Huskies' primary issue is Huskers' secondary

Jermaine Kearse knows what to expect on Saturday, and it won’t always be pleasant.

When Washington’s senior receiver lines up for the first play against No. 11 Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., he will have a defender just a few yards in front of him, crouched and ready to pounce.

The moment the ball is snapped and Kearse leaves the line of scrimmage, he will be bumped, pushed, grabbed and jostled for the first 5 yards of his route.

And it isn’t just because he’s Washington’s top receiver. The other Huskies receivers also will be physically hassled.

Why? Because the Cornhuskers can, and they are good at it.

The “press coverage” is a major facet of what Nebraska does on defense. It’s what the Huskers did in the two games against UW last season. And it’s likely what they’ll do on Saturday.

“It worked well for them before, so why would they change?” Kearse said.

Indeed, while people pointed to quarterback Jake Locker and his struggles as the main reason the Huskies passed for a total of 143 yards combined in the two games, the receivers’ inability get off the line of scrimmage clearly was another major factor.

“They gave it to us,” said quarterback Keith Price after looking at the game films. “They really got our receivers.”

And that messed up the timing of a lot of the Huskies’ pass plays. Locker would drop back and look for a receiver, who wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

“It can be really disruptive if you can’t get off press,” UW coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It can also be beneficial to an offense if you can get off press and create big plays.”

Washington could never create those big plays because the Nebraska defensive backs were just too good. Kearse admitted they were the most physical defensive backs he has ever played against.

“They were bigger guys, bigger than normal,” Kearse said. “They liked to get up into you and be real physical.”

Three of the four starting defensive backs are now in the NFL, led by cornerback Prince Amukamara, who was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants.

The Huskies may also get a break if returning starter Alfonzo Dennard – one of the best in the country – sits out with a leg injury. Dennard hasn’t practiced this week and coach Bo Pelini called him questionable.

In all likelihood, it won’t matter who the Huskers have out there because they’ll play the same way. It isn’t strategy as much as philosophy.

“They are good again,” said UW offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.

So what do the Washington receivers do as a counter measure? Well, they must fight their way through the defenders’ pushes and tugs and get into their pass routes as soon as possible.

“It’s scheme, first of all,” Sarkisian said. “It’s technique second – you’ve got to use proper technique. And third is mentally, you’ve got to believe; you’ve got to know you are going to beat the guy. So when you can bring all three of those things together, you’ve got a great chance.”

The strategy is something that has been emphasized well before this week.

“We’ve been doing it all summer,” said senior receiver Devin Aguilar. “It’s just trusting our techniques. We work one-on-ones every day. It’s going out there being physical and with (a) chip on your shoulder.”

It helps if the shoulders underneath those chips are bigger too. Kearse and Kevin Smith – and Aguilar to some extent – have come back much stronger than last season. Smith and freshman Kasen Williams have the size and strength to counter Nebraska’s defensive backs.

“We’re much improved from where we were last year to where we are now,” Sarkisian said. “It’s been a big point of emphasis for us this offseason and all the way into training camp and again into this week. We are fortunate we’ve got good press corners that can help our receivers get prepared for it.’’

SAFETY CONCERNS?

The free safety position has become a bit of an issue for the Huskies just a day before they leave for Lincoln.

On Wednesday, Sarkisian said that starting free safety Nate Fellner is “doubtful” for Saturday’s game because of a strained hamstring. Fellner dressed out for practice and did some light running, but he did not participate in any team drills.

To make matters worse, Taz Stevenson, who had been sharing some reps with Justin Glenn on the first-team defense, was rolled up on in practice and tweaked his surgically repaired left knee, which had been bothering him for much of fall camp.

“We’ll have to see how he comes out of it, but he was pretty sore,” said Sarkisian, who also didn’t seem too worried.

“It’s probably one of our deepest positions on our team, so we’ll be OK.”

That leaves the oft-injured Glenn and Will Shamburger as the likely replacements. True freshman James Sample also is an option, but he has been battling a sore shoulder. Also listed on the depth chart is junior Greg Walker, who has some experience and started the LSU game a few years ago but never seeing significant time again. He suffered a mild concussion on special teams against Hawaii.

Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483 ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports