Projected defensive starters impress coaches

Husker_Power · August 12, 2007

BY RICH KAIPUST

WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

LINCOLN — Easy prey.

The preseason football magazines were being thrown together last spring and, by design, they point out expected team weaknesses. With Nebraska, it was convenient to go with the defensive front, simplified by the Huskers' absence of a returning starter.

So the magazines hammered away.

Go back 12 years. Jared Tomich can tell you a similar story — with a twist. Yes, Nebraska was rebuilding its defensive front. But the magazines handled it differently.

"Nothing was written about us because nobody knew about us," Tomich said. "Nobody was paying attention to us."

Nebraska's only returning starter on the four-man line from the 1994 national championship team was Christian Peter. The projected starters with him for 1995 were Tomich and Grant Wistrom at defensive end, and his brother Jason Peter at defensive tackle.

"We were the only spot that Coach (Charlie) McBride had to wonder about," Tomich said. "Kind of looking at it by the books, maybe it didn't look good at all. We ended up OK."

That's putting it mildly for a foursome that would rack up postseason honors and all move on to the National Football League. NU likely would settle for anything close to the same from Ndamukong Suh, Ty Steinkuhler, Barry Turner and Zach Potter in 2007.

Nebraska is replacing all four starters on its line for the first time since it switched from a 5-2 to a 4-3 defense in 1993. The closest in terms of total overhauls might have been that 1994-to-1995 transition after the Huskers lost Dwayne Harris, Donta Jones and Terry Connealy and replaced them with a junior (Tomich) and two sophomores (Wistrom and Jason Peter).

Tomich's advice to this batch of Huskers: Thrive on the negative.

"That was a deal where if we did hear something, we put it up in the locker room," he said. "Everybody took it as such a personal challenge.

"If those guys pull together during this camp, they have just as great a shot to be a real dominating defense as anybody. We'll kind of see how it goes. It'll be fun to watch."

Through spring practice and the first week of preseason camp, it's been more than evident that those who are part of the rebuilding project long ago tired of the whole topic.

When asked, Potter deadpanned: "What are you talking about?" Turner said of the magazines: "I don't even read that garbage." Suh commented recently: "Having the defensive line be a question mark is kind of a huge slap in the face."

NU defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove and defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt both said they saw enough in spring practice to ease their minds about replacing Adam Carriker, Jay Moore, Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer — an NFL first-round draft pick, a fourth-rounder and two free-agent signees.

Behind them last season, Suh and Steinkuhler saw regular time, while Turner held a pass-rushing role. Potter got the least action because Carriker took a limited amount of breaks.

But not one of the four is a senior.

"Don't forget, those guys all played last year," Cosgrove said. "They've been in big games. They know how to compete. They know what we're looking for. Now they just got to be guys who are going to take a lot of reps instead of selected reps."

Carriker and Moore were rocks, consistent contributors for their final three seasons in Lincoln. Dagunduro and Cryer were characters, players that others fed off emotionally.

Wyatt said he hasn't pulled aside anybody and told them they need to bite off some of those roles.

"You can't appoint leaders," said Wyatt, who replaced John Blake last December. "It's got to kind of come naturally. We've got some guys who are really good football players that others look up to. I think that's happened naturally.

"Obviously, anytime you lose four guys that started, you've got a challenge in front of you. But I think we've got some guys who have some experience, a good nucleus, and I think there are some young guys who are starting to get better, who are starting to show they've got a chance to be a pretty good player."

Still, the magnitude of the task is hard to ignore.

Nebraska has had at least two returning starters on the defensive front the past three seasons. In the previous three, it had at least one full-time starter and one part-time starter back.

But Turner said the new regime has "unlimited talent." Potter said all four reshaped their bodies with good offseason work in anticipation of their opportunities.

"I think we just all realized it's our time," Potter said. "We don't have any other choice, and we're rolling with it."

Suh is the anchor at nose tackle as an All-Big 12 candidate. Turner was a freshman All-American at defensive end two years ago. Steinkuhler can play inside or outside. Potter is trying to prove he deserves the last spot.

Tomich said he hopes all four have formed the bond his mates did a dozen years ago.

"Between that spring and that camp with these guys, that probably determined a lot with how they would kind of gel and come together," Tomich said. "For us, we were inseparable. That was a big part of it."

Call for backup

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top-notch defensive lines need deep rotations. These are other players battling to be a part of Nebraska's:

OPEN END

Clayton Sievers: Ran with No. 1s when Turner missed spring practice.

Andy Poulosky: Hard-working walk-on is often praised by staff.

NOSE TACKLE

Brandon Johnson: Last chance to contribute for former junior college transfer.

Shukree Barfield: Co-No. 2 with Johnson can play other line spots.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Kevin Dixon: Talented junior college transfer must overcome late arrival.

Ben Martin: Lightest of the tackles (270) who redshirted last year.

Seth Jensen: An opportunity, but injury bug has affected development.

BASE END

Pierre Allen: Redshirt freshman packed on 40 pounds in last year.

David Harvey: Former tight end can play both end positions.

THE REST

End: Jared Crick, Tony Sullivan, William Yancy, Thomas Rice

Tackle: Kevin Luhrs, Terrence Moore

husker rob · August 12, 2007

the more i read about the d-line this year the better i feel about them. they will be better than alot of people think.

HuskerJosh82 · August 12, 2007

the more i read about the d-line this year the better i feel about them. they will be better than alot of people think.

I've been saying that all year long.

OmahaPoohBear · August 12, 2007

You could see greatness from Wistrom when he was a freshman. Turner had that greatness, but is playing at about 40 pounds heavier than Grant did his Soph. year. Suh should be a beast, Potter hasn't lived up to the hype, and Ty is solid but not spectacular.

I don't see the nastiness and the all-out effort out of this group that the great line of 95 had.

zoogs · August 12, 2007

Huge difference between this year and last in year in depth, however, and that's where I think we hurt the most. Last year we said, "Okay, we got an excellent front four. And then, we have one starting-caliber guy right behind each of them."

This year, with our previous front four gone, those four guys are stepping in (with one question mark for Potter). But behind them? There's quite a bit of depth at the tackle position, but the ends...huge question marks on all of them.

adc7236 · August 12, 2007

You could see greatness from Wistrom when he was a freshman. Turner had that greatness, but is playing at about 40 pounds heavier than Grant did his Soph. year. Suh should be a beast, Potter hasn't lived up to the hype, and Ty is solid but not spectacular.

I don't see the nastiness and the all-out effort out of this group that the great line of 95 had.

What hype about Potter? Most things I read in the past were not favorable about him.

DaveH · August 13, 2007

What hype about Potter? Most things I read in the past were not favorable about him.

He came is a "highly touted" recruit, whatever that means. I know it does mean one thing though, will never live up to it. You can't, I am pretty sure it's impossible.

You could see greatness from Wistrom when he was a freshman. Turner had that greatness, but is playing at about 40 pounds heavier than Grant did his Soph. year. Suh should be a beast, Potter hasn't lived up to the hype, and Ty is solid but not spectacular.

I don't see the nastiness and the all-out effort out of this group that the great line of 95 had.

I am pretty sure the article isn't comparing the lines. It is comparing the limelight both were in at the time.

Nevertheless, I have my doubts about Potter, but really he was stuck behind Carriker. The hardly took any plays off. Suh is an outstanding player. I am excited to see more of him this fall.

Ty is solid, could be great but really he hasn't played enough to say is or is not great.

I hate to throw these kids under the bus before they really have a chance to be "the guys".

Ross4Ever · August 13, 2007

What hype about Potter? Most things I read in the past were not favorable about him.

He came is a "highly touted" recruit, whatever that means. I know it does mean one thing though, will never live up to it. You can't, I am pretty sure it's impossible.

You could see greatness from Wistrom when he was a freshman. Turner had that greatness, but is playing at about 40 pounds heavier than Grant did his Soph. year. Suh should be a beast, Potter hasn't lived up to the hype, and Ty is solid but not spectacular.

I don't see the nastiness and the all-out effort out of this group that the great line of 95 had.

I am pretty sure the article isn't comparing the lines. It is comparing the limelight both were in at the time.

Nevertheless, I have my doubts about Potter, but really he was stuck behind Carriker. The hardly took any plays off. Suh is an outstanding player. I am excited to see more of him this fall.

Ty is solid, could be great but really he hasn't played enough to say is or is not great.

I hate to throw these kids under the bus before they really have a chance to be "the guys".

Exactly. There's really nothing that can be said until the season starts and we actually see where they're at. I'm optimistic and am not going to throw them under the bus, but we'll see once the season starts.

huskernumerouno · August 13, 2007

What hype about Potter? Most things I read in the past were not favorable about him.

He came is a "highly touted" recruit, whatever that means. I know it does mean one thing though, will never live up to it. You can't, I am pretty sure it's impossible.

You could see greatness from Wistrom when he was a freshman. Turner had that greatness, but is playing at about 40 pounds heavier than Grant did his Soph. year. Suh should be a beast, Potter hasn't lived up to the hype, and Ty is solid but not spectacular.

I don't see the nastiness and the all-out effort out of this group that the great line of 95 had.

I am pretty sure the article isn't comparing the lines. It is comparing the limelight both were in at the time.

Nevertheless, I have my doubts about Potter, but really he was stuck behind Carriker. The hardly took any plays off. Suh is an outstanding player. I am excited to see more of him this fall.

Ty is solid, could be great but really he hasn't played enough to say is or is not great.

I hate to throw these kids under the bus before they really have a chance to be "the guys".

I keep hearing "I have questions about Potter" and such. I think everyone will be suprised at how he plays this year. Everyone needs to remember that When ever he did come in he was replacing a first round draft choice so his limited reps would naturally not be impressive. He may not be the type of impact player that AC was but I think he will be a solid player and in his own way be a good player for us. Of course he can go either way Up or down and it is all up to how he prepares and the attitude he brings to the field.

Eric the Red · August 13, 2007

NU Football: Projected defensive starters impress coaches

LINCOLN — Easy prey.

The preseason football magazines were being thrown together last spring and, by design, they point out expected team weaknesses. With Nebraska, it was convenient to go with the defensive front, simplified by the Huskers' absence of a returning starter.

So the magazines hammered away.

Go back 12 years. Jared Tomich can tell you a similar story — with a twist. Yes, Nebraska was rebuilding its defensive front. But the magazines handled it differently.

"Nothing was written about us because nobody knew about us," Tomich said. "Nobody was paying attention to us."

Call for backup

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top-notch defensive lines need deep rotations. These are other players battling to be a part of Nebraska's:

OPEN END

Clayton Sievers: Ran with No. 1s when Turner missed spring practice.

Andy Poulosky: Hard-working walk-on is often praised by staff.

NOSE TACKLE

Brandon Johnson: Last chance to contribute for former junior college transfer.

Shukree Barfield: Co-No. 2 with Johnson can play other line spots.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Kevin Dixon: Talented junior college transfer must overcome late arrival.

Ben Martin: Lightest of the tackles (270) who redshirted last year.

Seth Jensen: An opportunity, but injury bug has affected development.

BASE END

Pierre Allen: Redshirt freshman packed on 40 pounds in last year.

David Harvey: Former tight end can play both end positions.

THE REST

End: Jared Crick, Tony Sullivan, William Yancy, Thomas Rice

Tackle: Kevin Luhrs, Terrence MooreNebraska's only returning starter on the four-man line from the 1994 national championship team was Christian Peter. The projected starters with him for 1995 were Tomich and Grant Wistrom at defensive end, and his brother Jason Peter at defensive tackle.