Huskers' defense forced South Alabama to pass deep

During Monday’s post practice interview, defensive coordinator Mark Banker talked about the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ defensive performance against South Alabama. Although the Huskers held the Jaguars to nine points, the Huskers’ defense was bombarded by the deep pass. However, coach Banker says there was a reason why South Alabama attempted so many long balls. Maybe the Huskers’ defense forced South Alabama to pass deep.

More from Nebraska Cornhuskers News

The Huskers’ defense totally dominated South Alabama in the trenches, and on the scoreboard. Basically, the Jaguars had no choice but to throw the ball downfield. In addition, coach Banker was not in the mood to alter the strategy, when everything else was working so well. They turned the Jaguars’ offense into a one-dimensional attack, and it paid off with a victory.

In 24 rushing attempts, South Alabama gained 19 yards. Overall, the Huskers’ defense had eight tackles for loss, and two sacks. As dominant as Nebraska’s offensive line played, helping Terrell Newby become a star, they were just as ferocious on the defensive side of the ball. The Huskers’ defense was also helped by the return of a couple of suspended players in the season opener.

Michael Rose-Ivey returned after his one game suspension to tally 10 tackles. He led the Huskers’ defense, making plays without two of the regular starting linebackers in the game. Josh Banderas and Dedrick Young were held out due to precautions, but they should be ready for the big date with Miami. With that said, Nebraska hasn’t had their full linebacker corps in the first two weeks. Chris Weber and Luke Gifford earned much-needed reps, so the Huskers’ defense should have more depth the rest of the season. We should note that Rose-Ivey received his first “Blackshirt” in his Cornhusker career.

More from Husker Corner

Nebraska’s front four really stepped up, giving the Huskers’ defense plenty of push in the middle. Maliek Collins and Vincent Valentine have been terrific for the interior of the defense. After giving up too many running lanes to BYU’s quarterbacks, the Huskers kept the Jaguars’ Cody Clements in the pocket. He wasn’t looking to run, but the interior kept the pressure on throughout the game. However, Clements found a nice rhythm, and started to pick apart the defense. For the Huskers to take the next step, they need Collins and Valentine to get some sacks.

Otherwise, quarterbacks will continue to pick on the corners with the deep ball. Early in the game, the Jaguars tried to hit the home run, but safety Nate Gerry was on the spot to snag his second interception of the season. Unfortunately, the play did not deter Clements from attacking the defense with a barrage of nine routes.

Michael Rose-Ivey leads run defense

The fly pattern had cornerback Daniel Davie on his heels. Plenty of times, Davie was in position to make a play on the ball, but he didn’t seem comfortable with the ball in the air. Josh Magee led South Alabama with 124 yards on six catches. Averaging 24.5 yards per reception, Magee was a real problem for the Huskers’ defense. Coming off of a Hail Mary loss to BYU, any deep pass is enough to give Nebraska fans a heart attack. Therefore, it’s not an overreaction to worry about how the Huskers’ defense will deal with Miami’s passing game on Saturday.

In the end, Nebraska gave up 313 passing yards, but held Clements to 57.5 percent on 23/40 passing. The biggest plays came in the red zone, where the Huskers’ defense suffocated the Jaguars offensively. If the Huskers’ defense can maintain this level of consistency, they will be in the Big Ten West race.

Next: Tommy Armstrong is flourishing.

Home/Nebraska Cornhuskers News