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KEARNEY, NE — There’s a common message understood by the Nebraska-Kearney defense in 2022: they are going to defend until there’s nothing left to defend.

“We’re not going to give up," linebacker Jimmy Harrison said after the Central Missouri game. "If we have a blade of grass to stand on, we’re going to play as hard as we possibly can.”

“If you give us a blade of grass to stand on, we’re going to play really, really hard and find a way to force people to kick field goals," Linebacker Coach Brian Vaughn said. "You don’t win with field goals, you win with touchdowns.”

“If you stop them at the one-inch line, you still get another play," linebacker Jacey Nutter said. "1-0 the next play, you still get another chance to keep them out of the end zone.”

It’s an attitude embodied by one of the unit’s best players, linebacker Jacey Nutter. The Thedford, Nebraska native developed the never-give-up mindset playing eight-man football for Sandhills-Thedford… a co-op of schools serving towns of a couple-hundred people.

“Most people don’t realize we’re half an hour apart," Nutter said. "Every other day you gotta drive 30-minutes one way and then 30-minutes back after practice. You just kind of get used to those bus rides.”

The adjustment to a bigger field didn’t slow him down. Nutter finished third on the team in tackles his redshirt sophomore season. Now the sixth-year is in his fourth year as a starter. Linebacker Coach Brian Vaughn says Nutter’s experience shows through in his play.

“He’s really a technician in terms of understanding his block shed, understanding his reads and his keys, and anticipating what’s going to happen," Vaughn said. "That’s why he plays so fast, is because he knows what’s coming most of the time.”

Nutter credits his work - and the team’s work - in the weight room for recent improvements. He is working on this master’s degree in strength and conditioning.

“We have countless guys just lifting more weight than they used to, guys getting in there extra hours, just putting in that extra work," Nutter said. "It’s really cool to see how that blooms and spreads to the rest of the team too.”

Nutter eclipsed 200 career tackles last week, becoming the 19th Loper to reach that mark since the team started tracking tackles.

“I think it’s just a good aiming point for me. I’m blessed to have been able to be here long enough to get that mark and now I’m focused on continuing to move up that list, have good success this season and help us win games,” Nutter said.