Nebraska Football: What to Watch for from the Defense in Spring Practice

Earlier this week, we took a look at what would be good signs for Nebraska on offense as spring practice progressed. Now, it's time to look at the other side of the ball and see what fans should be looking for defensively to find reasons for optimism in 2012.

Will the pass-rush return?

Many teeth were gnashed in 2011 over Nebraska's deficiencies in pass defense. And there is no question that Nebraska struggled with defending the pass, particularly in giving up the deep pass, in comparison to any Bo Pelini-led defense.

But the absence of a pass-rush had a large bearing on the struggle of Nebraska's secondary last year. The lack of pressures and sacks on opposing quarterbacks put tremendous pressure on a secondary already reeling from the graduation of Prince Amukamura and the injury to Alfonzo Dennard.

So if, in the course of spring practice, you hear about an improved pass-rush, you can be confident that many of the troubles that plagued Nebraska last year will be ameliorated.

Who will play cornerback?

For years, Bo Pelini has had the luxury of having NFL-caliber cornerbacks in Amukamura and Dennard. With both now graduated, the question now becomes what Nebraska's defense will look like without those proven athletes.

Based on the performance from 2011, it appears that Andrew Green has the inside track for one of the starting cornerback positions. Junior college transfer Mohammed Seisay looks the part, both physically and athletically, to come in and compete for a starting position right away.

So watch the reports from spring practice and watch the spring game. The more clarity you see on Nebraska's cornerback play, the better you can feel about Nebraska's chances to play defense well in 2012.

Who will play safety?

Yes, it's another secondary question. And even with the caveat above about how the lack of pass-rush heightened the problems of the secondary, there is still no question that the secondary was a big challenge for Nebraska in 2011. Many Nebraska fans and observers were surprised at how much NU missed the play of Dejon Gomes and Eric Hagg. While junior college transfer Daimion Stafford was a revelation (at least in run defense, less so in pass defense), the safety position was still a huge question mark.

So who steps in to fill the breach? Is Nebraska able to establish a solid starter at safety opposite Stafford? If spring practice leads Nebraska to find a solid and dependable starting safety combination, then Nebraska's defense in 2012 should be a significant upgrade from 2011

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