LINCOLN, Neb.—Though the 31-17 score of Saturday’s Red-White scrimmage would indicate otherwise, Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said his defense made significant improvement over the last month.
“The spring game is hard on the defense since much in our system depends on communication,” Pelini said. “When you’re in there with guys you’re not used to working with, it can be hard. But we made significant improvement this spring.”
In particular, Pelini said the linebackers and defensive backs got better at decision making, understanding schemes and concepts and being aggressive.
Husker defenders agreed that spring 2009 was more productive than 2008 because they had spent a year in the system brought to Nebraska by Pelini and his brother, head coach Bo Pelini.
“Last year we really were just learning the defense, trying to figure out what to do,” tackle Jared Crick said. “Last fall, we learned some more. This spring we were able to pick up where we left off. We could work on technique and aggressiveness. To be a great defense, you have to be aggressive.”
Familiarity might have had something to do with the improvement, but Carl Pelini attributed “99 percent” of it to the players’ attitude and hard work.
“We’ve had as hard a spring as I’ve ever been through just in terms of what we asked them to do,” Pelini said.
Both Crick and Ndamukong Suh, the likely starters at defensive tackle, said this spring was the most physical and demanding of their time at Nebraska.
“It was a real physical spring, but it’s all beneficial,” Crick said. “Coach Pelini put us in disadvantaged positions all spring and we had to fight through them so when we get in disadvantaged positions in the fall, we’ll be ready.”
A third factor working for the defense is its depth. Each starter has at least one backup pushing him for playing time, Pelini said. That creates competition for every position.
“I love competing,” said cornerback Alfonzo Dennard. “Every cornerback is going to compete and I want to get on the field. So I have to focus and do whatever it takes to get there. If a coach says do something, you do it and you do it right.”
Pelini said he, too, loves the competition, which helps create the aggressiveness that makes a successful defense.
“If they keep that attitude and keep flying around out there, we have a chance to be a very good defense,” he said.
How good?
“I think we can be at the top of the country,” Suh said. “We have that potential.”
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