“Next man up” isn’t just coach speak for the 2022 Nebraska football team—it has become a necessity.
The Huskers fell 34-3 at No. 3 Michigan in a game that saw both the starting quarterback and the offensive coordinator need tending to in the first half.
The Wolverines scored on six of their nine possessions for the day, but the Huskers weren’t out of the game for much of the first half.
Trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, Chubba Purdy, getting run as the starter with Casey Thompson out another week, was leading his best drive since scoring against Minnesota. Purdy completed a pair of passes and ripped off runs of 13 yards and eight yards.
But it was the final scramble that saw his day come to a close.
Purdy tried an awkward slide, and, in the process, took a hit as well. He left the game and was replaced by Logan Smothers. After the came, interim head coach Mickey Joseph called the injury a high ankle sprain.
Timmy Bleekrode put Nebraska on the board with a 37-yard field goal.
On the next Michigan drive, offensive coordinator Mark Whipple was rolled up on the sideline as the ball carrier was tackled out of bounds. Medical staff tended to the veteran coach, who was wobbly getting to the bench. A cart was brought out to get him to the locker room for halftime. Whipple would return before the end of the third quarter, now in the booth.
Those few minutes exemplified the 2022 season. Backups, or even backups of backups, have been expected to step into roles where even the starters have had their own struggles.
Michigan doubled their score in the second-half with another 17 points as Nebraska’s offense continued to struggle.
The Wolverines racked up 412 yards of offense, with 254 rushing and 279 passing. The Huskers managed just 146 total yards, including 75 on the ground and 71 through the air.
Michigan running back Blake Corum ran the ball 28 times for 162 yards and one touchdown.
Purdy had the most rushing yards for NU, with 39. He was 6-of-12 passing for 56 yards before leaving the game.
Smothers completed 4-of-8 passes for 15 yards, adding a single net yard on the ground.
Walk-on Jarrett Synek out of Hastings took a couple snaps at the end of the game but handed the ball off both times.
Brian Buschini was counted on for seven punts, averaging 43.1 yards an attempt.
With the loss, Nebraska falls to 3-7 on the year. That guarantees the Huskers will miss bowl eligibility for the sixth-consecutive season.
Nebraska returns home for the final home game of the year next Saturday, hosting Wisconsin.
Nebraska Postgame Notes
Nebraska at Michigan, Nov. 12, 2022, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
- The win by Michigan increased its lead in the all-time series to 7-4-1, with the Wolverines winning each of the past three meetings. Michigan now leads 5-2 in Ann Arbor and 4-2 in games since NU joined the Big Ten.
- Linebacker Luke Reimer had 10 tackles to increase his career tackle total to 236, moving him up to 20th on the Nebraska career tackles list. Today marked Reimer’s ninth career double-figure tackle game and his second in 2022 (Northwestern).
- Receiver Trey Palmer had five receptions for 12 yards, moving him into the top 10 on both the season receptions and receiving yardage list. Palmer now has 58 receptions this season to rank eighth on the single-season list. His 831 receiving yards rank 10th on the NU season chart.
- Running back Anthony Grant (1,018) surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yards for the season in today’s game. Nebraska had not had a player with 1,000 all-purpose yards since 2019 (JD Spielman & Wan’Dale Robinson).
- Receiver Marcus Washington had a 30-yard reception on the first drive of the game. Washington has three receptions of 30-plus yards in the past two games.
- Edge rusher Garrett Nelson had an 8-yard sack in the first quarter, giving him a team-leading 5.5 sacks this season. The 5.5 sacks are a career high for Nelson, and he has 12 career sacks.
- Freshman linebacker Ernest Hausmann had 10 tackles, setting his career high. His previous best was seven tackles against Georgia Southern. Hausmann also had his first career sack (3 yards) in the third quarter.
- Place-kicker Timmy Bleekrode connected on a 37-yard field goal in the second quarter, marking his seventh consecutive made field goal.
- Javin Wright made his first career start in today’s game, earning the start at Nickel.
- Edge rusher Ochaun Mathis made his first start at Nebraska.