Huskers Await Tiger Blitz

LINCOLN ? The Nebraska football team concluded the full-scale phase of its game-week practice schedule Thursday with a two-hour workout inside Memorial Stadium.

 

Head Coach Bill Callahan spoke with reporters following practice and shed light on what he has noticed from the Missouri defense through game-film breakdown.

 

“They’re going to be a real heavy blitz team,” Callahan said. “That’s what they like to do. They’re a team that loves to pressure. It’s kind of like playing the Pittsburgh Steelers; they blitz every down. They have an amazingly high percentage blitz on first and second down. They’ll blitz you on third down. They come externally and internally. They mix it up. There’s a lot of variety in their package. They like the pressure aspect of the game, and they do it not only against the passing game, but they do it equally as well against the running game. We have our work cut out for us. We have to block a lot of movement this weekend.”

 

While Saturday’s game will be Callahan’s first trip to Columbia to face the Tigers as the Huskers’ head coach, it won’t be his first game at Faurot Field.

 

“I’ve been down there before,” Callahan said. “When I was with the University of Illinois we used to go down there in the early 1980’s. We played down there when Warren Powers was the head coach. We had a natural rivalry between Illinois and Missouri. I understand their following and I know their fans pretty well, because we used to recruit through the St. Louis area. I expect a hostile environment. I wouldn’t expect anything less. Of course it is a Big 12 Conference game, so it’s a meaningful game for both teams involved.”

 

The Huskers will hold a light walkthrough at Memorial Stadium Friday morning before leaving for Columbia, Mo. The team plans to stop by MU’s Faurot Field for a brief visit upon arrival.