Wisconsin is going bowling after a 15-14 comeback win at Nebraska
In this story:
The Wisconsin Badgers (6-5 overall, 4-4 B1G) came into Saturday's matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-8 overall, 3-5 B1G) looking to secure bowl eligibility for another season.
Early on things looked bleak for the Badgers, but a fourth-quarter comeback would help Wisconsin win their ninth straight against Nebraska, and maintain their claim to the Freedom Trophy.
Here is a breakdown of Wisconsin's 15-14 win over Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln.
Game Recap
With Nebraska receiving the opening kickoff, the Cornhuskers and Badgers each traded empty possessions that led to punts. Casey Thompson gave Nebraska an early first down on their drive, but neither team was able to sustain much on offense in the early going of the first quarter.
On the third drive of the game, Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton got into the backfield for a third down sack against Nebraska, to give the Badgers' offense the ball back. Wisconsin proceeded to lean on their ground game shortly thereafter with Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi helping lead the offense down the field. The drive would ultimately stall out though in Nebraska territory, bringing up another punt for the Badgers.
After a defensive stand by Wisconsin, and with Braelon Allen out of the game with a shoulder injury, quarterback Graham Mertz throws a bad interception to give Nebraska the football back. Mertz was on the move to his right and underthrew Skyler Bell by at least five yards. Cornerback Malcolm Hartzog was there to take advantage of the poor throw and decision by Mertz.
Starting with great field position, Nebraska would march down the field behind the arm of Casey Thompson. Add in a pair of missed tackles by the Badgers, and the Cornhuskers would eventually reach the end zone on an 11-yard touchdown catch by Trey Palmer to give Nebraska an early 7-0 lead.
With the ball back, Wisconsin would turn to their ground game with nine straight runs. As a result, the Badgers found success on offense, reaching the red zone behind strong running behind Chez Mellusi, Brealon Allen, and Isaac Guerendo.
However, three straight incompletions in the red zone would force the Badgers to settle for a 39-yard field goal. The kick by Nate Van Zelst was missed short, leaving Wisconsin scoreless heading into halftime.
Opening the second half, neither team could muster anything on offense, with both teams beginning the half with three-and-outs.
The Badgers would respond by putting together a strong drive on the third possession of the second half. Chez Mellusi showed some elusiveness in the open field as a runner, and Graham Mertz completed a 20-yard pass to Keontez Lewis to help jumpstart the offense. However, the 14-play drive by the Badgers would end with just three points after a Jackson Acker false start near the goal line set the offense back, and Chimere Dike dropped a near touchdown throw.
Nebraska would respond with a scoring drive of their own, taking advantage of a pair of 15-yard penalties, including the ejection of Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Herbig on a targeting call.
The Cornhuskers would cap the drive off with a 19-yard touchdown throw from Casey Thompson to Trey Palmer to grab a 14-3 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Braelon Allen would help generate some needed offense for the Badgers on the next drive, including a 22-yard run to the outside. After Allen and Chez Mellusi continued to move the ball down the field for Wisconsin, quarterback Graham Mertz found Skyler Bell in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.
While the Badgers were unable to convert the two-point conversion, it did pull Wisconsin within five, 14-9 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.
With a bit of momentum for Wisconsin, the Badgers would come up with a big defensive stop. Outside linebacker Darryl Peterson would sack Casey Thompson to give UW the ball back with good starting field position.
Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen would come out of the game limping after a four yard-loss, but wide receiver Keontez Lewis came down with a tremendous catch on the sidelines to initially give the Badgers a first down. After review, the play was overturned, bringing out the Wisconsin punt team.
Following a quick three-and-out by Nebraska, the Badgers got the ball back on offense at the 50-yard line with three minutes to play.
After a nice run by Isaac Guerendo early in the drive, Graham Mertz would find Guerendo wide-open downfield for a 27-yard reception to set the offense up inside the 10-yard line.
From there, a Chez Mellusi 5-yard run would move the Badgers to the two-yard line with around a minute remaining. Wisconsin would turn to quarterback Graham Mertz on a QB sneak, who plunged his way into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
Following a failed two-point conversion, Wisconsin would hold on to a 15-14 lead and exit Lincoln with a huge win to extend their streak against the Cornhuskers to nine games in a row.
Players of the game
- Isaac Guerendo (Wisconsin)
The Badgers relied on a three-headed rushing attack against Nebraska. While Braelon Allen had a great game with 92 yards on only 18 carries, it was a key play by Isaac Guerendo that ultimately swung the game in favor of Wisconsin.
Guerendo had a beautiful 27-yard diving catch late in the fourth quarter that set up Wisconsin's winning touchdown, and he also ran for 42 yards on nine carries.
- Chez Mellusi (Wisconsin)
With Braelon Allen banged up, Chez Mellusi played a key role on Saturday. In his first game back from a wrist injury, Mellusi ran for a team-high 98 yards on 21 carries, and he looked explosive with the ball in his hands.
The Badgers needed every inch of offense against Nebraska, and Mellusi answered the call with a big game when his teammates needed him.
- Maema Njongmeta (Wisconsin)
Wisconsin inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta had a stellar game against Nebraska. The team's leading tackler on the season had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack on Saturday, while also recording a pair of quarterback hurries. Njongmeta and the Wisconsin defense played well in the second half, blanking Nebraska in the fourth quarter and giving the offense plenty of opportunities.
- Trey Palmer (Nebraska)
Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer had a big day against the Badgers. Palmer caught a pair of touchdowns on Saturday, providing all 14 points for the Cornhuskers. He only had 40 total yards receiving, but he was a big threat in the red zone.
Photos of the game
Up next
The Badgers will conclude their regular season next week against Minnesota. The Gophers come to Camp Randall with The Axe, as Wisconsin looks to get it back on Senior Day. Kick time and television information will be released in the coming days.
Related links:
- Drive-by-drive summary: Wisconsin versus Nebraska
- Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton to play in the Senior Bowl
- Former Wisconsin player Devin Chandler tragically killed in Virginia shooting
You can keep up to date on everything at All Badgers by liking + following our Facebook page and Twitter account:
Facebook - @AllBadgers
Twitter - @All_Badgers
You can also follow Site Publisher Matt Belz at @savedbythebelz on Twitter.
