Curt McKeever: Winning time-of-possession battle is key
Print
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
Roy Helu would only be guessing if someone asked him after a Nebraska football game how much time he thought the Husker offense spent on the field.
Truth is, the sophomore running back isn’t real sure how big a factor time of possession is to the outcome of a game. But he does believe this:
“I think that’s our identity,” Helu said. “That’s the type of offense we are right now.”
Nebraska enters today’s game at Kansas State with, statistically, the nation’s 14th-most productive offense.
Obviously, Bo Pelini’s club will be out to show there’s more than one way to skin a Cat in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, but it’s become more evident as the season has progressed that a big key to NU’s success is retaining possession of the ball.
The Huskers have the nation’s second-best average time of possession (33:11). Compare that to likely Big 12 North Division champion Missouri. The Tigers are No. 6 nationally in total offense, but only once have won the time-of-possession battle. They are just 115th out of 120 teams in time of possession with a 26:34 average.
Then, there’s Texas Tech, which is unbeaten and positioned to play for the BCS championship. The Red Raiders are No. 2 in total offense, but are fourth in the Big 12 and 48th nationally with an average TOP of 30:40.
Tech managed to control the ball for only 19:48 against Nebraska, but still escaped with a 37-31 overtime win thanks to a game-ending interception. The Red Raiders did score on six of their nine drives.
“Some stats guy could really have a heyday with it,” Tech coach Mike Leach said afterward. “Who cares about time of possession?”
Pelini does.
He’s convinced that playing keepaway was the best chance NU had of winning that game, or others against similar opponents.
“It became obvious to me from my time in the NFL (that) it’s a big stat,” Pelini said. “If you’re scoring, it’s not as big. I don’t care (about possession time) if we’re scoring on the first snap of the first six tries of the game. You can throw it out the window.
“(But) in close games, against tight teams, against teams that have a lot of weapons offensively, it’s a big stat. It also means you’re getting off the field on defense.”
In contrast to the Huskers, Oklahoma, which ranks third nationally in total offense, has relied on a quick-strike offense. The Sooners have 29 scoring drives of less than two minutes, a total that is second only to Tulsa.
Missouri is third with 28 scoring possessions of less than two minutes. Surprisingly, Tech has just 16, only two more than Nebraska.
For NU, the game against the Red Raiders marked the first time since 1980 it had churned out three scoring drives of at least 7 minutes. What’s more, only once in the past 29 seasons had the Huskers managed two scoring drives of that length in the same game (2005 at Baylor).
“I never notice,” Helu said. “Even in the Texas Tech game I didn’t notice them (the Raiders) getting tired. But the offensive line — that would be a great question for them, because I think the people who do get tired is the defensive line when we make long drives.”
Over the past five games, the averages for Nebraska’s 26 scoring drives have been 8.3 plays, 66 yards and 4:01.
“We want to run with the ball, although I like quick strikes,” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “Three, four or five quick strikes in a game, you don’t have anything to worry about.
“But it’s huge when our offense takes those long, 70-, 60-, 80-yard drives down somebody’s throat. For one, it hurts them and demoralizes them, especially when they can’t stop it.”
Of course, it’s also beneficial if the Huskers are having defensive issues, too.
“You feel it,” Helu said when differentiating between sustained drives and fast strikes. “But it’s all about the product of that drive. (Just) as long as we score.”
For this team, the longer that takes, usually the better.
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
Most Commented Football