Wisconsin beats Nebraska: Game notes and top plays from Saturday

A look back at Wisconsin football's 15-14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln.

The Wisconsin Badgers football team overcame an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to take down the Nebraska Cornhuskers in football on Saturday afternoon.

Game recaps:

• Drive-by-drive summary of Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
• Wisconsin beats Nebraska to secure a bowl birth

Battling cold temperatures, the Badgers relied on their run game and got a strong performance from their defense in the second half to come away with a 15-14 victory in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Let's look back at some notable statistics and top plays that emerged from Saturday's Big Ten win. 

Game Notes

• The narrow victory keeps the Freedom Trophy in Madison. The Badgers have held the trophy every year since the trophy was added to the rivalry in 2014. 
• Wisconsin has won nine-straight against Nebraska, including four straight in Lincoln. 
• The Badgers have a 12-4 overall advantage in the all-time series with the Cornhuskers. 

• The win marked Wisconsin's sixth win of the year, making the team bowl eligible for 21 seasons in a row. That is the longest active streak in the Big Ten. 
• Wisconsin's 21-year streak ranks No. 3 in the FBS, behind only Georgia and Oklahoma. 
• The Badgers have now won 26 of their last 31 games with a traveling trophy up for grabs. 

•  Wisconsin's fourth quarter comeback was the first comeback victory since 2018 at Purdue. 
• The Badgers had 235 rushing yards on the day, their fourth game of 200+ yards on the ground this season. Wisconsin is averaging just over 300 rushing yards per game against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten. 

Going home with some hardware. 💪@BadgerFootball x @UWBadgers pic.twitter.com/V2QjttZbrP

— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) November 19, 2022

• Wisconsin's defense had three sacks against Nebraska on Saturday, giving the Badgers five-straight games with two or more sacks.
• The defense held the Cornhuskers to only 171 total yards, Nebraska's second-fewest on the season. 
• Nebraska only managed 65 rushing yards against the Badgers, giving the defense a fifth game holding an opponent under 100 yards.

• Chez Mellusi lead Wisconsin in rushing with 98 yards. That is his second-most this year, and comes after missing multiple games with a wrist injury. 
• Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz notched his eight rushing touchdown of his career on the game-winning QB sneak. 
• Skyler Bell caught his fifth touchdown pass of the year against Nebraska, giving UW two wide receivers with 5+ touchdowns in the same season for the first time since 2017. 

• Inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta had another big game with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack on Saturday. He now has a sack in three straight games. 
• Outside linebacker Darryl Peterson recorded his first career sack against the Cornhuskers, which comes just a week after recovering his the first fumble of his career a week ago against Iowa. 
• Outside linebacker C.J. Goetz led the team with seven tackles and set a new career high with 2.5 tackles for loss. 

Top Plays

#1: Isaac Guerendo lays out for a 27-yard diving catch

By far the play of the day was Isaac Guerendo's diving reception late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Graham Mertz threw a beautiful pass while on the move, and Guerendo made a diving grab to pick up 27 yards and move the Wisconsin offense into the red zone with just over a minute remaining in the game. 

When the Badgers needed a big play, Mertz and Guerendo stepped up to help secure the victory. 

👀 @isaacguerendo 👀 pic.twitter.com/g8Ttj40ipz

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 19, 2022

#2: Graham Mertz finds Skyler Bell in the back of the end zone 

Flushed out of the pocket, Graham Mertz delivered a strike to Skyler Bell in a scamble drill situation on third down. Bell came back to the football for a 10-yard reception, giving the Badgers their first touchdown of the day, and providing the team a little momentum late in the game. 

🔔

Skyler Bell (@Juicebe11) hauls it in to give @BadgerFootball its first TD of the day. pic.twitter.com/klxMBfVr9y

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 19, 2022

Related links:

• Drive-by-drive summary: Wisconsin versus Nebraska
• Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton to play in the Senior Bowl
• Wisconsin takes down Nebraska with a fourth quarter comeback in Lincoln

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