Red Report: Third-down trials
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
By the Lincoln Journal Star
With a meeting with No. 1 Southern Cal on the doorstep, Husker coach Bill Callahan said his team displayed “a lot of energy” the last two practices.
A fair amount of that energy has gone into trying to improve on third-down situations.
After two games, the Huskers rank 10th in the Big 12 in third-down conversions (33.3 percent).
The Huskers were 1-for-6 on plays of third-and-2 or less in Saturday’s 20-17 win at Wake Forest.
“The best thing you can do is sit down and put the film on and show exactly what’s happened in the past, show them what’s happened last week and build on it,” Callahan said.
The coach said he has had his offense challenge his top defense more than usual on third-down situations the past couple days.
“We’ve been matching up more with them to get more speed in our game, and get more practice versus speed in our game,” Callahan said.
Last year, Nebraska was 5-of-14 on third downs against the Trojans. USC was 9-of-15.
“It’s going to be one of the deciding factors in this contest,” Callahan said. “A great third-down pass defense, pass offense, rush offense, is going to be necessary, it’s going to be crucial.”
Out of the Wake: Wake Forest obviously hurt Nebraska last week with several end-around plays, a staple in the Demon Deacons’ rather unorthodox offense.
The Huskers this week will encounter a USC offense that is totally different than Wake Forest’s scheme, said NU cornerbacks coach Phil Elmassian.
“USC’s a West Coast offense — exactly like us,” he said.
The Trojans favor zone running plays, stretch plays and power runs. USC’s offense may be less complex than Nebraska’s.
“They’re more into seven-man (pass) protection,” Elmassian said.
Elmassian shot down any notion that USC might feature less talent at the wideout positions with the departure of Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith to the NFL.
For instance, “(Vidal) Hazelton’s really a good player,” Elmassian said.
By the Numbers
324: The average number of dollars a ticket for the Nebraska-USC game is going for on StubHub, an online ticket-selling service.
Tickets for last year’s Nebraska-USC game in Los Angeles sold on the site for an average of $175.
According to StubHub, it is currently the fifth-best-selling college football game of the season, based on dollar volume.
The top four: Notre Dame at Penn State, USC at Notre Dame, USC at Cal, LSU at Alabama.
Scouting Report
C Brett Byford
Here’s a fun assignment for senior center Brett Byford this Saturday. Go ahead and block that All-America nose tackle over there.
Sedrick Ellis is his name. The 6-foot-1, 285-pound USC junior was named about all-everything in 2006, notching eight tackles for losses and 4½ sacks.
Husker coach Bill Callahan respectfully calls Ellis “a load.”
Of course, Callahan also thinks pretty well of his guy Byford.
Last year against USC, Byford made just his second start.
All things considered, Callahan said, “I thought he handled himself well.”
Callahan said he’s not only been pleased with Byford’s play, but also the way he’s acted off the field as a team captain.
“He sets a good example,” Callahan said. “He works hard. He’s consistent. He’s a smart guy, a tough guy, dependable. I can see why our team voted him captain.”
Opponent Watch: Missouri
The Tigers keep winning despite being woeful at stopping the run.
In Mizzou’s 38-25 victory at Mississippi on Saturday, Rebels running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis became the seventh player since the 2005 season to record a career-best rushing total against the Tigers, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune.
Green-Ellis had 226 yards, and eight runs of 10 yards or more against the Tigers.
“There’s always something we’re not doing that’s helping a guy get 220 yards,” nose tackle Lorenzo Williams told the Daily Tribune. “He’s definitely a good running back, but if we would have played our assignments better, it would have been a different game."
— Brian Christopherson and Steven M. Sipple
Most Commented news