Nebraska’s Coordinators Address Challenges on Both Sides of Ball

Illinois among nation’s elite at running back and on defense

Joe Hudson | Oct 26, 2022

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It stands to reason that containing Illinois running back Chase Brown will be a top priority Saturday for Nebraska. He leads the nation in rushing, having eclipsed 1,000 yards before October was half over.

"He has so many yards after contact that it's ridiculous," interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch said after Wednesday's Nebraska football practice.

"He has breakout runs, and he can make you miss," Busch said. "But his biggest strength that Chase has is that he's able to turn three-yard runs into six-yard runs. ... You look at the film, and it should be second-and-7 and it's second-and-4. That's the biggest challenge probably going on — with the run fits, and then the tackling and being able to get him wrapped up."

Accomplishing that becomes more of a challenge without inside linebacker Nick Henrich, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Oct. 15 against Purdue. Busch called the loss of the co-captain a "kick in the gut." Taking Henrich's place atop the depth chart is senior Chris Kolarevic, and backing him up is true freshman Ernest Hausmann.

Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple also has a nation-leading entity to contend with Saturday: the Illinois defense. The Illini are No. 1 in total and scoring defense and are in the top 10 in several other defensive categories.

The Huskers need to be "really good on third down," Whipple said, to keep drives going and to help keep Illinois' offense off the field.

More from Wednesday's session is in the links below. Refresh this page to see the latest additions. Items with asterisk may require a subscription. Go here for the HuskerMax discussion.

Coverage

Non-paywall

Husker247 | Bill Busch talks about the Chase Brown test, filling the Henrich space, Buford update
Husker247 | Whipple says bye week helped Huskers get a bounce back in their step
Saturday Tradition | Bill Busch addresses impact of season-ending injury to LB Nick Henrich
KLKN | Nebraska football faces 'monumental' challenge in game against Illinois
On3 | Mark Whipple praises Trey Palmer, preaches patience with production
Nebraska Athletics | Whipple Previews Illinois

More sources

Hail Varsity* | Offense Wants to Be Physical, Get the Run Game Going Against Illinois
Hail Varsity* | Husker Defense Seeks to "Control" Chase Brown, Illinois Run Game
Hail Varsity* | What Happens if Defenses Scheme to Bracket Trey Palmer?
Omaha World-Herald* | Mark Whipple and Bill Busch offer takes on need for physicality vs Illinois
Omaha World-Herald* | Notes: Nebraska working on run game balance to help rest Casey Thompson
Lincoln Journal Star* | After 'gut punch' loss of Nebraska LB Henrich, here's who could help fill the void
HuskerOnline* | Wednesday nuggets: Whipple, Busch talk matchup vs. Illinois
HuskerOnline* | Practice cliffs: Henrich injury "kick in the gut"

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Published Oct 26, 2022

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.