The Nebraska Cornhuskers rallied from a 20-3 deficit to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, 30-27, improving to 1-0 in Big Ten play on the season.
The Huskers fans over at Corn Nation, SB Nation's Nebraska Cornhuskers blog, gave Nebraska's linebackers an 'A' grade for their performance on Saturday, perhaps providing the difference between a win and a loss:
While Nebraska's linebackers were no match for UCLA's Johnathan Franklin, they were more than ready to deal with Montee Ball. And as the game went on, they got stronger and stronger. Not having to worry about Joel Stave scrambling probably has something to do with that, but all three linebackers were playmakers against Wisconsin.Will Compton had three tackles for loss and led the Huskers with 10 tackles total. Sean Fisher came up with a key stop of Ball on third and one to force a Badger punt in the third quarter. And Alonzo Whaley made the game-clinching play when you had to figure that Ball would somehow get that last half-yard. Grade: A
Ball was held to 90 yards on 32 carries, good for a 2.8 yards per rush average. Ball, though, did score three touchdowns.
Still, holding Ball to a 2.8 yards per carry average certainly deserves praise – and the Huskers linebackers received just that from Corn Nation.
Nebraska head to Ohio St. on Saturday night as Big Ten play continues, while Wisconsin plays host to Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
