The 2003 Blackshirts

[JTrain]

I still have the official "Husker Defense 2003" poster on the wall in my room. It's hard to believe how much our talent level has diminished on that side of the ball since then. I love our guys now, but aside from Suh and Potter, I don't know if a single one of them would have been starting in '03. It makes me excited for the years to come when Pelini gets the guys he wants in there and we can have another great defense like '03 or '99.

 

Here's a look at some of the '03 Blackshirts, and where they are five years later:

 

Dan Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Josh Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Barrett Ruud: NFL (starter)

Fabian Washington: NFL (starter)

Demorrio Williams: NFL (starter)

Ryon Bingham: NFL

LeKevin Smith: NFL

Trevor Johnson: Not on a roster, but played several years as a backup in the NFL

TJ Hollowell: Not on a roster, but saw limited time in the NFL and CFL

Patrick Kabongo: CFL (starter on offense), signed NFL FA contract for a short time in '04

 

5 current NFL starters

7 current NFL contributors

10 made NFL teams at some point

 

Those numbers are pretty staggering.

[hack]

as cool as yesterday was, i'm even more pumped about the future.

 

the pelini brothers have a TON of redshirts to work with and with the new talent that coming into lincoln, we may well be looking at a blackshirt renaissance.

[MCAT800]

We had some talent on 03, but I certainly wouldn't consider the 03 "D" great, they look better now based on what we have had since McBride left.

[JTrain]

#2 in scoring defense (aka the stat that matters)

#11 in total defense

#1 in pass efficiency defense

#1 in interceptions BY FAR (#2 was 33% behind us)*

#2 in turnovers gained

 

10 players made NFL rosters

5 players are NFL starters five years later

 

If that doesn't fall under your definition of great... I don't know what to say. The biggest issue with the defense that year was our offense. Our total offense was ranked 83rd in the country, so our defense had to be on the field way more than we would have hoped, and the opposing offenses often had better-than-average field position. Put the '03 defense with a top 20 offense (like this year's) and they would have been unquestionably dominant. But to put up those types of stats in spite of a poor offensive counterpart, there's no way you can call that anything but impressive.

 

*32 interceptions on the season. I don't know of any McBride-coached team that had even close to that many. And no team in I-A has had even as many as 30 in the past decade. I'd like to know the last team that had 32 or more in a season.

[IceMan]

#2 in scoring defense (aka the stat that matters)

#11 in total defense

#1 in pass efficiency defense

#1 in interceptions BY FAR (#2 was 33% behind us)*

#2 in turnovers gained

 

10 players made NFL rosters

5 players are NFL starters five years later

 

If that doesn't fall under your definition of great... I don't know what to say. The biggest issue with the defense that year was our offense. Our total offense was ranked 83rd in the country, so our defense had to be on the field way more than we would have hoped, and the opposing offenses often had better-than-average field position. Put the '03 defense with a top 20 offense (like this year's) and they would have been unquestionably dominant. But to put up those types of stats in spite of a poor offensive counterpart, there's no way you can call that anything but impressive.

 

*32 interceptions on the season. I don't know of any McBride-coached team that had even close to that many. And no team in I-A has had even as many as 30 in the past decade. I'd like to know the last team that had 32 or more in a season.

 

You can't argue with those stats!!! Well unless your my Ex-wife, she'd come up with something to argue about!

[rkhufu7]

I still have the official "Husker Defense 2003" poster on the wall in my room. It's hard to believe how much our talent level has diminished on that side of the ball since then. I love our guys now, but aside from Suh and Potter, I don't know if a single one of them would have been starting in '03. It makes me excited for the years to come when Pelini gets the guys he wants in there and we can have another great defense like '03 or '99.

 

Here's a look at some of the '03 Blackshirts, and where they are five years later:

 

Dan Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Josh Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Barrett Ruud: NFL (starter)

Fabian Washington: NFL (starter)

Demorrio Williams: NFL (starter)

Ryon Bingham: NFL

LeKevin Smith: NFL

Trevor Johnson: Not on a roster, but played several years as a backup in the NFL

TJ Hollowell: Not on a roster, but saw limited time in the NFL and CFL

Patrick Kabongo: CFL (starter on offense), signed NFL FA contract for a short time in '04

 

5 current NFL starters

7 current NFL contributors

10 made NFL teams at some point

 

Those numbers are pretty staggering.

WHAT A JOKE! didn't this team lead the nation in INTs, yet were killed by any team with a mobile QB, UT, KSU and Missouri! NFL talent and great college teams are two different things! No McBride defense was getting 40 points scored on it 3 times to big rivals UT, MU and KSU and saying they did a GREAT JOB! Kids!

[mmmtodd]

WHAT A JOKE! didn't this team lead the nation in INTs, yet were killed by any team with a mobile QB, UT, KSU and Missouri! NFL talent and great college teams are two different things! No McBride defense was getting 40 points scored on it 3 times to big rivals UT, MU and KSU and saying they did a GREAT JOB! Kids!

^^^sad but true. when i think about all those guys in the nfl (and i love following them) i cant help but think they underachieved while here somehow. oh, im sure someone will bring up the offense this or that, but doesnt defense win championships?

[Dundermifflinite]

 

WHAT A JOKE! didn't this team lead the nation in INTs, yet were killed by any team with a mobile QB, UT, KSU and Missouri! NFL talent and great college teams are two different things! No McBride defense was getting 40 points scored on it 3 times to big rivals UT, MU and KSU and saying they did a GREAT JOB! Kids!

 

I know when you break out the exclamation points this early in the morning, you've clearly been munching on a McRetard Burrito.

 

1996

Texas - 37

Nebraska -27

 

1998

Kansas State - 40

Nebraska - 30

 

1997

Nebraska - 45

Missouri - 38

[tattooedhusker]

McRetard Burrito

[JTrain]

WHAT A JOKE! didn't this team lead the nation in INTs, yet were killed by any team with a mobile QB, UT, KSU and Missouri! NFL talent and great college teams are two different things! No McBride defense was getting 40 points scored on it 3 times to big rivals UT, MU and KSU and saying they did a GREAT JOB! Kids!

 

 

^^^sad but true. when i think about all those guys in the nfl (and i love following them) i cant help but think they underachieved while here somehow. oh, im sure someone will bring up the offense this or that, but doesnt defense win championships?

 

Offense and defense are intricately intertwined, whether anyone cares to admit it or not. I doubt any of Osborne's offenses were ranked 83rd in the country, so McBride didn't have to deal with carrying such a burden often (not to mention the Big 8 schedule didn't offer too many explosive offenses, other than OU). And when our offense finally saw a significant decline (1998, although it still wasn't as bad as '03) McBride's defense had PLENTY of problems. Like giving up 500+ yards and 40 points to Kansas St. And let's not forget Troy Edwards (NCAA record 405 receiving yards).

 

But let's not get into a Bo vs. Charlie argument. We love them both, of course, and they are both great defensive coaches. On the 2003 season, the numbers don't lie. Check them again if you don't believe me. That defense was exceptional (throw out the NFL careers if you like... just focus on the stats) for the most part and their statistical rankings show it. And no, they weren't perfect. But when you're offense isn't even getting into double digits, even the '85 Bears are going to give up some points. And as Bo would not have us forget, Kansas St. poured it on us when our starters had already been removed.

 

And your claim that we had 40 points scored on us three times is simply untrue. That happened once, against Mizzou (41), and one touchdown came on fake field goal. Kansas St. scored 38, most of which came after the dam broke in the fourth quarter (and at least one touchdown against our

which were allowed to play once the game was out of reach, because it was Senior Day). And Texas only scored 31 with Vince Young and Cedric Benson (despite the fact that our offense was completely impotent, putting up 175 yards and 8 first downs!).

 

So you show me a defense that could overcome an offensive counterpart that was inconsistent at best and flat-out ugly at worst, and still be #2 in scoring defense AND at the same time consistently shutdown prolific offenses led by players like Brad Smith, El Roberson, Darren Sproles, Vince Young and Cedric Benson. Show me that defense and I will surely bow down to it But until then, I'm going to go on being pretty damn impressed by the body of work that the '03 defense created.

[Pedro Guerrero]

My favorite McBride defensive game.

 

http://www.huskerpedia.com/stats/1998/latech.htm

 

Some of those guys on that 2003 team turned out to be jokers in the 2004 season. They threw it in the tank because they didn't get their guy . As much as I enjoyed the 2003 season that 2004 year changed the way I view some of those dudes.

[JTrain]

And if that defense under-achieved as you believe, surely that would not show well for Pelini's coaching ability. For how a group plays in relation to its talent level is usually a direct result of coaching competency.

 

I prefer to think they over-achieved slightly, given the circumstances. And apparently others agreed, seeing how Bo's career path went after 2003.

[junior4949]

I still have the official "Husker Defense 2003" poster on the wall in my room. It's hard to believe how much our talent level has diminished on that side of the ball since then. I love our guys now, but aside from Suh and Potter, I don't know if a single one of them would have been starting in '03. It makes me excited for the years to come when Pelini gets the guys he wants in there and we can have another great defense like '03 or '99.

 

Here's a look at some of the '03 Blackshirts, and where they are five years later:

 

Dan Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Josh Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Barrett Ruud: NFL (starter)

Fabian Washington: NFL (starter)

Demorrio Williams: NFL (starter)

Ryon Bingham: NFL

LeKevin Smith: NFL

Trevor Johnson: Not on a roster, but played several years as a backup in the NFL

TJ Hollowell: Not on a roster, but saw limited time in the NFL and CFL

Patrick Kabongo: CFL (starter on offense), signed NFL FA contract for a short time in '04

 

5 current NFL starters

7 current NFL contributors

10 made NFL teams at some point

 

Those numbers are pretty staggering.

WHAT A JOKE! didn't this team lead the nation in INTs, yet were killed by any team with a mobile QB, UT, KSU and Missouri! NFL talent and great college teams are two different things! No McBride defense was getting 40 points scored on it 3 times to big rivals UT, MU and KSU and saying they did a GREAT JOB! Kids!

 

 

I suggest you go back into the late 80's early 90's and see the drummings a McBride defense took at the hands of the Miami's, Florida States, Georgia Tech, basically anyone we played in a bowl game. 1990 (Georgia Tech 45, Nebraska 21) 1989 (Florida State 45, Nebraska 21). In 1991, the defense didn't allow Miami to totally overwhelm them giving up just 22 points. However, it is the only bowl game Nebraska has ever been to where we laid a great big goose egg on the scoreboard. This was the great McBride's D prior to the lightbulb going off when we actually started recruiting some speed on D which led to a few NC. We lost 7 bowl games in a row. In all but 2 of those bowl games, we scored enough points to win if we'd have had any sort of defense at all. In 2003, only Missouri put 40 or more points up on us. KState played in a BCS bowl and maybe would have played for a NC had Roberson not got hurt earlier in the season. They put up 38 on us.

[rkhufu7]

I still have the official "Husker Defense 2003" poster on the wall in my room. It's hard to believe how much our talent level has diminished on that side of the ball since then. I love our guys now, but aside from Suh and Potter, I don't know if a single one of them would have been starting in '03. It makes me excited for the years to come when Pelini gets the guys he wants in there and we can have another great defense like '03 or '99.

 

Here's a look at some of the '03 Blackshirts, and where they are five years later:

 

Dan Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Josh Bullocks: NFL (starter)

Barrett Ruud: NFL (starter)

Fabian Washington: NFL (starter)

Demorrio Williams: NFL (starter)

Ryon Bingham: NFL

LeKevin Smith: NFL

Trevor Johnson: Not on a roster, but played several years as a backup in the NFL

TJ Hollowell: Not on a roster, but saw limited time in the NFL and CFL

Patrick Kabongo: CFL (starter on offense), signed NFL FA contract for a short time in '04

 

5 current NFL starters

7 current NFL contributors

10 made NFL teams at some point

 

Those numbers are pretty staggering.

WHAT A JOKE! didn't this team lead the nation in INTs, yet were killed by any team with a mobile QB, UT, KSU and Missouri! NFL talent and great college teams are two different things! No McBride defense was getting 40 points scored on it 3 times to big rivals UT, MU and KSU and saying they did a GREAT JOB! Kids!

 

 

I suggest you go back into the late 80's early 90's and see the drummings a McBride defense took at the hands of the Miami's, Florida States, Georgia Tech, basically anyone we played in a bowl game. 1990 (Georgia Tech 45, Nebraska 21) 1989 (Florida State 45, Nebraska 21). In 1991, the defense didn't allow Miami to totally overwhelm them giving up just 22 points. However, it is the only bowl game Nebraska has ever been to where we laid a great big goose egg on the scoreboard. This was the great McBride's D prior to the lightbulb going off when we actually started recruiting some speed on D which led to a few NC. We lost 7 bowl games in a row. In all but 2 of those bowl games, we scored enough points to win if we'd have had any sort of defense at all. In 2003, only Missouri put 40 or more points up on us. KState played in a BCS bowl and maybe would have played for a NC had Roberson not got hurt earlier in the season. They put up 38 on us.

Once you raise your standards, you don't go backwards! 2003 was not a great defense by NU standards! Osborne allowed him to switch schemes and that is what helped change the defense, but for the most part, even when they ran a 5-2, they still were great STATISTICALLY!

[rkhufu7]

WHAT A JOKE! didn't this team lead the nation in INTs, yet were killed by any team with a mobile QB, UT, KSU and Missouri! NFL talent and great college teams are two different things! No McBride defense was getting 40 points scored on it 3 times to big rivals UT, MU and KSU and saying they did a GREAT JOB! Kids!

 

 

^^^sad but true. when i think about all those guys in the nfl (and i love following them) i cant help but think they underachieved while here somehow. oh, im sure someone will bring up the offense this or that, but doesnt defense win championships?

 

Offense and defense are intricately intertwined, whether anyone cares to admit it or not. I doubt any of Osborne's offenses were ranked 83rd in the country, so McBride didn't have to deal with carrying such a burden often (not to mention the Big 8 schedule didn't offer too many explosive offenses, other than OU). And when our offense finally saw a significant decline (1998, although it still wasn't as bad as '03) McBride's defense had PLENTY of problems. Like giving up 500+ yards and 40 points to Kansas St. And let's not forget Troy Edwards (NCAA record 405 receiving yards).

 

But let's not get into a Bo vs. Charlie argument. We love them both, of course, and they are both great defensive coaches. On the 2003 season, the numbers don't lie. Check them again if you don't believe me. That defense was exceptional (throw out the NFL careers if you like... just focus on the stats) for the most part and their statistical rankings show it. And no, they weren't perfect. But when you're offense isn't even getting into double digits, even the '85 Bears are going to give up some points. And as Bo would not have us forget, Kansas St. poured it on us when our starters had already been removed.

 

And your claim that we had 40 points scored on us three times is simply untrue. That happened once, against Mizzou (41), and one touchdown came on fake field goal. Kansas St. scored 38, most of which came after the dam broke in the fourth quarter (and at least one touchdown against our

which were allowed to play once the game was out of reach, because it was Senior Day). And Texas only scored 31 with Vince Young and Cedric Benson (despite the fact that our offense was completely impotent, putting up 175 yards and 8 first downs!).

 

So you show me a defense that could overcome an offensive counterpart that was inconsistent at best and flat-out ugly at worst, and still be #2 in scoring defense AND at the same time consistently shutdown prolific offenses led by players like Brad Smith, El Roberson, Darren Sproles, Vince Young and Cedric Benson. Show me that defense and I will surely bow down to it But until then, I'm going to go on being pretty damn impressed by the body of work that the '03 defense created.

UT, KSU and OU that year? Where were those three in total defense?