I don't know if the run game is going to get much better. I hope it does, but...
1) No offense is perfect and has strengths and weaknesses. It looks to me like the Gophs, with their strong passing game talent, have chosen to err in that direction. For example, the offense tackles now stay upright on almost all plays which is great for pass blocking but a 3-point stance would be MUCH better for a run-dedicated offense. I'm guessing those big guys are probably a little too slow to pass block from a 3-point stance. On the last drive when the run game was needed, however, Faalele was in a 3-point stance with a tight end and that's where the ball went every time and it worked. You already mentioned the inability to block aggressively downfield on a true RPO play.
2) It looks like other teams are selling out to stop the inside run which is the Gophs bread and butter run game which hasn't helped. Purdue did this, but the Gophs smartly decided to throw over the top with huge success.
3) Related to above, other teams are selling out to stop the inside run which can leave outside lanes, but I'm not sure the Gophs have the running backs with enough speed to get the outside edge consistently. Rodney, when healthy, has bounced to the outside in the past so I'm hoping that helps.
I could be talking out of my *** a little here. Our resident O-Line expert Rockford probably has better input than me.
