After first-half goose egg, here’s how the Huskers came alive for 29 second-half points | Football

Time and time again, Rahmir Johnson ran up the gut to little success during the first half of Michigan’s 32-29 win at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska’s stellar rushing attack that entered Saturday night averaging 237.5 yards per game went missing against a stout Michigan front seven, and the Huskers entered the halftime break without a point on the scoreboard.

Maybe the old game plan went to the trash can because Nebraska’s second-half turnaround came to fruition immediately.

On the opening drive of the second half, Nebraska called just one designed run. Instead, senior tight end Austin Allen split the Michigan defense for a 46-yard receiving touchdown and the Husker passing game roared to life, finally.

“We just had the mentality in the first half that we knew we had a lot of stuff left in our arsenal to run, so we were confident in that aspect,” Allen said. “We knew after the first half we could battle with those guys.”

After holding Nebraska below 100 passing yards in the first half, the Michigan defense got a taste of a clicking Husker offense the rest of the way. The Huskers went back to some of the option looks that flustered Northwestern last week, and it sprung a big play on a 41-yard touchdown toss to Rahmir Johnson.

Then, when senior safety Deontai Williams made a game-changing interception late in the third quarter, Nebraska wasted no time getting back to its passing offense. It took one throw, 13 yards from Martinez to Levi Falck, for the Huskers to gain their first lead of the game.