Missouri or Kansas (just examples, not that those schools are looking), and anything better would be just that much more of a pull. He wouldn't go somewhere like Iowa State. I think Watson using essentially the same approach as Pelini used while at LSU - looking for the right program, the right fit, the right head-coaching opportunity at a relatively big-time university. If and when he leaves, I hope that it is for a program outside the Big 12.The nice thing about the existing staff, except Watson, is that the assistants either don't want to be head coaches or they are so young and unproven that they aren't even close to sniffing a head-coaching position. I think they are talented, and because of my previous statement - will be around for a long time = coaching continuity.

Sizing up Zac Lee expectations

While it is commonly believed that Nebraska football is on its way back under second-year head coach Bo Pelini, if there is one thing that tempers 2009 expectations it is breaking in a new starting quarterback.

The Huskers went 9-4 in Pelini’s first season and will have a new starting quarterback (most likely Zac Lee) to replace the graduated Joe Ganz. Most preseason prognosticators seem to pick Kansas to prevail over Nebraska in the Big 12 North for 2009 in part due to the return of its quarterback Todd Reesing.

Lee is the favorite to become Nebraska’s starting quarterback but mostly by default. Lee, who is a junior college transfer from San Francisco City College, will compete with redshirt freshman Kody Spano and true freshman Cody Green for starting duties at quarterback. Lee sat out the 2005 season before enrolling in junior college in January of 2006, giving him four years to use three seasons of eligibility at Nebraska, where he redshirted in 2007 and appeared in two games in a mop-up role last season. Lee is advertised as a quarterback that has a strong arm and good mobility.

So what are the realistic expectations we should have for Lee? Assuming that he winds up the starter – and there’s every reason to think he will.

In one respect, I would save all or any expectation until the 2010 season. For this year, the biggest thing Lee needs to do is execute the basics with the other more experienced components of Husker offense taking on the big load. That means the offensive line; receivers and the backs need to carry the team most of the season.

Last season, Ganz opened the year with the return of his share of experienced supporting cast members. Sure the Huskers scored a combined 120 point in the first three games against Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State but also needed two non-offensive touchdowns to pull away from San Jose State 35-12.

One thing that bodes well for Lee is that production issues early last season had less to do with Ganz and more to do with an emphasis on a power running game which the Huskers lacked personnel to effectively run. As a result, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson began to spread defenses out which created lanes for Ganz, Roy Helu, and Marlon Lucky.

I do not expect Lee to explode but I anticipate that he will make things “look easier” because he possess more natural talent than Ganz. The hardest thing to replace about Ganz will be his leadership.

Ganz was undeniably a big reason Nebraska won nine games last season but he also helped seal the team’s fate in the four losses. I put Ganz in much the same category as Zac Taylor in that both are tough guys and gamers but also spotty in the clutch. Their mistakes often stemmed from trying to do too much.

The situation is different this year. Lee does not have to be a hero. The Huskers have a pretty solid line, proven running backs, and the makings of a stout defense. Taylor and Ganz, especially Taylor, really didn't have either of those things with any consistency.

That leads me to believe that Lee will be more than up to what is expected of him. Keep in mind, the Lee era is also coinciding with the stabilization of Nebraska’s identity on offense (multiple/balanced). As a result, we will see more of a solid running game as opposed to running the ball just for the sake of doing it.

Watson found what works found and the O-Line is no doubt getting the reps on it in practice.

Lee in a much better situation than Taylor and especially Joe Daily were in under Bill Callahan’s coaching staff. Lee has had two complete seasons and while injured his first spring, he had three springs to get an understanding of the offense and what it means to compete at the Div I-A level.

He also has offensive teammates that are totally on the same page, as much as a college program can reasonably have. Everybody around him knows what to do. The 2004 and 2005 clubs were trying to find guys who could fit and grasp the system. D-linemen were made O-linemen. You also had a fifth year senior safety (Willie Amos) moved to receiver. Taylor paid a physical price; a Nebraska QB should never again have to pay.

Lee, however, has had the same quarterback coach and coordinator throughout all three years. The biggest thing to keep in mind with Watson is that he is also more practical with college limitations, than Callahan and Norvell were. They were fully immersed in their West Coast Offensive philosophy.

It was one thing to add numerous playbook volume for say Rich Gannon when the Oakland Raiders were on their way to a Super Bowl appearance in 2002 because a) Gannon was an NFL veteran and b) at the pro level, it is a full-time job. Whereas in the college game, there are limitations on how much time they can spend on football.

How much will the playbook be altered?

Since Patrick Witt has left the program, the starting job for the quarterback position is there for the taking for Zac Lee.

Now the question is who might be No. 2? In 2007, Bill Callahan constantly said how Sam Keller and Joe Ganz were competing for the starting quarterback job but let’s face it that was lip service. No reason to rehash that. Last season, the job belonged to Ganz. There was not even remotely an illusion of a quarterback competition. With Witt in the equation, we were bracing ourselves for him and Lee to duke it out with a starter being named sometime during the week of the first game.

The Huskers made a lot of strides in head coach Bo Pelini’s first season in going from 5-7 in 2007 to 9-4 in 2008, winning six of their last seven games. There’s every reason to believe that Nebraska will develop the right way under Pelini but inexperience at the quarterback position has made most of our fans hesitant about “the big turn around” coming in 2009.

Nebraska will definitely have to rely on its defense a little more while the offense finds its groove. The Husker defense improved from 112th in 2007 to 55th last season. While the defense has improved, will it be so well upgraded that we can rely on it to win lower scoring games?

Lincoln Journal Star columnist Steve Sipple indicated that Nebraska’s relationship with Witt needed to end now based on Witt’s father supposedly wanting assurance that the coaches name him the starter before the end of spring practice. If that’s the case, who does the Witt family think they are to dictate the race? More to the point, if a player shies away from competition for a starting job now, how is he going to handle hostile environments like Oklahoma or Texas A&M?

That’s the difference between Witt and Ganz, who clearly got hosed out of the starting job before the start of 2007. However, when Ganz got his chance when Keller got hurt, he shined.

Battling for the No. 2 spot are redshirt freshmen Kody Spano and true freshman Cody Green. Regardless, all three are inexperienced with only Lee getting game experience but that was in garbage time. Witt’s departure means that Green, who is a prized recruit, gores from almost certainly redshirting to now having a shot at the No. 2 position.

The question becomes, how much will offensive coordinator Shawn Watson scale down the playbook? There was a lot of talk about the Huskers simplifying their scheme after Callahan’s dismissal. However, since Ganz had been in the program for four years, the coaching staff was still afforded the luxury of keeping a lot of playbook volume.

Watson will likely have to scale down the playbook even if Lee, who enters his junior season in 2009, winds up the starter because he has only been in the program two years. Nonetheless, Watson has shown the ability to adjust according to the talent at his disposal.

While Colorado’s offensive coordinator in 2001, the Buffs were primarily a running team but two years later they were more of a passing team.

Last season, the Huskers tried to get back to being the power running team they were for so long. That approach was not working so Watson junked the heavy sets with multiple tight ends and the Huskers ran more out of the spread formation.