Jamerson making plays in his move to safety
MADISON – Jim Leonhard noted the gains week after week.
When Leonhard, in his first season as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator, watched senior safety Natrell Jamerson in the season opener he saw a player a bit hesitant to bark out calls to his teammates.
That was understandable since Jamerson moved to safety from cornerback in the spring and generally speaks in hushed tones.
“With that being my first game starting at safety,” Jamerson said, “it was a lot different getting a feel for it. Now I feel a lot more comfortable.”
Games 2 and 3 revealed a player more comfortable with his responsibilities, with the range to cover pass plays all over the field and the speed and power of a linebacker in run support.
Game 4 last week against Northwestern offered a mix of everything as Jamerson intercepted two passes, including one he returned 36 yards for a touchdown, and added six tackles.
“The thing you love about him is that he plays fast,” Leonhard said. “Whenever he sees something, he goes.
“He’s not going to over-think it. You make a lot more plays that way than trying to diagnose and slowing yourself down.”
Jamerson no doubt will play a key role when No. 8 UW (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) faces Nebraska (3-2, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
He has recorded 15 tackles, the sixthhighest total on the team, is tied for the team lead in interceptions (two) and is tied for second on the team in passes defended (three).
Perhaps more telling is that the reticent speaker has become more vocal and demonstrative on the field.
“He is getting there,” safety D’Cota Dixon said. “I think he is starting to realize that in our defense you have to talk."
Two plays, one at BYU and one last week against Northwestern, illustrate the versatility and playmaking ability of the 6-foot, 198-pounder.
UW held a 17-3 lead in the second quarter at BYU when the Cougars faced third and 4 from their 44.
Cornerback Dontye Carriere-Williams came free off the left side of the BYU formation but quarterback Beau Hoge got around him to the outside and appeared headed for a first down.
Jamerson, lined up 11 yards off the line of scrimmage at the snap, saw Hoge elude Carriere-Williams and closed quickly to make the stop after a gain of 1 yard.
BYU punted and UW drove 83 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown and a 24-3 lead.
“That is a huge play,” Leonhard said. “You’ve got a chance to hit it in the backfield and you miss. A lot of times that is a first down and the drive continues and you never know what happens.
“But you need some erasers on the back end and he has proven to be able to do that at times. That is what I expect out of him because he has that ability."
UW held a 24-10 lead over Northwestern early in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats faced third and 8 from their 27.
Quarterback Clayton Thorson was forced to throw with linebacker Leon Jacobs in his face and Jamerson stepped in front of the receiver, snatched the ball with two hands and got to the right sideline and then the end zone to help UW build the lead to 31-10.
“Watch his eyes,” ABC analyst Brock Huard said in breaking down the play during the telecast. “He is reading one guy. He is reading that quarterback. He is reading him (and) he is that ball comes his way.”
Senior cornerback Derrick Tindal, like Jamerson a Floridian, was beaming after the Northwestern game.
“He did his thing today,” Tindal said. “I expected that. He’s my dog. He’s from Florida.
“I’ve been seeing an aggression to him. You could tell he wants it. He wants to make plays to help his team.
“That gets me excited when I see stuff like that.”
Jamerson’s contributions don’t start and end on defense, however.
The senior still contributes on the kickoff-coverage and punt-coverage units.
He downed Anthony Lotti’s 33-yard punt at the Northwestern 2 with 1 minute 9 seconds left, setting up a safety when Dixon sacked Thorson in the end zone.
“Natrell brings so much to this team and has been doing it for a while now,” head coach Paul Chryst said. “Two years ago he was our special teams player of the year. What you appreciate from him is that now that he's in a starting role, what he thinks about and how he approaches the special teams is every bit as important as it was when he was first breaking in."