Expectations under OC Thomas?

[Doc Fumble]

I’m starting to believe mental errors and missed assignments are hurting us more than our play calling. We’re not sloppy all the time, just too much at critical times.

This has been--for me--The Most Headshaking Husker Season I've ever seen. Don't take this wrong, we've had scores of years in recent memory that have sucked far more than this one. The difference is that it was crystal clear what our weaknesses were.

But LOOK at what we've got on offense. We have:

----Out rushed our opponents through nine games;
----Have a QB sought after by envious coaches across the country for his playmaking skills:
----Have RBs will clear talent who have protected the ball;
----Have a veteran OC with an impressive track record of success
----An OL that was regarded as one of the top B1G units going into this season with veteran position coaches with impressive credentials
----(IMO) Have the top TE in the country; and
----Have WRs who have shown flashes of greatness.

What's wrong with this picture? I keep asking myself how can an offense like ours score so few points? It just feels like a collection of 'little' things that keep rearing their ugly head. A thousand paper cuts (e.g. penalties, missed blocks, horrible FG kicking, etc.) at absolutely The Worst possible times. As the trend has continued, I suspect it's led to players pressing. It's the only way I can explain what the hell we've been seeing--and even THAT feels insufficient.

My hope we can find ourselves a dynamic hotshot for the offensive side of the ball who can change the narrative the way Aurich did this season for the Blackshirts.

 

[redfred]

This has been--for me--The Most Headshaking Husker Season I've ever seen. Don't take this wrong, we've had scores of years in recent memory that have sucked far more than this one. The difference is that it was crystal clear what our weaknesses were.

But LOOK at what we've got on offense. We have:

----Out rushed our opponents through nine games;
----Have a QB sought after by envious coaches across the country for his playmaking skills:
----Have RBs will clear talent who have protected the ball;
----Have a veteran OC with an impressive track record of success
----An OL that was regarded as one of the top B1G units going into this season with veteran position coaches with impressive credentials
----(IMO) Have the top TE in the country; and
----Have WRs who have shown flashes of greatness.

What's wrong with this picture? I keep asking myself how can an offense like ours score so few points? It just feels like a collection of 'little' things that keep rearing their ugly head. A thousand paper cuts (e.g. penalties, missed blocks, horrible FG kicking, etc.) at absolutely The Worst possible times. As the trend has continued, I suspect it's led to players pressing. It's the only way I can explain what the hell we've been seeing--and even THAT feels insufficient.

My hope we can find ourselves a dynamic hotshot for the offensive side of the ball who can change the narrative the way Aurich did this season for the Blackshirts.

This is a very good post.......honest and heartfelt. The "What's wrong with this picture?" is, I suspect, spot on. I think if most husker fans were honest with themselves, they would agree with your "hope". The question that has been put forward to me........Who is causing this disconnect, the head coach or the staff. A staff is so symbiotically tied it's probably everyone, but there is only one person who has the ability to correct the culture........Matt Rhule.

MY hope is the Matt puts his efforts into, yes, getting the right OC (and I suspect there will be others) but tying the whole staff together by putting egos aside and formulating a cohesive unity on the staff. I don't give a flying fig if they like each other, party together, or are best friends. What I want is a single direction of focus and interaction while dealing with the team, and not a haphazard shot in the dark mess. That many mental mistakes doesn't just happen, it's culture of not expecting, not only accountability, but making sure a mistake does not happen twice.

 

[ATX_Husker]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2119815230989725867

 

[Pavlov's Dog]

Has anyone gathered the players together and told them it's okay to win? I'm not being facetious. There may be a psychological fear of winning. Will winning only increase expectations to unreachable levels? There is some kind of mental vapor lock going on because just the mathematical odds of all this craziness is pretty much impossible. Somebody tell the team the sky won't fall if we win.

 

[Doc Fumble]

That many mental mistakes doesn't just happen, it's culture of not expecting, not only accountability, but making sure a mistake does not happen twice.

Illegal procedure calls shouldn't be happening with the frequency we're seeing after nine weeks. That falls first on the much-ballyhoo'ed Geep and then on his high-profile boss, Dana.

Ultimately, it's Rhule's responsibility but today's B1G football is a huge organization with a whole boatload of "offensive coaches" when you consider all the behind-the-scenes GAs and "analysts." Where is their impact? With all these bodies, you'd THINK we would see more consistent discipline, focus and accountability NOW than was the case back when programs had just a head coach like the Bobfather and a handful of assistant coaches.

 

[innmc]

"Run it again" Ive read that was something TO would say a lot on the practice field. You do not need 500 plays. You need to have plays that you can run in your sleep that you are good at. Some that you are the best at.
Run the same ones out of different formations. Counter them when they start to shut you down.

 

[ATX_Husker]

Rhule mentioned Ron Brown in the presser today, I don't recall off the top of my head what it was regarding but you would think they would be tapping into his experience and wisdom to find out how to build championship (or at least winning!) programs. Not sure if anyone else on the staff has that kind of experience.

 

[ATX_Husker]

 

[JeopardyHusker]

Like others here, I would like to see us run the ball more. But I would argue that our run-pass ratio to date has been determined by our inability to consistently pick up 4-plus yards running.

Our running game has been hit or miss. We look great on SOME of our off tackle plays, especially with Rule. But the fact of the matter is we also get stuffed A LOT too (loss of a couple yards, no gain, or 1 yard.) IMO, we do way too much East-West crappola!!! We also have too damn many mind-numbing illegal procedure penalties, especially after NINE games.

So when I hear we should be running the ball more, that's got to mean POUNDING the ROCK down a defense's throat for four yards on a consistent basis.

I agree with what you say, especially the east-west crap. And we almost always do the east-west thingy to the short side where there's not much room to run.

 

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

I agree with what you say, especially the east-west crap. And we almost always do the east-west thingy to the short side where there's not much room to run.

One less defensive guy on that side usually. That's why we used to run a lot of short side option.

 

[innmc]

Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive coordinators (roughly 2011–2026):⁠Sports.betmgm

• Tim Beck (2011–2014)
• Danny Langsdorf (2015–2017)
• Troy Walters (2018–2019)
• Matt Lubick (2020–2021)
• Mark Whipple (2022)
• Marcus Satterfield (2023–early/mid-2024; OC for 2023 and the first portion of 2024 before being shifted to tight ends)⁠Wikipedia
• Dana Holgorsen (late 2024–November 2026; took over midseason in 2024, full-time thereafter, fired November 7, 2026)⁠Sports.betmgm
• Glenn Thomas (interim/play-caller for the remainder of 2026; previously co-OC/QBs coach)⁠Si

Notes: Shawn Watson held the role through 2010. Years can have some overlap or midseason transitions (especially 2024 with Satterfield/Holgorsen and 2026 with Holgorsen/Thomas). Sources for the core list include contemporary reporting and team history summaries.

 

[MadRat]

One consistent factor no OC can overcome, referees calling questionable violations and failing to call obvious saving graces.

 

[HuskerVotary]

One consistent factor no OC can overcome, referees calling questionable violations and failing to call obvious saving graces.

Fair, but we're probably not the only team in the league that feels that way, right?