How the Nebraska defense plans to prove Illinois game was a speedbump, not a roadblock

In the aftermath of NU’s loss to Illinois last week, the Blackshirts were stunned. When they reviewed the film, they were angry. And when they returned to the practice field, they were motivated.

“A lot of the guys just have that pit in their stomach where they’re just mad at themselves; I know I am,” Isaac Gifford said of the Nebraska defense’s emotions. “You just take it, you learn from it, you move on and do your best the next week to be better.”

As Nebraska seeks to bounce back from its first loss of the season, the Huskers will look to their defense for a one-week fix. The same unit that had controlled games, flown to the ball and dominated opponents was suddenly a step too slow against Illinois — so which version of the Nebraska defense will show up moving forward?

In order to find out, the Nebraska coaching staff first had to diagnose what went wrong against the Illini. Defensive coordinator Tony White placed the responsibility on his shoulders for the defense’s preparation, while head coach Matt Rhule pointed to the many small mistakes NU made in the loss.

Rhule said that against Illinois, he saw the defense make errors and miscues they hadn’t since the 2023 Michigan game. The 31 points Nebraska allowed to Illinois were the third-most it has surrendered under Rhule, and the most since allowing 45 points to Michigan.

“Even when we were stopping them it’s long drives, it’s time of possession, it’s flipping the field,” Rhule said. “… That’s not Nebraska defense.”

So what’s the fix for Nebraska? Players and coaches alike have indicated that the defense was often in the right positions against Illinois but simply didn’t execute correctly on individual plays. White’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme isn’t being thrown in the trash after one bad week, nor is NU shaking up the plans which have already brought its defense a long way.

As linebacker MJ Sherman puts it, “it’s not like we’ve got to start bringing in motivational speakers.”

Instead, the Nebraska defense will have to bring its own energy into a matchup against Purdue where they’ll be expected to prove that last week was a fluke rather than a sign of things to come.

“The tape says everything,” Sherman said of Nebraska’s defensive struggles. “Everything was execution, everything was on our part, everything was the controllables on our end.”

Where changes could occur, though, is in the rotation of players. The Huskers played nine different defensive linemen, six linebackers and six defensive backs against Illinois, continuing a trend where NU tends to rotate most heavily up front.

Pass-rushing specialists Kai Wallin and James Williams continue to see 10-plus snaps a game while Vincent Jackson has filled in for Nash Hutmacher on the interior.

Even with the presence of those players, and others like Elijah Jeudy and Cameron Lenhardt, Nebraska’s starters were still on the field for the majority of the game.

Ty Robinson, who led the defensive line with 60 snaps played, had only played that many snaps once in 2023. Hutmacher played 53 snaps, a mark he exceeded just twice last season, while the 70 snaps for Gifford and 68 snaps for linebacker John Bullock were the most either senior has played in a starting role.

“We were looking at the comparison between last year and this year and if we’re not subbing enough guys, if guys are playing too much,” White said. “… You want to make sure you take snaps off of them early when you can, so that way in critical moments you’ve got those guys as fresh as they can be.”

The Nebraska defense could be missing starting cornerback Tommi Hill (foot), with Ceyair Wright set to step in if needed. The Husker secondary may not be as busy as last week, though, against a Purdue offense that tends to lean on the run.

Due to a rash of injuries at wide receiver, quarterback Hudson Card completed just seven passes in Purdue’s loss to Oregon State last week. However, the Boilermakers ran for 263 yards as running back Devin Mockobee averaged 10.5 yards per carry in a potential warning sign for the Huskers.

Rhule said that Nebraska will have to defend many outside zone runs, with White adding the Huskers will have to take the right angles and set the edge to counteract an athletic Purdue offensive line.

“He’s (Mockobee) a good back and we have a lot of respect for him, but we’re fired up for the challenge this week and (are) going to play our brand of football,” Hutmacher said.

After four consecutive home games to open the season, this Saturday also marks the first road trip of the season for Nebraska. Rhule may have defeated the Boilermakers in Lincoln last season, but West Lafayette, Indiana hasn’t always been an easy place for the Huskers to travel to.

Purdue hung 55 points on the Husker defense in 2015, and in 2019, Nebraska faltered late when it allowed a game-winning touchdown with a minute left on the clock. In the program’s most recent trip two years ago, Mockobee and current NFL pros Aidan O’Connell and Charlie Jones torched the Husker defense for over 600 yards of total offense.

The game against Purdue is the first of three road games Nebraska will play in the next five weeks.

“You’re never going to be a relevant team in the Big Ten if you can’t win on the road,” Rhule said.

For an 11 a.m. matchup which could already be played in front of stretches of empty seats, the weather adds another complicating factor. Hurricane Helene, set to make landfall on Thursday night in Florida, is expected to continue north toward Indiana with rain and heavy winds following.

Ugly weather conditions would surely be welcomed by a Nebraska defense that will be eager to stamp its impact all over the upcoming matchup.

Since the struggles of last Friday, Rhule has liked how his players have responded with a great week of “practice, preparation and honest evaluation.”

All that’s left is for the Husker defense to show it on the field and prove that their loss to Illinois was simply a speedbump rather than a roadblock that will stand in the way of Nebraska’s goals for the season.

“You learn more about yourself when you go through some adversity than when you have success,” Rhule said. “The great ones, they don’t just bounce back, they bounce back and elevate; we’re looking to see ourselves bounce back and elevate.”