The drought is finally over! For the first time since 2016 Nebraska is bowl eligible and will play in the postseason! Not only did we end this streak, but we also beat Wisconsin for the first time in 10 games. It was an exciting day to be a Husker fan. Now this blog is going to be a little different than past post game blogs that I have done. Rather than giving a recap, I want to take the time to talk about all the remarkable things that we saw from this team. Let’s get started.
First up is the offense. This is the offense that us Husker fans have wanted to see all year. We did a great job in all facets, and I was really impressed with this unit. The team was able to successfully run and pass the ball, which was wonderful to see. Since when have we seen that? It looks like everyone was prepared and there were very few mistakes. Emmett Johnson had the best day of his career recording 113 rushing yards and 85 receiving yards. He totaled 198 yards. Dante Dowdell also had an excellent game. He had three touchdowns which contributed to our win. The run game was excellent and will hopefully only continue to get better. Quarterback Dylan Raiola also had one of the best games of his young career. He passed for 293 yards and one touchdown. He looked like a totally different quarterback than we’ve seen in previous games. It was clear that he was comfortable in the pocket and was able to make the right reads and good decisions. Raiola showed his full potential and why he was a five-star recruit. His performance made us excited to see what he can do and how he has developed. The final player I want to mention on this side of the ball is wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. He had the best day of his career thus far. Barney Jr. had nine receptions for a total of 85 yards. It’s clear that he has a lot of talent, and it was awesome to see it on full display this week. His development has been fun to witness, and I think he will only continue to get better. It was especially exciting to see us put up 44 points. We’re not used to seeing this, but this performance from the offense made me excited to see what our future will look like. Overall, the offense did a fantastic job and were very productive.
Next, let’s look at the defense. The defense had a pretty good game this week. Although the defensive line didn’t have any sacks, they still were able to get tackles when necessary. The linebackers had a strong defense against the run. Wisconsin typically pushes the ball down defenses throats, but the linebackers made it very difficult. Wisconsin wasn’t able to get anything going on the ground and the linebackers were a huge part of this. I was very impressed with this group and definitely saw some improvements. Their ability to stop the run left me with a good feeling about next week. Overall, the defense showed up when they needed to and kept Wisconsin from putting a lot of points on the board.
The final group I want to talk about is special teams. This group has continued to impress me since the Ohio State game. Kicker John Hohl made three field goals this week. he has been clutch ever since the Ohio State game and has made eight field goals in a row. This is a huge turnaround, considering he began the season one for five on field goal attempts. His development has been one of my favorite things to witness this season. It feels good to know that we have a reliable kicker that we don’t have to worry about missing anymore. I’m extremely proud of him and think he has made one of the biggest jumps this season. We also did well in the kick return game and with punting the ball. Barney Jr. opened the game with a 45-yard kick return which later led to a touchdown. Punter Brian Buschini did an excellent job pinning Wisconsin deep in their own territory. This included one punt inside of the 10-yard line. I’m looking forward to watching this group continue to succeed in these last two games.
All in all, this game was probably the best and most complete this Nebraska team has played all year. Everyone came out ready to compete on senior day and left this group of seniors with a final win at Memorial Stadium. We also got over mini humps and got that glorious sixth win that we’ve been chasing for so long. It was awesome to see the fans storm the field after the game and show their excitement for this team. It was a terrific way to wrap up our 2024 home games. I can’t wait to see how we play against Iowa and where we will play our bowl game.
GBR
