Nebraska defenders bringing edge into Purdue prep

“What are you supposed to do when you get punched in the mouth sometimes?” the Husker senior linebacker said Tuesday. “Put your hands up next time. Learn from it.”

Representatives of the Blackshirts carried an edge into their media sessions four days after falling to Illinois in overtime. Emotions were raw Friday night after allowing 129 second-half rushing yards and missing multiple tackles and assignments. That dissatisfaction is still festering, motivating the Huskers to not let such a performance carry over into their season’s first road game.

Senior safety Isaac Gifford took Saturday as a mental break, spending time away from football with family and friends. He came back to film that showed Illinois hitting Nebraska’s defense hard without an appropriate response.

“Nobody’s pointing fingers and doing all that,” Gifford said. “It’s just a lot of guys just have that pit in their stomach where they’re just mad at themselves. I know I am.”

Defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher said his group took the loss personally, with Illinois playing with the winning physicality NU had for three games. Defensive coordinator Tony White said the unit’s typical hard edge was more of a rounded curve.

Nebraska has three weekly points of emphasis — earn takeaways, be physical and execute. It didn’t check off the last two items Friday, letting down an offense that the coordinator said did its part.

“We’ve got the freshman QB over there balling his ass off,” White said. “You score 24 points, you need to help his ass, you know what I mean? That’s on the defense.”

Sherman said Tuesday was a hard-hitting practice, a reset for many who may have strayed a bit from the process amid a 3-0 start. Nebraska has more than half a season to prove who it is.

No wholesale changes or motivational speakers are necessary. Just back to creating dominant contact and hammering details.

“If it was any different,” Sherman said, “then we’re frauds.”