Photo Showcase: NU-WKU game action
Photo Showcase: NU-WKU fans

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LINCOLN — Nebraska's two new linebackers got a crash-course tutorial of their positions' responsibilities over the past two days, hardly an ideal way to prepare for their first career starts.

Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini had to keep reminding himself of that.

Junior Lavonte David and sophomore Alonzo Whaley, promoted to first-team spots after preseason injuries sidelined the team's probable starters, survived their debuts in the center of the defense, helping the eighth-ranked Huskers to a 49-10 win over Western Kentucky in Saturday's opener.

They spent all night trying to direct their teammates and react accordingly, as the Hilltoppers altered their pre-snap alignments in an unconventional fashion.

And the only preparation for the two inexperienced linebackers was an extended cram session, led by assistant Mike Ekeler. That didn't begin until after Thursday's practice, when sophomore Will Compton injured a foot. The Huskers lost an experienced linebacker, Sean Fisher, last month to a broken leg.

Considering the circumstances, Whaley and David handled themselves pretty well, Carl Pelini said.

“Essentially your quarterback got hurt on Thursday,” Pelini said. “There was a team that gave you tons of formations and motions and forced you to make a lot of adjustments.

“When you really step back and look at a lot of the success (Western Kentucky) had, it's fixable stuff.”

So Pelini and the rest of the defensive coaching staff probably won't be judging the inexperienced linebackers too harshly. At least not yet.

Whaley and David had to guide the Blackshirts' on-field communication process, shouting out assignments based on the multiple looks from the offense. Whaley had to make the calls when NU was in nickel. David was the primary talker in dime.

They had only the Friday walk-through to make their on-field adjustment to their increased roles. The rest of the time, between Thursday and Saturday evening, was spent mentally preparing as much as they could.

“We put a lot of time, in and out of meetings, in and out of the film room, just going through the checks and our playbook,” David said. “(We were) going over what we had to do for this game.”

But it wasn't easy Saturday night, when the crowd was roaring and the pressure began to mount.

Nebraska allowed 299 total yards — 219 after halftime. Bobby Rainey, the Hilltopper running back, rushed for 155 yards, the highest individual total against NU in nearly three years.

Secondary coach Marvin Sanders said the unit lost some focus. Head coach Bo Pelini called the defense's night an “absolute embarrassment.”

David said he and Whaley are partly to blame.

“Most of (the mistakes) were our fault,” David said. “Everybody knew what we had to do. We had to step up.”

David and Whaley both had their moments, though.

David, the junior-college transfer who just joined the team during the summer, led NU with 13 tackles. The first of Whaley's five stops came on the game's opening play, when he stuffed Rainey at the line of scrimmage for no gain.

They made errors, but as Carl Pelini said, those missteps should be correctable. They just need some time.

When NU meets Idaho next Saturday, it may not be Whaley and David taking the field as starters. Eric Martin and Mathew May could jump into the picture as well. Eventually, the hope is that Compton will return from his injury.

“We weathered the storm,” Carl Pelini said, “and now we've got a week to figure out the linebacking corps, to get a depth chart done and get those guys ready to play.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

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• Video: NU postgame analysis by Mitch Sherman:



• Video: NU-WKU highlight reel:



• Video: NU coach Bo Pelini at the postgame press conference:



• Video: Taylor Martinez at the postgame press conference:



• Video: Rex Burkhead at the postgame press conference:

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