Nebraska Football: 5 reasons the Cornhuskers will upset Wisconsin in Week 6

Nebraska football will be hosting No. 9 Wisconsin on Saturday night and here’s why the Cornhuskers will pull off the upset.

Nebraska plays host to No. 9 Wisconsin Saturday night. The Huskers find themselves a double-digit underdog at home — a rarity for sure, especially for a night game in Lincoln.

Saturday’s matchup will go a long ways determining the Big Ten West champion. The Badgers have the more favorable schedule moving forward, so a road win over the Huskers would be huge.

I’ll go out on a limb and give five reasons why Nebraska will pull the upset.

5. Renewed defensive confidence

The Nebraska defense has been under a resurgence since an opening-half meltdown Sept. 9 at Oregon.

First-year defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s troops have held opponents to just two offensive touchdowns in the 3.5 games since.

It’s evident the Blackshirts are gaining confidence by the week.  Diaco is also bringing pressure to opposing quarterbacks with more blitz packages mixed in. The Huskers are looking more and more at-ease in Diaco’s 3-4 scheme as the weeks progress.

Look for Diaco to dial up different blitz packages against Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook, to try and make him uncomfortable. Hornibrook also tweaked an ankle in the Badgers’ 33-24 win over Northwestern, and mobility could be an issue.

The emergence of freshman linebacker Ben Stille has added another element on defense. Stille was the Big Ten freshman of the week, as he recorded three tackles for losses against Illinois.

Added in is the prospect of top cornerback Chris Jones returning from a left meniscus tear. Jones practiced in full this week, and could see meaningful snaps.