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Ruud on the radio: Big-time compliment for injured Henrich, discusses Husker backers and practice tweaks
ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 17 minutes agoInside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud was the man of the hour on the weekly radio show on the Huskers Radio Network.
Here's some kernels from his Thursday night appearance:
– The coach called it "a brutal loss" losing Nick Henrich to the season to injury. "You almost feel sorry for the other players and the coaches, because he's literally about the best teammate I've ever been around."
Ruud said he's going to use Henrich a lot on the sidelines. "He's going to be a coach for us. We're going to find roles for him."
– Luke Reimer "should be good to go" against Illinois on Saturday. Ruud said Reimer was frustrated to miss the Purdue game but it was the right call. "Hopefully he's full tilt this stretch run."
– Ruud said it will "by committee" in replacing Henrich. He wants to accentuate each guy's strengths as best he can in how they are used.
Chris Kolarevic is basically back full-time in Ruud's inside backers room, after previously being a nickel.
Eteva Mauga-Clements will be another guy getting a lot of run down the stretch with Henrich out. Ruud said Mauga-Clements has had a great year, dating back to his progress in spring. "One day I'll let him tell his entire story, but it's a great story, his upbringing..." Ruud did joke about one Mauga-Clements weakness. "He's got hands like a deer."
Ernest Hausmann coming in mid-year was extremely valuable for him, Ruud said. "He's a sharp kid, man. He works really hard at it. ... He's got great habits. ... He got called into action against Purdue ... and he was prepared ... When you're prepared it's not a big job, it's the next job."
Garrett Snodgrass was not available early in the season but is back now from injury and could be called on too.
– Ruud said it was a needed bye week. "We needed to get some guys healed." The Huskers did practice some last week during the bye, but it wasn't a physical one. "We needed some guys to recover."
– Ruud was recruiting locally during the bye week. He checked out Omaha Central against Omaha Burke.
– While the Huskers played a lot of snaps against Purdue (101 of them), Ruud said the defense felt like it was on their side. The offense scored points and you can't complain when they are scored fast. "There were critical times in the game where we had to get a stop and didn't get it done."
Ruud did say Jeff Brohm and his veteran quarterback Aidan O'Connell were "really in sync that night."
– Ruud said there have been some "slight tweaks" to the schedule since Mickey Joseph took over. "I would say that the way Mickey runs it is a little bit more NFL oriented in my mind ... because it's very similar to the practices I had throughout my playing career." He said there is maybe some Pete Carroll influence there. Carroll was an influence on Ed Orgeron, who obviously is an influence on Joseph.
Fridays are a full walk-through day now with Mickey Joseph as head coach.
– Ruud said Illinois runs more of a zone-based run game, but when the Illini do pull, they're very efficient with it.
He can see a lot of what Bret Bielema did at Wisconsin, but maybe a "modernized version" of what the Badgers did back then. "But it's very similar to the Wisconsin style in that they want to win on the ground" and control the clock. "They don't have a lot of three-and-out drives" and don't face a lot of bad down-and-distances.
"They're always in plus situations where they have the whole playbook open."
– When it comes to getting more pressure on the QB, Ruud said "it's a little bit of everything" that has to happen. "Sometimes sacks aren't the greatest measure of pressure too." It's getting a QB uncomfortable and off his reads, the coach continued. He does believe the Huskers have the personnel to get it done in that category down the stretch, and hopefully get some more tipped balls, picks, etc.
"Make sure those pressures truly show up on the stat sheet."
– Illinois running back Chase Brown has outstanding vision, Ruud said. "And he's one of those backs that always manages to fall forward." Two-yard gains become four-yard gains with him, and so on.
Ruud on the radio: Big-time compliment for injured Henrich, discusses Husker backers and practice tweaks
Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud was the man of the hour on the weekly radio show on the Huskers Radio Network. Here's...
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