• Video: Nebraska coach Bo Pelini at the postgame press conference:



LAWRENCE, Kan. — It was only a matter of time before Nebraska's defense displayed some level of vulnerability.

Letdowns happen. And for an NU unit that didn't operate with the machine-like efficiency that head coach Bo Pelini demands, what transpired at Kansas' Memorial Stadium on Saturday couldn't have been tremendously shocking for the defensive-minded coach.

The Huskers gave up 335 yards to an experienced Jayhawk offense in NU's 31-17 win, not exactly mirroring the Huskers' past three dominant defensive performances.

The Blackshirts certainly weren't exposed, just challenged in a way that forced them away from their newly developed blueprint for success. They got knocked out of their comfort zone and, at times, didn't respond well.

“We did some things that were uncharacteristic of how we've played defensively,'' Pelini said. “We were inconsistent in some ways today.

“It just goes to show you what I've been saying all along. We've got a ways to go yet defensively, too.''

But they found a way to keep the Kansas attack grounded when it mattered most.

The Huskers recorded the game's lone turnover when junior cornerback Dejon Gomes poked the football away from wide receiver Kerry Meier during a 16-yard reception with 10:57 left in the third quarter. Senior safety Matt O'Hanlon recovered the ball at the NU 4-yard line.

After Nebraska took a seven-point lead with 6:19 left in the game, the Husker defense forced two incompletions and stuffed a screen pass for a 5-yard loss. That three-and-out was Kansas' first since the opening quarter.

“With that score in that situation, we knew that was the biggest series in the game,'' sophomore defensive tackle Jared Crick said. “And we definitely had to come through.''

They did just that, making up for a somewhat shaky performance when the Huskers struggled to defend quarterback Todd Reesing, who passed for 236 yards and rushed for 42.

The senior playmaker possessed an ability to avoid backfield pressure, forcing Nebraska to alter the approach it used to hold Iowa State, Baylor and Oklahoma to 22 total points.

The Husker defensive line couldn't rush with its typical relentlessness because Reesing, patient and poised in the pocket, could find running lanes. Thus, the quarterback had more time to survey the field for soft spots, defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said.

“We had to slow our pass rush down,'' he said. “There's no way around it, which forces your secondary into some tough positions. His legs really create problems for a defense.''

Nebraska had just one quarterback sack. That came in the first quarter, when Prince Amukamara blitzed from his cornerback position for a 9-yard sack.

It was the first time since a 55-0 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 26 that NU's starting linemen went without a sack.

Senior Ndamukong Suh has gone two straight games without a tackle for loss. All three of Crick's tackles Saturday were past the line of scrimmage, too.

“They were trying to slow us down with the draw-and-screen game,'' Crick said. “We had to be more cognizant of that throughout the game.''

By finding a way to neutralize Nebraska's talented front four, the Jayhawks took advantage with a second-quarter touchdown drive.

They moved 80 yards on 13 plays, scoring their first touchdown when Reesing dived into the end zone about five minutes before halftime.

He also capped a 10-play, 89-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Dezmon Briscoe midway through the fourth quarter.

Until Saturday, Nebraska had allowed just two touchdown drives of more than 80 yards.

“We had too many busts,” Bo Pelini said. “We gave them some things that there's no way should have happened.

“We won the football game and made some plays at the end, even defensively to get them off the field. But I'm far from happy about how we played.''

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share