NamelessHusker
Banned
[SIZE=14pt]PART 1:[/SIZE]
We continue looking at Big12 opponents in this next series which features a road game at Iowa St. Nebraska has lost its last 2 games in Ames by scores of 27-34 and 14-36. Iowa St has managed to win the last 2 out of 4 but Nebraska still leads this series 82-16-2 and has shutout Iowa St 23 times during that series (the last shutout was 28-0 in Lincoln) to Iowa St's 4 shutouts against NU (the last coming in 1957 on a 13-0 score in Ames). Iowa St has failed for 2 consecutive seasons to win a game that would have sent them to the Big12 title games in 2005 and 2004. Iowa St finished last season with a 7-5 record (3-5 Big12) after losing to ranked TCU (11-1) in the Houston bowl 27-24.
Iowa St will be losing several players. We begin our breakdown with Iowa St's defense in this part and examine their defense and dissect it and see where NU could hit it in it's weak spots. The players listed are listed according to what class they will be next season. Players in bold are graduating seniors who wont be back. Iowa St plays a pure 4-3 defensive alignment and nothing else.
Iowa St finished with 22 interceptions last year resulting in 2 touchdown returns. They also recovered 1 fumble for a TD.
Defensive starters returning: 4
[SIZE=14pt]DEFENSIVE LINE:[/SIZE] 2 of 4 starters
Left DE:
Cephus Johnson (Sr.)
Shawn Moorehead (Sr.)
Nick Howe (RS Soph.)
Cephus Johnson will be a loss for Iowa St to replace, but they shouldn't miss a beat in Senior Shawn Morehead. If he plays to his potential, he should have an outstanding season. He has had some extensive playing time and the stats to back it up. From tackles, forced fumbles, sacks, and a blocked field goal against Nebraska, he's done it all. Iowa St will look for him to shore up the left side of the DL. In case of injury, then RS Soph. Nick Howe will battle it out on the depth chart with incoming recruits.
Right DE:
Jason Berryman (Jr.)
Korey Smith (Sr.)
Jason Berryman is no stranger to the starting lineup. He has played in 24 games, racking up 2 interceptions, 72 tackles, 14 TFL's, 9 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble and 2 defended passes. He was a full time starter last year and looks to have an even bigger year on defense. This is a guy that will cause problems for opposing QB's. Senior Korey smith will also share defensive responsibilities rotating in and out and giving Berryman some rest on 3rd and long situations. Korey will be used mainly for his speed to get to the QB. However, one thing to note is that Korey graduates in May, so the odds of him coming back for the season could be slim at the moment. The spring game will tell us what Korey's plans are.
DT:
Brent Curvey (SR.)
Jason McGinty (RS Soph.)
Iowa St will return an experienced DT in Brent Curvey. Curvey's career stats include a interceptions return for a touchdown, 2 fumbles recoveries for 2 touchdowns, 61 tackles, 10 TFL's, 7 sacks, 4 QB hurries, and 1 blocked kick. Backing him up will be a true RS Soph in Jason McGinty who saw limited playing time last year behind Curvey.
NT:
Nick Leaders (Sr.)
Bryce Braaksma (Jr.)
Stephon Dale (RS Soph.)
The biggest loss on the defensive line will be Nick Leaders. He was the heart and soul of that unit. A 3 year starter on defense. Replacing him will be the job of junior Bryce Braaksma who has very limited playing time. Bryce will have to step it up and keep the unit functioning as well as it did last year in stopping the run which ranked 12 in the nation last year, allowing only 102 yards per game.
[SIZE=14pt]LINEBACKERS:[/SIZE] 1 of 3 starters
MIKE:
Tim Dobbins (Sr.)
Matt Robertson (Sr.)
Tyrone McKenzie (r.)
Quite arguably, ISU's best linebacker. Finished his career with 3 interceptions, 103 tackles, 9 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 9 QB hurries and 3 pass breakups. The duty now falls on the shoulder of Senior Matt Robertson who should be one of the leaders on defense next season. Matt is no stranger to the starting position even though he was the backup last year. He has played in 40 games, intercepting 3 balls (1 for TD), 103 tackles, 6 sacks, and 4 pass breakups. It's unclear who will be the backup, but needless to say, Matt will likely be the starter all season unless he goes down with an injury.
WILL:
Jamarr Buchanan (Sr.)
Adam Carper (So.)
Jamarr Buchanan is the second linebacker not returning. He was a 2 year starter and was the second best linebacker on the team. The duty will now fall upon Adam Carper who saw limited playing time last season and is inexperienced. Carper started early in the season before losing the starting spot. He will battle it out with other incoming freshman and his role as the backup is not guaranteed. Anyone can challenge him and earn a starting spot. This will be a position to watch for during spring competition.
SAM:
Matt Robertson (Sr.)
Alvin Bowen (Jr.)
When Dobbins was playing outside linebacker, Matt Robertson was opposite of him on the other side of the field. Matt is expected to take over the Will position leaving the duty of linebacker on Alvin Bowens. Bowens a JUCO transfer from Garden City C.C college should win this job. The linebackers unit should be the weakness of ISU's defense and if the front 4 can't stop the run, ISU could be in for a long season because ISU loses both safties and a CB.
[SIZE=14pt]DEFENSIVE BACKS:[/SIZE] 1 of 4
Strong Safety:
Nik Moser (Sr.)
Caleb Berg (Jr.)
ISU loses its starting SS Moser and returns Jr. Caleb Berg. Saw only playing time during small mopup duties and teams will look to expose ISU's weakness in the backfield. Caleb, one of 18 kids from Nebraska on ISU's roster last year should be pumped up to play this game against a team he grew up watching. The talent level coming in to Nebraska at the WR position might be a little to much for him.
Free Safety:
Steve Paris (Sr.)
Jon Banks (Jr.)
Brandon Hunley (Jr.)
The other safety ISU loses is Steve Paris. Having started and played in 36 games, he racked up 6 interceptions (1 for TD), 2 fumble recoveries (1 TD), 65 tackles, and 2 pass breakups on his career. Likely starter will be Juco transfer Jon Banks who did not play last year and served more or less as a backup.
Right CB:
LaMarcus Hicks (Sr.)
Chris Brown (Soph.)
The biggest loss on the defensive unit after Nick Reids. He gave QB's problems with his coverage on WR's, picking them off 6 times for 2 touchdown returns, 55 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 1 QB hurry. It's up to Chris Brown to come in and be as effective as Hicks was. Chris brown will likely be picked on next season not only because of his experience, but his 5-10 frame against the larger WR's in the Big12. He should get 4 weeks of consecutive workouts when ISU visits Texas to open up Big12 play followed by a home-game against NU and then a road game in Norman against Oklahoma followed by a home-game against Texas Tech. Brown needs to mature fast this season if he hopes to remain the starter.
Left CB:
DeAndre Jackson (Sr.)
Chris Singleton (Soph.)
DeAndre is the lone starter returning next season. Players will look up to him for leadership. Through 24 games, he has picked off 6 interceptions, 55 tackles, 8 pass breakups, and 4 forced fumbles. Last year he picked off 5 of his 6 career interceptions as a starter. Teams will likely avoid his side of the field and focus on the inexperience of Chris Brown.
Although ISU will be losing 7 starters, they return some excellent talent next year in addition to inexperience. ISU will more then likely have problems defending the pass but the pas rush shouldn't see that big of a drop off unless teams can force ISU to drop back in coverage and open up some running lanes. ISU will have a brutal schedule next year in the Big12 with back to back to back games against NU, and OU and Texas Tech, in addition to kicking off the Big12 against Texas and a non-conference game against Iowa at Iowa City. ISU was recently ranked 24th in Pat Forde's pre-season top25 for next year. Similar to KU, the offense will likely have to carry the defense if it hopes on going anywhere next season and competing for a Big12 title.
2005 Key defensive stats:
Rush Defense: 12th (4th Big12)
Pass Defense: 82nd (10th Big12)
Pass Efficiency Defense: 20th (5th Big12)
Total Defense: 35th (6th Big12)
Scoring Defense: 20th (3rd Big12)
Turnovers gained: 4th (1st Big12) (13 fumble recoveries, 22 interceptions)
Tackles for loss: 73rd
3rd down defense: 27th
4th down defense: 56th
sacks: 57th
We continue looking at Big12 opponents in this next series which features a road game at Iowa St. Nebraska has lost its last 2 games in Ames by scores of 27-34 and 14-36. Iowa St has managed to win the last 2 out of 4 but Nebraska still leads this series 82-16-2 and has shutout Iowa St 23 times during that series (the last shutout was 28-0 in Lincoln) to Iowa St's 4 shutouts against NU (the last coming in 1957 on a 13-0 score in Ames). Iowa St has failed for 2 consecutive seasons to win a game that would have sent them to the Big12 title games in 2005 and 2004. Iowa St finished last season with a 7-5 record (3-5 Big12) after losing to ranked TCU (11-1) in the Houston bowl 27-24.
Iowa St will be losing several players. We begin our breakdown with Iowa St's defense in this part and examine their defense and dissect it and see where NU could hit it in it's weak spots. The players listed are listed according to what class they will be next season. Players in bold are graduating seniors who wont be back. Iowa St plays a pure 4-3 defensive alignment and nothing else.
Iowa St finished with 22 interceptions last year resulting in 2 touchdown returns. They also recovered 1 fumble for a TD.
Defensive starters returning: 4
[SIZE=14pt]DEFENSIVE LINE:[/SIZE] 2 of 4 starters
Left DE:
Cephus Johnson (Sr.)
Shawn Moorehead (Sr.)
Nick Howe (RS Soph.)
Cephus Johnson will be a loss for Iowa St to replace, but they shouldn't miss a beat in Senior Shawn Morehead. If he plays to his potential, he should have an outstanding season. He has had some extensive playing time and the stats to back it up. From tackles, forced fumbles, sacks, and a blocked field goal against Nebraska, he's done it all. Iowa St will look for him to shore up the left side of the DL. In case of injury, then RS Soph. Nick Howe will battle it out on the depth chart with incoming recruits.
Right DE:
Jason Berryman (Jr.)
Korey Smith (Sr.)
Jason Berryman is no stranger to the starting lineup. He has played in 24 games, racking up 2 interceptions, 72 tackles, 14 TFL's, 9 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble and 2 defended passes. He was a full time starter last year and looks to have an even bigger year on defense. This is a guy that will cause problems for opposing QB's. Senior Korey smith will also share defensive responsibilities rotating in and out and giving Berryman some rest on 3rd and long situations. Korey will be used mainly for his speed to get to the QB. However, one thing to note is that Korey graduates in May, so the odds of him coming back for the season could be slim at the moment. The spring game will tell us what Korey's plans are.
DT:
Brent Curvey (SR.)
Jason McGinty (RS Soph.)
Iowa St will return an experienced DT in Brent Curvey. Curvey's career stats include a interceptions return for a touchdown, 2 fumbles recoveries for 2 touchdowns, 61 tackles, 10 TFL's, 7 sacks, 4 QB hurries, and 1 blocked kick. Backing him up will be a true RS Soph in Jason McGinty who saw limited playing time last year behind Curvey.
NT:
Nick Leaders (Sr.)
Bryce Braaksma (Jr.)
Stephon Dale (RS Soph.)
The biggest loss on the defensive line will be Nick Leaders. He was the heart and soul of that unit. A 3 year starter on defense. Replacing him will be the job of junior Bryce Braaksma who has very limited playing time. Bryce will have to step it up and keep the unit functioning as well as it did last year in stopping the run which ranked 12 in the nation last year, allowing only 102 yards per game.
[SIZE=14pt]LINEBACKERS:[/SIZE] 1 of 3 starters
MIKE:
Tim Dobbins (Sr.)
Matt Robertson (Sr.)
Tyrone McKenzie (r.)
Quite arguably, ISU's best linebacker. Finished his career with 3 interceptions, 103 tackles, 9 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 9 QB hurries and 3 pass breakups. The duty now falls on the shoulder of Senior Matt Robertson who should be one of the leaders on defense next season. Matt is no stranger to the starting position even though he was the backup last year. He has played in 40 games, intercepting 3 balls (1 for TD), 103 tackles, 6 sacks, and 4 pass breakups. It's unclear who will be the backup, but needless to say, Matt will likely be the starter all season unless he goes down with an injury.
WILL:
Jamarr Buchanan (Sr.)
Adam Carper (So.)
Jamarr Buchanan is the second linebacker not returning. He was a 2 year starter and was the second best linebacker on the team. The duty will now fall upon Adam Carper who saw limited playing time last season and is inexperienced. Carper started early in the season before losing the starting spot. He will battle it out with other incoming freshman and his role as the backup is not guaranteed. Anyone can challenge him and earn a starting spot. This will be a position to watch for during spring competition.
SAM:
Matt Robertson (Sr.)
Alvin Bowen (Jr.)
When Dobbins was playing outside linebacker, Matt Robertson was opposite of him on the other side of the field. Matt is expected to take over the Will position leaving the duty of linebacker on Alvin Bowens. Bowens a JUCO transfer from Garden City C.C college should win this job. The linebackers unit should be the weakness of ISU's defense and if the front 4 can't stop the run, ISU could be in for a long season because ISU loses both safties and a CB.
[SIZE=14pt]DEFENSIVE BACKS:[/SIZE] 1 of 4
Strong Safety:
Nik Moser (Sr.)
Caleb Berg (Jr.)
ISU loses its starting SS Moser and returns Jr. Caleb Berg. Saw only playing time during small mopup duties and teams will look to expose ISU's weakness in the backfield. Caleb, one of 18 kids from Nebraska on ISU's roster last year should be pumped up to play this game against a team he grew up watching. The talent level coming in to Nebraska at the WR position might be a little to much for him.
Free Safety:
Steve Paris (Sr.)
Jon Banks (Jr.)
Brandon Hunley (Jr.)
The other safety ISU loses is Steve Paris. Having started and played in 36 games, he racked up 6 interceptions (1 for TD), 2 fumble recoveries (1 TD), 65 tackles, and 2 pass breakups on his career. Likely starter will be Juco transfer Jon Banks who did not play last year and served more or less as a backup.
Right CB:
LaMarcus Hicks (Sr.)
Chris Brown (Soph.)
The biggest loss on the defensive unit after Nick Reids. He gave QB's problems with his coverage on WR's, picking them off 6 times for 2 touchdown returns, 55 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 1 QB hurry. It's up to Chris Brown to come in and be as effective as Hicks was. Chris brown will likely be picked on next season not only because of his experience, but his 5-10 frame against the larger WR's in the Big12. He should get 4 weeks of consecutive workouts when ISU visits Texas to open up Big12 play followed by a home-game against NU and then a road game in Norman against Oklahoma followed by a home-game against Texas Tech. Brown needs to mature fast this season if he hopes to remain the starter.
Left CB:
DeAndre Jackson (Sr.)
Chris Singleton (Soph.)
DeAndre is the lone starter returning next season. Players will look up to him for leadership. Through 24 games, he has picked off 6 interceptions, 55 tackles, 8 pass breakups, and 4 forced fumbles. Last year he picked off 5 of his 6 career interceptions as a starter. Teams will likely avoid his side of the field and focus on the inexperience of Chris Brown.
Although ISU will be losing 7 starters, they return some excellent talent next year in addition to inexperience. ISU will more then likely have problems defending the pass but the pas rush shouldn't see that big of a drop off unless teams can force ISU to drop back in coverage and open up some running lanes. ISU will have a brutal schedule next year in the Big12 with back to back to back games against NU, and OU and Texas Tech, in addition to kicking off the Big12 against Texas and a non-conference game against Iowa at Iowa City. ISU was recently ranked 24th in Pat Forde's pre-season top25 for next year. Similar to KU, the offense will likely have to carry the defense if it hopes on going anywhere next season and competing for a Big12 title.
2005 Key defensive stats:
Rush Defense: 12th (4th Big12)
Pass Defense: 82nd (10th Big12)
Pass Efficiency Defense: 20th (5th Big12)
Total Defense: 35th (6th Big12)
Scoring Defense: 20th (3rd Big12)
Turnovers gained: 4th (1st Big12) (13 fumble recoveries, 22 interceptions)
Tackles for loss: 73rd
3rd down defense: 27th
4th down defense: 56th
sacks: 57th
Last edited by a moderator: