John Mabry: Blackshirts build their own steel curtain

PITTSBURGH — This is a tough town — Steel Town.

Pittsburghers are plenty nice, don't get me wrong. But when it comes to defense, they don't take kindly to strangers.

This is Mean Joe Greene's old stomping grounds. Remember Mean Joe and that kid and that bottle of Coke?

When I saw NU junior tackle Titus Adams walking down the Heinz Field tunnel toward the team bus after Saturday's game, all that was missing was a young Husker fan to  offer him a pop for one of those No. 96 Husker jerseys.

"Hey, kid ... catch."

It was Adams who tried to corral the Pittsburgh kid — quarterback Tyler Palko — on the final play of Saturday's 24-17 Husker victory. Adams wanted the game to end right then and there, without the cloud of uncertainty Palko was able to float toward the end zone.

"He should have held that ball a little longer," Adams said. "That would have been nice.
"I just wanted to end it right there and sprint to the locker room."

But what's another couple of seconds of holding your breath, right? The pass fell incomplete, and the Blackshirts were able to go to the locker room with helmets held high. Their version of the Steel Curtain was dented a time or two, but the Husker defense saved the day in the end.

Don't think for a minute the offense didn't notice.

"They're doing one heck of a job keeping us in ballgames, like today, winning ballgames," said tight end Matt Herian. "They basically won this for us. They kept the lead that we built. Our offense should be thanking them."

Palko should be thanking them, too, for giving him a chance to show his teammates just how much of a beating he can take without throwing up the white flag.

"I don't know what it feels like to be hit that hard," said Pitt's Rob Petitti, a senior offensive tackle. "He was getting hit a lot."

Adams said it was the kind of beating that can mess with a young cat's head.

"After a while, you're getting hit and it's not going right for you, they're doing a lot of thinking," Adams said. "And I don't think that's really good for a quarterback, because he's thinking about what they did on the last play instead of looking forward to the next play."

Palko had plenty of thinking to do Saturday. The Huskers sacked him two times, but more noteworthy were the 11 pass deflections by NU defenders. For three quarters, the Husker defense gave the Panthers nothing on the ground and not much more in the air.

The third quarter was the most impressive period for the Blackshirts. In those 15 minutes, Pitt had 16 plays for a total of 16 yards.

At issue for the Huskers was the pass defense on the over-the-middle stuff, but other than the final drive, which was a nail-biter, it wasn't a problem for defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove and his hammer heads.

So which player is going to get the red sledgehammer this week? Cosgrove presents the prize to the defensive player with the biggest hit of the game.

"It's just a big-hit award," Cosgrove said. "We put an emphasis on being physical and toughness, and we reward it. A big hit gets a big hammer.

"Lornell McPherson got it the first week, and Barrett (Ruud) got it last week.
"Just off the field, you can hear that contact, I thought Bradley had a big hit (Saturday)." 

Stewart Bradley had a couple of big hits against the Panthers. So did Ruud, the team leader in tackles with nine. Ruud's effort was worthy of a few red nails, Cosgrove's reward for hits that are good but not quite hammer-heavy.

Cosgrove might want to stop at Home Depot on the way to work today.

Junior Wali Muhammad, starting for Adam Carriker at right end, might have been the biggest nail-driver of them all. He had an interception. He forced a fumble. He made plays, as they say.

"He was everywhere," Adams said. "I told him he had my game on."

All the pressure sent Palko to the bench for a brief second-half rest. The Huskers weren't picky about which quarterback they harassed. They even got a sacko on Joe Flacco, Palko's replacement for a series.

The NU defense got contributions from many sources. Kellen Huston had six tackles. Titus Brothers came off the bench for a big stop in the third quarter. Daniel Bullocks had a sack. Josh Bullocks had career interception No. 12. True freshman Cortney Grixby is learning the ropes in a hurry and drawing praise for his work.

Left tackle Le Kevin Smith only had three tackles, but that doesn't tell the story of the destruction he and Adams can cause up front. Petitti said the Husker line reminded him of one of the Panthers' perennial rivals.

"They were tough," he said. "I thought they were a Virginia Tech- type of team on the d-line. Virginia Tech always has great d-lines."

It's too early to say this is a great Nebraska defense. Pittsburgh and Southern Miss aren't world-beaters on offense. But this defense is very good.

Bill Callahan joked a couple of weeks ago that the defense might have to carry the team for about 13 games. After week three, it's no joke.

Thanks to the defense, Callahan left Pittsburgh with a Coke and a smile.

Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.