LINCOLN — After three weeks of practice in the spring and three more in August, Carl Pelini still can’t offer a specific solution to Nebraska’s biggest question on defense:
How do you replace Ndamukong Suh?
But by no means should it be inferred that the Huskers’ defensive coordinator is skeptical about his unit’s ability to stifle offenses the way it did a year ago.
He talked with reporters for about 10 minutes after practice Thursday, offering a position-by-position synopsis of a still-developing lineup. Not once did he convey a hint of doubt.
“I’m excited about our depth,” he said.
Still, it is quite possible that Nebraska could markedly alter the general defensive game plan that worked so well last fall.
The Huskers’ methodology was relatively basic in nature last season. They let Suh and his three fellow disrupters up front create havoc while the back seven played lockdown coverage. Their personnel matched the offenses’ formation. Blitzing was uncommon, sometimes as rare as once a quarter.
The Blackshirts were so fundamentally sound last year that by simply playing assignment-based football, they could shut an offense down.
“It became our M-O,” Pelini said. “We didn’t need to bring pressure a lot because we were getting four-man pressure and our coverage was good. We were keeping quarterbacks contained. I didn’t feel pressure to bring a lot of guys.”
Does that change now, though? The Huskers will start a new lineman at tackle and at end. They’ll have new linebackers and new safeties, too.
To keep that same philosophy, the defensive line would have to be just as productive and the secondary just as sturdy.
“Who knows how it’s going to play out? I don’t think we approached camp differently this year than last year,” Pelini said. “But you always have that pressure package, but you only use it when you need it. As the year goes on, you may see a team that’s more aggressive or you may see a similar defense to what you saw last year. It just depends how it plays out.”
Whatever approach he decides on, Pelini knows he has plenty of talent to work with.
Two high-caliber cornerbacks, Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard, will make it easier to get creative with schematic decisions on the inside. As a whole, the secondary’s as deep as ever.
Same goes for the defensive line. Pelini says the Huskers go two-deep at every spot for the first time in three years.
And at linebacker, NU has four legitimate contenders for two spots.
“Our guys have worked to become good football players,” Pelini said. “I think we’ve worked awfully hard at recruiting to get these guys in here to give us depth. And our strength program has been tremendous in developing those guys. It’s just been a lot of hard work. I don’t know if surprising is the word. It’s satisfying, your hard work pays off.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com
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