Nebraska has the chance to completely change the outlook of their season as they head into a key late November matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Huskers last defeated the Badgers in the 2012 regular season, as Nebraska was able to overcome a 27-10 third quarter deficit to defeat Wisconsin 30-27.
Not only would a win erase a 10 game losing streak against the Badgers, but would solidify the Huskers into their first bowl game since 2016.
More than 30 seniors will walk during the Seniors Day Ceremony this Saturday, so this game should mean a little more.
The Huskers have been very close to knocking off the Badgers in every matchup since 2021, but come in as the favorite against Wisconsin this year.
This game has the Big Ten of old written all over it. Two struggling offenses facing off against two strong, top 35 defenses.
Run the Football:
Wisconsin has a very solid defense that they will bring into Memorial Stadium on Saturday, but if there is a weakness there, it is most definitely in the run game.
The run defense of the Badgers ranks 88th in the country, so this is a golden opportunity for a struggling offense to get going.
Sophomore running back Dante Dowdell leads the team in rushing with 523 yards and 8 touchdowns, and Emmett Johnson has proved that he can make big plays for this offense when they need it.
Let’s not forget about Heinrich Haarberg either.
Head coach Matt Rhule has spoken all year long about how Haarberg can play a big role in this offense, but where has he been?
Haarberg consistently gains positive yardage with the ball, and has picked up multiple first downs out of the wildcat package that the Huskers use him in during key times throughout this season.
New Faces at Corner?
It was announced by Coach Rhule on Thursday that senior cornerback Tommi Hill would be shut down for the rest of the season.
Hill has been battling the injury bug since the Illinois game, and has tried his best to contribute for this defense since that point.
That is not the best news for a secondary that has struggled against the pass recently, but it helps that the Badgers are working with an interim option at offensive coordinator this weekend.
So who will we see in Hills absence? We can already expect to see freshman defensive back Jeremiah Charles, who has appeared in a ton of games this season.
Don’t be surprised if we see freshman like Amare Sanders, Dwight Bootle II and more to see many snaps this weekend, barring their redshirt status.
Make Plays:
This feels like a no-brainer, but given the opponent and the Huskers one score loss history, it requires some emphasis on the topic.
Nebraska has been the final team to posses the football while either being tied or trailing in 32 games since 2018, that’s 32 drives to win or send the game into overtime.
In those 32 drives, the Huskers have scored on only 3 of those drives, and have a record of 1-31 in those 32 games.
We need big plays to be made in this game, especially in clutch times, if this trend is going to come to an end.
Make no mistake about it, this game should come down to one score, so make the tough contested catches in traffic, make the big third down stops and make them early rather than later.
Prediction:
A win for the Huskers would mean so much to this program it’s hard to put it into words.
To try and explain it, we’ve been saying this since about 2018, and we have kept coming back each year with the same enthusiasm and hope year after year.
A bowl game appearance clinching win would have Memorial Stadium in a mad house Saturday, but we all need to be cautiously optimistic given the track record.
Nebraska: 21 Wisconsin: 18
