Nebraska Football: Have the Blackshirts finally turned the corner?

Nebraska football coach Scott Frost heaped praise on the Huskers defense Monday, but can the Blackshirts keep it rolling against Illinois?

There were a lot of positives that came out of the narrow loss Nebraska football suffered at Ohio State last Saturday. Yet, maybe the best thing we saw from Scott Frost‘s team was the play of the defense.

Sure, it was great to see Adrian Martinez put together another spectacular game, however, the defense of Nebraska football faced quite possibly the best offense in the Big Ten and still gave the Huskers a legitimate shot to win the game.

Yes, Ohio State still racked up more than 450 yards and 34 points (the other two points came on a safety). But unlike previous games against the Buckeyes, Nebraska got stops and what’s more is that they made some impact plays.

In the first half, Nebraska was able to surge into the lead thanks to strip sacks by Luke Gifford and JoJo Domann. Lamar Jackson also helped preserve the lead by intercepting Dwayne Haskins in the end zone as Ohio State was driving for the winning score.

Sacks have been a bright spot for Nebraska, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 21. And against Illinois, which ranks 13th in sacks allowed, the Huskers should have a golden opportunity to get some hits on the quarterback.

Of course, the biggest challenge against Illinois will be slowing down a rushing attack that averages 249 yards per game and trails only Wisconsin in terms of rushing yards per game. If there was one thing Nebraska didn’t do well against the Buckeyes, it was hold up against the run.

Nebraska had a 21-16 lead at the half but couldn’t stop the running game of the Buckeyes, who ran for well over 200 yards. Against Illinois, the Blackshirts run defense will be tested, as the Fighting Illini boast running back Reggie Corbin and quarterback A.J. Bush, who each rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten in rushing yards.

Slowing down Illinois will be a major challenge for the Huskers, who rank 10th in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed. Nebraska is going to come into the game as a big favorite, but if the Huskers can’t stop the run, winning the game is going to be anything but easy.

And while the offense has been playing at a high level, the defense needs to do the same if Nebraska is going to start winning games consistently again. The Ohio State was a huge improvement, Frost even said he thought it was the best game his defense has played yet, however, if the Huskers can’t build on that against Illinois, it won’t mean much at all.