Wisconsin
Around the Big Ten: Washington State gets revenge, Wisconsin walloped by Alabama
Even with powerhouses Ohio State and Penn State sitting idle, the Big Ten had a solid week on the gridiron.
Indiana continued its high-scoring ways in a drubbing of UCLA, Nebraska dominated Northern Iowa, and the Oregon Ducks blew out the rival Beavers.
The lows included Wisconsin’s lop-sided loss to Alabama, Purdue’s 66-7 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame, and a narrow loss for the Washington Huskies in the Apple Cup.
Twice a week throughout the season, The Oregonian/OregonLive will check in with the Big Ten and highlight some of the stories we’re reading and watching from around the conference.
UCLA can’t compete with the Hoosiers
It was an inauspicious start to Big Ten play for UCLA, with Oregon coming to the Rose Bowl on Sept. 28 for the Ducks’ Big Ten opener. The Bruins lost, 42-13, to Indiana in their conference opener Saturday.
Indiana — fresh off dropping 77 points against Western Illinois — picked up 430 total yards against UCLA. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was 25 of 33 for 307 yards and four touchdowns, while the Bruins’ only touchdown of the day came in the second quarter. It could be a long conference slate for DeShaun Foster’s team.
Before facing Oregon, the Bruins go on the road to LSU on Sept. 21 to wrap their non-conference schedule. No easy out.
Cougs run all over former Pac-12 pals
The Apple Cup ran concurrent with the Oregon-Oregon State game on Saturday, so some Ducks and Beavers fans might have missed a fun one. Washington State beat Washington, 24-19, led by the elusive abilities of quarterback John Mateer and a late defensie stop.
While Mateer completed just 50% of his passes and threw a pick, he was responsible for three total touchdowns including two on the ground. One of his rushing scores was for the highlight reel: a 30-yard scamper on 3rd and 20 to give the Cougars a lead at half.
Reeling after a rivalry loss, Washington opens Big Ten play on Saturday at home against Northwestern.
It ain’t easy being cheesy
The Wisconsin Badgers kept things close in the first quarter with Alabama, trailing just 7-3. But the Crimson Tide ground them into dust as the game progressed, ultimately winning 42-10.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe accounted for five total touchdowns for Alabama. Wisconsin’s varied and typically reliable rushing attack couldn’t break through, with Chez Mellusi leading the way with 66 yards on 11 carries and nobody else managing more than 39 yards.
The Badgers’ schedule doesn’t get any easier: after joining Oregon with a bye this week, Wisconsin heads to Los Angeles on Sept. 28 for a date with USC.
Keep on Huskin’
The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ winning ways continued on Saturday with a 34-3 win over Northern Iowa. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola remained efficient beyond his years, going 17 of 23 for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
While the young signal-caller did throw a pick, it didn’t hurt Nebraska in the end. The Cornhuskers’ defense held UNI to 6 of 16 on third down and just three points despite the road team winning the time of possession battle by nearly 17 minutes.
That sort of strong defensive effort should carry over well in Big Ten play, which Nebraska opens up Friday against a fellow ranked, 3-0 team in Illinois.
–Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
Wisconsin
Nebraska Football Exorcises a Decade Worth of Demons in Win Over Wisconsin
The Nebraska football team got their sixth win on Saturday night, clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. They did so by beating Wisconsin for the first time since 2012. The jubilation, relief, and joy could be felt far and wide across the windswept plains. The win resets the entire narrative of year 2 under Matt Rhule, and gives the Huskers a chance at their first winning record in eight years.
We cover it all in the topline takeaways.
CHEERS TO THAT
FINALLY!!! They finally did it. Finally beat Wisconsin. Finally clinched a bowl game. Finally got over the hump, after so much heartbreak and so many close losses over the last eight years. You could feel the collective sigh of relief across the entire fan base, combined with the elation that came with the moment. It felt like we were exorcizing so many demons from the last decade of Nebraska football. Fans stormed the field. Social media went nuts. Friends and family members shared in the moment as if the Berlin wall had just come down. I’m not exaggerating or lying when I say, I actually cried.
It’s a sign of how low the program has fallen that simply getting to bowl eligibility elicited such a response from the fan base, but that’s where we are. I’m glad Matt Rhule addressed that point in the post game press conference. I loved how he made the point that the Huskers are building something bigger, and this will be the only time they celebrate six wins. But they had to get this done first. Before you can win the conference, before you can get to the college football playoff, before you can dream bigger dreams, you have to get back to a bowl game. Mission accomplished.
Dana Holgorsen’s Offense. I don’t care that this is not your traditional, stifling Wisconsin defense. The Badgers held #1 Oregon to 16 points just one week ago. And the Nebraska offense had their way with that defense, all game long. Dylan Raiola looked like the five star quarterback we’ve been waiting for. Emmett Johnson ran like a bat out of hell, leading the team in both rushing yards (113) and receiving yards (85). Jacorey Barney did what he’s been doing all season long, making plays and making defenders miss. Dante Dowdell ran like the Big Ten bruiser we saw earlier in the season. The offensive line had arguably their best game of this decade.
Huge props to Rhule for making the bold decision to bring Holgorsen in as the offensive coordinator with just three games to go. Some panned the decision as desperate, and there was no guarantee it would work. He’s had a clear and immediate impact on this offense. Now Nebraska needs to do whatever is necessary to keep him in Lincoln for next season (and hopefully, beyond).
Husker Nation. Hats off to you, fellow Common Fans. Hats off to all of us. Nebraska has had one winning season and two bowl games since 2015. The team has suffered through too many painful, inexplicable, gut punch losses to count. Our team, still in the top ten in all-time wins, has had one of the worst stretches of football in its long, glorious history. And we never left. We kept showing up, kept filling up that beautiful stadium, kept believing things would turn around. Nebraska football truly has the greatest fan base in all of sports. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.
DIDN’T LIKE THAT
Defensive Struggles. I contemplated not having anything in this category this week, because this is a time of celebration for all Husker fans. But it’s a bit concerning as we head into Iowa week that the Husker defense hasn’t been as dominant as we’re used to seeing over the last two weeks. USC scored 28 points on the Blackshirts, and Wisconsin scored 25. Both teams had missed or blocked field goals that would have made those totals even higher. Both teams put up over 400 yards. The defensive backfield in particular has been a concern, with opposing receivers seemingly wide open way too often. And there have been way too many missed tackles in recent games.
Hopefully, the Huskers can clean up the defensive issues for the Iowa game. The Hawkeyes are a run-heavy team, having completed only 10 out 14 passes for 76 yards in their game against Maryland this weekend. That should play to Nebraska’s strengths, but it’s Iowa, so we should assume the Blackshirts will need their absolute best possible performance in order for the Huskers to come out of there with a win.
FINAL THOUGHT
Happy Thanksgiving week, Common Fans. I’m thankful for each of you who read these columns, as well as those who listen to the Common Fan Podcast. It’s such a joy to play some small part in helping fans enjoy and engage with this thing we all love so much. I wish each of you a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends. Enjoy it, celebrate the big win over Wisconsin, and then get ready to strap in and take the fight to the Hawkeyes on Friday.
As always, GBR for LIFE.
MORE: Iowa Football Opens as Home Favorite Over Nebraska in Black Friday Matchup
MORE: Five Big Ten Teams Remain in Associated Press, Coaches Top 25 Polls
MORE: Husker Doc Talk: Nebraska Football Is Going Bowling!
MORE: LOOK: Photos From Nebraska Football’s Badger Beatdown
MORE: Holgorsen Helps Huskers Bash the Beleaguered Badgers and Become Bowl-Bound
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Wisconsin
What Went Wrong in Wisconsin’s 44-25 loss to Nebraska
The Wisconsin Badgers started the week 5-5 and hoped to become bowl-eligible for the 23rd straight season. They also hoped to continue their dominance over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who haven’t beaten the Badgers since 2012.
Well, Wisconsin lost to Nebraska 44-25 in what was yet another disappointing loss this season.
Here’s what went wrong for Wisconsin in the 44-25 loss to Nebraska.
Special teams
Wisconsin played surprisingly well in the first half, with Braedyn Locke connecting on multiple long pass attempts.
However, they still couldn’t find a way to make it into the endzone which forced Nathanial Vakos to attempt three crucial field goals. He missed two of them.
That killed Wisconsin’s momentum and definitely was a key factor in the Badgers’ loss. Head coach Luke Fickell’s team has had their fair share of special teams blunders, with a couple of dropped punts early in the season and now these missed kicks.
He needs to fix these small issues as he approaches a very important third season as Wisconsin’s head coach.
Coaching blunders
There were some small blunders that led to huge mistakes by this Badgers coaching staff. For example, attempting a run instead of kneeling at the end of the first half which led to a fumble and Nebraska field goal is inexcusable.
What also doesn’t make sense is how many penalties the Badgers’ defense received in the red zone, whether it be pass interference, roughing the passer, or a facemask. Those penalties killed any chances at a Wisconsin comeback as the offense had one of their better outings in recent memory.
Overall, Coach Fickell needs to continue to preach his philosophy of being disciplined in tight games like these or else they will continue to drop them. They have the recruits coming in and ability, they need to limit silly mistakes that hurt them in the long run.
Wisconsin takes on Minnesota next Saturday in a game that will make or break the Badgers’ season. There is a small chance that the Badgers make a bowl game even at 5-7 due to APR, but it would be a terrible end to a disappointing season.
Expect Fickell to prepare extensively for their senior day game, hoping to salvage the season by keeping Paul Bunyan’s axe in Madison.
Wisconsin
Gallery: Huskers Stun Wisconsin and Are Now Bowl Eligible
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