Husker Football: The Ultimate Bulldog Q&A

In our ever-expanding efforts to learn more about the Husker football team’s opposition each and every week, we reached out to Josh Webb, staff writer for Scout.com’s Fresno State site, BarkBoard.com. Webb was kind enough to give us some insight into what Fresno State’s all about and what to expect this Saturday.

Husker Corner: Tell us about the dual-QB situation. What does each offer?

Webb: The quarterback situation is tenuous right now. Brian Burrell has been given every chance to win the job since Derek Carr left, and he hasn’t stepped up to the plate. Several USC defenders actually told me that they noticed Burrell’s eyes change when they barreled down the pocket headed toward him.

Head coach Tim DeRuyter said both guys will play right now, but Burrell seems unlikely to start.

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That honor will probably go to Brandon Connette instead. Connette has had a problem with turnovers against USC, but held that in check against Utah.

One of the reasons Connette’s interceptions might be misleading is because the coaches were throwing him in there with Fresno State trailing by 14 or more.

Connette usually finds himself trying to bail the Bulldogs out of a decent deficit caused by Burrell’s lack of production on offense.

HC: Does it appear there will be separation any time soon?

Webb: Separation? No. Picking one of these guys and allowing them to get the benefit of first-team reps and not having to share them with someone else? One sure hopes so. This ought to be the last game of dual-quarterbacks and there’s going to be some outcry if it isn’t.

HC: What helped contribute to Fresno State’s two blowout losses to begin the season?

Webb: Poor defensive play was the biggest contribution. Fresno State is currently allowing 29.5 yards per catch on seven receptions to X receivers. Juju Smith of USC only had four catches, but they went for over 120 yards.

Similarly, Dres Anderson had 84 yards on just three catches. Two of those three catches were also for a touchdown. The corner play of this team has to improve. Playing five yards off All-American receivers isn’t a strategy that’s paying off for Fresno State right now.

They are also having trouble generating any defensive pressure in their games. Fresno State only has two sacks in two games. Their opponents have a combined eight sacks for 44 yards.

The Bulldogs losing Andy Jennings and Nikko Motta on the defensive line has made a bigger impact than they realized. This team needs to find a way to supplement production from the linebacker spot, which has the bulk of their talent right now.

HC: Do you feel confident in Bulldog Stadium being an intimidating environment to the point where Nebraska could make similar mistakes it did against McNeese State?

Webb: If you had asked me a week ago, I might have said yes. Unfortunately, Nebraska seems acutely aware of how lucky they got to avoid a loss to McNeese State.

Tommy Armstrong, Jr. took the podium during the press conference and owned all responsibility for that game. Offensive guard Jake Cotton acknowledged that they played like crap, but Fresno hasn’t exactly been playing cupcakes. They’re not taking this Fresno team lightly for one second.

On the other side of things, Fresno has yet to show the improvement you want to see out of a team trying to turn their season around. The Bulldogs have allowed 1,227 yards in two games and Nebraska is capable of scoring and picking up yards in bunches.

Fresno State should definitely play better, but the fan-base is only 14 quick Husker points away from turning their passion off pretty quickly. If Fresno State wants to get their fans involved, they need to take Nebraska out early. The Red Wave is less than patient with the start this team has had.

HC: What must the Huskers do against Fresno to up their chances of winning?

Webb: They just need to play mistake free football and disciplined football. Utah and USC have already proven that talent, even young talent, can be enough to beat the Bulldogs. Nebraska is no different in this regard. They’re a young team, but a capable team.

They might even have the best running back the Bulldogs have faced and that includes guys like Buck Allen, Bubba Poole, and Devontae Booker.

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HC: Bulldogs Head Coach Tim DeRuyter recently specifically mentioned the Huskers’ play-action game as a challenge. Do you see this as a major problem for the D if carried out properly?

Webb: Everything has been a problem for the defense so far, especially the deep ball. It’s conceivable that the play-action will be more than enough to get the job done. But the Huskers will have to get Ameer Abdullah going if they hope to set up the play-action pass.

The good news for the Huskers is that the Bulldogs have given up 535 rushing yards in the last two games. Something tells me that Abdullah can manufacture some yards against this defense.

HC: How does the Fresno secondary respond to the deep ball?

Webb: So far they’ve responded by watching the receiver take it in for a touchdown or a huge gain. As mentioned earlier, the primary receiver is averaging around 29.5 yards a catch against the Bulldogs.

Kenny Bell has all the talent in the world to take the Bulldogs deep, but I would probably look for a big game out of Jordan Westerkamp. The X position has been deadly for the Bulldogs and Westerkamp is likely to find his dinner somewhere on that field.

The Bulldogs have allowed 692 passing yards in two games.

HC: What are potential major obstacles to a Nebraska victory?

Webb: Slowing down the start to Fresno State and taking the Red Wave out of it early will be key for Nebraska. Much like McNeese, this is a team that will gain confidence as they find that they can hang around. This is also a team that has not lost at home in the DeRuyter era.

The Bulldogs are capable of turning this around, they have the talent to do so. They’re experimenting with a couple changes this week and it will be a task for Bo Pelini to rattle DeRuyter where he feels most comfortable.

HC: What is your personal impression of the 2014 Nebraska squad?

Webb: I think the Huskers are a young and capable team. Pelini sounds like he’s already given this team the “what-for” after the near-loss, but it doesn’t even sound like he had to do so. This is a team that’s displayed a lot of accountability two games into the season.

I was a little surprised by how humble Nebraska appeared after their win against McNeese.

Normally, opposing media can sorta gain a sense as to whether or not a team is being over-looked headed into a game. Nebraska is not overlooking Fresno State.