HuskerfaninOkieland
Heisman Trophy Winner
Mailbag
Why on earth, after losing arguably the best defensive player of the past decade (Ndamukong Suh), would head coach Bo Pelini say his Nebraska defense will be "five times" better this year?
-- Shane Johnston, Raleigh, N.C.
I'd say partially because Bo's a little nutty like that, but mostly because he holds his defenses to near-impossible standards. While most of us remember Suh and Co. teeing off on Colt McCoy in the Big 12 title game, blanking Arizona in the Holiday Bowl and generally playing at a national-championship level most of the season, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Pelini spent much of the winter seething about the Blackshirts' last-minute collapse at Virginia Tech or their one notable debacle against Texas Tech.
But he's not completely crazy. On paper, Nebraska's defense should be as good or better than last season's. (It won't be five times better, because that would require allowing 54 yards per game). As dominant as Suh was, Jared Crick was an All-America-caliber performer on the defensive line as well, and Pierre Allen wasn't far off. They both return. Four solid cornerbacks return, as well as safety Eric Hagg.
But the biggest reason there's such lofty expectations for this defense is that so many of the returning players were largely unsung when Pelini arrived. Not only has he developed them, but his most talented recruits are only now breaking into the lineup or the depth chart. In other words, he knows his defense is only getting better, which is truly scary considering the way it played last season.
Now if he could just find an offense...
Why on earth, after losing arguably the best defensive player of the past decade (Ndamukong Suh), would head coach Bo Pelini say his Nebraska defense will be "five times" better this year?
-- Shane Johnston, Raleigh, N.C.
I'd say partially because Bo's a little nutty like that, but mostly because he holds his defenses to near-impossible standards. While most of us remember Suh and Co. teeing off on Colt McCoy in the Big 12 title game, blanking Arizona in the Holiday Bowl and generally playing at a national-championship level most of the season, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Pelini spent much of the winter seething about the Blackshirts' last-minute collapse at Virginia Tech or their one notable debacle against Texas Tech.
But he's not completely crazy. On paper, Nebraska's defense should be as good or better than last season's. (It won't be five times better, because that would require allowing 54 yards per game). As dominant as Suh was, Jared Crick was an All-America-caliber performer on the defensive line as well, and Pierre Allen wasn't far off. They both return. Four solid cornerbacks return, as well as safety Eric Hagg.
But the biggest reason there's such lofty expectations for this defense is that so many of the returning players were largely unsung when Pelini arrived. Not only has he developed them, but his most talented recruits are only now breaking into the lineup or the depth chart. In other words, he knows his defense is only getting better, which is truly scary considering the way it played last season.
Now if he could just find an offense...
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