Huskers know they must pressure USC quarterback

[bennychico11]

Huskers know they must pressure USC quarterback

BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006 - 12:11:59 am CDT

 

It’s no secret that Nebraska will display some different defensive looks against USC than the Huskers showed against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State.

 

What exactly are the changes?

 

Now that’s a secret.

 

Knowing that, junior middle linebacker Corey McKeon, in his normal entertaining self, had a little fun with the subject at Tuesday’s weekly media luncheon.

 

“I was actually thinking about if I was asked that question, if I should completely lie, and tell everyone that we’re doing this whole new defense,” McKeon said. “I actually thought of this new defense last night. It’s like a 2-5, but I don’t think anybody would believe me.

 

“I play the nose. We’re going to switch it up with speed on the D-line and put the big guys behind, just go for hard hits, try to take them out.”

 

And what about confusing USC quarterback John David Booty?

 

“That’s right,” McKeon said. “We’re going to wear purple jerseys … to confuse him.”

 

OK, seriously, have the Blackshirts indicated any potential weaknesses they hope to exploit?

 

“I don’t think I can answer that,” said McKeon, who followed with, “Yes,” and then winked and nodded.

 

If McKeon’s performance on the field Saturday night in Los Angeles is anything like his in front of the cameras, Nebraska should be OK.

 

The No. 19 Huskers face No. 4 USC on the Trojans’ home field, and much of the hype has centered on whether Nebraska can slow the USC offense, particularly through the air.

 

Booty, in his USC debut Sept. 4 against Arkansas, went 24-of-35 passing for 261 yards and three second-half touchdowns. He had no interceptions and was sacked twice.

 

“You want to throw something at the quarterback he hasn’t seen before,” McKeon said. “We get enough pressure on Booty, he’s not going to have the opportunity to place that ball to those big wideouts, and give our DBs the chance to make some big plays.”

 

Of course, that’s better said than done. McKeon noted USC’s strong execution and lack of mental errors.

 

“They’re not spectacular in what they do protectionwise. They do the same thing over and over, and it works,” he said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

 

“They take those big linemen, they slide them in gap protection, and that’s how they protect their quarterback. Their talent has been good enough that they’ve been able to do that. They’ve been protecting their quarterback very well this year.”

 

How Nebraska applies pressure on Booty, then, remains a key question. Switching around some personnel? Disguising packages?

 

Blitzing?

 

“You better get there,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said, laughing. “You gotta get there before the ball goes off, I know that.

 

“We’re going to try everything. You try to get your kids in a position to have success. Sometimes you’re less vulnerable than other times. It’s just a chess match. You try to put coverages in place where they don’t think you’re going to be, do some things they haven’t seen.”

 

Nebraska showed little to no blitzing through its first two games, perhaps with USC in mind. Against Louisiana Tech, the Huskers’ starting linebackers combined for all of seven tackles.

 

“La. Tech did a great job of running away from our defense,” McKeon said, “and last week they had that double wing thing, which you really can’t do much against. This is going to be a great opportunity for the defense to step up and make some plays.”

 

Of course, any blitzing, especially against a team the caliber of USC, comes with risk.

 

“We’ve gone over that 100 times in the film room, in any game,” McKeon said, “if you don’t execute the blitz, it could lead to a big play, because you’ve got people out of place.”

 

Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove also stressed technique and fundamentals.

 

“They are a complicated offense,” he said. “They are similar to what we do — a lot of movement and a lot of shifts. You have to be solid in what you are doing, otherwise they’re going to get some big plays. We have to do things that are sound and give us a chance to play well.”

[Eric the Red]

Huskers know they must pressure USC quarterback

BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006 - 12:11:59 am CDT

 

It’s no secret that Nebraska will display some different defensive looks against USC than the Huskers showed against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State.

 

What exactly are the changes?

 

Now that’s a secret.

 

Knowing that, junior middle linebacker Corey McKeon, in his normal entertaining self, had a little fun with the subject at Tuesday’s weekly media luncheon.

 

“I was actually thinking about if I was asked that question, if I should completely lie, and tell everyone that we’re doing this whole new defense,” McKeon said. “I actually thought of this new defense last night. It’s like a 2-5, but I don’t think anybody would believe me.

 

“I play the nose. We’re going to switch it up with speed on the D-line and put the big guys behind, just go for hard hits, try to take them out.”

 

And what about confusing USC quarterback John David Booty?

 

“That’s right,” McKeon said. “We’re going to wear purple jerseys … to confuse him.”

 

OK, seriously, have the Blackshirts indicated any potential weaknesses they hope to exploit?

 

“I don’t think I can answer that,” said McKeon, who followed with, “Yes,” and then winked and nodded.

 

If McKeon’s performance on the field Saturday night in Los Angeles is anything like his in front of the cameras, Nebraska should be OK.

 

The No. 19 Huskers face No. 4 USC on the Trojans’ home field, and much of the hype has centered on whether Nebraska can slow the USC offense, particularly through the air.

 

Booty, in his USC debut Sept. 4 against Arkansas, went 24-of-35 passing for 261 yards and three second-half touchdowns. He had no interceptions and was sacked twice.

 

“You want to throw something at the quarterback he hasn’t seen before,” McKeon said. “We get enough pressure on Booty, he’s not going to have the opportunity to place that ball to those big wideouts, and give our DBs the chance to make some big plays.”

 

Of course, that’s better said than done. McKeon noted USC’s strong execution and lack of mental errors.

 

“They’re not spectacular in what they do protectionwise. They do the same thing over and over, and it works,” he said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

 

“They take those big linemen, they slide them in gap protection, and that’s how they protect their quarterback. Their talent has been good enough that they’ve been able to do that. They’ve been protecting their quarterback very well this year.”

 

How Nebraska applies pressure on Booty, then, remains a key question. Switching around some personnel? Disguising packages?

 

Blitzing?

 

“You better get there,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said, laughing. “You gotta get there before the ball goes off, I know that.

 

“We’re going to try everything. You try to get your kids in a position to have success. Sometimes you’re less vulnerable than other times. It’s just a chess match. You try to put coverages in place where they don’t think you’re going to be, do some things they haven’t seen.”

 

Nebraska showed little to no blitzing through its first two games, perhaps with USC in mind. Against Louisiana Tech, the Huskers’ starting linebackers combined for all of seven tackles.

 

“La. Tech did a great job of running away from our defense,” McKeon said, “and last week they had that double wing thing, which you really can’t do much against. This is going to be a great opportunity for the defense to step up and make some plays.”

 

Of course, any blitzing, especially against a team the caliber of USC, comes with risk.

 

“We’ve gone over that 100 times in the film room, in any game,” McKeon said, “if you don’t execute the blitz, it could lead to a big play, because you’ve got people out of place.”

 

Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove also stressed technique and fundamentals.

 

“They are a complicated offense,” he said. “They are similar to what we do — a lot of movement and a lot of shifts. You have to be solid in what you are doing, otherwise they’re going to get some big plays. We have to do things that are sound and give us a chance to play well.”

I don't care about the sacks, but rather a dozen or so pressures ought to do it

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Huskers know they must pressure USC quarterback

BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006 - 12:11:59 am CDT 

 

It’s no secret that Nebraska will display some different defensive looks against USC than the Huskers showed against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State.

 

What exactly are the changes?

 

Now that’s a secret.

 

Knowing that, junior middle linebacker Corey McKeon, in his normal entertaining self, had a little fun with the subject at Tuesday’s weekly media luncheon.

 

“I was actually thinking about if I was asked that question, if I should completely lie, and tell everyone that we’re doing this whole new defense,” McKeon said. “I actually thought of this new defense last night. It’s like a 2-5, but I don’t think anybody would believe me.

 

“I play the nose. We’re going to switch it up with speed on the D-line and put the big guys behind, just go for hard hits, try to take them out.”

 

And what about confusing USC quarterback John David Booty?

 

“That’s right,” McKeon said. “We’re going to wear purple jerseys … to confuse him.”

 

OK, seriously, have the Blackshirts indicated any potential weaknesses they hope to exploit?

 

“I don’t think I can answer that,” said McKeon, who followed with, “Yes,” and then winked and nodded.

 

If McKeon’s performance on the field Saturday night in Los Angeles is anything like his in front of the cameras, Nebraska should be OK.

 

The No. 19 Huskers face No. 4 USC on the Trojans’ home field, and much of the hype has centered on whether Nebraska can slow the USC offense, particularly through the air.

 

Booty, in his USC debut Sept. 4 against Arkansas, went 24-of-35 passing for 261 yards and three second-half touchdowns. He had no interceptions and was sacked twice.

 

“You want to throw something at the quarterback he hasn’t seen before,” McKeon said. “We get enough pressure on Booty, he’s not going to have the opportunity to place that ball to those big wideouts, and give our DBs the chance to make some big plays.”

 

Of course, that’s better said than done. McKeon noted USC’s strong execution and lack of mental errors.

 

“They’re not spectacular in what they do protectionwise. They do the same thing over and over, and it works,” he said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

 

“They take those big linemen, they slide them in gap protection, and that’s how they protect their quarterback. Their talent has been good enough that they’ve been able to do that. They’ve been protecting their quarterback very well this year.”

 

How Nebraska applies pressure on Booty, then, remains a key question. Switching around some personnel? Disguising packages?

 

Blitzing?

 

“You better get there,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said, laughing. “You gotta get there before the ball goes off, I know that.

 

“We’re going to try everything. You try to get your kids in a position to have success. Sometimes you’re less vulnerable than other times. It’s just a chess match. You try to put coverages in place where they don’t think you’re going to be, do some things they haven’t seen.”

 

Nebraska showed little to no blitzing through its first two games, perhaps with USC in mind. Against Louisiana Tech, the Huskers’ starting linebackers combined for all of seven tackles.

 

“La. Tech did a great job of running away from our defense,” McKeon said, “and last week they had that double wing thing, which you really can’t do much against. This is going to be a great opportunity for the defense to step up and make some plays.”

 

Of course, any blitzing, especially against a team the caliber of USC, comes with risk.

 

“We’ve gone over that 100 times in the film room, in any game,” McKeon said, “if you don’t execute the blitz, it could lead to a big play, because you’ve got people out of place.”

 

Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove also stressed technique and fundamentals.

 

“They are a complicated offense,” he said. “They are similar to what we do — a lot of movement and a lot of shifts. You have to be solid in what you are doing, otherwise they’re going to get some big plays. We have to do things that are sound and give us a chance to play well.”

I don't care about the sacks, but rather a dozen or so pressures ought to do it

I hope they sack Booty several times. Make him extremely nervous standing in that pocket for too long. Make him nervous so he forces the pass to early. Sack him enough times, put enough pressure on him and his timing will be off. He's young QB. He hasn't faced a stout defense yet. Ultimately, I hope Booty's backside is bruised up from put down on the ground so much

[Blackshirtsguru]

Or a couple face plants on the QB...just to let Booty know the Blackshirts are thinking about him!

[AZ4NU]

I'm hoping that the Blackshirts make him feel like Danny Wuerful did in the Fiesta Bowl. I just remember the camera constantly on him as he scraped himself off the ground time after time. His jersey was green from grass stains by the time the game was in hand.

[ttheKid1*18]

Huskers know they must pressure USC quarterback

BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006 - 12:11:59 am CDT 

 

It’s no secret that Nebraska will display some different defensive looks against USC than the Huskers showed against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State.

 

What exactly are the changes?

 

Now that’s a secret.

 

Knowing that, junior middle linebacker Corey McKeon, in his normal entertaining self, had a little fun with the subject at Tuesday’s weekly media luncheon.

 

“I was actually thinking about if I was asked that question, if I should completely lie, and tell everyone that we’re doing this whole new defense,” McKeon said. “I actually thought of this new defense last night. It’s like a 2-5, but I don’t think anybody would believe me.

 

“I play the nose. We’re going to switch it up with speed on the D-line and put the big guys behind, just go for hard hits, try to take them out.”

 

And what about confusing USC quarterback John David Booty?

 

“That’s right,” McKeon said. “We’re going to wear purple jerseys … to confuse him.”

 

OK, seriously, have the Blackshirts indicated any potential weaknesses they hope to exploit?

 

“I don’t think I can answer that,” said McKeon, who followed with, “Yes,” and then winked and nodded.

 

If McKeon’s performance on the field Saturday night in Los Angeles is anything like his in front of the cameras, Nebraska should be OK.

 

The No. 19 Huskers face No. 4 USC on the Trojans’ home field, and much of the hype has centered on whether Nebraska can slow the USC offense, particularly through the air.

 

Booty, in his USC debut Sept. 4 against Arkansas, went 24-of-35 passing for 261 yards and three second-half touchdowns. He had no interceptions and was sacked twice.

 

“You want to throw something at the quarterback he hasn’t seen before,” McKeon said. “We get enough pressure on Booty, he’s not going to have the opportunity to place that ball to those big wideouts, and give our DBs the chance to make some big plays.”

 

Of course, that’s better said than done. McKeon noted USC’s strong execution and lack of mental errors.

 

“They’re not spectacular in what they do protectionwise. They do the same thing over and over, and it works,” he said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

 

“They take those big linemen, they slide them in gap protection, and that’s how they protect their quarterback. Their talent has been good enough that they’ve been able to do that. They’ve been protecting their quarterback very well this year.”

 

How Nebraska applies pressure on Booty, then, remains a key question. Switching around some personnel? Disguising packages?

 

Blitzing?

 

“You better get there,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said, laughing. “You gotta get there before the ball goes off, I know that.

 

“We’re going to try everything. You try to get your kids in a position to have success. Sometimes you’re less vulnerable than other times. It’s just a chess match. You try to put coverages in place where they don’t think you’re going to be, do some things they haven’t seen.”

 

Nebraska showed little to no blitzing through its first two games, perhaps with USC in mind. Against Louisiana Tech, the Huskers’ starting linebackers combined for all of seven tackles.

 

“La. Tech did a great job of running away from our defense,” McKeon said, “and last week they had that double wing thing, which you really can’t do much against. This is going to be a great opportunity for the defense to step up and make some plays.”

 

Of course, any blitzing, especially against a team the caliber of USC, comes with risk.

 

“We’ve gone over that 100 times in the film room, in any game,” McKeon said, “if you don’t execute the blitz, it could lead to a big play, because you’ve got people out of place.”

 

Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove also stressed technique and fundamentals.

 

“They are a complicated offense,” he said. “They are similar to what we do — a lot of movement and a lot of shifts. You have to be solid in what you are doing, otherwise they’re going to get some big plays. We have to do things that are sound and give us a chance to play well.”

I don't care about the sacks, but rather a dozen or so pressures ought to do it

I hope they sack Booty several times. Make him extremely nervous standing in that pocket for too long. Make him nervous so he forces the pass to early. Sack him enough times, put enough pressure on him and his timing will be off. He's young QB. He hasn't faced a stout defense yet. Ultimately, I hope Booty's backside is bruised up from put down on the ground so much

Hits would do the same thing. As long as we are causing him to look away from the routes and at the players rushing him, I think we will be fine. I am going to be looking at the "knockdown" stat a lot during the game.

[Washusker]

I don't care about the sacks, but rather a dozen or so pressures ought to do it

Sacks aren't important, but we need to knock him down and give him happy feet. If he gets in a rythm and is able to wait for his receivers to make their breaks, we are in big trouble.

 

 

Carriker needs a HUGE game.

[ttheKid1*18]

This will be the game that shows if all the preseason hype was for real. They need to pressure him, hit him in his mouth, and make him always remember the night he went against the Blackshirts. GBR!

[BIGREDIOWAN]

We need to hit him quite a few times. I want him to be afraid to hold on to the ball for more than a second because he is afraid he is going to hit again!!! That way he makes stupid throws and bad decisions!!!!

[GSG]

The only sack I want to see of Booty is a burlap one.... Then throw him in the river....

[BIGREDIOWAN]

[gamecocks]

I don't care about the sacks, but rather a dozen or so pressures ought to do it

Sacks aren't important, but we need to knock him down and give him happy feet. If he gets in a rythm and is able to wait for his receivers to make their breaks, we are in big trouble.

 

 

Carriker needs a HUGE game.

I would disagree is saying that sacks are not important. Having a team in 3 and long would help our defense as there are only so many plays designed to have deep patterns.

[HUSKERJIMMY]

Carriker is just so impressive in real life....... just a behemoth.......a man amongst boys, he could definitely make the booty blow snot bubbles The size is scary enough but coupled with his speed and WATCH OUT booty.

[BigRedWolf]

Stopping the run with as many players in pass coverage as possible is the best way I can see to win this game.

Pass pressure would be nice.

But, those recievers are good enough that a desperate lob from the QB would probably be caught.

The best way to keep that from happening is keeping more people on the receivers then they ever thought possible.

That 2-5 would be wicked if it could also stop the run.

We need some monster plays from that defensive line.

[rocketlb]

Stopping the run with as many players in pass coverage as possible is the best way I can see to win this game.

Pass pressure would be nice.

But, those recievers are good enough that a desperate lob from the QB would probably be caught.

The best way to keep that from happening is keeping more people on the receivers then they ever thought possible.

That 2-5 would be wicked if it could also stop the run.

We need some monster plays from that defensive line.

I believe we tried that approach against Texas Tech a couple years back...and if I remember correctly, that didn't work out so well for us. What was the score to that game again... 70-10? Not to mention, USC's recievers are at least twice as good as Techs were in that game. Although we have different DB's now, I'd say we've probably got the same amount, if not less, experience. It should be one hell of a game. But I hope to all that is holy that we don't just drop as many people back as we can because those receivers will find a way to get open no matter what.

 

 

...ok, I'm done.