3 takeaways from Nebraska’s much-needed win over Northwestern

Saturday’s win over Northwestern wasn’t memorable for Nebraska football. It’s not a game fans will talk about for years to come, but regardless, it was a win that was needed in the worst way.

You could feel the nervous energy in the stadium after Northwestern rallied from 15 points down to tie the score, 21-21, then intercepted Dylan Raiola to be in a position to take the lead.

It would have been classic Nebraska. At least over the past 10 years. But this was different. Just like it was different against Michigan State and Maryland. Javin Wright picked off a pass. Dylan Raiola converted four consecutive third downs, and Emmett Johnson found the end zone.

The defense got a stop, and Nebraska football got a 28-21 win that wasn’t “pretty” by any means. Nebraska football fans shouldn’t care about that. This team is 6-2 and has a huge game next week. Yes, a football game in November with, dare I say, playoff implications?

Here are three takeaways from a much-needed win over Northwestern.

Nebraska embraced playing ugly

If the Huskers had played this way against Minnesota, they probably would have won the game or at least had a chance. The run defense was still a problem, but instead of rushing for 40 yards, Nebraska football ran for 155. Emmett Johnson had six carries for 38 yards on the opening drive. It set the tone.

The Huskers only managed 296 yards of total offense. This game had 120 plays, about 10 more than last week, but that’s how Northwestern plays. They want to shorten the game, play good defense, and force you into mistakes.

Nebraska did make a few. Raiola had two turnovers. The Huskers keep struggling in the red zone — leaving points on the board again. But after being challenged as they were, Nebraska just needed a win.

Northwestern was 5-2 and 3-1 in the Big Ten. People will try to tell you this wasn’t a good win, or that it was sloppy. Don’t let them.

This is exactly what Nebraska needed.

Emmett Johnson is the most important player on this team

Saturday’s game was a major test for Dana Holgorsen, and he passed it with flying colors. Yes, I know there were calls people had an issue with, but criticizing individual play calls is folly.

What you can’t question is giving Emmett Johnson the ball 27 times for 124 yards. That’s exactly what the doctor ordered for this offense.

I wondered if Holgorsen knew what it takes to win this kind of game. The fact that he fed Johnson from start to finish tells me that he does. Johnson also caught two passes for 15 yards, including a critical third-and-seven pickup on the game-winning drive.

Dylan Raiola might be Nebraska’s most talented player. He’s also the most highly-touted. Yet, he’s still just a sophomore. For all the weapons at wide receiver, Emmett Johnson is what makes this offense go.

I’m not sure if Johnson’s body will hold up getting close to 30 touches a game over the next four games, but what choice does Nebraska have? 21 passing attempts for Raiola was perfect. I’d love to see the same over the next month.

The Huskers leaned into the running game on Saturday, and as long as they keep doing it with the Big Ten’s leading rusher, they will keep winning, even if it’s ugly.

Nebraska football responded in the trenches

On both sides of the ball, the lines should be commended. It wasn’t perfect on either side. Yet, Nebraska ran for 155 yards and allowed just one sack.

I’ll take that any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Northwestern got some big runs in the second half. The pass rush also didn’t get a sack. Yet, the Wildcats weren’t able to impose their will like Minnesota did a week ago.

The one-third quarter drive was probably the closest thing to that. The long run was a backbreaker, however, that’s who the Huskers are at this point.

They are a team with a flawed run defense. It’s not ideal, but as long as the offensive line doesn’t fall apart, that one weakness can be managed, especially because special teams, which was a major weakness, is now an incredible strength.

Even with 170 rushing yards allowed, the defensive effort was better. Hell, it was good enough to win the game.

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