Dicaprio Bootle grinned ever so slightly this week when someone mentioned that Nebraska’s cornerbacks are regarded as a team strength this year.
He stood beside fellow starting cornerback Lamar Jackson fielding questions from reporters. On this particular subject, Bootle wanted the floor.
“It’s funny because a couple years ago we were a weakness,” he says. “We were a problem. It was always us.”
OK, that’s sort of true. But the 2017 defense had myriad deficiencies as it slid to 100th nationally in average yards allowed and 115th in points allowed (36.4). Singling out one unit would be a gross oversimplification.