Bohl 'encouraged' by defense's play

Holding Iowa to zero points and 169 yards of total offense gave Nebraska Linebackers Coach Craig Bohl a smile on Sunday.

But that does not mean the Cornhusker defense is totally satisfied with its performance.

Iowa scored on a punt block in the fourth quarter, which blew the Husker shutout and displeased many defensive starters.

"That hurt bad, because our defense had worked hard to get that goose-egg," Husker cornerback Ralph Brown said after the game in Iowa City, Iowa. "It hurt for that to happen on special teams because we weren't out there and there wasn't anything we could do about it. It shows on the scoreboard, and a lot of people are going to think that came against our defense."

But Bohl found many positives in the play of the defense against the Hawkeyes - especially in the play up front in the trenches.

"We are encouraged by the play of the defense," Bohl said. "The defensive line did an outstanding job of establishing the line of scrimmage, which enabled the linebackers to roam around."

Bohl said the major goal of the team was to limit the number of mental breakdowns, and he was pleased with their effort.

"This defense is so driven to be the very best, so it will not be tough to come out next week and be on edge for improvement," Bohl said.

What also impressed the NU coaching staff was how many times the defense was able to hit the quarterback.

"We were able to get to the quarterback numerous times, and that took its toll as the game went on," Bohl said.

Bohl said the Huskers will be looking to make major strides in between their first and second games.

"We have a lot of positives to reinforce," Bohl said. "But we also have enough things that we have to sit down and correct. This defense is so focused and driven to be the very best, so I don't think that will be a problem."