• Video Below: See NU coach Bo Pelini and select players at the postgame press conference
• Photo Showcase: NU-Wisconsin (action)
• Photo Showcase: NU-Wisconsin (fans)

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MADISON, Wis. — Before Wisconsin's offense lined up for its last real play of the first half, receiver Nick Toon glanced at the Nebraska secondary and quickly realized he'd soon be celebrating a touchdown in the end zone.

The Badgers had talked all week about how the Husker defensive backs might be too dialed into run-stopping mode to react properly to downfield throws. The game plan going in was supposed to exploit that.

Toon saw it was open earlier in the game. He just had to wait until the first half was almost over to capitalize.

Sure enough, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound receiver glided right by the NU defense, catching a perfectly thrown lob for a back-breaking 46-yard touchdown with just 32 seconds left before halftime.

It was one of several big plays in the passing game that collectively helped No. 7 Wisconsin (5-0, 1-0) earn a convincing 48-17 win, spoiling the eighth-ranked Huskers' Big Ten debut Saturday night.

"When we called it, I knew it would be open," Toon said. "It's in the game plan every week, you just never know what the defense is going to do."

Apparently, Wisconsin liked what it saw from the Huskers (4-1, 0-1).

Quarterback Russell Wilson was 14 of 20 for 255 yards — a staggering average of 18.2 yards per completion against an NU team that's had one of the nation's top passing defenses each of the past two years.

The Huskers were top 3 nationally in pass efficiency defense in both 2009 and 2010, so effective that opponents rarely even attempted testing them deep — and typically had little success. But with Prince Amukamara, Eric Hagg and DeJon Gomes off to the NFL, they're rebuilding in back this year. And those new guys were exposed often against the Badgers.

Toon also had a 38-yard grab before his momentous touchdown catch, where he jumped over two Nebraska defenders — Daimion Stafford and Ciante Evans. Toon nearly had another long one in the third quarter, when he got by Alfonzo Dennard by faking an out-route, but Wilson's pass was a touch too strong.

Sophomore Jared Abbrederis pulled in an 18-yarder in the first quarter before pulling in a 36-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field with 2:03 left in the second.

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said he wasn't surprised to find openings downfield.

"Nebraska runs a scheme that's very aggressive with their safeties," he said. "And I did think that if they continued to play that look, then it was going to open up some options."

That's been true even in years past, though, when Nebraska's talent seemed to mask some of its vulnerability.

Oklahoma found a way in the Big 12 title game — despite the Huskers' defensive scheme designed to prevent big plays — to isolate their receivers in one-on-one match-ups with NU's defensive backs, capitalizing on nearly every opportunity. They completed five passes for 20 yards or more, all over the field — Amukamara, Hagg and Dennard were all beat on a long play at least once.

That kind of performance was rare against NU, which allowed just 18 passing plays of more than 20 yards in the 12 games before that. The Sooners found something they liked that night, though, finishing with 342 passing yards.

In a similar fashion Saturday, Wisconsin created man-to-man situations that it was able to exploit. Wilson bought time in the pocket and delivered the football accurately. The receivers made enough moves to get free. And Nebraska's young defensive backs didn't respond well enough.

Especially before halftime, which was enough to effectively clinch the win.

"We didn't make a play on the ball the whole first half," coach Bo Pelini said.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

twitter.com/JonNyatawa

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• Video: NU coach Bo Pelini at the postgame press conference:



• Video: NU's Taylor Martinez at the postgame press conference:



• Video: NU's Alfonzo Dennard at the postgame press conference:

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