Busch Details Growth of Defense

Football
11/2/2022 11:24:00 AM

NU Athletic Communications

Nebraska interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch met with members of the media following Wednesday’s practice. He provided an opening statement on his feelings towards this team.

“Guys did a heck of a job. They do a heck of a job for every practice since I’ve been here,” Busch said. “Very excited about how hard they work. Probably some of the most rewarding times in my 34 years of coaching college football is this group of men. This group is probably as fun of a group as I’ve ever coached in my life,” he said. “They bust their tails, they work at the game plan, all those things. We’ve had two really good days. We’ve got a lot of days to go, gotta be able to wake up fast to play in the morning.”

He explained the similarities and differences between Illinois and Minnesota and explained challenges for Nebraska’s defense this Saturday.

“Lots of similarities. Their main objective is the same. They want to stay ahead of the sticks and run the football. They (Minnesota) are a heavily based zone team, with a lot of different looks and how they get to it,” he said. “They change the surface a lot in their run game. They are extremely gifted up front, their O-line. They have one of the most gifted running backs in Mo Ibrahim. Unbelievable player. Tough, physical, and the ability to jump cut. Hands are full in that area, for sure.”

He touched on the prospect of facing multiple run heavy teams in a row.

“I think it’s good for us. In the end, it’s hard. Defenses change so much when you play different teams,” Busch said. This team (Minnesota) is completely different from Indiana. Indiana ran in a different method. Rutgers was completely different. So, there is some carryover that our guys are using to their advantage. They are extremely well coached and have a very good plan. They don’t have themselves in bad third down situations. You have to earn the right to get them to throw the ball.”

He finished by commenting on the growth of safeties Marques Buford Jr. and Myles Farmer. 

“I think he (Buford) had a very good game for us against Illinois. I also feel another thing that has been a major improvement along with Buford has been (Myles) Farmer’s tackling. He has really thrown his face in there,” he said. “Those guys are also in the run fits. Buford has to cover a little more than the rest of them do. They are both mature safeties, and they are handling things very well. We haven’t been substituting them very much. Their communication is really good. They talk about the game and what is going on and they are in here extra all the time. I’m so lucky I have a chance to coach both of them, and they are gonna be out there as many snaps as they can on Saturday. They’re putting the work in, and that makes me proud to be around them.”

The Huskers will play for the second week in a row in Memorial Stadium when they host Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is set for at 11:00 a.m. (CT) and will be televised on ESPN2, with radio coverage provided by Huskers Radio Network.