How Wisconsin's defense bounced back to score a comeback victory after Nebraska's early surge

MADISON – The most significant play of the day for the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday night was a team effort.

Early in the second quarter, Nebraska lined up with a two tight end package for a fourth-and-1 play from the UW 33. The Cornhuskers were chewing up yards at that point, averaging 8.4 per play, and on the verge of adding to their 14-point lead.

But instead of falling deeper into trouble, the Badgers made the play that sparked a 24-17 overtime victory.

UW’s three-man front of James Thompson, Rodas Johnson and Ben Barten got a good push that clogged up any running lanes in the middle of the formation. Meanwhile, cornerback Ricardo Hallman came off the edge and got a piece of running back Emmett Johnson's leg before he reached the hole, and outside linebacker C.J. Goetz finished the play.

"I just felt like we've been a fragile team and we needed something big to happen early. Well, it didn't,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “But after that big fourth-down stop, there was a definite change in momentum on our sideline, within our team, but also within the stadium.”

Wisconsin’s defense has played well in stretches this season. Saturday was the Badgers’ longest of the season. After allowing 151 yards and 14 points in the first two possessions, they held Nebraska to 213 yards and three points over its final nine possessions.

The Cornhuskers went from averaging 12.6 yards per play during their first two drives to 4.2 the rest of the night.

“The biggest thing was all the guys, we had our backs against the wall and just clawed and clawed our way out of it and just really came together and played complementary football and ended up getting the W,” said Goetz, a graduate of Catholic Memorial High School.

The performance marked the fourth time in Big Ten play that Wisconsin didn’t allow a touchdown in the second half. The Badgers also didn’t allow Iowa, Indiana or Northwestern to reach the end zone in the second half.

“I think it was a matter of tackling and a little bit of execution,” junior safety Preston Zachman said. “Coach Fickell always talks about starting fast and we did the exact opposite of that, but I think the good thing was we stayed calm and were able to collect ourselves, and I think the rest of the game we were pretty sound.”

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UW plays without leading tackler Hunter Wohler in second half

Much of the performance came with Hunter Wohler, the team’s leading tackler, on the sideline for the second half.

The junior safety, a graduate of Muskego High School, appeared to suffer a concussion after blasting receiver Billy Kemp following a 6-yard gain on the final possession of the first half. Wohler immediately took himself out of the game.

In his absence, Zachman filled Wohler’s linebacker/safety role in the team’s Dollar package, while Kamo’l Latu, who has been recovering from injury, and Travian Blalock, who’d fallen on the depth chart, played more than expected.

“He's a rock and he's the guy that makes a lot of things go,” Fickell said. “And he's done a lot of different things for us, and when they came back at halftime and said he wasn't going to be able to go, we had to throw it on guys' shoulders.”

Badgers shore up tackling after early misses

The bulk of Nebraska’s early yards came on plays that shouldn’t have gone for nearly as long as they did.

When quarterback Chubba Purdy scored on a 55-yard run on the sixth play from scrimmage, he eluded cornerback Jason Maitre in the backfield.

And on Purdy’s 58-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Lloyd with 6 minutes left in the first quarter, Hallman missed a tackle near the 35 and Nyzier Fourqurean had a chance at about the 30.

Wisconsin limits Nebraska's big plays

After that the Badgers defense allowed just two plays of 20 yards or longer. The Cornhuskers went scoreless for seven straight possessions, finishing In UW territory just once during that stretch.

That streak ended with a nine-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a 30-yard field goal by Tristan Alvano with 4 seconds in regulation.

UW, however, closed the game in impressive fashion, not allowing any positive yards on four overtime snaps for Nebraska. Zachman ended the game with an interception on a fourth-and-16 play that started on the 31.

For the first time in 28 days Wisconsin left the field a winner.

“Winning solves a lot of issues,” Goetz said. “For us seniors, for us to be able to finish out our last game like this sets an example to the freshmen and the younger guys. The Freedom Trophy has never been in Nebraska and we were able to keep that streak alive.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Wisconsin's defense bounced back after Nebraska's early surge