LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh says Kansas State’s run-oriented offense might be just what he needs to break out of his slump.
The star defensive tackle didn’t have a sack or tackle behind the line of scrimmage in the last two games against Oklahoma and Kansas. Suh said he expects K-State (6-5, 4-3 Big 12), led by league rushing leader Daniel Thomas, to run right at the Cornhuskers (7-3, 4-2) on Saturday in the game that will decide the Big 12 North.
“They want to come downhill on you,” Suh said. “That’s great for me. That’s my type of football – not the cutesy stuff we see the majority of the time in our conference with spread offenses.”
Suh made four tackles against Oklahoma and three against Kansas, both of which used creative double-team strategies to tie him up.
h” for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
Pelini said he’s told Suh to not let the double-teams eat at him.
“He thinks he should make plays no matter how many guys are on him, and he has for the most part,” Pelini said. “It’s been a tough row to hoe for him, especially this last week. I sensed a little bit of frustration on him after the game because he didn’t feel like he played well, but when you look at the film, he played well.”
Suh and fellow tackle Jared Crick redirected traffic in the trenches in the 31-17 win over Kansas. Suh said the line’s overall performance still rated an “F.”
“I have high expectations,” he said.
The Wildcats have run two of every three plays this season, and the 6-foot-2, 227-pound Thomas averages a Big 12-leading 21 carries and 106 yards a game. K-State is rushing for 183 yards a game, third in the league.
Suh said the Wildcats’ offense plays to his strength, as long as they don’t run away from him.
“You have opportunities every single play to be a factor, and that’s not always true with the spread offenses,” he said. “There are tons of different things they do to get rid of the line and deflate the defensive line. It’s nice going against a team that wants to run the ball straight at you.”
Even though Suh’s numbers are down lately, there is some consolation.
12 championship game for the first time since 2006 if they beat Kansas State.
Suh has put up his biggest numbers in losses. He had eight tackles against Virginia Tech and eight against Iowa State.
“I would take that away as long as we come out with wins,” Suh said. “Obviously, I’m not playing up to my level in my personal opinion. I’m not producing as much. I don’t have a problem with that as long as we’re winning.
“We’re not going to go back and look at the season 10 years from now and see how many tackles I had. We’re going to see whether we had a win or a loss.”
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