Nebraska Football: MJ Sherman says ‘fast’ defense suits the roster

Former Georgia linebacker feels like he found a home with the Nebraska football defense in no small part because of how they play.

MJ Sherman had made no secret about the fact that when he first decided to make Nebraska football his new home, he had some anxiety. However, now that he has indeed made his move from the Bulldogs he knows that it was the right move for a couple of reasons.

Right at the top of the list of factors that has made Nebraska football work for Sherman so well is because he feels as though the Huskers have allowed him to really tap into his potential. Speaking to the media earlier this week he mentioned that he’s been working on his pass rush pretty hard for the last few years. It appears that “tapping into his potential” means that he feels as though his pass-rush abilities are going to transfer to the field this fall.

Specifically, the Huskers’ defense allows him to show what he can do as far as getting to the quarterback. That’s factor number two when it comes to being comfortable in Lincoln. New defensive coordinator Tony White’s defense is a place where Sherman feels confident he knows how to do his job.

Sherman described White’s Nebraska football defense as “fast” and added that he’s far from the only person on the roster who is finding a great fit with the revamped 3-3-5 sets.

"“We’ve got those big guys up front, but we also got fast guys on the edges and fast guys on the back end. This college game is starting to become a (run-pass-option) world and everything like that. So we’ve got to play those and adjust to the game. I think the 3-3-5 gives us the best chance to do that.”"

Nebraska football still has some adjustments to make

While Sherman’s comments about the speed on the roster and the speedsters who can absolutely make the defense go are big positives, comparing them to what apparently happened on the field during Saturday’s first scrimmage of the spring season shows there’s still work to do.

In that scrimmage, head coach Matt Rhule made it clear that the quarterbacks had themselves a day. There were apparently plenty of plays when the quarterbacks didn’t just make plays but broke tackles and avoided tackles.

It would appear that the next step for Nebraska football is to use the speed it has to make smart plays and be in a position to really make the tackle.