The offense got the headlines this weekend. The defense has the numbers. As Nebraska heads to Piscataway, N.J., for Saturday’s 11:30 a.m. CT kickoff at Rutgers on BTN, here is what the Blackshirts are bringing, all from Nebraska’s game notes released Monday.
The national ranks
- Third-down defense: 25.4 percent, first in the nation.
- Rushing defense: 90.3 yards per game, 11th.
- Total defense: 282.4 yards per game, 12th.
- Scoring defense: 16.6 points per game, 17th.
- Pass efficiency defense: 116.02, 17th.
Third down, by the game
The Big Ten games tell the story. Indiana went 1 of 10 on third down. Maryland went 1 of 14. Oregon went 3 of 17.
The run wall
Nebraska has held six opponents under 100 rushing yards, including a season-low 32 for Washington. Michigan State had 39 and Indiana 65. In Big Ten play the Huskers allow 81.7 rushing yards a game, and they are giving up 85.1 fewer rushing yards per game than in 2025, the fifth-biggest improvement in the country.
It has been there all year
Nebraska held its first eight opponents to 23 points or fewer, the first time it has done that since 1996, according to the notes. Each of the last four opponents, Indiana, Oregon, Washington and Illinois, scored seven points or fewer in the first half.
“When I look at us defensively, I see a group that’s in the top 10 in the top 20 in a lot of categories,” Matt Rhule said Monday. He added that “when people have gotten hurt, they’ve just continued to put new people out there and they continue to get better.”
The Rutgers problem
Rutgers is 2-7 and 1-5 in the Big Ten after a 31-10 loss at Wisconsin. Rhule called running back KJ Duff “one of the best players in college football” and “a game plan tilter,” and said Nebraska does not know whether Duff, who did not play last week, will be available. He described the Rutgers defense as a 4-3 quarters scheme “built to stop the run and limit explosive plays.”
This is the fourth meeting since 2020, and three of them have been in Piscataway. The last three were all decided by seven points or fewer. Nebraska is 5-4 and 2-4 in the Big Ten and needs one win for bowl eligibility.
Featured image: Photo: Michael Barera. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nebraska_vs._Michigan_2011_09_(Michigan_on_offense).jpg.
