Gut reactions: Nebraska football clinches bowl berth

The long wait for Nebraska football is over.

After eight years and a lot of suffering, the bowl drought is finally over thanks to a resounding 44-25 win over Wisconsin on Saturday.

It was Senior Day for Nebraska football and what better way to send out guys like Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher, Heinrich Haarberg, and DeShon Singleton?

They have been through it all. Matt Rhule has been through it, too, this season. He fired his offensive coordinator and brought in one off the street in Game 10.

Well, it worked. Dana Holgorsen called a masterpiece. It was the first 30-point game in Big Ten play under Matt Rhule and the first 40-point game total under the second-year head coach with the Huskers.

The Huskers hadn’t beaten Wisconsin in a decade, but after Dylan Raiola hit Jahmal Banks for a touchdown late in the second quarter — followed by a Wisconsin fumble (forced by Robinson) and made a field goal — it was all she wrote.

10 points in 11 seconds erased a lot of hurt and in the second half, Raiola was flawless. He looked like a five-star throwing for 293 yards. He completed 28-of-38 passes and looked as cool as the other side of the pillow.

Nebraska’s wide receivers stepped up and so did Emmett Johnson — in a big way. Johnson rushed for 113 yards and hauled in six passes for 85 yards.  The Huskers had 473 yards of total offense. 180 on the ground and here are the gut reactions from a program-changing win.

Gut reactions from Nebraska football win over Wisconsin

• Thank you, Matt Rhule. You have helped this program take a huge step forward.
• Dylan Raiola looked like a five-star quarterback. That was a huge difference in the game. Even when Wisconsin made a run, it didn’t matter.
• Dana Holgorsen deserves a blank check.
• Matt Rhule deserves immense credit for hiring him.
• The running backs and wide receivers responded after getting called out.
• It was so fun to kick the crap out of Wisconsin.
• Nebraska football has a kicker. John Hohl went a perfect 3/3.
• Ty Robinson, Nash, and all of the seniors deserve it. Can’t express how happy I am that these dudes will get to play in a bowl game.
• This is a program-changing win. Nebraska feels like it could win out. Iowa certainly better watch out because now, the monkey is off the back of the Huskers and I bet it changes a lot.
• A bowl game will be massive and not just for the extra practices (recruiting).
• The 2024 season is a success.
• GO BIG RED!

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