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What would Nebraska football have looked like this season without Rex Burkhead and Lavonte David?
I don’t like to think about it.
Both made their presence abundantly clear to Iowa as Nebraska pounded the Hawkeyes 20-7 on Senior Day in Lincoln. In the first-ever Heroes Game, Nebraska’s two old-school heroes stood above everyone else. Besides wrecking Iowa, they enabled Bo Pelini to get his fourth consecutive nine-win season and allowed NU to avoid a miserable conclusion to its first season in the Big Ten.
Since I never saw Tom Novak play, I’d rate David the most consistently brilliant linebacker Nebraska has ever had. I wonder what it would have been like to have David and Ndamukong Suh on the field at the same time. He was the most disruptive Blackshirt in 2011, and the only one you could really count on to force turnovers. David should be a consensus All-America selection, and I expect him to go late in the first round of the NFL Draft. His ability to stuff the run, rush the quarterback and defend tight ends and running backs on pass routes is a rare thing.
Against Iowa, he had a game-high eight tackles. He broke up two passes, had the game’s only sack, and in the third quarter, he stripped Hawkeye tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz of the football, making the recovery for good measure. If someone makes a video on form tackling, David should be featured. He’s a refreshingly solid fundamental tackler in an age when most defenders are going for kill shots and not bothering to wrap up the ballcarrier.
Burkhead, who carried the ball a school-record 38 times for 160 yards and a touchdown, will not be an All-American, but he’s already earned his place in Husker folklore with his senior season still to come. It was his seventh 100-yard game in 2011. He has 1,268 yards rushing this season, but it’s not how many yards he gets, it’s when he gets them and how he gets it done. For the first time since Ahman Green in 1997, Nebraska has an I-back it can count on to consistently get the tough yards on third down and move the chains. He can also run the Wildcat, throw accurate passes, field punts and probably could do a serviceable job as a backup punter.
It has been generally acknowledged that Burkhead would become a Nebraska legend, but there are no doubts after this game. Time and time again, Superman ignored a painful ankle, as he crashed and slashed through the Hawkeye defense. He never lost a yard until he took a knee on his final carry.
Burkhead is a direct descendant of the old triple-threat tailbacks. Were he alive to watch this game, Iowa legend Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner, would have nodded in approval at Burkhead, even though he brought down Kinnick’s Hawkeyes.
Burkhead moved up to No. 13 on the Nebraska career rushing list, passing Roger Craig, Rick Berns, Dan Alexander, Keith Jones, Correl Buckhalter and Jammal Lord Friday against Iowa.
Nebraska rode Burkhead and David about as far as it could this season. I suppose it could be argued that if Burkhead had not fumbled inside the 5-yard line against Northwestern, Nebraska likely would be 10-2 right now, but then again, if Burkhead had not been available for the Ohio State and Penn State games, the Huskers probably would be 7-5. The same could be said for David, who made critical plays to make victories possible over the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.
One of three preseason All-Americans on the Husker defense, David is the only one to play the full season. He did his work behind a defensive line that was disappointing at best, although injuries were a major reason for that. The Blackshirts’ biggest problem was stopping the run. The secondary was much criticized, but improved to the point where it finished in the Top 20 in pass defense, despite a lackluster pass rush.
What will next year’s Blackshirts be like without David? It’s hard to say. The defensive end spot should be strong with Cameron Meredith, Jason Ankrah and Josh Williams, and at tackle, a healthy Baker Steinkuhler, Chase Rome, Thaddeus Randle and Jay Guy, with an extra year of experience behind them, should make for an improved front four. Will Compton will need help at linebacker. The defensive backfield is a question mark. The return of P.J. Smith and Courtney Osborne – who were mysteriously absent this fall – will be needed.
Luckily, Burkhead returns in 2012. Barney Cotton did a good job of juggling offensive linemen while Andrew Rodriguez, Jermarcus Hardrick, Brent Qvale and tight end Ben Cotton missed time with injuries. Although Taylor Martinez (who also was playing on a gimpy ankle against Iowa) generally improved as a game manager and cut back on his turnovers, Burkhead was the one constant for the Husker offense this fall, and I’d hate to think of Nebraska’s chances without him.
Formerly the sports editor at the North Platte Bulletin and a sportswriter/columnist for the North Platte Telegraph, Tad Stryker is a longtime Nebraska sports writer, having covered University of Nebraska and high school sports for more than 25 years. He started writing for this website in 2008. You can e-mail him at tad.stryker@gmail.com
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