LINCOLN — If Jared Crick had a legitimate excuse to get out of watching the Baylor game film, he might have taken it.

His five-sack, 13-tackle performance last Saturday was arguably one of the best by a defensive tackle in school history, yet at no point did the sophomore from Cozad, Neb., look forward to sitting down with teammates and coaches to break it down.

By no means does he fear scrutiny. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Crick doesn’t like the attention.

“I hate kind of getting singled out in front of the rest of the guys,” Crick said. “But what can I do? They were giving me crap, calling me ‘Superstar’ and what-not. You’ve just got to take it.”

He’d better start getting used to it because Crick’s suddenly emerging as a dangerous sidekick to fellow tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Crick and Suh are tied for the team-lead in tackles with 49. They both have recorded 13 of those behind the line of scrimmage. Crick has 8 1/2 sacks to Suh’s 5.

After that Baylor game, Crick earned two national defensive player of the week awards - the Walter Camp and the Bronko Nagurski. He was a Big 12 weekly honoree, too.

“We were hoping that throughout the season that if you double-team Suh, then I’m going to go at it and try and make plays,” Crick said. “So that was our goal at the beginning of the season, just to kind of even it out.”

But now, Crick’s sort of hoping for a little extra attention on the field, so he’ll be less noticeable off it. He told reporters Tuesday that he’s welcoming opposing centers to shade a little his way, so Suh can step back into the limelight.

That’s just Crick’s personality, though. He plays with such a care-free attitude with the pads on, but couldn’t be more reserved the moment he’s in street clothes. Just ask the people who know him best.

Dreu Young, an NU junior tight end who was teammates with Crick at Cozad High School, remembers seeing Crick deliver what might have been the most vicious hit he’s seen during the first half of a blowout against Hershey.

According to Young, on an interception return, Crick upended a scrawny position player so violently that his dazed victim couldn’t get off the field without repeatedly falling back on the grass.

Of course, the humble Crick is almost embarrassed when the play’s brought up again now.

“He told that story? I still feel bad about that,” Crick said.

Crick’s high school coach, Ron Bubak, always likes telling a similar tale. Crick, playing offense this time, once peeled back after a completed pass and cleared the way for a ball carrier with another bone-jarring hit.

When Bubak cued up a replay, his players were oohing and ahhing - all except Crick.

“He said, ‘That’s what I do, coach,’” Bubak said. “That’s pretty much Jared.”

And he hasn’t changed one bit.

From what NU defensive coordinator Carl Pelini’s seen during the past two years, Crick doesn’t mind working hard without notoriety, even among his teammates.

“Did you ever see the Geico caveman commercials? He’s mono-syllabic,” Pelini said. “Sometimes he’ll open up, but not very often. Pretty much a ‘Yep’ is all I get from him most of the time.”

Pelini’s not complaining, especially considering the numbers Crick’s recorded over the past few weeks.

Crick began the year trying too hard to make things happen for his teammates. He’d take on extra blockers and ignore his own one-on-one opportunities in hopes that he’d help players like Suh take advantage.

He’s playing more freely now. Crick has recorded seven or more tackles in three of his last four games.

But in some ways, Crick wouldn’t mind if this was his statistical peak.

“We’re all hoping that each and every guy can get a one-on-one opportunity every now and then,” Crick said. “That’s what we’re trying to capitalize on.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com