Nebraska’s Big Play Prevention Defense Will Be Key Against USC

On this week's After Nebraska Football, Josh Peterson and Jack Mitchell discussed Nebraska's defense through eight games. Why is it so conservative, even though they've done a great job at limiting big plays? Josh and Jack dive into the numbers of both the Cornhusker defense and the Trojan offense.

Below is a lightly edited transcript of their discussion.

Jack: It’s weird because it feels like [John] Butler plays defense in a way that he's afraid of getting burned for a deep pass and literally no one's done that all year. That’s what I don't get.

Josh: [Northwestern] was probably the closest to that, right? [They] hit on a couple of nice deep balls.

Jack: First drive of the game, they had a third down and they got a big 30-yard pass. I don't know if there's play action, he might have bit on; something like that. And he was one-on-one and he was wide open, but he still plays defense like he's afraid of allowing these huge plays. And so it's conservative and the ability to get four, or five, or six, or seven yards frequently on Nebraska, whether it's the passing or the rushing game, there's just not enough negative plays.

They have gotta get people behind the sticks and they don't they didn't get and honestly, if you want me to critique some things about that game [against Northwestern]. the inability to get to their quarterback.

Donovan Jones celebrates his interception against Northwestern. — Donovan Jones's interception against Northwestern was among the highlights of the game. Can Nebraska scheme their way to more big plays? | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Josh: I thought it was going to cost him at the end of the game.

Jack: If I was going to give a player of the game it might be Northwestern's right tackle; he would block two guys. He was able to handle two guys so frequently. When you watch the highlights of that game, watch that right tackle on Northwestern's good plays because the dude was always there right at the moment.

Josh: [A subscriber] writes, “I think the consensus is that Butler is paranoid in general.” I mean, you really do view that press conference last week and it's very interesting and just how we talked about things and how we approach things and you wonder what that's gonna mean. Jack, that USC game is gonna be really fascinating in terms of how they try to defend that offense, given that it's so much more multi-layered than what we saw [against Northwestern].

Jack: And it felt like on that last chance, Northwestern had, I think he blitzed three of those plays. I think he sent [Rex] Guthrie on one play on a safety blitz early in the game. I think he tried to send [DeShon] Singleton, but he finally blitzed a little bit. But blitz some of those dudes. Let Vincent Shavers eat, man. Holy hell. Let Vincent Shavers be a playmaker. Figure out how to make [Dasan] McCullough a playmaker. Like these guys are but they run a defense that doesn't allow them to it feels not feels like.

And again, credit to Northwestern's offensive line. I think they really had a good game but still, Nebraska is so conservative. They are the equivalent of like Army on defense. It feels like. Army's offense on defense. Just ultra conservative; Army's going to get four or five yards a play. Nebraska's going to give up four or five yards. They're not going to have big plays, but they're also not going to give up huge losses. There was one drive where Northwestern got a penalty and it was like, okay, well finally they're behind the sticks, and sure enough they ended up having to punt on that drive.

But it’s like they're desperate to get a play where they get these teams into second and 12, right? Or a third and nine or whatever. But otherwise, they're always getting three, four, five, six, seven, you know, sometimes more yards or quick passes, or whatever. It's what Minnesota did during the whole game.

Confuse the quarterbacks. The last two games you haven't played mobile quarterbacks, dude. Like, get after their ass and trust your defensive backs. I don't know what they're worried about.

Josh: Does that tell a story at all about how much they actually do or don't trust the defensive backs, that they're unwilling to blitz like that? It’s a numbers game, right? So if you do that, you're going to have fewer numbers on the backend. [A subscriber] says, “It feels like they give up a lot of big plays for an anti-big play defense.”

Jack: Okay, I guess running, yes; I guess. Name me your top three big pass plays Nebraska's given up this year.

Josh: Honestly, you might go with two of them from [Northwestern]. I'm serious. And then I guess the throw last week, the touchdown, the 20-yarder. I know, I'm proving your point. I know.

Jack: Generally, Josh, you don't blitz like that because you leave the middle of the field open or you don't blitz safeties because you leave your corners on an island.

Josh: Correct. You leave players on an island.

Jack: I'm not talking about the run Minnesota had. The run Minnesota last week wasn't because of some kind of a blitz. The run Michigan had wasn't because of some kind of a blitz. So, stop with that. Let me be more specific if I wasn't clear. They're playing like they're afraid of giving up big pass plays.

Darius Taylor broke free against Nebraska on the ground, but the big-play prevention against the pass has been the calling card all season for the Huskers. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Josh: I would agree, which is odd because they're not giving up big pass plays.

Jack: I would love to hear the people who disagree with me tell me about the big pass plays they've given up this year.

Josh: Because they haven’t. It's been big run plays.

Jack: There's none! There's literally none! I don't know if there's a Nebraska team in 30 years that's given up fewer big pass plays. It’s not even close. They've got the best big pass play defense this team's ever had and the best one in the Big Ten. Give me a break. I mean, come on. Are you watching?

Josh: Jack, are you ready for this? This is going to be really good. I'm going to have a couple of different stats for you. I'm to go 20-yard runs allowed. I'm going to go 20-yard passes allowed and 20-yard plays allowed. Now this is not counting [the Northwestern game]. So there will be an extra-long pass in there, too.

I want you to guess coming into [the Northwestern game], how many passes of 20-plus yards had Nebraska given up.

Jack: Probably gave up a couple against Michigan. I don't know if Michigan State [had one]; he might have got one on like a last drive. I don't know, maybe six or seven.

Josh: Seven pass plays of 20-plus yards, which Jack coming into the day was first in the country by two over Oklahoma. 30-plus yard passes, only one, which is the best in the country and then they've given up then zero of forty, fifty, sixty, etc. pass plays this entire year.

Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler shouts instructions against Michigan. — Has John Butler been too conservative as Nebraska's DC this season? Jack Mitchell thinks so. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

They are number one in defending [big] pass plays. Okay, so that's pass defense. Now, let's look at the run defense. How many runs of 20-plus yards are you guessing Nebraska has given up on the year? Well, at least three against Michigan, maybe more. A couple against Cincinnati. A couple [against Northwestern]. Maybe one or two. I don't know. Maybe 11.

Josh: Actually, fewer than that. Only eight, which is 70th best in the country. You ready for this? Final stat. That's 15 [big plays allowed]. Guess where that ranks. This is long scrimmage [plays].

Jack: [dripping with sarcasm] Probably last. They're bad. They give up a lot of big plays. What's the answer?

Josh: There are only three teams in front of them. The Oregon Ducks, James Madison, and Ohio State. Those are the only teams. It is a team that does not give up big plays; has not given up big plays. And so Jack, I think I just might have proved your point.

Jack: Damn right you did!

Josh: With the actual hard data, think I just proved your point.

Jack: I'll look for the apologies in the chat.

Josh: USC is tied for first in the country at 37 pass plays of 20 or more yards with Duke and Ole Miss. Their running game is 33rd in the country; they have 13. They have the fourth most explosive offense in terms of raw big plays this year. They have 50 plays of 20-plus yards. So, I'll offer a nice little key [for Saturday night]; big plays. Big play prevention for Nebraska. If they are able to keep those plays from happening, they are going to have a great chance of winning.

Watch the entire episode below, including their full breakdown of Nebraska's 28-21 win over Northwestern, including Emmett Johnson's big day, another great special teams performance, and more!

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