Wisconsin Football Defeats Nebraska in OT: Here’s What Stood Out

With their backs against the wall, Luke Fickell and the University of Wisconsin football team (6-5, 4-4 B1G) came together on Senior Day and knocked off Nebraska 24-17 in overtime at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night.

The Badgers ensured the Freedom Trophy stayed in the only home it’s ever known (Madison) — and officially became bowl-eligible for the 22nd consecutive season. 

Here are a few things that stood out from the Wisconsin Badgers week 12 win over Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers.

The Wisconsin Football Offense Was…Balanced

When I was crushing tall boys at the Sconnie Bar before kickoff, diehard Wisconsin Badgers fan Christa Weghorn told me, “You have to buy in and believe in order to move forward.” And she couldn’t have been more right. 

Right around the time I lost most of my faith (when UW fell behind 14-0), the Badgers started to believe. 

After laying an egg in the first quarter and going down 14-0 in a flash — Wisconsin football strung together a nine-play 66-yard drive in the second quarter that ended in a 26-yard touchdown pass to running back Jackson Acker for a touchdown with 6:37 remaining. 

Then, Nathaniel Vakos connected on a 35-yard field goal attempt, closing the gap to a 14-10 Nebraska lead with 1:54 left before halftime. 

Coming out of the half, Wisconsin took the lead on a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Braelon Allen to put the Badgers up 17-14 with 7:47 to go in the third — effectively scoring 17 unanswered after I lost faith. 

BRAELON ALLEN FOR THE LEAD 🔥🔥🔥#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/4QgVGAVQ8C

— ESPN Madison (@ESPNMadison) November 19, 2023

In overtime — Luke Fickell showed some faith in his team on a bold decision to go for it on 4th and one on the opening drive of overtime that ultimately paid off with the second Braelon Allen touchdown of the evening. 

UW finished with 316 total yards off offense (160 passing, 156 rushing) and played the closest thing we’ve seen to complementary offense from Phil Longo’s unit in quite some time. 

Wisconsin Football Defense Made Adjustments, Did Enough to Win 

On Saturday night, it took just 3:27 seconds for one of the nation’s worst offensive teams to score against the Wisconsin football defense. Chubba Purdy — the Cornhusker’s third-string signal caller, ran the ball 55 yards to the house to put Nebraska up 7-0 in the first quarter. 

Their next drive ended in the same result — a touchdown on a 58-yard pass from Chubba Purdy to Jaylen Lloyd. It wasn’t looking good early. 

At halftime, the Huskers had already compiled 270 yards of total offense (they average 289). Nebraska attacked the middle of the field repeatedly — it was maddening, and there were no answers. 

Thankfully, Mike Tressel’s second-half defense has been the polar opposite of what we’ve grown accustomed to in the first half as of late. Like Doctor Jeckel and Mr. Hyde, if you will. 

The Wisconsin football team put the clamps on and shut out Nebraska in the second half — until the game’s final drive — where the Huskers went nine plays for 68 yards and connected on a 30-yard field goal that sent the game to overtime. It was a backbreaker — but all hope wasn’t lost. 

When it mattered most — the boys showed up, and Wisconsin football junior safety Preston Zachman intercepted Purdy to seal the game. The Badgers dug deep — allowed just 94 total yards in the second half & OT — and gave the seniors the final home game they deserved. 

Other Wisconsin Badgers Musings 

Tanner Mordecai — making his second start since returning from a surgery on his broken hand — showed his “give a shit” factor all night. He may not have lit up the box score — but he played like a guy who wanted to win and routinely made plays when the Badgers needed him.

The SMU transfer completed 18-of-28 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown pass. Mordecai also ran for 51 yards. Wisconsin needed its QB to lead them — and he gave them what they were looking for on Saturday.

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Braelon Allen shed his questionable tag and gave the Badgers more than I — or coach Fickell — would have anticipated. He’s clearly not 100%, but Allen carried the rock 22 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns.

UW’s running game struggled more often than not against one of the nation’s top run defenses — but the combination of him, Jackson Acker — and Mordecai was enough to keep the Huskers honest.

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This isn’t breaking news, but the Wisconsin football team’s WR1 is Will Pauling by a mile — and carried the passing attack all night. He was targeted a team-high 11 times and caught eight passes for 79 yards.

He became the first Badgers receiver with 60+ receptions in a season since Alex Erickson (77) did it in 2017.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Pauling — the kid’s a stud.

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Wisconsin football star safety Hunter Wohler was knocked out of the game with an “upper-body injury” around halftime and didn’t return. Let’s hope he’s ok — the Badgers desperately need him against Minnesota.

That said, Preston Zachman and Travion Blaylock did well in his absence.

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What a huge win for Luke Fickell — who looked noticeably lighter (like a man who had the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders) in his post-game press conference.

This has undoubtedly been a disappointing season — but with things seemingly taking a turn for the worse after the loss to Northwestern — the Wisconsin Badgers rallied and played their ass off at home to become bowl eligible. Right now, that’s a massive win for this program.

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