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Nebraska’s defense faces a challenging Northwestern running game
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Nebraska’s run defense has had its difficulties this season, ranking 12th in the B1G in run defense. Allowing 170 rushing yards per game, the Huskers face another challenging test in Northwestern’s Justin Jackson on Saturday at home.
Jackson, who’s a senior of the Wildcats, has 644 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry for Northwestern this season. He’s fifth in the B1G in rushing with 80.5 rushing yards per contest.
“He’s got an interesting combination of size and speed,” said Nebraska defensive coordinator Bob Diaco at his press conference on Tuesday. “Slasher, hard to tackle, really loose hips, lots of foot action, but also breaks tackles. He’s got soft hands out of the backfield. He’s an aggressive pass protector.”
Nebraska has had its difficulties stopping the run in recent weeks. Over the last three games the Huskers have allowed an average of 277 rushing yards per contest against Wisconsin, Ohio State and Purdue.
The Huskers face Northwestern at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska is 7-3 all-time against the Wildcats, including a 24-13 road victory last season.
Nebraska is in a must-win situation, as they try and inch closer to securing a bowl bid. Sitting with a 4-4 record, the Huskers have to win two of their final four games to reach the postseason.