BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA
All-American
Ndamukong Suh gains 'killer instinct'
By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Monday, Apr 16, 2007 - 12:03:56 am CDT
Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh came to Lincoln from Oregon, a state known for environmental legislation, forest-products industries and rugged Pacific Ocean coastline.
Oregon isn’t known for exceptionally high-caliber high school football.
“That is probably one of the toughest things for me,” said Suh, the Huskers’ starting nose tackle. “Coming from a state not necessarily known for football, I didn’t have to necessarily play at my highest level every single game in high school, especially with certain teams in our league. I didn’t always have to play hard. I didn’t always have to have that killer instinct.
“When it comes to being here at Nebraska, you don’t have a choice. You either have that killer instinct or you’re going to be put on your butt. That’s the way it goes.”
Suh reminds himself that he must consistently play with abundant energy and focus. It is particularly important for him these days because he is being called upon to anchor a Nebraska defensive line that lost all four starters from last season and is regarded as a question mark for Big Red in 2007.
A 6-foot-4, 305-pound sophomore from Portland, Suh showed flashes of greatness last season as Nebraska’s backup nose tackle. He played in all 14 games and recorded eight tackles for loss, including 31/2 sacks.
In order to excel as a starter this coming season, Suh said he must “consistently play at a high, high level.” And that means staying in attack mode every day, every play — indeed, playing with the killer instinct he too often lacked at Grant High School.
“That’s something that could possibly hinder me if I don’t push myself through that every single day in practice,” Suh said. “It’s a matter of training yourself and playing like you’re mad, like somebody just put you on your butt and you’re going back after them.”
Suh evidently had the proper mindset during Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. He finished with four tackles, including two sacks, to help lead the Red squad’s dominant defensive effort. The Whites, made up of lower-unit players, managed 9 total yards. The annual scrimmage wrapped up the team’s 15-practice spring season.
At one point, Suh bolted into the backfield and tossed sophomore I-back Major Culbert for a 5-yard loss; it looked like a farmer effortlessly flinging a bail of hay. Suh played a “tremendous” game, said Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the defensive line’s overall development this spring.
Suh is capable of playing both interior line positions in Nebraska’s 4-3 base alignment. Junior Ty Steinkuhler, who had 22 tackles as a reserve last season, can play either defensive tackle or “base” defensive end. Junior college transfer Shukree Barfield and senior Brandon Johnson also vie for playing time at the two interior spots.
At the defensive end positions, junior Zach Potter will try to lock down the “base” spot, while classmates Clayton Sievers and Barry Turner will likely compete for playing time at the “open” position in August when Nebraska begins preseason drills. The Huskers open the 2007 season Sept. 1 at home against Nevada.
In the months preceding preseason camp, Suh will try to hold his weight in the 305-pound range. Last year during spring practice, he weighed about 330.
“I did not like it at all,” he said. “I hated being that heavy, so that was one of my main goals, to lose weight. When I’m at a lighter weight, in the low 300s, I feel I’m a lot faster. I feel I’m a lot quicker. My first step is there, everything … I’m not hampering myself by being a little overweight.”
Suh, a two-way standout in high school, became the first player from the state of Oregon to accept a Nebraska football scholarship. A Parade All-American, Suh was one of Nebraska’s school-record 13 freshmen to see action in 2005. He played in two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
He received a medical hardship, allowing him to return last season as a redshirt freshman. Now, as a third-year Husker, although he has never started a game in college, he has taken ownership in the NU defensive line’s reclamation project.
“It’s a challenge,” he said. “You always want to live up to a challenge. We see the guys who came before us. We know we have to step it up a notch.”
js
By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Monday, Apr 16, 2007 - 12:03:56 am CDT
Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh came to Lincoln from Oregon, a state known for environmental legislation, forest-products industries and rugged Pacific Ocean coastline.
Oregon isn’t known for exceptionally high-caliber high school football.
“That is probably one of the toughest things for me,” said Suh, the Huskers’ starting nose tackle. “Coming from a state not necessarily known for football, I didn’t have to necessarily play at my highest level every single game in high school, especially with certain teams in our league. I didn’t always have to play hard. I didn’t always have to have that killer instinct.
“When it comes to being here at Nebraska, you don’t have a choice. You either have that killer instinct or you’re going to be put on your butt. That’s the way it goes.”
Suh reminds himself that he must consistently play with abundant energy and focus. It is particularly important for him these days because he is being called upon to anchor a Nebraska defensive line that lost all four starters from last season and is regarded as a question mark for Big Red in 2007.
A 6-foot-4, 305-pound sophomore from Portland, Suh showed flashes of greatness last season as Nebraska’s backup nose tackle. He played in all 14 games and recorded eight tackles for loss, including 31/2 sacks.
In order to excel as a starter this coming season, Suh said he must “consistently play at a high, high level.” And that means staying in attack mode every day, every play — indeed, playing with the killer instinct he too often lacked at Grant High School.
“That’s something that could possibly hinder me if I don’t push myself through that every single day in practice,” Suh said. “It’s a matter of training yourself and playing like you’re mad, like somebody just put you on your butt and you’re going back after them.”
Suh evidently had the proper mindset during Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. He finished with four tackles, including two sacks, to help lead the Red squad’s dominant defensive effort. The Whites, made up of lower-unit players, managed 9 total yards. The annual scrimmage wrapped up the team’s 15-practice spring season.
At one point, Suh bolted into the backfield and tossed sophomore I-back Major Culbert for a 5-yard loss; it looked like a farmer effortlessly flinging a bail of hay. Suh played a “tremendous” game, said Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the defensive line’s overall development this spring.
Suh is capable of playing both interior line positions in Nebraska’s 4-3 base alignment. Junior Ty Steinkuhler, who had 22 tackles as a reserve last season, can play either defensive tackle or “base” defensive end. Junior college transfer Shukree Barfield and senior Brandon Johnson also vie for playing time at the two interior spots.
At the defensive end positions, junior Zach Potter will try to lock down the “base” spot, while classmates Clayton Sievers and Barry Turner will likely compete for playing time at the “open” position in August when Nebraska begins preseason drills. The Huskers open the 2007 season Sept. 1 at home against Nevada.
In the months preceding preseason camp, Suh will try to hold his weight in the 305-pound range. Last year during spring practice, he weighed about 330.
“I did not like it at all,” he said. “I hated being that heavy, so that was one of my main goals, to lose weight. When I’m at a lighter weight, in the low 300s, I feel I’m a lot faster. I feel I’m a lot quicker. My first step is there, everything … I’m not hampering myself by being a little overweight.”
Suh, a two-way standout in high school, became the first player from the state of Oregon to accept a Nebraska football scholarship. A Parade All-American, Suh was one of Nebraska’s school-record 13 freshmen to see action in 2005. He played in two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
He received a medical hardship, allowing him to return last season as a redshirt freshman. Now, as a third-year Husker, although he has never started a game in college, he has taken ownership in the NU defensive line’s reclamation project.
“It’s a challenge,” he said. “You always want to live up to a challenge. We see the guys who came before us. We know we have to step it up a notch.”
js
