Tad Stryker: Breakthrough Day

Nebraska's offense piles up 44 points in a cathartic win over Wisconsin.

Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) takes a picture with fans after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

A host of football demons, and with them, much of the weight of Cornhusker football frustration of the past generation, fell like shackles off the wrists of an acquitted man as the Huskers broke out of their self-imposed prison and raced to the Wisconsin sideline to get their hands on something they had never touched — the Freedom Trophy.

Meanwhile, a host of University of Nebraska students started to pour out onto Tom Osborne Field to celebrate with the team.

In a surprisingly offense-dominated contest, Nebraska secured that elusive sixth win and bowl eligibility by thrashing Wisconsin 44-25 on a memorable Saturday afternoon and evening in Memorial Stadium. Unable to break the 20-point barrier since September, the Huskers muscled up and exceeded 40 against a defense that had held No. 1-rated Oregon to 16 the previous week.

A lot happened in the course of this breakthrough contest where the Huskers focused on football, and not on mind games.

Down went the eight-year bowl drought.

Down went a 10-game losing streak to Wisconsin.

Bye-bye went a five-year Husker losing streak on Senior Day.

Kaput went Matt Rhule’s eight-game losing streak in bowl qualifers.

Rhule evened his personal score with Luke Fickell at 1-1. The Huskers will have the Freedom Trophy for awhile; the Huskers and Badgers won’t play again until 2027. On this day, Fickell and his unnamed committe of play-callers ran the ball 25 times and threw it 30 times against the Blackshirts, who often played a “bend-but-don’t-break” scheme that worked well enough because the Huskers held Wisconsin to three of 10 third down conversions and got an important first-quarter stop in the red zone. Blye Hill saw his first significant action and was burned for a deep touchdown pass and a two-point conversion.

The Huskers went the entire season without allowing a rushing touchdown at home, something that had not happened since World War II. They got a pair of takeaways (a fumble just before halftime, forced by Nash Hutmacher and recovered by Stefon Thompson and a fourth-quarter interception by DeShon Singleton) but they allowed more than 400 total yards, mainly through the air, and will need to shore things up before traveling to Iowa.

The Badgers didn’t have a lot of success running the ball. They were decisively outgained by the Huskers’ ground game, 180-115. Dana Holgorsen, in his second game as Nebraska offensive coordinator, ran the ball 25 times for 102 yards in the second half, and the Nebraska offensive line had its finest game in years, blowing larger holes in the Badger line as the game wore on and allowing no sacks. Rhule gave his starting o-line a curtain call in the final two minutes. It was a fitting gesture.

Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Emmett Johnson (21) celebrates after a run against the Wisconsin Badgers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

For the most part, Holgorsen balanced the offense and achieved his goal of helping Dylan Raiola fulfill his Husker victory prediction made earlier in the week, by simplifying things and keeping him clean in the pocket. The freshman quarterback had easier throws to make, and he hit the majority of them. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. He looked settled and composed, and his mechanics were much improved.

Holgorsen has changed things up a bit. Exhibit A: Nate Boerkircher got the start at tight end. Thomas Fidone was hard to find, although he played on the kickoff return team in the fourth quarter. NU tight ends had four catches, none of them by Fidone. Exhibit B: Heinrich Haarberg got more snaps in the Wildcat than he has all season, and he scored the game’s first touchdown out of that formation. Exhibit C: Holgorson got the ball into Emmett Johnson’s hands 22 times (16 rushes, six pass receptions) for 198 yards and Jacory Barney’s hands 10 times from scrimmage for 96 yards. In addition, the freshman from Florida returned a kickoff 45 yards and a punt for nine more.

It was Johnson’s finest performance to date. The sophomore ran with authority and better field vision, and he made several tacklers miss as he scored his first 100-yard rushing game. Dante Dowdell had 41 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries, the final one behind a massive block by Ty Robinson, who came in and lined up at fullback as his final home game memory to Husker fans. Jahmal Banks had a 5-yard touchdown reception; he and Isaiah Neyor each made four catches.

Nov 23, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola passes against the Wisconsin Badgers during the fourth quarter. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

It all added up to a breakout offensive performance for the Big Red, who nearly doubled up the first downs on Wisconsin, 29-15, and went seven-for-seven in the red zone, including five touchdowns.

“That’s the last time we’ll celebrate winning six games at Nebraska,” Rhule said on his postgame radio show. “As I’ve told our players, it’s always hard to be the first to do it. Once you do it, you trust it. I can’t thank Ty (Robinson) and Nash (Hutmacher) and (Isaac Gifford) Giff and all those guys enough, they’ve trusted it.”

Besides ensuring a batch of postseason practices for Holgorsen and the Husker offense to get to know each other better, the win vaults 6-5 Nebraska into its Black Friday matchup in a much better frame of mind, with some wind in its sails to face the 7-4 Hawkeyes. Unencumbered by monkeys or hexes or football demons, look for the Huskers to swing for the fences.

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