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Backfield in Motion · Husker Buzz

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chano, who's going to be the starting running back?
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: Well, I think when all's said and done, I think
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: it will end up being Jamal Rule, but he may
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: not be the guy that takes the first carry. I
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: don't know. I think Isaiah Mosey, if I had to
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: predict today, will take the first carry. But I think
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: the big picture is the best with Jamal Rule and
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: just everything he brings to the table. as a true freshman.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: But you just want to make sure you see it
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: in a game before you probably give it all to him.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: But they're going to play three backs, and Mekhi Nelson
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: is going to play. I mean, last year the backs
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: between receptions and carries averaged around 31 touches a game.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: So you have to figure out a way how to
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: divide those up. Emmitt Johnson had about 24 of those
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: per game last year, and then the other kids got seven.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: So now you have roughly that same number ballpark-wise, and
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: you've got to figure out how you want to divide
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: that up because you're not going to have a guy
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: that can do what Emmitt did and average 24 touches
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: per game across the whole course of the year.
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: You know, the running back used to be a staple
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: of Nebraska's offense. It was a two-back offense, especially when
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: we were running the option. Fullback blocks somebody. tailback got
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: the pitch of the defensive end bid on the quarterback
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: or crouch, which is zigzag down the field for 50
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: yards and score, uh, is college football today. Is there
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: a program anymore in the power four leagues where you really,
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: truly have a feature back and, uh, are they literally
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: legitimately a contender for a playoff spot?
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Emmett Johnson was one of the rarities last year. Um,
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: Because you just see guys get hurt if they try
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: to do too many carries. I mean, Justice Haynes from Michigan,
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: who's now at Georgia Tech, was on track to lead
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: the Big Ten in rushing until he got hurt because
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: the carry load was just too much for him. He
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: just got hurt throughout the season. So it's more than
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: norm to give a guy about 15 carries a game.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: You're not going to see a ton of backs do
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: 250 carries like Emma Johnson did. Yeah, it's just not
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: that way anymore. You also play a different game now.
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: In the Big Ten, for example, it's a 65-snap game.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: It's in the huddle. Nebraska last year against UCLA played
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: a great first half. They had three possessions and scored
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: 21 points. It's different than no huddle and the up-tempo style.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: It almost mimics more of the NFL with the way
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: the stats look and the way the games are played.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Now it's just how the Big Ten lines up and plays.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: It's a lower-snap game.
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: Are you seeing that in the high schools, too, that
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: they've gone to much more of a spread offense, even
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: if you really don't have the players to run it?
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't say the spread. I mean, look, the
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: Big Ten's more pro-style, like across the board. It varies,
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: but yeah, you don't see the fullback or the heavy
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: set stuff too often. I mean, Iowa does it to
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: an extent at times, but yeah. you know what their
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: offense is. They play smart and they don't turn it over.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: That's what their offense is. A punt for them sometimes
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: is a great play because it sets their defense up
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: and then it sets up points after that. So yeah,
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: you see it to some degree. I'll be interested in
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: what Michigan State looks like with Pat Fitzgerald when he
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: gets there. But it's a physical league. Everyone wants to
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: run the ball and they want to run the play
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: action because And I think that's the Big Ten in
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  Speaker 2: a nutshell. You've got to run the ball, be physical
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: up front, have good interior line play on both sides
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: of the ball, and then hopefully on offense utilize a
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: play-action play to find big plays down the field.
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: What was your take on the Big Ten's announcement yesterday
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: and the SEC's announcement that they will not allow NFL
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: players back into college? If you signed an NFL contract,
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  Speaker 3: whether you were on the roster for 10 days or
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: 10 years, you're not coming back to college ball.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it had to be done. Indiana's got
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: a couple of these defensive players. I don't believe they
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: signed NFL. That's the one to watch because Kirk Cignetti's
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: got two starters that are coming back in a 5-for-5,
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: or were trying to, and they're good players. And I
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: don't know if either was a part or went to
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  Speaker 2: the NFL at all. So that's one to watch still
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: within the Big Ten. But guys that were literally practicing with, like,
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: the Cleveland Browns or an NFL team and left that
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: training camp to come to a pro training camp, it's
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: kind of like, how did we get to this point?
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: And it seems to me the conference is going to
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: win here.
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: LSU coach Lane Kiffin said, I'm going to take them because, look,
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: if I don't take them, somebody else will, and I
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: might have to play against them. But the SEC says no.
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: And just ask Brendan Soresby how much power the conferences
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: have these days.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah. You might have teams that boycott. Who knows? But, yeah,
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: the conferences, I think they're the one thing that can
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: step up because the big town SEC are controlling college
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: football as it is, and they control the money, and
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: they control the money of their teams, and they can
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: step in and do these types of things. Yeah. I
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: thought it was good that the two power leagues stepped up,
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: knowing that this is a flaw that really can't go on.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: You're taking away opportunities, too, from kids that have been
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: in those programs. I think that was probably the most
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: disappointing thing. If it was your time to start and
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: you've earned it, and all of a sudden an NFL
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: guy shows up the next day. Yeah.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: This is part of what's wrong with college football today.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Really wrong. All right. Nebraska football this week. The practice
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: schedule the rest of this week.
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: Before we get into the regular game week program and
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: the game week scheduling on Monday.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: What's going to happen between now and Sunday?
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: Well, regular practice week with classes going on. They're in
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: the afternoons. It's the first time they've practiced in the
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: afternoons in eight years. So that's a big change. But
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: they will start introducing Ohio tomorrow. Saturday they will have
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: a mock game. It's not a scrimmage. It's kind of
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: more of a game day simulation. And then they'll roll
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: into game week.
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: All right, big guy. That's KFAB Husker Info Strongman Sean Callahan.
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: He'll be back on Friday, and then he'll be on
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: the Husker Buzz regularly Monday through Friday starting on Monday.