Vince from ShamWOW Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Focused Suh returns intent on improvement April 6, 2009 10:34 AM Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin LINCOLN, Neb. -- Earlier in his career, Ndamukong Suh could have been judged as one of the most overrated players in the Big 12. But after a breakout season last year as a junior, Suh now is firmly entrenched as one of the conference's best players. After a disappointing sophomore season marked by injuries and uneven play, a healthy and motivated Suh rebounded with one of the best seasons by an interior lineman in Nebraska's football history. His performance helped turn around doubters in the Cornhuskers' 9-4 season that helped them earn a share of the Big 12 North title. "I wasn't really playing for the critics as much as for myself and my teammates," Suh said. "I understood and knew I could play better than I had in my previous years. I wanted to show my teammates I wasn't just another player." And he wasn't. Suh led the Cornhuskers in sacks and tackles, becoming the first defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles since 1973. He also set school records for touchdown returns and interceptions by a defensive lineman and played fullback in goal-line situations. For good measure, the massive 6-foot-4, 300-pounder even grabbed a 2-yard touchdown pass from Joe Ganz to highlight the Kansas victory. He capped the season with a game-sealing interception return for a touchdown in the final minute against Colorado to help catapult the Cornhuskers into a New Year's Day bowl game. And when they got there, Suh provided eight tackles, including 3.5 for a loss and 2 sacks, and also blocked a kick in the Cornhuskers' comeback Gator Bowl victory over Clemson. Building on that finish, it's not a reach to think that All-American honors and other accolades are possible for "Big Suh," as Nebraska coach Bo Pelini likes to call him. For one, Pelini has implored him to take his play to another level as a senior after becoming Nebraska's first All-Big 12 defensive lineman since 1999. "He's asked me to better myself and separate myself from the other guys -- not only guys from my own team but other guys in the conference," Suh said. It's led Pelini to measure Suh against Oklahoma defensive lineman Gerald McCoy, who is considered among the best defensive linemen in the conference and perhaps in college football. "I see Gerald McCoy as a great guy I can compete with," Suh said. "He's a great player. Obviously, he's shown that. That's something I can gauge myself against." Suh nearly declared early for the NFL draft, as he was considered to be a likely first-day selection. "I got pretty close," he said. "I wanted to stay another year, but I also had a chance to help family out. It was a tough decision, but I think I made the right one. And I'm going to make it the right decision by going through this season." Clearly, a senior season like he played last season would be his ticket into the first round of the draft, as well as providing him with a chance for a multitude of national honors. Suh's return is one of the biggest reasons that many observers are pegging the Cornhuskers among the favorites in the North Division. "He wants to be the best," Pelini said. "You're talking about a young man with high expectations and a lot of pride. We're lucky we have him back, and it's that kind of attitude that makes him a special player, and I think it's that attitude that brought him back." Pelini predicts that Suh's determination for improvement can take him to another level - even after his strong performance last season. "He's going to play in NFL, and he'll probably play for seven or eight years and he still won't have reached his potential," Pelini said. "He's not even close yet, which lends him to want to go out there and work his butt off every day to keep getting better." The struggles of the Bill Callahan era were nearly forgotten last season as the Cornhuskers finished second in the Big 12 in total defense at 349.8 yards per game. That total was an improvement of 126 yards per game over 2007, when the Cornhuskers ranked 111th nationally. Suh was a big reason why the Cornhuskers notched 35 sacks last season -- an improvement of 22 over the previous season's total of 13. Even after that growth, Suh wants more. "He's been coming up two or three days a week whenever he can find an hour or so," Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini told the Lincoln Journal-Star. "And we've been just talking scheme, like coverages, fronts, how it all works together, how we call our blitzes, why we call certain blitzes, what everyone does on those, how it all fits together. "To me, he didn't do it for any reason other than he wants to make himself better and how he fits into the scheme. That's the level of thinking you wish everybody had." Nebraska coaches again are tinkering with the offense with thoughts that Suh could return in some situations. That versatility could help set him apart from other contenders for national honors. After his strong play late last season as a short-yardage blocker, Suh hopes for more chances to play offense this season. "That was a huge surprise. I had no clue until the week before we played Oklahoma that I would be doing it," Suh said. "I was excited about it. I just ran and tried to hit the pile as hard as I could. I definitely had fun doing it and wouldn't be opposed to doing it again. "But that's not my main focus. I just want to keep getting better with my defensive skills." http://myespn.go.com/blogs/big12/0-8-188/F...mprovement.html Quote Link to comment
nhuskers5 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Glad to see he isnt getting cocky or anything....sounds like a great kid Quote Link to comment
Lava Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 You have to respect him, not only for what he's done on the field but the commitment and time he's put in outside of it. I love reading stories like this, especially about players of his caliber. Quote Link to comment
Enhance Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 You have to respect him, not only for what he's done on the field but the commitment and time he's put in outside of it. I love reading stories like this, especially about players of his caliber. It's quite a change from 2007, when our players were never mentioned with some of the best in the country. We have a couple guys on both sides of the ball now that are getting compared to some of the best..it's pretty awesome. Quote Link to comment
KansasHusker Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 It's scary to see that he still has room for so much improvment. He's the type of player that will truely intimidate the person lined up across from him during a game. Quote Link to comment
Vince from ShamWOW Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 It's scary to see that he still has room for so much improvment. He's the type of player that will truely intimidate the person lined up across from him during a game. Let's hope he does a lot more than just intimidates them. Quote Link to comment
xkbubo Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Wasn't Suh's junior stats better than Glenn Dorsey's senior stats? Imagine what Suh's senior stats will look like o_o Quote Link to comment
KansasHusker Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 It's scary to see that he still has room for so much improvment. He's the type of player that will truely intimidate the person lined up across from him during a game. Let's hope he does a lot more than just intimidates them. Not worried. He will dominate. Quote Link to comment
Scarlet Overkill Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Named to the Lott Watch List: http://ncaafootball.com/index.php?s=&u...hange_well_id=2 Go out and claim your prize, Mr. Suh! Quote Link to comment
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