[Lefty Noob]

The Cornhuskers took the field for 2 1/2 hours yesterday as they began their preparations for the 2007 season.

"It was great,” defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove to the official Nebraska football website. “It’s good to be back on the field and there was a lot of energy. It was hot out here and the kids had to fight through it... "We’re trying to take the next step... Our installation will be very heavy. Everything we did in the spring, we will probably get all that into about three or four days. We’re trying to accelerate the learning curve on these kids and try to pick up right where we left off. We had a lot of young guys out here (today) that got a lot of repetitions. We have some good, young talent."

So how good does everyone expect that Nebraska defense to be this season? Can Cosgrove's unit dominate the Big 12?

Huskers Open 2007 Fall Camp - Huskers.com—The Official Web Site of Nebraska Athletics

[desertrat]

I'm not totally convince that Cosgrove can lead a dominant defense yet. Huskers lost a lot on the DL but have a solid group of LBs. The secondary should be improved with the extra experience, but there needs to be pressure on the QB for the secondary to be succesful.

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by desertrat

I'm not totally convince that Cosgrove can lead a dominant defense yet. Huskers lost a lot on the DL but have a solid group of LBs. The secondary should be improved with the extra experience, but there needs to be pressure on the QB for the secondary to be succesful.

Where can they generate that pressure from, desertrat? Anyone on the team look like the can emerge as a true pass rushing threat?

[desertrat]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Where can they generate that pressure from, desertrat? Anyone on the team look like the can emerge as a true pass rushing threat?

The Huskers strength on defense is their linebackers with Bo Ruud (Barrett Ruud's younger brother), Steve Octavian, Cory McKeon, and Phillip Dillard. I expect them to blitz these guys often to provide pressure. DE Barry Turner looked outstanding in limited action last year while DE Zach Potter and DE Clayton Sievers are also expected to compete for playing time. DT Ndamukong Suh is a stud in the middle and will get help from Ty Steihnkuhler ( Dean Steinkuhler's son) . Most of the DLs are young and not as battle tested as last year when they had Adam Carriker and Stewart Bradley who are both in the NFL now. Blitz packages are likely the way to go until the younger linemen prove they can hold their own.

[Lefty Noob]

Cosgrove made some interesting comments after Thursday's practice: "I like our ability to get speed on the field... At any given time, we can get six linebacker-types on the field with five defensive backs." I wonder if that's something they plan to do a bit this season.

Huskers Get Back to Work after Day Off - Huskers.com—The Official Web Site of Nebraska Athletics