Nebraska’s defense has spent the first three games making a clear statement: it can hit, it can swarm, and it can keep points off the board. But as the Huskers head into Big Ten play, senior defensive back Jamir Conn knows that’s only part of the job.
The numbers look good enough on their own. Nebraska has allowed 35 points in three games, which works out to 11.67 points per game and ranks 16th nationally.
That’s a strong opening run for a 3-0 team. Still, Conn said the defense is chasing something bigger than just being hard to move the ball on.
“I feel like we proven that we’re physical,” Conn told reporters after pracitce Tuesday. “We’re a physical team that’s going to fly around.
“But we still have to prove. We just need to take the ball away more.
Force more turnovers. That’s what all great defenses do.
“Force more turnovers, forcing fumbles with physicality, stripping at the ball and taking the ball out the air, and that’s going to be a big thing that we focus on this week.”
That challenge starts Saturday against Michigan State, which brings a run-first approach into the matchup. The Spartans average 121 yards on the ground per game, and Cam Edwards has been the engine. Edwards has rushed for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and the former UConn back has piled up 2,690 yards on 480 carries with 27 touchdowns in 36 career games.
Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich said Tuesday that running the ball is in Michigan State's DNA, and Conn expects plenty of that on Saturday. “Those guys like to run the ball,” Conn said.
“Coach [Pat] Fitzgerald, he’s a great head coach. He’s going to have a team that’s physical, ready to go, so we just got to be ready to go with them.“
He’s [Edwards] a great running back. He’s a great player.
Obviously has great contact balance. He’s a great football player and that’s what we come to this conference for, to play against guys like that.”
The turnover battle is where Nebraska wants to make the next leap. Through three games, the Huskers have committed only one turnover of their own, an Anthony Colandrea interception against Bowling Green when the ball was ripped away from the receiver.
On the other side, Nebraska has one recovered fumble and two interceptions. That’s worked fine so far against a schedule that included two Mid-American Conference teams and an FCS opponent.
Now the Big Ten starts to set the terms.
According to CBS Sports, teams that won the turnover battle from 2016 to 2023 won 78 percent of the time. That kind of edge has a way of changing games, and Aurich wants Nebraska’s defense to be aggressive enough to create it. His target is three opponent turnovers per game.
“We certainly want to see more,” Aurich said Tuesday. “You know, right now three a game is obviously a lofty goal, but it is the goal and it’s high for a reason.
“We haven’t hit that mark when it comes to takeaway generation. A number of reasons why. I think we need to target and prioritize the ball more as pass rushers when we get an opportunity to.
“It’s been a low completion percentage season so far. A lot of turnovers happen on catch and run opportunities.
Those have diminished a little bit. Credit to our secondary.
But we need to find ways to take those away.”
Conn has already been part of a big moment against Michigan State. Last season, he blocked a Spartans punt in Nebraska’s 38-27 win, and Carter Nelson turned it into a first-quarter touchdown that put the Huskers up 14-0.
“It felt amazing,” Conn said Tuesday. “But, just taking you through it, we knew they were going to rugby punt last year and we know exactly where the block spot would be.“
So, we were working it all week. All the other guys had great confidence in me.
The whole team did, the staff, even down to the nutrition staff had great confidence in me doing it. So, having people behind me, ready to go, just helped me.”
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. Central at Spartan Stadium, with the game airing on Big Ten Network.
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