Nebraska football assigns new Blackshirts plus more Cornhuskers news

The Nebraska football team entered the first of two bye weeks this season with a 5-1 record and the effort of the defense was a huge reason for that.

However, coaches, including Matt Rhule, always talk about the importance of complementary football. We saw that last Saturday as the Huskers used a dominant defense and a great day from punter Brian Buschini to help overcome a sluggish day by the offense.

The Huskers only managed 14 points against Rutgers. But the defense made it stick. Ceyair Wright was a big part of that with an interception. So was Buschini and both players were seen practicing in Blackshirts this week according to Sean Callahan of Husker Online.

It’s well-deserved for both players. Wright has been fantastic since coming off the bench against Illinois. Callahan also reports that Wright is working with the starters, alongside Tommi Hill. That would move Marques Buford to the slot and possibly Malcolm Hartzog to the bench, although he would still see plenty of snaps.

Nebraska football not giving up on Dawson Merritt

Dawson Merritt is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker who would be a perfect fit for the Huskers 3-3-5 defense. Maybe that’s why Matt Rhule just refuses to give in when it comes to the Alabama commitment.

Nebraska football hosted Merritt for an official visit, as well as another visit in late July. However, Nebraska hasn’t been able to get him to flip his commitment from Alabama, which is understandable.

Yet, the Nebraska head coach was out in Kansas to see Merritt play on Thursday night, signaling that the Cornhuskers are still shooting their shot with the elite defender ranked No. 112 overall in the 2025 class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Nebraska volleyball faces another top-10 opponent

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have dominated top-10 teams so far this season with wins over Louisville, Stanford, Kentucky, and Creighton. The Huskers have also defeated Arizona State and USC — two teams ranked in the top 20.

This weekend, Nebraska volleyball will have back-to-back Big Ten matches for the first time and they will welcome 10th-ranked Purdue in the Bob. The Boilermakers are 3-1 in the Big Ten. They have three losses overall but each has been to top-10 teams.

Like Nebraska, Purdue is solid defensively and on the attack. Purdue ranks second (Big Ten) with 2.89 blocks per set and 15.43 digs per set. The Boilermakers have the third most kills per set in the Big Ten (13.91) and boast the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week in Ali Hornung. Outside hitter Eva Hudson (6-4) and middle blocker Raven Colvin (6-1) are two other names to know for the Boilermakers.

Nebraska and Purdue will play Friday night on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 PM CST. The Huskers will battle Rutgers on Saturday at 7 PM CST. Rutgers is 0-4 so far in Big Ten play.

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