Faith, Teammates Motivated Nebraska Football's Brian Buschini to Spectacular Saturday

The Huskers' senior punter spoke during Saturday's postgame with the Huskers Radio Network's Jessica Coody about his performance during Saturday's 14-7 victory over Rutgers. His comments were aired Monday night on Sports Nightly.

Sep 17, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers punter Brian Buschini (95) against the Oklahoma Sooners at Memorial Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Nebraska football's Brian Buschini had a special day Saturday. For the former Montana transfer, however, it was just another day at Memorial Stadium.

"(I) just try to go out there and do my best everytime," Buschini said in his postgame comments to the Huskers Radio Network. "Sometimes I do really well, sometimes I don't. I always try to get better."

Nov 11, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers punter Brian Buschini (18) and tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) celebrate after a first down on a fake punt against the Maryland Terrapins during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Buschini's comments were aired on Monday's episode of Sports Nightly following the Huskers' 14-7 victory Saturday over Rutgers. The senior punter had an excellent performance against the Scarlet Knights, notching the Big Ten Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week honor Monday.

The specialist overcame two blocked punts and an injury to remain on the field for his team, aiding Nebraska's defense by pinning Rutgers deep on nearly every boot. Buschini averaged just over 50 yards per punt against the Scarlet Knihgts, including 61- and 69-yard punts.

"A big part of it is my faith. God does give me that ability to play here. I think every chance that I have to go out there, I'm going to take it," Buschini said. "Its my senior year. I'm going to try to enjoy it with my teammates as much as I can because I just love those guys so much. My back hurts a little bit, but who cares."

Nebraska wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd gains 30 yards off a pass from punter Brian Buschini during the fourth quarter against Rutgers. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Buschini was also a key figure of one of the memorable moments in Nebraska's win, completing a 30-yard pass to receiver Jaylen Lloyd on a fake punt from Husker territory. Buschini said he never wavered in his ability to open up the playbook.

"I feel good about my throwing ability," Buschini said. "Jaylen told me he was going to score, but he got tackled. We're going to have to talk to him about that. It was fun. It was something we had talked about."

Buschini continued that coach Matt Rhule and special teams coordinator Ed Foley stated they would "owe it to the football gods" to run a fake punt if Rutgers was not set to cover the gunners such as Lloyd. Buschini added further he's comfortable with more chances later this season.

"I really feel like I have a good enough arm to pull off a lot of fakes. That's something we have been working on in practice for over a year now to be honest with you. We've been kind of hiding it in the shadows and threw it out there today. Hopefully we're not done," Buschini said.

Nebraska punter Brian Buschini takes a hit after having his first punt against Rutgers blocked. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Sports Nightly co-host Jessica Coody commented that many of Buschini's teammates were complimentary of the punter's play, saying that numerous players said he "flipped the field" and was an asset when the offense could not keep the ball rolling. Buschini was happy to assist when called upon during the Big Ten battle.

"On the second to last punt, I didn't get as clean of a hit on it as I wanted - I rushed it a little bit. The last one was good because we got it up in the wind and it carried a little bit. With our defense today, it was incredible," Buschini said.

The punter added that the stellar play of the Blackshirts "takes all the pressure off me" and allows him to just "kick the ball." He also credited the defense for bailing out the team after one of Buschini's punts was blocked, resulting in a first-and-goal from Nebraska's one-yard line. The Husker defense stalled Rutgers and held the Scarlet Knights without points in that possession.

Buschini was also confident in the special team's ability to control the Nebraska weather. Lincoln, Neb., faced stiff heat of nearly 95 degrees with 25-mph winds reported during the contest.

"We play in a unique stadium that does a terrible job of blocking the wind. We felt all week we'd have an advantage regardless of which way we were going. They had a young kid - it showed today. He kept hitting touchbacks. Its a chess game," Buschini said.

The former Montana Grizzly continued that the wind changed directions after pregame warmups, flipping from the south stadium to north later on. He also credited Rhule for playing with the wind at Buschini's back in the fourth quarter, giving the Huskers a chance to "control the critical moments" in the final stages against Rutgers.

Oct 5, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd (19) and defensive back Jeremiah Charles (25) down a punt against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Buschini and the Huskers have a bye week following their 5-1 start to the season, and aim to be healthy prior to taking on No. 18 Indiana on Oct. 19 in Bloomington. Hear more of Buschini's comments from Sports Nightly.

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