The ice age that has been the Nebraska-Wisconsin series continued Saturday.
The Huskers have not beaten the Badgers in a decade, the latest loss coming 15-14 in Lincoln. This time, Wisconsin did not take their first lead of the game until 35 seconds remained in the fourth quarter.
“I gotta do a better job of getting them to close people out,” interim head coach Mickey Joseph said. He’s now 1-2 in one-score games over his interim stint. “It just didn’t happen today.
“This one hurts.”
With temperatures staying below freezing for the entirety of the game, the scoring was similarly cold.
After the teams combined for five consecutive punts to start the contest, an ill-advised Graham Mertz duck of a throw was picked off by Malcolm Hartzog. Eight plays and 37 yards later, Trey Palmer was in the end zone with the first points of the game.
On the next possession, Wisconsin threatened. The Badgers ran off more than six minutes of clock on 14 plays, but settled for a field goal attempt. With winds above 20 miles per hour and gusts reaching 30, the kick was held up and fell a couple yards short.
Since Wisconsin had won the coin toss at the beginning of the game and deferred, that left Nebraska with the choice of which end to defend in the second half. Joseph elected to have his team have the wind in the third quarter and give Wisconsin the wind at their back in the final frame.
“We didn’t want to give them the ball and the wind (to start the third quarter),” Joseph said.
That decision would ultimately play against Big Red.
While Nebraska added another touchdown in the third quarter, the Badgers got a field goal then tacked on a touchdown to start the fourth quarter. The extra point after that touchdown, a two-point try, failed, making the score 14-9 in favor of NU.
Nebraska’s next two possession burned more than five minutes of clock, but tallied just 15 yards on eight plays. The latter was a three-and-out, ending with a punt that set up Wisconsin at midfield.
Leaning on their run game, the Badgers ran three times before finding a wide open Isaac Gurendo for 27 yards to get inside the NU 10. Three more runs later and Wisconsin took the lead.
Again, the Badgers attempted a two-point try but failed.
The ensuing, and final, Nebraska drive left much to be desired. Going into the wind with 28 seconds to go and no timeouts, the first play was caught in the middle of the field, causing NU to have to burn a timeout.
On the next play, quarterback Casey Thompson was tackled at the line of scrimmage. Final timeout: gone.
Now without timeouts, 14 seconds remaining, and 74 yards to go, Thompson connected with Palmer on the sideline. Two incomplete passes ran out the clock, and Nebraska’s opportunity to win the Freedom Trophy for the first time since its inception in 2014.
The run game was nearly nonexistent for Nebraska. Thompson ended up the leading rusher with 33 of NU’s 65 yards.
“It just hasn’t been there,” Joseph said. “We’ve been having trouble with it. Its been week in and week out.
“You gotta play with the guys that we have. We can’t trade ’em.”
The pass game wasn’t much better. Thompson finished 12-of-20 for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
On the other side, Wisconsin racked up yards but had a tough time finishing drives. The Badgers tallied just 83 yards through the air but pounded the ball on the ground to the tune of 235 yards.
Two Badger runners finished just below the century mark: Chez Mullusi (98) and Braelon Allen (92).
For a senior day featuring 31 players walking, including ten scholarship players, the result was much the same for any over their careers in Lincoln. In just the last two seasons, Nebraska is 1-13 in one-possession games.
“We’re gonna come back next week and play hard again,” Joseph said. “And look for a different result.”
Now, 3-8 Nebraska will try its hand at ending another losing streak. The Huskers have not beaten Iowa since 2014. The Hawkeyes still have a shot to win the Big Ten West in Iowa City on Black Friday.
Nebraska Postgame Notes
Nebraska vs. Wisconsin, Nov. 19, 2022, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
- With the win, Wisconsin leads the all-time series 12-4, including a 4-3 edge in Lincoln. The Badgers have won nine straight in the series and are 10-1 against Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten.
- A total of 31 Husker players took part in Senior Day activities before the game….
- #2 Caleb Tannor; #5 Eteva Mauga-Clements; #5 Omar Manning; #11 Casey Thompson; #18 Matt Masker; #29 Cooper Jewett; #31 Chris Kolarevic; #32 Brody Belt; #32 Ochaun Mathis; #34 Beau Psencik; #4 Simon Otte; #36 Chase Contreraz; #37 Phalen Sanford; #39 Grant Detlefsen; #40 Darius Moore; #53 Riley Moses; #53 Jake Archer; #54 Ryan Schommer; #55 Brady Weas; #58 Ian Boerkircher; #62 Noah Stafursky; #73 Broc Bando; #75 Trent Hixson; #82 Chancellor Brewington; #82 Colton Feist; #83 Travis Vokolek; #85 Wyatt Liewer; #89 Oliver Martin; #91 Devin Drew; #91 Cameron Pieper; #93 Gabe Heins
- Kickoff temperature of today’s game was 28 degrees, tying for the fifth-coldest kickoff temperature at Memorial Stadium since 1985.
- Freshman linebacker Ernest Hausmann had 12 tackles in the game, bettering his career high of 10 tackles last week against Michigan. Hausmann had eight tackles before halftime.
- Freshman cornerback Malcolm Hartzog intercepted a Wisconsin pass in the second quarter for his team-leading third interception of the season. The 23-yard return on the interception was the longest by Nebraska this season. Nebraska marched 37 yards in eight plays on the ensuing drive to take a 7-0 lead.
- Receiver Trey Palmer caught an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and a 19-yard TD in the third quarter giving him a team-leading seven touchdown catches this season. It marked Palmer’s first touchdowns since the Purdue game on Oct. 15, when he also had a pair of TD catches.
- With four receptions, Palmer increased his season total to 62, moving him into a tie for sixth place on the Nebraska single-season receptions list. This marks the eighth 60-catch season in Nebraska history. Palmer also increased his career receptions total to 103, including his time at LSU.
- Linebacker Luke Reimer tallied nine tackles to increase his career total to 245, moving him into the top 15 on the Nebraska career tackles list.
- Junior defensive lineman Colton Feist had a career-high 10 tackles, bettering his previous career high of six tackles earlier this season against Illinois.
- Junior edge rusher Garrett Nelson also had 10 tackles – one shy of his career high – giving Nebraska three players with double-figure tackles.
- Punter Brian Buschini had a career-long 74-yard punt in the third quarter, bettering a 65-yard boot against Georgia Southern. The 74-yard punt was the seventh-longest punt in Nebraska history and longest since William Przystup had an 84-yard punt vs. Northwestern last season.
- Quarterback Casey Thompson rushed for 33 yards on 11 attempts, marking a season high in rushing yards. His previous high was 31 yards against Georgia Southern.
- Thompson threw for a pair of touchdown passes, marking his fifth game with multiple touchdown passes this season. Thompson has at least one TD pass in all nine games he has played this season.
- Running back Anthony Grant had 16 carries for 29 yards in today’s game. With 16 carries, Grant increased his season rushing attempts to 204, making him the first Husker with 200 carries in a season since Ameer Abdullah in 2014.
- Nebraska took a 7-0 lead to the half, marking the second straight home game the Huskers have shut out an opponent in the first half (Minnesota). Previously, Nebraska had not held a Big Ten opponent scoreless in the first half since a 2019 game at Maryland.