‘There’s Only One Ball’: Dana Holgorsen on Spreading the Wealth Around Nebraska’s Offense

It's a good problem to have: Multiple players who clearly deserve more touches.

Dana Holgorsen walks on the field during warmups before the game against the Ohio Bobcats. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dana Holgorsen knows Nebraska has an abundance of talent on offense this fall.

In fact, finding a way to spread the ball around and get everyone on the field is something the Huskers' offensive coordinator called a good problem to have. However, without giving his unit too much praise, Holgorsen also made it clear that the Big Red still has plenty to work on.

When meeting with the media Tuesday, Holgorsen recapped his unit's performance in Week 1 and laid out where the Huskers will look to get better Saturday evening against Bowling Green.

Nyziah Hunter reacts after getting a first down last season against Maryland. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On 74 offensive snaps against Ohio in Week 1, NU had 24 different players take the field. With Holgorsen well aware of the skill set his offense seems to have, his playcalling reflected an attempt to spread the ball around.

“I’m not trying to get guys' stats,” he said. “I’m just trying to spread the ball around. These guys work hard. Nyziah (Hunter) is a guy we’ve got to get the ball to more. We threw him one screen, and he willed his way 60-some yards down the sidelines for a touchdown… He needs more touches. One is not okay for him.”

Holgorsen knows how important Nyziah Hunter is to his offense. His only problem: There’s only one ball.

“There’s only one ball,” he continued. “And we’ve got a lot of players that deserve to touch it. So, it’s going to be about how they get out there and practice and prepare throughout the course of the week to get themselves in position to be on the field.”

Jamal Rule runs against an Ohio Bobcats defensive back during the third quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska's wide receiver room isn't the only position group with depth. The strong showing Saturday from the Huskers' stable of running backs didn't catch Holgorsen by surprise.

“It’s what I thought it would look like,” said Holgorsen. “Those guys play hard. I thought they were all three good players and had flashed at times. So, it’s just good to see it in the game, obviously. Just happy with how all three of them played.”

“Our plan was to get Mekhi in there real quick,” he continued. “Thought they (Nelson and Mozee) both deserved stuff. With Jamal, we just, you know, how was he going to be on the sidelines in Game 1? I thought he was awesome in pregame and had no issues… Where does it go from here? I don’t know. We’ll see how practice goes today.”

Isaiah Mozee runs against an Ohio Bobcats linebacker during the first quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Holgorsen admitted he didn't enter Saturday's game knowing which running back would start.

“I didn’t view any of them as the starter,” he said. “I told EJ (former Husker Emmett Johnson), I go, ‘I’m going to look at one of them and say, ‘Get it’... Just pleased with how all three of them played. It’s a grueling position. You get to three a lot. So, it’s good for us; we’ve got three.”

Yes, Nebraska does have three capable backs. The Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Jamal Rule, led the way with 31 offensive snaps, totaling 169 all-purpose yards and the first three touchdowns of his collegiate career, while Nelson and Mozee combined for 160 additional yards and two touchdowns on 42 snaps.

Mekhi Nelson runs against the Ohio Bobcats during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While all three showed promise in Week 1, Holgorsen expects some separation to develop over the coming weeks. Even if it doesn't, he won't view it as a bad thing.

“It’s a good problem to have,” he said. “Whoever you feel likes going with the hot hands - our goal going into that game was to try to get them all equal playing time and equal touches… Is it fair? Is it unfair? I don’t know. It’s a good problem to have, and we’ll probably try to figure it out.”

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The Big Red even managed to get creative in short-yardage situations against the Bobcats. On several occasions, Nebraska used defensive players as lead blockers.

To no surprise, Holgorsen is a big fan of what they helped produce: fresh sets of downs and, on one occasion, a red-zone score.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” he said with a laugh. “That came out of the Matt Rhule playbook. We did it with Ty Robinson a couple of years ago. I had a tremendous amount of fun with that, with Ty. We didn’t feel like we had the people to do that last year, so we just kind of shelved that.”

“Had open tryouts in camp,” he continued. “And Anthony (Jones) and Jahsear (Whittington) kind of took that thing over and ran with it. Man, those guys were fired up. I’ve never seen two kids on defense go in on offense and play with as much intensity and excitement as those two guys did… That was awesome to see.”

Anthony Colandrea celebrates with teammates after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Ohio Bobcats. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska's offensive coordinator was pleased with UNLV transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea's performance in his first game with the Big Red. However, Holgorsen saw areas that need attention.

“I thought he was good,” Holgorsen said. “The only issue I’ve got, he put the ball on the ground once. That was a mental error on his part… That can’t happen. His one play that he got sacked, he basically sacked himself… Other than that, I thought his decisions were good.

“The only other issue that I have, other than that, is the completion percentage,” he continued. “We’ve got to get that thing higher… But from a decision-making perspective, I thought he was outstanding for about 95 percent of the game.”

Jacory Barney Jr. runs after the catch against the Ohio Bobcats during the first quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dropped passes did drag down his completion percentage Saturday, but Colandrea might have hurt his own cause by putting too much heat on some throws.

“He needs to tone it down a little bit,” Holgorsen said. “On a couple of those drops, when I was watching the video with him, he was like, ‘I probably put a little but too much zip on that’... Be receiver-friendly, man."

Accuracy, too, could have been better at times.

“Some of those were not quite where I’ve seen him put it,” Holgorsen said. “And he needs to put it to the point where those guys have a little easier time catching the ball.

"With that said, still catch the dang ball. It was right in your hands.”

As usual, Holgorsen didn't mince words, and his message was clear. As the Cornhuskers prepare for Bowling Green, expect the offense to come out firing while remaining detail-oriented on Saturday night.

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