Saturday notebook: Defense still developing attacking mentality

While much of the attention will be on how new head coach Scott Frost implements his high-octane offense at Nebraska, there’s an almost equally large transition occurring on the other side of the football.

Not only are new defensive coordinator Erick Chinander and his staff installing a new 3-4 defense from what the Huskers ran last season, they’re also trying to break some old bad habits that were part of the unit’s many problems in 2017.

More than anything, Chinander said the most pressing issue has been turning NU back into an attacking defense that’s not afraid to take some chances in order to create big plays.

“The biggest challenge for this defense is just kind of changing the mindset,” Chinander said. “We want to get turnovers, we want to be aggressive, we want to get to the quarterback, we want to get the football out.

“We want to be an aggressive unit to match up with our offense, and we just need to change the mindset: getting guys pressed up on receivers, letting guys loose, getting guys free to make plays on the football instead of worrying about something going over their heads. So I think it’s just the mindset and the culture.”

Seeing how Nebraska has now held just two full-pads practices this spring, that process is still very much a work in progress.

The good news is that Chinander said the defensive players immediately showed a willingness to adopt a more fearless approach to the game. But now the goal is to turn that desire in the meeting rooms into performance on the field.

“I think it’s an easy process to get them to start thinking that way, now doing it on the field is a different thing,” Chinander said. “Really letting it loose, not being afraid to make a mistake. Like Coach Frost talks about, ‘The desire to excel and no fear of failure.’

“Let’s go make a play, and if you miss, you’re not going to get MF’d, you’re not going to get dog cussed. We’re going to teach you how to do it better. We just need these guys to let it loose a little bit. The mindset is getting there, but the actions need to follow.”

One of the first steps Chinander and Co. have tried to make this spring has been simply developing a trust and comfort level with the players both inside and outside of the football realm.

Only by getting to know the players on a personal level can the coaches get the players to eliminate the fear of making mistakes and play to their full potential, Chinander said.

“You need to get to know these kids as people before we start going too hard on them for errors and all that kind of thing,” Chinander said.

“I think our coaching staff is a really good teaching group. I think we all are so willing to travel with Coach Frost anywhere because we believe what he believes, and that’s if we make these kids into good dads and good brothers and good sons and good husbands and good people in the community, then we’re not going to have to talk about wins and losses very much.

“The starting point to that is getting to know these kids as people and then we’ll get to the football real hard.”

- Robin Washut

One of the more wide-open positions on the offense this spring is running back. The Huskers are coming off statistically their worst season at running back in modern day school history, as they’ve gone three consecutive years now without a 1,000-yard rusher.

Tre Bryant (knee) remains out of commission this spring, while Devine Ozigbo, Mikale Wilbon, and Jaylin Bradley are all battling for playing time.

On top of that, NU brought in Greg Bell, the No. 1-ranked junior college running back in the country this spring to spice up the competition.

“That competition has always been there, especially at my spot,” Ozigbo said. “I’ve never come into a spot where the job was locked up. All the backs just have that ‘go to work’ attitude, and I feel that this is just going to add to the fire. All of the backs here are all in the same spot. None of us have had the job outright. The competition just makes us better.

"We enjoy Greg (Bell) and the guys they are going to bring in. It’s just that family environment. Iron sharpens iron. They are all going to make us better.”

Thus far Ozigbo also likes the approach new running backs coach Ryan Held has taken with the room.

“He definitely talked to me and all the guys that played last year,” Ozigbo said. “He trusts us and expects us to be the example for the younger guys. It’s cool because it gives us some leadership.

"I always felt the like the running back room has never had a leader, and at times we really needed one. We can communicate well all on the same playing field, but (Held) has definitely given us a little push to show the way and things like that.”

- Sean Callahan

Sophomore tight end Jack Stoll has emerged as a player that has garnered mention through four practices this spring.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Colorado native drew praise based on his performance earlier in the week from tight ends coach Sean Beckton. Following Saturday’s practice, Stoll shrugged that off and just said he’s excited about the opportunities that exist for tight ends in the new offense.

“I think with this offense, I just go out there and I look and it’s pretty obvious that we’re going to have some opportunities to makes some big plays,” Stoll said. “I think we’re going to have a few more downfield shots here and there. That’s something that I’m really looking forward to. Just going out there and making a play for the team and helping the team win the game.”

Stoll feels the tight end has to be one of the more versatile players in Nebraska’s offense and he’s fully embracing the challenge.

“I think tight ends are the most versatile position on the field,” Stoll said. “We’ve got to go out there, be spread and make a block on the perimeter, be an end-line blocker, then go out there and make plays on the receiving end of things. So I just think that we are the most versatile position out there.

“I think as a tight end, that’s something that’s really exciting knowing that you could make a key block here to score a touchdown and then the next drive you could go out there and run a deep route and be the one to score the touchdown. I just think it’s an awesome opportunity for us.”

-Nate Clouse

Going into his fifth season of college football, Mick Stoltenberg didn’t think there would be much more opportunity to make many big physical changes as far as his strength and conditioning.

In one respect, he was right. The senior nose tackle said he still weighs right around 310 pounds, his same weight as last season. But the makeup of that frame is significantly better than maybe any point in Stoltenberg’s football career.

“It was a really good offseason for me,” Stoltenberg said. “This being my fifth year we’re going into, I still made some gains. I lost some fat, gained some more muscle. That was really exciting for me. Sometimes you think you’ve been here for a long time and working out and stuff, but you’ve still got room to grow. I grew a little bit, and I feel good.”

Stoltenberg had already taken on the role of one of the leaders of the defense last season, but another notable change he’s made entering 2018 has been embracing even more ownership on the field, in the locker room, and in the weight room.

That effort certainly hasn't gone unnoticed by Nebraska’s coaches. Defensive line coach Mike Dawson said Stoltenberg and senior defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun have been invaluable in getting a deep but young front dialed in each day.

“Both Mick and Freedom have done a great job of being leaders and really putting the group ahead of themselves,” Dawson said. “A lot of times guys like that think, ‘Hey, this is my senior year. I have to show out.’ And they kind of leave the rest of the group behind. Both of them have been pulling the group from the front, which I think is a really great trait for those guys as leaders.”

As much as Stoltenberg is trying to help establish a foundation for the future under Nebraska’s new coaching staff, he’s also well aware that this season will be his last chance to achieve some of his own personal goals.

Even with all of the transition going on within the program, Stoltenberg said he’s set the bar as high as possible not only for the d-line, but for the entire unit: be the best defense in college football.

“That’s always the goal,” Stoltenberg said. “To go in with any different goal would be crazy. This is my fifth year now, and I want pretty much nothing less than the ultimate success: make it to the Big Ten Championship and be one of the best defenses in the country.”

- Robin Washut

Several of the newcomers Nebraska brought in this spring are vying for playing time. One of those new faces that figures to make an impact this fall is junior college transfer defensive back Deontai Williams.

The former Georgia and Florida commit is working at both safety and corner this spring.

“Deontai is one of the kids that can play multiple positions,” secondary coach Travis Fisher said. “Right now he’s playing corner and safety. When we start nickel, we’ll be able to put him at the nickel spot too. He can come down and cover on the No. 2 (receiver) and go out wide and play some corner. He’s very physical, and he’s going to add a lot for us in the run game too.”

Fisher added it’s a major advantage having a guy like Williams here for this spring.

“We spend a lot of time in the film room,” Fisher said. “The thing about it is if I’m throwing it at him, I’m throwing at (the veterans) at the same time. They are all learning the defense at the same time. Nobody has an edge over anybody. Everybody is learning the defense at the same time.”

- Sean Callahan

Even though Nebraska is making another defensive transition and breaking in their third secondary coach since 2014, Fisher likes how this group has been able to pick things up.

There are several players in the secondary who have played a lot of football, and that’s helped them with this transition.

“One thing we do is we ask a lot of our safeties,” Fisher said. “Those guys have to get us lined up every play. They have to get us lined up as far as coverage. Those guys are very smart, and they are able to pick things up. Overall, as a secondary, these guys as a whole secondary are very smart. You can throw the whole book at these guys, and they’ll pick it up.

“Aaron Williams is really sharp. Antonio Reed is really sharp. I have some walk-on kids back there that are really smart too. To be honest with you, as a whole group, I think all the safeties are really sharp.”

- Sean Callahan

***Nebraska is hosting its first Junior Day of the year this weekend and several prospects were seen following practice on Saturday. Among them were 2019 Rivals250 defensive end Marcus Hicks and Ohio linebacker Luke Fulton, both of which currently hold offers from the Huskers. NU also had several of its incoming 2018 signees and walk-ons on campus today as well.

***Chinander said the best thing about going up against Scott Frost’s offense in practice was that they get so many reps in each day and also will see about every formation, pre-snap movement, and personnel grouping possible by the time the season starts.

***Chinander said the defensive backs have shown good potential early on this spring, and he thinks cornerback Lamar Jackson particularly could make a big jump this offseason. Chinander said Jackson was a good enough player that it shouldn’t matter what defense he was working in, Jackson should thrive in any system.

He said the junior cornerback still needed to develop a more physical mindset, but called him “a special kid” who was loaded with potential.

***Chinander said NU has a lot to work with at linebacker, and some of the early standouts have been Mohamed Barry, Will Honas, and Dedrick Young.

***Dawson said this d-line was as deep of a group as any position he’d coached in his entire career, regardless of the position. He said reps are going to be hard to come by as a result, which makes every practice so important for the players.

***Sophomore Breon Dixon is working at outside linebacker this spring.

***Offensive lineman Tanner Farmer said the new offense really fits the unit’s personnel better than the previous system. Not only is it relatively easy to learn, the staff has also made it clear it’s going to tailor the scheme to fit the players’ strengths, not make the players fit the offense. For example, if a lineman isn’t good at pull blocking, they won’t call a play where he has to pull.