The Great Defensive Inversion

The Blackshirts were dominant against the run in the first two years of the Matt Rhule era, but that flipped in 2025. This could spell trouble for the Huskers down the stretch

The Blackshirts have struggled against the run, especially against quarterbacks | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Huskers’ passing defense is among the best in the country. It ranks third in yards allowed per game, behind conference mates Ohio State and Oregon. It’s fourth in passing touchdowns allowed, with the Big Ten occupying the top five spots, and Nebraska just behind Iowa, Ohio State, and Indiana. This marks the strongest passing defense the Huskers have had since joining the Big Ten.

An Old Strength, A New Weakness

But the strength of this year's pass defense is matched only by the collapse of the run defense.

In 2024, Tony White’s Blackshirts posted one of Nebraska's best run defenses since joining the Big Ten. In fact, in each of the last two seasons, they finished in the top 10 in yards allowed. In 2024, the Huskers ranked third nationally in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed. Their ratio of rushing to passing touchdowns allowed was the second-lowest in the country, only behind Iowa.

The 2024 Blackshirts take the field for overtime against Illinois. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

In 2025, that dominance has disappeared. The run defense currently ranks 94th in yards allowed. The touchdown ratio has completely inverted; this season, that same ratio is now the highest in the nation. Only nine defenses in college football defenses allow more yards rushing per game than passing, including the Huskers, and only two teams have a larger margin between rushing and passing yards allowed: Eastern Michigan and North Texas.

While Nebraska has faced some strong rushing attacks (Michigan, USC, and Cincinnati all rank in the top 25 in rushing yards per game), the Huskers have also struggled against weaker offenses. Minnesota ranks 124th in rushing yards per game at 105 yards, but managed 186 against Nebraska. The Blackshirts were able to slow down the offenses of Maryland and Michigan State, which also rank toward the bottom of the Big Ten in rushing yardage per game.

The Upcoming Gauntlet

The Huskers’ defensive struggles will be on full display in the last two games. Six college football players this season have more than 3,000 career rushing yards. Two of them play for Penn State: Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. The Nittany Lions have scored multiple rushing touchdowns in every game except against Oregon. With Drew Allar out, Nebraska will see plenty of this powerful one-two punch.

Iowa’s passing offense this season mirrors its past struggles and is nearly nonexistent. However, Mark Grownowski is a dangerous runner. His 13 rushing touchdowns tie for third among Big Ten quarterbacks over the last 30 years. Only Denard Robinson has more (16 in 2011 and 14 in 2010). Running quarterbacks have been a weakness for the Huskers in 2025, and Gronowski presents a significant challenge. Kamari Moulton isn’t the caliber of back that Kaleb Johnson was, but he’s also plenty capable of hurting Nebraska.

There is no denying Nebraska’s defensive struggles at this point in the season. Both Penn State and Iowa are expected to exploit Nebraska's weak run defense. The Blackshirts can’t allow either opponent to look even better on the ground than they are. If they can do that, the defense will do enough to give the Nebraska offense a chance to win both games.

---

---

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