For this week, at least, it seems Nebraska's defense will avoid the harsh glare of public scrutiny.
Despite giving up more than 400 yards for the third straight game, the Cornhuskers gained a shot of redemption in holding Iowa State to 17 points in Saturday's win.
Three turnovers by Nebraska's offense in the first half skewed the time of possession statistic and kept the Blackshirts on the field more than they had been all season against the Cyclones.
At the end of the first quarter, NU's defense had been on the field for 12 minutes, 26 seconds. By comparison, the offense had seen just 2:34 of playing time. By the end of the game, Nebraska's defense had been on the field nearly twice as long as the Husker offense.
"They came out and they carried us today," NU senior quarterback Sam Keller said of the Blackshirts. "They were on the field for so long, I can't even believe how long it was."
Despite being on the field for twice as long as Nebraska in the first two quarters and running 10 more offensive plays, Iowa State's offense managed to score only a field goal and a touchdown against the Huskers.
The Blackshirts also recovered a Cyclone fumble and had an interception in the first half as the Huskers went into the locker room with a 14-10 lead.
"We came out with a lot of intensity and emotion," said NU sophomore defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who collected four tackles in the game, including one sack and two tackles for loss. "It was a controlled and focused emotion. We came out and got the job done."
The Huskers' defense disrupted Iowa State's offense in the second half, the most important play arguably coming when NU senior linebacker Bo Ruud intercepted a pass that had been tipped by NU senior cornerback Cortney Grixby. Ruud returned the interception for a 93-yard touchdown to give Nebraska a 28-10 lead with 2:13 left in the third quarter.
"I asked Bo what happened because I didn't see it until I got up," said Grixby, who picked off two passes of his own against Iowa State. "He said when I hit it, it just fell in his hands. Bo's always in the right spot."
It was the second straight game in which Ruud returned an interception for a touchdown. Against Ball State on Sept. 22, Ruud picked off a pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Huskers' 41-40 win.
ISU quarterback Bret Meyer finished 26-for-51 through the air for 281 yards, but he was sacked twice and threw three interceptions.
"We had pretty good pressure," NU defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. "When he's throwing picks, the quarterback feels the pressure."
Still, the Cyclones outgained the Huskers by 46 yards and became the fourth straight opponent to gain more offensive yards than the Huskers. That statistic was skewed on Saturday, though, because Iowa State ran 102 plays to Nebraska's 59.
The Cyclones managed 281 passing yards and 134 rushing yards against the Huskers, but only scored 17 points. It was the lowest amount of points allowed by Nebraska since its 20-17 win over Wake Forest on Sept. 8.
And it may just silence the Blackshirts' critics - at least for this week.
"Obviously we hadn't been playing our best," Suh said. "We're getting into a groove. We just need to make sure we're consistent and go to practice on Tuesday and keep working on it."
BENGOULDSMITH@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
