BigRedBuster
Well-known member
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Spring Practice Notes
- Thread starter Mavric
- Start date
Frost was trying to get a pass rusher up to the very end of recruiting, so looks like someone will have to be developed.
bugeater17
New member
My money is Caleb Tannor. A year of adjusting to college and Duval should help him breakout in his Soph season.
TGHusker
Well-known member
Any chance the new recruit, TY Robinson, is up to the task of getting immediate play time or do you think they will RS him after 4 games? He seems to be the kind of guy that can develop into a Grant Wistrom type rusher.
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Husker in WI
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I don't think our next great pass rusher will be a d-lineman - they want those guys big. Robinson might play a lot this year, but I wouldn't expect huge sack numbers - it's a pretty short list of 3-4 lineman who get a lot of sacks. Tannor with some weight should be intriguing, he was really light last year.
Toe
Active member
Right, in a 3-4 it's usually the OLBs bringing pressure. And, uhh, we kinda whiffed on pass rushing OLBs in this year's recruiting class...
SouthLincoln Husker
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Husker in WI
New member
True, although I don't know if any of the guys we tried to get in the second signing period would've helped this year. I'd say the best chances this year are:
Tannor - has the skill set, and should be at a B1G weight now
Alex Davis - on paper he's exactly what we want, just hasn't really developed into a pass rusher
Ferguson - I think he's more of the cover OLB, but he'll be on the field for sure
David Alston - probably a year or two away, but if he put on wright fast enough I could see him breaking out
Dixon - Probably too undersized to be a consistent rusher, but could be an x-factor as an occasional blitzer
Garrett Nelson - Decent size off the bat and definitely has the motor. Also here for spring ball which helps.
Jamin Graham - Seems pretty raw, but athletically what we're looking for.
Quayshon Alexander/Pernell Jefferson - long shots, but maybe the new staff and an extra year of S&C are what they needed.
So there are definitely bodies, but as far as this year goes all of those are long shots outside of Tannor. Down the road a bit as Alston/Nelson/Graham/new guys develop behind Tannor, I feel a lot better. Pass rushing is just way more difficult in college than in high school, there aren't many guys who can jump right in as a freshman.
Toe
Active member
If you go back & watch Frost's press conference after the early signing day, someone asked him if there's any particular areas they wanted to focus on during the late recruiting period, and the first words out of his mouth were 'pass rushing OLB'. And then we ended up striking out on it. So I'd imagine it's still something that's an area of concern for him.
I'm thinking that in spring camp, to at least some extent they'll be in 'throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks' mode, trying some guys from other positions at OLB and see how they do.
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lo country
Mods
I'm hoping Dixon steps into that role. Maybe JoJo? I know he's still a safety (and with lack of experience there) maybe stays, but showed some serious flashes in his playing time last year.Toe said:
ColoradoHusk
Active member
The mobile QB has changed the way teams can rush the passer in the past 20 years. Yes, a great pass rush is important, but it’s not as easy as the rush ends or OLB’s pinning their ears back and meeting at the QB. Shoot, even when the ‘97 D faced a mobile QB in Corby Jones for Missouri, Jones torched Nebraska by scrambling and making plays downfield.
You really have to have contain in mind, especially against teams that are already limiting numbers in the box. 5 or 6 man box with a back releasing often spells a big play if the QB breaks contain.
Another thing that has changed is how fast the ball gets out of a QB’s hands. We are no longer talking 7 step drops out of max protect.
Neither of these things makes an outside pass rush irrelevant, but both are heavily aided by inside pressure. It’s the shortest path, and collapsing the pocket limits the QBs escape possibility. If you got someone that can force that center back, QBs get very nervous. That forces a guard to help, and then the defense has options.
The big problem last year was when those other things went well, we didn’t have an OLB that could beat a tackle.
ColoradoHusk
Active member
I agree with the part of building a pass rush from the middle in today’s game. It’s the shortest distance to the QB, and it seems to have the most effect on the QB.