Nebraska is bowl-eligible. Husker Nation, you all deserve this. A memorable day in Lincoln. A shed of a tear for many.
“Especially proud of those seniors,” head coach Matt Rhule said postgame. “Especially the guys who have been here a long time. They’ve been through three coaches (and) AD’s. They’ve stood in the gap. It’s not easy to do.”
Here are the main takeaways from Nebraska’s 44-25 win over Wisconsin:
Dana Holgorsen is what Nebraska needed
With just a couple weeks of being at the head of the helm, offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen schemed up and called one of the best games in recent memory.
The Huskers flourished on offense. They finished with 473 total yards (293 passing and 180 rushing). Holgorsen has done an amazing job of revamping the Nebraska offense.
The improvement was incredible. Nebraska looked as if they were a completely different unit. Open the checkbook. Give Holgorsen the dollar amount he desires. The best offensive performance of the Matt Rhule era.
Emmett Johnson is the best offensive weapon
Sophomore running back Emmett Johnson was the most efficient playmaker on the offensive unit against the Badgers.
He had 113 yards on the ground, for a 7.7 average, along with 85 yards receiving. Johnson showed signs of former Husker greats out of the backfield. Look out, Johnson is going to keep producing.
Dylan Raiola silences doubters
After all the recent criticism, freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola exemplified his caliber of play. Raiola completed 73.6 percent of his passes. He commanded Big Red on offense. Raiola is back. The sky’s the limit with Holgorsen representing the scheme.
Holgorsen utilizing junior quarterback Heinrich Haarberg in the red zone took the pressure off Raiola. How can a guy not cheer for this regime? Nebraska has found the formula. They will need to keep this in its final two games.
Raiola was happy to help get the seniors to a bowl game.
“Honestly, I have no words,” Raiola said postgame. “I told them in the locker room ‘this win was for them,’ and it really was.”
Proud of the senior class
Seniors amongst the defensive unit such as Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher, John Bullock and Isaac Gifford got it done.
“I’ve got loyalty to this place,” Robinson said postgame. “There was no way I was going to leave this place because it got bad.”
Under former Nebraska head coach Scott Frost, they were so close. Now, they’re going to a bowl. After an up-and-down season, they can now go to Iowa City and only build upon what is coming for the future.
“I just can’t tell you how much Ty Robinson means to me,” Rhule said. “I can’t express how much those guys have meant to me,” Rhule added emotionally.
They did it. No more talk about, ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda.’ A bowl game is inbound for the Huskers.
Overall take
This was the brightest day in recent memory for Nebraska. Students, fans, coaches and players took in this much-needed moment. After the disappointment of not getting to a bowl game year after year, the Huskers finally got it done.
Heart was No. 1. Even though Wisconsin was 5-5, the Huskers changed the narrative of not finishing the job. This is a huge building block for Nebraska. There’s a long way to go, but once again, smile. The program is going in the right direction.
The Huskers look to get to seven wins on Black Friday against Iowa.
