BlogPoll Ballot Draft

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU	1
2	California	1
3	Ohio State	1
4	Boston College	2
5	South Florida	2
6	Oklahoma	4
7	South Carolina	13
8	Missouri	7
9	Oregon	4
10	Southern Cal	9
11	Florida	2
12	Arizona State	4
13	Cincinnati	5
14	West Virginia	2
15	Illinois	11
16	Virginia Tech	5
17	Hawaii	2
18	Wisconsin	13
19	Kansas	7
20	Florida State	6
21	Kentucky	13
22	Auburn	4
23	Tennessee	3
24	Purdue	7
25	Georgia	11

Dropped Out: Texas (#11), Rutgers (#22), Kansas State (#23), Clemson (#24), UCLA (#25).

This is getting to be ri-goddamn-diculous.

HELP!

That's One Way to Bring Them Down

Not exactly catch a Tiger by his toe, but close.

Where Do We Go From Here?

No, not the Huskers, I'm talking about me. It might be a slow week around here as I need to finalize my internship/residency applications. Figuring out where I want to spend next year takes precedence over a team struggling to get out of its own way.

I'll be back on the radio show tomorrow night and will link to that when it is up. There's also a chance I get my mind right and write something worth posting later in the week.

Until then here are some thoughts to ponder:

· What's happened since the Alamo Bowl win over Michigan that could account for where we are today?

· Have you ever seen a group of college-aged males look less happy or enthused as this team does come game time? Every group of guys I know is always bursting with confidence and fully expects to get laid each and every time they go out. Our team is like the guy who has resigned himself to going home alone and thus mopes all night until you’re completely miserable too. Fuck that.

· When was the last time you saw a Nebraska player make an open field tackle that didn’t involve trying to grab the ballcarrier around the shoulder pads? I’ll name my first son Ruud McKeon Adams if someone, anyone on this team takes out somebody below the waist.

· On a related note, my buddy Marc who happens to be an Ole Miss fan, says Nebraska is the worst tackling team he has ever seen. That’s a pretty sad statement coming from a Rebel fan.

· Why can’t someone in red make a play all on their own? A diving catch, making guys miss, breaking through tackles on the way to the endzone – we have none of that.

· I found it ironic that ESPN’s cutting to the two Mizzou fans with the “Salt in the Wound” gag, actually was like pouring salt in the wound at that point. Bastards.

· If the defensive scheme is so difficult to learn, why is Armando Murillo our most consistent DB?

· Care to take bets that he somehow manages to get worse the longer he spends in Lincoln?

· Our “new and improved” offensive line looks a lot like the shitty one we had a year ago. It’s no wonder, however, when you consider who they block at practice. You’ve seen our starting defensive line. Can you imagine how bad the scout team D-line is?

· I’m taking a vow to avoid using the term “Blackshirts” to describe our defense until further notice.

· I felt like a fucking Cubs fan this morning when I peeked ahead to the 2008 schedule and thought to myself, there’s always next year. No offense BLV.

Well, that was fun...

If the players can give up, so will I. Go here and take it like a man come Sunday.

Marlon Lucky and Nebraska on Third Down

Who knows what the Missouri game will actually come down to, but Nebraska's ability to convert on third down will certainly be key. Thus far, Nebraska is converting 45.83% of their 3rd down attempts, which ranks us 20th nationally in this statistic. On the road, however, we've been absolutely brutal, converting just 3/15 attempts (20%)at Wake Forest. That's just not going to cut it in Columbia.

An important component of 3rd down success is the emergence of big play guys who step up when it's time to move the chains. If you think back to 2006, the go-to guy on 3rd down was Maurice Purify. In 2006, Nebraska threw to Purify 23 times on 3rd down resulting in 14 receptions. Of those 14 completions, 11 garnered first downs and three resulted in touchdowns. It's early in 2007, so we're still waiting for our 3rd down weapon to emerge...or are we?

I took a closer look at Marlon Lucky's numbers for the year and was surprised by what I saw from him, especially on 3rd down. In the table below we have Lucky's rushing statistics on 3rd down for 2007.


What jumps out immediately is the eye-popping average yards per carry. Did anyone realize that Lucky is averaging 7.77 yards per carry on third down? That's pretty impressive. By digging a little further I was able to put that figure into perspective.

In this table we have the nation's Top 10 players in average yards per carry on third down plays (with a minimum of 10 carries).


Here we see that Lucky's 7.77 yards/carry rank 4th nationally, ahead of such stars as P.J. Hill, Ray Rice and Darren McFadden. Color me impressed.

But yards per carry is really only way to look at third down backs. Another and perhaps more important variable is the running back's ability to convert on 3rd downs. Once again I looked at the statistics and found that Lucky has turned 8 of his 13 third down carries into first downs. That's a third down conversion percentage of 61.54%.

So how does that stack up nationally? Below we see the Top 10 nationally for running backs in terms of 3rd down conversion percentage (Again minimum of 10 carries). Currently Lucky sits 9th nationally in this category.


These numbers tell me that Lucky's contributions are being overlooked by many of us (myself included). He's proven so far that he can come up big when the offense needs yards and we haven't even talked about his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. To help illuminate this part of his game I also examined his receptions on third down.


I have to admit, I was surprised to see how infrequently we've thrown to Lucky on third down. However, he has had some success proving that he must be accounted for on every down, and is always a danger to move the chains for the Husker offense.

Take the Double Extra Points #6

Last Week: 4-5-1 (44%) OUCH!
Season: 30-27-1 (53%) DAMN!

The trend continued again. The girls have officially stopped showing up. The post-game party doesn’t even have a guest list. Reality of the situation is we suck right now and we have to put up with partying by ourselves until the situation rectifies itself. Until then, it’s lonely us, poor lonely us.


SAMMY VEGAS

Georgia (+2) over TENNESSEE: The grace period for winning a national championship is running out for Coach Fullmer in Tennessee. The Vols are off to a 2-2 start with losses at Florida and Cal with neither being close. Georgia’s only loss this year is at home to South Carolina. Tennessee has a top 20 D and Georgia has a top 20 offense, and I usually don’t pick against Tennessee at home but I’m gonna go with my instincts on this one, saddle up partner.

TEXAS TECH (-24) over Iowa State: "It was pitiful, it was pitiful. It was flat-out pitiful. We're some vaunted offense so we're going to sit here with our arms folded. Oh well, we'll have three lackadaisical plays and then we'll punt and we'll make it the defense's problem." –Mike Leach after Tech’s 45-41 loss to Oklahoma State. QB Grant Harrell has 24 touchdowns this year and 72% completion. Iowa State couldn’t be in a worse spot here as apparently coaches get on their players and get results.

Colorado (-8.5) over BAYLOR: I am starting to scare myself by talking about Dan Hawkins so much this week. Baylor has beaten Colorado the last two times they have played, and last week Baylor put up 2 first downs and had 68 total yards – the WHOLE game! Colorado has played Arizona State, Florida State, and Oklahoma – and they have actually have outgained these likes by an average of 89 yards/game. Oh and their defense is #5 in the country. Be very afraid Big 12 north.

INDIANA (-13) over Minnesota: Minnesota is bad. They have the worst pass defense in the country and have only 3 sacks – Indiana has a nation leading 27 sacks. Minnesota’s offense is dead last in TO’s with -18 while Indiana is 5th with +15. Last year, Minnesota ran the score up on Indiana 63-26 in the Dome so revenge is fresh. If that doesn’t convince you, I had IU professor Dr. D, the math Wunderkind, run these numbers and he was able to give me the phone numbers of all the Kappa pledge’s this semester. Numbers don’t lie.

PENN STATE (-9.5) over Iowa: Can you imagine paying a coach 2.7 million dollars in Kirk Ferentz to have him lose in his 9th year at Iowa to Indiana at home 20-38? (Callahan?) Iowa is almost last in every offensive category in the Big Ten and has given up 15 sacks this year. Penn State is off a loss at Illinois where they had almost a 100 more yards of offense than the Illini. I’m weary, but Iowa is awful.

TIMMY ROSE

SOUTH CAROLINA (-3.5) over Kentucky: Here is a Thursday pick for you loyal DXP readers to get your accounts started in the plus column before a huge weekend of college football. South Carolina is giving up just 15 points per game (12th in NCAA) and have already faced Georgia and LSU, while Kentucky is giving up almost 400 yards per game to the likes of Florida Atlantic and Kent State. Surprisingly, each of these rush defenses rank near the bottom of the country in rushing yards allowed at over 200 per game. We’ll go with the team that’s faced far superior defenses and the Ole’ Ball Coach that’s never lost to Kentucky. Did we mention that South Carolina has just slightly hotter girls than Kentucky?

TEXAS A&M (-6) over Oklahoma St: Oklahoma State’s passing D (3rd worst in NCAA) has more holes in it than Mike Vick’s brain. They will get tested in College Station as QB McGee threw 28 times last week for 200 yards. Texas A&M tops the Big XII South and will stay there for another week as they beat up on the most disappointing road team in the NCAA.

LOUISVILLE (-15) over Utah: Much like Oklahoma State, Utah has been of the most inconsistent teams in the country. After blowing out UCLA, they literally laid an egg at UNLV, losing 27-0. Their road game is worst than Dr. D’s bar game and Louisville looks to be recovered from back-to-back losses earlier in the year. Expect Louisville to run it up as they get national exposure on ESPN Friday night.

RUTGERS (-3.5) over Cincy: We think Cincy is more over-rated than a sober Saturday and a team that will be exposed against a Rutgers team that was beaten up by Maryland last week for over 450 yards and 34 points. Practice won’t be fun in Piscataway this week, but the Scarlet Knights should have no trouble getting fired up to face the team that ruined their Cinderella season just a year ago.

KANSAS STATE (-3) over Kansas: Kansas is in the top 10 in almost every single offensive and defensive statistical category and if you can guess the college town of more than one of their opponents, then next week’s picks are free. And if you’re counting, they played Toledo. Kansas State’s defense and special teams is among the best in the nation and this Coach Prince gets his fifth straight cover as a home favorite.

Oddsmakers' Top 25

I can't seem to remember to get this posted on a weekly basis. But, here again, via DC Sports Bog is the Oddsmakers' Top 25 Poll - Post-destruction edition. Remember AP Poll ranking is in parentheses.

Vegas remains high on a bunch of teams that went down this week - including OU, Florida, WVU and Oregon. Arizona State also seems overlooked by the media. Nebraska finally looks to be in it's correct spot after early confidence from the Vegas consultants. Gambling junkies, what says you?

1. Southern Cal (2)
2. LSU (1)
3. Oklahoma (10)
4. Ohio State (4)
5. West Virginia (13)
6. Florida (9)
7. California (3)
8. Oregon (14)
9. South Carolina (11)
10t. Arizona State (18)
10t. Wisconsin (5)
12. South Florida (6)
13. Texas (19)
14. Boston College (7)
15. Georgia (12)
16. Missouri (17)
17. Florida State (26)
18. UCLA (30)
19. Kentucky (8)
20. Hawaii (16)
21t. Clemson (22)
21t. Rutgers (21)
23. Purdue (23)
24t. Nebraska (25)
24t. Virginia Tech (15)
26. Georgia Tech (--)
27t. Penn State (39)
27t. Brigham Young (--)
29. Kansas State (24)
30. Michigan (33)

Not ranked by Vegas: Cincinnati (20th in the AP).

Dan Hawkins Has Entered the Blogosphere

Houston we have a problem. Scratch that. Houston we have brilliance. Colorado coach Dan ‘Hawk’ Hawkins has started his own blog and it is frickin’ awesome. He is only two pieces deep into the dark, mysterious world of CFB blogging but I already know and like him better than I would have ever thought.

If you didn’t like Coach Hawkins after this infamous rant or after this blog, then go play intramurals brother, this is Division I football.

This is why Hawkins claims he’s doing it:

“From time to time I would like to give some information that you may find useful, entertaining, or help you form opinions about me or Colorado Football. I have to warn you that some of it may be a little eclectic, and not the usual sports banter. You can always get the usual information from other sources.”

Music?

“Love it. Let me turn you on to Great Big Sea. Sort of a folk/pop/rock band from Newfoundland. Check ‘em out you like it (as you’ll find out I like stuff off the beaten path).”

This is as in depth as he gets about the win over #3 Oklahoma:

“I knew we would win on Saturday. Why? Our guys had a body of work that they could draw from. Their experiences had given them what they needed to form the proper frame of mind. All that was needed was for us to go out and sing our song and do our dance! Dance we did.”

“It was a glorious fall afternoon at Folsom—a little bite to the air, leaves letting go of summer and bleeding into winter, a low sun, and plenty of emotion in the air. Competing against the No. 3 ranked team in the country, you have to feel blessed to be part of that!”

Here is what he did last Thursday:

“Took my wife to Red Rocks on Thursday night to see ABBA. Why? Well, it was for her birthday. Now, I love music, but I can say I’m not much of an ABBA guy, but my wife is……Red Rocks was stunning, the concert was fun, and the time spent with her was priceless. Remember? Focus on the process, just get better, quit trying to win and just be a winner….”

And finally:

“Hey, I am sure you want me to go on about the game, but it’s over—long over and we have to get ready for Baylor who took it to us last year. No time to look back, there will be plenty of those stories other places.

My point? Good things happen to good people, quit trying to win and just be a winner, focus on the process not the product, and as Coach Hurdle says, “Just keep pumping the pump.”

Are you kidding me? The only part of the blog I don’t like is that he doesn’t write everyday. Love or hate Colorado (and I know, including myself, which side most readers here take), this is great - so great that he ends all his blogs in ‘PEACE.’ Can you imagine Billy Callahan’s blog? I can’t either. I bet he doesn’t take his wife to Red Rocks on a Thursday night – my guess is a typical Thursday night involves going over X’s and O’s with Zac Taylor as he prepares him for ‘a tremendous opportunity in the CFL in terms of evolving not as a player but as a future head coach.’

And the the best part about this blog? You don’t have to be an Alumni who pays $1,200 a year to read it.

Zone Blocking and Nebraska’s Running Game – Pt. II

Here is the second part of my look at Nebraska’s zone blocking schemes and their impact on our running game. If you missed part one, just look down the page, you idiot!

Our Bread and Butter

For all of Bill Callahan’s offensive acumen and 1,200-pound playbook, his playcalls in the running game are decidedly unimaginative. If you’ve watched any Nebraska games over the past few years you have been inundated with the stretch play. The stretch play is a major component of a zone blocking scheme. With the stretch play you are trying to force the defensive front to flow and to stretch horizontally so you can create seams. The idea is that the running back will generally head off-tackle looking for a seam between the tackle and the tight end or even outside of the TE depending on the style of defense you’re facing. For this to work the offensive line must again be in tune with the goal of getting bodies on the second level of defenders to help spring the running back.

The tightend (or tightends in Nebraska’s case) are key to the success of the stretch play. The TE must recognize the type of defense end he is facing and adjust his blocking accordingly. In some cases, he will merely attempt to seal the edge, forcing the running back to bounce aggressively the outside. This is especially useful when facing a strong, tough DE. If the DE is aggressive, quick and committed to getting up field, the TE may let him go that way while forcing him far to the outside. This allows the RB to cut up right off of the block of the tackle.

Here’s a diagram of the stretch play with blocking assignments included.


Again you can see that the RB is going to need patience to see where the lane develops and how the TE blocks the defensive end. As you’ve probably noticed, the stretch play is fairly useless when the running back is forced to run up the backs of his offensive linemen, or worse yet when the offensive linemen are forced back into the back’s running lane. For good examples of both see the USC game.

Why Stick With It?

You might wonder why Nebraska remains so committed to the stretch play even when it fails to produce consistent gains and often looks poorly executed. Callahan has a very good reason for this. Take a look back at the diagram and see what the QB is starting to do after handing off the ball to the running back. If you’re paying attention you’ll see the makings of a nice play-action bootleg. And that’s the true value of the stretch play to Nebraska’s playbook.

If you’ve ever watched the Indianapolis Colts a major part of their passing game is the bootleg off the fake stretch play. After taking the snap, Peyton Manning takes a couple of steps to his right or left and then starts to work his magic. A master of execution, Manning either gives the ball to the back or pulls it back, hides it and works a play-action pass. Nebraska has been doing more and more of this with Sam Keller and the stretch running plays set it up perfectly.

By setting the bootleg up with the stretch play you are trying to make the linebackers somewhat hesitant. If things go as planned, the linebackers sell out for the run which opens up a lot of space for Maurice Purify or Terrence Nunn on crossing routes. But for this to occur, you again need everyone on the same page. The quarterback needs to help set up the play action by carrying out the bootleg even on the stretch running plays. He also needs to master the sleight of hand necessary to fool the defense and giving himself time to throw. The offensive line also plays a key role, because defenders should be watching them instead of the QB in order to determine if the play is a run or a pass. As a result, if they sit back on their heels immediately to pass block, all of the faking in the world, isn’t going to convince the D that a run is coming. On the other hand, if they show the same zone scheme (while avoiding going downfield) it improves the run fake and helps to keep the hands of the defensive linemen down preventing tipped passes.

Here we see examples of some pass patterns that can emerge from the bootleg action set up by the stretch play.


Notice the options the QB has off of this play. If an aggressive set of safeties gets too far upfield, Keller can throw over the top of them to Purify or Sean Hill. If the linebackers bite on the run, he’ll have Phillips crossing over the middle into the space they vacated. If he needs an outlet or only a few yards (think 3rd and short) he’ll have Nunn out in the flats. Notice that sending Nunn in motion into the formation sets up the run even more.

Now remember, each time you see this particular bootleg play-action pass have success, you can take heart in knowing that all of those stretch plays for short gains did have a purpose.

Zone Blocking and Nebraska's Running Game - Pt. I

With a big game coming up this weekend Nebraska fans seem more than a little concerned about the Husker running game. After a quick start against Nevada, Nebraska has been extremely inconsistent picking up yardage on the ground. This has put a lot of pressure on Sam Keller and the passing attack. The ineffective running game has also helped to account for the amount of time the defense has spent on the field. When you’re not chewing up yards and time with a power rushing game, you’re not going to control the ball. And let’s face it, while time of possession is generally a useless statistic, a TOP advantage does mean a rested defense.

One of the first things that sticks out with the running game under Callahan’s WCO is the use of zone blocking schemes. While I’ve heard people banter about the relative utility of such schemes, I’ve rarely heard the topic discussed intelligently among Husker fans. Let’s try to change that if we can. So here is my faithful attempt at introducing you to zone blocking and how it might impact Nebraska’s running game.

Drive Blocking

First off let’s start with a standard for comparison. Teams that don’t utilize zone blocking schemes instead rely upon “man” or “drive blocking”. In this scheme a lineman is responsible for an individual, and the play is designed for a running back to hit a particular hole. So as a lineman your job is pretty simple: If you have a man on you drive him off the ball. If you don’t have a man on you block down on the first man inside. Add pulling guards for trap plays and sweeps, and you essentially have something similar to what Nebraska’s option offense did for decades.

Zone Blocking

Zone blocking is a different animal. This scheme involves a lineman blocking an area instead of a designated defensive player. If multiple linemen are blocking an area one can then break off and block into the second level. Generally a lineman in this system blocks the man on them if they are covered, and if you don’t have a man on you, then you double team with the person next to you on the play side of the formation. One of the key tenets of zone blocking is lateral movement of the offensive linemen as a unit. This should create some natural seams or gaps in the defense for the running back then to exploit.

As Bob Davie explains:

“Zone blocking in the running game is when two or three offensive linemen work in tandem as opposed to each offensive lineman having a specific, predetermined man to block. Zone blocking involves the center, guard, tackle and tight end working in combination to block an area with an emphasis on double-teaming the defensive linemen who are aligned on the line of scrimmage.

The concept is for two adjacent linemen to come off in unison and attack a defensive line to the play side or to the side the ball carrier is going. The advantage, as opposed to man blocking, is that you create a double-team with two players blocking one defensive lineman. This allows the offensive linemen to be aggressive because he knows he has help if his defensive lineman was to pinch inside. It also provides movement at the point of attack, which can open creases for the running back.

Zone blocking initially starts out as a double team at the point of attack on the down defensive linemen, but the beauty of it is that one of the offensive linemen will leave to attack the linebacker while one stays to take over the defensive lineman. The key is for the two offensive linemen working in unison to double-team the defensive lineman to decide who and when one of them will leave to block the linebacker.”

Keys to Zone Blocking

In addition to moving laterally or horizontally, it is also crucial that the offensive linemen keep their shoulders square to the line of scrimmage. If they open up their shoulders at all, it can create a seam for the defense to get penetration and disrupt the play before it starts. This is where I’ve really seen breakdowns in Nebraska’s offensive line. Often times it is just a matter of getting beaten off the ball even slightly that results in the shoulder turn and subsequent lane for defenders. Another key is the communication and teamwork that must occur between the offensive linemen. For one, the linemen don’t know who they will block prior to the snap. Instead, they choose who to block after the play begins. Therein lies the difficulty of zone blocking. Each lineman must work in unison to pick out the right players to block in the few lightning-fast seconds during which a play takes place. Since they are completely dependant upon one another, a missed block by just one offensive lineman often causes the play to fail. This is where injuries, position swapping or a lack of quality practice time can really hurt an O-line.

But the offensive line isn’t the only key to a successful zone blocking scheme. A lot of responsibility also falls on the shoulders of the running back. Remember that with zone blocking, the offensive lineman all are moving laterally. This movement should create lanes or gaps for the running back. But because the linemen are working in unison the hole may open up anywhere along the line of scrimmage. This can work to give the running back multiple options, but relies strongly on his ability to pick the best running lane from these options. Here’s where I notice some problems with Marlon Lucky. It is clear that he has struggled at times to find or pick the right running lane. As a preseason article noted:

“He [Lucky] encountered a difficult time adjusting to school, to being far away from home, to the Huskers’ complex West Coast offense. He especially had trouble learning the blocking schemes, pass routes as well as the “zone” running plays, said Brad Ratcliffe, his former high school coach.”

It's extremely important for Lucky to continue to stay patient and let the zone develop, but it's also necessary that as soon as he sees a crease – to accelerate through it. Here’s where we often see Lucky hesitate. And that hesitation is costly. A zone blocking scheme relies on the running back taking what he can get — he can’t dance around waiting for a hole to open. He needs to be agile, authoritative, and possess good instincts. Nothing fancy, just try to gain positive yardage. Lucky can also improve on finding the elusive cut-back lane. Often times the open lane is created on the backside of the play, allowing the running back plenty of room to cut back away from the pursuit of the defense. But if the running back misses this lane, the chances for a big play diminish. Brandon Jackson was a master at finding and exploiting the cutback lanes on zone running plays. We desperately miss that type of natural ability. Overall, these types of plays take a lot of repetition in practice to run well, and the reps then should help the running back understand when and where to expect those creases to open up.

Perhaps surprisingly, the quarterback also plays a key role in a zone blocking scheme. His job is to get the ball to the running back as deep and as quickly as possible. The quicker and deeper the QB gets the ball to the running back, the better angle he will have for any potential running lanes or gaps in the defense.

So there's your introduction to zone blocking. Stick around for some additional information later this week.

BlogPoll Draft - Wait, They Lost Too? Edition

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Southern Cal	--
2	LSU	--
3	California	3
4	Ohio State	3
5	Wisconsin	6
6	Boston College	4
7	South Florida	12
8	Kentucky	6
9	Florida	5
10	Oklahoma	7
11	Texas	3
12	West Virginia	7
13	Oregon	4
14	Georgia	4
15	Missouri	--
16	Arizona State	8
17	Purdue	9
18	Cincinnati	5
19	Hawaii	2
20	South Carolina	5
21	Virginia Tech	--
22	Rutgers	10
23	Kansas State	3
24	Clemson	11
25	UCLA	1

Dropped Out: Texas A&M (#16), Penn State (#20), Michigan State (#22).

Man, what a week. I didn't look at my previous poll, so that might explain a few odd deltas. I watched a lot of football, but came away thinking I know less about these teams than I thought I did.

Anyway, have at it.