Defensive Stats

[MichiganDad3]

Our D is also at the bottom for plays over 10, 20 and 40 yards IIRC.... That doesn't help. I think teams now will just take shots knowing the pass D will break and they get 6 or a big play.

Our technique and play on the back end is killing us. As is the offensive scheme. Since we have no run game and TA is no longer a run threat, teams can double Westy or other receivers. Making TA have to make tight throws. We get the running game strong again, let TA run more, the D will have to drop down guys in the box to help. Now single coverage with "easier" throws for TA.

Its all scheme. Not talent. On either side of the ball.

I would like to see TA act like he is taking off, then stop short of the line and throw. If a couple receivers come back to the ball, then TA will have the defense guessing. Is is a pity to take away TS's legs, which IMO is the best weapon on this offense. Our receivers are good, but we do not have a true passing QB.

 

[StPaulHusker]

Our offense def hasn't helped us any lately, but if it isn't he most obvious thing in the world then I don't know what is.

You CANNOT expect to have your DBs never look at the QB running with WRs all game. Said this since week 1 and nothing has changed. You better have 4 All-Americans back there if you ever want to have a good pass defense in this scheme.

We NEVER look back for the ball -- just hoping to knock it away when it reaches their hands.

The secondary is still a liability. There's no question about that. But what I saw was a lot more awareness of where the ball was being thrown. We should/could have had about 4 INT's in the last game. Kalu is showing he's almost there. Yes he got beat but he also made some good plays.
It's not there like we would like it and it might not be there this year but I saw some flashes of what it can be once they come out with confidence.

 

[khaake]

Our offense def hasn't helped us any lately, but if it isn't he most obvious thing in the world then I don't know what is.

You CANNOT expect to have your DBs never look at the QB running with WRs all game. Said this since week 1 and nothing has changed. You better have 4 All-Americans back there if you ever want to have a good pass defense in this scheme.

We NEVER look back for the ball -- just hoping to knock it away when it reaches their hands.

The secondary is still a liability. There's no question about that. But what I saw was a lot more awareness of where the ball was being thrown. We should/could have had about 4 INT's in the last game. Kalu is showing he's almost there. Yes he got beat but he also made some good plays.
It's not there like we would like it and it might not be there this year but I saw some flashes of what it can be once they come out with confidence.

I agree. While still very porous, the secondary did seem to play 'better' against Wisconsin, and did have a few really nice breakups. Hopefully they will continue to develop. For his part, I thought M. Newby had a great game in pass coverage. We desperately need that kind of play at LB.

 

[Decked]

If Minnesota throws well on us we might as well just pack up the year. Seriously. We're average athletically, just horribly inefficient against the pass because we sell out to stop the run and leave our corners on an island and the safetys can't cover ground quick enough and we get burned.

 

[BIG ERN]

Our offense def hasn't helped us any lately, but if it isn't he most obvious thing in the world then I don't know what is.

You CANNOT expect to have your DBs never look at the QB running with WRs all game. Said this since week 1 and nothing has changed. You better have 4 All-Americans back there if you ever want to have a good pass defense in this scheme.

We NEVER look back for the ball -- just hoping to knock it away when it reaches their hands.

The secondary is still a liability. There's no question about that. But what I saw was a lot more awareness of where the ball was being thrown. We should/could have had about 4 INT's in the last game. Kalu is showing he's almost there. Yes he got beat but he also made some good plays.
It's not there like we would like it and it might not be there this year but I saw some flashes of what it can be once they come out with confidence.

Wisconsin's pass offense isn't good though. Stave is less than average and they had no speed. Also without their starting TE. I still don't think we looked any different Saturday.

LAST in the nation says enough to me. In fact, no B10 West team we will play all year has a good offense, especially a passing one. So I think we will improve on stats based on that alone.

 

[neepster]

Yes, I think our pass defense has been poor but it has not been as bad as the national rank of dead last by a 100 plus yards per game certainly.

One of the big problems for our defense has been our offense - the feast or famine effect one might call it. Our offense - no matter the 50/50 approximate ratio of passes to runs has very low time of possession. Drives are typically 3 and out or we move down the field quickly with 15 yard chunks. Even our TD drives which are only about 3 or 4 per game or so last less than 3 minutes. Often our possession may last barely 1 minute. We snap the ball with 10 or 12 seconds remaining on the play clock even after a run. We are running a sort of hurry up offense. Of course we have far too many incomplete passes and our completions tends to be for first downs. When we have the ball, between the lack of ordinary running plays within the boundaries, the incomplete passes, pass completions with receivers going out of bounds, etc, we stop the clock most of the time. As a result, we use very little game clock when we have the ball. This loads up on the defense. Our opponents are getting more possessions per game and more time to run plays against us. This gives them more yards per game statistically.

It's ~150 yards total, not per game, worse than Bowling Green.

Here are the stats from ESPN:

RK TEAM ATT COMP PCT YDS YDS/A LONG TD INT SACK YDSL RAT YDS/G

127 Bowling Green 256 162 63.3 1959 7.7 62 14 6 13 73 140.9

326.5

128 Nebraska 270 152 56.3 2091 7.7 55 10 3 13 93 131.3 348.5

 

[neepster]

I really prefer yards per play to yards per game or totals.

Our defense is tied for 94th in yard allowed per pass attempt and 25th in yards allowed per rush.

Minnesota's offense is 118th in yards per pass attempt. Northwestern and Purdue are tied at 116th.

According to ESPN this morning we are 98th in yards per attempt allowed.

98 Nebraska 270 152 56.3 2091 7.7 55 10 3 13 93 131.3 348.5

Any way you slice it, our pass D is not performing well. They are giving up a TON of yards per game and eventually those yards translate into points. Especially at the end of the game when everyone is tired.

Our D-coordinator and secondary coaches need to CHANGE SOMETHING because what they are doing is NOT WORKING.

I never understand these football coaches who seem to think that 'my scheme and play calls are just fine... it must just be bad luck or poor execution. We'll keep trying it and something is bound to change!' Here's a newsflash.... not gonna happen. Einstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

 

[4skers89]

Our offense def hasn't helped us any lately, but if it isn't he most obvious thing in the world then I don't know what is.

You CANNOT expect to have your DBs never look at the QB running with WRs all game. Said this since week 1 and nothing has changed. You better have 4 All-Americans back there if you ever want to have a good pass defense in this scheme.

We NEVER look back for the ball -- just hoping to knock it away when it reaches their hands.

The secondary is still a liability. There's no question about that. But what I saw was a lot more awareness of where the ball was being thrown. We should/could have had about 4 INT's in the last game. Kalu is showing he's almost there. Yes he got beat but he also made some good plays.
It's not there like we would like it and it might not be there this year but I saw some flashes of what it can be once they come out with confidence.

I agree. While still very porous, the secondary did seem to play 'better' against Wisconsin, and did have a few really nice breakups. Hopefully they will continue to develop. For his part, I thought M. Newby had a great game in pass coverage. We desperately need that kind of play at LB.

I didn't get to watch the game but wanted to ask about the 4 dropped picks. At first I assumed that Wisconsin had dropped 4 picks. Did our defenders turn to look for the ball, extended their hands to catch the ball and then dropped the ball? These weren't picks that hit the back of our defender's helmet?

Also, how did this staff win any games in the PAC-12? I don't think they outlawed the forward pass in that conference.

 

[Mavric]

If we give up 0 passing yards to Minnesota and everyone else gives up their average, we'll move up to #120 in the nation.

 

[stargazer]

Defense played far better this weekend, I would guess they had as many pass break-ups against Wisconsin, as they did all season prior. Run defense is good. Give these guys a break, if they weren't on the field so much, following our 3 and done offense, they would have finished stronger. They ARE getting better.

 

[MichiganDad3]

Defense played far better this weekend, I would guess they had as many pass break-ups against Wisconsin, as they did all season prior. Run defense is good. Give these guys a break, if they weren't on the field so much, following our 3 and done offense, they would have finished stronger. They ARE getting better.

Our offense is killing our D. They have no gas in the 4th. Combine that with playing not to lose, and ... we lose

It still amazes me how good the D was in 2009 with that pathetic offense.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

Defense played far better this weekend, I would guess they had as many pass break-ups against Wisconsin, as they did all season prior. Run defense is good. Give these guys a break, if they weren't on the field so much, following our 3 and done offense, they would have finished stronger. They ARE getting better.

This is my feeling too. Again, I blame the offense and its failure to maintain possession of the ball and use time clock and of course score a few more points too. Quick possession by our offense is a big contributor to our defensive struggles. You give any opponent enough time and tries and they'll find some way to gain yards. Our scoring defense is statistically better than pass D of course. Our run defense is not yet great by any means but is good enough to have won all of our games thus far. Being realistic, we have not played any really good or great teams but have played some average or above average teams. If we had made defensive stops on a couple of drives each game instead of giving up a field goal or TD, and had maintained a couple offensive possessions for another first down or two, we would be 4-2 or even 5-1 now. Still would not be a real good or great team, but the season would not be a disaster and recruiting would be still going well IMO. Now, the real worry is the risk to holding on to our best recruits who have committed thus far and finding about 6 more 3 or 4 star guys in key spots. The really need to be difference makes though (4 or even a 5 superstar guy or two..

 

[VectorVictor]

Our offense def hasn't helped us any lately, but if it isn't he most obvious thing in the world then I don't know what is.

You CANNOT expect to have your DBs never look at the QB running with WRs all game. Said this since week 1 and nothing has changed. You better have 4 All-Americans back there if you ever want to have a good pass defense in this scheme.

We NEVER look back for the ball -- just hoping to knock it away when it reaches their hands.

The secondary is still a liability. There's no question about that. But what I saw was a lot more awareness of where the ball was being thrown. We should/could have had about 4 INT's in the last game. Kalu is showing he's almost there. Yes he got beat but he also made some good plays.
It's not there like we would like it and it might not be there this year but I saw some flashes of what it can be once they come out with confidence.

I agree. While still very porous, the secondary did seem to play 'better' against Wisconsin, and did have a few really nice breakups. Hopefully they will continue to develop. For his part, I thought M. Newby had a great game in pass coverage. We desperately need that kind of play at LB.

I didn't get to watch the game but wanted to ask about the 4 dropped picks. At first I assumed that Wisconsin had dropped 4 picks. Did our defenders turn to look for the ball, extended their hands to catch the ball and then dropped the ball? These weren't picks that hit the back of our defender's helmet?

Also, how did this staff win any games in the PAC-12? I don't think they outlawed the forward pass in that conference.

Teams probably took a powder because they were playing Oregon State. Also probably why Riley was able to snakebite a few top teams that he pretty much caught napping.

As for the defense, yeah, it's coaching. It's coaching that failed to fix the problems that gave up 17 points in the first quarter to Miami, that failed to bring safety help over the top consistently until the Illinois game (where the weather played a more significant role in stopping Illinois' passing attack than our defense did), and coaching that called for Prevent defenses against a team whose propensity is to go to the ground when this defense is out there to gash the opposition for yards...like they did last week in the waning minutes of the game.

Frankly, Banker and the position coach over the DBs (Stewart IIRC) need to be gone at the end of the season unless they miraculously turn this thing around. Part of the reason I'd suggest our offense is in a slump is because they're tired of having to compensate for the defense's mistakes and gaffes all game long...and after a while, it wears a team down.

And frankly, there's a lot of former coaches that will be available this year that would make for excellent coordinators--I've suggested Edsall elsewhere for DC, as he took a UConn team with hardly any stars and turned that defense into a terror.

 

[MichiganDad3]

Harbaugh hires Durkin and MR hires Banker. What a fiasco. I bet if Banker's grandmother was head coach she wouldn't hire Mark.

 

[NUinID]

Forget all the stats except the points scored per game. Those are the only ones that matter. If you truly can't look at NU defense over the last 2 weeks and say they haven't played better then there is no pleasing you.

The forth quarter of the Wisconsin game that was a tired defense. The offense gave them no help. They basically played the game with 5 d-linemen. Against BYU they rotated 8 the whole game. VV might have played 20 snaps. McMullen, MC, and Gangwich I think played every snap. They played 4 linebackers in the game and that was only because Marcus Newby was cramping up. I don't think Weber or Young ever came off the field. Wisconsin had 19 more offensive snaps than Nebraska in the game. Some of that is on the offense. I think the offense had less than 50 yards of offense in the third quarter.

It was a very tired defense by the end of the game. If you want to call it an excuse that is fine, but they have been playing better over the last couple of weeks. Now the offense is another story.