The bad games after tough results against top teams continued for the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday as they suffered an ugly 44-25 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, snapping a 10-game winning streak in the rivalry.

The loss drops Wisconsin to 5-6 on the season, needing a win against the Minnesota Gophers in the season finale to qualify for bowl play in what is proving to be an ugly year in Madison.

Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 44-25 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday.

Energy shifts again

After last weekend’s loss to the Oregon Ducks, you could tell it was going to be a tough week for the Badgers. It was the second time they had a top-five opponent come to Madison, played close until the fourth quarter and came up short in a big game.

However, last week’s loss was particularly tough as Wisconsin had opportunities time and time again to pull out a victory on their home court, fighting hard throughout the final minute and ultimately falling just short again.

When I spoke to the defensive players after the game, it was clear that this was going to weigh on them. Linebacker Jake Chaney reminisced about his career at Wisconsin, acknowledging that the team had not won a major game in his four years with the program, despite having plenty of opportunities to do so.

Due to the state of the locker room, it was unclear how Wisconsin might respond. Yes, it is important to wash away the heavy losses and move on, but how can they do that? In the midst of a season full of ups and downs and inconsistencies, the Badgers found a way to put everything together for a one-score game against the nation’s top team, which has looked unbeatable over the past month.

So it wasn’t entirely a surprise that Saturday’s loss was similar to Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes a few weeks ago, which came under similar circumstances as the Badgers’ loss to Penn State.

Unfortunately, this was an ugly loss, both in the short term and looking at the program overall. Wisconsin now has just one shot at bowl eligibility, and there’s a strong argument that Minnesota has looked much better than Nebraska after just playing Penn State in a one-point game.

Overall, the Badgers lost another rivalry game in bad fashion, and haven’t really had an identity through two seasons of the Luke Fickell era. Defensively, there was significant progress last week, but that all unraveled on Saturday when the defense gave up 44 points to a team that had averaged just 15.6 points over its past five games.

Quarterback play

Quarterback play has been a major talking point this year, with Braedyn Locke struggling with inconsistencies all season, completing just 55.1 percent of his passes and throwing nine touchdowns and nine interceptions heading into Saturday.

Well, Locke was the absolute root of why Wisconsin lost on Saturday. The quarterback had a solid game overall, with 292 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, which didn’t happen until the Badgers’ final drive as the game got out of hand.

Locke started the day by leading a six-play, 82-yard touchdown drive to match Nebraska’s opening score, completing all four passes for 62 yards and ending the possession with a four-yard completion to Bryson Green to to put seven on the board.

One of Locke’s only mistakes appeared to come on the next drive where Wisconsin punted, as the quarterback had an open throw to Darrion Dupree that he sidestepped, ultimately leading to a punt. Then, after getting the ball off a fumble at the Nebraska 17-yard line, the offense couldn’t move and Nathanial Vakos missed a 34-yard field goal.

Wisconsin had three consecutive drives that ended with a field goal attempt, with Locke making solid decisions and not giving the defense a chance to capitalize on a turnover. But the Badgers still trailed 24-10 at halftime, thanks to two missed field goals, defensive issues and a late fumble that resulted in a Nebraska score.

In the second half, after turning the ball over on downs with Wisconsin moving the ball deep into Nebraska territory, Locke led back-to-back touchdown drives, making a pair of explosive plays as the Badgers went 79 yards on four plays and 75 yards on five plays. plays for the two scores.

Still, it was too little too late due to the defensive issues as Wisconsin ultimately lost by 19 points. But Locke wasn’t the problem Saturday. He put together a solid offensive performance before being intercepted late in the game when the game was tied. hand.

Special teams

It seems like we’ve been talking about it all year.

Special teams remains a major problem for the Badgers, and the woes on that side of the ball cost Wisconsin some major momentum on Saturday.

Nathanial Vakos limited Wisconsin’s scoring early by missing a 34-yard field goal and a 41-yard field goal in the first half. Yes, the Badgers should score touchdowns as they approach the red zone, but that is unacceptable and puts Wisconsin in early trouble as those missed opportunities forced them to play from behind for much of the game.

But the coverage of the kick-off was also a problem. Wisconsin gave up a 45-yard return on the opening kickoff, setting up a quick six-play, 55-yard touchdown drive for Dylan Raiola and the Huskers to start the game.

Later, Gavin Lahm kicked a ball out of bounds, giving the Huskers field position on their own 40-yard line to start the drive. While Wisconsin was able to get a quick stop defensively, these mistakes can’t keep happening for the Badgers, who need to find a way to play cleanly if they want to have a chance to win games.

The Badgers have a lot of problems. Special teams is one of them, and head coach Luke Fickell needs to evaluate how he can improve the unit this offseason given the number of issues the team has had this year.