To Huskers:
Do you think your average run D is a product of your teams incredible pass D? Do you think other teams have abandoned the pass and focused on trying to overrun you?
What say you?
I think the average run D is mostly a product of inexperienced linebacker play. We had our top two linebackers injured in fall camp, our best one out for the year, and the other (Compton) just started playing again a few weeks ago. So we've been playing a lot with safeties at linebacker positions (Gomes), and with a juco transfer (David) who was new to the program this year. Lavonte David, while being a freak athletically, would miss his assignment a lot in run defense. Now it seems with Compton back on the field, and David starting to play the correct gap more consistently, the running defense has tightened up in recent matches against Kansas and Missouri.
I don't think anybody has abandoned the pass and just tried to run the ball on us, I think we're too strong for anybody to go all the way down the field doing that. You could get a few first downs doing that, but at some point we're going to stop you for a short gain or a loss and force you into passing. The teams that have had success against our defense, mainly Oklahoma State, achieved that success with balance.