Nebraska Football v. Northwestern // Corbey Dorsey Photography
LINCOLN – It wasn’t always pretty, but Nebraska took down Northwestern in a 17-9 win at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers and Wildcats entered the conference matchup both 3-3 on the season, with each team coming off of their bye week the week prior.
Nebraska began with the football, but was immediately put into dangerous territory as Heinrich Haarberg threw an interception on the first offensive play of the game.
Northwestern could not advance the ball on the turnover, as the Wildcats spotted the ball inside of the Huskers one yard line. Nebraska avoided disaster, but could not move further past their own three as the first punt came from Nebraska’s Brian Buschini.
The Blackshirts stepped up again, putting Northwestern into a three-and-out giving another Wildcat punt.
The Huskers offense continued to move backwards, as Billy Kemp nearly fumbled the ball back to Northwestern. The Huskers held the possession for only another play, as Thomas Fidone deflected a pass into the Wildcat defense as Northwestern earned their second interception of the quarter.
A sack by Nebraska pushed the Wildcats back to the 33 yard line, as the Blackshirts kept the Huskers in the contest. Northwestern did earn the first points of the game however, connecting a 45 yard field goal taking the lead 3-0 in the first quarter.
Haarberg made up for his early mistakes, converting a critical third down near midfield to keep drive going for Nebraska. The Huskers could not get the next chance, dropping a pass to bringing on freshman Tristan Alvano. The former Westside Warrior converted the long kick, tying the game at 3-3 with 3:11 left in the first.
The Husker defense – aided by a critical false start penalty against Northwestern – stopped the Wildcats cold on their next drive bringing on the third punt of the quarter for the visitors.
As the second quarter started, Nebraska’s offense again stalled twice, punting twice on back-to-back drives.
Nebraska did give up another Northwestern field goal, as the Huskers trailed 6-3 in the second.
Northwestern – playing with the lead – began to cede yards to the Husker offense as the Big Red attack appeared to wake up before halftime. Moving the ball into Wildcat territory, Haarberg rumbled off a carry into the Northwestern red zone, converting a first down. Two plays later, the Kearney Catholic native rumbled in for a short yardage score on the first touchdown of the game.
Nebraska would entire halftime leading 10-6.
Northwestern had the opening possession of the second half. A false start, a dropped pass, and a misread screen brought on another three-and-out.
Nebraska barely held onto the football on their following drive, with two fumbles luckily recovered by the Big Red. An incompletion brought up another Buschini punt.
Northwestern’s most productive offensive drive was emphasized by a deep shot into Husker territory. Nebraska’s defense would force a stop, preventing a trick play conversion and bringing on a 54 yard attempt by Northwestern’s Jack Olson. The kick was short, keeping Nebraska up 10-6.
The Husker offense continued to be anemic, going three-and-out and punting.
Following another Wildcat punt, Emmett Johnson gashed the defense for a twenty yard gain, finally giving some relief to the offense. The Big Red could not keep the ball rolling, with another punt oncoming.
As the third quarter came to an end, Nebraska held their lead 10-6.
The Blackshirts defense stepped up again, getting a sack to prevent any damage by Northwestern. Following a Wildcat punt, the offense put it all together for the biggest play of the day.
Haarberg fired downfield to Lincoln native and freshman Malachi Coleman for his first career touchdown for the Big Red. Nebraska began to pull away, up 17-6 in the fourth quarter.
Northwestern’s offense awoke, striking on a big play down the Wildcat sideline into goal-to-go territory. The Blackshirts once again stood tall, giving up only a field goal as Nebraska kept their lead up 17-9.
The Husker offense aimed to burn time and churn out first downs, but faltered near midfield as Nebraska had to punt again.
As per usual, the Blackshirts stepped up again to give the ball back to their offense. Haarberg began to milk the clock and churn yardage. Nebraska forced Northwestern into using two of their timeouts of the second half, as the Huskers were stalled at midfield.
After the Huskers punt, Northwestern faced a pass happy Northwestern. An early scramble converted a first down, while the next play converted the second first down on a pass strike. The Blackshirts flexed defensively, creating a sack with less than two minutes to play.
Nebraska iced the game out with a final sack on fourth and long.
The Huskers improved to 4-3 on the year, while Northwestern falls to 3-4. Nebraska hosts Purdue next Saturday at 2:30 PM.
