Passing early, running late could be effective for Nebraska football and coach Matt Rhule.
Almost as soon as he was hired, Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule said he wanted to establish a “body blows” offense, an attack that would pound on the opponent and wear him down in the fourth quarter. Husker fans of a certain age, who remember Tom Osborne and Frank Solich doing that regularly, were exhilarated.
Could a “body blows” running game happen in 2024? It could, if the offensive line shows outstanding improvement, and a “running back-by-committee” results in three different backs to rotating, each carrying the ball about 10 to 15 times a game. But I think it’s a stretch for this season. The key in Year Two of the Rhule era is the wide receivers, who give every indication they are built to deliver some blows. I envisionblocking for each other and dealing out some punishment. It’s not what I originally pictured when Rhule talked about his goal to make the Huskers more physical, and it’s not the long-term solution, but it will be a step in the right direction nonetheless.
I hope I’m wrong, but in 2024, I don’t see that back on this roster. I see a bunch of pretty good backs, none of whom is going to strike fear into a defense, so using wide receiver screens as an extension of the running game makes a lot of sense. It’s something Frost said he’d do, but never accomplished, and eventually, after enough 2-yard gains and negative plays piled up, I advocated eliminating the call from the playbook altogether. But not this year.
And to clarify, I said the Huskers are likely to run the ball at a lower rate, not necessarily run the ball fewer times per game. If all goes well, the Husker passing game will pick up first downs and open up the run.
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