Nebraska Football's Marques Buford: 'Next Man Up' Proves Blackshirts' Resiliency

The senior defensive back spoke on Monday's Sports Nighty program about the Blackshirts' performance against Purdue, and how the "next man up" mentality proved to be a difference maker in West Lafayette.

Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Collin Dixon (17) runs after a catch against Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Marques Buford Jr. (3) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska football's Marques Buford was excited for the defense to embrace the villain role Saturday as the Huskers took down the Purdue Boilermakers 28-10.

"Anytime we can come out, handle business and execute how we did today and end the game victorious is always special," Buford told the Husker Radio Network's Jessica Coody after the game. "Just coming into a different place, doing it when you're the villain in a situation - everybody is cheering against you - just makes it a little bit more better."

Buford's comments were shared on Monday night's "Sports Nightly" episode with hosts Greg Sharpe and Coody. Buford and the Blackshirts held the Boilermakers scoreless in the opening half and limited Purdue to less than 300 yards of total offense. Despite the stout defense, Nebraska was held to a scoreless tie at halftime.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Reggie Love III (23) is tackled by Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Princewill Umanmielen (18) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

"We've been put in a lot more tough situations than that," Buford said. "Whether it has been in summer, winter conditioning - even spring and fall camp. I feel like we've adapted to that situation. We're already expecting to have our backs against the walls and have to fight and claw back and earn everything."

"The guys on this team reacted exactly how I expected them to react. Come out, still swinging every play, and play very resilient," Buford said.

Nebraska remained resilient in the contest, trailing 3-0 midway through the third quarter before rattling off 28 straight points to secure the Huskers' fourth win of the season. The Huskers' final touchdown came on a pick-six by senior linebacker John Bullock. Buford celebrated with the Omaha native after the contest.

"You the man, Johnny Bizzie!"@marques_buford giving @john_bullock5 his flowers after his pick six against Purdue! 💐@WOWT6News #Huskers #GBR pic.twitter.com/JyBxUCmLzP

— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) September 28, 2024

"Oh man, I love seeing that for him. Nobody really deserves it more than that guy, John," Buford said. "I love to see him make plays like that, especially at that point of the game. That was kind of the axe for the end of them."

Despite being down a few defensive backs due to injuries - including starter Tommi Hill - Buford was satisfied with his teammates'ability to step up when called upon.

"That's just the culture in our room. It is always 'next man up', and there can't be any drop-off when that next man comes in. Proud of Ceyair (Wright), happy with how he played. Hopefully we can get Tommi out there as soon as we can, but happy with our outcome today," Buford said.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker John Bullock (5) runs the ball for a touchdown after an interception against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Buford did credit the victory to an entire team win, saying that the Huskers' offense stepped up when needed to in the second half to secure the first conference win of the year.

"Coming out after we get a three-and-out and watching the offense drive down the field and score a touchdown is the best feeling for a defense that we could get. I have to feel like its the same vice versa for the offense. We have all the confidene in the world for each other. They trust us enough if we get put on the field in a difficult situation that we can make the plays to get them back on the field," Buford said.

The senior defensive back added that the victory was exactly what Nebraska needed to get back on track for the remainder of the season.

"We just wanted to get that bad taste out of our mouths. It is a lot of stuff going around, people saying a lot of stuff - we keep everything very tight knit. We know what we are capable of. Today was just a statement for us to come out and prove it," he said.

Nebraska battles Rutgers on Saturday to continue conference play at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CDT in Lincoln with television coverage on FS1. Hear more of Buford's comments and the full episode of Sports Nightly below.

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