LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — It’s the second week of October, and Nebraska is finally preparing for its first road game.

The Cornhuskers (4-1, 1-0) visit Purdue (1-4, 0-1) on Saturday after playing their first five in Lincoln. Coach Bo Pelini said Monday the schedule has been a blessing for a young defense that has had lots of kinks to work out.

Fellow Big Ten member Indiana is the only other FBS team that played five in a row at home to start the season. Baylor of the Big 12 will go on the road for the first time this week after opening with four home games.

Receiver Kenny Bell says he’s taking the same attitude to Purdue that he would if the Huskers were going on the road to Michigan’s Big House.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — What once looked like a cushy October schedule for Nebraska just might be more of a challenge.

The way the Cornhuskers’ defense has performed through four games surely has Illinois thinking it could steal a win at Memorial Stadium on Saturday and end its 14-game Big Ten losing streak.

Nebraska (3-1) is 107th nationally in total defense and no higher than 75th in any major category. Illinois (3-1) has displayed a versatile offense that’s averaging almost 480 yards a game.

The Huskers allowed 465 yards to FCS South Dakota State in their last game and used their bye week to shore up deficiencies ranging from missed tackles to attitude.

Tommy Armstrong Jr. will start at quarterback for Nebraska in place of the injured Taylor Martinez.

Lincoln – The Nebraska football team finished up preparations for Illinois by practicing for two hours on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields and inside the Hawks Championship Center on Thursday.

Head Coach Bo Pelini spoke to the media after practice, and said the team got a lot of good work done this week and addressed the quarterback situation.

“We’ll start Tommy (Armstrong),” Pelini said. “Ron (Kellogg III) will be ready to go and Taylor (Martinez) will not play.”

Pelini said that whether Armstrong and Kellogg will split reps depends on how the game goes. Pelini added that Martinez is making progress but won’t put him on the field until he is 100 percent. Martinez hasn’t played since the turf toe injury he suffered on Sept. 14 against UCLA.

“(Both quarterbacks) had a good week,” Pelini said. “They are feeling good. I think their confidence just grows. They’ve been getting a lot of reps. No matter who the quarterback is, the key is playing good around them. I think our guys understand that and we’re ready to do that.”

Pelini also talked about the MIKE linebacker position and said David Santos will “probably” get the start.

“(Santos) had a good couple weeks,” Pelini said. “He’s had a good last few days. I have to check out today’s film but that’s where we are leaning.”

Pelini added that he thought today’s communication in practice was the best it has been since the Huskers started fall camp.

“I didn’t feel good after yesterday’s practice but I felt really good after today’s practice,” Pelini said. “With our guys, it’s a consistency issue and it’s a focus issue. It’s a discipline approach of playing the way you need to play.”

Nebraska’s Homecoming game against the Fighting Illini kicks off at 11 a.m. at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. ESPNU will carry the TV coverage.

 Lincoln, Neb.-The Nebraska football team continued its preparation for Saturday’s Big Ten conference opener against Illinois on Wednesday afternoon. The team practiced in shoulder pads and shorts for just over two hours inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields. 

Defensive Coordinator John Papuchis met with media after practice, noting that as a whole, the defensive staff has had a few sleepless nights while preparing for Illinois dynamic offense.

“One of things they do a nice job of is they have a lot of diversity in their offense. They do pretty much anything you can do.” Papuchis said, “They have all the personnel packages, spread packages, it forces you to prepare for a lot of things and obviously that is the challenge this week.”

One of the reasons the Illini have such a dynamic offense is the play of their senior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who has recorded 1162 passing yards including 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Scheelhaase not only displays talent throwing the ball, he also is a tremendous dual-threat quarterback, racking up 1,826 rushing yards with 16 touchdowns in his career, making Papuchis and the rest of the defensive staff respect not only what he does in the air, but on the ground as well.

“We have a lot of respect for him as an athlete, so whether he runs it or not is out of our control in terms of what they call. We’ve got to be prepared for it.” Papuchis said.

Much has been said about the Nebraska Blackshirt defense over the past few weeks, but one thing that is certain is that during the bye week and so far this week, Papuchis believes that the Husker defense has came out and worked hard every day at practice. Papuchis did note that the coaches can’t fully measure how much progress has been made until they see the team in action Saturday.

“One thing about our guys is that they come to work every day, I thought our guys have worked hard over the past few weeks.” Papuchis said, “We will see the progress Saturday. I think we have made strides but until you really test it, sometimes it is a little bit difficult in how far you have come.”

A key thing the Nebraska defense has been working on has been communication on the defensive side of the ball. Papuchis believes that one of the biggest things the Husker defense struggled at while playing South Dakota State was not communicating enough on the defense.

“It was a lot communication issues, just getting our guys comfortable and making the calls and taking command.” Papuchis said, “One thing we have been blessed with while we have been here is a Mike linebacker that is willing to take charge. Whether it was Phil Dillard or Lavonte or Will Compton those guys took charge. That is what we need, a field general that is going to help people get lined up.”

Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Thursday as the team moves closer to its fifth game of the season. NU will face the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.