Nebraska Football: Pace of offense favors Luke McCaffrey

The Nebraska football offense was moving with Luke McCaffrey.

Yes, I know many Nebraska football fans are still licking their wounds following Saturday’s loss to Northwestern. There are not too many things to be positive about at the end of the day. This was a game that Nebraska should have won, and the fact that they lost it puts them in a difficult position. The rest of the schedule is certainly going to be an uphill battle.

Even still, the impact that Luke McCaffrey made in defeat was notable. Sure, he did have some mistakes, such as an interception that halted any Nebraska football chance of scoring. However, I certainly noticed how the offense performed when he was in the game.

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To me, McCaffrey played with pace and tempo. He did not spend too much time looking at his reads in the pocket. Instead, he identified his read, and made the throw quickly. I liked the way the football was coming out of his hands. I thought that definitely helped the receivers get into rhythm, and helped move the chains a time when Nebraska was struggling to do so.

Listening to be postgame press conferences, I am not the only one who was impressed with McCaffrey.  Running back Dedrick Mills noticed the impact that McCaffrey had on the offense. Specifically, he made note of how much the tempo changed when McCaffrey was in the game. This is something that I noticed right off the bat, and it certainly made for a more crisp and flowing Nebraska football offense.

"“When it comes to tempo, he moved the ball more productive and faster,” running back Dedrick Mills said. “He gets everybody back to the center and set up and snapped the ball quick. It’s all about getting the defense on their toes and making them tired.”"

I don’t want to be overly dramatic and say that McCaffrey’s performance in the game warrants a changing of the guard. However, with Penn State next on the docket, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of McCaffrey under center. Look, I love what Adrian Martinez brings to the table. He is a confident quarterback who loves to play the game. You could see it via the frustration in his eyes on Saturday when he was not performing well.

With that in mind, McCaffrey’s tempo and the way he threw the football worked for what the offense was trying to do. It was fun to see him really make the most of his opportunities. All told, he finished 12-of-16 throwing for 93 yards. It will be interesting to see what Nebraska does at quarterback next week.