Print
E-mail
Crick records school-record five sacks
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
By Terry Douglass
sports.desk@theindependent.com
WACO, Texas — Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini likes to refer to his defensive line as a “pick-your-poison” proposition for opposing offenses.
If teams fail to concentrate on senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the preseason Big 12 Conference defensive player of the year is almost a sure bet to dominate. Pay Suh too much attention in the blocking scheme and Pelini said that other members of the Cornhuskers’ defensive line will have plenty of opportunities to shine.
That was the case during Saturday’s 20-10 win at Baylor. With Suh routinely getting double-teamed, Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick produced a school-record five sacks and finished with 13 tackles, including 6.5 for loss.
Crick was honored to get Nebraska’s single-game sack record, but said it was far from an individual accomplishment.
“It was a big day for all of us up front, really, and the defense as a whole,” Crick said. “I really can’t take any credit. It was just us up-front guys doing work. I’ve got to credit Suh, I’ve got to credit (defensive ends) Barry Turner and Pierre Allen for helping me to collapse the pocket.
“We just had some good breaks, I had some good breaks and a lot of good things happened today.”
Nebraska safety Matt O’Hanlon said Crick is probably one of the most underrated players in the country.
“Crick is an animal to begin with, so if they pay that much attention to Suh, he’s going to make them pay,” O’Hanlon said. “If he was playing for any other program in the country, other teams would probably be double-teaming him, too. He just had a monster day and he really helped us out.”
Considering Baylor’s offensive approach, Crick’s big performance came as no surprise to Pelini.
“They wanted to turn their center to Suh and double him and Crick’s going to make them pay. He’s really taking advantage of that,” Pelini said. “You can’t single-block the guy the whole game and not expect him to be in your backfield. As long as we have that threat (of Suh) on the other side, it’s a great tandem to have.”
Crick said there was no secret to his success against Baylor.
“They were double-teaming Suh most of the game, so that gave me the opportunity to go one-on-one,” Crick said. “Barry and Pierre were also going one on one and it kind of opened the lanes for me to kind of free rush and that’s all it really was.
“It could’ve been anybody today to get all those stats. ... It’s a great feeling — don’t get me wrong — but it was a group effort.”
Indeed, Pelini said Crick isn’t the only Nebraska defensive lineman capable of having a big day if Suh is commanding double-teams.
“It’s very important, but if it’s not Crick, it’s Barry or Pierre,” Pelini said. “We’ve got four guys up front who are threats and Baker (Steinkuhler) and Cameron (Meredith) off the bench. We’re solid up there and any time teams single (block) any one of those guys, they’re capable of getting beat.
“That’s the key — it’s not just one or two. It’s four guys playing at a high level.”
While a 13-tackle, five-sack performance earned Crick the spotlight, Pelini said the 6-foot-6, 285-pound sophomore from Cozad has played well for most of the season.
“He plays that way every game,” Pelini said. “Today, he had a lot of opportunities and he’s really coming into his own.”
With nearly 30 family members in the stands at Floyd Casey Stadium, Crick admitted he probably had a little extra incentive.
“It was definitely exciting,” Crick said. “I kind of went out and played a little harder today and it was a great day.”
If teams fail to concentrate on senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the preseason Big 12 Conference defensive player of the year is almost a sure bet to dominate. Pay Suh too much attention in the blocking scheme and Pelini said that other members of the Cornhuskers’ defensive line will have plenty of opportunities to shine.
That was the case during Saturday’s 20-10 win at Baylor. With Suh routinely getting double-teamed, Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick produced a school-record five sacks and finished with 13 tackles, including 6.5 for loss.
Crick was honored to get Nebraska’s single-game sack record, but said it was far from an individual accomplishment.
 |
| WACO -- NU's Jared Crick tackles Baylor quarterback Nick Florence for a loss of two yards in the second quarter at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. Crick led the team with a school-record five sacks for 24 yards lost. ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD nebraska cornhuskers huskers football texas tech |
“We just had some good breaks, I had some good breaks and a lot of good things happened today.”
Nebraska safety Matt O’Hanlon said Crick is probably one of the most underrated players in the country.
“Crick is an animal to begin with, so if they pay that much attention to Suh, he’s going to make them pay,” O’Hanlon said. “If he was playing for any other program in the country, other teams would probably be double-teaming him, too. He just had a monster day and he really helped us out.”
Considering Baylor’s offensive approach, Crick’s big performance came as no surprise to Pelini.
“They wanted to turn their center to Suh and double him and Crick’s going to make them pay. He’s really taking advantage of that,” Pelini said. “You can’t single-block the guy the whole game and not expect him to be in your backfield. As long as we have that threat (of Suh) on the other side, it’s a great tandem to have.”
Crick said there was no secret to his success against Baylor.
“They were double-teaming Suh most of the game, so that gave me the opportunity to go one-on-one,” Crick said. “Barry and Pierre were also going one on one and it kind of opened the lanes for me to kind of free rush and that’s all it really was.
“It could’ve been anybody today to get all those stats. ... It’s a great feeling — don’t get me wrong — but it was a group effort.”
Indeed, Pelini said Crick isn’t the only Nebraska defensive lineman capable of having a big day if Suh is commanding double-teams.
“It’s very important, but if it’s not Crick, it’s Barry or Pierre,” Pelini said. “We’ve got four guys up front who are threats and Baker (Steinkuhler) and Cameron (Meredith) off the bench. We’re solid up there and any time teams single (block) any one of those guys, they’re capable of getting beat.
“That’s the key — it’s not just one or two. It’s four guys playing at a high level.”
While a 13-tackle, five-sack performance earned Crick the spotlight, Pelini said the 6-foot-6, 285-pound sophomore from Cozad has played well for most of the season.
“He plays that way every game,” Pelini said. “Today, he had a lot of opportunities and he’s really coming into his own.”
With nearly 30 family members in the stands at Floyd Casey Stadium, Crick admitted he probably had a little extra incentive.
“It was definitely exciting,” Crick said. “I kind of went out and played a little harder today and it was a great day.”
 |
 |
|
| HAMAR: Another ugly game in the books for Huskers | NU game notes |
Commenting is currently disabled on all stories. The Grand Island Independent is currently reviewing its guidelines for commenting on news stories.
Start a topic in our forums
Submit a Letter to the Editor
Start a topic in our forums
Submit a Letter to the Editor
