4. Saturday's final play aside, how has the restocked defense come together?
Rosenthal: The jury is still out. Players said all offseason how much simpler (see ball, get ball) this defense is than the previous system. I think that's shown. Tackling, with a couple of exceptions, was much better Saturday than what we saw last season. True freshman linebacker Dedrick Young was especially impressive. The defensive front, thought to be a strength, wasn't as dominant against the Cougars like some may have expected. But DT Maliek Collins can be a force. The secondary is talented but young, in spots, and had communication issues that cost NU big-time against BYU. At least one of two suspended defensive players from Saturday is expected to return against South Alabama – starting linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey.
