Nebraska football generating pressure with four-man rushes

The Huskers didn’t Saturday night as they generated 10 quarterback hurries and six sacks while primarily rushing four. The effectiveness up front left the Blackshirts beaming afterward.

Coordinator Tony White on Tuesday praised coach Matt Rhule for beginning the transformation process last winter. The focus on creating QB pressure with four remained a constant through spring ball, summer workouts and through fall camp.

“That’s a master class on planning, on foresight, from a coach who has been there, done that and has a bigger view than the assistants and the coordinators,” White said. “He saw this last year and it’s just a great plan a year later.”

Per analytics provided by TruMedia, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was pressured on 22 dropbacks — with 19 of those coming from three- or four-man pushes. White said the plan was a cooperation between NU coaches at all levels. D-line coach Terrance Knighton identified a couple schemes for specific CU looks that resulted in sacks while secondary coach John Butler and linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek mixed in effective coverage looks.

“It’s just a mindset,” defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher said. “As a defensive line, we want four-man rushes — we want to go get there with four-man rushes.”

Among the NU linemen to earn QB hurries or sacks were Hutmacher, Jimari Butler, Ty Robinson and James Williams along with jack hybrids Princewill Umanmielen and MJ Sherman.

Linebacker John Bullock on Saturday said the second level of the defense can clean up when they don’t need to crash the line of scrimmage. Mikai Gbayor finished with six tackles and Bullock had five, each landing key stops against the run and in the pass game.

“When you can rush four guys and drop seven, I mean, it’s beautiful,” Bullock said. “We don’t have to do much if they’re getting to the quarterback. If you’re good in coverage and you’re good in pass rush — which we were today — then there’s nothing they can do against us.”