STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, November 2, 2006 6:00 pm
Shanle, a senior from St. Edward, could be a key player for Nebraska today for a couple of reasons.
For one, he will be expected to help set Nebraska’s defensive alignments against a Missouri offense that changes plays at the line frequently. As a battle-tested veteran player, Shanle’s experience and savvy could come in handy in that area.
In addition, Shanle’s pass-coverage skills will be put to the test by Missouri’s no-huddle spread attack, which typically uses four- and five-wideout sets.
The Tigers’ leading receivers are 6-foot-2 William Franklin (42 receptions for 743 yards), 6-6 Chase Coffman (40-410), 6-6 Martin Rucker (32-284), 6-4 Brad Ekwerekwu (26-286) and 6-1 Jared Perry (25-257).
Shanle will try to help Nebraska’s defense rebound from last week’s loss at Oklahoma State, in which the Huskers allowed 496 total yards (267 rushing and 229 passing). He said NU defenders too often dwelled on bad plays against OSU.
Shanle last week finished with a season-high nine tackles.