Nebraska Football: What Cornhuskers Must Do to Shut Down Miami RB Duke Johnson

Look out, Nebraska. Ameer Abdullah isn't the only running back worth paying attention to on Saturday. Duke Johnson is coming to town.

The junior running back from Miami has quite the impressive resume, which is exactly why people need to be looking out for him. Despite breaking his ankle late last season, Johnson racked up solid numbers for Miami as a sophomore. Now that he's fully healed, that hasn't changed in 2014.

Season	G-GS	ATT	Yds	Avg	TD	LG
2012	12-5	139	947	6.8	10	65
2013	8-7	145	920	6.3	6	59
2014	3-3	43	277	4.5	2	55

In just three games, Johnson has 277 yards on 43 attempts for two touchdowns. While he didn't score in Miami's 31-13 loss to Louisville, he carried the ball 20 times for 90 yards, per HurricaneSports.com.

Neither Florida A&M nor Arkansas State proved much of a challenge for Johnson and Miami, which means he'll be ready to go against Nebraska. How will the Huskers handle the running back?

First, the Nebraska linebackers are going to need to have one heck of a game. BTN.com's Tom Dienhart recently discussed Johnson versus the Husker linebackers.

"The Cornhuskers have nice speed and athletic ability at linebacker," Dienhart said. "That should allow Nebraska to hem in Johnson, one of the country’s top backs."

Dienhart continued, saying that if the linebackers don't keep Johnson in check, he'll run all over the Huskers and leave Lincoln with a win.

Stopping Johnson goes beyond the linebackers, though. It will take a strong defensive showing across the board, similar to the one Louisville put together against the Canes.

The Courier-Journal's Jeff Greer took a hard look at what the Cardinals did to stop Miami. His three primary notes were that "Louisville shed blocks really well, tackled well and controlled the line of scrimmage." The Huskers can absolutely use those tips to better prepare for Johnson.

After all, Louisville held Miami to just 12 first downs and 70 total rushing yards, per Greer. That's not too shabby, especially for a team that wants to defeat the Hurricanes.

For Nebraska, controlling the line of scrimmage will be important. Defensive end Randy Gregory will lead that effort, which is something head coach Bo Pelini believes will be vital in stopping Johnson, as he explained in a press conference:

"

I think their game and philosophy starts with the running game. They want to be physical and they want to pound you some. They kind of set up their passing game with the running game by getting some play-actions with things down the field and making you have to honor that running game. Like any good football team, you better control the line of scrimmage and control the running game. That gives you a lot better opportunity to dictate to them rather than them dictate to you.

"

Abdullah agreed, saying the following in a press conference: "I’m just worrying about the defense. We have great defenders on our side. We have Maliek Collins who is really stepping up. Obviously Randy (Gregory) is back in the equation. I’m sure they will have a great game plan to corral him."

Ultimately, corralling Johnson is what it comes down to for Nebraska. If the Huskers let Miami dictate the game, Johnson will have his way and run all over. If Nebraska can settle in, control the line of scrimmage and put pressure on Hurricane quarterback Brad Kaaya, things should fall in the Huskers' favor.

All eyes are set to be on Abdullah when kickoff arrives. Nebraska needs to be ready, though. He's not the only running back who could make things interesting.