LINCOLN — A good number of offensive units around the country might be having some success in preseason practice but still facing the obvious question with their first game just more than two weeks away:
Can they do it when it counts?
Because of the strength of the Nebraska defense, though, I-back Roy Helu and his Husker mates might be more inclined to believe their accomplishments in practice are legitimate.
“They scheme, they’re very smart — other defenses don’t do what they do with their defensive ends, their man pressure,” Helu said in an interview before NU shut down news media access to players and coaches on Wednesday. “All this stuff is the hardest type of football to go against on offense. So you put a little bit (of stock) into that.”
Helu and receiver Mike McNeill said they have seen the NU offense make its plays. So has offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, who said there is a difference from a year ago, when the defense dominated in camp in perhaps a sign of things to come — for both units.
“Throughout fall camp I feel like both teams have had their wins,” McNeill said. “So it’s always good. Obviously you don’t want it to be one-sided.
“Our defense is definitely good enough to let us know that if we can compete with them, we can compete with anyone. That’s a given. Beating our defense is beating one of the tops in the country.”
It hasn’t been cause for overreaction, but NU offensive players have seen enough to expect a climb from No. 99 in total offense and No. 75 in scoring in 2009.
The biggest thing showing through in practice, Watson said, is experience on the offensive side.
“We’ve got guys who are familiar with what we’re doing,” he said. “They’ve been developed in both the offense and fundamentals, so that’s what you see. The experience breeds confidence, and the confidence breeds a higher level of play. All that’s kind of coming together for us.”
To clarify, it hasn’t been a case of the offense marching up and down the field on the defense. And recall that the Blackshirts are in the process of replacing Ndamukong Suh and four other starters from a year ago.
But Watson said the defense is still skilled, fast and strong — “all the things you look for in a great defense.”
“So it’s been a good measuring stick for us to kind of prepare ourselves against them,” he said.
“We’ve made plays. We’re making plays. We’re making a good handful of plays against a great defense. And it’s exciting to see how far we’ve come. We got to put it on film when it really counts now in a game.”
Many on the offensive side point to it all starting with the line play.
“The holes are bigger,” Helu said. “That’s the No. 1 thing.”
Nebraska will be plugging in new starters at center and left tackle but now has more options in the line than in either of its past two seasons under Bo Pelini. The Huskers feel as if they’re starting to reap the benefits of redshirting all their linemen out of the 2008 and ’09 recruiting classes.
“We have depth, and when you have depth you have competition, and good things happen,” Watson said. “So no one can really rest on their job.”
Those on the field have helped make the run game more physical, which Pelini pointed out after a scrimmage last Saturday. When the physicality starts up front, assistant coach Tim Beck said, it works its way back to his I-backs and fullbacks.
“I think our offensive line is doing a great job,” Beck said. “Our tight ends and those guys are getting after it and making our job a little easier. As long as they play fast and our guys make cuts and run hard, we’ll be in good shape.”
The defense isn’t conceding anything yet, of course. There will be plenty more showdowns over the next two weeks.
But safety Anthony West said he sees progress with both units.
“With the offense, the receivers are out there competing, going after the ball,” West said. “And we’ve got a lot of good running backs, running the ball hard and making people miss and even lowering their shoulder and running people over.”
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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