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Three quarters of solid football aren't always enough to secure a victory, and Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich is acutely aware of that after the Huskers' recent inability to close out games.
But there's no time for sulking—only for improvement. The first-year defensive play caller is focused on getting his unit ready to do just that. In his Tuesday media availability, Aurich shared key insights ahead of Nebraska's Halloween clash with Washington.
Reflecting on the 17-14 Week 7 loss to Oregon, Aurich remarked, "You wear your scars; you grow." He admitted the defeat lingered, saying, "I don't know if it stayed with me longer; it pissed me off. Pissed about it, but it's part of our growing process here. I wish I could've been better at that last drive for our guys."
Aurich continued, "You feel like, as a coach, you control a lot. The players have to go execute it, but you always want to put them in situations to be successful, and you self-evaluate a ton. That's part of the job. But, self-evaluating, I can be better in the final five (minutes)." Rather than deflecting blame, Aurich shouldered much of the responsibility himself. The Blackshirts were far from the main reason Nebraska lost to the Ducks, yet Aurich still zeroed in on what he could have done better.
The coordinator also believes his defense benefited from the bye week following the Oregon game. He used the time to reflect on his unit's performance and pinpoint areas for improvement. "I think there was a good chance to self-evaluate," he said. "Obviously, there have been times during the past couple of weeks where we've played some exceptional defensive football, and then there's been times during the last two games where we haven't played our best in some key moments. So, I enjoyed the bye week. I think it's been good for our players and good for our staff."
Nebraska blanked Oregon in the first half but surrendered 17 points after the break. Aurich knows that isn't good enough to win and, more importantly, falls short of the standard he's set for his defense: shutting out opponents in the fourth quarter. Asked about that goal, Aurich said it wasn't a new point of emphasis, but he acknowledged that his unit needs to execute more consistently to achieve it.
"I don't know if it's necessarily a change in mentality," the coordinator said. "But I do think there's a little bit of grinding into the fundamentals and grinding into the accountability of the call, and just executing, executing, executing. There are times we're really doing that. There are a few plays in that last game where we didn't execute at the level we wanted to. If we don't beat ourselves, it's tough to beat us right now. So, we've got to keep that mindset. Don't beat ourselves."
Key Analysis
Saturday night, Nebraska will look to regroup against the Washington Huskies at home, though the challenge becomes more difficult with uncertainty surrounding which of UW's quarterbacks will take the field. Aurich said the Huskers have enough film on both signal-callers to prepare, but each brings a different skill set that could create challenges for NU's defense.
"I think they've been a little bit more efficient in the pass game these last two weeks," Aurich said. "I think No. 7 (Elijah Brown) has operated pretty quickly. His completion percentage has been pretty high. He's an older kid, has kind of a good feel for the system. No. 1 (Demond Williams Jr.) is dynamic. His scramble tape looks a lot like (Anthony) Colandrea's. They're both scary in their own right. They're completely different, and their offense is much different when they are in the game."
As the Blackshirts continue preparing for both quarterbacks, Husker Nation hopes the defense will feel right at home on Halloween. Nebraska's second annual Blackout game is finally here, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CDT. Fans who can't make it to Memorial Stadium can stream the game on Big Ten Network. Those attending in person are being urged to wear black.