John Butler urging Blackshirts to be more stingy against the run

LINCOLN, Neb. — After allowing several huge runs in the home loss to Michigan, Nebraska’s Defensive Coordinator put an emphasis on tackling, and getting off the blocks during the week off.

The Wolverines exposed a glaring weakness, and John Butler has to get the Blackshirts on the same page with another pivotal Big Ten matchup  inside the Sea of Red Saturday afternoon.  After all, Butler took the shoulder of the blame from Big Red Nation for the way the Huskers started off conference play.

Although the Blackshirts are on the smaller end up front, the secondary appears to be the strength of the defense. However, history shows that having those types of ingredients on the field often times turn into a recipe for disaster in the Big Ten, where trenches are brutal. Nebraska currently ranks 109th nationally in rushing defense, so there’s a lot of pressure on Butler to improve those numbers as the team navigates through the Big Ten meat grinder.

“I think we have a good game plan in terms of what we’re doing when we think they’re going to throw the ball,” Butler said. “So we got to stop the obvious, which is not just run defense, but the explosive plays that we’re giving up in the run defense, and that comes down to guys being in their gaps, and having the ability to get off the blocks.”

Michigan State doesn’t have a punishing rushing attack like Michigan, and currently ranks 72nd in the FBS in that category. Still, Butler understands there’ll be some challenges keeping the Spartans’ offense off the field. He wants his unit to play assignment football. That means guys have to wrap up, have low center of gravity, and go back to the basics of playing defense.

Games in the Big Ten come down to the trenches, so Butler is going to need more production from the linebackers to help out a defensive line that lacks ideal size. The goal in his mind is to get the Blackshirts back to executing at a high level, causing turnovers, being stout against the run and playing fearless like they did in blowout victories over Akron and Houston Baptist.

“You have to be able to evaluate, and right now we’re not getting off the blocks much, and we’re not tackling well enough,” he said. “We have to practice and emphasize that, and at times maybe we have to put more guys in the box.”

Michigan State (3-1) has a quarterback that’s flying under the radar in Aidan Chiles, and he has dangerous dual-threat capability. He threw for 213 yards, and three touchdowns in the road loss at USC. Not to mention Coach Jonathan Smith, who’s a former signal-caller himself, has a great track history of working with quarterbacks. On top of that, the Spartans are also coming off a bye-week, and will have a few wrinkles to show Butler’s defense.

Which is why he’s expecting the unexpected, and needs to have the Blackshirts physically and mentally ready. Michigan State will try to get off to a fast start, and take the sold out crowd out of the game early on, so it’s going to be important for the Blackshirts to set the tone. Some three and outs by the Spartans’ offense should boost the confidence of the Blackshirts, but Butler knows it’s still going to come down to stopping the big plays, especially in the second half.

“The big plays are happening in the run game, they’re only happening in the run game, so it’s very specific.”