Embrace the chase. That was the message as Northwestern entered the dangerous Memorial Stadium to face Nebraska Saturday.
From the game’s opening drive, the Wildcats (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) had no choice but to accept that mindset. The offense struggled to keep up with the Cornhuskers (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) early, and NU’s second half production was too little, too late in its 28-21 loss.
The pursuit was on from the start. The ’Cats received the ball to start the game, but punted after only mustering nine yards. From there, the Cornhuskers were quick to strike.
The hosts marched 69 yards and nine plays to put the first points of the day on the board, courtesy of a nine-yard rush from Emmett Johnson.
Graduate student quarterback Preston Stone and the offense earned a much-needed response. When it looked like the ’Cats might go three-and-out, Stone found junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde for a 37-yard gain.
Six plays later, NU settled for a 40-yard field goal from graduate student kicker Jack Olsen.
With a chance to pull its weight, the defense bent, but did not break. The ’Cats forced the Cornhuskers to play fourth down with a yard to go twice, but the hosts converted both tries.
A sack from graduate student defensive lineman Aidan Hubbard that pushed Nebraska back nine yards ultimately killed the drive, and, two plays later, kicker Kyle Cunanan missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Despite a hand-delivered opportunity to tie the game up, NU only responded with a field goal with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.
Nebraska, determined to extend its lead before the intermission, drove quickly on the ’Cats. For NU, though, third time was the charm on fourth down conversion attempts. With a yard to go just outside the red zone, quarterback Dylan Raiola kept the football, but redshirt junior defensive back Braden Turner punched the ball out of his hands, and the visitors ensured the score stayed 7-6 after 30 minutes of play.
Only one Cornhusker needed to touch the ball after the break to change the game. Kenneth Williams took the half’s opening kickoff 95 yards to the endzone.
The NU defense forced a punt on Nebraska’s next drive, but the offense gave away the chance to capitalize. Stone targeted Wilde on the first play of the drive, but the pass was behind his receiver and slipped through his hands. Nebraska’s Donovan Jones came up with the ball.
It only took the Cornhuskers three plays and an extra point to make it a 21-6 game. Raiola passed to Nyziah Hunter, who made an acrobatic grab to get his foot down while falling out of bounds, for a 12-yard touchdown.
Halfway through the third quarter, the NU offense came alive. On the backs of key plays from Hayden Eligon II and Joseph Himon II, redshirt sophomore running back Caleb Komolafe rushed four yards for the ’Cats’ first touchdown of the contest.
Complementary football finally came into the fold. The defense made sure that the only response from Nebraska was a punt, and Komolafe took care of the rest. Five plays into NU’s next offensive drive, Komolafe broke free for a 56-yard score.
Stone connected with Eligon on the two-point conversion try, and the ’Cats suddenly tied the game at 21.
Both squads traded interceptions, but it was Johnson and the Cornhuskers who broke the tie. Stone’s second interception of the day gave way to Johnson’s second touchdown of the game.
Stone and the offense had one last attempt to tie the game again, but the quarterback’s fourth down pass attempt to Wilde fell incomplete, without the assistance of a holding penalty.
Here are five takeaways from NU’s loss to Nebraska:
1. Cornhuskers run wild
For the first time in conference play, the NU defense allowed a score on its opponent’s opening drive. Nebraska ran all over the ’Cats to break that streak.
Raiola looked sharp, connecting with Hunter for a 26-yard gain on the drive, but it was Johnson who really fueled the series and ran hard on the ground six times for 38 yards. His nine-yard rushing score was the icing on the cake.
A number of missed tackles on the first two drives that extended plays for the Cornhuskers did not do the ’Cats many favors either. At the end of the first half, Johnson contributed 68 rushing yards on 12 attempts of Nebraska’s 93 total rushing yards.
Johnson continued his potency in the second half, scoring the game winning touchdown from four yards out.
In last week’s loss to Minnesota, Johnson only ran the ball 14 times for 63 yards.
Good things happen for the Cornhuskers when Johnson is on. The running back finished the day with 124 yards on 27 carries.
Saturday marked the fourth time this season Johnson rushed for more than 100 yards. It is also the first time NU has allowed a 100-yard rusher since Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff rushed for 113 yards in the first game of the season.
2. Defense keeps Northwestern in the game
Nebraska’s first drive looked too smooth for the ’Cats’ comfort. NU only forced the Cornhuskers to convert one third down on the series, as early down success propelled the hosts to a lead they held until the fourth quarter.
The defense only needed one more go at it to look more comfortable. On their next series, the ’Cats forced Nebraska to convert two fourth downs, and a timely sack from Hubbard killed the drive’s momentum. The discomfort led to a missed Nebraska field goal.
As the offense continued to struggle, the defense went on to pitch a shutout for the remainder of the first half, highlighted by Turner’s second forced fumble in two games.
The unit could only do so much about the 95-yard kickoff return touchdown and the Stone interception that set up the Cornhuskers 12 yards outside of the red zone.
Yet, they still showed up.
When Stone and his guys found the endzone, the defense helped them make further gains, forcing a punt after the first touchdown and Mac Uihlein’s fourth interception of the season after the second touchdown.
The unit did all it could until the very end.
3. Eligon, Komolafe jumpstart slow offense
A missed Cornhusker field goal in the second quarter was just what NU needed to even the score, yet the offense didn’t rise to the occasion, putting together a sloppy series capped off by a red zone field goal.
En route to their second field goal of the day, the offense had three dangerous plays. Komolafe let a pass zip right through his fingers and fall in a risky spot, Stone fumbled while pulling the ball away on a read option and the quarterback had a pass tipped in the red zone.
Stone continued to miss some throws throughout the game, which came back to bite him when he missed behind on a pass to Wilde and the ball was intercepted.
When NU needed to get back in the game, though, it turned to Eligon and Komolafe.
Eligon kept the first touchdown drive alive on multiple occasions. On the second play of the series, he and Stone connected for a 30-yard gain. When the unit made a game-changing decision to go for it on fourth down right outside the red zone, Eligon made a crucial grab while coming back towards the line to gain and earned a first down.
Komolafe’s four-yard rushing score came just over a minute later.
The pair showed up on the subsequent touchdown drive, as well. Komolafe scored his second touchdown of the day from 56 yards out, and Eligon tied the game up on his two-point conversion grab.
4. Nebraska’s dangerous return unit is inevitable
On Tuesday, special teams coordinator Paul Creighton told The Daily that Nebraska is a team that likes to change games with its special teams. The hosts’ unit is one of the best in the nation, powered by the returning skills of Jacory Barney Jr. and Williams.
Playing smart was the name of the game in mitigating the threat for Creighton. In the first half, NU only put the ball in the hands of a Nebraska returner once, when Williams took a kickoff return to his own 34-yard line.
A downed punt and a touchback on the other two attempts ensured that anything that happened occurred on the ’Cats’ terms. An additional missed Nebraska field goal gave the unit even more to be happy about.
With a chance to set the tone in the second half, though, the Cornhuskers returned to their typical ways, as Williams took the first kickoff after the break 95 yards to the house.
The Nebraska return unit has been setting new standards for the group, and its first kickoff return touchdown since 2017 did just that against NU.
5. ’Cats look towards final bye week of the season
For the final time this season, NU has a week off after Saturday’s heartbreaking loss.
Remaining on the slate for the ’Cats this season are matchups against USC, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Being just one win away from bowl eligibility, the break will be a time to reset after the team’s first loss since Sept. 13.
The key to earning that important sixth win will be consistency. If the second half NU was the team that played this whole game, there might have been a different result on the scoreboard.
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