1994 national champs inspire Husker defenders
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Jared Tomich roamed the Nebraska sideline.
Grant Wistrom sledge-hammered the Missouri logo on HuskerVision.
Charlie McBride spoke to current Nebraska players about the tradition of the Blackshirts, about playing with passion and emotion, and playing for each other.
But don't give full credit to the ghost of Huskers past for Saturday's invigorating defensive performance.
Remember Chad Sievers, the senior linebacker who spoke from the heart earlier this week?
Well, he hasn't let up.
"Oh, yeah, he was fired up," Nebraska cornerback Lornell McPherson said. "He was probably the most fired up (player) the whole game, locker room and everything."
Nebraska had just finished off Missouri 24-3 at Memorial Stadium — a game in which the Huskers defended 91 plays — and Sievers spoke like a player who was ready to keep on playing.
"It was all about energy," Sievers said. "We had the athletes. I told you that on Tuesday. We had the athletes. That ain't the problem.
"The problem is, we didn't have it in our hearts. I don't know why it was. We were out there trying hard, but we didn't have that closeness. We didn't have that togetherness, we didn't have that energy. Finally, we came out there today."
Nebraska was coming off a three-game stretch in which the Blackshirts had allowed an average of 47 points and 447 total yards.
"A lot of you guys had written that we'd lost our edge or had given up or something," Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker said. "That kind of lit a fire into us."
About time, according to Sievers.
"We haven't been talking before the games," he said. "We've been doing our prayer and doing that ... but we had guys stand up and say, ‘Hey, this is what it's about right now.' We had guys hyping it up in the locker room. You should've seen the locker room today. It was crazy. People were pumped up, and that's why we went out there, and we played ball."
Some words from past Huskers didn't hurt matters.
McBride, who retired as defensive coordinator after the 1999 season, spoke to the team Friday night. First-year defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said he's known McBride a long time, and wanted the legendary coach to talk to his players.
Tomich, a former defensive end, also spoke to the team Friday, and again at halftime Saturday.
What did he say?
"I can't repeat it, honestly," Carriker said. "But it got us fired up."
Said Sievers: "He was almost crying in his talk to us. He said, ‘You wear that ‘N' on your helmet with pride.' "
Sievers has evidently taken a page from Tomich's book on inspiration. Cosgrove said Sievers was the team's "igniter" against Missouri.
"He really got things going," Cosgrove said. "The kids did a great job of following him. They played with a lot of intensity."
And with more intensity came fewer missed tackles and blown assignments, something that had been plaguing the defense in recent games.
"You know what the bottom line is? You've got 11 people out there flying to the ball, having fun, loving each other, counting on each other," Sievers said. "That's what happens."
Now, the big question: How do the Blackshirt keep this going?
"Energy, baby," Sievers said. "I mean, we've got to open our mouths. I'll open my mouth every day if I have to in the locker room."
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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