Can Nebraska Really Stop Kansas State's Daniel Thomas?

I think that a lot of people are worried simply because of the fact that Nebraska has been gashed by Bobby Rainey and the SDSU RB Kyle Minnett. Bobby Rainey is actually a really good running back. He already has 508 yards through 4 games. That’s pretty darn good. But it seems pretty obvious that Daniel Thomas is better than Bobby Rainey.

However, I also think it’s pretty obvious that we’ve got inexperienced linebackers and the defensive scheme hasn’t really been designed to stop the run so far. That’s because our strength is in the peso scheme stopping the pass with our experienced secondary. That should change on Thursday. If K-State is going to win they are going to have to do it with Carson Coffman making plays, not on the back of Daniel Thomas.

Unfortunately, Nebraska’s offense is in a similar position…K-state is going to load the box and try not to let Martinez get the big play with his legs. That means he’s going to have to make the big plays with his arm, and I think he can do it and we’ve got the receiver talent to get it done as well.

very good post, I think that sometimes when you have a conference (or division) that is as weak as the big 12 north is, save nebraska, people will latch on to any storyline they can. In this particular case it’s a better than average running back that “supposedly” could be their saving grace, if either one of our running backs got that many carries a game they would put up comparable yards.

Good article. This Daniel Thomas “boogeyman gonna get ya” hype reminds me of the pregame talk of how Jake Locker, Heisman hopeful, top ranked draft pick, highly rated quarterback was going to pick the Huskers apart. Our Suh-less defense was going to be sorely tested in a huge road game that would either vindicate Husker haters or validate Pelini’s “Nebraska is back” statement.

So here’s another team featuring a superman offensive player and looking use the Huskers as a stepping stone , it’s a road game, huge test, blah blah blah. Seems to me like I’ve herd this before.

Daniel Thomas is not “talented”; he is talented. Period. Sure, he’s played against poor defenses, but so has Taylor Martinez, and no one here is doubting his talent.

That doesn’t mean Nebraska can’t stop him – Nebraska has shut down plenty of genuinely talented players. But Daniel Thomas is a very good running back – one of the best in the Big 12. If he doesn’t show up Thursday night, then it might make sense to rip on him, but not before.

My point to the article is that Daniel Thomas isn’t the type of running back that is going to beat anybody. He gets his stats because he gets 25-30 carries a game. He doesn’t break exceptionally long runs. Stats don’t lie to us. He has 2 runs in his career that have been for more than 40 yards. He succeeds against poor defenses. It’s just facts. He is a good running back, fits well with that team. But to say he is one of the best in the nation just doesn’t make much sense.

K State will eat up a lot of clock using Thomas over and over again. However, I still think Nebraska will get their points.

31-17 Nebraska

However that would be the case for any statistical category if we looked at it. Shoot strength of schedule is based soley on your opponents winning %. Don’t you think a team in the bottom tier of the SEC or Big 10 or Big 12 would have a better winning % if they played in the WAC. Kentucky and Vandy are better than more than half lower tier conferences. The point is this is why they took out the strength of schedule component for the most part.

Sorry for rambling….back to Thomas. He’s a great back don’t get me wrong. And I know stellar running backs pad stats against lesser teams….the thing is they also manufacture against the best teams as well. Tough to say without any help around him as I mentioned butttttt if he really was the best running back in the Big 12 he needs to prove it on the biggest stage. What better than tomorrow night?

I’ve said he ‘s a good running back….just kinda skeptical. Maybe he’ll step up and run all over a good defense. Just havn’t really seen it yet. Not to mention there wasn’t a whole lot to chose from in the Big 12 rb pool for all-conference honors last year. Nonetheless…he’s a good running back and I’m sure a great kid. As for “cherry-picking” numbers I’m not really sure what you’re referring to.

so if 100 yards isn’t the measuring stick what is? As said before I’m not downgrading that he can’t run the ball. The point to the article as stated is that he hasn’t had a signature performance against a good defense. Is rushing for 99 yards against Nebraska signature? Is rushing for 88 yards on Oklahoma signature? These are the situations that amazing running backs tend to thrive on. But hey as said before it’s an opinion article. And you as a reader are also entitled to your opinion. Didn’t want to come across unclassy in any sense. Just thought it was an interesting tidbit that pointed to some statistical backup. Maybe we’ll see something different tomorrow night. Who knows? Thanks for reading again!