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Cosgrove: Blackshirts have leaders
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Mar 20, 2007 - 12:31:30 am CDT
Nebraska’s personnel losses from its 2006 starting defense include seniors whose NFL-caliber talent and strong personalities largely defined the unit.
Make no mistake about Husker defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove’s high regard for players such as ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore and strongside linebacker Stewart Bradley, three of six departed senior starters.
Cosgrove, however, is confident a new cast of strong leaders and talented difference-makers will make their presence felt during spring practice, which begins Wednesday and ends April 14 with the annual Red-White Spring Game.
“Spring ball is for developing leadership,” Cosgrove said. “I don’t want to get into specific names right now, but we have a lot of candidates. We have a lot of seniors, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary. We have young guys up front, but all those guys have played a lot.
“I think we’ll have more leaders this year than we’ve had in the past. I’m anticipating that.”
Nebraska returns five full-time starters from last year’s defense, which finished the season No. 56 nationally in yards allowed (331.9) as the Huskers ended with a 9-5 record. All five of the returning starters will be seniors this fall.
In addition to developing leadership on defense, among Nebraska’s foremost objectives this spring will be retooling a line that lost all four starters to graduation: Carriker and Moore and interior linemates Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer.
Sophomore Ndamukong Suh and junior Ty Steinkuhler are leading candidates to emerge as starters in the interior. The top returning ends are juniors Barry Turner, Clayton Sievers and Zach Potter. Turner, however, will miss the entire spring following offseason shoulder surgery.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Suh, who recorded eight tackles for loss last season, has been described as an “emerging leader” by Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan. And Callahan said Steinkuhler, a Lincoln Southwest graduate, has gotten significantly bigger and faster and is eminently capable of holding down a starting job.
Redshirt freshman Pierre Allen is expected to challenge Potter at the “base” end position, while Sievers and Turner occupy the “open” end spot.
Said Cosgrove: “It’s not like we’re going into spring thinking, ‘Who do we play?’ I know which guys we’re going to play. Now, there will be competition at those positions to get them better. But there are some good football players up front. Now it’s a matter of developing the young guys to play with them and push them.”
Cosgrove expects improved play from a secondary that struggled much of last season, as Nebraska finished 79th nationally in pass defense. Much of Cosgrove’s optimism can be traced to the return of senior cornerback Zack Bowman, who missed all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Bowman will be limited to non-contact work this spring.
“I wish we would’ve had him last year,” said Cosgrove, pointing to the 6-2, 195-pound corner’s lockdown coverage ability. “I mean, to have a big corner out there, you can double one side (of the field). You can’t double both sides all of the time because you lose all of your run support.
“We feel Zack is a guy who can handle one-on-one situations.”
Bowman is listed No. 1 at one corner position ahead of returning senior starter Andre Jones. The other corner spot has senior Cortney Grixby ahead of junior college transfer Armando Murillo.
In addition, highly regarded juco transfer Larry Asante is penciled in as starter at strong safety.
“We’ve really added depth to that secondary,” Cosgrove said. “It was tough getting in the nickel (package) last year. I mean, we gradually worked to it because (Bryan) Wilson came on so strong.”
Cosgrove so far at Nebraska has guided defenses that have finished 56th, 26th and 56th, respectively, in average yards allowed. He projects confidence as he evaluates his personnel for 2007.
“I’m sure a bunch of people are saying, ‘They lost a bunch of guys. What are are they going to do?’” Cosgrove said. “I would say we’ve played a bunch of returning guys. You look at the Auburn game (a 17-14 loss in the Cotton Bowl) and Oklahoma game (a 21-7 loss in Big 12 title game), we played really good defense.
“The same guys who are going to play this year played in those games last year. Not a little — a lot. They went toe-to-toe with the best. Now, with added depth in the secondary. ... The whole key is to stay healthy, and we haven’t done that. Haven’t done that.”
Cosgrove: Blackshirts have leaders
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Tuesday, Mar 20, 2007 - 12:31:30 am CDT
Nebraska’s personnel losses from its 2006 starting defense include seniors whose NFL-caliber talent and strong personalities largely defined the unit.
Make no mistake about Husker defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove’s high regard for players such as ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore and strongside linebacker Stewart Bradley, three of six departed senior starters.
Cosgrove, however, is confident a new cast of strong leaders and talented difference-makers will make their presence felt during spring practice, which begins Wednesday and ends April 14 with the annual Red-White Spring Game.
“Spring ball is for developing leadership,” Cosgrove said. “I don’t want to get into specific names right now, but we have a lot of candidates. We have a lot of seniors, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary. We have young guys up front, but all those guys have played a lot.
“I think we’ll have more leaders this year than we’ve had in the past. I’m anticipating that.”
Nebraska returns five full-time starters from last year’s defense, which finished the season No. 56 nationally in yards allowed (331.9) as the Huskers ended with a 9-5 record. All five of the returning starters will be seniors this fall.
In addition to developing leadership on defense, among Nebraska’s foremost objectives this spring will be retooling a line that lost all four starters to graduation: Carriker and Moore and interior linemates Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer.
Sophomore Ndamukong Suh and junior Ty Steinkuhler are leading candidates to emerge as starters in the interior. The top returning ends are juniors Barry Turner, Clayton Sievers and Zach Potter. Turner, however, will miss the entire spring following offseason shoulder surgery.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Suh, who recorded eight tackles for loss last season, has been described as an “emerging leader” by Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan. And Callahan said Steinkuhler, a Lincoln Southwest graduate, has gotten significantly bigger and faster and is eminently capable of holding down a starting job.
Redshirt freshman Pierre Allen is expected to challenge Potter at the “base” end position, while Sievers and Turner occupy the “open” end spot.
Said Cosgrove: “It’s not like we’re going into spring thinking, ‘Who do we play?’ I know which guys we’re going to play. Now, there will be competition at those positions to get them better. But there are some good football players up front. Now it’s a matter of developing the young guys to play with them and push them.”
Cosgrove expects improved play from a secondary that struggled much of last season, as Nebraska finished 79th nationally in pass defense. Much of Cosgrove’s optimism can be traced to the return of senior cornerback Zack Bowman, who missed all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Bowman will be limited to non-contact work this spring.
“I wish we would’ve had him last year,” said Cosgrove, pointing to the 6-2, 195-pound corner’s lockdown coverage ability. “I mean, to have a big corner out there, you can double one side (of the field). You can’t double both sides all of the time because you lose all of your run support.
“We feel Zack is a guy who can handle one-on-one situations.”
Bowman is listed No. 1 at one corner position ahead of returning senior starter Andre Jones. The other corner spot has senior Cortney Grixby ahead of junior college transfer Armando Murillo.
In addition, highly regarded juco transfer Larry Asante is penciled in as starter at strong safety.
“We’ve really added depth to that secondary,” Cosgrove said. “It was tough getting in the nickel (package) last year. I mean, we gradually worked to it because (Bryan) Wilson came on so strong.”
Cosgrove so far at Nebraska has guided defenses that have finished 56th, 26th and 56th, respectively, in average yards allowed. He projects confidence as he evaluates his personnel for 2007.
“I’m sure a bunch of people are saying, ‘They lost a bunch of guys. What are are they going to do?’” Cosgrove said. “I would say we’ve played a bunch of returning guys. You look at the Auburn game (a 17-14 loss in the Cotton Bowl) and Oklahoma game (a 21-7 loss in Big 12 title game), we played really good defense.
“The same guys who are going to play this year played in those games last year. Not a little — a lot. They went toe-to-toe with the best. Now, with added depth in the secondary. ... The whole key is to stay healthy, and we haven’t done that. Haven’t done that.”
