Emmett Johnson put Nebraska ahead with 2:44 to go with a four-yard touchdown run and the Cornhuskers hung on to defeat Northwestern, 28-21, Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The victory was a solid response to Nebraska’s (6-2, 3-2) loss at Minnesota last week and clinched bowl eligibility for the Huskers for the second straight year after a seven-year absence from college football’s postseason.
Johnson was the focal point of Nebraska’s offensive attack all game, rushing 27 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns, his fourth 100 rushing yard-game of the season.
The focus on Johnson started on the first drive. He carried six times for 38 yards on the opening drive as the Huskers churned from their 31 to the end zone. Naturally, Johnson finished the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to give Nebraska a 7-0 lead. On the ensuing drive, Northwestern (5-3, 3-2) drove from their 25 to the Huskers’ 22, before settling for a Jack Olsen 40-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 with 3:28 remaining in the first quarter.
It looked as if Nebraska would answer on the following drive, as it moved from the 34 to the Wildcats 24. But on second-and-nine, Dylan Raiola was sacked for the only time on the day, and the drive was thwarted. Things went from bad to worse when the normally-reliable Kyle Cunanan missed a 44-yard field goal, leaving the Huskers empty on a 14-play, seven-minute, 37-second drive. Northwestern embarked on a similar drive, meandering 67 yards on 15 plays over seven-and-a-half minutes before settling for an Olsen 25-yard field goal, cutting Nebraska’s lead to 7-6 with 3:01 to go until halftime, and that was the score as the Huskers went to the locker room for halftime, the same score (albeit reversed) that the Huskers had going to half with Minnesota before the second half disaster.
It took all of 13 seconds in the second half for the picture to change. Kenneth Williams caught the opening kickoff at his five-yard line near the right hash mark, looped to the left and turned on the afterburners to return the kick for a touchdown, the first kickoff returned for a touchdown by a Husker since JD Spielman took a kick for a touchdown against Arkansas State on Sept. 2, 2017. The teams traded punts on their next drive, but Nebraska took the ball away from Northwestern with 8:43 to go in the third quarter, as Donovan Jones picked off Preston Stone. Two Johnson runs plus a penalty moved the ball to the 12, and Raiola found Nyziah Hunter on the left sideline of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown to push the lead to 21-6 with 7:39 to go in the third quarter.
But in case any Husker fans thought it would be easy, the Wildcats marched on their ensuing drive, nine plays, 78 yards in over five minutes, aided by a questionable review of a fourth down conversion. But Caleb Komolafe ran in from five yards out to get Northwestern on the board in the second half, cutting the Nebraska lead to 21-13 with 2:25 to go in the third.
The Huskers had to punt on the next drive and Archie Wilson boomed it 58 yards into the end zone for a touchback and the Wildcats started their drive at their 20. A pass interference call sparked Northwestern’s drive, and Komolafe darted around the right end for a 56-yard touchdown. Stone found Hunter Eligon II on the two-point conversion to tie the game.
Things seemed to brighten when the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds. But on the first play of the drive, Raiola threw an interception directly to Mac Uihlein, putting the Wildcats at the Nebraska 34. The Blackshirts stiffened, though. After allowing six yards on the first two plays, Northwestern committed a holding penalty on third down, pushing the ball back to the 36. Stone was intercepted by Javin Wright, and Nebraska took over at its 36 with 9:11 to go.
This time, the Huskers took advantage of the opportunity. Raiola, who had been up and down all game, was five-for-seven for 47 yards. But it was Johnson who finished the drive, plowing in from four yards out for a touchdown to give Nebraska the lead back, a 13-play, 64-yard drive that covered 6 minutes, 27 seconds.
Northwestern got the ball back at its 26 with 2:40 to go. Nerves were irritated after the first two passes gained 35 yards to take the Wildcats to the Nebraska 39. But again the Blackshirts rose to the occasion. After two complete passes and a short pass that gained four yards, on fourth-and-six from the 35, Javin Wright hurried Stone, who threw incomplete to Wilde. Two Johnson carries gained 16 yards and allowed the Huskers to run out the clock.
Raiola finished the game 16-for-22, 141 yards, a touchdown and an interception. In a marked improvement from last week, Raiola was sacked just once. His top target was Hunter, who had six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Komolafe paced the Northwestern attack with 17 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Stone finished 15-for-29 with 159 yards and two interceptions. Eligon was the leading receiver with four catches for 48 yards. Rex Guthrie led the Blackshirts with eight tackles, while Robert Fitzgerald was the Wildcats’ top defender with nine tackles, including one for a loss.
Nebraska now prepares to host USC, which was off this weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium, with pregame coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. on KLIN and Froggy 98.