Dave Feit: Is the Blackshirts’ Shutout Drought About to End?

Nebraska has gone 15 seasons without blanking an opponent. A couple of golden opportunities to end the 187-game streak are coming up.

Ndamukong Suh was part of a defensive effort that held Arizona to 109 total yards, six first downs and zero points in the 2009 Holiday Bowl. Nebraska’s 33-0 win in San Diego still stands as the Huskers’ most recent shutout. | Nebraska Athletics

December 30, 2009.

Nebraska was playing Arizona in the Holiday Bowl. The Wildcats were led by quarterback Nick Foles, who would later take the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl title.

But the Huskers had one of their greatest defenses in school history. Ndamukong Suh. Barry Turner. Jared Crick. Pierre Allen. Phillip Dillard. Eric Martin. Will Compton. Prince Amukamara. Dejon Gomes. Alfonzo Dennard. Larry Asante. Eric Hagg. Holiday Bowl MVP Matt O'Hanlon and so many others.

Nebraska won 33-0, the Huskers' second shutout of the 2009 season.* NU shut out Louisiana in September during the 300th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium.

*It is worth noting that Suh and several other starters came back on the field late in the bowl game to preserve the shutout. P.J. Smith broke up a pass on fourth-and-three from the NU 8.

After the bowl win, a triumphant Bo Pelini declared, "Nebraska's back. And we're here to stay." Even though five Blackshirts - including Suh - were graduating, there was no reason to think Pelini's proclamation was wrong.

In the 15 seasons and one game since that dominating defensive performance, Nebraska has not recorded another shutout.

Entering the second week of the 2025 season, it has been 187 games since the Blackshirts pitched a shutout.

* * *

One hundred eighty-seven consecutive games.

That is easily the longest gap between shutouts in school history, stretching over three times as long as the second-longest points-allowed streak.

The longest shutout-free droughts in Nebraska's history:

• 187 games (active). The last shutout was the 2009 Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona. Including interims, Nebraska has had six different head coaches and eight defensive coordinators during this streak.
• 57 games. Stretched from a 50-0 shutout of Hawaii in 1954 through the opener of the 1961 season, a 33-0 win over North Dakota.
• 38 games. Ran between a 56-0 shutout of Troy in 2006 and the 2009 win over Louisiana.
• 36 games. Started after a 59-0 shutout of Baylor in 2000. Ended with a 30-0 blanking of Troy State in 2003
• 31 games. From a 28-0 blanking of Iowa State in 2003 until the 2006 Troy game.

Adam Carriker registers a sack in 2006 during the Huskers' 56-0 win over Troy, one of just six shutouts pitched by the Blackshirts this century. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Nebraska has 277 shutouts in its 135+ year history. Fifteen of those shutouts were necessary to salvage 0-0 ties. The 1902 team did not allow a single point in its nine games.

The Blackshirts have recorded just six shutouts this century.

* * *

During the current streak, there have been 17 games where Nebraska allowed just a single score. Three of those games occurred in 2024.

Six times, the opponent's lone score came in the fourth quarter. With some - such as a 14-7 win over Rutgers in 2024 - the opposing offense finally broke through the defense's "bend, but don't break" wall. It happens.

In the 2011 Iowa game, the Hawkeyes scored from two yards out with 3:26 to go to make the final score 20-7. Honestly, the main thing I remember from this game is Rex Burkhead getting a school-record 38 carries.

But in other near shutouts, the game is well in hand. The starters are on the sidelines while the reserves are getting some live snaps.

A potential shutout in 2016 was spoiled when Maryland’s D.J. Moore took a fourth-quarter screen pass 92 yards for a touchdown. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Idaho State, 2012. Leading by 66 points, I think Pelini was pulling kids out of the stands to play defense. The Bengals of the FCS scored with 12:31 to go.

Maryland, 2016. Early in the fourth quarter, leading by 21, I'm not sure if the backups were in, or if the starters were mentally checking out. Regardless, the Terps took a simple screen pass 92 yards for a touchdown. That play featured some uninspired tackling.

Maryland, 2019. The Terps had another late score to prevent a shutout. A 58-yard run with 3:13 to go was the only blemish on a 54-7 win.

As for the closest Nebraska has come to a shutout in the last 187 games, that would be the 2013 game at Purdue. Nebraska dominated for 59 minutes, leading 44-0. But a 55-yard pass with just 39 seconds to go spoiled the shutout.

“That was unfortunate," Pelini said after the game. "But I don’t think that takes away from our guys. They played well."

Bo makes a good point. As much as fans (and players) love the bragging rights of a shutout win, a coach has to look at the bigger picture. When the game is well in hand, there's no reason to get a starter hurt. Plus, giving the final few series to the backups is a great way to reward players who are working hard in practice, and helps develop players for the future.

While a shutout is satisfying, preserving one at all costs usually isn’t wise, especially with a work-in-progress defense like the 2025 Blackshirts. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

I guarantee if you asked Matt Rhule, he would tell you his primary concern is winning the game. Things like shutouts and protecting a statistical advantage are lower down on his list.

But sometimes, golden opportunities present themselves…

* * *

Nebraska's next game is against the University of Akron. In their 2025 season debut, the Zips scored zip, zero, zilch in a 10-0 loss to Wyoming. Akron had only 228 yards of offense and were 3 of 15 on third down. Only one of the Zips' 12 drives entered the red zone (ending with an interception at the 5-yard line). The Zips attempted a 49-yard field goal, but it was blocked.

In Kelley Ford's ratings, the Zips have the 134th-ranked offense (out of 136 teams). In Ford's defensive ratings - which are scaled 0-100, with 50 being average - the Blackshirts have a rating of 84.5 (23rd best). Wyoming, who blanked the Zips, has a rating of 43.9 (78th best).

Akron was shut out at home in front of just 9,138 fans. How will they fare in their first road game in front of 85,000 Husker fans, under the lights?

Akron wide receiver Alex Adams couldn't hang onto this pass during the Zips' 10-0 loss last week to Wyoming. | Andrew Dolph / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After Akron, Houston Christian of the FCS will come to Lincoln. The Huskies scored 69 points last week against Arkansas Baptist, an NAIA team. Since the 1964 Huskers blanked South Dakota 56-0, Nebraska's 17 other opponents from the FCS (and the old Division 1-AA) have managed to score points).

To be clear: I'm not guaranteeing Nebraska will pitch its first shutout in 16 years in the next two weeks. Heck, I'm not even going to suggest they should be able to keep one of these teams off the scoreboard. The 2025 Blackshirts are a work in progress with a new coordinator and several starters who are new to the team. It might take time for them to play to their potential.

My best-case scenario is Rhule is able to empty the benches, allowing most of the 125-man roster to get some valuable playing time. If that leads to a late score, so be it.

Besides, the shutout streak that really matters is the 29 years since Nebraska was blanked.

---

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.