Nebraska Football: 3 reasons the Huskers can beat Iowa

The defense has grown a lot, especially in the secondary

The growth of Nebraska has been obvious the past few weeks, but while the offense has been playing well most of the season, the Blackshirt defense has really stepped up its game in recent weeks.

Outside of Michigan State, who the Huskers held below 300 yards, Nebraska has been giving up lots of points and yards, however, the defense has also started making impact plays. Over the last three games, Nebraska has forced nine turnovers, with at least two against Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan State.

The pass defense has struggled and ranks 12th in the Big Ten, which isn’t a good sign with Nathan Stanley on the other side. He has thrown 21 touchdown passes this season and leads one of the best pass offenses in the Big Ten.

Nebraska has struggled against the pass at times, but its biggest issue has been stopping the run. If the Blackshirts can hold up decently against the run, the pass rush, which is probably the best part of this defense, can be unleashed. Iowa is 10th in the Big Ten in rushing and under Scott Frost, it’s hard to see this team getting run over.

The defense doesn’t need to pitch a shutout, it just has to hold the Hawkeyes to somewhere where around 24-28 points. If the Blackshirts can do that, Adrian Martinez and company can do the rest.