The Huskers open up their season on Saturday against Western Michigan. Kick off is set for 6 p.m. but there are many things to discuss before that time comes. The first of my daily issues for previewing the Huskers is the defensive side of the ball.
Honestly, there are so many issues with the defense that I could spend all of my pre-season issues on this side of the ball. Questions ranging from who will play at linebacker, or what will the secondary do to how much push can the defensive line create could be covered. However, there are a lot of issues elsewhere that need to be touched as well. So, without further ado we’ll start with the biggest issue … the defense.
Last season the Huskers were historically bad on the defensive side of the ball. They gave up an average of 37.9 points per game, 232.2 rushing yards per game and 476.8 total yards per game. There were many things that can be blamed for this downfall – coaching, effort, talent or scheme – but one thing is certain, you can’t win many games playing defense as poorly as that.
There is good news for the Huskers and Husker fans here on the horizon – you can’t get much worse than ranking 112 out of 119 schools in total defense. However, the main question to ask is how much improvement can you expect out of the 2008 Blackshirts?
With the firing of Head Coach Bill Callahan and most of his staff, and the hiring of defensive minded Bo Pelini there is heightened expectations for the defense. One thing that Husker fans can expect out of a Bo Pelini defense is an attacking defense. Pelini preaches converging on the ball – multiple players tackling the ball-carrier – along with the wrap and attack defense.
What I mean by “wrap and attack” is that Pelini’s defenses are known for creating turnovers. When converging on a ball-carrier, the first player’s job is to wrap-up and try to tackle while subsequent players will try to pry the ball out of the carrier’s hands. The other aspect of “wrap and attack” is that there will be increased blitzes and zone coverages – in hopes of forcing a quarterback into throwing the ball before he’s ready and having the secondary in position to make a play on the ball.
In seasons past the Husker secondary has been asked to play the receiver more than to play the ball, and the reason for that is because cornerbacks were asked to play “on an island” (a.k.a. man-to-man coverage). This season they will play primarily zone coverage, allowing them to play their area and break on the ball instead of reacting to the man they are matched on. The last time this defense was established here in Nebraska the Cornhuskers forced a school record 47 turnovers en route to a 10-3 season.
Now, don’t expect 47 turnovers this season, nor should you expect the Huskers to repeat 2003 in being the third ranked defense nationally – that would be absurd to expect from a defense that has at least five new starters and was 112th last season. However, there is reason to be more confident and to expect some good things from this defense – and they could be somewhere in the 30-50 range nationally.
Honestly, I think that this defense has the potential to be around the top 25 nationally. Call me crazy if you want, but let me tell you why I can envision this.
This season the Huskers return all four starting defensive linemen – who have all slimmed down and focused on speed more than sheer power – they return their most consistent cornerback – sure Zac Bowman was the most talented but Senior Armando Murillo was far and away the most consistent – and a team leader in Junior safety Larry Asante. These returners will be key to the defense’s turnaround, and the Huskers will need them to be consistently good. However, they are not alone out there.
This season we’ll see Junior Phillip Dillard be a true starter for the first time, and the coaching staff has called the secondary one of the most talented they have ever seen. And it is true, talent-wise the Huskers have a stable full of young cornerback and safety prospects. Currently it looks as though Murillo will have Sophomore Anthony West as his starting cornerback partner while Asantewill pair up with Junior Rickey Thenarse. Behind that pair will be a host of young talented players – such as Sophomore cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Eric Hagg, and Junior safety Major Culbert (who has played linebacker, running back and safety in his three years here).
The defensive line should be the strength of the defense with Seniors Barry Turner and Zach Potter returning at defensive end and Senior Ty Steinkuhler and Junior Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle. These guys have plenty of experience and should be able to get to the quarterback a lot more than last season – creating pressure to help out the less experienced linebackers and secondary.
However, here is where we hit the major concerns for the Blackshirts, depth for DT and the linebacking group. At DT the Huskers will rely on Shukree Barfield at both nose guard and the gap position as the only experienced player. After Barfield will be a couple of redshirt freshmen in Jared Crick and Terrence Moore. There will be pressure on these young players to continue the level of play that the starters play at.
The biggest concern is obviously the linebackers, who lost all three starters from last season. However, the story doesn’t end there as Callahan was completely unsuccessful in recruiting linebackers during his tenure here - leaving the cupboards bare when he left. Phillip Dillard is the only player in the group who has started a game at linebacker, and the biggest spring/fall camp story this season was Cody Glenn moving from running back to the WILL linebacker spot. At the BUCK linebacker position we’ll see Tyler Wortman - a walk-on who was awarded a scholarship.
Behind those three starters will be a sophomore in Blake Lawrence and three freshmen in Will Compton, Colton Koehler and Sean Fisher. These guys are talented and have the potential to become great, however they are untested and, with the exception of Lawrence, I’m not sure they are ready to play yet. But with the depth in the state that it is right now, they must learn on the fly.
Now, I’ve basically avoided this so far, but I have to talk about Cody Glenn. Glenn moved from running back to linebacker at the beginning of Spring Camp and instantly became the starter at WILL backer. There is a question there, what kind of depth did we have if he moves from offense and gets to the number one spot? Or is it that he is just that good? Perhaps a combination of the two? Well I’m going to go with that last option. Glenn has the physical tools to be a great outside linebacker – speed, power, intelligence and motivation – and has, by all accounts, been working very hard to improve.
Glenn is not taking anything for granted and I believe this is the reason he will be a success at the WILL spot. The real question I have about him isn’t whether he can tackle or hit hard enough, it’s how will he do in coverage? I think that he’ll turn out just fine. But don’t trust just me … Linebackers coach Mike Ekeler has sung Glenn’s praises after spring ball:
“I said, ‘Hey, Cody, chances are that you can go back to Rusk and kick your feet up on the couch, and come back in two-a-days and we’ll roll a ball out there and you’ll probably be the best WILL linebacker we’ve got,’” Ekeler said. “I said, ‘If that’s what you want, then go home and do that.’ But I told him his focus ought to be on being the best WILL linebacker in the United States.”
Glenn has taken those words to heart and appears primed for a big season. Which is something that the Huskers need to be successful. Yes, there are many questions that need to be answered this season, but only time will tell if the Blackshirts can answer them. I personally think a 25th ranking in total defense isn’t out of line seeing the talent we have and the aggressive style of defense Pelini preaches, but like I said earlier … you can call me crazy.
