'You Wear Your Scars; You Grow': Nebraska DC Rob Aurich Uses Oregon Loss as a Learning Moment Ahead of Washington

The Huskers have played six quarters of elite football over their last two games, but Aurich is treating the other two as learning opportunities.

Rob Aurich during the Huskers' second practice of spring 2026. | @HuskerFootball on X

Three quarters of good, sometimes even great, football isn't always enough to get the job done.

Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich knows that all too well after the Huskers' recent struggles in closing out games. However, there's no time to pout, only to grow. The first-year defensive play caller is getting his unit ready to do just that.

From his media availability Tuesday, here are the biggest takeaways from Aurich ahead of Nebraska's Halloween matchup with Washington.

Owen Chambliss chases down an Oregon player after the catch. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“You wear your scars; you grow,” said Aurich regarding Nebraska's 17-14 loss to Oregon in Week 7. “I don’t know if it stayed with me longer; it pissed me off. Pissed about it, but it’s part of our growing process here. I wish I could’ve been better at that last drive for our guys.”

“You feel like, as a coach, you control a lot,” he continued. “The players have to go execute it, but you always want to put them in situations to be successful, and you self-evaluate a ton. That’s part of the job. But, self-evaluating, I can be better in the final five (minutes).”

Rather than shift the blame, Aurich seemed to shoulder much of the responsibility himself. The Blackshirts were far from the main reason Nebraska lost to the Ducks, but Aurich still focused on what he could have done better.

Oregon's Jamari Johnson catches a pass for the winning touchdown during the final 30 seconds against Nebraska's Caleb Benning and Donovan Jones. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Aurich also believes his defense benefited from some time off. During the first seven weeks of 2026, the Huskers saw two-deep players such as Anthony Jones, Jamir Conn, Riley Van Poppel, and Rex Guthrie go down with injuries on the defensive side. 

The break gave the coaching staff a chance to reset, too. Aurich stated he used the time to reflect on his defense's performance and identify areas of improvement. 

“I think there was a good chance to self-evaluate,” he said. “Obviously, there have been times during the past couple of weeks where we’ve played some exceptional defensive football, and then there’s been times during the last two games where we haven’t played our best in some key moments.”

“So, I enjoyed the bye week,” he continued. “I think it’s been good for our players and good for our staff.”

Dylan Raiola carries the ball during the fourth quarter against Nebraska. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska shut out Oregon in the first half but allowed 17 points after the break. Aurich knows that isn't good enough to win and, more importantly, falls short of the standard he's set for his defense: shutting out opponents in the fourth quarter.

Asked about that goal, Aurich said it wasn't a new point of emphasis. However, he acknowledged that his unit needs to execute more consistently to achieve it.

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily a change in mentality,” the coordinator said. “But I do think there’s a little bit of grinding into the fundamentals and grinding into the accountability of the call, and just executing, executing, executing.”

“There are times we’re really doing that,” Aurich continued. “There are a few plays in that last game where we didn’t execute at the level we wanted to… If we don’t beat ourselves, it’s tough to beat us right now. So, we’ve got to keep that mindset. Don’t beat ourselves.”

Demond Williams Jr. scrambles out of the pocket against the Iowa Hawkeyes. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saturday night, Nebraska will look to regroup against the Washington Huskies at home, though the challenge becomes more difficult with uncertainty surrounding which of UW's quarterbacks will take the field.

Aurich said the Huskers have enough film on both signal-callers to prepare, but each brings a different skill set that could create challenges for NU's defense.

“I think they’ve been a little bit more efficient in the pass game these last two weeks,” Aurich said. “I think No. 7 (Elijah Brown) has operated pretty quickly. His completion percentage has been pretty high. He’s an older kid, has kind of a good feel for the system.”

“No. 1 (Demond Williams Jr.) is dynamic,” Aurich continued. “His scramble tape looks a lot like (Anthony) Colandrea’s. They’re both scary in their own right… They’re completely different, and their offense is much different when they are in the game.”

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— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) October 26, 2026

As the Blackshirts continue preparing for both quarterbacks, Husker Nation hopes the defense will feel right at home on Halloween. Nebraska's second annual Blackout game is finally here, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CDT.

Fans who can't make it to Memorial Stadium can stream the game on Big Ten Network. Those attending in person are being urged to wear black.

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