Which B1G team WOULD take Burkhead at RB

JonDMiller

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
I am having a debate with a friend over which Big Ten teams would choose Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead over their current starting running back.

So list the teams that you feel would choose a 'trade' were it possible, for Burkhead over their own current starter.
 
Obviously a lot has to do with a coaches goals for production from his RB (ie pass blocking, catching out of the backfield, short yardage plays) but I think certainly Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, OSU, NW. Maybe even MSU and PSU. Only Wisconsin (Monte Ball), Michigan (Troussaint), Illinois (two studs with big play ability) and obviously Nebraska wouldn't want to trade for him or give him away.

I have to believe Coach Ferentz would take him over his current RB. Burkhead is extremely explosive, a true open field threat out of the backfield, a great receiving RB and a flat out playmaker. Coker is a solid RB with a lot of power but little break away speed. He can get the tough yards but he has not shown the ability to break away from the second level yet this year. Burkhead has 6 fewer carries but 136 more yards and 4 more TD's.
 
Iowa - No. I like a healthy Coker better.
Wisconsin - No
Indiana - Yes
Northwestern - Yes
Purdue - Yes, doesn't appear Bolden is quite back from injury.
Minnesota - Yes
fO$U - hmmm... Yes, currently. I may take him over Herron too.
Sparty - No
Illinoize - No
Michigan - I think so. Not sure if Michigan has any RBs other than their QB. I like him better than Toussaint.
PSU - Yes

Just my quick assessment...
 
PStop said:
Obviously a lot has to do with a coaches goals for production from his RB (ie pass blocking, catching out of the backfield, short yardage plays) but I think certainly Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, OSU, NW. Maybe even MSU and PSU. Only Wisconsin (Monte Ball), Michigan (Troussaint), Illinois (two studs with big play ability) and obviously Nebraska wouldn't want to trade for him or give him away.

I have to believe Coach Ferentz would take him over his current RB. Burkhead is extremely explosive, a true open field threat out of the backfield, a great receiving RB and a flat out playmaker. Coker is a solid RB with a lot of power but little break away speed. He can get the tough yards but he has not shown the ability to break away from the second level yet this year. Burkhead has 6 fewer carries but 136 more yards and 4 more TD's.
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Your crazy. Do you have a horse tranq in your neck? No way MSU, no way PSU, No way Iowa. Like I said, I like the kid, and who knows what he could do in a real system, but thats all unproven and NO WAY many of those teams give up what they have for an unproven. ONE game in the B10. ONE. we have no idea what he can do in a conf that plays D.
 
No way to say at this point of the season..

PStop said:
Obviously a lot has to do with a coaches goals for production from his RB (ie pass blocking, catching out of the backfield, short yardage plays) but I think certainly Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, OSU, NW. Maybe even MSU and PSU. Only Wisconsin (Monte Ball), Michigan (Troussaint), Illinois (two studs with big play ability) and obviously Nebraska wouldn't want to trade for him or give him away.

I have to believe Coach Ferentz would take him over his current RB. Burkhead is extremely explosive, a true open field threat out of the backfield, a great receiving RB and a flat out playmaker. Coker is a solid RB with a lot of power but little break away speed. He can get the tough yards but he has not shown the ability to break away from the second level yet this year. Burkhead has 6 fewer carries but 136 more yards and 4 more TD's.
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many of the RB's have piled up huge yards against crappy teams. I would disagree with you on MSU, PSU or OSU taking Burkhead over what they have. MSU has played two good defenses in OSU and Notre Dame, and they split the carries among several backs. Hall and Hyde are good from OSU with zero passing game to support them. Silas Redd is very good from PSU.
Burkhead is a great receiving RB? He has 3 catches for 13 yards. Last year he had 15 catches for 148 yards, all year. If he is a great receiving threat, then he's being severely underutilized. Coker has 11 catches in 4 games this year. Burkhead may very well be better than Coker, don't know. Burkhead is a legitimate B1G RB, but nothing special. Certainly not as good as Ray Graham from Pitt.
 
Silas Redd is a very good back.

And Boom Herron is better than Burkehead by a large margin IMO.

Purdue is debatable, I like Bolden when healthy and with a decent OL.
 
Re: No way to say at this point of the season..

DodgerHawki said:
many of the RB's have piled up huge yards against crappy teams. I would disagree with you on MSU, PSU or OSU taking Burkhead over what they have. MSU has played two good defenses in OSU and Notre Dame, and they split the carries among several backs. Hall and Hyde are good from OSU with zero passing game to support them. Silas Redd is very good from PSU.
Burkhead is a great receiving RB? He has 3 catches for 13 yards. Last year he had 15 catches for 148 yards, all year. If he is a great receiving threat, then he's being severely underutilized. Coker has 11 catches in 4 games this year. Burkhead may very well be better than Coker, don't know. Burkhead is a legitimate B1G RB, but nothing special. Certainly not as good as Ray Graham from Pitt.
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To be fair, Burkhead has Martinez "throwing" to him while Coker has Vandenburg throwing him the ball.
 
Mine are NW, Indiana, MN and Purdue

MSU: I suspect they'd play their hand
Wisconsin: Ditto
Iowa: He'd get reps, but their problem is not Coker per se, it was being stubborn and running into 8 man fronts
Ohio State: I think they'd take Dan Herron
Penn State: Silas Redd is a real good fit in their system and has more home run potential than does Burkhead
Michigan: I tossed this question to him and his instant response was 'I wouldn't trade him for Michigan's backs'
Illinois: Perhaps just for this year, due to Burkhead's experience...but debatable and not for more than one year
 
"Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, OSU, NW" were my definite teams. I guess OSU could be a toss up.

Do we not agree that Burkhead sees 8 man fronts each and every game, or at least as much as Iowa was seeing them, even against poor teams? Nebraska cannot throw the ball, as a poster astutely put it, because it looks like Martinez lobbing a watermelon when he throws a football. Every D they face knows they need to run it with either their QB or Burkhead to be successful.

I look at game #1 where Coker was struggling to gain 4-5 yards and McCall went out and got a bunch of yards on 6 carries because of his explosiveness through the hole. I think Coker is a beast and rarely does anything but fall forward after contact. That being said, he does not have the break away speed of Burkhead. We saw that when he couldn't break away from the ULM defender on his one break away run this season. I think Burkhead would have more success than Coker so far this year if he were in an Iowa uniform. Just MHO.
 
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