Why Wisconsin Football Will Beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football team (5-5, 3-4 B1G) — are coming off back-to-back embarrassing losses to Indiana and Northwestern — and have lost three of its last four contests overall.

For people like myself who grew up in the 90s — we’ve been spoiled with consistently good Badgers teams. Tough, nasty, disciplined, always finding a way to do more with less, and never taking a punch without throwing one back twice as hard — that’s all I’d ever known.

Fast forward to today, and those pillars couldn’t be further from the truth. Since the start of the 2020 season, Wisconsin football is 25-18 overall and 16-15 in the Big Ten. That reality is even harder to wrap your head around when you take a step back and realize how poor the Big Ten West has been during that time — and how difficult the road ahead will become with conference expansion looming.

Things have taken a turn for the worse — and most people among the fanbase have lost hope for this season — understandably so. But I’m holding on for dear life and willing to show blind faith in this Wisconsin Badgers team one last time.

Here’s why the Badgers will beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday — and become bowl-eligible for the 22nd consecutive season.

Wisconsin Football Defense Can Sell Out to Stop the Run 

Nebraska is a running team (No. 1 in B1G) — with arguably the least competent passing attack in the country other than Iowa. The Cornhuskers are also averaging just 18.9 points per game. 

This matchup seems like the perfect opportunity for Wisconsin football DC Mike Tressel to put a little extra faith in his secondary and bring another player into the box — whether that be a defensive lineman or a linebacker/safety type and sell out to stop the run. 

Heinrich Haarberg is Nebraska’s QB1 and also their leading rusher. Although he’s listed as questionable, his 49% completion percentage helps illustrate why the Badgers can control this game if they stuff the run on early downs. 

Dual-threat QBs have traditionally given the Wisconsin Badgers trouble — but challenging Nebraska to beat you in the passing game on Saturday seems like a no-brainer.

In back-to-back weeks, Wisconsin’s defense has held opponents under 40 total yards in the second half — but they’ve dug themselves into such a hole in the first half of games it hasn’t mattered. They’ve got to start fast, stop the run, and, more importantly, get off the damn field on third down.

UW might have to hold Nebraska to 10 points or less to give themselves a chance to win — but it’s entirely possible if they can mitigate the Cornhusker’s one offensive strength.

The Badgers Have a Chance to Maintain the Standard

There is a ceiling and a floor that the Wisconsin football program needs to maintain — and although you could argue they’re already beneath that floor — there’s still a significant streak the Badgers must protect: 21 consecutive winning seasons that ended with bowl game appearance. 

Luke Fickell is as frustrated as anyone — and for a good reason. But the players in the locker room — especially the ones who grew up rooting for this program need to find a way to overcome the adversity, buy-in, and focus on doing the next right thing, which is beating the Cornhuskers for the 10th straight time and ensuring the Freedom Trophy stays in the only trophy case it has ever known. 

You’ve got players like Tanner Mordecai, who was just three weeks removed from having surgery on his broken throwing hand returning from injury and laying it all out there to push this team forward. But as Hunter Wohler pointed out after the game — this team has been painfully soft. 

I do not doubt that there were some tough conversations had within the program this week — but if you’re able to look over your shoulder and see someone doing everything they can to win and not feel responsible for matching that effort — the transfer portal window will be opening soon enough — and you’re welcome to find a new place to call home. 

I might be a fool for saying this — but I think there’s a good chance this Wisconsin football team comes out against Nebraska — plays with its hair on fire, and finally gets over the hump and wins its sixth game. 

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