Freshman Culbert plays key role in Husker defense
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraska safeties coach Bill Busch looked into the eyes of true freshman Major Culbert last week, told him he’d be playing a lot against Missouri, and got a response that went something like this:
Oh, ok. Cool. Thanks.
“He’s got that mentality,” Busch said, “that it’s just ball.”
Perhaps Culbert was too young, too naive to understand that Saturday wasn’t “just ball.” That he was playing in his team’s biggest game of the season, in perhaps the biggest game of his head coach’s Nebraska career. That he was a key figure in a defensive scheme designed by a coordinator who again was taking heat from disgruntled fans.
Or maybe it’s everyone else who doesn’t get it.
“My job was pretty fun,” Culbert said, nonchalantly. “I had to go out there and play like it was fun. When you have fun, you don’t think about stuff you have to do as much.”
Culbert, a 6-foot, 200-pound safety from Harbor City, Calif., played what Nebraska coaches label the joker backer. Only this was far from joke material.
With linebackers Corey McKeon and Steve Octavien sidelined with injuries, Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove inserted Culbert in the Huskers’ “30” defense. He was a hybrid linebacker, playing in the middle of an alignment that featured three down linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs.
Nebraska didn’t use the formation the entire game, but it did work in certain situations, as the Huskers defeated Missouri 34-20 at Memorial Stadium. Coaches had worked with Culbert in practice in NU’s nickel package, with hopes Culbert could flush quarterback Chase Daniel out of the pocket and pressure him.
Daniel completed 20 of 38 passes for 244 yards. He gained only 13 yards on nine carries.
“He’s a kid that he’ll run wherever you tell him to, and he makes plays,” senior safety Andrew Shanle said of Culbert. “He’s a big tackler, and he has a lot of energy out there. He’s just a strong, physical freshman. He really got to shine today.”
Culbert, who’s played this season on special teams, finished with six tackles, four solo. One was a key stop of running back Tony Temple on a third-and-10 option play that gained only 5 yards deep in NU territory, meaning Missouri had to settle for a field goal in the second quarter.
“He did an outstanding job in practice this week,” Cosgrove said. “I’m trying to put the best players on the field to give us the best opportunity to win.”
Neither McKeon (ankle, knee) nor Octavien (ankle) practiced last week, and neither played Saturday, although Cosgrove said both could’ve played. With the much-needed rest, though, he expects both players to be 100 percent for next week’s game at Texas A&M.
Cosgrove said he would’ve gone to the “30” defense against Missouri — with Adam Carriker playing nose tackle, and Barry Turner and Adam Moore on the ends — even with a healthy corps of linebackers.
Would he have still inserted Culbert?
“Possibly,” he said. “We needed a playmaker out there, and he’s got playmaking ability. He made a couple nice plays out there.”
Bo Ruud, Lance Brandenburgh and Stewart Bradley manned the linebacker spots in Nebraska’s base defense. Ruud led the Huskers with seven tackles, including a 13-yard sack of Daniel on Missouri’s second-to-last possession. He also forced and recovered a fumble and returned an interception 40 yards to set up a touchdown.
In fact, two of Nebraska’s touchdowns were set up by interceptions, including one by Carriker in the first quarter. Carriker also tipped the pass that Ruud intercepted.
A Blackshirt defense that crumbled in the fourth quarter of last week’s 41-29 loss at Oklahoma State turned away Missouri on its final two possession Saturday after the Tigers had pulled within two touchdowns.
“That fourth quarter (last week), we stopped fighting. We stopped throwing punches,” Moore said. (This time) we focused on keep fighting, keep battling.”
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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