LINCOLN — The Nebraska football offense had some of it in 2008.
Balance. Unpredictability. Versatility. The threat to hit some teams with the run (seven games of 160-plus yards) and others with the pass (eight of 270-plus yards) — and some with both.
It was a weapon that offensive coordinator Shawn Watson didn't have last year but one that receiver Niles Paul believes he will get back this season.
“I just think we're going to go out there and do what we normally do,” Paul said. “You know, run the ball, pass the ball. Run the ball, pass the ball. We got play-makers in both the run and pass, so I think Coach Watson is just going to try to get the ball in the play-makers' hands.”
That 2008 unit finished the season ranking No. 4 in the Big 12 in rushing (169.8 yards per game) and No. 6 in passing (281.0). With Joe Ganz at quarterback, two NFL draft picks on the offensive line and three capable I-backs, the Huskers ran the football 486 times and threw it 433.
Some of that success was forgotten a little last season, when Nebraska simply would have settled for some consistency.
NU assistant coach Ron Brown nods when asked about the difference between the two. Because of a number of different elements in 2009, including injuries and inexperience at certain spots, Brown said it was “tough to get some definition.”
With it expected to return — starting Saturday night with the season-opening game against Western Kentucky — Brown is among those optimistically waiting to see some of the old versatility come back, not only game-to-game but play-to-play.
“I think we can do a lot of things,” Brown said. “We have the system to throw the ball in a variety of different ways. We can run it inside, we can run it outside. We've been able to run the spread game but we're big and physical enough to run the power game.
“There's kind of a niche in there where you really begin to say, ‘You know what, we have established enough of these different parts that we can call up on anything, we can dial up anything, and execute it pretty well.'”
Any hesitance to believe starts with the quarterback position, where the Huskers went through preseason camp without ever saying if Zac Lee, Cody Green or Taylor Martinez would be leading the offense into September.
Watson said it shouldn't matter, however, because all three have been operating with a similar package and would be asked to do the same things in games.
“Part of the evaluation was to see how far we could push them,” Watson said. “We've thrown a lot of information at them. We've looked at a broad scope of offense that they need to handle throughout a season, and we've asked them to manage it and we've looked at how they manage it.”
Brown said the Holiday Bowl would be considered a nice snapshot of what the Huskers want to be. It allowed for some momentum to be taken into the offseason after the disastrous offensive performance against Texas in the Big 12 championship game, which followed a regular season in which NU head coach Bo Pelini admitted that he probably “pulled the reins in a little bit” on Watson and the offense.
So far in August, Brown said the offensive staff has liked what it's seen.
“I think the players are starting to find out who they are, what kind of players they are, and what kind of culture we have on offense,” Brown said. “We're seeing a tremendous dose of physicality and the ability to open up, too.”
Watson, too, believes that balance and versatility can come back.
“We've got all kinds of stuff,” he said. “We're not worried about that at all.”
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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