Wisconsin beats Nebraska: Game notes and top plays from Saturday
In this story:
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:
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.
Wisconsin running back Chez Mellusi carrying the football against Nebraska on Saturday.
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
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.
- 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.
#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.
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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