Lincoln,
Neb.
- The Nebraska football team practiced for just over two hours on the Ed and
Joyanne Gass practice fields Tuesday afternoon, as the Huskers continued
preparations for Saturday's Big Ten Conference showdown at Ohio State.
Defensive
Coordinator John Papuchis addressed media following practice Tuesday, focusing
on Ohio State’s explosive sophomore quarterback, Braxton Miller.
“We
have to always know where he is. He’s about 67 percent of their total offense,”
Papuchis said. “He does a great job making plays, improvising, and making
something out of nothing. He’s obviously a talented runner, but he throws the
ball well too. We have to always know where he is, we have to always have
eleven guys flying to the football, and we have to make sure we tackle well
when we get our shots.”
Papuchis
is rightfully concerned with Miller’s rushing ability, as he has compiled 577
yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground so far this season. However, Papuchis also
noted the Buckeye quarterback’s ability to throw the long ball.
“Probably
the thing that impresses me more than anything in his throwing game is his
ability to throw the deep ball. He does a good job with that, and we have to
limit their big plays,” Papuchis said.
Containing
Miller will be a tough task for Nebraska’s defense, but one thing that Papuchis
is harping on this week is coming out ready to play at the beginning of the
game. As exciting as Nebraska’s 17-point comeback against Wisconsin was,
falling behind early is not something the Huskers would like to make a habit
of.
“We
have to come out and play better early in the game,” Papuchis said. “We’ve
played pretty good second halves throughout the year, but I haven’t liked the
way we’ve started some of the games. We have to make sure we don’t put
ourselves in a hole Saturday night, because it’s not going to be that easy to
dig ourselves out.”
Check
back here on Huskers.com for updates throughout the week as the Nebraska football team prepares for its
conference showdown Saturday against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Kickoff between
the Huskers and Buckeyes in Columbus is set for 7 p.m. (central) with live
national television coverage on ABC.
