Gomes focusing on team's goals

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He’s been a Husker for just one year, but that doesn’t mean the DeJon Gomes catalogue of game-turning plays is running short on material.
There was that time in the Missouri monsoon when he stepped in front of a Blaine Gabbert pass at midfield and raced through all the puddles until he was inside the Tiger 10. Nebraska scored three plays later and the Huskers were on their way.

Or what about the game in Kansas when he punched the ball out of the arms of veteran wide receiver Kerry Meier inside the Husker 5? Sometimes it’s just a play here or there that separates the victor from the vanquished. That was one of them.

Want a bigger stage? Recall the Big 12 Championship. Texas driving in the fourth. Colt McCoy threw a pass to Dan Buckner. But Gomes was there like Buckner’s shadow, ripping the ball out of his hands and holding it up for the official to not mistake it. Yep, interception. The Huskers took a late 12-10 lead on the next possession.

Defensive tackle Jared Crick smiles as he thinks about his teammate’s play and says: That’s just D.J.

“All of our D-backs kind of bring something different to the table,” Crick said. “You saw Larry (Asante) bringing the big hits last year, Prince (Amukamara) with the athleticism. But D.J. is really football smart.

“He can read a set and know what’s coming. It’s kind of hard to explain. He just knows these things, what the receiver’s going to do. He studies so much film and he just learns the game to a point where he knows every little thing.”

So as another session of spring ball comes upon us next week, consider Gomes one of the leading figures as Nebraska’s defense looks to pick up where it left off in 2009.

“Competition on the offensive and defensive side is going to be real intense,” Gomes said. “Off the field, of course, we’re all friends. But we want to make each other better, so we’re going to be pushing each other to the limit. We can’t settle for nothing short of the Big 12 title. It’s just the tradition of the school and we can’t let us, our coaches or anyone down.”

Gomes arrived at Nebraska last spring from the City College of San Francisco with just two years to make it happen.

Anxious? Sure.

“Every offseason you’re just waiting for the next football season to start, the eight months of training until you can actually get out there and play,” he said.

Gomes had to even wait a little longer than that. He saw limited action until the Missouri game, when he was inserted as a dime back (Nebraska’s sixth defensive back in the dime package) and his playing time really started to accumulate.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Gomes’ versatility proved a major asset. Along with nickel back Eric Hagg, coaches sometimes even used Gomes like a speedy linebacker.

By season’s end, he had four interceptions, a forced fumble, five pass breakups and 46 tackles — four of those tackles for losses.

“I don’t put my personal goals before the team goals,” Gomes said. “It’s just about working within the system. If you work right within the system, you’re going to make the plays and do all that.”

Not bad for a guy who used to have his heart set at running back. He rushed for almost 1,000 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in high school.

But when he arrived to junior college, his coach needed some defensive backs. Gomes was a natural.

But how do Husker coaches use the senior in 2010? He’s been working at his dime spot, but also could fit into Nebraska’s safety equation if necessary as the Huskers look to replace Larry Asante and Matt O’Hanlon.

Of course, if possible, the Huskers might not want to tamper with what Hagg and Gomes provide at the nickel and dime spots.

“We’re deeper than we’ve ever been, no question about that,” defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said of the secondary. “Can some of that depth help you at nickel and dime and free some other guys to play somewhere else. Who knows?”

Finding such answers is what spring is all about.

Gomes says he’ll play wherever coaches think he fits best.

And Crick knows Gomes will keep producing no matter where he is on the field.

“He’s not flashy with everything he does,” Crick said. “But he’s got that heart. He’s got that want-to and just everything about him is determination. That is really the main thing that drives him to do the things he does.”

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Gomes' pick vs Texas was easily one of the finest in a Big 12 title game (gets me pumped everytime I see it). If we'd won that game, that pivotal INT would be remembered as one of the biggest plays of the year in all of college football. Texas was moving the ball well on that drive, and they were close to field goal range, which would've put the nail in coffin considering our offensive woes. Instead, Gomes rips the pick that almost messed up the entire BCS picture. I can't wait to see what he does this season.

 
Gomes is definitely one of the biggest individual playmakers we've had around these parts for a while... Times are improving around here that's for sure!

Edited to add: :koolaid2:

 
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Gomes is the freakin man. Best playmaker we've had on D in a while. Prince, Dennard, Hagg, and GOMES are gonna be ridiculous next year. :koolaid2:

 
Yeah, Gomes is an absolute Beast. I have to admit before the Mizzou game I didn't know anything about the kid, except that he was a Juco coming in to try and prove he belongs. After that game I couldn't believe he wasn't on the field sooner.

The Texass game...That pick was the most physical/intelectual defensive play from any D-Back this season IMO. It was done against supposedly the best offense in the nation. :bonez

 
Any chance of moving Gomes to the other starting corner in the base sets? Gomes seemed to be on par with Prince in terms of play making ability whenever he was in, I think he'd do a good job on the outside. But then you move him inside to the nickel or dime spots so he can play in a fast linebacker position like he did last year. Nothing against Dennard, but Gomes seemed to be the better player at the end of last year (I think if things weren't working out as well as things did at the time (Gomes and Hagg playing in hybrid positions) then I wouldn't have been surprised to see Gomes starting). He definitely has the skills to make it at the next level.

 
whateveritis1224 said:
Any chance of moving Gomes to the other starting corner in the base sets? Gomes seemed to be on par with Prince in terms of play making ability whenever he was in, I think he'd do a good job on the outside. But then you move him inside to the nickel or dime spots so he can play in a fast linebacker position like he did last year. Nothing against Dennard, but Gomes seemed to be the better player at the end of last year (I think if things weren't working out as well as things did at the time (Gomes and Hagg playing in hybrid positions) then I wouldn't have been surprised to see Gomes starting). He definitely has the skills to make it at the next level.
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I thought about that too, maybe moving Gomes to nickel since Hagg may have possibly gone to safety. But from what it sounds like at this point, Eric Hagg is just too valuable at nickel, and Gomes is one hell of a dime corner. Plus the one knock on Gomes is that he's not quite as good at stretching the field with x and y guys(which I don't agree with, see INT vs. Baylor), which is why he plays in that underneath dime role. But if NU can find 2 safeties who could play at a highschool level the secondary should be fine, Prince, Dennard, Hagg, and Gomes are gonna tear it up.

 
ESPY said:
Gomes' pick vs Texas was easily one of the finest in a Big 12 title game (gets me pumped everytime I see it). If we'd won that game, that pivotal INT would be remembered as one of the biggest plays of the year in all of college football. Texas was moving the ball well on that drive, and they were close to field goal range, which would've put the nail in coffin considering our offensive woes. Instead, Gomes rips the pick that almost messed up the entire BCS picture. I can't wait to see what he does this season.
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:yeah

 
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