Nebraska Football: 3 takeaways from upset loss vs. Northern Illinois

3. Strong play by the defense kept Nebraska in the game

Nebraska fell for the second straight week. For the Cornhuskers, the second loss hurts even more after coming against a Group of Five program. But while Mike Riley has plenty of questions to ask about his offense, the Blackshirts defense was once again solid in defeat.

Northern Illinois managed fewer than 250 total yards of offense and just one touchdown when they had the ball. The defensive backfield scored more touchdowns than NIU’s offensive backfield on Saturday.

While Nebraska is reeling after falling under .500 in the season standings, their concerns rest almost entirely on one side of the ball. They were unable to force a turnover by Northern Illinois, one place where Nebraska could improve defensively. But in general the Cornhuskers had a solid performance stifling the Huskies when they had the ball.

In the past six quarters, Nebraska’s defense has allowed just one touchdown. They shut out Oregon after halftime in a thwarted comeback bid in Eugene, and nearly pitched a shutout against the Huskies on the road.