Davis Interception Highlight Of Fall Camp

Khalil Davis said the play was, without question, the highlight of his fall camp.
 
Truth be told, his interception may be the top play, period, from the first 3 weeks of Nebraska football practice.
 
Davis, the 6-foot-2, 315-pound senior defensive lineman, snuffed out a screen pass in a short scrimmage last week, breaking through the line and catching the football in a bang-bang play that ignited the defensive sideline.
 
"Besides a sack in a game," Davis said, "that was probably one of the most exciting things I've ever done on a football field."
 
Knowing coach Scott Frost's penchant for running screen passes in certain down-and-distance situations, Davis said he sensed the play, and felt the offensive lineman opposite him begin to drift.
 
"Coach Tuioti always talks about if the O-lineman drops and drifts, there's a screen coming," Davis said, referring to first-year defensive line coach Tony Tuioti. "But I felt him stop, and I didn't know the ball was coming to me. I stopped, and I just put my hands up and it fell right into me."
 
Davis fell on his back and then got up as his defensive teammates mobbed him on the field. The defensive sideline erupted as much or more than it has for any play this fall, roaring its approval.
 
"I know for a fact I lost all my breath," Davis said. "I didn't think I was doing much, but I guess I was screaming and yelling, celebrating, and I lost my breath, and Coach Chins was over there, 'We got three more downs! We got three more downs!'
 
"I had to suck it up and get back going."
 
Tuioti said the extraordinary play exemplified the sheer athleticism of a 300-plus pound athlete.
 
"Some guys are just freaks, and he's just that way," Tuioti said. "We spend time talking about screens and keys to screen play, and there's certain down and distances that we anticipate there's going to be some type of screen play.
 
"So as a coach, you talk about it as much as possible, but still, that's player over scheme, or anything you're teaching."
 
As for the team's reaction?
 
"We actually screwed up the next two plays because everyone was still celebrating," Tuioti said. "The next play, we weren't even lined up, and we still made the play."
 
Even so, Tuioti is thrilled to see such plays inspire a team, saying it's an example of how splash plays are there to be made.
 
"I keep telling the guys, 'Your plays are going to come within the scheme of the defense. Don't feel like you have to come out of structure to make a splash play,' " Tuioti said. "Great defenses stay within the structure; do your job, and the plays will come.
 
"And that's a great example of a guy just doing his job. Right play, right time."
 
Davis said the Blackshirts have been producing more turnovers in practice. Granted, not all have been as sensational as this particular play, but effective all the same.
 
"We've been really awesome this camp, and it all starts with us (the defensive line)," Davis said. "If we can get pressure on the QB, affect his throwing arm, affect the pocket, he has to float the ball.
 
"It gives a chance for the DBs to go make a play. And they've been doing really good on the back end covering, too, so we can get a sack. It's, 'You help me, and we'll help you,' and we've been helping each other all fall camp. We're just taking that into the season."
 


Domann Hungry, Motivated
 
Last season, coaches told JoJo Domann he was one play away from earning a Blackshirt.
 
Now entering his junior season, Domann is approaching practice as though he is a Blackshirt, even though he wasn't among the 14 defenders who received the coveted practice jersey earlier this week.
 
"You know, Blackshirt, white shirt, yellow shirt, gray shirt — I got to prove myself every day," Domann said. "That's kind of my mentality. Obviously, I would like to get a Blackshirt, but it just adds fuel on the fire. I got to turn my game up a notch, turn up my dedication, and that's how I took it."
 
Domann is listed after sophomore Caleb Tannor at one outside linebacker position, although an "or" separates their names. In fact, you can find five defensive positions with an "or" on the depth chart, a sign Nebraska has more depth than a season ago.
 
"We're going to have a lot of guys play. We are. Point blank, period," Domann said. "We've got playmakers. We know we're not shallow this year. We've got depth, we've got young guys stepping up, some old guys, some new leaders.
 
"We just have to make plays on Saturday. Who are the gamers? That's what we're going to find out."
 
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Domann showed his playmaking capability in his first career start, last season at No. 8 Ohio State. He had a 7-yard sack, forced a fumble and broke up a pass against the Buckeyes. That came at outside linebacker, where Domann says he's comfortable after beginning his career at safety.
 
"I'm comfortable with it. I want to make plays within the system," he said. "There's one thing to know the system, and there's another in that you got to excel in the system. I'm trying to excel, make plays for us on Saturdays."
 
Domann, who played as a true freshman but then redshirted in 2017 because of a couple of knee injuries, again had an offseason injury that prevented him from joining the team at the beginning of fall camp.
 
When he returned, he rehabbed for a week, slowly progressed to individual and 7-on-7 work, and then coaches "kind of took the reins off," Domann said.
 
"It's tested me for sure, but, you know, I've become better from it. I'm just really focused on our first game, focused on the season, try not to think about my body and just play football again."
 
Domann echoed Davis's thoughts on the Blackshirts forcing more turnovers in fall camp. Domann noted safety Deontai Williams gets his hands on at least one football every day in practice.
 
"We're all about getting the ball, forcing fumbles, strip sacks, all that," he said.
 
"It's a nameless, faceless opponent every week. Just forcing turnovers, running to the ball, playing nasty, playing physical – that's what we're about, that's what the Blackshirts are about."
 
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.