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Nebraska Coordinators Examine Play-Calling After Loss to Spartans

Satterfield aims for improvement on first down; White says he needs to ‘unleash’ defense more often

Joe Hudson

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Nebraska's defensive and offensive coordinators accepted blame for subpar performances on both sides of the ball in Saturday's loss to Michigan State.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield noted that first-down production was poor, a "common theme" this season.

"I've got to put them in positions where they can go and have a chance to execute plays to get ahead of the sticks," Satterfield said after Tuesday's practice.

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Defensive coordinator White said there were situations in the game where "I don't think I was aggressive enough as a play-caller" — playing coverage instead of attacking. "I don’t think I gave the guys enough opportunities to go and unleash and make a play," he said.

White bemoaned a coverage bust on a 17-yard play that kept MSU's initial touchdown drive alive. One of his players, he guessed, might not have seen the call from the sideline.

"When we bust assignments, or we don't know what to do, or our eyes are in the wrong place, that's bull crap. ... We don't cover the damn tight end on third and three in a defense we’ve been playing all year. You can see it still bothers the hell out of me."

The Huskers will face Maryland in Lincoln on Saturday, and White said the defense will need to "be creative" and "continuously change looks" to contain Taulia Tagovailoa. The Terrapins' senior quarterback leads the Big Ten in passing yards (2,486) and passing touchdowns (21), and he completed his first 17 throws Saturday in Maryland's loss to Penn State.

Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg, one of the half-dozen players who spoke Tuesday, said he's sometimes guilty of overthinking.

“Just as a person, I try to overanalyze stuff sometimes. ... When it gets in the way of me doing the things I'm supposed to do, that's when it gets me in trouble," Haarberg said.

Satterfield said he is working with Haarberg on "freeing up his mind and going and playing as fast as he can, as physical as he can." 

"We're at that stage right now where I told him, 'Heinrich, just relax. Smile. Have fun. Run through somebody's face."

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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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