4. College Football News Preview 2020: Nebraska Cornhuskers Defense 3 Things To Know
– The offense hasn’t been as good as hoped for, but the defensive side has been the biggest disappointment so far under Scott Frost. It struggles to come up with the key stop, it’s just okay against the run, and even with decent pressure in the backfield, it hasn’t been enough after finishing tenth in the Big Ten in total defense and 11th in scoring D.
Seven of the top 14 tacklers are gone and six starters have to be replaced. It starts on the defensive front where Carlos Davis and Khalil Davis are gone – both drafted late – along with Darrion Daniels on the nose.
6-3, 340-pound Damion Daniels is a big body to anchor the interior, and there’s enough size on the ends to be okay, but losing Khalil Davis’s playmaking ability in the backfield is a problem. Senior Ben Stille is back, though, after finishing third on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss.
– The secondary did a nice job overall, but it didn’t face a whole lot of high-powered passing games. Losing top corner Lamar Jackson hurts, but senior Dicaprio Bootle is a good one returning on the other side, and safeties Cam Taylor-Britt and Marquel Dismuke are veterans who can hit a little.
– Mohamed Barry is done after leading the team with 89 tackles from his inside linebacker position, and Alex Davis is gone from the outside, but everyone else of note is back. Former JUCO transfer Will Honas is the leading returning tackler with 72 stops, and senior JoJo Domann should be one of the team’s better all-around defenders on the outside.