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The Huskers’ favorite short yardage play pays homage to days gone by

It’s no secret that Nebraska’s offensive line sputtered, coughed, and damn near screeched to a grinding halt for a stretch in the middle of the 2016 season. A multitude of issues, most notably the dire straits of talent deficiency, coupled with untimely injuries, forced the Huskers to work with offensive guards that were not exactly the dancing bears of the Pipeline. This was painfully evident on plays that required guards that can get out of their stance and pull.

The depth of Nebraska’s offensive line deficiencies reached its deepest depths in late October in games against Purdue and Wisconsin. Against Purdue, Nebraska had to slog through penetrating defensive linemen and plugging linebackers to post a measly 157 yards on 37 attempts, for an average of 4.2 YPC. Against Wisconsin, the numbers were similar to Purdue, with 152 yards on 44 attempts, an average of 3.5 YPC. Against Purdue, it was apparent that the Husker offensive line could not get any vertical displacement on their bread & butter Inside Zone series.

With Wisconsin the very next week, I can plainly recall lacking faith in the ability to run the ball inside on the Badgers’ stalwart front, coupled with the fact that Wisconsin’s defense sets a hard edge on the perimeter to prevent teams from sealing off the EMOL and gaining the corner on outside runs. Not exactly a confidence booster when the offensive line is struggling against the strength of an upcoming opponent.

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