Nebraska

HUSKER GAMEDAY: Nebraska, Wisconsin seek bowl eligibility in Big Ten clash

Published

1 year ago

November 23, 2024

HUSKER GAMEDAY: Nebraska, Wisconsin seek bowl eligibility in Big Ten clash

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – When Nebraska (5-5, 2-5) and Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4) face off in a Big Ten conference bout Saturday, it will be like looking in the mirror.

Yes, the similarities between these teams run far deeper than the color palette.

Both squads exceeded expectations early in the 2024 season, each stringing together solid wins and even earning conference championship contender status for a brief moment. But then both teams faltered… and faltered, and faltered again.

Alas, neither team has won a game in the last 30 days.

GAME INFO

WHERE: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
WHEN: 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23
WATCH: Big Ten Network
LISTEN: Huskers Radio Network
VEGAS ODDS: Wisconsin +1, O/U 41.5

And both head coaches — Nebraska’s Matt Rhule and Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell — are in their second year with their current employer, both of whom were brought in to turn their respective programs back toward the success of old. Both of whom seem to be slightly behind schedule on said objective, depending on who you ask.

Again, the similarities are striking, and that’s without even mentioning the fact that both teams sit at 5-5 and need one more win to achieve bowl eligibility. That’s where one of the few differences can be exposed, though. Wisconsin’s last bowl appearance came, well, last year. In fact, they’ve played in a bowl game every season since 2002.

For Nebraska, it’s been a long, arduous eight-year bowl drought, which could all come to an end inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday. But the Huskers haven’t won a game since it beat Rutgers 14-7 at home on Oct. 5. Four consecutive losses followed. Still, as Husker fans know so well, not all losses are the same.

Nebraska’s 56-7 blowout loss to Indiana left a gross taste in the mouths of Big Red Nation, but then, the Huskers lost three straight games by one score, including a near upset of No. 4 Ohio State. There are no moral victories, though, and fans have grown far too used to seeing one-score losses.

Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson (9) pursues Purdue quarterback Hudson Card (1) in the backfield during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)(Doug McSchooler | AP)

But despite all the ire and hand-wringing present around the Husker program over the past six weeks, they still have a chance to do something no Nebraska team has managed to do since 2016, and that’s make a bowl game.

To do so in front of their home crowd on senior day would be a cherry on top.

“I think the veteran guys, those senior guys are locked in,” Rhule said in his press conference Thursday. “There’s 30 seniors. There’s a lot of guys who’ve been here for five or six years, so this means a lot to them. The gravity of the situation is not lost on them and I know how much they’d like to win. I know how much they’d like to be the ones who broke through.”

This will be the second game in which Nebraska’s play-calling duties are in the hands of Dana Holgorsen, who Rhule hired last week to be the team’s new offensive coordinator, demoting Marcus Satterfield to tight ends coach.

Though, according to Rhule, it wasn’t necessarily the X’s and O’s that were the problem, and Holgorsen has echoed that.

“[Holgorsen] is putting a lot of pressure on the guys to make the plays,” Rhule said. “He’s been very direct with them. If they want to win, they’re going to have go make plays. They’re going to have to catch balls, break tackles, make long runs, make big blocks against an excellent defense, score touchdowns in the red zone. It’s not the plays that do it, it’s the players that do it. We want our players to believe that players win games.”

Wisconsin poses a unique challenge to Nebraska in that, again, they’re very much alike. The Badgers don’t really boast any major firepower on offense. Halfback Tawee Walker is their best playmaker, having found the end zone 10 times this year with an average of just under five yards per carry.

Wisconsin cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) returns an interception 95-yards for touchdown as... — Wisconsin cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) returns an interception 95-yards for touchdown as Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, left, chases during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)(Andy Manis | AP)

But this year’s Wisconsin squad hangs its hat on the defensive side of the ball — namely, the secondary. The Badgers rank in the top 10 nationally in both passing yards allowed and passing yards per game. Cornerback Ricardo Hallman is one of the top-rated NFL Draft prospects at his position.

Last week, the Badgers held Oregon quarterback and Heisman candidate to just 218 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

“They’re an excellent defense,” said Rhule. “They’ve got guys who can cover. They’re going to play man [coverage]. They’ve got a great safety, linebackers who can run, excellent pass rush. They held Oregon to 16 points and they were really good in the red zone against Oregon, so it’s probably as good of a defense as we’ll see all year.”

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Nebraska

What Iowa coach Ben McCollum said after defeating Nebraska on Thursday

Published

7 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

What Iowa coach Ben McCollum said after defeating Nebraska on Thursday

Iowa coach Ben McCollum met with the media following his team’s 77-71 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Sweet 16. The Cornhuskers led by three at the half but Iowa was able to outscore Nebraska 34-25 in the second half.

Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 25 points while shooting 8 of 13 from the field and 6 of 10 from the 3-point line. Bennett Stirtz led the Hawkeyes with 20 points and played for all 40 minutes.

Iowa shot 52% (27-52) from the floor, 43% (13-30) from beyond the arc and 83% (10-12) from the free throw line. Nebraska struggled shooting 41% (24-58) from the field, 34% (13-38) from the 3-point line and 91% (10-11) from the charity stripe.

The Hawkeyes’ head coach acknowledged that his team had a poor start but a great finish and said that his team will need to play better to advance beyond the Elite Eight.

Yeah, I think to start we weren’t fantastic to start. They had an elite game plan to start. They played with elite pace. They adjusted their defense quite a bit. I think a lot of people will talk about the rivalry. I was around it when I was in Iowa, you know, and grew up in Iowa and understand the rivalry and whatnot. It’s nice to have — I guess if you would a call it rival that runs such a class program.
I think Coach Hoiberg, they have got great kids. They completely turned everything around from the previous season, and they have absolutely nothing to hang their heads about or anything. I have the utmost respect for them, all their players, and especially Coach Hoiberg. Heck of a season. I know it’s no consolation, but we still want to beat ’em every time and they want to beat us every time.
But from and internal perspective, there’s not a lot of bad blood there. It’s actually a lot of respect. I was really pleased with our second-half performance. I thought we actually decided we were going to try — not try. They had a lot to do with it, but kind of. Yeah, they’re smiling over there because they saw me break my marker.
And I thought our kids did a good job of executing offensively in both halves. We spent a lot of time trying to make sure that we could score, and you saw the result of that. We didn’t defend. But we were able to score, so we were able to stay in the game long enough and then get enough stops and had some big possessions down the stretch. Really good program win for everybody, coaches, managers, everybody included.

Iowa advances to the Elite Eight with the victory. Nebraska’s season ends with a record of 28-7.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: What Iowa coach Ben McCollum said after defeating Nebraska on Thursday

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Nebraska

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appoints Antonio Gomez to Racing and Gaming Commission

Published

19 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appoints Antonio Gomez to Racing and Gaming Commission

LINCOLN, Neb — Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed Antonio Gomez of Jackson to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, adding a longtime Siouxland business leader and public servant to the panel.

Commission members serve four-year terms and are subject to approval by the Nebraska Legislature.

Gomez launched Gomez Pallets in South Sioux City in 1983. He has since retired from daily operations, but last year the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce recognized him with the W. Edwards Deming Business Leadership and Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

Gomez previously served on the Nebraska Commission on Latino Americans from 1981 to 2002. He also served as a Dakota County commissioner for 12 years and was on the Foundation Board for Northeast Community College.

Gomez’s appointment is effective April 1.

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CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. This is the Huskers’ first Sweet 16 in program history, while Iowa is playing in its first Sweet 16 since 1999.

Nebraska defeated Vanderbilt 74-72 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa advanced after beating the defending national champion, the Florida Gators, 73-72.

CBS Sports reporter Isaac Trotter broke down Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup. Trotter started by looking at the two previous matchups in this series.

These teams have played twice. Iowa won at home in a 57-52 rockfight. Nebraska returned the favor by winning at home, 84-75 in overtime, in another to-the-death brawl.

It’s no secret that Nebraska’s defense caused significant problems for the Iowa offense in the second game, and if the Hawkeyes are going to win the rubber match, Trotter believes that turnovers will be the key.

There are no secrets in the rubber match. Nebraska’s no-middle defense has given Iowa real problems both times. The Hawkeyes turned it over 20% of the time in Game 1 and 26% of the time in Game 2. That can’t happen in the third encounter.

CBS Sports believes that Iowa has the best player on the floor in Bennett Stirtz, but Trotter also believes that Nebraska’s defense is just too much in the end for Iowa.

Iowa has the best player on the floor, Bennett Stirtz, and can hurt Nebraska on the glass, but the Huskers get the nod because of this pick-and-roll defense. You have to be able to guard ball screens effectively to shut down Iowa, and Nebraska has been an elite pick-and-roll defense, rating in the 99th percentile nationally, per Synergy.

In the end, Trotter selected Nebraska as his pick. Should the Huskers advance to the Elite Eight, Nebraska would play the winner of the Illinois-Houston game. Nebraska-Iowa play in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. CT on TBS.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16

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