LINCOLN — So much for subtle descriptions.

Then again, Ndamukong Suh didn't build his reputation by acting subtly — maybe you noticed.

On Tuesday, Suh likened quarterbacks to small animals in a way that could make even a savvy QB like Todd Reesing shudder.

“You definitely want to go in there and, for instance, keep kicking the dog,” Suh said. “You want to keep kicking it and keep moving forward and run it over and then go to the next one.”

Perhaps not the best choice of words for Suh, who made news recently for a car accident in which he said he swerved to avoid an animal in the road.

Nevertheless, he does have a way of making his point. Suh and the Blackshirts want to continue their demolition job against another Big 12 foe, Reesing's Kansas Jayhawks.

NU ranks second nationally in scoring and pass-efficiency defense.

It all starts by harassing the quarterback, and the Huskers have done it well this year. They've accumulated 27 sacks, including a Big 12-best 3.4 per game against conference competition.

Nebraska encounters a different challenge, though, against Reesing. His 35 starts at Kansas represent a new level of experience for an opposing quarterback this season.

So far in the Big 12, NU has played against five quarterbacks with a combined 14 games of starting experience before facing the Huskers.

“It's going to be a little bit more difficult, rattling Reesing,” defensive tackle Jared Crick said, “just because he's got that experience and he's got that know-how. If we get enough pressure, we can get in anyone's head, whether it be the Heisman winner or the worst QB in the league.

“We're just going to take the same mentality: Go after him.”

Reesing, on Senior Day at Kansas, needs a quick turnabout to avoid adding himself to the list of Blackshirt roadkill. He's committed 10 turnovers in four straight KU losses. Before this slide, Reesing had won 25 of 31 starts.

It's a puzzling scenario, but the Huskers refuse to discount Reesing. Not after he burned Nebraska over the past two years for 658 yards on 45-of-71 passing with nine TDs and one interception.

“I am personally surprised they've struggled,” Suh said. “I expected for them to definitely be at the top of the North and fighting for the title. It just hasn't been clicking for them, and that's unfortunate. But hope it's not clicking when we go in there.”

In Big 12 play, sophomore Blaine Gabbert of Missouri, junior Steven Sheffield of Texas Tech and freshmen Jerome Tiller of Iowa State, Nick Florence of Baylor and Landry Jones of Oklahoma are 94 of 190 (49.5 percent) with nine interceptions and two touchdowns against the Huskers.

Sheffield enjoyed a nice game in Tech's 31-10 win over NU. The rest of the inexperienced group? Not much to speak of statistically, capped by Jones' five-interception performance Saturday as Nebraska beat the Sooners 10-3.

Coach Bo Pelini doesn't make much of the inexperience factor.

“I don't really change a lot of my game plan according to who we play,” Pelini said. “I kind of look at what they do and try and take away what they do, regardless of who's back there. Might change a call here or there, but overall, you've got to take away what the team does best and really defend the offense, more so than the people running it.”

That said, Pelini acknowledged that Reesing presents the Blackshirts with new obstacles.

“I have a lot of respect for Todd Reesing and the way he approaches the game,” the second-year Nebraska coach said. “He's a competitor. He's a winner. I think he really understands their system. I think he runs it really well. He's very efficient at what he does.

“It creates a challenge for you to go against a guy like that, because he's kind of been there, seen it all.”

More than Reesing's experience, the Huskers appear concerned with his ability to make plays on the run. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior from Austin, Texas, has rushed for 325 yards and four touchdowns. But the Jayhawks have surrendered 23 sacks in nine games.

Last year in Nebraska's 45-35 win over KU, the Huskers sacked Reesing five times.

“He's a tough guy,” Suh said. “Tough quarterback. Takes a lot of pounding but always seems to get up and make a play the next time he has an opportunity.”

The Huskers are not expecting KU to crumble if the NU defense makes it difficult on Reesing.

“They're going to have an offensive scheme that is going to be competitive with ours on defense,” safety Matt O'Hanlon said. “And they're going to make us work for it.”

Still, it's a primary Nebraska objective to pressure Reesing.

Suh said the Huskers want to rattle every QB. As for the inexperienced Big 12 quarterbacks, he said, they've handled it no worse than he'd expect from a veteran.

“They've been uneasy about taking hits,” Suh said, “but who wouldn't be?”

Contact the writer:

402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com

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