With a new coaching staff came the promise of seeing a more balanced offense for the Husker football team in 2008.
After five games, fans are starting to wonder where that offense is hiding in the bowels of Memorial Stadium.
Once again, the Nebraska offense had trouble establishing a running game, although it had its best statistical effort of the season in Saturday's 52-17 loss to Missouri. The Huskers put up 201 yards on the ground, averaging almost six yards per carry.
Still, the Nebraska running attack that was supposed to be much improved is still trying to get a foot hold within the Husker offense. As a team, Nebraska averages 140 yards per game, a far cry from the glory days when Nebraska routinely put up 300-plus per game.
It's part of a process for coach Bo Pelini and his staff -- trying to find this team's offensive identity -- as they try to rebuild a once-proud legacy that has recently fallen on challenging times.
"I think we're still trying to find out some about our personnel and what is best for this group as far as giving our guys the best opportunity to have success," he said during his weekly press conference Tuesday. "Some of that is personnel-oriented, some of that is philosophical. You can't always try to pound a square peg into a round hole."
Nebraska did make more of an effort to come out running the ball against Missouri, and Pelini is hoping his team can continue to develop a more physical style of play this season.
"I think the offensive line is very capable," he said. "Maybe the type of runs, that's kind of what we're looking at, what personnel groupings, what formations, where are we at our best. The vision of what you want it to be and what it needs to be at this point, you've got to be willing to adjust as you go along."
The Huskers hope to get their offensive groove back and keep a very talented Texas Tech offense off the field when they head to Lubbock for Saturday's 2 p.m. matchup. You can get your Nebraska vs. Texas Tech tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no game is ever sold out.
