Spring offers glimpse into offensive changes

Oregon State ran with its receivers nearly six times more often than Nebraska over the past seven years. Nebraska was relatively effective when it tried - even when removing an 80-yard touchdown by Bell in 2011, the Huskers averaged 5.1 yards on receiver runs.

The group will see far more action under Riley, who gave former OSU receivers Brandin Cooks (61 rushes, 340 yards) and Markus Wheaton (83 for 631) plenty of work on the ground during their time in Corvallis.

Elusive, quick and lethal in open space, Pierson-El seems an ideal candidate to fill the role at Nebraska. Glenn Irons has a similar skill set and has gotten all kinds of work so far this spring. Expect more swing passes and receiver screens as well as Riley tries to quickly get the ball in the hands of his playmakers.

The quarterbacks simply must be more accurate

This seems obvious, but it's important enough that it bears repeating. Just once in the past six seasons has Nebraska's quarterbacks completed better than 60 percent of their passes - 2012, Martinez's finest year. Just once in that same span did OSU's passers dip below 61 percent.

Here are the teams' completion numbers for the past five years combined, along with where that figure would have ranked among schools in 2014:

Nebraska: 963 for 1,675 (57.5 percent) - tied for 73rd

Oregon State: 1,552 for 2,466 (62.9 percent) - tied for 28th

Riley and Langsdorf demand accuracy from their signal callers. In an offense based more around quick drops and shorter routes, scattershot passers gum up the offense. The quarterback must be able to make a quick read and an on-the-mark throw.

The results in camp have been mixed and often disappointing. Accuracy has never been Tommy Armstrong's strongest suit, and the junior has plenty of room to grow. When Armstrong sat out practice with back spasms last Wednesday, Ryker Fyfe and Johnny Stanton looked uncomfortable and didn't have much success. Camp phenom AJ Bush has a cannon arm and his throwing is improved, but he has yet to face the first-team defense.

Nebraska has particularly struggled on third down when completions are needed most. Since 2010, the Huskers have completed just 53 percent of their passes on the game's money down. Armstrong has connected on just 46.7 percent (70 for 150).

As the offensive players feel more confident in the new playbook and the receivers and quarterbacks get on the same page with the new style of route running, things will look much better in practice. Armstrong also admitted to struggling with the new footwork Langsdorf has installed. The junior is a tireless worker and should have that down pat by the time fall rolls around.

Many love to point to how Langsdorf turned New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning around last season - Manning's completion percentage jumped nearly six percent from 2013 to 2014 with Langsdorf as his coach last year. But Armstrong isn't a two-time Super Bowl winner with a track record of accuracy. Rebuilding his game could prove a more difficult challenge.

Riley and Langsdorf will help the quarterbacks by giving them some easier throws (more on that in a minute). But this is a big summer for Armstrong. He has a massive experience edge and commands the huddle like none of the other passers. But if he can't nudge that completion percentage (53.3 percent last year) closer to 60 percent, he'll have a hard time keeping his spot as the offense's director.

The tight ends and backs will be a bigger part of the passing game

Nebraska's aerial attack mostly centered around the wide outs under Beck, especially over the past two seasons. While Riley certainly appreciates his receivers as well, he works hard to incorporate other options in the passing game.

Despite having sure-handed pass catchers in Abdullah and Rex Burkhead, the Huskers ran very few screens over the past couple of seasons. Expect that to change. NU devoted entire periods of practice to the screen game over the past few weeks, and the numbers over the past five seasons make it clear that Riley will get the backs involved:

Running backs

Riley leaned heavily on Jacquizz Rodgers when he had the water bug in the backfield, as Rodgers had a 121 combined receptions in 2009 and 2010. Abdullah fit Rodgers' profile well, but it's tough to know if there is a back on the team now worth that kind of workload. Imani Cross has never been much of a receiver and Adam Taylor and Mikale Wilbon both have yet to play a college game. Terrell Newby had eight catches last season and is better in space than between the tackles at this point, so maybe Riley will try to get him involved with some screens. Regardless of who is on the field, they can expect more passes to be thrown their way.

The other position group which figures to see a major boost in targets under Riley's tutelage is tight end. The Husker quarterbacks treated tight ends like radioactive material over the past two seasons, and the group combined for just 24 targets last season.

You can take Cethan Carter's face off the milk carton now. The junior was frustrated with his role last season, when he had just six catches on 12 targets. Unlike Beck, Riley loves his tight ends and uses them often.

Tight ends

Even with Kyler Reed and Ben Cotton in the stable from 2010-12, NU seemed to underutilize the position. But the tight ends have been more involved in spring practice, an adjustment that could lead to a breakout season for Carter. Other beneficiaries could include Luke McNitt, the athletic Kearney transfer who has flashed in practice, and true freshman Matt Snyder, who will arrive in the fall.

Involving the backs and tight ends more in the passing game should take some pressure off of Armstrong and the offensive line. Throws to these players are generally of the shorter variety, meaning the offensive line doesn't have to protect as long and Armstrong doesn't have to throw as far downfield. Injecting a few screen passes into the game plan alone could raise his completion percentage a point or two.

Any attempt to fully flesh out what Nebraska's offense will look like during Riley and Langsdorf's maiden voyage is a fool's errand. Watching a few spring practices only provides glimpses into what the Huskers are working on, and Riley will have to adapt some of what he did in Corvallis to match the talent on the current roster.

But combining past trends with the eye test from the past few weeks at least provides a skeleton of what to look for. What the offense truly looks like will remain a mystery until Sept. 5, but a few tweaks here and there could propel the offense to a new level.

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