BOWL-BOUND: Nebraska Football Beats Wisconsin, 44-25

Nebraska football is bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.

Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola walks off as fans rush the field after the win over Wisconsin. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska football has reached bowl eligibility.

The Huskers beat the Wisconsin Badgers 44-25 Saturday at Memorial Stadium. NU improves to 6-5 on the year as UW falls to 5-6.

This is the first bowl-eligible season for the Big Red since 2016.

Nebraska scored on the opening drive and extended that into a 24-10 lead at halftime. The Huskers added 10 more points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

The Huskers tallied 473 yards of total offense, including 293 through the air from Dylan Raiola. Emmett Johnson led the ground attack with 113 yards. Dante Dowdell ran for 41 yards and three touchdowns.

Nebraska closes the season at Iowa on Black Friday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CST on NBC and Peacock.

Nebraska Athletics Notes

• Nebraska’s 44-25 victory snapped Wisconsin’s 10-game winning streak in the series and marked the Huskers’ first win over the Badgers since 2012 in Lincoln.
  
• Nebraska’s 44 points were its most in a Big Ten game in two seasons under Coach Matt Rhule and its most in a conference game since scoring 56 vs. Northwestern in 2021. Nebraska’s 24 first-half points were its most since scoring 28 in the first half against Colorado.
  
• Nebraska’s 473 yards of total offense were it most since gaining 507 yards in the season opener against UTEP and marked the fourth time this season Nebraska has topped 400 yards. The Huskers’ 180 rushing yards were its most since rushing for 223 in the season opener against UTEP. Nebraska’s 293 passing yards were its most since throwing for 297 yards vs. Illinois.

• Defensively, Nebraska did not allow a rushing touchdown to the Badgers. The Huskers did not allow a rushing touchdown in their seven home games this season. This year marked the first time Nebraska went an entire home season without allowing a rushing touchdown since 1939.
• Running back Emmett Johnson rushed 16 times for a career-high 113 yards, bettering his previous high of 84 yards against Maryland in 2023.
• Johnson’s 100-yard rushing game was the first by Nebraska this season and the first for the Huskers since quarterback Chubba Purdy rushed for 105 yards at Wisconsin last season. Johnson is the first Nebraska running back to rush for 100 yards in a game since Anthony Grant had 135 rushing yards last September against Louisiana Tech.

• Johnson also caught six passes for a career-high 85 yards in the game, eclipsing his previous high of 48 receiving yards at Purdue earlier this season. Johnson finished with a career-high 198 yards from scrimmage.
• Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola completed 28-of-38 passes for 293 yards and one touchdown, marking his sixth 200-yard passing game of the season and his first in four games. It was his third game with at least 250 passing yards. Raiola has completed 72.3 percent of his passes in the past two games, after a 27-of-38 effort at USC last week.
• Junior quarterback Heinrich Haarberg opened the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run on the opening series. It was Haarberg’s first rushing touchdown of the season and the sixth of his career.

• True freshman receiver Jacory Barney Jr. caught nine passes for 85 yards in the game, setting career highs in both categories and marking his fourth game this season with at least five catches. Barney increased his season receptions total to 49, setting a school record for catches by a true freshman, bettering the 40 receptions by Wan’Dale Robinson in 2019. Barney’s 49 catches rank second overall among all freshmen in school history, trailing only JD Spielman who had 55 receptions as a redshirt freshman in 2017.
• Sophomore running back Dante Dowdell had a 12-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter and a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter. He has a team-leading 10 rushing touchdowns this season and is the first Husker since 2019 with 10 rushing TDs in a season (Dedrick Mills, 10, 2019).
• Senior receiver Jahmal Banks caught his third TD pass of the season in the second quarter and his first TD catch in six games.

• Place-kicker John Hohl made a 37-yard field goal to conclude the first-half scoring, connected on a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter, and a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Hohl has now connected on eight straight field goals.
• Senior offensive tackle Bryce Benhart started his 52nd career game. He is tied with Ralph Brown for the most starts in Nebraska history by a non-kicker. He is one start behind the overall record holder, place-kicker Alex Henery, who had 53 career starts.
• Senior punter Brian Buschini averaged 50.5 yards on two punts with one punt downed inside the Badger 10-yard line. Buschini is now averaging 46.54 yards per punt on the season, just ahead of the school record of 46.51 yards per punt by Sam Koch in 2005.

• Today’s game captains were seniors Bryce Benhart, Isaac Gifford, John Bullock and Nash Hutmacher.

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