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Nebraska’s Blackshirts Getting an ‘Edginess’ Boost for Showdown with Illinois

Husker football defensive coordinator Tony White is happy to have the full availability of Jimari Butler and Mikai Gbayor.

Joe Hudson

HuskerMax Practice Report, Sept. 17, 2024
HuskerMax Practice Report, Sept. 17, 2024 /
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Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White is glad to have Jimari Butler and Mikai Gbayor back at full availability for Friday’s football game against No. 24 Illinois.


“Both of those guys are making plays,” White said after Nebraska’s practice Tuesday morning. “More importantly, they are bringing a little edginess as well. With those guys coming back and then the things we did not do well last week, the guys out there running around, they know and they want it. We’re going to set the standard and make sure the standard is there every time we step on the field.”

Butler didn't play last weekend against Northern Iowa after being listed as questionable for the game, and Gbayor sat out the first half due to a targeting penalty the previous week against Colorado.

White spoke about the challenges of defending against the Illinois offense.

“You have the playmakers on the outside,” he said. “Those guys are going up and getting footballs. They do a great job of keeping it balanced. They know when they want to run the ball, what looks they are running the ball into, and then doing a lot of different things like RPO, getting them out movement pass wise.”

Of quarterback Luke Altmyer, White said: “He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. He’s not really panicked. ... He is operating at a high level. He will be a challenge to deal with.” 

Also speaking Tuesday were offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and several players, including quarterback Dylan Raiola. Satterfield said the Illinois defense will make it “tough to move the line of scrimmage, so we’ve got to be ready for a fistfight.”

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Joe Hudson

JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.

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