Question for Huskers: What kind of speed does your secondary have? Alshon Jefferey isn't going to run past anyone, but we do have some little speedy guys that can be match-up problems for slower defenses. Ace Sanders, Bruce Ellington, Nick Jones, and Damiere Byrd can all stretch the field.
On a similar note, what kind of size and leaping ability do your DB's have? Like I said, Alshon isn't going to burn anyone on a fly route (unless there's blown coverage), but with his size, leaping ability, and body control he can go up over guys to make tough catches in traffic. He's also got a big frame and can effectively box-out all but the most physical defenders. Regardless, I think Nebraska will have to put two guys on #1. Many times this year there would be a corner manned-up on him with a safety over the top for support.
Thoughts?
I'm sure someone else can you give you a better analysis but this is my try. Dennard can probably shut down whoever he is on but other than that, we may struggle. Our front 3 or 4 do not generate any rush/pressure so, unless we blitz, your guy will have all day to find a receiver. Our other DB's have shown improvement through the season but still show some signs of bad mechanics/fundementals in coverage. We have done pretty good at limiting big pass plays but it will depend how well your QB can extend the play and if your WR's keep working. The thing that worries me most may be disparate measures of speed. When you say your guys aren't blazing fast but may be quick enough for slower defenses, I don't know if we're on the same page or not. My gut tells me we may be a little on the slow side compared to SEC speed. Bo does seem to scheme very good for bowl games though. Don't let last years Holiday Bowl fool you. That was simply a game nobody wanted to play.
edit- If your QB is mobile and not afraid to get outside the pocket and run, you'll probably tear us a new one.
Question for Huskers: What kind of speed does your secondary have? Alshon Jefferey isn't going to run past anyone, but we do have some little speedy guys that can be match-up problems for slower defenses. Ace Sanders, Bruce Ellington, Nick Jones, and Damiere Byrd can all stretch the field.
On a similar note, what kind of size and leaping ability do your DB's have? Like I said, Alshon isn't going to burn anyone on a fly route (unless there's blown coverage), but with his size, leaping ability, and body control he can go up over guys to make tough catches in traffic. He's also got a big frame and can effectively box-out all but the most physical defenders. Regardless, I think Nebraska will have to put two guys on #1. Many times this year there would be a corner manned-up on him with a safety over the top for support.
Thoughts?
Dennard can match up on this alshon jefferey, but if you have fast guys in the slot that will kill us all day because we will likely put either ciante evans or blatchford or thorell on him and honestly i like those guys but its a mismatch, they have been getting burned all year. We pretty much always have safety help over the top its just the way bo runs his defense, alot of the times the corner isn't even supposed to cover the deeper route. That said I'm mostly worried about the statement that your qb is a dual threat, because true dual threats are pretty much a guaranteed loss- or have been to this point anyway.
Connor Shaw is probably one of the better dual-threat guys in the nation. He doesn't have a huge arm, but he's accurate. He's very good running the ball, either on designed QB keepers, read-option, or scrambling. He can also buy time with his legs. Earlier in the season he had a tendency to take off running when the pocket started to collapse, but he's getting better at keeping his eyes downfield while moving behind the line of scrimmage.
I'll give you some stats from ESPN. He played 7 full games, with limited action in 2 early games when Stephen Garcia was on the team. He's quick and elusive and has good speed, I think in the 4.5 range.
Passing: 1218 yards, 65.5% completion rate, 12 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, took 19 sacks, 141.5 QB Rating.
Rushing: 483 yards on 116 carries, avg of 4.2 ypc, longest rush of 60 yards, 7 touchdowns.
As far as slot receivers go, the main guy you'll see is Ace Sanders, #9. He's 5'7, quick, and runs good routes. Ace is also the main punt returner and has 1 TD this year (albeit in the 1st game of the season against East Carolina). Damiere Byrd has elite, world-class speed (ran 100m for USA team internationally), but we haven't been able to get him the ball much. I can think of 2 or 3 times when he was wide open downfield but the QB overthrew him. One time, he dropped one in the endzone that was right in his hands. He's also good for 1 end-around, jet sweep type running play and generally picks up about 8 or so yards.
