Instant takes from Nebraska's heart-wrenching 15-14 loss to Wisconsin
Here are three instant takes from Nebraska’s heart-wrenching 15-14 loss to Wisconsin on a cold, wind senior day in Memorial Stadium.
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Casey Thompson returns
Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson started against Wisconsin after missing two and a half games with a right arm injury. The Huskers went 0-3 without him and scored one touchdown.
They played Chubba Purdy and Logan Smothers under center. Purdy started both games but suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half against Michigan.
The Huskers scored its first touchdown in 23 drives in the second quarter to go up 7-0 over the Badgers. Thompson went 3-for-4 for 29 passing yards and rushed for eight yards on the opening play of the drive.
On 3th-and-7, the quarterback’s pocket collapsed. He took a quick step up to deliver a pass to Travis Vokolek in the middle of the field and took a big hit. Vokolek caught the ball, made a man miss then gained eight yards to be 1st-and-goal.
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Nebraska’s offense spent 12 minutes on the field in the first half. Thompson went 6-for-8 with 52 passing yards. He led the team with 29 rushing yards on seven carries. Running back Anthony Grant had 11 yards on seven carries.
Two personal foul penalties on Thompson helped him advance downfield to score Nebraska’s second TD. He found Palmer wide open in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown to take a 14-3 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Thompson’s ability to stay in the pocket and deliver tough throws, even when he is going to take a hit is unlike any quarterback on Nebraska’s roster. He and Palmer have a special connection as no other QB could find Palmer with Thompson benched.
He finished the game going 12-for-20 for 106 passing yards. Thompson, who walked for Senior Day, rushed 11 times for 33 yards. Grant finished with 16 carries and 29 yards.
Husker fans are lucky Thompson is back. He is not perfect (see Nebraska’s three-and-out with five minutes remaining) but he’s better than everyone else on the roster.
Defense needs more from offense
On a freezing mid-November day, neither offense played great. The strong wind made it impossible to throw far downfield.
Wisconsin, whose rushing offense is ranked 54th in the nation, leaned hard into its running game. They ran 24 times in the first half compared to the Huskers’ 16 attempts. The Badgers star running back Braelon Allen was fighting a sore shoulder. Despite that Allen still had 21 attempts and 92 yards.
Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo carried some weight for Allen. Mellusi had 98 yards with 21 carries. Guerendo added 42 yards and nine carries.
With Wisconsin ramming it down their throat, Nebraska’s defense bent but didn’t break until the very end. The Badgers averaged 4.5 yards per rush.
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In the third quarter, they chugged down the field with 14 total plays. Wisconsin ran it 10 times and took up 7:34 on the clock. Nebraska’s defense dug deep in the redzone and forced a Badger field goal to close the Huskers’ gap 7-3. They made this one unlike the attempt in the first half.
Nebraska’s defense had several great plays. At the top of the list was Malcolm Hartzog’s interception in the first quarter. Quarterback Graham Mertz threw up a ball but the wind caught it. Hartzog brought it down and returned it 23 yards to Wisconsin’s 37-yard line.
Nebraska scored a touchdown thanks to that great field position.
In the third quarter, while the Huskers were up 14-9, the defense turned up the heat and pushed Wisconsin to the sideline. An incomplete pass that was overturned on third down made the Badgers punt.
NU’s offense didn’t take up enough time as they went three-and-out. Mertz threw it deep 27 yards to assist in Wisconsin scoring a touchdown and going up 15-14.
Again, Nebraska’s defense played well enough for them to win. They didn’t.
Ernest Hausmann shines
True freshman linebacker Ernest Hausmann was a massive highlight on a defense. He had 12 tackles with 10 solo tackles.
In the second quarter, Hausmann broke up a pass on 3rd-and-one to force Wisconsin to kick the field goal that they missed. On the next drive, he was also on the coverage of an incomplete pass. The Badgers had a three-and-out on that drive.
When Wisconsin did score a field goal, Hausmann was right there on 2nd-and-goal to stop Mellusi from getting into the endzone.
With five minutes left to play, the freshman made a great tackle against Allen. He grabbed his legs before he could break away into open space.
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The true freshman from Columbus, Nebraska was thrown into a huge role when Nick Henrich suffered a season-ending injury. But he has grown a lot since that first game. Hausmann not only looks like he understands his assignment but executes it well.
If the Huskers can keep him here through a coaching change, he’ll turn into a great linebacker for them. If not, he’ll be great wherever he goes.
