Connect with us

Nebraska

Tad Stryker: Walking the Talk

Published

on

Tad Stryker: Walking the Talk


Can the final 20 years of Nebraska soccer be attributed to a critical case of mistaken id?

Not fully, however NU’s lack of id has been the most important contributor to a deteriorating basis. In the event you’re beginning over, setting your bearings on a brand new id is the place to begin an actual rebuild.

Matt Rhule has shortly recognized the basis downside, and has swiftly moved to dig out the indecisiveness that has held this system hostage for thus lengthy. He’s placing his focus precisely the place he stated he would — on profitable on the line of scrimmage. Rhule is transferring towards a “physique blows” offensive mentality that won’t repair each downside, however ought to take Nebraska a good distance in the fitting path, if carried out correctly.

Advertisement

This concept is just not a brand new one. Take a look at this quote:

“It’s going to take a variety of onerous work and dedication from lots of people, however there’s a formulation that labored right here for a very long time. Occasions have modified a bit of, however a few of those self same issues could make this work once more.”

That’s from Scott Frost’s introductory press convention in December 2017. Cautionary story: Phrases are begin, however deeds matter extra.

Frost pointed to toughness, bodily fashion of play, dedication, work ethic and pursuit of excellence as hallmarks of Nebraska, and pledged, “That’s what this place goes to face for so long as I’m right here.” So we’ve heard this form of factor earlier than with out seeing a lot progress.

Rhule sounded considerably like that in a latest interview with Adam Carriker. Rhule, who admired Tom Osborne from afar, feels like he’s extra dedicated to “the formulation that labored right here for a very long time” than was Frost, who lived Osborne’s system daily for 3 years. However as my grandfather used to remind me, “Saying and doing are two various things.”

Advertisement

Right here’s hoping that as Rhule digs round within the crumbling stays of what got here earlier than, he’ll discover and surgically take away Frost’s reassuring assertion that his offensive scheme can be easy and efficient sufficient to allow mediocre offensive traces to thrive. Yeah, Frost had me fooled with that one.

There’s merely no substitute for good blocking up entrance. Right here’s one other quote.

Scroll to Proceed

“We need to be a group that’s simply so huge and so bodily (whatever the parts) that our offensive linemen will simply put on on you, and, finally, it wears you down.” That one’s from Rhule.

Blue-collar Husker followers, wipe the tears of pleasure out of your eyes, rise up and take discover, and prepare to carry Rhule to it. Sounds to me like an influence working id might return to Lincoln. Perhaps not the Derek Brown/Calvin Jones/Lawrence Phillips/Ahman Inexperienced model, however not less than the Roy Helu/Rex Burkhead/Ameer Abdullah model. Regardless, no higher phrases may have been spoken. Will the deeds comply with?

Advertisement

So what does somebody like extremely touted wideout Malachi Coleman, who may have chosen to play at nearly any faculty he wished, learn about Husker I-backs of a era in the past? In all probability not a lot. But he signed with the Huge Crimson, presumably with the data that Rhule favors a troublesome working recreation. Will Rhule’s teaching employees all purchase into the “physique blows” idea? Will they work in live performance with one another, with the understanding that the working recreation units up the passing recreation, and never vice versa? Will they get buy-in from their gamers?

That didn’t at all times occur over the previous few years. Frost was both unable to firmly resolve what he wished his soccer program to appear to be, or unable to speak that successfully to his assistant coaches, or each. For one factor, it by no means made sense to have Frost and Greg Austin disagree on one thing as necessary as their basic fashion of blocking. And might somebody clarify the hiring of Mark Whipple and Donovan Raiola in the identical month? Discuss an absence of id. No surprise Husker offensive linemen regarded so tentative the final a number of years.

Admittedly, I used to be astounded that Rhule determined to retain Raiola as o-line coach, however he made it clear he agrees with Raiola’s concepts in regards to the basic fashion of blocking (“I need to have the ability to line up and run iso, line up and run duo, knock folks off the ball.”) That leads me to consider the offensive scheme shall be pretty easy in 2023, and that it’ll look extra like Rhule’s Temple groups than his Baylor groups, not less than initially. I’m skeptical that the offensive linemen Rhule inherits could make an enormous leap in fewer than 9 months, however that is still to be seen.

By the best way, when you’re questioning if NU’s receivers can have something to do moreover blocking, Rhule’s Temple groups averaged greater than 30 passes per recreation in his three years as head coach, though by 12 months Three, the Owls had change into considerably extra run-oriented.

One factor’s for positive, although. There must be no place group on the whole group that can have an easier transition from the Frost/Joseph period to the Rhule period than the offensive line. The optimist appears on the scenario and says, “If Raiola put in nothing however a basis final 12 months, perhaps the partitions and roof will go up in 2023.” The skeptic scratches his head and mutters, “Did Rhule actually imply it when he stated he thinks we’ll have offensive line subsequent 12 months”? The reality — hopefully a lot affected by the brand new regime’s low season of energy and conditioning coaching — most likely lies someplace within the center.

Advertisement

The Nebraska model, one which a lot of the nation nonetheless remembers, is constructed round a bodily working recreation. No matter how issues go in 12 months One (and nearly definitely it received’t be a clean operation), an influence soccer id should unmistakably emerge.


Get your Huskers tickets from SI Tickets right here.




Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Nebraska

Breaking down Initiative 434, aimed at putting Nebraska’s 12-week abortion ban into constitution

Published

on

Breaking down Initiative 434, aimed at putting Nebraska’s 12-week abortion ban into constitution


LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – This Election Day, Nebraskans will have the opportunity to weigh in on two historic and conflicting ballot measures regarding abortion access in the state.

VOTER’S GUIDE: 2024 Nebraska General Election

Initiative 434 aims to put the existing 12-week abortion ban into the state’s constitution, while Initiative 439 is trying expand abortion access up to the point of fetal viability. This is the first time that Nebraska is having two competing ballot measures.

“There’s nothing about these that can be reconciled. So whichever one of these gets the most votes is likely to become the initiative that gets adopted into the Nebraska constitution,” Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said in April.

The Nebraska Legislature passed a 12-week abortion ban in 2023, and Initiative 434 would enshrine that into the state’s constitution but allow for abortion when necessitated by a medical emergency or when the pregnancy stems from sexual assault or incest.

Advertisement

Protect Women and Children is campaigning for Initiative 434.

“Initiative 434 protects laws that require parental consent before a girl under 18 can get an abortion, allowing parents to be their for our daughters. This is just common sense,” Rebecca Schwend, who supports 434, said.

Hannah Dumais, a field organizer campaigning for the conflicting Initiative 439, said the current ban is hurting women across the state.

“I personally was a woman who ended up miscarrying at 16.5 weeks and I started to miscarry, and I was sent home and had to wait until I was hemorrhaging and almost dead before I had to come back. And so I know the type of impact that it has on women from a personal standpoint,” Dumais said.

Advocates of 434 look to this as a moral necessity.

Advertisement

“Abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent child. That is not healthcare. How can it be called healthcare when the procedure ends in death,” Kate Leising who supports 434 said.

The initiatives will be the last thing you see on your ballot, and 434 is the first of six to vote on.

Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Nebraska

Dylan Raiola believes criticism of Nebraska OC Marcus Satterfield is ‘unfair’

Published

on

Dylan Raiola believes criticism of Nebraska OC Marcus Satterfield is ‘unfair’


After suffering two losses in a row, there has been mounting criticism of the Nebraska Cornhuskers offense and specifically offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield. However, freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola believes that criticism is unfair.

While being asked about the offense’s lack of explosive plays, Raiola shared that he’s confident the Cornhuskers can find more big plays. He also took the time to point out that he feels Satterfield is giving them opportunities but the issue has been execution.

“I feel confident. I think it’s just a matter of execution, now,” Dylan Raiola said. “You know, Coach Satt gives us the plays to go do it and as players we have to go out there and execute it. I know Coach Satt’s getting a lot of heat right now on his plays that he’s calling and I think that’s unfair to him.”

The numbers on offense haven’t been great for Nebraska this season. It’s been three weeks since the Cornhuskers scored more than 17 points in a game and Nebraska only scored more than 30 points twice, both of which were non-conference games.

Advertisement

For the season, Nebraska is 93rd in the country in total offense, averaging 358.1 yards per game. Then, the Cornhuskers are 96th in scoring offense this season, averaging 24 points per game.

“He can’t go out there and make plays and do everything that he’s coaching us to do,” Raiola said. “So, as players and as the quarterback of this offense, I take the responsibility for that and for us to go out there and execute. That’s not his fault. Yeah, I think we can push the ball down the field and I think we will.”

That relationship between Dylan Raiola and Marcus Satterfield is, of course, vital to the Cornhuskers moving forward. Still a freshman, Raiola is growing as a quarterback and that growth is largely going to be thanks to the work that Satterfield does.

For the season, Raiola has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 1,744 yards and nine touchdowns to go with seven interceptions. That’s 218 passing yards per game. However, in Nebraska’s last three games, Raiola hasn’t thrown a touchdown and has four interceptions. Twice in those three games, he’s thrown for less than 200 yards in the game.

Nebraska is currently 5-3, looking to snap a two-game losing streak and get to bowl eligibility for the season. If they do, it would be the program’s first time getting to a bowl since 2016. Standing in Nebraska’s way is a UCLA team coming off its first Big Ten win.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Nebraska

Bold Predictions: Nebraska vs. UCLA

Published

on

Bold Predictions: Nebraska vs. UCLA


Matt Rhule, Dylan Raiola and Nebraska football return to the field for one of the Huskers’ most important games of the season as they seek bowl eligibility vs. UCLA on Saturday.

The Huskers (5-3 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) were reeling coming off a 56-7 loss at Indiana but rebounded in a significant way last week to nearly pull off a road upset of No. 4 Ohio State in a 21-17 loss.

Now, Nebraska returns to Lincoln for its first home game since a 14-7 win over Rutgers on Oct. 5 as it hosts the struggling Bruins (2-5, 1-4) at 2:30 p.m. CT this Saturday on Big Ten Network.

UCLA faced a daunting schedule to open the season but ended a five-game losing streak to No. 13 Indiana, No. 16 LSU (road), No. 1 Oregon, at No. 3 Penn State (road) and unranked Minnesota* with a 35-32 win at Rutgers two weeks ago before hitting a bye week.

Advertisement

Inside Nebraska publisher Zack Carpenter, staff writer Steve Marik and recruiting analyst Tim Verghese give their takes and projections on how they envision things playing out between the Huskers and Bruins in the latest edition of Bold Predictions.

*All rankings are current. Indiana was unranked, LSU was ranked No. 16, Oregon was ranked No. 8, and Penn State was ranked No. 7 at the time of those games.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending