In Nebraska, the place no one-score win is ugly, getting a cease if you completely must get one is a cause to have a good time.
The Cornhusker protection did that within the remaining two minutes to nail down a 14-7 win over Rutgers in a basic brutal November-style Big Ten slugfest that occurred on presumably the most well liked day within the historical past of Memorial Stadium, the place it was 97 levels at kickoff on the primary Saturday of October with a blast furnace wind blowing by way of the previous ballpark.
Upperclassmen like Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher, Marques Buford and DeShon Singleton made the massive performs for Nebraska once they wanted them, and so did children like James Williams, who had 5 tackles, together with two sacks for the Big Red.
The 5-1 Huskers proved they nonetheless aren’t able to stringing 4 strong quarters of sufficient offensive soccer collectively, however the Blackshirts held the convention’s finest working again in verify, nonetheless haven’t given up a dashing landing this season and staged a heroic purpose line stand within the third quarter that swung the sport in Nebraska’s favor.
Leading 14-0 at halftime regardless of permitting 65 dashing yards to Kyle Monangai gave the Huskers a world of excellent when their Dylan Raiola and the offense swooned within the second half. But handing Rutgers its first Big Ten loss wasn’t simple.
The Blackshirts discovered themselves in a precarious place when the newest in a miserable sequence of special-teams gaffes — the Scarlet Knights’ second blocked punt of the sport — gave Rutgers the ball on the Husker 2-yard line with 7:50 remaining within the third quarter. But the Huskers gang-tackled Monangai for a three-yard loss, which appeared to set the tone for the remainder of the sequence. Although a holding penalty in the long run zone on Singleton gave the Knights new life on the 2-yard line, the Blackshirts stopped Monangai twice extra and Singleton tackled Kenny Fletcher for a one-yard loss on a fast cross earlier than Buford slammed the door by pulling down a fourth-down cross close to the purpose line.
Red zone tenacity and third-down stoutness (Rutgers transformed solely two of 14) had been important on this tussle that very probably had multiple Husker fan considering that his staff had simply received an Iowa-style victory as he wearily trudged towards his car at nightfall.
It was in all probability even uglier than an Iowa win (however presumably not as ugly as an Alabama loss to Vanderbilt) when you think about that Rutgers wideout Ben Black, who caught an 11-yard scoring cross with 3:40 remaining within the recreation, actually ought to have had two touchdowns. He dropped a surefire six factors earlier within the fourth quarter when Buford fell down in protection on Black’s deep cross route. But Big Ten video games generally flip on issues like that, or on presumably coach Matt Rhule’s finest resolution of the day, taking the wind within the fourth quarter as a substitute of the third.
Then there was Brian Buschini, who unleashed a critically essential, wind-aided 69-yard punt with 2:28 to go that pressured Rutgers to start out its remaining drive at its personal 11-yard line. And then it was as much as the Blackshirts, who remembered that they allowed quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to guide Minnesota to a game-winning landing on the ultimate drive within the 2023 season opener. This time, they shut him down on 4 consecutive misfires, with Williams making a success on Kaliakmanis to drive an incompletion on the Knights’ last-gasp fourth-down play.
Kaliakmanis had a tough time of it for many of the day, finishing simply 15 of 37 passes for 186 yards with one TD and two interceptions (by Buford and Ceyair Wright). Raiola did no higher. In simply his worst effort of his younger profession, the true freshman accomplished 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception, and received little or no assist from a Husker working recreation that disappeared utterly within the fourth quarter and netted lower than 100 yards for the sport.
After his glorious first half, Monangai received simply 13 extra dashing yards on 9 second-half carries and completed with 78.
Buschini, who had two punts blocked and for a second appeared critically injured after the Scarlet Knights roughed him up on the primary one, singlehandedly lifted an in any other case spotty Nebraska particular groups efficiency out of the doldrums. He pinned Rutgers at its personal 5-yard line with a well-placed 41-yard punt that rolled out of bounds. The senior even accomplished a 30-yard cross to Jalen Lloyd on a faux punt, however not even that might jumpstart the Husker offense within the second half.
Nebraska had solely 4 first downs all the second half as Raiola and his offensive line appeared utterly baffled by the Rutgers protection.
If you referred to as Buschini the sport’s hero, you wouldn’t have gotten a lot of an argument from Rhule.
“I’m proud of the guys, proud of the team, and Buschini was an all-star again today,” Rhule mentioned.
Buschini wants some assist on particular groups. The upcoming bye week could be a great time to determine it out.
At midseason, particular groups coordinator Ed Foley is taking part in “whack-a-mole.” Whether it’s poor snaps on discipline objectives, poor protection by his punt gunners or getting punts blocked, one thing new comes up virtually every week. Nebraska’s kicking recreation is a web drag on the staff, though Nebraska’s regular plus-one efficiency in turnover margin has often been sufficient to offset it.
On offense, essentially the most stunning stat of the season’s first half is that tight finish Thomas Fidone doesn’t have a single landing catch. Fidone caught three passes for simply 15 yards and no massive performs Saturday. He and Raiola had an ungainly alternate on the second of Nebraska’s three consecutive three-and-outs within the fourth quarter. Fidone was open for the primary down on a third-and-six play from deep in his personal territory, however the often correct Raiola delivered the ball at about knee stage to the lanky Council Bluffs native, who stooped over however couldn’t get a grip on a ball that in all probability needs to be thought-about catchable. It’s October, and the 2 actually haven’t developed a great rhythm, which is costing the offense lots of consistency.
With one main stumble in opposition to Illinois, it’s been the protection which has carried Nebraska by way of the primary half of the season and to a win over beforehand unbeaten Rutgers, which though ugly, has the Huskers tied for fifth within the Big Ten, and can little question shall be a precious possession because the season winds down.
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