JD PicKell: Nebraska is looking to find the 'knockout punch' with new defense

Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White is going to have an aggressive defense and find the “knockout punch” against its Big Ten opponents this year.

On3’s J.D. PicKell preached having the Huskers defense play their own style this season. Rather than react to the big boys of the Big Ten, put your own stamp on the game.

PicKell broke it down on the latest edition of The Hard Count.

“When you look at how it’s supposed to work, you’re not trying to play other teams in the Big Ten’s kind of game,” PicKell said. “Like the way that I think about it, Michigan, if you were to put a style to how they play offensively and put like a fighting style to that Michigan offensively wants to wrestle you. They are big. They are physical. They’re back to back Big Ten champs, they got a Joe Moore award winning offensive line they want to lean on you and put you into submission with their size. Why would we try and wrestle the defending to time Big Ten champion when they wrestle?”

Essentially, PicKell wants to see Nebraska play its own style of football, particularly on defense. If that’s the case, perhaps the Huskers can dictate the game and pace.

“Why would we try and play their game, doesn’t make any sense,” PicKell said. “Instead, I see Nebraska now transitioning to more of a boxing approach. We’re going to try to hit the knockout punch. We’re going to try and make you move around the ring and going to try and make you fight our style. 

“If a wrestler can’t get his hands on the boxer and the boxer gets a few good jabs in and we’re playing the boxing game now. Hey, we feel a bit better about our odds. So I like Nebraska saying we’re not going to try and beat you at your own game. Banging our head against the wall makes no sense. We’re gonna try and play our game. Try and be aggressive, play to our personnel, be more creative, catch you off balance. We’re not going to try and wrestle you. We’re going to try and knock you out. That’s what Tony White’s defense is supposed to do.”

White spent the last three seasons as Syracuse’s defensive coordinator before he came over to Nebraska. He also coached in the same role at Arizona State before the Orange.