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so, that's how one of the greatest upsets happened in 1984

Syracuse with 15 first downs, 118 rushing, and 106 yards passing

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To say the least, it was an upset of major proportions. Syracuse, coming off a 19-0 home-field loss to Rutgers and looking like the same team which Nebraska had crushed, 63-7, the year before in Lincoln, played the No. 1-ranked Huskers to a standstill through three quarters then ground the visitors down in the fourth for a 17-9 win in the Carrier Dome.
The Huskers were without the nation's leading rusher, senior I-back Jeff Smith, but, said Coach Tom Osborne, "With or without Jeff Smith, it would have been tough. The name of the game for us is to be physical. They were more physical today."

The loss ended a 23-game regular-season win string for Nebraska.

fixed

If they wanna go back to the option, I'd love it. 

I felt like at times the Taylor Martinez offense approximated some option stuff. I guess mostly that first and third year. 

The thing that impressed me about those Syracuse offenses in that era was that they seemed to be able to do nearly anything reasonably well. 

That is rare.  For example, a lot of pass-the-ball-every-down teams are horrible at running to run clock to maintain a close lead late in a game.  Similarly, a lot of power running and/or option teams look like a fish out of water if they get down late and HAVE to pass.  It seemed to me, in that era, that Syracuse was pretty darn good at just about everything rather than having an identity.  That had to be hell for an opposing DC to prepare for. 

Definitely.  
And I think some offenses try to do that and either can, for a time, or can't - and end up being a mess without an identity.

There are some offenses where you see the diversity of plays and think, 'wow, that's no fair', in an impressive way.  SU had that then, I think GT had it under O'Leary....I felt that way when Tebow was a FR and threw the ball - it wasn't fair to the other team.  

I'm not sure who else had that....maybe certain players - Charlie Ward at FSU comes to mind.  They seem to be multiplying as of late - usually QBs who ran couldn't throw, and vice-versa.  But to have both AND be able to wrap their head around a diverse offensive system is like hitting yahtzee.   

For an OC to be comfortable when:
1 - he has 5-wide
2 - has called an option play
3 - is 3rd and goal at the 1 yard line
4 - behind with 2 minutes left
5 - is ahead with 4 minutes left

That's probably an elusive unicorn.

I think Arkansas should run the option.  I don't think they've competed in the SEC while following all the rules at the same time.  They came from the SWC....they'd gobble up the kids who still run the option from TX.  I think it would work. 


Now, they'd have some super-ugly losses to the Bamas and the LSUs where they'd set football back 40 years, but I bet their wins-per-season average would improve.

It couldn't get much worse.

Definitely. 
And I think some offenses try to do that and either can, for a time, or can't - and end up being a mess without an identity.

There are some offenses where you see the diversity of plays and think, 'wow, that's no fair', in an impressive way.  SU had that then, I think GT had it under O'Leary....I felt that way when Tebow was a FR and threw the ball - it wasn't fair to the other team. 

I'm not sure who else had that....maybe certain players - Charlie Ward at FSU comes to mind.  They seem to be multiplying as of late - usually QBs who ran couldn't throw, and vice-versa.  But to have both AND be able to wrap their head around a diverse offensive system is like hitting yahtzee. 

For an OC to be comfortable when:
1 - he has 5-wide
2 - has called an option play
3 - is 3rd and goal at the 1 yard line
4 - behind with 2 minutes left
5 - is ahead with 4 minutes left

That's probably an elusive unicorn.

I agree with all of this but just want to add that it isn't just the QB.  The QB is a BIG part of it, of course.  In order to be able to throw every down like Spurrier's early teams and run the option you have to have a guy at QB who is capable of both of those things but it is a lot more than that.  Spurrier's fun-n-gun teams practiced pass plays all the freaking time.  They started practicing that in spring camp, practiced it all through fall camp, practiced it all week, every week, and did it every Saturday.  By the time they got to FSU, the SECCG, and the Bowl, they were REALLY good at it in large part because they had LOTS of experience doing it.  At roughly the same time the mid-90's Nebraska teams were doing the same thing with the option.  

If you'd have asked Florida's offense to run Nebraska's system or vice-versa, even with the other team's QB it still wouldn't have been pretty because the rest of the players had little-or-no experience with it.  Florida's mid-90's OL didn't know how to block for the option and Nebraska's mid-90's OL didn't know how to pass-protect.  Same for their backs and receivers.  

The option is more complicated than it looks.  It takes a LOT of practice to be REALLY good at it.  That is what impressed me so much about those Syracuse teams.  They looked comfortable doing basically anything at any given time.  

Sort-of on this subject, back in 2006 I thought that tOSU had a great personnel group for something that I thought would have been hell for opposing DC's, they had:

• They had a 6-2, 246 lb WR named Roy Hall who I thought could realistically have played TE
• They had a quality smallish RB in Antonio Pittman (5-11, 207#)
• They had a quality large RB in Chirs (Beanie) Wells 6-2, 229#)

I thought a great idea would have been to send a personnel grouping of the following onto the field:

• 5 OL
• QB Troy Smith
• WR Ted Ginn
• WR Anthony Gonzalez
• WR/TE Roy Hall
• WR/RB Antonio Pittman
• FB/RB Beanie Wells

Then see what the Defense sends out.  If they go small (nickel/dime) line up with 2WR (Ginn/Gonzalez), a TE (Hall), a FB (Wells), and a RB (Pittman).  If they go big to stop that power, split Pittman and Hall out as WR's in a single back set with 4WR (Ginn, Gonzalez, Hall, Pittman) and Wells as the single back.  

I would think it would have been VERY difficult for an opposing defense to simultaneously have enough beef on the field to stop the power of that alignment as 2WR/TE/FB/RB and enough speed to cover that alignment as 4WR/1RB.  Then, if you get what you think is really favorable match-up, go up-tempo to prevent substitutions.