Lincoln, Neb. ? Nebraska fans would agree that the “Blackshirts” have disappeared this season. Now there is tangible evidence.

A series of woeful performances led to Tuesday’s shedding of the black practice jerseys traditionally worn by the starters and a few other select players.

“It’s a decision we all made,” defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “We’re going to earn those things back. That’s all I have to say.”

The awarding of the black practice jerseys began in 1962 under coach Bob Devaney, who wanted to make it easier to identify his defensive players during practices.

He sent an assistant coach out to a Lincoln sporting goods store to buy practice jerseys for the defense. Unable to get enough jerseys of one color to outfit the entire squad, the decision was made to give the first-string players the black ones.

The collective defensive unit has become nationally known as the “Blackshirts.”

The Huskers rank among the nation’s worst defensive teams this season. They are 104th overall, allowing 457 yards a game. They’ve allowed two opponents more than 600 yards and another more than 550.

They’ve surrendered 40 points or more on four occasions and are 87th in scoring defense at 31 points a game.

Backup safety Ben Eisenhart said he was glad the black shirts have come off.

“If you’re going to give up 600 yards a game, then we shouldn’t have black shirts on,” he said. “The way we’re playing right now is just sick. Nobody on the team had a problem with that today. We don’t deserve to wear them.”

Eisenhart said he didn’t know how long the black shirts would be put away.

“When things get cleaned up, we can put them back on,” he said. “Until then, we might as well wear the reds.”