Huskers now ranked #12 in the ESPN FPI

[Tell_Sackett]

Exactly. Can't lose starters to the NFL and then have your coordinator make a lateral move making you lose returning starters in your front 7. Tony White

I would argue that we aren't committing more to the box to stop the run... go watch Underwoods touchdown run, we have 4 guys in there and 7 in coverage. Butler is more concerned about stopping the pass, which is one of the multiple reasons I think his scoring defense will continue to struggle as we move further away from the Akron and Houston Christian games being a majority of our stats.

Particularly with the Michigan game, it sure seemed like we were aggressively shooting gaps with our 2nd level and missing and then giving up big runs as a result when the safety took a bad angle. That said, I'm certain our backers aren't playing as clean as last year when teams don't have to double our interior linemen.

 

[ShortSideOption]

Particularly with the Michigan game, it sure seemed like we were aggressively shooting gaps with our 2nd level and missing and then giving up big runs as a result when the safety took a bad angle. That said, I'm certain our backers aren't playing as clean as last year when teams don't have to double our interior linemen.

Ya, we for sure were doing that, making way bigger run lanes than what Bullock/Gbayor and our DBs had to fill last year with Nash and Ty up front. I also just don't like schematically some of the things we are doing defensively on top of shooting the gaps. But we will see how the last 7 games go.

 

[jaihawk]

Ty Robinson and Nash were studs... just like Garrett Nelson, Ernest Hausmann, Ochaun Mathis, and Caleb Tannor were in other areas that we lost with White that I heard would be hard to replace. To your point about them being able to stop the run, I also don't agree with what Nebraska did in the portal on the DL. We went smaller and quicker instead of grabbing an elite run stopper if RVP or Jeudy weren't going to be ready considering what we lost. I've been stating this all offseason to anyone that would listen and even called it in my Michigan preview, with what Nebraska did whether that was Rhule, Butler, or Stewart making the call is going to bite us big time when we get into the meat of our schedule coming up. We have to guess defensively and even if we are right 90% of the time we will get gashed and lose games.

I still see 8-4 which is progress so that's what I care about. I just am shocked how many people are saying White isn't a big loss when he had two top 25 scoring defenses in the only two years here and we replaced him with a guy that has one year of Defensive Coordinator experience in P5 football that was over a decade ago and he was in the 60s for scoring defense. Lots of faith being put into a guy by a lot of people who are just chalking up us being worse because we lost our 2 DTs even though White lost his edge rushers and ILBs and managed to almost get us in the top10.

Wait, we're now revising history to say that Nelson, Mathis and Tannor were on the same level of production and loss as Hutmacher and Robinson?

 

[Mavsker]

Wait, we're now revising history to say that Nelson, Mathis and Tannor were on the same level of production and loss as Hutmacher and Robinson?

I could buy a Nelson Hutmacher comp. Ty Rob was on another level though

 

[jaihawk]

I could buy a Nelson Hutmacher comp. Ty Rob was on another level though

Man, Nelson disappeared any time that you needed him... Same with Mathis.

 

[Kaladin]

 

[Jim14510]

I do. I think White/Knighton would have kept a couple of the transfers that left and we would have had continuity at the coordinator spot with a better overall DC still here. White had us at 11th in scoring defense his first year, despite losing starters Ernest Hausmann and Myles Farmer, and a depth player like Stephon Wynn Jr to the portal. This while coming off a 2022 season where the scoring defense was 75th and he had to completely revamp things. Butler gets the luxury of taking over a defense that was 11th and 20th in consecutive years in that stat, but I believe he will fall into the 30s at minimum in 2025, hoping he stays out of the 40s.

Again, will be happy to come eat crow.

If we fall into the 30s after losing the d line that T White didn't recruit I would consider that a win.

 

[Jim14510]

Man, Nelson disappeared any time that you needed him... Same with Mathis.

Disappeared where the play was but made a lot of noise where the play wasn't.

Who out of this group we've been discussing has made an NFL roster? I mean none of them are/were going to be all pros but very few have even made a roster. Robinson, Bullock, and Mathis?

Hausman probably will when he's done but he was also only a freshman here right?

 

[ShortSideOption]

Wait, we're now revising history to say that Nelson, Mathis and Tannor were on the same level of production and loss as Hutmacher and Robinson?

Well, quite literally they were on the same level of production with zero revisionist history needed...

Nelson - 65 TT 9 TFLs 5.5 sacks
Mathis - 48 TT 5 TFLs 3.5 sacks
Tannor - 43 TT 6 TFLs 2.5 sacks

Robinson - 37 12.5 TFLs 7 sacks
Hutmacher - 24 TT 4 TFLs 2 sacks

But since I think Nash and Ty did things that didn't necessarily garner stats from time to time I'll move on from that...

What I stated that you are arguing with me about is those players from 2022 that left I heard the exact same thing about. How they were going to be tough to replace and how our line wouldn't be able to hold up against the B1G OLs, yet Tony White managed to overcome it. Since you seem to be dumbfounded that the same conversation is being had now as was back then even though White made us better, here's a link to multiple articles stating how difficult it will be to fill the voids left by those guys and how thin the position group will be:

Departing Edge’s Garrett Nelson, Ochaun Mathis and Caleb Tannor, plus IDL Colton Feist, accounted for 27 of the team’s 60 TFL last year. That’s a lot of production to replace from a defense that ranked 125th in rushing success rate (52%) and a decrepit 129th in standard downs line yards per carry at 3.04. IDL Ty Robinson (6’6/310) is back, but questions remain about how well this front will hold up against the massive OLs the Big Ten schedule is going to throw at them. It’s fair to speculate how immediate DC White’s impact will be in that facet of the game considering Syracuse ranked 120th overall with a 50% rushing success rate after three years of White calling the D there.

2023 Big 10 Preview Series - Illinois & Nebraska

Illinois & Nebraska Big Ten Team Previews

sports.yahoo.com

Nelson's departure leaves a massive hole in the Husker defense, which lost its top three pass rushers – Nelson, Caleb Tannor and Ochaun Mathis – to the NFL.

Nebraska's Garrett Nelson declares for NFL Draft

Husker defensive star and captain Garrett Nelson will forgo a final season of college football at Nebraska and turn pro, he announced Tuesday on social media.

huskerextra.com

Worse; Pass rush​

The Huskers must replace both Garrett Nelson and Ochaun Mathis at edge. The duo combined for 9 sacks and 14 TFL in 2022.

Blaine Gunnerson will get first crack at one of the edge spots. Veteran Ty Robinson provides depth on the inside and is good against the run.

Who else steps up? In the rugged B1G, Nebraska will need to find answers fast.

5 ways Nebraska will be better in 2023 ... and 5 ways the Huskers will be worse

Nebraska should have better leadership and discipline with Matt Rhule at the helm, but depth may be an issue in Year 1.

saturdaytradition.com

The loss of Feist also means five of Nebraska’s top six defenders that produced quarterback pressures will not be back in 2023.

Ochaun Mathis (33 pressures), Nelson (32), Caleb Tannor (15), Feist (12) and Devin Drew (6) are all moving on. Robinson (24 pressures) is the only one in the top six returning.

Nebraska DL Colton Feist will not be back in 2023

Nebraska defensive lineman Colton Feist will not be back at Nebraska for a sixth season in 2023. It's another big blow to NU defense.

www.on3.com

 

[ShortSideOption]

If we fall into the 30s after losing the d line that T White didn't recruit I would consider that a win.

Up until he laterally moves to be the DC at another school... then he won't be that big of a loss I'm sure and the writing was on the wall 😉

 

[Jim14510]

Up until he laterally moves to be the DC at another school... then he won't be that big of a loss I'm sure and the writing was on the wall 😉

Would depend who replaces him. Continuity with coordinators is a pipe dream. Generally either you're good and you leave for a better opportunity or you're bad and get fired.

I liked Tony White. I didn't want him to leave. If there were chemistry problems between him and Rhule then he's got to go. I don't think him staying here was crucial to us being successful. Neither is Jobu. Continuity is good if it's the right fit and it's not too long.

I could go either way on the TW theories. He wasnt a fit with Rhule and was forced out. I'm good with that. Or he saw the turnover in players and thought he was going to have a tougher year here than he would at Florida St. Ultimately his goal is HC and he wants to get there as fast as possible. A down year doesn't help. I prefer the latter just so I can laugh at him getting torched by the FSU fans.

 

[Flabio]

 

[DrinkItIn]

 

[jaihawk]

Well, quite literally they were on the same level of production with zero revisionist history needed...

Nelson - 65 TT 9 TFLs 5.5 sacks
Mathis - 48 TT 5 TFLs 3.5 sacks
Tannor - 43 TT 6 TFLs 2.5 sacks

Robinson - 37 12.5 TFLs 7 sacks
Hutmacher - 24 TT 4 TFLs 2 sacks

But since I think Nash and Ty did things that didn't necessarily garner stats from time to time I'll move on from that...

What I stated that you are arguing with me about is those players from 2022 that left I heard the exact same thing about. How they were going to be tough to replace and how our line wouldn't be able to hold up against the B1G OLs, yet Tony White managed to overcome it. Since you seem to be dumbfounded that the same conversation is being had now as was back then even though White made us better, here's a link to multiple articles stating how difficult it will be to fill the voids left by those guys and how thin the position group will be:

Departing Edge’s Garrett Nelson, Ochaun Mathis and Caleb Tannor, plus IDL Colton Feist, accounted for 27 of the team’s 60 TFL last year. That’s a lot of production to replace from a defense that ranked 125th in rushing success rate (52%) and a decrepit 129th in standard downs line yards per carry at 3.04. IDL Ty Robinson (6’6/310) is back, but questions remain about how well this front will hold up against the massive OLs the Big Ten schedule is going to throw at them. It’s fair to speculate how immediate DC White’s impact will be in that facet of the game considering Syracuse ranked 120th overall with a 50% rushing success rate after three years of White calling the D there.

2023 Big 10 Preview Series - Illinois & Nebraska

Illinois & Nebraska Big Ten Team Previews

sports.yahoo.com

Nelson's departure leaves a massive hole in the Husker defense, which lost its top three pass rushers – Nelson, Caleb Tannor and Ochaun Mathis – to the NFL.

Nebraska's Garrett Nelson declares for NFL Draft

Husker defensive star and captain Garrett Nelson will forgo a final season of college football at Nebraska and turn pro, he announced Tuesday on social media.

huskerextra.com

Worse; Pass rush​

The Huskers must replace both Garrett Nelson and Ochaun Mathis at edge. The duo combined for 9 sacks and 14 TFL in 2022.

Blaine Gunnerson will get first crack at one of the edge spots. Veteran Ty Robinson provides depth on the inside and is good against the run.

Who else steps up? In the rugged B1G, Nebraska will need to find answers fast.

5 ways Nebraska will be better in 2023 ... and 5 ways the Huskers will be worse

Nebraska should have better leadership and discipline with Matt Rhule at the helm, but depth may be an issue in Year 1.

saturdaytradition.com

The loss of Feist also means five of Nebraska’s top six defenders that produced quarterback pressures will not be back in 2023.

Ochaun Mathis(33 pressures), Nelson (32), Caleb Tannor (15), Feist (12) and Devin Drew (6) are all moving on. Robinson (24 pressures) is the only one in the top six returning.

Nebraska DL Colton Feist will not be back in 2023

Nebraska defensive lineman Colton Feist will not be back at Nebraska for a sixth season in 2023. It's another big blow to NU defense.

www.on3.com

I would argue that White inherited a better Front 7 in 2023 versus what left in 2022:



Nelson in 2022 and Butler in 2023 put up very similar stats. Otherwise the only players from 2022 that were better than their counterparts in 2023 were probably Mathis and Tannor. Hausmann wasn't the player then that he is now.