LINCOLN, Neb. — — Dante Dowdell and Janiran Bonner scored on one-yard runs, and Nebraska leaned on defense on a day when Dylan Raiola struggled to beat Rutgers 14-7 on Saturday.

The Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) prevailed in the hottest conditions ever during an October game at Memorial Stadium and came within one win of qualifying for their first bowl since 2016.

The Scarlet Knights (4-1, 1-1), whose offense lasted 3 1/2 quarters, made it a one-score game with 4:08 remaining when Athan Kaliakmanis hit Ben Black on an 11-yard touchdown pass .

“It was a tough day in a lot of ways,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “Thanks to Rutgers, thanks to Greg Schiano. They did a lot of things against us. But we only turned the ball over once. We won the turnover battle. And it was as great a defensive performance as I’ve seen.”

The temperature at kickoff was 97 degrees with a swirling and gusty wind and both teams struggled in the passing game.

“I’ve been doing this for 37 years. I haven’t been in circumstances like today,” Schiano said. “When you have winds like that, it’s usually a storm, some kind of hurricane, a tropical storm.”

Raiola, Nebraska’s freshman quarterback, could never find a rhythm. He completed just 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards, a season-low.

“Those games happen, I hate to say it,” Raiola said. “We won the game, that’s all that matters.”

The work of the defense was certainly something former Nebraska great Ndamukong Suh appreciated. Suh, a 2009 Heisman Trophy finalist and consensus All-American before a lengthy NFL career, was on hand for his induction into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame.

Suh led the Huskers out of the tunnel before the game and then watched the Blackshirts sack Kaliakmanis four times, limit the nation’s third-leading rusher, Kyle Monangai, to 78 yards on 19 carries and hold Rutgers to 264 total yards. Kaliakmanis was 15 of 37 for 136 yards, and he was intercepted twice. The Huskers also kept Rutgers out of the end zone six times on plays from inside the two.

“Nothing short of elite,” cornerback Marques Buford Jr. said.

Rutgers had great opportunities to score, but was only able to score late. The Scarlet Knights’ second blocked kick of the game set them up at the Nebraska 2, but the Huskers kept them out of the end zone on three consecutive plays after Monangai appeared to score but was flagged just short of the goal line without any challenge from Schiano. . He said he did not want to use a timeout to challenge the goal because it was being reviewed at the replay center in Chicago and he was told it would stand.

Later, Buford slid into coverage, leaving Black wide open to run under Kaliakmanis’ deep ball down the sideline. But the ball bounced off the side of Black’s helmet onto the turf.

“They’re a tough, physical team up front,” defensive lineman Ty Robinson said. “I just think our squad decided to play a little harder.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights’ identity has been defining, and perhaps they gave that up too quickly. They ran for 70 yards on their first two possessions while going into the wind, and Monangai broke off three runs of at least 14 yards. When Rutgers tried to get back to the run, there wasn’t much, and it ended up with 78 yards rushing for the game.

Nebraska: As well as the defense played, the Huskers enter their open date with concerns about the offense. Raiola was just 2 of 9 for 14 yards in the second half, and the run game averaged 2.3 yards per carry, largely because Raiola was sacked four times.

BUSCHINI RETURNS

It was a tough day for the Nebraska gambler for three quarters. He had two kicks blocked and moved gingerly for the rest of the match after being shaken in the first.

But in the fourth quarter, Buschini made one of the plays of the game when he received the snap, took a step, pulled up and threw a pass that Isaiah Neyor converted for a 30-yard gain. The Huskers finished punting, and Buschini got off a 41-yarder that pinned Rutgers at its 5. His last went 69 yards and forced Rutgers to start its final possession at its 11 with 2:28 to go.

NEXT

Rutgers: Hosts Wisconsin.

Nebraska: Open date before your No. 23 Indiana visits on October 19.

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