In the first two weeks of the season, Nebraska looked nothing like what we expected. The offense struggled to get into a rhythm, Adrian Martinez wasn’t as crisp as we thought and the defense has been susceptible to giving up big plays.

None of that was really an issue on Saturday night — with the exception of some special teams issues. For the first time this season, the Huskers looked like a B1G team capable of winning a division crown. It pummeled Northern Illinois to a 44-8 victory, a game that was decided pretty early in the contest.

This week, the difference was that Nebraska was relentless in its effort, Scott Frost said. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, the Huskers didn’t ease up on the Huskies.

“What’s made us good is…always keeping the foot on the gas,” Frost said after the win, according to Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald. He also emphasized that Saturday night was “a lot closer to a clean game.”

Taking special teams out of the equation — there were a ton of blocked kicks on both sides Saturday night — Nebraska had just one turnover and one penalty in the blowout victory. In the first two games against South Alabama and Colorado, the Huskers had six turnovers and 15 penalties.

Those were big contributors in those ugly outings.

Northern Illinois isn’t at the same competitive level as what Nebraska will see in the B1G, that’s for sure. But the Huskers did see how much easier life can be when they hang on to the football and aren’t shooting themselves in the foot with bad penalties.

If the Huskers continue to play clean games and keep their foot on the gas, they’re very much alive in the B1G West.