The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers ended the undefeated run of the No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers with a thrilling 23-17 overtime win on Saturday night in Madison.
After losing back-to-back games to start the month of October, the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers got back into the Big Ten West race with a 23-17 overtime triumph against the No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night at Wrigley Field.
As expected, the two defenses controlled the action early on. Wisconsin earned good field position on its second drive of the game after a pair of Nebraska three-and-outs and struck first on a quick two-play, 51-yard drive that included a long touchdown run from backup running back Bradrick Shaw.
The Cornhuskers began to find some success on offense, although Tommy Amrstrong Jr. was picked off by Sojurn Shelton to end a promising drive late the first. Nebraska managed to punch it in from one yard out on Devine Ozigbo’s touchdown carry early in the second quarter to knot things up at seven.
Armstrong Jr. was picked off again by D’Cota Dixon to help set up a Wisconsin field goal and 10-7 lead. After three straight three-and-outs, the Badgers switched to backup quarterback Bart Houston and picked up a few yards to set up Andrew Endicott from 44 yards out at the 6:52 mark of the second.
That score would not change by the half, as both teams had decent drives stall near midfield. The big story of the first half was Nebraska holding star Badgers running back Corey Clement to 15 yards on eight carries.
The Badgers opened the second half with a dominating 13-play, 73-yard touchdown drive over 6:03 to open the second half and go up 17-7. With Clement struggling, fellow running back Dare Ogunbowale picked up the slack with two long runs on the drive before starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook found Robert Wheelwright on a nine-yard touchdown pass.
Nebraska’s defense managed to hang in through the rest of the third, and Armstrong Jr. made it a 17-14 game just over a minute into the fourth quarter with a two-yard run to cap a 14 play, 75-yard try.
Three plays later, the Cornhuskers’ defense finally came up with its first turnover on the game on Nathan Gerry’s interception of Hornibrook. Shelton’s pass defense on third down from the Wisconsin 36 ensured Nebraska did nothing with the huge opportunity.
Ogunbowale racked up a splash play early on Wisconsin’s next drive, but promptly stalled after Gerry picked off Houston. Armstrong Jr., who really struggled in the first half, drove the Cornhuskers to the Wisconsin 18 yard line, and Drew Brown’s field goal tied the game at 17 with 3:43 to go.
Clement put Wisconsin in buisness with a 41 yard run to open Wisconsin’s drive, by far his best play of the day. Endicott pushed the potential game-winning field goal left, giving Nebraska 1:48 and two timeouts to work with. After picking up one first down, the Cornhuskers could not get over midfiled, and the two teams went to overtime.
The Badgers went all on the ground for their overtime possesion, with Cement picking up solid yardage before Ogunbowale punched it in from the 11. However, Endicott shanked the extra point, giving Nebraska a golden opportunity. The Badgers’ stout defense would hold, forcing two straight incompletions on third and fourth down.
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The Badgers are just one game behind Nebraska in the Big Ten West race, and of course now hold the tiebreaker. The Cornhuskers proved they are a very good team, but are likely out of the playoff picture with the loss.
Three Stars
3. Nathan Gerry, S, Nebraksa. Recorded two interceptions and helped lead the effort of holding Wisconsin to just 114 passing yards on five yards per attempt.
2. Ryan Connelly, LB, Wisconsin. Was the best defensive player on the field for the Badgers on Saturday night and played critical role with multiple injuries to other linebackers.
1. Dare Ogunbowale, RB, Wisconsin. Former walk-on stepped up big time with Clement having one of his worst games of the season, piling up 120 rushing yards and the game-winning touchdown on 11 carries.
Full Highlights
"Remember this name: @bradricks7.He’s going to be a stud for @BadgerFootball. https://t.co/HYYiIQggwc— Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) October 29, 2016"
"The bigger the game, the more likely D’Cota Dixon gets a @BadgerFootball INT.More video » https://t.co/3s22f8TiDr https://t.co/1OhniDVyQT— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 30, 2016"
"What a fake. What a throw.This was pretty. https://t.co/uEFWLDlXo9— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 30, 2016"
".@HuskerFBNation just picked off another pass.@NathanGerry, right?Yup!More video » https://t.co/YJexiYrD6J https://t.co/dvNB5A6jVC— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 30, 2016"
Next Up
The Badgers will head to Northwestern for what could be a tricky game against a Wildcats team that is playing much better of late. Things don’t get easier for Nebraska, which takes on Ohio State in Columbus next week.