LINCOLN, Neb.—When Ndamukong Suh lines up at fullback for Nebraska, things are just “Ducky” for the offense.
Suh has emerged as one of the Big 12’s dominant defensive linemen this season. But it was his touchdown reception in last week’s win over Kansas that has earned the 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior nicknamed “Ducky” his celebrity.
Now he wants to take a handoff.
Suh has lined up in short-yardage or goal-line situations three times the past two games. The first time, against Oklahoma, he errantly blocked a cornerback. The second time, he fell on top of Kansas linebacker Joe Mortensen, clearing room for Quentin Castille to run for a first down. The third time, he rumbled out of the backfield and caught a 2-yard touchdown pass on a play dubbed “Spider Six.”
Suh’s offensive contributions are reminiscent of those by William “Refrigerator” Perry, the 380-pound defensive lineman who occasionally played fullback for the 1985 Chicago Bears and even scored a scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
Suh says it’s an honor to be compared to Perry.
But Suh is no “Refrigerator.” He’s “Ducky,” a nickname given to him by backup quarterback Zac Lee.
“Ducky” is a dinosaur character in the children’s movie series “The Land Before Time,” and Lee apparently saw some likeness in Suh.
“Ducky,” the character, actually is female and described as naive and protective of her friends.
Suh is all man, no doubt. Naive? Not so much. Protective? Yes, because he loves dishing out the blocks when he gets his chances on offense.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
Suh is having a pretty good time on the defensive side, too. He had a career-high 12 tackles against Kansas, including 2.5 sacks and four stops for losses. He’s made a team-leading 60 tackles for the season and is on track to become the first defensive lineman to top the Nebraska tackle chart since John Bell in 1973.
Suh should be a lock for All-Big 12 honors and a candidate to enter the NFL draft as an underclassman.
Suh said his intention is to return to Nebraska next year and get his degree in construction management.
“But that could change,” coach Bo Pelini said. “If they tell you that you’re going to be graded out as a top-five draft pick … there are a lot of ifs.”
Pelini, as LSU’s defensive coordinator, helped counsel defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who returned to school after being projected as a first-round draft pick following his junior season. Dorsey finished his senior season with a national championship and ended up as the fifth pick overall in the 2008 draft.
“The beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Pelini said. “Suh kind of came onto the scene this year. He stands out on film at times. I’m sure some of the (NFL) guys are aware of him.”
Suh initially was asked to help out on offense the week of the Oklahoma game. Quarterback Joe Ganz said the Huskers borrowed the idea from Texas, which uses defensive tackle Roy Miller as a fullback in short-yardage situations. In Texas’ win over Oklahoma, Miller dropped what would have been a touchdown pass after lining up in the backfield.
Suh spends five to 10 minutes on Wednesdays practicing short-yardage plays. In games, he knows it’s his time to play fullback when offensive coordinator Shawn Watson calls for—what else?—”Ducky personnel.”
“Originally it was ‘Suh personnel,’ but all the offensive linemen and Joe said, ‘No, it’s Ducky personnel,'” Suh said.
What about those long-winded names for those offensive plays?
“I don’t know the whole play call,” Suh said. “I listen for key words, and the key words for me are ‘Spider Six.'”
When he heard those words in the fourth quarter Saturday, his heart started to beat a little faster.
“I’m so glad he (Watson) had the trust in me to call that play with me being the first option, where I got the touchdown,” Suh said.
Of course, ol’ Ducky has been the recipient of much good-natured ribbing since scoring.
Fellow defensive lineman Zach Potter, who played tight end in high school, said he keeps telling Watson to give him a chance.
“I want a touchdown, too,” Potter said.
Potter also feigned jealousy over Suh’s newfound celebrity.
“I don’t know if he should get that much fame,” he said. “He’s had, what, one catch, and probably a couple missed blocks you guys probably didn’t see.
“But it’s great to see him over there. He’s such a high-caliber athlete who can do those things. We give him a lot of grief for doing it.”
Ganz said he expects Suh to ask to run the ball now, “a little fullback trap or something.”
“Suh is probably going to be drawing plays up on the dry-erase board up in the offensive meeting room and trying to find different ways for us to get him the ball,” Ganz said. “But me and ‘Wats’ will have the final say on that.”
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