Nebraska began its preparation for this week's home game vs. Illinois by finally handing out its first Blackshirts of the season before Monday's practice.

But it wasn't until Thursday that we learned who and how many got received one coveted black practice jerseys.

Head coach Scott Frost announced that 12 defensive players had been awarded Blackshirts following their impressive performance in last week's win over Penn State.

Defensive linemen Ben Stille, Ty Robinson, and Damion Daniels; linebackers Collin Miller, Will Honas, Garrett Nelson, Caleb Tannor, and JoJo Domann; and defensive backs Cam Taylor-Britt, Marquel Dismuke, Dicaprio Bootle, and Deontai Williams all earned the jerseys.

"There was a lot of emotion when they got them," Frost said. "Those kids won us a game last week with their play at the end of the game, and they deserve them. But they have to keep doing the things that they need to do to continue to deserve them."

While Frost admitted that the tradition had changed over the years compared to when he was a Husker, it was clear the Blackshirts still meant a lot to the current players.

That said, Frost made it clear that the jerseys would have to be earned again every week from here on out.

"I think probably in recent years - and I might be guilty of it - those have been given out a little too easily," Frost said. "So we didn't give any out until this last game. They don't have them permanently. If they don't live up to the standards of a Blackshirt, they won't keep them.

"I don't want this to be like Halloween, where you just walk up and knock on the door and get a piece of candy. It's got to be a little harder than that."