The Nebraska Cornhuskers are bowl eligible for the primary time since 2016, ending their longest Power Four drought. Nebraska earned its sixth win of the season Saturday with a dominant 44-25 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.
As quickly because the clock hit zero, the Cornhuskers ran to the Wisconsin sideline to assert the Freedom Trophy as college students poured onto the sphere from the stands in celebration.
Fans at Nebraska RUSH Memorial Stadium after changing into bowl eligible for the primary time since 2016
The Cornhuskers did not simply finish their bowl-eligible drought. They additionally snapped a 10-game dropping streak in opposition to the Badgers, a four-game dropping streak that started in Week 8, and a nine-game dropping streak as they entered a matchup with 5 wins.
Under second-year coach Matt Rhule, Nebraska entered the weekend 0-8 because it tried to win a sixth sport to grow to be bowl eligible.
“The cloud hanging over all the things, it is gone,” stated Rhule, who envisions greater and higher issues for the Huskers. “This would be the final time we have a good time six wins.”
Nebraska began its season robust, leaping out to a 5-1 report, together with a marquee win over Colorado. Its solely loss in that span got here in time beyond regulation in opposition to a ranked Illinois workforce. However, the Cornhuskers have misplaced 4 straight in Big Ten play: 56-7 in opposition to Indiana, 21-17 in opposition to Ohio State, 27-20 in opposition to UCLA and 28-20 in opposition to USC.
After the loss to UCLA, Rhule turned the offense over to former Houston and West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. True freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola stated final week after the USC loss that he felt the offense had discovered its rhythm once more, even promising Husker Nation that they might get that elusive sixth win.
“We’ll simply proceed to develop that over the subsequent couple of weeks, and we’ll get the win subsequent week and get us to the bowl,” Raiola told journalists in the post-match presser.
Raiola stored each guarantees. Against Wisconsin, he threw for 293 yards and a landing and accomplished 28 of 38 passes, together with eight for at the least 15 yards. Nebraska scored a season-high 44 factors, marking the primary time since 2021 that the Cornhuskers have scored greater than 40 factors in a number of video games in a season. And after the ultimate sport of the common season subsequent week in opposition to Iowa, they’re going to go to a bowl sport.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(Want nice tales delivered straight to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, observe leagues, groups and gamers to obtain a personalised e-newsletter day by day.)
Get extra from College Football Follow your favorites to get data on video games, information and extra
