SB Nation - Major Culbert

2009 Nebraska Football Spring Preview: Defensive Secondary Depth Means Flexibility

Jon Johnston — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:00:11 -0000

The 2008 Husker secondary wasn’t nearly as thin as the linebacking unit, but it entered the season with only two consistent starters - cornerback Armando Murillo and strong safety Larry Asante. Murillo started every game in 2007 and in 2008 started every game but Western Michigan when he was hampered by injury. Murillo is gone now but the Huskers enter 2009 with vastly more experience in the secondary than the previous season. Asante returns to provide leadership in the secondary.

No less than eight players have starting experience, compared with two a year ago, including Larry Asante, Rickey Thenarse, Matt O’Hanlon, Eric Hagg, Prince Amukamara, Anthony West, Lance Thorrell, and Anthony Blue, who started two games in 2007. Between them the defensive secondary has 57 starts.

Depth is a key for the Huskers as they look ahead into the 2009 season. Like the linebacking unit, competition will be heavy for the starting positions. The more defensive secondary players that are available, the more flexibility will be afforded Bo Pelini. Nebraska opened with the nickel package in five games; Western Michigan, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Oklahoma and Kansas State. In five other games; Missouri, Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas and Colorado, the Huskers opened with the dime package. Considering the high octane offenses of our Big 12 opponents, the more prepared defensive secondary, the better.

Matt O'Hanlon (#33) had a great season in 2008. O'Hanlon has a tough battle to win a starting safety spot in 2009.
Photo by Dennis Hubbard.

2009 Spring Season

Cornerbacks

Murillo was the only senior amongst the cornerbacks. After his departure the Huskers enter 2009 without a single senior at the position, but with a healthy amount of depth.

At cornerback, juniors Prince Amukamara and Anthony West enter 2009 with 14 starts between them. Amukamara finished with 34 tackles and forced two fumbles and in the process gained valuable playing time as he entered 2008 having never played the position. He played in all 13 games in 2008, starting against Western Michigan, New Mexico State and Virginia Tech.

West started 11 games in 2008, missing one due to injury. He finished with 29 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions. He tied for first in pass breakups with Murillo with nine. He will be expected to be a steady starter in 2009.

Anthony Blue is the big unknown. Blue sat out the 2008 season recovering from an ACL injury, suffered during spring practice. If Blue can recover his speed and agility, the Huskers add another key player to secondary as Blue was recognized by the Sporting News as a first-team freshman All Big 12 player.

Lance Thorrell found time as the starting dime back in 2008. He played in 11 games, including five starts and finished with 24 tackles. Thorrell began his career as a walk-on.

Alfonzo Dennard was one of only three true freshman who played in 2008. Although he played in 12 games, most of his playing time was on special teams. Dennard saw time as a kick returner, returning eight kicks for a total of 150 yards, an 18.8 average, with a long of 31 against Clemson.

Junior Dejon Gomes is a JUCO transfer from City College of San Francisco who has joined the team early for 2009 spring practice. He has three years to use two seasons of eligibility.

Safeties

Strong safety senior Larry Asante is the most experienced returner in the secondary, finishing 2007 as the second leading tackler and in 2008 starting every game but Missouri where he was replaced by Matt O’Hanlon. Asante finished second in total tackles with 67 and had two tackles for loss, a sack, four pass breakups and an interception. He appeared lost at times early in 2008, but came on later in the season, recording nine tackles against Texas Tech, and 13 against Oklahoma. Asante was one of two defensive players to receive Big 12 honors, making the Honorable Mention list (Ndamukong Suh finished first team Big 12).

Fellow seniors O’Hanlon and Rickey Thenarse split starting at free safety with nine and five starts respectively. O’Hanlon began his Nebraska career as a walk-on, but was awarded a scholarship in 2008. He finished third in tackles with 52, including 33 solos. He had two tackles for loss, five pass break ups, and an interception. He is best known for his play in the Gator Bowl when he slapped a pass away from Clemson running back CJ Spiller to preserve the Husker win.

Thenarse started against Missouri, but battled injuries early in 2008 and then took over the starting free safety role from O’Hanlon for the last four games of the season. He finished with 24 tackles, six tackles for loss and two sacks. His best game came against Colorado when he recorded eight tackles, two for loss, and a sack. Thenarse remains a fan favorite in a different capacity on special teams where he blocked a punt against Clemson

Eric Hagg garnered starting experience as the starting nickel back in 2008 for a total of ten starts. Hagg’s big plays came in the Gator Bowl against Clemson. In two consecutive plays, Hagg broke up a pass when the Tigers had a first and goal, then sacked Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper for a 16-yard loss to help preserve the victory. Due to the depth at cornerback, Hagg will switch to the safety position.

Mason Wald played on special teams as a true freshman in 2008 and will battle for playing time at safety in 2009. Known for his hard-hitting play, Wald had six tackles, four solos.

Class Breakdown:

Safety

Larry Asante - Sr
Matt O'Hanlon - Sr
Rickey Thenarse - Sr
Adam Watson - Jr
Mason Wald - So
Austin Cassidy - So
Major Culbert - Sr (dismissed/left team)
Jim Ebke - So (former QB)
Jase Dean - RFr

Cornerback

Prince Amukamara - Jr
Dejon Gomes - Jr (JUCO)
Eric Hagg - Jr
Anthony West - Jr
Lance Thorell - So
Anthony Blue - So
Alfonzo Dennard - So

DB's

Justin Blatchford - RFr
Courtney Osborne - RFr
PJ Smith - RFr
Andrew Green - Fr
Lazarri Middleton - Fr
Dijon Washington - Fr

Shooting Pointe Blank: San Jose State

Blankman — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:29:19 -0000

Well that was…interesting. While Nebraska looked more confused than a bi-sexual Lou Holtz in the first half against San Jose State, the second half (okay, I’ll be honest - fourth quarter) was far more promising. I went back and had a look at my gripes from last week to see if they had been addressed. We had left off with Doc Oz’s thoughts that from game one to game two, you’re going to see the biggest improvements.

Not Good #1: The Running Game – 99 yards on 30 attempts? Yikes that’s harsh.

Not Good #2: Pass Defense - In a way I’m happy that Nebraska had the game that they did because it’s a severe wake up call to what they’re going to see out of the Missouri Tigers. On the other hand there were still far too many players not picking up their assignments properly and even getting straight up beat (I’m looking at you, Asante). Suh and Potter were the highlights. Everything else was concerning.

Improvement #1: Conditioning - With four quarters of mostly starters playing in this game, there was good rotation, effort seemed consistent and spirited throughout. There didn’t seem to be the sense that people were dragging and I commend the staff responsible for that.

Improvement #2: The Young Not Quite so Restless - A lot of the newbies got to see time and played well. Helu Jr. and Paul made their presence felt. I was very happy to see guys like Pat Witt and Marcus Mendoza get time even if it was brief. I feel fairly confident in saying that should the game have been more of a 55-7 affair, they would have seen a good five to six minutes at least.

In the end, some good, some bad, but there’s a problem: Some new very bad has cropped up.

Penalties: 12 penalties for 103 yards. That’s right, Nebraska gave up a football field’s worth of free yards and three of those penalties came right in a row when two wide receivers and a tight end of all positions decided to flinch.

Arm Tackling: When a player slips through your arms, it’s contagious like sneezing or booing Lee Corso. A lack of confidence spreads to teammates and even to the coaches regarding your ability when it is seen multiple times and does not bode well for anyone in your uniform. Far too many times there were people going for legs and jersey instead of body. I know well enough that Bo does preach himself a good fundamental and that tackling drills will more than likely be a frequency this week.

Play Timing: Okay, so we’re running playaction to the weak side, wait, what, you sure? Hey why's the play clock say "five"? This sort of ties into the penalty aspect as…again, seriously, three receiver/tight end penalties in a row? Confusion seemed to rear its ugly head today and, hey, we’re all human. We’re going to make mistakes. If Nebraska cannot learn their snap counts and to keep their mitts away from the facemask, they will pay for it and soon.

In the end, Nebraska learned that they have a long way to go to put together a solid season and maybe it’s for the best. It gives them all of the incentive to treat New Mexico State as Missouri (don’t feed me the “one game at a time” BS on this one). I liked how the staff addressed an attempt at establishing the run. It shows that they are actively looking to correct problem areas and for that they get a gold star, but as quickly as that Is affixed to their foreheads lack of fundamentals pop up.

The younger guys are coming along nicely but Asante continues to find himself out of position. The constant 5-7 yard hook route was constantly there for SJSU today in front of #4. Culbert’s presence was a welcome addition. Also, will someone please bench Mike Huff? Jon said it before me, but I echo it. I don’t care how well he grades out. Put D.J. Jones in there and let’s see how poorly the line does after he gets comfortable. Huff’s been at Nebraska how many years now and he can’t seem to grasp simple concepts? The mind boggles.

Regardless, Nebraska is in fact 2-0 and along with Big 10ers Ohio State and Michigan had some trouble today but came out on top. That said I think OSU gets creamed next week by the eventual National Champions in USC. Nothing personal Buckeyes, but I think USC is just that damn good and a good waist above everyone instead of head and shoulders. As for the Big Red? Still a work in progress in my eyes. That Suh guy's pretty good, though.

Next Up: New Mexico State (0-0 Nicholls State game postponed)

Poll

After two games, what do you the viewers at home think?

What we saw is nothing that can't be fixed easily

6 votes

A few mistakes troubled me, but it's still only game two

91 votes

All I ask is a 10-foot pole and a 10-foot seat near the panic button

32 votes

Oh crap Virginia Tech...then Missouri?!

68 votes

We're screwed.

26 votes

223 votes | Poll has closed

Nebraska's Keys to Victory: San Jose State

Blankman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:14:32 -0000

Saturday’s game (11:37 A.M. kickoff so get the Bloody M’s out early) versus the San Jose State Spartans has a bit of a special meaning for me. While insignificant in strength of schedule stature, the Spartans were the very first game that my father and I got to see during a tear of season ticket runs starting a ways back in 2000. A young man by the name of Deonce Whittaker gave NU some fits that day, but a fond memory nevertheless.

SJSU and New Mexico State couldn’t have been slated at a better time for Bo Pelini’s first year at Nebraska as several units appear to be MIA. There is talk of Rickey Thenarse taking over in a safety capacity but due to rumors of injury, I think that may be a game time decision. Andy Christensen was found not guilty in a case regarding inappropriate directions to the nearest Chipotle and Coach Pelini stated that things are pretty much up in the air on his return to the team.

Looking at the game against the Spartans just what does Nebraska need to do to consider the game a success?

- Looking at the fact that these same blue and yellow (gold?) warriors squeaked by the University of California-Davis 13-10, I would expect a decent to large margin of defeat, so I’m not going to concern myself with that. Check back with me on Sunday to see if I am, in fact, concerned with that. If NU can’t hang near half a hundred on SJSU or at least come close to a shutout something is amiss.

- Point A leads to Point B which leads to Point C. A large margin of victory could be on the arm of Joe Ganz, but it really shouldn’t be. The offensive line needs to show immediate improvement and actually allow Marlon Lucky to run between the tackles. Criticize #5 all you like, but it doesn’t matter how good you are in his situation. DeMarco Murray couldn’t make things happen with defenders two yards into the backfield after the snap. If NU finds a running game then watch out Spartan fans. Things could (and probably will) get ugly.

- Secondary play must improve. I’m not concerned with the cornerbacks as I feel the young guns will come along in due time, but safety play needs to be addressed and I feel that Bo more than likely got that message across to Coach Sanders. Call it a gut feeling. If Rickey can’t go look for Major Culbert to get some solid playing time. Ideally Thenarse can return by the time the Aggies of New Mexico State come to town. Matt O’Hanlon may find himself warming the bench unless absolutely necessary.

- Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Dobson couldn’t have been happy with the hands-on-hips look during the second half against WMU. Given Nebraska’s only one game into the season, but I found the second half and especially the fourth quarter distressing in terms of effort available to give in the first place. The pass rush shown in the first half naturally needs to translate over to the second and even if you know your assignments, being gassed will end success. I look for a marginal improvement this week as that sort of turn-around can’t be expected in a week’s time, but three quarters of solid performance isn’t asking too much. Heck, give me 2 ½ and sub some second stringers in.

- Speaking of which, I think it’s about time we got to see what the future Huskers that haven’t touched FieldTurf can do. Show me Sean Fisher, Pat Witt, maybe even Marcus Mendoza with some Will Compton on the side. You get what I’m saying. We’ve gotten past the first game, Nebraska is 1-0, it’s time to get the newbies experience good or bad if up by 28+.

- Is Cody Glenn the real deal or a flash in the pan? Obviously a key question on everyone’s mind going into the game, but I believe that Cody will be a holy terror all year long. Not to say he’ll always put up mind blowing stats, but his presence will be felt and he will need to be accounted for by opposing offensive coordinators.

In essence if Nebraska can establish some manner of running game going into NMSU along with shoring up safety play and staying fresh a bit longer, I think the Cornhuskers will not only be able to call the game a success, but a blowout margin of victory that will have the Big Red Backers smiling will be had even if frosting is left all over the field from this cupcake.

Have a different take? Feel free to comment or shoot an e-mail to Blankman17@gmail.com

[Editor's Note - this was originally published earlier, but is moved up today because that's where it belongs. You guys like "key" articles on Friday, right? Well, here it is. ]

Reviewing The First 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers Depth Chart

Jon Johnston — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:07 -0000

The first Bo Pelini depth chart was released today not too many surprises, but worth a discussion.

Offense:

Quarterback: 1 - Joe Ganz, 2 - Patrick Witt, 3- Zac Lee.

No surprises here, although you have to ask yourself what happens if Joe Ganz goes down with an injury. What does that do to the season?

I-Back: 1 - Marlon Lucky -or- Roy Helu -or- Quentin Castille

So there are three backs listed as co #1's. There seems to be a lot of buzz about this, and I'll be honest, I don't get it (the fuss, that is). Running backs get the holy crap beat out of them much worse than they used to, so you are not going to make it through a full season without your main guy getting banged up.

What is sad here is the name that's missing - Kenny Wilson. It's doubtful he'll play again due to his leg injury. It's easy to forget the potential that was there, but don't.

Fullback: 1 - Thomas Lawson, 2 - Justin Makovicka

No surprises, remember that while Callahan didn't use fullbacks on the run, Lawson caught three TD's last season which was as many as Nate Swift and Marlon Lucky, and more than the entire receiving corp besides Swift and Peterson.

Wide Receiver X: 1 - Nate Swift, 2 - Menelik Holt, 3 - Will Henry, 4- Chris Brooks

No surprise, although I guess I'm a little surprised that Chris Brooks is all the way down at #4.

Wide Receiver Z: 1 - Todd Peterson, 2 - Niles Paul or Curenski Gilleylen

Again, no surprise here.

Tight End: 1 - Mike McNeill, 2 - Dreu Young, 3 - Ryan Hill, 4 - Ben Cotton

Obviously Tyson Hetzer hasn't recovered enough from his spring knee injury to be listed on the roster at this point. Perhaps he'll join in later in the season. This position is more critical to offensive success than people are giving it, here's hoping they can perform well this season.

Offensive Line:

They're a unit, and we treat them like a unit.

LT: 1 - Mike Smith, 2 - Jaivorio Burkes
LG: 1 - Mike Huff, 2 - Keith Williams
C: 1 - Jacob Hickman, 2 - Mike Caputo
RG: 1 - Matt Slauson, 2 - DJ Jones
RT: 1 - Lydon Murtha, 2 - Marcel Jones

Lydon Murtha moves back to right tackle. Murtha is an enigma - the guy has the body size for a prototypical NFL left tackle, but gives that spot up to Mike Smith. Go figure. Burkes at #2 behind Mike Smith is a little surprise, but we'll see how the rotation comes out.

The key to this line is that some of these guys can move around to different positions. Slauson has played both guard and tackle, while Hickman has played guard and center. An incredibly solid group, with plenty of depth and experience.

Defense:

Nose Tackle: 1 - Ndamukong Suh, 2 - Shukree Barfield, 3 - Terrence Moore

Defensive Tackle: 1 - Ty Steinkuhler, 2 - Jared Crick

Base End: 1 - Zach Potter, 2 - Clayton Sievers

Open End: 1 - Barry Turner, 2 - Pierre Allen

No surprises here. Obviously losing Kevin Dixon hurt, but I don't see this group as thin as a lot of other people. Note that Baker Steinkuhler isn't listed - hopefully a redshirt season is in the works for him.

Linebackers:

Will Linebacker: 1 - Cody Glenn, 2 - Blake Lawrence

Mike Linebacker: 1 - Phillip Dillard, 2 - Will Compton, 3 - Colton Koehler

Buck Linebacker: 1 - Tyler Wortman, 2 - Sean Fisher

Obviously the linebacker position is of huge concern. Will Compton and Sean Fisher are both true freshmen. Dillard is a solid middle linebacker with experience, so the hope would be that Compton and Fisher aren't needed this season which will give them time to get stronger and learn. LaTravis Washington is not listed here due to injury. Nor is Nick Covey.

Is there a Husker fan who isn't cheering for Cody Glenn's position switch to work out well? Even beyond the sake of the team, you have to admire the guy for moving there. Lot of guts, love that guy.

Defensive Backfield:

Right Cornerback: 1 - Anthony West, 2 - Prince Amukamara

Left Cornerback: 1 - Armando Murillo, 2 - Eric Hagg

Strong Safety: 1 - Larry Asante, 2 - Major Culbert

Free Safety: 1 - Rickey Thenarse, 2 - Matt O'Hanlon

The starting four are a pretty decent group. What you have to ask is what happens when we move to using five or six defensive backs, ala defending Texas Tech. Amukamara has never played corner before, so the first three games may be key to getting him valuable experience. Eric Hagg and Major Culbert should be able to step into the extra roles if needed, so keep an eye on them should they get into the game against Western Michigan.

I realize I tagged everyone on the depth chart with this post, but hey it was my chance to check out our rosters, and make sure everything is okay. Corrections will be made!