Dealt two major blows in just over two weeks, the Nebraska linebacker corps easily could be left in shambles with the season set to start Saturday night.
Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini on Friday saw it differently.
Pelini told a Big Red Breakfast crowd that linebackers such as Lavonte David, Eric Martin, Mathew May, Alonzo Whaley, Thomas Grove and Graham Stoddard will be asked to keep the position strong in the absence of Will Compton and Sean Fisher.
“I promise you that there’s plenty of ability in that room left,” Pelini said. “We have very high expectations for them, and we will not lower our standards just because we’ve had a couple injuries.”
Head coach Bo Pelini announced Thursday night that Compton suffered a foot injury and would be out indefinitely. The Huskers already had lost Fisher for the season when he broke a leg in practice Aug. 17.
Compton and Fisher had the inside track on starting jobs after both saw extensive action as redshirt freshmen a year ago.
Carl Pelini said he felt bad for both players, but he said “shame on us” if Nebraska hasn’t developed the depth to overcome the setbacks. The Huskers will start finding out how good that depth is with the 6 p.m. game against Western Kentucky at Memorial Stadium.
“You lose two guys with the ability and experience of Sean Fisher and Will Compton … two years ago that would have just been absolutely devastating to our football team,” Pelini said. “It’ll affect us, I promise you that. I mean, it hurts.
“And yet at the same time, these other guys just have to step up. They have the ability to do it, and the pressure’s on them now.”
Of those being asked to come forward, several have played on special teams but very little at linebacker. David is a junior-college transfer who is about to get rushed into more extended duty than might have been projected a month ago.
Pelini said what makes him feel better about the situation at linebacker, however, is how they all prepared themselves through preseason camp.
“You always tell players this: ‘You’re not a backup,’ ” Pelini said. “Even if you’re a two or three, you’ve got to prepare as if you’re a starter, because you never know when your opportunity’s going to come.
“What a life lesson for those linebackers. For one of them, that opportunity came two days before the first game. So we’ll just see how they respond.”
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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