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All-Conference
Huskers know they must pressure USC quarterback
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006 - 12:11:59 am CDT
It’s no secret that Nebraska will display some different defensive looks against USC than the Huskers showed against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State.
What exactly are the changes?
Now that’s a secret.
Knowing that, junior middle linebacker Corey McKeon, in his normal entertaining self, had a little fun with the subject at Tuesday’s weekly media luncheon.
“I was actually thinking about if I was asked that question, if I should completely lie, and tell everyone that we’re doing this whole new defense,” McKeon said. “I actually thought of this new defense last night. It’s like a 2-5, but I don’t think anybody would believe me.
“I play the nose. We’re going to switch it up with speed on the D-line and put the big guys behind, just go for hard hits, try to take them out.”
And what about confusing USC quarterback John David Booty?
“That’s right,” McKeon said. “We’re going to wear purple jerseys … to confuse him.”
OK, seriously, have the Blackshirts indicated any potential weaknesses they hope to exploit?
“I don’t think I can answer that,” said McKeon, who followed with, “Yes,” and then winked and nodded.
If McKeon’s performance on the field Saturday night in Los Angeles is anything like his in front of the cameras, Nebraska should be OK.
The No. 19 Huskers face No. 4 USC on the Trojans’ home field, and much of the hype has centered on whether Nebraska can slow the USC offense, particularly through the air.
Booty, in his USC debut Sept. 4 against Arkansas, went 24-of-35 passing for 261 yards and three second-half touchdowns. He had no interceptions and was sacked twice.
“You want to throw something at the quarterback he hasn’t seen before,” McKeon said. “We get enough pressure on Booty, he’s not going to have the opportunity to place that ball to those big wideouts, and give our DBs the chance to make some big plays.”
Of course, that’s better said than done. McKeon noted USC’s strong execution and lack of mental errors.
“They’re not spectacular in what they do protectionwise. They do the same thing over and over, and it works,” he said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
“They take those big linemen, they slide them in gap protection, and that’s how they protect their quarterback. Their talent has been good enough that they’ve been able to do that. They’ve been protecting their quarterback very well this year.”
How Nebraska applies pressure on Booty, then, remains a key question. Switching around some personnel? Disguising packages?
Blitzing?
“You better get there,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said, laughing. “You gotta get there before the ball goes off, I know that.
“We’re going to try everything. You try to get your kids in a position to have success. Sometimes you’re less vulnerable than other times. It’s just a chess match. You try to put coverages in place where they don’t think you’re going to be, do some things they haven’t seen.”
Nebraska showed little to no blitzing through its first two games, perhaps with USC in mind. Against Louisiana Tech, the Huskers’ starting linebackers combined for all of seven tackles.
“La. Tech did a great job of running away from our defense,” McKeon said, “and last week they had that double wing thing, which you really can’t do much against. This is going to be a great opportunity for the defense to step up and make some plays.”
Of course, any blitzing, especially against a team the caliber of USC, comes with risk.
“We’ve gone over that 100 times in the film room, in any game,” McKeon said, “if you don’t execute the blitz, it could lead to a big play, because you’ve got people out of place.”
Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove also stressed technique and fundamentals.
“They are a complicated offense,” he said. “They are similar to what we do — a lot of movement and a lot of shifts. You have to be solid in what you are doing, otherwise they’re going to get some big plays. We have to do things that are sound and give us a chance to play well.”
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Wednesday, Sep 13, 2006 - 12:11:59 am CDT
It’s no secret that Nebraska will display some different defensive looks against USC than the Huskers showed against Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State.
What exactly are the changes?
Now that’s a secret.
Knowing that, junior middle linebacker Corey McKeon, in his normal entertaining self, had a little fun with the subject at Tuesday’s weekly media luncheon.
“I was actually thinking about if I was asked that question, if I should completely lie, and tell everyone that we’re doing this whole new defense,” McKeon said. “I actually thought of this new defense last night. It’s like a 2-5, but I don’t think anybody would believe me.
“I play the nose. We’re going to switch it up with speed on the D-line and put the big guys behind, just go for hard hits, try to take them out.”
And what about confusing USC quarterback John David Booty?
“That’s right,” McKeon said. “We’re going to wear purple jerseys … to confuse him.”
OK, seriously, have the Blackshirts indicated any potential weaknesses they hope to exploit?
“I don’t think I can answer that,” said McKeon, who followed with, “Yes,” and then winked and nodded.
If McKeon’s performance on the field Saturday night in Los Angeles is anything like his in front of the cameras, Nebraska should be OK.
The No. 19 Huskers face No. 4 USC on the Trojans’ home field, and much of the hype has centered on whether Nebraska can slow the USC offense, particularly through the air.
Booty, in his USC debut Sept. 4 against Arkansas, went 24-of-35 passing for 261 yards and three second-half touchdowns. He had no interceptions and was sacked twice.
“You want to throw something at the quarterback he hasn’t seen before,” McKeon said. “We get enough pressure on Booty, he’s not going to have the opportunity to place that ball to those big wideouts, and give our DBs the chance to make some big plays.”
Of course, that’s better said than done. McKeon noted USC’s strong execution and lack of mental errors.
“They’re not spectacular in what they do protectionwise. They do the same thing over and over, and it works,” he said. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
“They take those big linemen, they slide them in gap protection, and that’s how they protect their quarterback. Their talent has been good enough that they’ve been able to do that. They’ve been protecting their quarterback very well this year.”
How Nebraska applies pressure on Booty, then, remains a key question. Switching around some personnel? Disguising packages?
Blitzing?
“You better get there,” Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said, laughing. “You gotta get there before the ball goes off, I know that.
“We’re going to try everything. You try to get your kids in a position to have success. Sometimes you’re less vulnerable than other times. It’s just a chess match. You try to put coverages in place where they don’t think you’re going to be, do some things they haven’t seen.”
Nebraska showed little to no blitzing through its first two games, perhaps with USC in mind. Against Louisiana Tech, the Huskers’ starting linebackers combined for all of seven tackles.
“La. Tech did a great job of running away from our defense,” McKeon said, “and last week they had that double wing thing, which you really can’t do much against. This is going to be a great opportunity for the defense to step up and make some plays.”
Of course, any blitzing, especially against a team the caliber of USC, comes with risk.
“We’ve gone over that 100 times in the film room, in any game,” McKeon said, “if you don’t execute the blitz, it could lead to a big play, because you’ve got people out of place.”
Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove also stressed technique and fundamentals.
“They are a complicated offense,” he said. “They are similar to what we do — a lot of movement and a lot of shifts. You have to be solid in what you are doing, otherwise they’re going to get some big plays. We have to do things that are sound and give us a chance to play well.”
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