Scott Frost's no-huddle offense is fast and aggressive.
Erik Chinander wants his defense to play the same way.
During an appearance Tuesday night on the Husker Sports Network's "Sports Nightly" radio program, the new Nebraska defensive coordinator offered a glimpse into what he expects from his unit as his Central Florida defense prepares for the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl.
"Being with a head coach, especially with an offensive head coach, you have to mirror his personality," Chinander said from Orlando, Florida, where the undefeated Knights are in the midst of bowl preparation. "Our personality on offense is a very aggressive, fast-paced system that wants to score a lot of points.
"Last year (at UCF), the staff was just putting in the offensive system. They needed some more pieces to make it go. They didn't have as great of a year, so we really had to keep points down and yards down on defense, and get the football back. This year, they've been scoring a million points per game and going like wildfire. But once again, we needed to keep the points down and get the ball back."
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Getting the ball back has been a strength of Chinander's defense in his two years under Frost at UCF. In 25 games, the Knights forced 55 turnovers, ranking fourth nationally in takeaways in 2017 and 18th in 2016.
UCF this season ranks 53rd in scoring defense, allowing 25.2 points per game, and 94th in total defense (428.6 yards per game).
Meanwhile, the Knights lead the nation in scoring offense (49.4) and rank fifth in total offense (540.4).
Frost was introduced as Nebraska's head coach Dec. 3.
"Trust me, I want to keep yards down as much as the next guy," Chinander said. "But sometimes when you play more plays (per game), you play (the equivalent of) three or four extra games than everybody else in the country and yards aren't as manageable as you'd like them to be.
"But for us, when coach Frost has the offense humming the way he does, we need to minimize explosive plays, take the football away and keep the points down. We've emphasized taking the football away, and we've done a great job of that."
As is the case with essentially all of Nebraska's new coaches, Chinander has been pulling double-duty — preparing UCF (12-0) to play Auburn (10-3) while simultaneously recruiting for Nebraska. He said the coaches have been targeting defensive backs because the roster is a bit short of scholarship players in the secondary.
"You'd like to be somewhere in the 14, 15, 16 range, and we're hanging around the nine range," he said. "Obviously, we have to get a few players there to make us whole."
Chinander described his new position as being a "dream job." He talked of the importance of Nebraska's fan support in recruiting, as well as the crucial nature of the program's tradition.
He said he's proud to be the "caretaker" of the Blackshirts.
He also said he was profoundly affected by his first visit to Memorial Stadium.
"When you walk inside that building, which I had never been there until a couple weeks ago, it just feels different," he said. "You can feel it in your heart, you can feel it in your whole body. You feel the tradition. You feel the national championships running through your veins. It's a great feeling.
"Then I went into the stadium (field area), and I just got the chills. I had to go back out there for a second time, and I got the chills again. Then I got a chance to walk the recruits through there, and I got the same feeling again and again.
"For me, it was an awesome opportunity to get to Lincoln and get on campus for the first time … I understand how special a place it is. I can't wait to get started there."