JONESBORO — Arkansas State’s lone sack against Memphis last Saturday wasn’t a feat of pure physicality.
Instead, ASU defensive end Tim Starson’s path to Memphis quarterback Jacob Karam near midfield at Liberty Bank Stadium required roughly six seconds of hand-to-hand combat with Tigers left tackle Jordan Devey.
Chasing down quarterbacks and dragging down running backs behind the line of scrimmage have been rare in ASU’s first two games. In fact, the amount of pressure applied by the Red Wolves (1-1) is roughly half of what it was a season ago as ASU prepares to take on Nebraska (1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.
The Red Wolves have racked up 12 tackles for loss,2 sacks and no quarterback hurries in a blowout loss at No. 4 Oregon and a close victory against the Tigers.
Those statistics, which can serve as rough gauges for putting pressure on opposing backfields, are a far cry from 2011 - when ASU averaged 8 tackles for loss, almost 3 sacks and 3 quarterback hurries per game. The Red Wolves generated some form of pressure on roughly 18 percent of their defensive snaps.
“It’s really not pressure,” ASU defensive end Shervarius Jackson said of the need to increase productivity. “We know if we keep coming to work and putting in the extra time, it’ll eventually come.”
This season, ASU is getting a tackle for loss, a sack or a hurry on 9.2 percent of its defensive snaps.
“The bunch they had last year was a special bunch and a deep bunch,” ASU defensive line coach Kenny Ingram said. “It was a veteran club, and all we can try to do is get better each week and start producing some of those same statistics.”
Gone are defensive end Brandon Joiner, who led ASU last year with 13 sacks and 19 tackles for loss, and linebackers Demario Davis (3 sacks, 10 tackles for loss) and Najel Byrd (2 1/2 sacks and 7 1/2 tackles for loss) from a defense that ranked among the top 15 nationally in sacks and tackles for loss.
Getting into Nebraska’s backfield early will be a key to derailing the Cornhuskers, whose running backs are averaging 7.1 yards per carry on first and second down this season. If Nebraska has early success rushing Saturday, it could result in ASU’s defense loading the box to slow the run, which could present easier throwing situations for dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez, who is completing66.3 percent of his passes.
“They are going to be a downhill running team,” ASU Coach Gus Malzahn said. “Their quarterback is a definite running threat - and any time a quarterback is a definite running threat, it changes things - and it looks like he is throwing the ball extremely well this year.”
Nebraska has played without senior running back Rex Burkhead, who sprained his medial collateral ligament in the first quarter of the season opener against Southern Miss and is expected to sit out this weekend.
In his place, sophomore Ameer Abdullah has rushed for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns on 31 carries. Freshman Imani Cross has 11 carries for 62 yards.
“They’re going to be bringing in some able guys behind him,” Ingram said. “They might not be as well known as Burkhead, but they’ve got enough talent to carry the load.”
So the formula to stymie the Huskers is relatively basic: Wrangle Abdullah and make Martinez beat you with his arm. Nebraska is still averaging 4.6 yards per rush when facing third-and-7 situations or longer, but Martinez is just 8 of 17 for 105 yards in those same situations.
Still, getting up field has been difficult against Nebraska, which in its past 13 games has allowed only 6 1/2 tackles for loss and fewer than two sacks per game.
Ingram said he believes productivity will increase as the line - which features new starters in Jackson, Starson and defensive tackle Amos Draper - develops chemistry and a familiarity with defensive coordinator John Thompson’s version of the 4-2-5 multiple scheme.
“I know that’s cliche,” Ingram said, “but if we know where we’re supposed to be and execute from those spots and play with a level of passion and intensity, everything else should fall into place.”
Arkansas State at Nebraska WHEN 11 a.m. Central Saturday WHERE Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
RECORDS Arkansas State 1-1;
Nebraska 1-1 COACHES Arkansas State: Gus Malzahn (1-1 first season at ASU and overall), Nebraska: Bo Pelini (40-17 at Nebraska and overall) TELEVISION ESPN 2
Sports, Pages 19 on 09/14/2012