The Badgers lost possession of the Freedom Trophy for the first time since its inception, as they ironically played like the Nebraska of recent years — mental mistakes, poor situational play — and allowed the Huskers to become bowl eligible.
BadgerBlitz.com has grades and game balls from Wisconsin's 44-25 loss in Lincoln.
OFFENSE: C+
Wisconsin moved the ball to the tune of 407 yards. That wasn't the problem. The issue was a complete breakdown in terms of situational football.
The Badgers had a hard time moving the sticks, and finished 3-for-10 on third down. Their inability to pick up a 4th-and-1 remains alive and well, as their attempt to convert with Tawee Walker on the second drive of the second half was stopped well short.
The defense gifted the offense a turnover, setting Wisconsin up on Nebraska's 17 yard-line. After a three-and-out and a missed field goal, the score stayed right where it was. That can't happen.
But the most mystifying situational blunder of them all came right before the half. With 17 seconds on the clock, the Badgers feasibly had time to try to move the ball though the air to get in field goal range. They also could've just taken a knee and let the clock expire. Those were the two options, the aggressive call and the conservative one.
Wisconsin did neither. It ran the ball, which doesn't necessarily give you a shot at the field goal, and while it runs the clock out, it does so at great risk of a turnover. Naturally, Walker proceeded to coughed up the football, allowing Nebraska to tack on three points right before halftime.
Quarterback Braedyn Locke actually played a very solid game. He threw for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception that absolutely wasn't his fault. He completed 67 percent of his passes. Some of his issues still persist, like flat-out missed throws and passes batted at the line of scrimmage, but Locke was much better in his first game without Phil Longo calling plays.
The Badgers ran for 115 yards on 4.6 yards-per-carry, but even those already pedestrian numbers are deceiving. Wisconsin couldn't run the ball when it wanted to, and the running game's lack of success early contributed to the massive deficit.
Bryson Green's return put a lot more stress on Nebraska's secondary, and he caught his first two touchdowns of the 2024 season. With Green, Vinny Anthony and Trech Kekauna, that's a legitimate trio of receivers. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, it may only have one more game with all three on the roster.
There were some signs of life from this unit, but they remained too few and far between. There's pieces to get excited about — Anthony, Kekahuna, Darrion Dupree — but still, nothing feels like it comes easy for this group. The imminent schematic overhaul in Madison will be extremely welcome.
