Let me be clear when I say this. The Nebraska football defense is not trying to make any sort of outlandish statements. If anything, the words said by linebacker JoJo Domann sound more like achievable promises.
The linebacker has had a lot to say to the media over the past couple of days. Don’t worry, he has said all good things. One of the things he talked about was things that you, as fans, will be able to expect from the defense in the 2021 season.
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After what was a year that saw defensive improvement in 2020, I have high expectations for this unit next year. It sounds like Domann does as well.
In speaking to the media on Tuesday, he talked about the improvements that you may on the defensive side of the football next season. Truthfully, they are sound like achievable goals, especially when you consider the group that is coming back and how veteran-laden it is. This is also a group that is familiar with defensive coordinator Erik Chinander. That should help them achieve some of these goals as well.
Domann pointed to specific areas that the unit will try to be better at, and that they will work hard in excelling in.
"“We’re not invincible,” he said. “We’re going to get beat out there. But the way we rally and the way we hold down the fort and help control the game for our offense — getting more three-and-outs, forcing more turnovers, and making the game easier on them and giving them more opportunities to score — that’s what you’re going to see from us.”"
I have zero doubt in my mind that they will be able to make this happen. Especially when you consider how much better their run defense was at the tail end of last year, things can only go up with the group that is returning. That intensity that Domann brings every single snap, I think you are going to see that defensively.
The defense, especially the linebackers, are a group where so many veterans are coming back. This is their last chance to play football for Nebraska. They want to win, and they want to set the tone for the future. Domann himself said that. It is why I don’t find what he is saying here so outlandish. This is a hungry group, and now it is all about execution. Truthfully, words like these make me even more excited for next season.