10 things we learned from Nebraska's loss at Wisconsin

Nebraska’s offensive line was already the most banged-up position group on the entire team heading into Saturday’s showdown with No. 11 Wisconsin, and the unit got even thinner on just the third series of the game.

Right guard Tanner Farmer got his left leg caught under another player during a first down run and was rolled up on from behind.

Replays of the injury definitely didn’t look good, and the worry only increased when Farmer had to be carted off the field.

Head coach Mike Riley didn’t have any updates on Farmer’s status after the game, but the sophomore was seen walking to the team bus on crutches with a protective boot on his left foot.

At this point there could be a chance that Farmer won't be healthy enough to play at Ohio State next week, meaning the Huskers would be down yet another player on the offensive line for a primetime road game against a highly-ranked opponent.

As hard as it was for Nebraska to see Farmer go down to injury, the good news was senior Corey Whitaker filled in admirably in his place the rest of the way.

Whitaker has been one of the Huskers’ utility men on the offensive line this season, and he took over seamlessly at right guard against one of the best defenses in college football.

With Farmer's status up in the air for next week, Whitaker could end up taking his place in the starting lineup against the Buckeyes and potentially even longer.

Given how well Whitaker played on Saturday night, though, the situation could be much worse for NU’s offense.

The offensive line won’t be the only position to keep an eye on when Nebraska returns to action next week.

Riley said after the game that starting running back Terrell Newby and backup running back Devine Ozigbo suffered sprained ankles against Wisconsin.

Riley said he was encouraged by the fact that both players were able to return to the game and play through their injuries, but we won’t know exactly how serious their ailments actually are until the Huskers’ weekly press conference on Monday.

If either player has to miss any time, sophomore Mikale Wilbon would likely be vaulted into a much bigger role against Ohio State. Wilbon carried the ball two times for two yards on Saturday night.

Quarterback Tommy Armstrong was far from Nebraska’s biggest problem in Saturday night’s overtime loss. In fact, Riley praised the senior for his toughness and willingness to fight until the final play.

That all being said, though, there’s no denying that Armstrong once again had his share of issues in trying to figure out Wisconsin’s defense.

He only completed 12-of-31 passes (38.7 percent) for 153 yards, no touchdowns, and had two costly interceptions in the first half. He was had 39 yards on 13 carries, including a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough in the end.

It definitely wasn’t the first time Armstrong has struggled against the Badgers. In three career starts vs. Wisconsin, he has posted an 0-3 record, completed just 36.3 percent of his passes, along with two interceptions.

In going over the things his team could have done better against Wisconsin after the game, Riley highlighted some missed opportunities in the zone-read running game.

It wasn’t necessary a result of poor execution, either.

Riley said there were some instances where Armstrong and the running backs made wrong decisions that turned potential big plays into minimal gains.

Because of that, Riley said he wanted to really review those plays this week and find ways to make sure Armstrong is making the right play with the ball - whether to keep it or hand it off - in order to maximize those opportunities when they present themselves.

The only player who was ruled out going into the Wisconsin game might be the piece Nebraska has been missing as much as anyone.

Tight end Cethan Carter sat out his third game in a row while recovering from an elbow injury he suffered against Illinois on Oct. 1.

The hope is that Carter will be able to return to action in time for next week’s game at Ohio State, and he was able to do some running and light workouts during practice this past week.

The Huskers can’t get him back on the field soon enough, either. Not only is Carter one of NU’s best receiving threats, his blocking completely changes the dynamic of the running game as well.

There isn’t a better example of that than in how ineffective Nebraska’s jet sweep plays have been since he’s been out, as his ability to set the edge on outside runs simply hasn’t been replaced.

As tough as the loss was for Nebraska, there were still plenty of highlights. Maybe the best of which was the play of Nate Gerry.

The senior safety almost single-handedly turned a potential blowout in a chance at victory with back-to-back huge interceptions in the fourth quarter.

The two picks now give Gerry 13 for his career, moving him up two spots into a tie with Josh Bullocks for second on Nebraska’s all-time list. He now only trails Dana Stephenson (14) for the most career interceptions ever by a Husker.

Not only that, Gerry’s seven tackles in the game pushed his career total up to 249, which stand just five short of cracking the top 10 on the school’s all-time chart.

Sophomore Stanley Morgan finished with a game- and career-high five receptions for 58 yards against Wisconsin, but the final numbers weren’t the most impressive aspect of his performance on Saturday night.

Of those totals, Morgan had four catches for 56 in the fourth quarter alone as Nebraska mounted its comeback to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Three of his receptions converted first downs in the final quarter, including a 25-yard catch and run that moved the Huskers to the UW 21-yard line and helped set up the tying field goal to make it 17-17.

He was also the target of Armstrong’s final pass attempt in overtime, which shows just how much confidence the quarterback is gaining in the young wide out who is well on his way to becoming a star.

Another player who seemingly keeps getting better with every game snap he plays is redshirt freshman defensive tackle Carlos Davis.

He may not be a starter behind senior Kevin Maurice and sophomore Mick Stoltenberg, but Davis played extensively in Nebraska’s biggest game of the season and more than held his own in the process.

In fact, Davis registered one of the Huskers’ two quarterback sacks on the night (Stoltenberg had the other two plays earlier) when he threw quarterback Bart Houston for a seven-yard loss on third-and-7 to force a Badger punt at the end of the first half.

If teams continue to try and single block Davis the rest of the season, look for him to continue to make big plays going forward, because there aren't many that can stop in one-on-one.

Say what you want about moral victories and the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve scenarios, but regardless of the final outcome of Saturday’s overtime loss, Nebraska proved something at Wisconsin.

Pegged as nine-point underdogs despite being the higher-ranked team, the Huskers went into one of the Big Ten’s most hostile road environments and went toe to toe with the Badgers for four quarters and then some.

Most importantly, despite a handful of points in the game where it looked like things were about to completely fall apart, NU kept it together and found a way to respond.

Nebraska is clearly not without its share of flaws, but even in defeat it showed that it was a different team than the ones who used to get absolutely embarrassed time and again in similar situations.

The Huskers will likely once again be fairly heavy underdogs next week when they travel to Ohio State. But after what they showed at Camp Randall, there’s no reason to think they can’t compete with anyone.