Watch defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh at the postgame press conference
LINCOLN — Some advice for anyone looking to strike up a pleasant conversation with Nebraska coach Bo Pelini during the next few days: Don't bring up the Blackshirts.
Pelini was asked about the famous practice jerseys again Saturday after the Huskers' 31-10 loss to Texas Tech. And this time there was good reason. NU coaches distributed the Blackshirts on Friday to 13 top-unit defenders before the walk-through practice.
Still, Pelini didn't want to discuss it.
“Don't worry about the Blackshirts. Get over it,” he said. “We didn't play well enough. It had nothing to do with black shirts or yellow shirts or white shirt or whatever the hell it is. We got our butts kicked. It's not about Blackshirts. It's about executing on game day, when we're out there in red and white. And we didn't do that.”
The NU defense held up its end of the deal for much of Saturday at Memorial Stadium. It allowed 24 points to Mike Leach's high-flying offense and held Tech to 259 yards — 155 fewer than its previous season low in a Sept. 19 loss to Texas. The Red Raiders, in fact, had not gained fewer than 260 yards in a victory since a 2000 win over New Mexico, Leach's first game at the school.
It wasn't enough, though. Not even close.
The Huskers pointed to several moments that went wrong defensively.
Notably, there was the opening drive.
Tech marched 80 yards for a touchdown as quarterback Steven Sheffield completed 6 of 6 passes. The 6-foot-4 junior, in his first start away from home, connected with Lyle Leong on third and 13 from the Red Raiders' 28-yard line. Defensive backs Alfonzo Dennard and Matt O'Hanlon converged, and Dennard tipped the pass before it was caught.
Three plays later, Sheffield hit Detron Lewis over NU defender Eric Hagg for a 22-yard gain on third and 17 to the Nebraska 23. Baron Batch scored the first TD on a 16-yard swing pass.
“We gave them the momentum in the football game,” Pelini said.
More problems arose in the second quarter. Tech drove 64 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-0. Harrison Jeffers scooted for 21 yards on a fourth-and-1 end around, and Sheffield found Jacoby Franks for 18 yards on a third-and-8 to the 3-yard line.
Later, the Red Raiders moved 67 yards for a field goal in the final seconds of the first half. The big breakdown this time? A 58-yard Sheffield-to-Lewis connection that began as a short pass before Prince Amukamara missed an open-field tackle.
“I just didn't bring my feet in,” Amukamara said. “That was on me.”
With NU trailing 24-3 at the half, the Blackshirts responded well. Nebraska held Tech to 1 yard of offense on its first four possessions of the second half. All four drives ended in punts, the last of which NU finally turned into a touchdown.
With 8:30 to play, the Huskers needed another stop.
But Eric Stephens returned the kickoff 40 yards to sap momentum from the Huskers. Sheffield then hit Leong for a 5-yard gain on third and 4. Lewis made a 13-yard catch on third and 2. A pass-interference call on Anthony West moved Tech to the 2-yard line, and Sheffield sneaked into the end zone for the clinching score to cap a five-minute march.
“The one that stands out to me was the one right before the half,” secondary coach Marvin Sanders said. “Second half, I really thought the kids responded very well. You know, it's a hard pill to swallow, but you've got to give (Tech) credit.
“It's hard to analyze it right now. Because you see the bottom line is they scored 31 points. Defense, offense, whatever it is, it's a team game. I was really proud of how they continued to battle. I'll commend them for that, but we've got to get better.”
NU sacked Sheffield five times. The Red Raiders netted just 25 rushing yards, but Nebraska did not force a turnover.
“Our pass rush was great,” defensive end Pierre Allen said. “But it wasn't enough because we didn't get the victory.”
It made for a major mood swing this weekend. First, the unveiling of the Blackshirts. Then defeat.
Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini distributed the jerseys after team meetings Friday. He skipped interviews after the game. Star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh didn't dodge the issue. His feelings were clear.
“If I was Coach Bo, I'd definitely take them away,” Suh said. We didn't play up to the Blackshirt level.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9587, mitch.sherman@owh.com
Watch Husker writer Rich Kaipust's post-game analysis
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