Dante Dowdell and Janiran Bonner scored on short runs, and Nebraska relied on its strong defense as Dylan Raiola struggled, leading to a 14-7 victory over Rutgers on Saturday.
The Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) won in the hottest October game ever at Memorial Stadium, moving one win closer to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.
The Scarlet Knights (4-1, 1-1) had trouble with their offense for most of the game but made it a close match with 4:08 left when Athan Kaliakmanis threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ben Black.
“In many ways it was a tough day,” said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule. “Credit to Rutgers, credit to Greg Schiano. They did a ton of things against us. But we didn’t turn the ball over but once. We won the turnover battle. And it was as great a defensive performance as I’ve been around.”
The temperature at kickoff was 97 degrees with a gusty wind, making it hard for both teams to pass the ball effectively.
“I’ve been doing this 37 years. I’ve not been in conditions like we were today,” Schiano said. “Usually, if you have a wind like that, it’s a storm, some kind of hurricane, tropical storm.”
Raiola, Nebraska’s freshman quarterback, struggled to find his rhythm, completing only 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards, which were his lowest numbers of the season.
“Those games happen, hate to say it,” Raiola said. “We won the game, which is all that matters.”
The defense’s performance would surely impress former Nebraska star Ndamukong Suh, who was there for his induction into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame. Suh led the Huskers out of the tunnel before the game.
During the match, the Blackshirts sacked Kaliakmanis four times, held the nation’s third-leading rusher, Kyle Monangai, to 78 yards on 19 carries, and limited Rutgers to 264 total yards. Kaliakmanis completed 15 of 37 passes for 136 yards and was intercepted twice. Nebraska also kept Rutgers from scoring six times on plays from inside the 2-yard line.
