Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[entropy]

http://sports.omaha.com/2013/08/26/press-conference-quick-hits-aug-26-bo-talks-wyoming-linebackers-and-true-freshmen/#.UhusmRusim5

UNL updates

[Wild Hoss]

Very interesting stats.

Indeed.

Of greater interest, the NCAA must have recently updated for 2012...they usually release their annual record book about this time of year, but I hadn?t looked for it yet. Its there now.

Of the 14 major statistical categories the NCAA tracks, no less than 9 saw new records set in 2012:

Rush YPA: 4.40
Comp: 19.8
Comp%: .605
Pass YPG: 238.3
Pass YPA: 7.3
Total Off: 409.2YPG
YPP: 5.73
TD: 3.75
Scoring: 29.5

I have always found the impact of the ?spread? on rushing stats to be the most interesting dynamic in the modern game. Despite the fact rushing attempts are down (45.5 att per game from 1937-1999, 38.0 in 2012) rushing YPA are at all-time highs.

Also of note, Scoring has increased by 7PPG- a full touchdown- since 1985, and it crossed the 29PPG threshold for the first time in 2012. The previous high was 28.4 in 2007, so 2012 surpassed that by more than a full point.

[entropy]

i see no reason why 2013 won't trend in the same direction..

this also means what is considered a good Defense needs to change..

all that said, if you can run TO's old system of ball control, you can improve all those numbers. Give a team less touches and you'll win most games and have better defensive stats. The style of offense you run also impacts your D's performance

[Hannibal]

It seems like there has been a resurgence in the success of power running too.

[entropy]

is that because of offenses or the defenses?

[entropy]

hoss.. it is interesting that places like LSU and bama are taking different approaches to winning.

Solid D and an offensive style that controls the ball and beats you up...

[entropy]

so is it rule changes, better development at QB or style that is creating all the improved offensive numbers..

answer is all... but which are creating the larger impact?

[Mike]

I think more sophisticated passing games are the biggest reason. The exponential rate of increase in completion % speaks for itself. Factor in a spread offense with 5 receiving options every play and it really strains a defense. It's not like there aren't great athletes playing defense these days so, to me, it has to be scheme and a commitment to developing passing QBs.

[entropy]

Lack of pash rush means more blitzing and hence more man to man coverage.

[Wild Hoss]

I think more sophisticated passing games are the biggest reason. The exponential rate of increase in completion % speaks for itself. Factor in a spread offense with 5 receiving options every play and it really strains a defense. It's not like there aren't great athletes playing defense these days so, to me, it has to be scheme and a commitment to developing passing QBs.

Actually, its completely the opposite. Spread offenses, as a rule, are less sophisticated than the prototypical pro-style offenses stemming from Walsh and Coryell that most of us grew up with; five step, seven step, action pass, bootleg etc.

One of the basic tenants of spread passing is the half-field read. What that means is that while there may be 3, 4, or even 5 receivers (And by that I mean WRs, TEs, and backs) spread across the field, only those on one side of the midline are "live". Be it predetermined or by check at the line of scrimmage, the QB is going to take the snap and read one side of the field, and often times only reading one defender. This greatly reduces the workload on the quarterback, and is the reason so many freshmen hop into the systems and excel immediately.

This also assists the OL, because the ball is gone quickly. Doubly so as most routes are fast-developing; the Slant, Out, Skinny Post, and Bubble/Tunnel screens are pretty much universal. They are relatively short and line-of-sight type throws, which means a larger pool of kids are capable of making them with regularity...kids who might also be gifted runners, but aren't quite adept at floating the ball between a linebacker and a safety, or dropping it behind a Cover 2 corner.

You get a kid like that and throw in some zone read and QB Draw, and you've created a real problem for defenses.

[Wild Hoss]

so is it rule changes, better development at QB or style that is creating all the improved offensive numbers..

answer is all... but which are creating the larger impact?

Rule changes, without question. If you were to revert the rules to what they were in 1977 these spread offenses would be extinct within three years. OL were FAR more limited in the use of their hands, and DBs were completely the opposite. Quarterbacks had less freedom in unloading the football when under pressure, and pass rushers had a lot more freedom in applying that pressure.

Football schematics are just like nature in that they constantly evolve to the fill the niches available within the rules. The "spread" wasn't invented; it evolved.

[Rob F]

You nailed it, Hoss. Without a doubt, rules changes protecting the QB and the rule changes that allow receivers more room to operate have made football a completely different game than the triple-option and power-I running attacks of the 70's.

[entropy]

From Zach Darlington's Father today:

I spoke with Bo Pelini, the head football coach at the University of Nebraska [on Monday] morning. He told me that if Zack plays again this year, if he doesn't play this year or if he never plays football again, they want him as a Cornhusker.

This type of integrity and loyalty is why Zack chose Nebraska as his college destination, and we are very thankful to coach Pelini and his staff for their support of my son, not just as a football player but as a young man."




Post Extras:

[entropy]

Btw.. Standing ovation coach.

[Rob F]

From Zach Darlington's Father today:

I spoke with Bo Pelini, the head football coach at the University of Nebraska [on Monday] morning. He told me that if Zack plays again this year, if he doesn't play this year or if he never plays football again, they want him as a Cornhusker.

This type of integrity and loyalty is why Zack chose Nebraska as his college destination, and we are very thankful to coach Pelini and his staff for their support of my son, not just as a football player but as a young man."




Post Extras:

Classy move by Pelini, yes.

But Darlington's injury---must be pretty bad. How soon will they know the long-term prognosis?