Former Super Bowl Starter Brenden Stai: NU Defense Playing Blackshirt Football

Brenden Stai was a first-team All-America offensive guard on Nebraska's 1994 national championship team that beat Miami, 24-17, in the Orange Bowl.

A third-round draft choice, he spent eight years in the NFL, including his first five with Pittsburgh, where he became a Super Bowl starter.

Sometimes, the best defensive analysis can come from an offensive player, especially one who averaged 11 "pancake" blocks a game his senior year at Nebraska, meaning he knocked a defender off his feet 132 times that memorable season.

Now a sales associate for an outdoor property company, Stai also provides post-game radio analysis for the Husker Sports Network, and let the record show that he likes how Nebraska's defense keeps developing and improving.

He likes the way the Huskers are coached, the way they're "flying around" and the passion they're showing as the nation's No. 1-ranked defense against scoring.

Stai, in fact, is so impressed with the defense that he sees it coming all the way back to true "Blackshirt football" reminiscent of the late-1990s. Stai said if the Huskers play well and exact some "payback" Thursday night in a nationally televised game in Columbia, Blackshirts could be coming soon, whether it's after Missouri or some other game later in the season when the coaches think they're hitting their stride and maximizing their potential.

Hit the play button above and watch Stai talk about the improvement in Nebraska's young defense, the potential of the offense, why the Huskers' experience in Blacksburg should help their performance in Columbia, and the "hybrid" weapon that Nebraska has in kicker/punter Alex Henery.

For Stai, the combination is far enough along that he's even willing to mention the ultimate goal of all Nebraska players, coaches and the athletic administration in the immediate future.

To see the complete Brenden Stai interview, join HuskersNside.