Nebraska Defensive Line Coach Husker Radio Network Appearance, Ty Robinson, James Williams

Nebraska defensive line coach Terrance Knighton made an appearance on Huskers Radio Network on Wednesday.

Here are a few notes from Knighton’s radio appearance.

The unintentional effect of having a quarterback like Dylan Raiola leading an offense that can score quickly has changed the ways teams approach game planning for Nebraska. Knighton drew back to his playing days to explain how teams have changed their approach to the Huskers.

“It’s different, I shared with the guys my experience playing with a guy like Peyton Manning,” he said. “They’re [the offense] going to score a lot of points, so the defense is going to be on the field a lot more. Teams are going to try and do the best they can to keep a high powered offense off the field, teams are going to run the ball, try to get us in third and short so our pass rushers can’t go out there and pass rush, and dominate the time of possession. When you know what teams are going to try and do to you it helps you a little bit with preparation.”

Stopping the run is not just important to Nebraska’s success, it’s the identity Knighton the rest of the staff want to the program to embrace.

“I think selfishly a lot of guys want to get sacks but you can’t get sacks unless you stop the run,” he said. “With me being the ex-player and playing for Coach Rhule as my position coach, it always started with stopping the run. That’s our DNA as a defense, that’s our DNA as a program, run the ball, stop the run and we got to handle that first.”

Nebraska faces a Rutgers team that’s run the ball quite well this season but Knighton believes his guys are up for the challenge.

“Our guys will be ready to go,” he said. “It’s going to be a physical game, going to be a slow game, that’s the type of game they like. We’re going to have match their physicality, exceed their physicality up front. Our guys will be ready to go, it’s a challenge. Whenever a team thinks they can come in and run the ball, it’s a direct shot at the front, so I’ve been on them a little bit about that this week, been carrying a bat in practice to let them know the kind of mood I’m in this week.”

A lot of focus is on Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher, and Knighton made sure to praise both for their play this season. Robinson for his dominance lining up all over the line, and Hutmacher for the unsung work he’s doing at nose tackle.

“You can always tell how good a nose tackle is based on how well the linebackers are playing,” he said, noting the play of John Bullock and Mikai Gbayor this season is as much a reflection of Hutmacher as it is Nebraska’s standout linebackers.

But as important as #0 and #9 have been for Nebraska’s defense, Knighton called Nebraska’s other single digit on the line, Jimari Butler, the leader of the group.

“He’s the heart and soul of the group,” Knighton said. “Gritty, tough, he’s the vocal leader. He’s wearing No. 1, he got a lot of votes to be a captain on the defense and all the guys respect him. Whether that’s Vincent Shavers…Willis [McGahee IV]..all the young guys gravitate towards him because he’s honest with those guys and they see how hard he works.

James “Sack-Man” Williams got his first two sacks of the season against Purdue, Knighton’s been pleased with the progress he’s made in his second season with the program, now an every-down lineman.

“He wasn’t the sack-man until this week,” he said. “He’s a guy that we had to take out in rushing situations, but now he’s a guy that can go in there and be gritty, He’s a tough guy, he plays with his hands, he’s physical in the run game and he’s a guy we can depend on every down.”

Kai Wallin has stepped into a bigger role as well after adding some much-needed weight.

““He’s about 260 now,” Knighton said. “He got here, he was a little skinny frail guy from california. He’s stronger, he’s tougher. He’ll never lose the ability to pass-rush, that’s his God-given gift and now he’s just trying to be an all-around player”

Meanwhile Riley Van Poppel is redshirting after appearing in three games early this season and developing behind the scenes. Knighton has high hopes for the second-year defsnvie lineman out of Argyle (Tex.).

“Riley is a pro,” he said. “Riley does everything the right way. He gets 100% on every test, he can answer every question I ask in meetings, he can answer every question Coach Rhule asks. He’s the ultimate program guy and we didn’t want to cheat him on development.”

He added.

“We just decided, let’s get him more reps in practice, let’s get him going against our o-line everyday, getting 50 reps, getting better so next year when Ty Rbinson’s gone, we don’t lose a step and he’s ready to go in there and be a dominant player we know he can be.”

Freshman defensive lineman Keona Davis enrolled at Nebraska over the summer but he’s already been a staple in the rotation and played some quality snaps for the Huskers through the first five games of his college career.

““True freshman guy like Keona [Davis] who’s played a lot of football right now. We call him Tarzan, he’s just a physical guy,” Knighton said. “He just goes 100 miles an hour all the time. Guys like that always find a way to get on the field. That’s just the guys we recruit the guys that we want, tough physical guys with a motor non-stop.”

Freshman David Höffken’s development is taking some time as he adjusts to life as an American having moved in from Germany at 22 years old. He’s getting a lot of reps in practice though and the progress is starting to show.

“He’s doing a great job right now,” Knighton said. “He’s physical, he’s fast, he has great size, he’s smart. Things just have to slow down for him. He’s getting a lot better right now because he’s getting a lot of reps in practice, he’s just got to keep working. He’s learning a lot, he’s sitting next to Ty in meetings.”

Höffken has quickly endeared himself to the defensive line room

“He teaches us a German word every week,” he said. “We’re building a camaraderie in the group, he’s getting used to everything handling academics, learning his playbook. He’s getting acclimated to that, but he’s doing a great job so the arrow is pointing up on him for sure.”

Mason Goldman arrived at Nebraska as an offensive lineman from Gretna but has since moved to the defensive line room and rapidly elevated up Knighton’s list of favorites.

“My favorite guy,” he said with a smile. “He’s a guy who had some issues injury wise. He’s doing better now, he’s getting stronger, body’s developing. He’s going to be a great player he’s going to be a guy we expect to come in and play great football”