No. 11 Wisconsin hands No. 7 Nebraska its first loss, in OT

MADISON, Wis. -- Safety D'Cota Dixon turned around in the end zone and extended his right arm in front of receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. to swat away Nebraska's desperation pass on fourth down.

This time, No. 11 Wisconsin found a way to finish in overtime.

Dare Ogunbowale scored on an 11-yard run in overtime, the defense followed up with a clutch stop and the Badgers held on to beat No. 7 Nebraska 23-17 on Saturday night to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss of the season.

Unlike two weeks ago against Ohio State, the Badgers (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) won in the extra period after watching a lead slip away in regulation.

"We were in the same predicament two weeks ago, we know how to finish it out," cornerback Sojourn Shelton said.

The giddy Badgers rushed from the sideline to meet Dixon in the end zone after turning away the pass from Tommy Armstrong Jr. on fourth-and-8 from the 23. Tested Wisconsin picked up its third victory over a Top 10 program, a school first.

Nebraska (7-1, 4-1) gained respect after coming back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Drew Brown's 35-yard field goal with 3:43 left tied it at 17.

"We didn't have anything to prove," Armstrong said. "We had to fight hard to get back in the game."

Wisconsin had a chance to win it with 1:43 left, but Andrew Endicott's 45-yard field-goal try went wide left. Endicott also missed the extra point following Ogunbowale's touchdown.

But a tough-as-nails defense bailed out the Badgers again.

"It wasn't ideal but we had a shot," Nebraska coach Mike Riley said about the fourth-down incompletion that ended the game.

Armstrong finished 12 of 31 for 153 yards. He ran for 39 yards on 13 carries, including a 2-yard score with 13:45 left in the fourth quarter to draw Nebraska within 17-14.

Needing just 11 yards to go over 10,000 in total offense for his career, Armstrong set the mark in the first quarter to become just the 11th player in Big Ten history to reach that milestone.

But he also threw two interceptions in the first half, including one on a pass tipped by lineman Alec James. It set up Endicott's 44-yard field goal with 6:53 to go in the second quarter for a 10-7 lead that Wisconsin would hold through halftime.

"The defense fought back today. We're really resilient," inside linebacker Leon Jacobs said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers played well against a top team after being doubted by pundits for a slate of less-than-impressive wins. But that's probably little consolation to coach Riley's crew. Regardless, the game will look good on Nebraska's postseason resume.

"I will say that everything I know about our team is confirmed. We continue to fight," Riley said.

Wisconsin: The Badgers shuffled offensive-line combinations again and gave backup quarterback Bart Houston several series, including the game-winning drive in overtime. They had trouble early getting traction in the running game, except for Bradrick Shaw's 21-yard touchdown run up the middle in the first quarter to give Wisconsin a 7-0 lead. The Cornhuskers fell for a fake jet sweep on that play. Corey Clement had just 15 yards on eight carries in the first half, before finishing with 82 for the night. Wisconsin may want to see what transpires next week by sticking with one combination for a while.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Nebraska: Riley's team figures to fall behind Wisconsin in the next AP Top 25 poll , but probably won't tumble more than a couple spots following a close loss on the road. Losses by other Top 10 teams Baylor and West Virginia should also help cushion the Cornhuskers' fall.

Wisconsin: The Badgers could rise as much as three spots after beating the Big Ten West Division leader. They will also benefit from losses by Baylor and West Virginia.

STAT LINES

Nebraska: S Nathan Gerry had interceptions on back-to-back series in the fourth quarter. ... RB Terrell Newby had a team-high 77 yards on 17 carries.

Wisconsin: Ogunbowale finished with 120 yards on 11 carries. ... Jacobs and Ryan Connelly each had 11 tackles. They replaced Jack Cichy, who is out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The trip to Camp Randall Stadium was just a warm-up act for the Cornhuskers, who travel to the Horseshoe to face No. 6 Ohio State next week.

Wisconsin: Visits Northwestern next week. The Badgers in recent years have had trouble at Ryan Field.