After witnessing his offense produce more turnovers than points against Iowa State, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Tuesday the search is on for answers to NU’s offensive struggles.
“You need a spark, you need to find something,” Pelini said at his weekly press conference. “As you move along, you can sit there and continue to try and pound a square peg into a round hole, but at times, you have to think outside of the box.”
Where, exactly, that spark will come from has yet to be determined. A clear candidate for such a role is quarterback Cody Green.
In the limited playing time Green has received, the true freshman passer has shown an ability to be a playmaker in the run game, rushing for 80 yards and two scores on only eight carries.
The Husker offense has relied increasingly on zone rushing plays out of the shotgun formation, and Green admits he’s itching to get onto the field and show what he can provide for Nebraska’s ground attack.
“That’s what I’d been brought up to do all through high school, and that’s why I’m really here,” Green said. “That’s why I had close to 2,000 yards rushing (in high school). We’re really starting to turn to that, and it’s really starting to drive me crazy because I really want to get in there and run it.”
As usual, Pelini and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson were evasive Tuesday when asked about Green’s chances of playing against Baylor on Saturday.
“I’m considering a lot of things,” Pelini said. “We’ll see how the week of practice plays out.”
Both coaches agree, however, that the offense is in desperate need of a reliable playmaker.
Injuries have limited I-back Roy Helu Jr., and inconsistency has plagued the Huskers’ receiving corps. NU’s tight ends were considered a strength of the offense entering the season but seem to have fallen off the map this fall. Mike McNeill hasn’t had more than two catches in a game since a win over Arkansas State back in September.
Pelini said the search for players who can ignite the offense is ongoing and an especially important emphasis this week as NU looks to get back on track in the Big 12 North race.
“We need to keep giving guys the opportunity to step up and be that guy,” Pelini said. “You’re going to see some more guys, some different guys out there and give them the opportunity to be that guy.”
The drop-off in production from NU’s wideouts has prompted significant changes at the position in practices this week. Starters Menelik Holt and Curenski Gilleylen were sent down to the scout team Monday, opening up opportunities for several redshirt freshmen to earn playing time against Baylor. Watson said Khiry Cooper will start Saturday at the “X” receiver position ahead of Holt, and coaches have taken a closer look at fellow redshirt freshmen Tim Marlowe and Steven Osborne during practices.
“We’ll play some more personnel groups more, and we’re looking at combinations at the receiver spot and utilizing the tight ends,” Watson said. “(We’re) taking a good, hard look at younger players to see if they can bring their game to more detail and play for us.”
The Huskers need tougher receivers who can block, Pelini said, and he’ll play whoever is ready to step up to the challenge.
“We need to play cleaner, and we need to make plays,” Pelini said. “We also need to block better on the perimeter more consistently. We need attitude out there.”
In order to remain a viable contender for the North, that attitude will have to start to come to fruition Saturday against a Bears defense that has allowed just over 30 points per game against Big 12 opponents this season.
Pelini needs to see progress, and he needs to see it now.
“You have to keep looking for ways to improve,” Pelini said. “Now it just becomes that much more of a bigger challenge to get that done.”
maxolson@dailynebraskan.com
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