UCLA loss bad but Huskers can't backslide

It only took until Week No. 2 but the Nebraska football team’s season is already at a crossroad after its 36-30 road loss to UCLA on Saturday.

It was not only a defeat that could give the Bruins a much needed boost in a town where USC has reigned supreme the last dozen or so years but a loss that raised questions on Nebraska’s end.

Granted, beating an improved but, still to this point, middle of the road Pac 12 team would not have suddenly made Nebraska elite but losing the game begged the question of the Huskers being no closer to a program in select company than when head coach Bo Pelini arrived in Lincoln in December 2007 after Bill Callahan was fired. In fact, the loss only sounded alarm bells of being further away from elite status.

The Huskers still have their public goals of winning a Big Ten title alive and as shaky as most of the conference looks it can still happen. Seriously, don’t laugh. However, if the Husker defense couldn’t slow down Jordan Franklin and Brett Hundley what makes you think they will slow down Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller?

The good news is that for all of Pelini’s shortcomings as a head coach, and more seem to be surfacing as time progresses, Nebraska has bounced back well after losses under Pelini. The Huskers are 10-4 under Pelini after a defeat. Nebraska hosts Arkansas State and Idaho State the next two weeks. The Huskers enter the Arkansas State game as a 24-point favorite but considering their performance against UCLA it’s hard to envision a scenario of the Huskers winning that decisively.

We have heard rumors of personnel changes such as getting younger and faster players like David Santos and Zaire Anderson on the field. After all, Will Compton can only do so much. There is even a possibility of going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 with the departure of defensive tackle Chase Rome.

Pelini told reporters after practice Wednesday that Rome’s “personal goals and personal perception of where he should be on this football team doesn't match the team goals.”

 

Rome's departure comes after the Cornhuskers' defensive line played poorly in a loss at UCLA on Saturday. Defensive coaches said early in the week that personnel changes were being considered at several positions. Rome, who is a sophomore from Columbia, Mo., had four tackles in the first two games.

 

The next two weeks on the surface are winnable before entering the Big 10 opener at home against Wisconsin. Arkansas State, which competes in the Sun Belt, is 1-1 with a 57-34 loss at No. 5 Oregon and a 33-28 win over Memphis. Arkansas State, however, has a potent offense led by quarterback Ryan Aplin. It should also be pointed out that all 34 of Arkansas State’s points against Oregon came after the Ducks fashioned a 29-0 lead after one quarter. Idaho State, which competes in the Big Sky Conference has lost to Air Force (49-21) and defeated Black Hills State (38-3).

 

Husker fans and media alike, including this corner, have had doubts surface. While there is not much Nebraska will do over the next two weeks to regenerate belief, the Huskers can ill-afford to stub their toe, win or lose, the next two weeks.

Husker defense cannot rest

I've seen a lot of posts and comments regarding the performance of Nebraska’s defense in the Huskers 49-20 season-opening win over Southern Mississippi.

Granted, the Huskers gave up just 260 yards of total offense but forced just one takeaway and allowed 7 of 14 third down conversions, not the stuff of championship defenses. However, it is also important to understand why certain things are done. Linebackers Will Compton and Alonzo Whaley showed signs of greatness

First, there is a lot to be cleaned up:

Defensive line lining up off the ball: I’m just giving people reasons for things. You don’t have to like them, I just think it’s important that people know so it can make you somewhat less mad when you see it. When running a 2-gap, it’s important that you are able to get to whatever side you want to of the offensive linemen. If you are too close to them, they can wall you off and you essentially lose one of your gaps you are responsible for and give the other linemen a clean path to the linebacker that is responsible for the running back. Nebraska’s front seven will never be confused with Alabama’s version. Baker Steinkuhler and Chase Rome aren’t going to be chasing down quarterbacks like Alabama’s front four, so the comparisons to them and how their guys lines up are apples to oranges. Also, they don’t run a 2-gap. Now, you can make the argument that Nebraska shouldn’t run 2-gap against heavy run teams or mobile quarterbacks, but the Huskers showed a little wrinkle when Anthony Alford was in the game of going to three down linemen and shifting defensive end Cameron Meredith to a linebacker. Think of the possibilities when Eric Martin isn’t hurt?

The big holes:  Much of this comes back to missed tackles and getting caught up in traffic by our guys responsible for the running back or the motion man across the quarterback’s face. Look no further than the first play from scrimmage of Compton getting reached by a guard that Rome was doing a heck of a job occupying. Compton and Whaley can’t get reached by those guys because the guy eating the two blocks is essentially taking himself out of the play trading 2 for 1. What is encouraging is they didn’t really push Nebraska off the ball, what is concerning is when we had someone in the hole they didn’t make the tackle and we relied heavily on our safeties to come up and make the play. That is going to have to change moving forward, as you just can’t miss tackles. Alford is not as good as Dennard Robinson and Braxton Miller without the experience, but has the same speed and less weapons. Bottom line, the holes are going to be there against 2 gap, it’s up to good/great linebacker play.

Rushing yards and third down conversions: I don’t understand why everyone is so down on how many rushing yards we gave up, but I definitely understand being a little worried about their 50% conversion percentage. In the 2-gap scheme, you aren’t going to stop both run and the pass. They tried running on Nebraska still when the Huskers were up four scores, Pelini will stay in 2-gap all day if they are going to continue to do that. Nebraska is not going to have defensive stats like they did in the 1990s because this defense doesn’t play behind the line of scrimmage. That being said, they need to blitz on first and second down sometimes rather than only waiting on third. They converted those screens a lot, like they one step ahead of on third down blitzes. If you can blitz a little on first and second down, put them in 2nd and 3rd and long, you will see that percentage fly downwards.

The defense gave up 13 points and held them under 100 yards passing, exactly what a 2-gap scheme is designed to do. I don’t care what they gave up rushing. If you hold someone to 13 points on defense I'll give up 400 yards rushing. But there are some definite glaring things that need fixed; I think the tackling was good when they got our hands on them.

I know it can be frustrating seeing the defense line up far from the line of scrimmage, or not blitzing and being behind the line of scrimmage as much as Alabama or LSU, but Nebraska have different athletes and are trying to play to those strengths. I think it’s important to understand why they do things, and why things happen. I will say this, they jumped out of 2-gap a couple times and went to a blitzing safety and/or linebacker and it looked real effective when they didn’t run that screen.

2012 Position Outlook: Defensive Line

One story in a Wine Country Husker series, looking at position breakdowns for the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the 2012 season. Today, we look at defensive line:




Looking back: The Nebraska defensive line was dealt a severe blow when defensive tackle Jared Crick, who appeared poised for a breakout season, was shelved after five games because of a torn pectoral muscle. While Crick was not having the breakout season most expected of him, losing him as a presence in the middle of the line was a fate the Huskers were not counting on suffering before the season began.

The Nebraska defense did not stop teams with the same authority as it had in 2009 and to a lesser extent 2010. The Huskers ranked No. 41 nationally in points allowed (22.8) and No. 37 to total yards against (350.7).

Nebraska also allowed opposing quarterbacks too much time to throw, which is significant because head coach Bo Pelini prefers to rely on the front four to generate pressure without blitzing.

While Crick’s season-ending injury hurt the Huskers during the last half of 2011, it helped develop experience for sophomore Chase Rome, who could be Nebraska’s most explosive young lineman. Seniors Bakers Steinkuhler and Cameron Meredith have been steady starters for two years, but their production seems to have reached its ceiling.

Looking ahead: Though the Huskers lose Crick and Terrence Moore, who started seven games at defensive tackle after Crick was put on the shelf, Nebraska should be in good shape at this position because there are plenty of experienced returning players.

Eric Martin and Cameron Meredith are entrenched as starters at defensive end. Senior Baker Steinkuhler should provide a steady presence at defensive tackle with sophomore Chase Rome pushing strongly for a starting job.

Jason Ankrah, Joe Carter and Kevin Williams are touted recruits who have yet to live up to their potential. Thad Randle and Jay Guy are coming off injuries, but seem to have the goods to stop the run. Todd Peat and Williams could also emerge as contributors. Greg McMullen is a talented recruit while Avery Moss may be counted on to rush the passer more.

The biggest change, however, is the addition defensive line coach Rick Kaczenski, who turned out strong units at Iowa for five years. Kaczenski was hired as a result of John Papuchis replacing Carl Pelini as defensive coordinator after getting hired as the Florida Atlantic head coach. Kaczenski assumes a unit that needs a jolt of energy. This unit should be the strength of Nebraska’s defense in 2012 and it needs to be.

Kaczenski has spent the past five years coaching Iowa’s defensive line. Among the players that flourished under his watch were All-Big Ten picks Adrian Clayborn and Mitch King. Clayborn received consensus All-America honors in 2010.

Seven of Kaczenski’s defensive linemen have been drafted or have signed an NFL free-agent contract over the past four seasons.

Blackshirts must continue to earn their keep

Apparantly it’s not a rumor. Blackshirts were awarded Monday according to the Lincoln Journal Star website in large part due to the Huskers 24-3 win over Michigan State on a day the Blackshirts stymied the Spartans.
The following is an unofficial list of defenders who received the black practice jerseys that are symbolic of excellence:
P.J. Smith, Baker Steinkuhler, Chase Rome, Cameron Meredith, Jason Ankrah, Eric Martin, Austin Cassidy, Josh Williams, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Alfonzo Dennard, Lavonte David, Andrew Green, Daimion Stafford, Lance Thorell, Thad Randle, Justin Blatchford, Will Compton, Sean Fisher, Terrence Moore and Ciante Evans.
The doling out of the Blackshirts is well deserved after a great defensive effort against Michigan State. The front four rushed the passer and controlled the line of scrimmage, the linebackers maintained their lanes, and the secondary completely shut down the receivers. With this kind of defense, the Huskers chances for a Big Ten title are very much alive but for that to happen the strong play must continue.
I still think the Blackshirts should be passed out at the beginning of the season based on practice sessions, and later taken away, or awarded based on game performance. This season the defense was so bad for so long that an exception was warranted.

While part of me says the list is watered down because so many players were awarded Blackshirts, let’s keep in mind every player on that list has either started or received significant playing time.
Changing conferences (going from Big 12 to Big 10) is no small task. The big 12 was fairly consistent in their offensive schemes that were each tailored toward the strength of their personnel. Week in and week out we would have to prepare for slight variations from the prior week in most cases. Occasionally we would have to prepare for a wholesale change in offensive or defensive philosophy but that was the exception.
Our world today is much different. Almost on a weekly basis we have to prepare for a team that we have not played in recent history. In addition, those teams differ substantially in style and scheme on both their offense and their defense.
The curve is steep and the path is narrow, a slip here or a slip there can place our team in a perilous position. It makes it all the more important that this year we have individuals with character that are able to persevere through the highs and lows.
The Huskers have a lot of battle hardened troops on this roster. When they play for each other we see what we saw.