Fall Camp Video & Report: August 13

Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White met with members of the media after Tuesday morning’s fall camp practice. White spoke on the defense’s progress getting in a ‘groove’ and advancing situational learning and reps.  

“We’re throwing a lot of situations at them this week, especially,” White said. “Coach (Rhule) has situations mapped out, different thoughts, and want to get that practice and the great thing is especially in those situations he’s pulling the guys up a lot and going over the philosophy of why we’re doing certain things. So the education on that part is there and we need to continue that not only on the grass and in meetings, but you can see some guys starting to get comfortable in terms of their groove and their feel about playing. I think DeShon Singleton, he’s a guy you can see, you know we lost him last year early, and it was making sure his knee was okay and taking a long process there and all of a sudden now you see him getting back in the groove and making plays and flying around. He’s playing at a high level right now, same thing with Marques (Buford Jr.), with his knees and everything, you’re monitoring his loads and stuff, but him running around and getting a feel, he’s looking like last year’s Marques. Those interior guys, the linebackers, Javin (Wright), John (Bullock), (Isaac) Gifford there in the middle too, I think all those guys are doing a nice job of running around, communicating well, playing fast, we have to continue to develop the next level of guys. Mario Buford is one, Dwight Bootle is out there making some plays, Ceyair Wright out there making some plays. That second group of DBs, we’re trying to get them a lot of reps, a lot of situations so they can advance their learning and throw them on the grass and Coach did that today. It’s just that week of camp where you’re trying to not only challenge them physically because you’re hitting that mark where their bodies are beat up, but also mentally in all those situations so that when those situations arise in a game, you know how to act.”

White discussed the use of new technology and overall communication. 

“It’s evolving,” he said. “I was doing it at first, I was communicating with the guys, then I gave it over to Rob Dvoracek and he was starting to communicate with the guys in between the series and in between plays. We’re always moving stuff around, trying to figure out how to do that. Coach (Rhule) wants us to be the best sideline team in the country with the replay stuff and with the sideline communication. Again, we’re just trying to figure out the best way that is. We’re having multiple guys communicate with the guys to see what process we want to use.”

He also talked about the presence of secondary coach John Butler and his impact on the team.

“The one thing that’s really cool with JB (John Butler) is that he’s humble to the point of ‘this is how we do it’,” White said. “He may have done it differently at other places, but this is our way, and he’s constantly changing terminology, constantly absorbing all of that stuff and fitting it in, as well as being able to say ‘I like these things in coverage’, ‘I like to do this’, ‘let’s see if we can do this’. I think, in terms of the guys, they know football. They know who can really help them in football. If you’re around him, he’s good at what he does. He’s good around the guys and he knows football. Those guys have taken to him. They’re starting to joke around with him and all that, so it’s fun to see out there. At the end of the day, he coaches them hard. He coaches them hard, which with this defense and the DBs, having five DBs out there, you have to be coached hard. Great players want to be coached hard. It’s really refreshing to have him in the room.”

The next Huskers fall camp media availability will be on Friday, Aug. 16, meeting after practice.