Huskers' defensive growth to get early test

[GSG]

Huskers' defensive growth to get early test

 

By Brian Bennett | ESPN.com

 

Nebraska's defensive players enter their first game week feeling good vibes.

 

"Our confidence is high," senior linebacker Will Compton told ESPN.com. "And I think it's only going to get higher as the days go on."

 

All offseason, the Cornhuskers have talked about having a better understanding of the scheme and principals on defense, of communicating better and working together more. That, they believe, will lead to a much stronger performance from the Blackshirts than the disappointing showing of 2011.

 

The Huskers think they're up to the challenge more than last year's defense was. Despite leaving the generally more offensive-minded Big 12, Nebraska's defensive numbers took a major tumble. To wit:

 

2009: 272 yards allowed per game (seventh in the FBS); 10.4 points allowed per game (first)

 

2010: 306.8 ypg (11th); 17.4 ppg (ninth)

 

2011: 350.7 (37th); 23.4 ppg (42nd)

 

http://espn.go.com/b...be-tested-early

 

[Hoosker]

Southern Miss has a new head coach and lost a ton of offensive talent, including a four year star QB. They are supposedly planning on playing 3 different QBs Saturday because none of them has stepped up and none of them have played a down of college football.

 

UCLA is also under new management with Jim Mora. Their returning QB Kevin Prince only threw for 1,800 yards - 12 TD / 8 INT last season. They only averaged 23 points a game last year also. I think we should be fine. Washington is a much better team than UCLA and we did just fine against them 2 out of 3 times (shakes fist).

 

Arkansas State is Arkansas State. Gus may have schemes, but unless he brought along a whole bunch of those 4 and 5 star recruits with him from Auburn, we should be fine. No Dyer helps too.

 

I think our defense should be better than a lot of people think. We have a lot of depth and that will come in handy, especially later in the year given this tough Big Ten schedule.

[NUance]

The season begins Saturday against Southern Miss, a team that averaged nearly 37 points per game a year ago. Week 2 brings a road trip to UCLA, followed by a visit from Arkansas State, which is now coached by former Arkansas and Auburn offensive whiz Gus Malzahn.

 

It's interesting that we face two of the hottest coaches in the nation in our first couple of non-conf games. First, Ellis Johnson former DC of South Caroliny now the HC at Southern Miss. Then we face Gus Malzahn at Arky State, Mr. all-world offense at Auburn last year. Both those guys were ranked among the best assist coaches in the country.