Tag Archives: Wil Richards

Coach Bo Pelini said he’s not changing the fundamental principles that make up his defensive system. No surprise there. But are subtle alterations coming?

Pelini, speaking on “Sports Nightly” on the Husker Sports Network Wednesday night, made a point to say that his scheme is “multiple” yet “simple,” indicating that no plans for a complete overhaul are needed.

But last season, he thought that too often his players “were trying to be so perfect” that it hindered their playmaking ability. Pelini characterized that approach as “one of the worst things we did” on the defensive side of the ball.

So, it’s teaching the system without overwhelming the young players or compromising their instinctual nature — that seems to be the NU coaching staff’s primary defensive objective …

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No, assistant coach John Papuchis isn’t crazy. He knows how easy it is for an inexperienced punt returner to get overwhelmed by the moment, abandon his technique and create a disastrous scenario.

Ameer Abdullah isn’t the typical freshman, though.

With all eyes on him, Abdullah had an impressive debut fielding punts in Saturday’s 40-7 season-opening win over Tennessee-Chattanooga, credited with five returns for 69 yards (one of those went down in the box score as a 2-yarder, when sophomore Wil Richards accidentally crashed into Abdullah and caused him to fumble after he’d already signaled for a fair catch).

Papuchis was pleased. But then again, he was never worried.

“He doesn’t carry himself like a freshman,” Papuchis said. “He’s very charismatic, very confident. There was never …

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