If you’re looking for a shootout to watch on Saturday night, you probably knew better than to tune in for No. 7 Nebraska and No. 11 Wisconsin.
The Big Ten West showdown was a defensive struggle for the most part in the first half as the Badgers held onto a narrow 10-7 lead after the second quarter in a game that was as ugly as the scoreline indicated.
The Cornhuskers entered the contest undefeated thanks in part because of the solid play from quarterback Tommy Armstrong but he has not been able to continue that against one of the best defenses in the country, going just 4-of-13 for 59 yards and two interceptions. It probably says plenty about the Badgers’ front seven that tailback Terrell Newby led the team in rushing with just 43 yards on the ground.
It’s not like the Wisconsin offense looked all that much better though, using a two play drive to score their only touchdown. Running back Corey Clement had just 15 yards on eight carries and was one reason why the team struggled to convert on third down (2-of-8). The Alex Hornibrook/Bart Houston tandem at quarterback failed to get much of anything going in the passing game, going a combined 8-of-14 for just 82 yards in the first half.
The Badgers do get the ball back to start the third quarter and, based on how things have gone so far, it probably won’t take many more points to wrap this one up and take down yet another team from the ranks of the undefeated today.