In a game that saw Cam Edwards go down early, Jamal Rule go down early, and more injuries that depleted Michigan State’s secondary and linebackers, the Huskers emerged victorious in the first real challenge of the year. It was not pretty at times, and this team likely learned more about itself in Week 4 than in the previous three weeks combined. We see there may be the disadvantages of playing a cupcake non-conference schedule. Or—at the end of the year—will we be singing the praises of an easy three-game skid to get into form? Time will tell.

Nebraska walked out of Spartan Stadium with a 31-13 win, improving to 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. The Blackshirts forced three turnovers and recorded six sacks while holding Michigan State to just 257 total yards and a meager 39 rushing yards. The offense wasn’t always sharp, but Anthony Colandrea and company did enough.

Here are my three takeaways from the game:

1. Defense under Aurich is no joke

I love what I see. Three turnovers. Six sacks. The defense is playing with an intensity we haven’t seen in years. Obviously, you can criticize some of the second half when the Spartans went up-tempo with a short-game offense and we gave up some yards up the middle. However, the bend-but-don’t-break mentality held fast. No major heartburn there. Defensive Coordinator Rob Aurich’s unit continues to set the tone, and that physicality is becoming a real identity for this team.

2. Penalties need to cease

Nebraska yet again had far too many penalties in this game—seven for 60 yards. This has to get cleaned up. There is no reason for the mental mistakes, which could cost us games against better teams down the road. Discipline has to improve if this group wants to keep climbing.

3. That third quarter...

The third quarter had some fans anxious. The offense stalled. The defense was on its heels. At times it felt like an uneven, uninspired effort. But the reality is the Spartans made adjustments at the half, the Huskers were able to get back in control eventually, and they held the ball for almost the entire fourth quarter. This is Big Ten football—it’ll be ugly at times. Winning the fourth quarter and closing the game the way they did is exactly what you want to see on the road in conference play.

Go Big Red