Nebraska Football: Blackshirts Hold Key to Success in November

November is going to be a big month for Nebraska. As the College Football Playoff nears, the Huskers are going to need to be nearly perfect to stay in the discussion.

In order to accomplish that, the Blackshirts are going to need to be better than ever.

Prior to facing Rutgers, defensive coordinator John Papuchis was happy with what he was seeing. According to Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal Star, the DC felt the Blackshirts were improving every week—especially before the Illinois game.

“This is as good as I’ve felt about a group of young defensive players in a long time,” Papuchis said. “We’re seven games in and I feel like we’re starting to hit our stride.”

Solo Tackles	Ast. Tackles	TFL/Yds	Sacks (No - Yds)	Int - Yds	Fumbles (Rcv - Yds)
282	246	69-226	18-149	9-104	3-57

Now eight games in, Papuchis has every right to still feel that way—especially when it comes to the defensive line. Against Rutgers, the Nebraska defense had two sacks and six quarterback hurries in the 42-24 victory.

Dan Duggan of NJ.com reported that Rutgers coach Kyle Flood had high praise for Nebraska's defensive line: 

"

They are every bit as good as I thought they would be. No doubt, they have disruptive people. They have defensive linemen that can win 1-on-1s, and when you have that, then at times you only have to rush four. When you can rush four, you cover better. And I thought this was one of the better cover teams that we were facing this season.

"

Heading into November, the Blackshirts are going to have to remain disruptive. Ultimately, if the defense struggles, winnable games will become much more difficult for the Huskers. The defense may have found its stride in October, but the trick will be keeping that going.

It's not going to be easy, either. Rutgers running backs, for instance, averaged only 3.1 yards per carry against Nebraska.

Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, on the other hand, is going to be much different. He is currently averaging 7.6 yards per carry, per ESPN.com.

As Nebraska prepares to face tougher offenses, the Blackshirts seem to have the right mentality about setting their own offense up for success. Defensive back Nate Gerry spoke with reporters about this:

"

I think it’s the mentality where we just have to get off the field. We have to put our offense in positions where they can score. We can’t be putting them down at the end of the field where they have to make long drives and sometimes it’s tough for them to go 80 yards. So, we try to get off the field as quick as we can.

"

Third downs are one area where the Blackshirts have continued to improve. The team will also be able to use that strength against teams like Wisconsin.

The Huskers are sixth in the NCAA in opponent third-down percentage. Upholding that success rate will be imperative in November. Teams like Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa are going to make it challenging for the Blackshirts. How they respond will ultimately determine whether Nebraska can win the Big Ten Championship and be considered for the College Football Playoff.

“It comes down to execution," head coach Bo Pelini said. "It comes down to everyone being where they are supposed to be and doing their job.”

If the Blackshirts can accomplish that, November could be a great month for Nebraska.