Nebraska prepared to see plays and formations Colorado hadn’t shown all season heading into its game with the Buffaloes Friday.
Instead, it was the Cornhuskers who flipped the script.
For the first time this year, NU showcased its “diesel defense,” which consists of five down defensive linemen. The formation is designed to give the NU playmakers on the defensive line a chance to go one-on-one with their opposing offensive lineman.
Although the Blackshirts were successful in pressuring Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen, the CU signal-caller found more holes in the Nebraska secondary than any other quarterback this season.
“I don’t think we played good football from start to finish,” NU coach Bo Pelini said after the Cornhuskers’ 28-20 win over Colorado. “I don’t like the way we played; I don’t like the execution. We have got to get better as a football team.”
And quick.
Colorado threw the ball around for 269 yards last Friday, which is the most Nebraska has allowed all year. The number is even more impressive considering the Huskers were giving up an average of 182 yards passing per game coming into Friday.
Nebraska is now preparing for Texas. The Longhorns have the best scoring offense in the Big 12 Conference. UT also ranks third in the conference in passing offense, averaging 286.2 yards per game.
Nebraska, on the other hand, has the best scoring defense in the Big 12. The Cornhuskers also claim the best pass defense in the conference.
Something will have to give this weekend, and recently, that has been the Nebraska defense. With the offense still struggling to maintain drives and put points on the board, the spotlight on the defense has been getting brighter.
Safety Matt O’Hanlon said the NU performance against Colorado was far from perfect, but it showed the Huskers what they need to correct.
“We didn’t play our best football,” O’Hanlon said. “We have a lot of stuff to improve on, but we got some time. We let too many wide receivers go wide-open, so we have a great challenge coming up against Colt McCoy.”
McCoy is not only a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, but if he leads Texas over Nebraska on Saturday, the Longhorn quarterback will get his shot at a national championship.
The Texas quarterback has been nothing but precise nearly all year for the Longhorns, embarrassing opposing defenses with his arm and his feet. Through 12 games, McCoy has thrown for 3,328 yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. On the ground, McCoy has scrambled and sprinted for 368 yards and two touchdowns.
Those numbers might be a little easier to come by considering McCoy’s roommate has been on the other end of nearly half his touchdown passes. Longhorn receiver Jordan Shipley has eluded corners and safeties all season, pulling in 99 receptions for 1,292 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
NU cornerback Prince Amukumara said he’s heard plenty about all of those numbers and all the other hype that goes along with the two standout UT players.
“We have been hearing about Texas a lot, and they are a very good team,” Amukamara said. “But I think we definitely have a lot of momentum, and that’s what we wanted to be able to build. I think our whole team is excited for this opportunity. It’s going to be a pretty good game.”
Amukamara was one of three Huskers to pick off Colorado quarterback Hansen on Friday. Cornerback Dejon Gomes and O’Hanlon were the other two, showing that although CU found some holes in the defense, there were also several closed ones.
Nebraska secondary coach Marvin Sanders said he was very pleased with the overall play of his unit.
“I thought our kids played hard,” Sanders said. “We were able to get a couple interceptions, some turnovers, so it was a good win.”
Gomes, who has three interceptions this season, said he is looking forward to facing the likes of McCoy and Shipley on Saturday. The junior cornerback said his confidence hasn’t been rattled one bit, even after the Blackshirts allowed a season-high 403 yards of total offense against CU.
“When all 11 people are doing their job, it’s hard to get yards on us,” Gomes said. “On some of the big plays (Colorado had), it was just one person, so 10 out of 11 were doing their job. But when all of us are doing our job, it’s hard to move on us.”
spencerschubert@dailynebraskan.com
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