A review of game film didn’t change Bo Pelini’s opinion of his team’s defensive performance last Saturday against Kansas.
A win was had and just 17 points were surrendered, but still the word “shoddy” was used Monday when the Husker coach described how his team tackled at times.
“It wasn’t our best effort,” Pelini said.
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Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said after the game he thought guys “looked a little heavy-legged on defense.”
Nebraska was coming off a 10-3 win against Oklahoma in which the Blackshirts were on the field for 87 plays.
Sure, players are a bit worn, Bo Pelini said. But it can’t be an issue.
“Everybody is tired this time of year,” he said. “It’s something you have to deal with. It’s something you have to overcome. It’s more mental than it is physical. Our guys are in good shape. They are ready to go.”
Asante said fatigue wasn’t a problem at all against Kansas.
“I felt fine,” he said. “I was talking to Phil (Dillard) during the game. He felt fine, too. As far as physically, we were fine.”............
It seemed KU’s offensive line held up pretty well against Nebraska’s front four, allowing Reesing to be sacked just once.
Hey, some of that is what comes with defending a mobile quarterback, secondary coach Marvin Sanders said.
“Anytime you have a quarterback who can beat you with his feet a little bit, it poses a threat because one thing Coach Carl does is he lets us cover in the back end,” Sanders said. “And so, sometimes, you leave four guys up front against five linemen and a quarterback.”
As for what film review showed Sanders?
“We’re not where we want to be. That game showed us that,” he said. “But what I’m proud of is how the guys fought back. Like (defensive back Dejon) Gomes, that time he got beat by Meier, he didn’t give up on the play and was able to punch it (the ball) out.
“The thing I liked is that as the game was going on and they made a mistake, they didn’t make the same mistake twice.”
And when the Huskers gained a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter and needed a stop to lock down a win, they sent the Jayhawks backward 5 yards on three plays.
“Every game can’t be a masterpiece,” Carl Pelini said. “But our guys battled and when we needed that three-and-out, we got it.”
