“A lot of you have teenagers and kids, sometimes you can tell them all you want, but until they experience it, it doesn’t get changed,” Frost said. “I can see it change now. I saw some guys practicing hard today that I haven’t ever seen practice with that kind of energy.”

Frost also called Saturday's loss a potential “watershed” moment for NU, adding that all four captains were in his office Sunday strategizing about how to get more out of the group.

“We’ve got to be disciplined, accountable,” Barry said. “We lost a game, we killed ourselves that game. Someone who doesn’t even know football could see that. So just being consistent and being accountable in all areas on the field and off the field.”

It’s a long climb, and a night game on the road against Wisconsin is a tall task. But the head coach saw his team take another small step to start this week.