Nebraska defense practices new tactics to shut down Mizzou ground game

Blaine Gabbert spent a lot more time dancing than he did completing passes on Saturday.

That was all part of Nebraska's plan to make the Missouri quarterback and his offense one-dimensional.

"We said we were going to take the backs away," NU defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. "We were going to take those short routes away and double guys. We didn't think (Gabbert) could beat us running the ball. It played out to be true."

To accomplish this, Pelini and Nebraska unveiled a three-man defensive line front that caught the Tigers off-guard and disrupted their run game. The biggest change to the new formation was defensive end Cameron Meredith dropping back into a linebacker role.

Pelini said Meredith's new job didn't just affect where he lined up, but he also had to learn the linebacker communication calls.

"There was a lot on Cameron today," Pelini said. "He made the calls, he made the checks, he had to be aware of that back motion and change our fronts."

It wasn't just Meredith that gave the Tigers problems. Nebraska mixed in its three-man front and was able to apply relentless pressure on Gabbert that was entirely absent during MU's 36-27 upset win over Oklahoma last weekend.

On the game's first play from scrimmage, Gabbert was forced out of the pocket almost immediately before scrambling for no gain. Missouri ran the ball 34 times, but 22 of the attempts came from Gabbert. The 6-foot-5 junior netted 74 yards on the ground.

"That was our goal — to get in his head and to make him start dancing and not throw the easy ball," NU defensive tackle Jared Crick said.

Nebraska continued to apply that pressure during the first drive and the rest of the game, and the formation paid off. Missouri running backs carried the ball just 12 times for 68 yards.

Crick said Nebraska expected the Tigers to run the ball more than they did, especially after MU's trio of running backs ran for 149 yards on 30 carries against OU.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel planned to run the ball more on Saturday, too.

"When we did run the ball, they stopped us," Pinkel said, "so I give them credit."

Pelini said the reason NU developed the adjusted formation was Missouri's tendency to attack with its blockers when running the ball.

"We didn't want to give too much away this week, but we worked our three-man front all spring and all fall just for this game," he said. "They get those multiple pullers, and it's the only way to get enough hats to the ball in the run game.

"Our guys were ready to execute it, and they did a great job executing that."

Oklahoma didn't sack Gabbert once last weekend. Without that pressure, he threw for 308 yards on 30-for-42 passing.

On Saturday, Gabbert looked far more uncomfortable in the pocket. He effectively evaded the Nebraska pressure often but had trouble finding open receivers. Many of Gabbert's passes landed amid crowds of players standing on sidelines, and MU went 0-for-9 on third-down conversions in the first half.

Gabbert was sacked six times and hurried seven times. He completed only 18 of his 42 pass attempts.

"We just wanted to try some different things," Crick said. "Show them something they haven't seen yet and just see if it would work. It worked throughout the game."

Nebraska was able to take away a lot of what made Missouri an undefeated team coming into Saturday's game, even if it meant Gabbert was free to show off his scrambling ability.

"He gets loose a couple times, but that's what happens," Pelini said. "You've got to give somewhere."

dougburger@dailynebraskan.com