Big Red spotlight: Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, May 05, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Most know that Nebraska's defense last season was, to put it nicely, outrageously terrible. Although it took two to tango (both the pass and run 'D' found ways to cough up games), the one that needed an outright overhaul was the unit's performance against the rush. The Huskers ended the rotten 2007 season ranked 116th against the run, allowing 232 yards a game, over 5.0 yards a carry and an average of three rushing touchdowns per game.

Unfortunately, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was an ingredient (albeit not the only one, obviously) in that foul recipe, but the good news is the upcoming junior learned a thing or two from it.

“But if anything, we have a chip with ourselves,” Suh stated last month.

This one statement from the Portland, Ore., native indicates an almost obsessive drive to change. It shows in his actions, as Suh has been highly involved in team meetings, drills, coaching other players during practice and so forth in spite of being sidelined during spring practice because of a knee surgery.

Pretty clear that Nebraska has a leader emerging, a field marshal who will likely take his office in 2009; by then, he will be the lone returning starter for the Huskers' defensive front (the rest of their current D-line starters are seniors). Quite possibly, he will then be the line's representative on the Unity Council, an official player-only committee that Tom Osborne created in 1991 and Bill Callahan disbanded in 2004 but may be resurrected by head coach Bo Pelini.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder has plenty to build on from last season, when he totaled 34 tackles (22 solos, 12 assists), four quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and one sack as a sophomore. He played in 12 games and started in 11, so the experience and the youth is there.

One of Pelini's principles for his new defense is not force the offense to go three-and-out, but rather to get the ball back. If Suh can cause a few forced fumbles here and there while maintaining his obvious penchant for getting in the quarterback's face, he might earn first-team All-Big 12 honors after this season.

Of course, this all assumes Suh will return for his senior season; the possibly exists that he'll have such a good junior year that the temptation known as the NFL will be impossible to resist.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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