Nebraska Cornhuskers: Is Devine Ozigbo the future at I-back?
The Nebraska Cornhuskers got back to work on Tuesday afternoon with a spirited practice, according Huskers.com. If you were expecting anything different from this group of Huskers, you haven’t been watching them play lately. Despite three early losses, they haven’t quit on the team, so there’s no reason to expect another lackluster offensive effort on Saturday.
Read More: Big Ten Rankings: Where are the Huskers?
As the conference season wears on, the roles have become more defined for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. One player ready to make a huge leap is I-back Devine Ozigbo. Last Saturday, Ozigbo was one of the few bright spots against the Illinois Fighting Illini. However, he didn’t get a chance to put his imprint on the entire game.
More from Husker Corner
- Former Nebraska football star returns to the program in new role
- Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
- Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
- Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
- Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims
During Tuesday’s press conference, offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf was well aware of Ozigbo’s presence on the Cornhuskers’ offense. He ran the ball seven times for 70 yards, and accounted for Nebraska’s lone touchdown. With a 10 yard per carry average, one could expect Ozigbo to become a bigger factor against the Wisconsin Badgers. In fact, he should have been a bigger part of the offense last week.
Here’s a snippet of Langsdorf’s presser via Huskers.com-
“I liked how he ran, Langsdorf said. I thought he had good footwork. He read the hole well, and I thought he gave us some hard yards. He gives us a little combination of power and speed.”
With all of the good things Ozigbo showcased, it may finally be time to turn the offense over to the running game. Unfortunately, the Huskers are facing a Badgers team that only gives up 94 yards per game on the ground. They possess the 14th best rush defense in the country, so gaining traction in the run game won’t be easy. As we’ve seen this season, the Huskers aren’t particularly interested in establishing a dominating presence in the trenches.
Currently, the Huskers average 193 rushing yards per game. It’s not bad, but it could be a whole lot better. The Huskers average 35.8 runs per game this season. It wouldn’t take much to get to 40 carries per game, but they are unwilling to consistently hit the number. With three losses coming in the final seconds of the game, it’s not impossible to see this Nebraska team undefeated. However, the team is enamored with the pass and it has cost them a couple of wins at least.
Terrell Newby
With Ozigbo moving to the No.2 spot on the I-back rotation, the offensive philosophy could change. He’s averaging 8.2 yards per carry on nine attempts this season. He leads all of the I-backs, and is second behind WR Alonzo Moore‘s 8.9 yards per carry. Obviously, Ozigbo is a different type of runner than Terrell Newby, but the junior I-back is still averaging 5.5 yards per run this season. Meanwhile, Imani Cross and Mikale Wilbon have been rendered useless over the past few games. They both average 3.9 yards per carry this season.
The Huskers have plans to use a combination of Ozigbo and Andy Janovich in the backfield. They are a talented duo, but will they be able to carry a load for a full game? More importantly, will they get the chance to dominate? Hopefully they can make it work, but Langsdorf has a decision to make with the other I-backs.
He still plans to use Newby in certain situations, but his role seems to be diminishing every week. Remember, during the BYU game, part of the Huskers’ offensive problem was consistency in the running game. Everyone felt the carries were too spread out, so they wanted to cut the I-back rotation. Yet, the Huskers may continue to dabble with multiple ball carriers.
The Huskers will be back at practice Wednesday afternoon. More fallout from the offensive changes could arise as preparation for the Badgers continues.