Red November
Special Teams Player
College football: Blythe will see different package from Huskers
By JIM SULLIVAN, Courier Sports Writer
AMES -- Todd Blythe ran through Nebraska's secondary like a kid enjoying a full day on the playground last season.
Iowa State's wide receiver expects to see an obstacle course Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Burned too often during a disappointing 2004 that ended with a 5-6 record, the Cornhuskers have changed their defensive coverages. Man-to-man coverage in the defensive backfield is out; zone schemes are in.
"Last year, they just kind of put their cornerbacks on an island and said, ‘We're going to shut you down one-on-one,'" said Blythe. "This year, it looks like they're hanging back a lot more and looking to break on the underneath routes. They also want to keep guys in front of them. There will probably be a different philosophy for us. Hopefully, we can be as successful as we were last year."
During the 2004 meeting with Nebraska, Blythe went wild. He caught eight passes for 188 yards — all in the first half — and one touchdown.
Fellow ISU wideout Jon Davis hauled in a 77-yard scoring strike from Bret Meyer, a key insurance play, in the Cyclones' 34-27 victory over the Huskers.
All told, Meyer completed just 17 of 38 passes, but he racked up 345 yards. That's an average of just more than 20 yards per catch.
Head coach Dan McCarney is not counting on that kind of explosive offense Saturday.
"It's hard to find big plays in the throwing game against them now," he said.
Just one veteran — strong safety Daniel Bullocks — returns from a year ago. A pair of sophomores — Cortney Grixby and Tierre Green — start at cornerback for the Huskers this season. Former Cedar Rapids Jefferson prep Blake Tiedtke is the free safety.
That secondary is part of a defense that ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference in total yards at 232 per game. Opponents complete just 42.4 percent of their passes against the Cornhuskers, the lowest figure in the league.
"They're just aggressive," said Blythe of Nebraska's defense. "They've got a lot of great athletes out there. They have three new guys in the secondary they didn't have last year, but they're pretty much picking up where they left off as far as the talent level and speed and athleticism. They have a real good front seven with their d-line and linebackers. It'll be a real test for us."
Keeping Nebraska's defense out of Meyer's face will be a real challenge for Iowa State and its offensive front. The Huskers have 20 quarterback sacks in three games, including five from end Adam Carriker and four more from running mate Wali Muhammad.
According to McCarney, Nebraska gets a strong rush from the front four, allowing coordinator Kevin Cosgrove to rely less on his linebackers.
"Cos will blitz you, that's for sure," said McCarney. "But they're getting great pressure from their down guys. Carriker is clearly one of the most improved players in the Big 12."
ISU's blockers will face a unit that's bigger and more physical then it encountered in three non-conference victories, according to center Scott Stephenson.
"Their defensive line is talented and fast," said Stephenson. "In order to succeed against them, we need to match their effort and their execution."
Stephenson also said, "Obviously, I'm going to try my hardest to block for Bret. We don't want to give up as many sacks as the other teams did."
The man who will be the target of the Husker pass rush dismissed the threat.
"It doesn't do anything to me," said Meyer of the 20 sacks. "I don't care. It's an awfully good stat, but getting sacked is going to happen. It's part of football. We have to minimize it."
Contact Jim Sullivan at (319) 291-1434 or jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com
By JIM SULLIVAN, Courier Sports Writer
AMES -- Todd Blythe ran through Nebraska's secondary like a kid enjoying a full day on the playground last season.
Iowa State's wide receiver expects to see an obstacle course Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Burned too often during a disappointing 2004 that ended with a 5-6 record, the Cornhuskers have changed their defensive coverages. Man-to-man coverage in the defensive backfield is out; zone schemes are in.
"Last year, they just kind of put their cornerbacks on an island and said, ‘We're going to shut you down one-on-one,'" said Blythe. "This year, it looks like they're hanging back a lot more and looking to break on the underneath routes. They also want to keep guys in front of them. There will probably be a different philosophy for us. Hopefully, we can be as successful as we were last year."
During the 2004 meeting with Nebraska, Blythe went wild. He caught eight passes for 188 yards — all in the first half — and one touchdown.
Fellow ISU wideout Jon Davis hauled in a 77-yard scoring strike from Bret Meyer, a key insurance play, in the Cyclones' 34-27 victory over the Huskers.
All told, Meyer completed just 17 of 38 passes, but he racked up 345 yards. That's an average of just more than 20 yards per catch.
Head coach Dan McCarney is not counting on that kind of explosive offense Saturday.
"It's hard to find big plays in the throwing game against them now," he said.
Just one veteran — strong safety Daniel Bullocks — returns from a year ago. A pair of sophomores — Cortney Grixby and Tierre Green — start at cornerback for the Huskers this season. Former Cedar Rapids Jefferson prep Blake Tiedtke is the free safety.
That secondary is part of a defense that ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference in total yards at 232 per game. Opponents complete just 42.4 percent of their passes against the Cornhuskers, the lowest figure in the league.
"They're just aggressive," said Blythe of Nebraska's defense. "They've got a lot of great athletes out there. They have three new guys in the secondary they didn't have last year, but they're pretty much picking up where they left off as far as the talent level and speed and athleticism. They have a real good front seven with their d-line and linebackers. It'll be a real test for us."
Keeping Nebraska's defense out of Meyer's face will be a real challenge for Iowa State and its offensive front. The Huskers have 20 quarterback sacks in three games, including five from end Adam Carriker and four more from running mate Wali Muhammad.
According to McCarney, Nebraska gets a strong rush from the front four, allowing coordinator Kevin Cosgrove to rely less on his linebackers.
"Cos will blitz you, that's for sure," said McCarney. "But they're getting great pressure from their down guys. Carriker is clearly one of the most improved players in the Big 12."
ISU's blockers will face a unit that's bigger and more physical then it encountered in three non-conference victories, according to center Scott Stephenson.
"Their defensive line is talented and fast," said Stephenson. "In order to succeed against them, we need to match their effort and their execution."
Stephenson also said, "Obviously, I'm going to try my hardest to block for Bret. We don't want to give up as many sacks as the other teams did."
The man who will be the target of the Husker pass rush dismissed the threat.
"It doesn't do anything to me," said Meyer of the 20 sacks. "I don't care. It's an awfully good stat, but getting sacked is going to happen. It's part of football. We have to minimize it."
Contact Jim Sullivan at (319) 291-1434 or jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com