Search the Community

Lately you may have noticed I've been on this kick about having fun. I think it's a huge part of what being a fan is all about, and I think it's a huge part of what makes good teams into great teams. You talk to some of the Blackshirts from the 1990s and they'll tell you they had the time of their lives attacking opposing offenses. They were men possessed because they knew McBride was going to unleash hell on their opponents. Some examples: My personal opinion on what holds Bo's defenses back from being good to being truly great - legendary, perhaps - is that lack of fun. They react too much. They don't dictate enough. They dictate some, but Bo needs to unleash hell from the opening snap. I will forever be of this belief, that attacking defenders are happy defenders. And happy defenders are a quarterback's worst nightmare. So I read this article from the LJS today, and it says the defense loves third downs, they're very effective on third downs, because as Kevin Williams puts it, "[They] get the opportunity to go huntin'." The Huskers are sixth nationally in third-down conversion percentage defense, with opponents having converted just 31 of 111 attempts (27.9 percent). "We spend a lot of time on protections and how we can exploit what teams are doing," he said. "We try to be creative in what we're doing and give a lot of different looks. Not only pressurewise, but also coveragewise." That creativity is something Nebraska players have taken a liking to. Defensive end Jack Gangwish said the defense looks forward to third-and-long situations more than anything, and he took advantage of one such occasion when he teamed with Kevin Williams for a third-down sack in the third quarter Saturday. "We get the opportunity to go huntin'," the Wood River native said. "At that point, you get to pin your ears back and get after the quarterback. Short-yardage and first down, that's the hard part, but when you've earned the position to be in third-and-10, that's when you get a chance to have fun. ... That's when you get to eat." LINK Clearly that "huntin'" mentality works. It takes the right personnel, sure - but when you have that personnel, I'd like to see nearly every down be a "huntin'" down. Let the defense pursue, attack, dictate. An attacking defense is a happy defense, a defense having fun. If the defense knows they're going to be allowed to play at Mach 5 with their hair on fire nearly every down they're going to have more fun, and that can only translate to better success on the recruiting trail, better players, more talent, more effective attacking... a hell of a lot more fun for everyone.