The problem for Florida Atlantic was that the first two series resulted in three-and-outs.
Crick and Suh combined for ten tackles on the night while the NU defense limited FAU to just 122 yards on the ground. During first few series, although they were three-and-outs, Crick was approached by Suh about the way he was playing.
“I told Suh in the beginning of the game that I was going to try to get him open as much as I can, and he shut me down on that idea,” Crick said. “He said ‘no, you have to make plays for yourself, and that’s how the rest of the defense was going to get going behind you.’ So I just went out with the mindset to make plays for myself.”
Crick did just that. He found himself in the FAU backfield early and often, making key plays and causing several poor decisions by Owl quarterback Rusty Smith. According to Smith, it didn’t go unnoticed.
“We couldn’t generate any kind of yardage,” Smith said. “We can’t expect our defense to be out there the whole time and expect them to keep stopping (the NU offense).”
The pressure put on Smith by Suh, Crick and several others, forced Smith into two interceptions – a number that could have been more if NU didn’t drop an interception and if a roughing the passer penalty didn’t erase the chance for four. The NU defense recorded three turnovers in the game, though, with the other takeaway being a fumble recovery by defensive end Cameron Meredith.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said he was pleased with the pressure the defensive line was able to get, but it wasn’t a main focus for his team coming into the game.
“(Florida Atlantic) threw pretty quick the whole game,” Pelini said. “They didn’t hold the ball very long, and we knew going in that it was going to be hard to pressure the guy. It really wasn’t our game plan. The guy threw the ball away, and he threw on a quick rhythm, but I thought up front we played really well.”
Crick and Suh also played alongside defensive ends Barry Turner and Pierre Allen who combined for six more tackles, making the total count 16 alone for the starting NU defensive front.
FAU running back Willie Rose was never able to take off on the NU defense, rushing for just 19 yards on six carries. He was second on the team behind Alfred Morris, who was able to scamper for 88 yards on 18 carries.
To say the least, Rose was not satisfied with his performance or the team’s.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Rose said. “We did have high expectations, and we felt confident tha we were going to make things work, knowing the experience we had coming back and just working in practice the last few weeks, but it didn’t turn out the way we hoped.”
Suh added more highlight reels to his NFL draft tape Saturday night, but the night had a much different meaning to Crick. He said getting his first start under his belt will play a big factor in his confidence as the season goes on.
“I was pretty confident going in,” Crick said. “I knew all my assignments. I knew what I had to do, but now I have a game under my belt. It does give me a little more confidence going into Arkansas State with a game under my belt.”
Crick was also quick to say that Saturday night can be spent focusing on what they did right, but Sunday is all about working hard on what needs to be fixed.
As the Cornhuskers prepare for the Arkansas State Red Wolves, Crick and Suh will continue to bond as teammates and get accustomed to each others tendencies. So far, Suh couldn’t be happier with what he’s seen from Crick.
“He played like he played in practice,” Suh said. “He was being where he was needed. I told him to go make plays, and that’s what he did, and it opened up.”
spencerschubert@dailynebraskan.com
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