Nebraska took on Northwestern and true to some expectations the game was not pretty on the eyes and featured a number of potentially crippling moments. But the Huskers stood tall and escaped with another victory, getting one step closer to a bowl game.
There were several strong performances in the contest as the Huskers relied heavily on its defense and a few timely plays on offense.
So who earned game balls on Saturday? Let’s take a look:
Malachi Coleman: Matt Rhule pointed to Tom Osborne’s box after the Coleman touchdown. A hat tip to a friendly coaching tip from a legend.
Because Osborne had spoken with coaches in film study how if you’re going to run the belly G option, you should mix in a throw off it too. It was an old-school Husker play come to life for a 44-yard touchdown that gave the Big Red the distance they needed. It’s also the kind of play that can vault a young guy’s confidence. As the injuries keep piling it up, it’s all on those young gun receivers now. Coleman certainly made his first touchdown in a Nebraska uniform a memorable one.
Isaac Gifford: A game ball after the outstanding Illinois game, but that won’t happen on Saturday. Gifford was terrific again.
The defensive back made the play of the game by reading and reacting to a screen pass from Northwestern on third down that looked like it was going to go for at least a first down, but Gifford adjusted charged to the sideline, evaded two linemen and stopped the play. That was the most visible moment, but Gifford also had six other tackles, credited for a half sack and finished with a tackle for a loss. Nebraska coaches couldn’t stop talking about Gifford in the spring and this fall he’s emerged as one of the best playmakers on the team.
Nash Hutmacher: To say Northwestern’s offensive line was struggling with Nebraska’s front would be an understatement.
Nash Hutmacher led the charge for the Huskers in the middle of the defensive line, notching seven tackles, 2.5 sacks. The tackle and sack totals were both career-highs for Hutmacher. On the day, the Husker defense had 13 tackles for loss and Hutmacher was once again the tip of the spear for the Husker defense. Through seven games, Hutmacher now has 26 tackles, six for loss and four sacks and is playing at an all-conference-like level this season.
