Spartan Defense Shuts Down Nebraska Ground Game
10/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist | @GrinzOnGreen EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State went into its Big Ten opener against Nebraska believing it would win if it contained Cornhusker running back and Heisman Trophy contender Ameer Abdullah.
Confirmation came in the form of a 27-22 victory in Spartan Stadium.
After taking a 27-3 lead into the fourth quarter, the Spartans had to withstand a barrage of 19 unanswered points to come away with the win.
It's safe to say, however, that they were only in that position because they boxed in Abdullah, the nation's second-leading rusher with an average of 166.6 yards per game, to 45 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
What if Abdullah had averaged a healthy 7.6 yards per attempt against the Spartans, as he had while leading the Cornhuskers to a 5-0 start, instead of 1.9?
Or what if he had 123 yards on 22 carries as he did against MSU last season, prompting Nebraska coach Bo Pelini to say afterward that the Cornhuskers had moved the ball on the ground against the Spartans before, and would again?
"Nebraska definitely came out and challenged us," said senior defense end Marcus Rush, who stood out for the Michigan State defense with four tackles, two stops behind the line including a sack, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. "Ameer, Coach Pelini, they all challenged that we couldn't stop the run and we came out and we did that.
"So, I'm proud of our defense. All 11 people on the field did their job."
The Spartans held Nebraska, which was averaging 354.8 rushing yards per game, to 47 yards on 37 carries, its lowest total since Southern Cal limited it to 31 yards in 2007.
"It all starts off in the first half," said MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. "They had 13 yards (on 21 carries) as I looked at the quickie stats at halftime. That was the game really as far as stopping the run. We shut down the run about as well as we've stopped it against these guys and that was the key. We made it a passing game.
"It was a heckuva job by our defense."
The Cornhuskers clawed back into the game with the passing of quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., who completed 20-o- 43 passes for 273 yards, and a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown.
However, Narduzzi pointed out that a 41-yard pass play, which set up the Nebraska touchdown that cut MSU's lead to 27-16 in the fourth quarter, should have been intercepted and returned for a score by free safety Kurtis Drummond. And, it was cornerback Trae Waynes' interception with 30 seconds remaining that sealed the win.
"It should be easier when we do that," Narduzzi said about making Nebraska one-dimensional. "They made some plays; we made some plays."
The Spartans followed the game plan, outlined by defensive end Shilique Calhoun earlier in the week, to perfection.
"We had to take away their cutback angles and have good pursuit to the ball," said head coach Mark Dantonio. "It was the pursuit angels, tackling in space, guys doing their job, and great structure, something that is our trademark here. We tackled very well on the perimeter. We won this game on defense, let's just call it what it is.
"That was a very good thing to have happen to us. That is what you need to be an elite football team. I told them at halftime that we have been there and played in big games before. We had to rise up, this is our time. And we did."
