No. 54, Ola Dagunduro, 6-2, 300 pounds, nose tackle

Dagunduro enjoyed a stellar preseason camp, said Husker teammate Adam Carriker.

“Honestly, in my opinion, he’s dominated the guys he’s gone against,” Carriker said.

Dagunduro’s ability to clog the inside lanes could pose problems for Louisiana Tech’s relatively inexperienced offensive line. Bulldogs center Jacob Peeler, a 6-3, 277-pound junior, will make his second career start. Left guard David Accardo, a 6-5, 305-pound sophomore, will make his first college start.

Dagunduro often squares off in practice against senior center Kurt Mann, beginning his third season as a Husker starter. The buzz is Dagunduro often does more than hold his own against Mann.

“Ola’s a powerful kid,” Husker defensive line coach John Blake said. “Being a nose guard, he’s got to stay in that rush lane. He’s getting double-teamed all the time. The kid works hard and is aggressive.”

A native of Inglewood, Calif., Dagunduro backed up Le Kevin Smith at nose tackle last season and finished with 22 tackles, including two sacks.

He capped the season with an impressive performance against Michigan in the Alamo Bowl. In the second quarter, he dropped Chad Henne for a 6-yard sack. In the fourth quarter, Dagunduro scooped up Henne’s fumble and returned it 13 yards to the Wolverines’ 17-yard line to set up the Huskers’ game-winning touchdown.

He was rated as a four-star prospect coming out of Compton (Calif.) Community College.