Final take: Huskers stand up to Michigan State and beat them at their game

In a lot of ways, Saturday was set up for Michigan State to come into Lincoln and win.

The weather conditions were brutal, which limited Nebraska's high-powered offense considerably, and played right into the hands of the Spartans defense. The Huskers were also without their leading receiver JD Spielman, another setback for the offense.

However, through it all, Scott Frost's team showed fight. MSU tried to bully the Huskers early, and NU stood up to them. By the end of the game on Saturday, it was Frost's team that had Michigan State on the run, as they closed out a 9-6 victory.

“Toughness is mentality I think," Frost said. "It’s also easy to be tough when you care more. I think both of those things have gotten better.”

If anything, Saturday's win over MSU added more credibility to the Huskers late-season turnaround.

There were still some naysayers out there throwing cold water on NU's string of wins over Bethune-Cookman, Minnesota and Illinois. By beating MSU, Frost's team showed they could win on a day even when the conditions didn't favor their offense, and that they could stand up to a team that tried to push them around early in the game.

"I'd say it shows a lot," running back Devine Ozigbo said. "This team has gone through a lot and that's one thing that's toughened us up. The leadership we have has definitely toughened us up. It definitely helped us through everything.

"This style of game is not something we've had to play. We knew that if we had to play this way that we'd be able to get it done."

Saturday was also very special for NU's 19 seniors. By beating Michigan State, you could argue it was the best Big Ten win Nebraska has had since they last beat the Spartans in 2015.

It was a special moment watching the senior class celebrate after so many dark days. This will be a game and a day people will talk about for years to come.

"The whole scene, it’s snowing, everyone is still in the stadium going crazy and I’ve dreamt of that since I was a little kid," Gifford said. "So I wanted to take in everything that I could, put it in my mind and just remember it. I don’t have any regrets here. I’m excited for the way that we’re leaving this program and it’s been a heck of a ride but we have one more.”

Now on to the breakdown....

***Nebraska started with the ball on Saturday for the ninth time in 11 games.

***Scott Frost came out of the gates trying to run his normal offense, but after the first drive, he knew right away this was going to be a different type of game.

***It was tough not having JD Spielman on Saturday. If healthy, he would've been big in a game like this that featured a lot of short passes in space. Only four receivers played for the Huskers on Saturday - Stanley Morgan Jr., Kade Warner, Bryan Reimers and Mike Williams.

***I can't call any worse weather days at Memorial Stadium in the 30+ years I've attended and covered games there. The wind was also swirling as much as you'll ever see. Barrett Pickering said it was the worst wind by far in his time here since January.

***Linebacker Tyrin Ferguson saw his first real extensive action in weeks. He played 42 snaps on Saturday.

***Nebraska's red zone defense was as big as anything on Saturday. They stood up to Michigan State holding them to two missed field goals and forced another missed kick off the upright.

***The no call on the punt where Stanley Morgan was hit well past the white was one of the worst misses I've seen in a while. That also would've put the Huskers at mid-field if a late hit was called, so it was a big early moment in this game.

***Earlier this week, Antonio Reed told me "you'll have to wait and see on Saturday" to see how his sore shoulder is. It's safe to say Reed's shoulder is back to 100 percent after the way he played against Michigan State. That was the best individual defensive performance we've seen at Nebraska in a long time, maybe since Lavonte David was here. By the way, Reed hasn't received a Blackshirt yet this season. That should change on Monday.

***Nebraska's kick coverage teams were without their best guy Jeremiah Stovall on Saturday, who was sidelined with an injury.

***Cam Taylor's pass break-up on third down was one of the bigger plays of the game. It was going to be a clear catch, and he jarred the ball out at the last moment.

***Hat tip to all the fans that were in the stadium on Saturday. I can't think of very many venues in the country that would be as full as Memorial Stadium was on Saturday.

Rushing offense: C

Nebraska ran for just 103 yards on 30 carries, but they were able to get enough from Devine Ozigbo, as he finished with 74 yards on 18 carries. This was by no means a great rushing effort by the Big Red, but they maximized limited opportunities.

Passing offense: C

The wind and weather conditions made things very difficult. That was one of the worst wind days I can remember in Memorial Stadium. Stanley Morgan's four second-half catches for 67 yards were some of the biggest offensive plays of the day for the Big Red. Morgan was targeted on 13 of Adrian Martinez's 37 throws. Not having JD Spielman was also a big blow to the receiving game, as he would've made a difference on the perimeter.

Rushing defense: B-

Michigan State hurt Nebraska with a few big runs, but the Spartans abandoned the run once the Huskers took a 9-6 lead. Connor Heyward finished with 80 yards on 21 carries, while Rocky Lombardi had 53 yards on nine carries.

Passing defense: A

The Huskers held Rocky Lombardi to just 15-of-41 passing, as Spartan receivers were credited with eight dropped passes. The Blackshirts stepped up when it mattered with their passing defense, as NU now has 57 pass break-ups on the season through 11 games. They had just 28 all of last season.

Special teams: A

We've talked so much how special teams have hurt Nebraska this season, but just like last week's Illinois game, it arguably was the most significant factor in the Huskers winning. Barrett Pickering was outstanding, making three fourth-quarter field goals, while Isaac Armstrong averaged 41 yards on five punts Saturday.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and he can be heard each day at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on NET's Big Red Wrap-Tuesday's at 7 pm.