Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: Pericak, D-Line Rev Up Pressure On QBs
November 25, 2010 | Football, B.G. Brooks
Colorado's defensive coaches say the sophomore tackle's play has been consistently good this season, but his overall game has gotten even better over the past month.
Last weekend against Kansas State, Pericak was a beast at the point of attack, making eight tackles (five solo), with one quarterback sack and two tackles for loss.
And the credit goes to . . . no zzzz's.
Pericak (pronounced Pre-check) lost sleep hustling to complete a project that required a nearly 130-page report on a public company for a finance class.
As a result, "I didn't get much sleep last week . . . and I played one of my best games. So I'm planning on getting zero sleep this week and try to do the repeat."
If going sleepless in Omaha (the Buffs are headquartered on the outskirts on Thanksgiving night) is the answer, so be it. Whatever works. The Buffaloes play Friday at No. 16 Nebraska (1:30 p.m., MT, ABC) and need a win in their final Big 12 Conference game to become bowl eligible. Of course, the Cornhuskers aren't without motivation either: They need a victory to win the North Division and move into the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 4.
It might be a moot point against the Huskers, but Pericak, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound hometowner (Boulder High), and his defensive mates have been on a sack spree for the past two games. They collected eight against Iowa State and six against K-State, with the 14 over two games raising their season total to 28, advancing CU to third in the Big 12 behind Missouri (33) and Nebraska (29). Texas also has 28.
Pericak has a pair of sacks, but the D-line's leader is junior end Josh Hartigan with seven - three of them recorded against K-State. Hartigan, a 6-1, 225-pounder who doesn't have an OFF switch, has moved into sixth place among the Big 12's sackmasters. And Hartigan's improved numbers have come despite playing on a still-tender ankle.
He's at somewhat of a loss to explain CU's sack surge in the past two games: "I couldn't tell you (why) because we were using the same guys all year. I don't know what has changed really over the past couple of games, but I think that we are really getting after it. I think we're really showing some people that we have a good D-line over here at Colorado."
D-line coach Romeo Bandison won't dispute that, but he offers a fairly simple explanation for the two-game increase: "We've been stopping the run . . . we did a good job against Iowa State and Kansas State, so they had to pass more. There's been more opportunities to pass rush."
Indeed, CU limited Iowa State to minus-6 yards rushing (the Cyclones lost 53 yards on sacks) and K-State to 101 ground yards. Both offenses bank on being able to run, and when they couldn't they looked skyward.
"Iowa State and Kansas State were both running teams . . . until they came to us," Pericak said. "We did a good job stopping the run, so they had to throw . . .
"As a defense, that's what we want to do . . . our DBs were having great coverage, so that allowed us enough time to get to the quarterback. So it wasn't just the D-line. And the other part is, our offense scored a lot of points."
Bandison also points out that some offenses simply present more sack opportunities. "It all depends on who you play against - Missouri and Kansas, those guys get rid of that ball pretty quickly," he said. "That also factors into the big scheme of things. We were getting some great pressure against Missouri, but that ball was out (of the QB's hand) in 2.4 seconds. We're not going to get there.
"So it depends on which offense you're playing against. But stopping the run has definitely helped us in the last two games."
The Cornhuskers, though, present a challenge at a higher level. Averaging 269.5 yards a game, they lead the Big 12 in rushing and feature the conference's Nos. 5-6 rushers. I-back Roy Helu, Jr., averages 94.8 rushing yards and quarterback Taylor Martinez, who has been slowed recently by an ankle injury and turf toe, averages 88.5.
On Wednesday, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Cody Green will start against CU. It will be Green's fourth career start and second this season, the first being in a 31-30 overtime win against Iowa State. Green has completed 20-of-35 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. He has run 27 times for 75 yards.
Zac Lee, Martinez and Ron Kellogg III all are potential backups, Pelini said. But Martinez practiced only "a little bit" on Wednesday. Martinez has averaged 219 yards in total offense and needs 26 yards to reach 1,000 this season. He has run for 100-plus yards five times this season, with a high game of 241 against K-State.
But with Martinez still hobbled, the Huskers lose much of their running dimension at quarterback. Still, they likely won't deviate from their running philosophy, instead turning to Helu and Rex Burkhead (125 carries, 721 yards, 6 TDs) as much as possible.
Offensively, said Bandison, Nebraska is built more like K-State: "They run the ball, so you might see only 15 passes . . . there's not a lot of chances to pass rush. But if we can do a good job against their run, they maybe we'll get that chance to pass rush and see what we've got."
Added Pericak: "We know they can run the ball. If we can stop that then they become more one-dimensional and that'll help us do what we want on defense and hopefully put them in bad situations."
One bad situation for the Huskers would be forcing them to play from behind and pass more than they're accustomed. Nebraska is last in the league (156.4) in passing yards per game, so stopping the run and forcing Green or possibly Lee, who has passed well against CU in previous games, to throw becomes even more imperative on Friday.
The Buffs are counting on momentum from their two previous wins and a renewed intensity to benefit them in Lincoln. "Our attitude, our mindset is different . . . the whole vibe is different," Bandison said. "Overall, they've been pretty intense when you think about as many games as we've lost, how these guys have showed up every week and worked hard.
"These guys are resilient, man. With all the adversity we've faced here, you could never tell it by their work ethic. I've always been pleased with that. But the whole vibe around here is different now."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
