STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 6:00 pm
At this point in their Nebraska football careers, the four senior starters on the Husker defensive line seldom require a lot of words to convey on-field adjustments.
“We can just give each other a look, and we know what to do,” said nose tackle Ola Dagunduro.
For instance, Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker might glance toward Dagunduro a certain way, and Dagunduro instinctively knows Carriker is about to make a move toward the inside of the line, meaning Dagunduro needs to cover the outside.
“It’s outstanding,” Dagunduro said. “It’s like we’re in each other’s head. We know what we’re doing.”
In an up-and-down season for the Nebraska defense, the Huskers’ four starting linemen arguably have provided the most stability. To be sure, they played superbly as a group in the Huskers’ latest game, a 21-7 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 2.
Although Oklahoma found success through the air, Nebraska held the Sooners’ vaunted rushing attack to 42 yards on 28 carries, with the defensive line playing a major role.
Nebraska now prepares for a Cotton Bowl showdown Jan. 1 against Auburn, which features a West Coast offense that emphasizes a formidable rushing attack out of the I-formation.
“That’s just Auburn football,” said Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville. “We want to run it. We want to have a fullback and a tailback in the backfield most of the time, and work off that to play-action and drop-back passes.”
Nebraska (9-4) begins Cotton Bowl practices in earnest Saturday.
“They’re definitely going to be intense,” Carriker said of the workouts. “We have a month before the bowl game. Coach (Bill Callahan) isn’t going to make it easy on us.”
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Carriker leads Nebraska’s defensive linemen with 341/2 tackles, including 13 behind the line of scrimmage. Fellow defensive end Jay Moore has 291/2 tackles, including 131/2 for losses. Carriker leads the team with six sacks, and Moore is next with five.
On the inside of the line, Barry Cryer has 23 tackles (nine for losses), and Dagunduro has 191/2 tackles (61/2).
Against Oklahoma, Cryer and Moore each had two tackles behind the line, and backup tackle Ty Steinkuhler added another.
“Going into that game, a lot of the experts said Oklahoma was going to run all over us, dominate us,” Carriker said. “They had a good offensive line. We had respect for them. But we’ve played really good offensive lines and held our own. We knew we could come in and do what we did.”
Nebraska is 70th in total defense and 43rd against the run, allowing 120.4 yards per game. Carriker said the key against Auburn — or against any running team, for that matter — is being “gap sound.”
“Everyone has a gap and an assignment,” he said. “If you’re doing your job and your assignment, then there’s nowhere (for the runner) to go.”
Tenth-ranked Auburn (10-2) will attack No. 22 Nebraska with running backs Kenny Irons and Brad Lester. Irons, a 5-11, 200-pound senior, averages 82.1 yards rushing per game, and the 5-11, 185-pound Lester, a sophomore, averages 42.5. The Tigers average 155 yards rushing and 178 passing.
Although Dagunduro said Nebraska felt more hurt by the Oklahoma loss than the previous three losses, the Huskers should have no trouble rebounding for Auburn, he said.
Carriker agreed.
“Part of being a football player is being able to bounce back and get ready for the next game,” he said. “You have to love playing the top teams. If you don’t, you shouldn’t be playing. We’re going to be excited. We’re going to be ready to play.
“A win against Auburn would be huge for Nebraska.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.