Nebraska is dressing up for Halloween. The Huskers announced Monday what the field will look like when Washington comes to Memorial Stadium on Saturday night for the program’s second annual blackout game, and the midfield will feature the famous Blackshirts logo.
The Blackshirts have been the staple of the Nebraska defense for more than 60 years. The tradition dates to 1964, Bob Devaney’s third season as head coach, when defenders wore black pullover jerseys in practice to set them apart from the offense. The nickname stuck, and it has stood for Husker defense ever since.
The jerseys, stadium, and crowd will all be black. That part is cool. But the Huskers need to leave Saturday with a win, something they couldn’t do in last year’s blackout, a 21-17 loss to USC.
Coming off a Bye Week with Something to Prove
Nebraska enters Saturday with plenty to prove. The Huskers are coming off back-to-back losses to Indiana and Oregon, two games that left them with painful what-ifs. A bye week came at the right time, giving the team a chance to heal, reset, and refocus before the stretch run.
The Huskers have not arrived yet this season. They still have to earn the right to be ranked, or at the very least to sit in the top half of the Big Ten, and the only way to do that is to win games like this one. Washington gives them a chance to show the first two losses were bumps in the road and not a sign of where the season is headed.
The setting should help. A blackout crowd at Memorial Stadium will be as electric as ever, and Nebraska needs to feed off that energy and play with a chip on its shoulder. A win Saturday would send the Huskers into a crucial month of November with real momentum.
Anthony Jones Sets the Tone
Speaking to the media Monday, head coach Matt Rhule pointed to a moment from the team’s meeting after the Oregon loss, when defensive lineman Anthony Jones Jr. stood in front of his teammates, and talked about the final defensive snap. Jones said he should have knocked the ball out of the quarterback’s hands. A winning play.
“We need more guys with that mentality,” Rhule said.
Jones played that game through a foot injury, which makes the ownership he showed even more notable. Nebraska will need that mindset for the rest of the season to have a shot at the College Football Playoff, and it starts Saturday against Washington.
A Loaded Recruiting Weekend
The stakes go beyond the scoreboard. Saturday will be one of the most loaded recruiting weekends of the season, with prospects on hand to experience the blackout atmosphere up close. Because the Huskers’ blackout game is a night game, it is easier for recruits to get to campus, and they can take in the entire game-day experience.
The environment alone should impress them. A sold-out Memorial Stadium dressed in black under the lights is hard to match, but a statement win in front of those recruits would do more for Nebraska’s pitch than any visit could. It would show them the Huskers can deliver on the big stage.
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