Geniuses Square Off: Bo Pelini Versus Steve Sarkisian

This week's Nebraska game, against the Washington Huskies, will feature several high profile match-ups: elite Huskers CBs Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard against big play WR Jermaine Kearse and solid complement Devin Aguilar; a sparkling Nebraska secondary replete with NFL talent against Heisman-caliber QB and probable top 5 NFL Draft pick Jake Locker; a ferocious Huskers defensive line, anchored by DT Jared Crick and DE Pierre Allen, against the athletic Locker, star RB Chris Polk, and the Huskies' offensive line.  But the most intriguing match-up of the game might not even be on the playing field.  The chess match between the pure defensive genius of Bo Pelini and the cerebral playcalling of Steve Sarkisian could be the difference in this game.  The strength of the Washington Huskies goes head to head with the strength of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  And boy, could it get exciting.

Sarkisian has a fantastic track record as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, spending much of his time at USC under Pete Carroll (coaching Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and John David Booty) and also a year with the Oakland Raiders before becoming head coach at Washington.  He runs an offensive system that has had huge success at USC and played a pivotal role in USC's stretch of dominance in the 2000's.  At Washington, his offense is run by star quarterback Jake Locker, who is similar to Tim Tebow in body build.  He has also has a similar running style to Tebow, but is a better passer (not to mention much better mechanics).  He is thought by many to be a potential franchise quarterback at the next level.  Locker has thrown for 555 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions on a 60% completion rate.  His favorite target is another pro prospect, 6'2" receiver Jermaine Kearse, who has 14 catches for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns in just 2 games  this year.  Kearse will easily be the best receiver the Huskers have seen thus far.  If Kearse is shut down in this game, however, Locker can simply turn to solid complementary receiver Devin Aguilar, who has 12 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown through the first two games.  Providing reinforcement for the passing game is a solid running game, led by underrated RB Chris Polk, who has 36 carries for 209 yards and a touchdown through the first 2 games, an average of 5.8 yards per carry.  Couple that production with the scrambling ability of Locker (41 yards and a touchdown), and you have an offense that is tough to stop.  The advantage Washington will have against Nebraska's defense is that they run a pro-style offense, whereas the Huskers' defense is better at stopping the spread offense.

Pelini has an equally impressive track record as a defensive coordinator, engineering several substantially large and quick defensive turn arounds throughout his career: Nebraska in 2003, OU in 2004, LSU from 2005 to 2007, and most recently, Nebraska again (this time as head coach), who went from 115th in the nation in scoring defense in 2007 to 1st in the nation just 2 seasons later.  Pelini has even been known to predict Husker interceptions before they happen (see link below)!  Pelini's defensive scheme is tailor-made to stop the spread offense, as everyone saw last year against Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Missouri.  More importantly, the players he has developed to operate his system have done so in a dominating fashion.  The highlight of the Huskers' defense this year is the secondary, led by two shutdown corners in Prince Amukamara (who teams usually shy away from) and Alfonzo Dennard (who has shown he can be just as good as Amukamara with an incredible interception against Idaho), Swiss Army Knife Eric Hagg (who's position is called the "Peso", a hybrid safety/linebacker position developed specifically for Hagg's talents), ball-hawking safety Dejon Gomes (who played dime corner in 2009 and had an impressive pick-six against Idaho), and quality safeties PJ Smith and Rickey Thenarse (costarters who also had interceptions against Idaho, Thenarse's for a touchdown).  The superior ability of the Husker secondary allows Pelini to get creative with blitzes, as we saw last week against Idaho, when ultra-athletic linebacker LaVonte David blasted through for a sack of Idaho QB Nathan Enderle.  Blitzing is hardly needed, however, with an already powerful pass rush from the defensive front four, anchored by DT Jared Crick (2.5 sacks against Idaho) and DE Pierre Allen.  This defense has a nice physical advantage over Washington, with dynamic NFL-caliber athletes all over the field.

These two football geniuses will go head to head this Saturday, and player development in these two systems will play a crucial role in this game.  The development of the Blackshirts, I predict, will  ultimately trump a fantastic UW offense that led its team to a 5-7 record just a year after going 0-12.  For more on this cerebral match-up, check this link out: http://huskerextra.com/sports/football/article_755d80ba-beca-11df-a136-001cc4c03286.html

I predict a 30-13 win for Nebraska.