A 46-yard field goal by kicker Rafael Gaglianone lifted the Wisconsin Badgers (4-2) to a stunning 23-21 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-4) in Lincoln -- a game which Mike Riley's Huskers seemed to have in the bag. Here's three things we learned from yet another disappointing day for Nebraska.
1. Nebraska Can't Seal The Deal
Nebraska is only a few plays away from being 6-0 this season. They lost on a Hail Mary to BYU, lost in OT to Miami, on a touchdown on the last play of scrimmage agaisnt Illinois and on a last-minute field goal to Wisconsin - all of which are games they could have easily salted away. Had they done that, Nebraska winning the Big Ten West would be on the docket. Now they'll have to fight just to get into a bowl.
2. Wisconsin Is Trying New Things
Saturday marks just the fourth time in Wisconsin program history that the team has attempted 50 or more passes. Joel Stave completed 25 of those for 322 yards. While it wasn't an efficient outing in the least, today showed just how crafty new Badgers head coach Paul Chryst can be when his back's against the wall. Wisconsin airing it out in a MAJOR way? Has the world spun off its axis?
3. We're Not Sure What's Wrong In Lincoln
There's a key cog missing in the engine room of this Nebraska team. Whether it's the mystical "killer instinct" or just the right conditioning to hold pat down the stretch of games, the Huskers just don't have the added oomph necessary to be one of the game's elite teams. We're not ready to blame Mike Riley for all of Nebraska's problems, but we're sure worried that he may not have the right mentality to run the show in Lincoln.