• Video: Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini talks about the Huskers' upcoming game against Baylor:

LINCOLN — For two months, Nebraska's defense has chewed up offenses.

No opponent has scored on back-to-back possessions. Only six times have the Blackshirts allowed a touchdown drive longer than 40 yards. Seven foes have combined to tally three points in the third quarter.

But on the sidelines, in the locker room and at the dinner buffet, defenders are careful to bite something else: their tongues.

While the Blackshirts perform valiantly, their offensive colleagues scuffle to score points. And seeing deficits on the scoreboard doesn't always sit right with feisty defensive tackles.

“I'd lie if I said it's not frustrating sometimes,” sophomore Jared Crick said.

“Especially in the heat of the game, you're thinking, ‘Wow, what's going on (offensively)?' You might get a little angry, but you've got to remember those guys can put up 70 points a game ...

“You can't really let your emotions get the best of you. You've just got to have faith in your teammates.”

Six consecutive games, the Blackshirts have allowed less than 278 total yards — Nebraska hasn't matched that feat since 1996.

Yet in back-to-back weeks, Nebraska's offense has scored 10 points or less — that hasn't happened since 1988.

In Big 12 games, the Huskers rank first in total defense, 10th in total offense. No other conference team has that wide a gap.

A losing streak by any measure creates potential for roster dissension. But the risk multiplies when one side of the ball thrives and the other side runs nose-first into the bar of expectations.

Chemistry is not an issue, players say.

“Never point the finger,” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “That's how you get separation and start things in the team.”

Bo Pelini said he doesn't think of success in terms of offense and defense. If one side of the ball struggles, the other must carry a heavier load.

“You only play well enough defensively if you score more points than the other team at the end of the day,” Pelini said. “... We gave up nine points, and that wasn't good enough on (Saturday) given the circumstances, given what happened.”

But there's an odd vibe on the sidelines these days.

Husker defenders leave the field hands raised, heads held high, satisfied with another stop. Offensive players return to the sideline shaking their heads.

“It's tough being on the side that's not holding up their end,” tight end Mike McNeill said.

How much longer can this pattern hold before the Blackshirts have a hiccup, too? In that scenario, what happens on the scoreboard? Can the offense respond?

A week from Saturday, Oklahoma comes to Lincoln. Then the Huskers go to Kansas.

Shutting down those offenses isn't likely. If Nebraska's offense doesn't start resembling the group that blitzed the Sun Belt in September, NU won't be able to make a November push to win the North.

Defenders like Crick trust that it's only a matter of time.

“They've just got to find themselves,” Crick said. “Once they do, it's going to be a powerful thing.”

Contact the writer:

679-9899, dirk.chatelain@owh.com