Top 5 Takeways From Northwestern's 56-7 Loss to Nebraska
Things got ugly fast for Northwestern, as they trailed Nebraska 35-7 at the half. They did not look any better in the second half as the Huskers would roll in dominant fashion for a blowout win with a final score of 56-7. Northwestern will fall to 2-3 on the season. Read below for the main takeaway from tonight's game.
Huskers dominant on the ground
The Husker offense from the opening kickoff absolutely ran all over the Northwestern defense. In the first quarter alone they managed a 74-yard run by running back Jaquez Yant and three rushing touchdowns for quarterback Adrian Martinez. All game long the Husker run game gashed the Wildcat defense, finishing with a whopping 427 yards on the ground.
Northwestern? Not so much
On the other sideline, the Wildcat run game was basically non-existent in this game. They finished the first half with -2 rushing yards. Any game in which you finish a half with negative rushing yards, you are most likely going to lose. The Husker defense absolutely shut down any semblance of a rushing attack, forcing quarterback Ryan Hilinski to win this game through the air, as the Wildcats finished the game with only 37 total rushing yards.
Hilinski solid despite zero help
All things considered, Ryan Hilinski had himself a very solid outing tonight. He had zero help from his run game or defense and still managed to do his best to will the Wildcats to a victory. The final score won't reflect it, but Hilinski's 256 yards and touchdown is even more impressive when you consider the lack of help he received.
Adrian Martinez is an absolute baller
Adrian Martinez only played two and a half quarters but still managed to put up video game numbers in the process. He started on absolute fire, rushing for three touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Martinez, who has been inconsistent this season, torched the Northwestern defense to the tune of 202 yards passing, 48 yards rushing and five total touchdowns on the day.
A lot of season left but it could get ugly fast
Yes, there is a lot of season left and this is only the fifth game of the season. In a vacuum, starting 2-3 is not the worst start to a season. However, when you look at the context of how the games have been lost, not much has gone right for Northwestern. The defense has been gashed consistently and the offense looks downright non-existent. With their wins coming against inferior opponents, and the rest of conference play yet to come, this could get ugly real fast for the Wildcats.
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for Wildcats Daily. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin as part of the class of 2021 and now attends the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.