"I haven't forgotten how to coach defense and how stop the run."

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Vincent Valentine and Curry are going to be great. Also, Thad Randle had a decent game last week. The defensive unit is starting to come together. Just wish the offense wasn't banged up.

[lo country]

The biggest thing I saw that will pay dividends going forward was fundamentals. Guys were tackling in space (Alexander), guys were holding their lanes and collapsing the pockets, guys were wraping up and gang tackling, guys were playing assignments and knowing where the help was. IIRC it was Curry who continued to string Gardner to the sidelines for the sack instead of moving up field.

 

The guys were simply succeeding at the basics. A team that does the basics well, and nothing else, is a hard team to beat.

[alexhortdog95]

The guys on the field deserve all the credit, but I'd advise everyone to exercise patience and a tiny bit of skepticism. The defense hasn't really been tested against what we would consider a good football team (except UCLA) as of yet. Minny is coming into their own as a hard nosed football team, but there are way too many questions of all the teams in the conference this year that we can't hang our hat on one performance to say they are there quite yet.

 

 

[Karawithasmile]

The biggest thing I saw that will pay dividends going forward was fundamentals. Guys were tackling in space (Alexander), guys were holding their lanes and collapsing the pockets, guys were wraping up and gang tackling, guys were playing assignments and knowing where the help was. IIRC it was Curry who continued to string Gardner to the sidelines for the sack instead of moving up field.

 

The guys were simply succeeding at the basics. A team that does the basics well, and nothing else, is a hard team to beat.

 

+1. I think this really explains a lot of our success defensively. And I apologize about the title being an overused quote. It's just that there have been some huge defensive meltdowns in some very big games in the last couple seasons and I always go back to that quote as Pelini's unabashed state of mind regarding the defense that he puts out on the field, even when it underperforms. How many articles (and people on this site) criticized Pelini after our losses this season, saying he wasn't making obvious adjustments when offenses exploited us for big gains (See "Play after play, Nebraska plays a basic 4-3 defense and is exposed against the zone read. Regardless of the fact that the defense has more speed and talent, they're completely compromised by a coaching staff that is reluctant to change how they play defense." http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1773904-nebraska-football-pelini-must-be-fired-following-ucla-loss). It seemed at times Pelini was stubborn. Or that his players lacked passion. Or that they were tired of being made scapegoats on the frustratingly recurrent "execution!" theme. Or that he had forgotten how to coach defense.

 

But we've seen something the last few weeks and I'm simply trying to foster thoughts on what it was.

[alexhortdog95]

If they had blitzed on every down last Saturday, it would have gotten there. That's how bad Fichigan is.

They're the Donnie Brasco of the B1G right now.

 

[3rd and long]

With regards to Bo's two gap/heavy line play, that has not changed. That's the scheme I'm talking about. It's the up-front plan that drives everything. And that has not changed. Youre just seeing some really young and talented guys starting to gel and get it. Theyre playing faster and are being more aggresive because they do understand better. We're not shootin gaps. We're still controlling gaps but are doing it more aggressively cuz theyre getting better.

 

As far as the extra pressure, yes, I love it. The added aggresiveness in playcalling has paid huge dividends. Obviously more faith in the secondary. But also, the disruption of both run and pass has been huge. That I'll agree is a change in philosophy of the D, but I dont see the overall scheme up front has changed.

 

But when that offensive line is playing knowing that someone else is coming from a different place, it makes it much, much easier for our front four to be able to shed blockers and make plays. When the offensive line KNOWS that there is no extra pressure and they have a seven to four mismatch, they are going to dominate.

 

Our front four scheme may not have changed, but bring that extra pressure has allowed it actually start being a factor ( I don't know, maybe we are basically saying the same thing).