Nebraska spent Saturday off after Friday night’s 24-13 loss at Illinois. The rest of its schedule did not. Rutgers, next up for the 5-4 Huskers, lost 31-10 at Wisconsin. Ohio State lost at home to Oregon. Iowa won at Northwestern. And the new AP poll, released Sunday, has both of Nebraska’s final two opponents in the Top 25.
Nebraska needs one more win to reach six and bowl eligibility. Here is what the weekend said about the three games left.
Rutgers: 2-7 and stuck in the mud
The Scarlet Knights were tied 10-10 in the second quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin scored the last 21 points. Per the ESPN box score, Rutgers finished with 255 total yards, ran 36 times for 94 yards (2.6 per carry), went 4 of 13 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. It did not turn the ball over.
AJ Surace completed 14 of 24 passes for 161 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. His one score was a 30-yard throw to Dyzier Carter. Antwan Raymond led the ground game with 56 yards on 15 carries, and Ben Black III caught six passes for 70 yards. Jack Scullion added a 45-yard field goal.
Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins went 18 of 24 for 241 yards and three touchdowns, the last a 66-yarder to Jacob Harris early in the fourth quarter. Gavin Lahm kicked field goals of 51, 26 and 22 yards. The announced crowd was 66,310.
Rutgers is 2-7 overall and 1-5 in Big Ten play. Its wins are over Howard (58-7) and Maryland (37-30). Nebraska plays at SHI Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11:30 a.m. Central on BTN.
Ohio State: down 10 spots
Oregon won 41-28 at Ohio Stadium in front of 103,551. The Buckeyes, No. 11 a week ago, fell to No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the coaches poll. Ohio State is 6-3 with back-to-back losses after a 30-18 defeat at USC on Oct. 31. Oregon, which beat Nebraska 17-14 on Oct. 17, re-entered the AP poll at No. 18.
Ohio State visits Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 21. A kickoff time has not been set.
Iowa: up five
Iowa won 24-10 at Northwestern on Saturday night and moved from No. 21 to No. 16 in the AP poll and No. 15 in the coaches poll. The Hawkeyes are 7-2 and host Purdue next before a trip to Illinois. Nebraska plays at Kinnick Stadium on Friday, Nov. 27, at 11 a.m. Central on CBS.
Where Nebraska sits
Nebraska did not receive a vote in either poll. Illinois drew 13 points in the coaches poll. Three of Nebraska’s four losses came by a combined 13 points: 20-17 to Indiana, 17-14 at Oregon and 17-10 to Washington. Indiana is No. 6 in this week’s AP poll.
The math is simple. Win at Rutgers and the Huskers are bowl eligible before Ohio State and Iowa come into view.
Featured image: Photo: Staff Sgt. Lisa Crawford, Nebraska National Guard. Public domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nebraska_Guard_supports_Huskers_2023_Veterans_Day_football_game_(53325405946).jpg.
