Stop worrying about the defense.
(How’s that for starting a column in midstream?)
I know you, Husker fan. You drank in the gorgeous afternoon along with the Kool-Aid, high-fived somebody when Niles Paul made his great grab, exclaimed “that’s Osborne’s play!” after the bouncearooski, texted your buddy that Taylor Martinez is the next flavor of the month, and then, in the bar or on the drive home, you began to chew on the inside of your cheek.
Wonder. Think. Worry.
And in the coming days, sure as garbage companies heinously overcharge to throw your grass clippings in a truck, some scribe or talking head will pick through the scraps of Saturday’s Red/White Spring Game, walk to the microphone, tap it for clarity, and construct a counter-argument that will linger through summer:
That NU’s defense, giving up 677 yards Saturday - and collecting its share of tread marks in two scrimmages - is a potential weakness. Or, at the very least, nowhere near as strong as last year’s version, as Bo Pelini so confidently stated during the winter.
To quote the TBS-bound Conan O’Brien: Keep cool, my babies. Say it thrice.
1. NU didn’t field a first-team defense on Saturday. At best, it was half of a first team. The chemistry of the two-deep is good - but it’s not that good. Especially after 15 practices.
“Communication is a big part of our defense,” cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “Without that, you see a lot of open plays.”
Said safety Dejon Gomes: “The offense did a heck of a job, but the Spring Game is kinda different. Half the guys you’re playing with is on the other team. The chemistry’s a little off.
2. Carl and Bo Pelini rarely dialed up blitzes. When they did, the Red or White offense, save a few examples, didn’t handle it well. The Brothers Pelini weren’t looking for sacks; they wanted to see how quarterbacks Cody Green and Taylor Martinez handled basic coverages.
3. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson overhauled the offense for this spring. And some of the stuff he installed isn’t easy to stop on the first drive.
That’s probably why Nebraska’s running it.
In Bo Pelini’s many years as defensive coordinator, he’s probably figured out what he doesn’t like to defend, and it involves a running quarterback, power football, a downfield passing game, multiple running backs, and a dash of the Wildcat.
In short - a mish-mash of the offenses that gave Bo the most heartache when he was at LSU in 2007: Florida, Kentucky and Arkansas.
Watson - with Bo’s input - appears to have given the offense a run-first identity. And NU’s smallish defense - a Cosgrove collection it isn’t - is a bit prone to a quick-hitting, downhill running game.
Do the Huskers have to address that by continuing to build its defensive line? Absolutely. It’s not there yet. Neither Baker Steinkuhler nor Terrence Moore were exactly dominating Saturday - although Steinkuhler fought off blocks pretty well for a man of his length.
But ends Cameron Meredith and Pierre Allen were in fine form. Meredith screamed off the edge once; another time he bulled his way to the quarterback on an inside twist. Allen, hobbled for much of 2009 with the mysterious-yet-debilitating turf toe, looked stronger and quicker. Josh Williams had a sack, too.
And an opposing quarterback isn’t going to enjoy throwing against Nebraska. Expect blitzes from all angles - with a variety of terrific athletes - to account for the loss of Ndamukong Suh.
Safety Matt O’Hanlon once told me Bo and Carl were an encyclopedia of blitzes. It made his head - and those of his teammates - spin, how quickly they rattled them off. O’Hanlon recounted how, in 2008, Bo called a timeout to keep New Mexico State from scoring a late touchdown, walked out on the field, and modified one his classic “Casino” blitzes right on the spot, pointing at players and giving them their assignments, sandlot-style.
On the next play, O’Hanlon grabbed an interception. Just like Bo told him he would.
And NU’s secondary - Rickey Thenarse, Gomes, Amukamara, Eric Hagg, Anthony West - is a perfect army to deploy to in 2010
Hagg - one of the Huskers’ best blitzers - said the defense hardly concentrated on those schemes this spring. That’s for fall, when the two-deep becomes more clear, and there’s only, say, 30 players - instead of 60 - to refine and hone for the season.
Where Nebraska coaches imagined themselves weak - linebacker - may account for the most growth in the spring. The light went on for Sean Fisher and doubly so for Alonzo Whaley, who played fast and downhill in the Spring Game. Will Compton had a nice pass break-up, and Eric Martin, well, flew around. If he puts all the keys and schemes together - watch out.
Beyond that - there’s a track record with the defense. From the end of that 2008 Oklahoma game until this moment, you’d be hard-pressed to locate a more dangerous, predatory defense outside of Alabama. Since that awful night in Norman, NU’s has been a sack and turnover machine, regardless of the yards allowed. Fissures and cracks have been papered over by Suh and an opportunistic secondary.
Suh may be gone. But the secondary remains. And Bo and Carl have only scratched the surface of their creativity.
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