It's amazing what a little focus can do.
It was especially evident for Nebraska's defense, as it helped the Cornhuskers get off to a quick start then hold off Missouri late in NU's 34-20 win.
The Blackshirts were especially dominant early in the game, a far cry from their abysmal performance a week ago against Oklahoma State when the Cowboys rolled to 496 yards.
Nebraska junior cornerback Cortney Grixby said the difference against the Tigers was all mental.
"I think we lost focus last week, and this week we just wanted to refocus. And we came out, and we played a good game," Grixby said. "Now we just want to stay on track."
The Nebraska defense threw a shutout in the first quarter. Of Mizzou's first four possessions, the Huskers forced three three-and-outs, and NU senior defensive end Adam Carriker intercepted a deflected pass from MU quarterback Chase Daniel with 26 seconds left in the first quarter.
"It's good to bounce back and play like we can, play like we're capable of," said Carriker, whose interception set up Nebraska's second touchdown of the game. "Obviously, we control our own destiny now."
The solid play from the Blackshirts complimented an outstanding day for the NU offense and special teams units. Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan praised all three phases of his team's game Saturday but mentioned the younger players on defense who saw increased playing time because of nagging injuries to junior linebackers Steve Octavien and Corey McKeon.
Those injuries, combined with Nebraska's plan to shift to a dime-style defensive coverage on third and fourth down plays against Missouri's spread offense, led to a breakout game for true freshman Major Culbert.
Culbert, listed as a defensive back, played mostly as a fourth linebacker and collected six total tackles after coming into the game with just three career takedowns.
The bulk of Culbert's playing time came in what Husker players and coaches called the "30 package," an alignment Nebraska installed last week that has a three-man front and more defensive backs to guard against the pass.
Culbert's role was to "spy" the fleet-footed Daniel, making sure the Mizzou quarterback threw the football instead of running for big yards.
"I think he was a little banged up from running last week (against Oklahoma)," Culbert said of Daniel. "But he didn't run too much this game, thank God."
NU Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said he decided to use Culbert because he had a good week in practice, showing off some big-play potential.
"He gave us the speed we needed," Cosgrove said. "Not that we wouldn't have had it with the other guys if they were healthy."
On the day, the Blackshirts held Missouri to 363 yards of total offense, well under the numbers allowed in defensive lapses against Kansas and Oklahoma State. The Huskers also won the turnover battle 3-2, which led to 14 points for Nebraska compared to none for the Tigers.
"Anytime you can create the turnover then capitalize on the short field, those are huge, and you just can't put a price on that," Callahan said. "For your defense to play big in a big game like this and come up with those types of plays sure provided a lot of momentum for our offense."
Junior linebacker Bo Ruud was the catalyst in forcing the MU miscues, intercepting a pass tipped by Carriker and returning it 40 yards to Missouri's 17-yard line. In the fourth quarter, he forced and recovered a fumble from Daniel on the Tigers' final drive to seal the win for the Huskers.
"I saw Bo come up big," Callahan said of Ruud, who led the team with seven total tackles. "He has a knack for the ball. He has great instincts, great anticipation. That's not a surprise."
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