For some fans, the only way this season can be salvaged is with a perfect November.

Nebraska is 5-3 and 2-3 in the Big Ten heading into Friday night's game at Illinois (8 p.m. ET, Fox). The Huskers have lost three straight, falling 20-17 to Indiana, 17-14 at Oregon, and 17-10 to Washington. Matt Rhule is 2-10 in November since he arrived in Lincoln.

Four games are left: at Illinois, at Rutgers, Ohio State at home, and at Iowa on Black Friday. If Nebraska wins all four, it finishes 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten, and that would change the way this season is remembered.

Here is what Nebraska needs to do to get there.

Score and Score Again

The number Nebraska needs to hit is not very high. The Huskers needed 21 points to beat Indiana and 18 points to beat Oregon or Washington. If they had reached that mark each game, they would be 8-0. In the first five games, Nebraska averaged 43.6 points. In the three losses, it averaged 13.7.

Nebraska has already shown it can have an elite offense, so the fix is to simplify it. It starts with the run game, and everything else builds on that.

First, Nebraska has to run the ball more. Through three games, the Huskers ran on 57% of their plays and averaged 6.5 yards per carry, according to Huskers Illustrated. Against Washington, Jamal Rule only had 13 carries for 72 yards while Anthony Colandrea threw 44 passes. Nebraska is 21-51 since 2004 when it throws more than it runs, and Rhule's teams are 5-6. Before the Washington game, Nebraska ranked 29th nationally in rushing at 194.4 yards a game. That is the strength of this offense, so it has to be the foundation again.

Second, Nebraska can run RPOs off of the run game. If defenders have to respect the run, Colandrea gets easy, quick reads. This lets the offense stay on schedule without having to force throws down the field.

Pass Catchers Need to be More Consistent

The receivers have to finish their routes and catch everything. Routes need to be run to the depth and spot the quarterback expects, and the ball has to be caught when it gets there. When the offense is only scoring 17, 14, and 10 points, one drop can be the difference between a field goal and a punt. These games were decided by three, three, and seven points.

Last, Nebraska has to block on the perimeter. Screens, quick throws, and outside runs only work if the receivers hold their blocks. Winning on the edge turns short gains into big plays, and it takes some pressure off the offensive line.

Keep the Defense Dominant, Especially Against the Run

The defense has played exceptionally well, and it needs to keep doing that in November. Nebraska ranks 14th nationally in scoring defense at 15.4 points allowed and 9th against the run at 91.1 yards per game. Indiana only ran for 65 yards on 22 carries, and Washington had just 35 yards on 18 carries.

The one soft spot was Maryland, which ran for 141 yards at 5.6 yards per carry. That matters this month because Illinois averages 5.3 yards per carry, which ranks 30th nationally through five games. Nebraska's pass defense is ranked 18th, and it will be tested by an Ohio State offense that ranks fifth nationally in passing at 323.1 yards per game.

Finish Games

In the first five games, Nebraska averaged 9.3 points per quarter in the first three quarters and 15.8 in the fourth. In the three losses, those numbers dropped to 3.4 and 3.3. This means the offense was bad all game, and it never found a way to close. Nebraska outscored opponents 79-15 in the fourth quarter over the first five games. In the last three, it has been outscored 39-10. Opponents averaged 3.0 fourth-quarter points in the first five games and 13.0 in the last three.

Against Indiana, Nebraska led 17-6 and held the ball for 39:33, but Nick Marsh scored on a 75-yard and a 44-yard touchdown. Those two plays accounted for 119 of Indiana's 328 yards.

At Oregon, the Huskers led 14-6 entering the fourth quarter, and the Ducks won on an 82-yard, 20-play drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds left.

Against Washington, Nebraska outgained the Huskies 387-267, and Washington punted on eight of its first nine possessions before scoring its first touchdown. Washington took the lead with 1:30 left, and a 48-yard pick-six off Colandrea's third interception sealed it.

Win the Turnover Battle

In the first five games, Nebraska took the ball away eight times. It had one against Ohio, two against Bowling Green, none against North Dakota, three against Michigan State, and two against Maryland. In the last three games, it has just one takeaway, at Oregon. That is a turnover margin of about plus six in the first five games and minus three in the last three.

On the other side, Colandrea has thrown four interceptions in the last three games, one at Oregon and three against Washington. Nebraska only had two giveaways in its first five games. The defense also hasn't been creating short fields or extra possessions, so every offensive mistake is harder to overcome.

Clean Up Special Teams

Special teams has cost Nebraska points and field position in almost every close loss.

At Oregon, a low snap led to the punter's accidental kneel-down, and Oregon turned that into one of its three second-half field goals. Cunanan missed a 40-yard field goal against Indiana, which was his fourth miss in six games, and then missed a 36-yarder against Washington. In that game, Nebraska reached the red zone, took a delay-of-game penalty inside the 10, and then missed the kick.

The problems go beyond kicking and punting operations. Kick returns have not reached the 20-yard line. When games are decided by a combined 13 points, these are mistakes Nebraska can't afford. The good news is every one of them can be fixed.

Rhule Has to Change the November Story

The pressure on Rhule in November is real. He is 2-10 in the month as Nebraska's head coach, and he is 2-5 against the four teams left on this schedule. That includes 1-1 against Illinois, 1-0 against Rutgers, 0-1 against Ohio State, and 0-3 against Iowa.

A 4-0 month would change that record and the conversation around the program. Nebraska is also just one win away from bowl eligibility.

What's Next

The first test is Friday night at Illinois. The Fighting Illini are 5-3 and beat Oregon 21-10, and they won the last meeting in overtime in 2024. They also beat Michigan State 38-37, while Nebraska won that game 31-13, and they beat Maryland 20-17, while Nebraska won 48-23.

Nebraska then goes to Rutgers on Nov. 14 for an 11:30 a.m. CT kick on BTN. Rutgers's defense ranked 127th nationally in total yards and 117th in scoring last season. Indiana beat the Scarlet Knights by 32 points, but only beat Nebraska by three.

Ohio State, ranked No. 12, comes to Lincoln on Nov. 21. The month ends at Iowa on Black Friday. The Hawkeyes are ranked 19th and shut out Wisconsin 30-0 on Oct. 31. Iowa also beat Washington 41-24, and Rhule is 0-3 against Iowa.