Bo Knows Defense

Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star came across a little gem on the fastandfuriousfootball.com web site, where Pelini talked to Louisiana high school coaches for an hour. You can listen to it yourself if you've got an hour.

Here are some of the high points:

• His goal is to field the "best effort defense" in the nation. (Hey, we saw this ourselves with the Huskers in 2003)
• Don't talk negative. Don't yell at the player, yell at the mistake. "It's about getting the kids to understand what they’re doing so they can do it fast.”
• It's not as much about X's and O's, but rather connecting with players and building a bond with them.
• Disrupt the offense by providing multiple looks early and often in the game.
• Don't panic, because then players start to press and start getting beat over the top for big plays.
• The most important defensive statistic is "explosive gains", which are passes that gain more than 16 yards or runs for more than 12 yards.
• Stop the run early and force teams to become one dimensional on third down.