Call it momentum. Call it energy. Call it whatever you want, but as Nebraska lined up for a critical third-and-ten-late in the third quarter of it’s game against Michigan State, a dismal current seemed to be sweeping away hope for the win and hope for the season. The Huskers, trailing by a touchdown, had surrendered the last 21 points, managed to gain only 19 yards in its last 25 plays, and looked incapable of blocking a single Spartan.
It felt dire.
Then Dylan Raiola dropped back, dashed up and right of the pocket, and launched a pass to a wide open Jacory Barney for a 45-yard connection. The play flipped the flow, shattered the tension, and reignited the Big Red’s mojo.
From there, the Huskers seized back control—after a dominant start, a brutal second and third quarter, and numerous fizzling fuses—Nebraska finally delivered enough spark to blow the lid off the Spartans to finish with a 38-27 victory.