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It was either a blip or a trend. It’s the difference between a couple of wrong turns vs getting completely lost in a bad part of town. Merely a missed opportunity…or the beginning of the end.
After two seasons of strong defense under Matt Rhule’s guidance, it was fair to expect at least a high floor level of basic competence. Even with some important departures, Rhule himself referred to the 2025 defensive line as “hell on wheels” pre-season.
Narrator: He was right about the hell part.
It’s not hyperbole to call last year’s performance by the Blackshirts a disaster. Even acknowledging the changes – defensive tackles Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher graduated, defensive line coach Terrence Knighton and defensive coordinator Tony White both moved on to Florida State, and three of the top four tacklers also left – the standard had been set and Husker fans anticipated a strong year three for Rhule in Lincoln.
Then the run fit busts against Michigan, getting manhandled at Minnesota, a tough loss to USC after Dylan Raiola’s broken ankle, and three straight 20+ point losses to Penn State, Iowa, and Utah to finish. Like I said, hell.
Once the dust settled, it was an ugly post-mortem. After turning in top 20 national rankings in scoring defense in 2023 (18.3 ppg) and 2024 (19.5 ppg), NU gave up 24.6 points per game to fall to 67th. Two straight top ten rush defenses (92.9 and 101.2 ypg) crumbled to 175.3 yards per game, way down at 100th nationally.
Worst of all was 2025’s terrible red zone execution. In 2023, the Blackshirts were 4th in the country - remember that? - in preventing touchdowns when their opponent entered the red zone, allowing a mere 16 TDs on 38 chances, just a 42.1% rate. Then in 2024, Nebraska ranked 20th in red zone scoring conversions allowed, holding their opponents scoreless on 9 of 37 trips inside their 20-yard line - seriously, that happened? - for an impressive 24.4% success rate. In 2025? They plummeted to 136th nationally – or *dead last* – in allowing red zone touchdowns on 30 of 38 opponent chances, and 135th in total red zone scoring, giving up points on 37 of 38 opportunities. Gross! Thank you to Riley Van Poppel for blocking that field goal against Akron to not only preserve a shutout, but also prevent what would have been a perfectly awful red zone defense score.
Then, the fallout. One-year defensive coordinator John Butler and one-year defensive line coach Terry Bradden were out. New DC Rob Aurich arrived from San Diego State, along with three defensive assistants who had worked at least one season with him: DL coach Corey Brown, edge coach Roy Manning, and safeties coach Tyler Yelk.
Only two significant transfers left the defense in defensive lineman Keona Davis and defensive back Malcolm Hartzog, landing at Miami and Arizona, respectively. Ceyair Wright, DeShon Singleton, and Javin Wright departed as seniors. Much of the roster on defense returns from the disappointing 2025 campaign, illustrating the confidence Nebraska coaches still have in their talent and potential.
Linebacker Owen Chambliss will step into a prominent role for Nebraska in 2026 after transferring from San Diego State. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
There are some reinforcements, though. Aurich brings linebacker Owen Chambliss and safety Dwayne McDougle III with him from San Diego State. Chambliss was first-team All-Mountain West in 2025 with 110 tackles and four sacks. McDougle has played 40 games with 22 starts, most of which have come under Aurich at SDSU in 2025 and at Idaho in 2023, where he played in the same secondary as another former Vandal, current NU corner Andrew Marshall.
Other transfers include linebackers Dexter Foster (Oregon State) and Will Hawthorne (Iowa State), cornerback Victor Evans (FIU), safety Jasin Shiggs (Towson), defensive tackles Jahsear Whittington (Pitt) and Owen Stoudamire (Boston College), and edge Anthony Jones (UCLA, Michigan State, Indiana, and Oregon…seriously).
While the two former Aztecs are forecasted to be starters, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the other nine starting spots go to returnees. Even though the D-line struggled mightily last season, Riley Van Poppel is talented in the middle and should improve. Sua Lefotu has the frame to be a run stuffer, and we may see more from David Hoffken, Malcolm Simpson, and Tyson Terry this season. Whittington and Stoudamire will bolster the interior as well.
On the edge, Jones will get plenty of passing downs to rush the QB. Williams Nwaneri could realize some of his 5-star potential. Cam Lenhardt has splashed before, but struggled for consistency in 2025. Kade Pietrzak and Willis McGahee IV will be in the mix, too.
Linebacker Dylan Rogers and defensive edge Williams Nwaneri are among the returnees expected to take the next step in 2026. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
This is the key to the entire defense. When the trenches were handled by Ty & Nash with Knighton and White coaching them and their teammates, life was good. Then they all left, and it went bad. Get better here - even a little! - and it makes everything easier. Rhule didn’t dump a bunch of players; he kept most of them while replacing the coaches. That's intentional. If the line can't hold up, it'll hurt the whole operation. It has to work.
At the second level, Vincent Shavers is the incumbent and has all-conference ability. He and Chambliss are written in ink on my 4-2-5 depth chart, but there's a lot of depth behind them. Who will emerge at second and third string? Foster and Hawthorne are the newbies, and guys like Dylan Rogers, Dawson Merritt, Christian Jones, and Pierce Mooberry will look to earn snaps as well. This linebacker group has a lot of potential, and I’ll be curious to see how heavily Rob Dvoracek rotates those guys early to see what he has.
And finally, the secondary, which is the strength of the defense. They were excellent last year, allowing the 3rd-fewest passing yards nationally at a paltry 154.1 per game. I would argue teams just ran the ball because they knew they could, but credit where it's due; these guys were really good last year.
Cornerback Andrew Marshall will look to lock down one side of the field in the secondary in 2026. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Andrew Marshall is perhaps the best player on the roster, and the best Blackshirt for my money. He holds one outside cornerback spot and will not see many passes thrown his way if opposing quarterbacks are smart. The other could be Jeremiah Charles, Amare Sanders, or incoming 5-star true freshman Danny Odem. Then there’s Donovan Jones, who can play just about anywhere and has been the secondary’s best tackler. I see his ideal fit in the slot as a nickelback, where his tackling and blitzing skills could best be utilized.
McDougle should play most snaps at one safety spot. The other could go to Jamir Conn, Rex Guthrie, or Caleb Benning. Run fits were a problem at times last season (Michigan, cough cough), so Aurich may sacrifice some coverage skill for a more reliable tackler. I welcome that trade-off.
Those are the players...back to the stats.
My mantra about Rhule’s hire of Aurich to lead the defense has been simple: in 2025 Nebraska sucked against the run and in the red zone, and Rob Aurich has shown how to quickly improve rush defense and red zone stops. San Diego State was 122nd against the run in 2024 when Aurich only coached edges. Elevated to DC for 2025, he improved their rank to 39th, going from allowing 207.2 to only 129.5 yards per game on the ground. In 2024, the Aztecs were 120th and 132nd in allowing red zone scores and red zone TDs, respectively – the next season under Aurich, they rocketed to 3rd and 11th nationally.
Bottom line for the Blackshirts is that Rhule bet on his player development and hiring acumen. Is Aurich more Tony White than John Butler? His track record says yes. The same goes for Corey Brown needing to be more Terrence Knighton than Terry Bradden. Rhule has pushed his chips to the middle of the table with these two, and he'll see the next card soon enough.
Maybe the overlooked piece to the 2026 defense is the familiarity. Not only are there 43 defensive returnees from the 2025 squad with experience in Matt Rhule’s program and Corey Campbell’s weight room routines, but this defensive staff has worked together in the past, too. Aurich knows Brown, Manning, and Yelk from his past stops, and they have seen success. Addison Williams, Rob Dvoracek, Phil Simpson, and Phil Snow were all here last year, and while they may have performed inconsistently, you could chalk that up to the poor defensive front. If Rhule nailed his hires, then we'll see a Blackshirt revival drive his most talented team to more on-field wins.
The signs are there for a rebound. They can’t go anywhere but up in the red zone, and the bar to beat last year’s run defense is quite low. I’d say it’s a safe bet to see a better bunch of Blackshirts in 2026.
Continue reading...
After two seasons of strong defense under Matt Rhule’s guidance, it was fair to expect at least a high floor level of basic competence. Even with some important departures, Rhule himself referred to the 2025 defensive line as “hell on wheels” pre-season.
Narrator: He was right about the hell part.
It’s not hyperbole to call last year’s performance by the Blackshirts a disaster. Even acknowledging the changes – defensive tackles Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher graduated, defensive line coach Terrence Knighton and defensive coordinator Tony White both moved on to Florida State, and three of the top four tacklers also left – the standard had been set and Husker fans anticipated a strong year three for Rhule in Lincoln.
Then the run fit busts against Michigan, getting manhandled at Minnesota, a tough loss to USC after Dylan Raiola’s broken ankle, and three straight 20+ point losses to Penn State, Iowa, and Utah to finish. Like I said, hell.
Once the dust settled, it was an ugly post-mortem. After turning in top 20 national rankings in scoring defense in 2023 (18.3 ppg) and 2024 (19.5 ppg), NU gave up 24.6 points per game to fall to 67th. Two straight top ten rush defenses (92.9 and 101.2 ypg) crumbled to 175.3 yards per game, way down at 100th nationally.
Worst of all was 2025’s terrible red zone execution. In 2023, the Blackshirts were 4th in the country - remember that? - in preventing touchdowns when their opponent entered the red zone, allowing a mere 16 TDs on 38 chances, just a 42.1% rate. Then in 2024, Nebraska ranked 20th in red zone scoring conversions allowed, holding their opponents scoreless on 9 of 37 trips inside their 20-yard line - seriously, that happened? - for an impressive 24.4% success rate. In 2025? They plummeted to 136th nationally – or *dead last* – in allowing red zone touchdowns on 30 of 38 opponent chances, and 135th in total red zone scoring, giving up points on 37 of 38 opportunities. Gross! Thank you to Riley Van Poppel for blocking that field goal against Akron to not only preserve a shutout, but also prevent what would have been a perfectly awful red zone defense score.
Then, the fallout. One-year defensive coordinator John Butler and one-year defensive line coach Terry Bradden were out. New DC Rob Aurich arrived from San Diego State, along with three defensive assistants who had worked at least one season with him: DL coach Corey Brown, edge coach Roy Manning, and safeties coach Tyler Yelk.
Only two significant transfers left the defense in defensive lineman Keona Davis and defensive back Malcolm Hartzog, landing at Miami and Arizona, respectively. Ceyair Wright, DeShon Singleton, and Javin Wright departed as seniors. Much of the roster on defense returns from the disappointing 2025 campaign, illustrating the confidence Nebraska coaches still have in their talent and potential.
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Linebacker Owen Chambliss will step into a prominent role for Nebraska in 2026 after transferring from San Diego State. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
There are some reinforcements, though. Aurich brings linebacker Owen Chambliss and safety Dwayne McDougle III with him from San Diego State. Chambliss was first-team All-Mountain West in 2025 with 110 tackles and four sacks. McDougle has played 40 games with 22 starts, most of which have come under Aurich at SDSU in 2025 and at Idaho in 2023, where he played in the same secondary as another former Vandal, current NU corner Andrew Marshall.
Other transfers include linebackers Dexter Foster (Oregon State) and Will Hawthorne (Iowa State), cornerback Victor Evans (FIU), safety Jasin Shiggs (Towson), defensive tackles Jahsear Whittington (Pitt) and Owen Stoudamire (Boston College), and edge Anthony Jones (UCLA, Michigan State, Indiana, and Oregon…seriously).
While the two former Aztecs are forecasted to be starters, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the other nine starting spots go to returnees. Even though the D-line struggled mightily last season, Riley Van Poppel is talented in the middle and should improve. Sua Lefotu has the frame to be a run stuffer, and we may see more from David Hoffken, Malcolm Simpson, and Tyson Terry this season. Whittington and Stoudamire will bolster the interior as well.
On the edge, Jones will get plenty of passing downs to rush the QB. Williams Nwaneri could realize some of his 5-star potential. Cam Lenhardt has splashed before, but struggled for consistency in 2025. Kade Pietrzak and Willis McGahee IV will be in the mix, too.
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Linebacker Dylan Rogers and defensive edge Williams Nwaneri are among the returnees expected to take the next step in 2026. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
This is the key to the entire defense. When the trenches were handled by Ty & Nash with Knighton and White coaching them and their teammates, life was good. Then they all left, and it went bad. Get better here - even a little! - and it makes everything easier. Rhule didn’t dump a bunch of players; he kept most of them while replacing the coaches. That's intentional. If the line can't hold up, it'll hurt the whole operation. It has to work.
At the second level, Vincent Shavers is the incumbent and has all-conference ability. He and Chambliss are written in ink on my 4-2-5 depth chart, but there's a lot of depth behind them. Who will emerge at second and third string? Foster and Hawthorne are the newbies, and guys like Dylan Rogers, Dawson Merritt, Christian Jones, and Pierce Mooberry will look to earn snaps as well. This linebacker group has a lot of potential, and I’ll be curious to see how heavily Rob Dvoracek rotates those guys early to see what he has.
And finally, the secondary, which is the strength of the defense. They were excellent last year, allowing the 3rd-fewest passing yards nationally at a paltry 154.1 per game. I would argue teams just ran the ball because they knew they could, but credit where it's due; these guys were really good last year.
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Cornerback Andrew Marshall will look to lock down one side of the field in the secondary in 2026. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Andrew Marshall is perhaps the best player on the roster, and the best Blackshirt for my money. He holds one outside cornerback spot and will not see many passes thrown his way if opposing quarterbacks are smart. The other could be Jeremiah Charles, Amare Sanders, or incoming 5-star true freshman Danny Odem. Then there’s Donovan Jones, who can play just about anywhere and has been the secondary’s best tackler. I see his ideal fit in the slot as a nickelback, where his tackling and blitzing skills could best be utilized.
McDougle should play most snaps at one safety spot. The other could go to Jamir Conn, Rex Guthrie, or Caleb Benning. Run fits were a problem at times last season (Michigan, cough cough), so Aurich may sacrifice some coverage skill for a more reliable tackler. I welcome that trade-off.
Those are the players...back to the stats.
My mantra about Rhule’s hire of Aurich to lead the defense has been simple: in 2025 Nebraska sucked against the run and in the red zone, and Rob Aurich has shown how to quickly improve rush defense and red zone stops. San Diego State was 122nd against the run in 2024 when Aurich only coached edges. Elevated to DC for 2025, he improved their rank to 39th, going from allowing 207.2 to only 129.5 yards per game on the ground. In 2024, the Aztecs were 120th and 132nd in allowing red zone scores and red zone TDs, respectively – the next season under Aurich, they rocketed to 3rd and 11th nationally.
Bottom line for the Blackshirts is that Rhule bet on his player development and hiring acumen. Is Aurich more Tony White than John Butler? His track record says yes. The same goes for Corey Brown needing to be more Terrence Knighton than Terry Bradden. Rhule has pushed his chips to the middle of the table with these two, and he'll see the next card soon enough.
Maybe the overlooked piece to the 2026 defense is the familiarity. Not only are there 43 defensive returnees from the 2025 squad with experience in Matt Rhule’s program and Corey Campbell’s weight room routines, but this defensive staff has worked together in the past, too. Aurich knows Brown, Manning, and Yelk from his past stops, and they have seen success. Addison Williams, Rob Dvoracek, Phil Simpson, and Phil Snow were all here last year, and while they may have performed inconsistently, you could chalk that up to the poor defensive front. If Rhule nailed his hires, then we'll see a Blackshirt revival drive his most talented team to more on-field wins.
The signs are there for a rebound. They can’t go anywhere but up in the red zone, and the bar to beat last year’s run defense is quite low. I’d say it’s a safe bet to see a better bunch of Blackshirts in 2026.
Continue reading...
