Postgame press conference video:

Bo Pelini:



LINCOLN — It was a game-long test of mental resiliency for Nebraska's defense, tortured over and over by its mistake-prone offense.

But as the turnovers mounted and the clock ticked down, the Husker defenders managed each emotional gut-check the way they're expected to.

A game that could have been written off as a blowout, and maybe should have been, came down to the final minute. And the tough-minded group of Blackshirts deserve the credit for that.

Nebraska did lose 9-7 to Iowa State, but most, including coach Bo Pelini, left Memorial Stadium thinking it could have been a lot worse.

“We were lucky to be in the football game,” Pelini said. “Eight turnovers? We could have got run out of the stadium.”

On a day when Nebraska's offense overwhelmed itself with mistakes, the Huskers relied on their defense the same way an underpaid businessman counts on his beat-up Toyota to make the daily trip to and from work.

Nothing flashy — just find a way to get the job done.

Nebraska held the nation's 14th-ranked rushing offense to 137 yards on the ground, 77 below its season average. The Cyclones had 11 first downs.

Nebraska did give up a touchdown with 6:53 left in the second quarter. But aside from two Cyclone series that started inside the NU 40-yard line because of turnovers, Iowa State ran just one play in Husker territory after the touchdown.

“They've got an outstanding defense,” ISU coach Paul Rhoads said. “Are you kidding me? Eight turnovers I think we gained, and the final score of this game was 9-7. Anybody else that had that kind of turnover advantage would've won by 30 or 40 points. Credit Nebraska.”

The NU players didn't want to hear it, though.

They care about the bottom line. To them, a loss always sucks up any enthusiasm gained from a performance, especially for a team that stresses unity.

“It's pretty frustrating, but it's a team game,” junior defensive back Eric Hagg said. “We had our mistakes on defense. It's half our fault, half the offense's fault. It's both of our faults.”

Of course, Hagg had the most costly of defensive errors. As he looked back to find the football, ISU receiver Jake Williams was catching a 47-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. That's all the Cyclones needed.

The Huskers hadn't lost since 1981 when they held an opponent to 10 points or fewer. In those circumstances, they'd been 126-0 since that 10-7 defeat to Iowa.

But senior Ndamukong Suh wasn't content with the idea that the defense did enough.

An ultra-conservative Iowa State attack was missing two of its key players — starting quarterback Austen Arnaud and the Big 12's leading rusher, Alexander Robinson.

The Huskers didn't force a turnover, though. They weren't able to create that momentum-altering play, something that might have sparked their counterparts on offense.

“It's things like that we've got to do, put them in positions where they ultimately have no other choice but to score,” Suh said.

Suh characterized his performance as “average,” despite eight tackles, one sack, three quarterback hurries and two blocked kicks.

Aided by Nebraska's other talented defensive linemen, Suh has controlled the line of scrimmage seemingly all season. And it has made it easier on the linebackers and defensive backs.

The Huskers allowed 350 yards per game last year. During the last six games, no NU opponent has gained more than 300. Nebraska hasn't had a streak like that since 1996.

But Suh said there's always something to improve.

“Everyone on the defense pretty much played the way we're supposed to play,” Suh said. “We just had a couple hiccups here and there, mistakes that we wish we could take back.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

• Highlights: Iowa State at Nebraska



Mike McNeill:



Ndamukong Suh:



• Analysis: Postgame with Mitch Sherman