Tag: Tristan Alvano

Nebraska falls in overtime to Wisconsin

Based off the first two drives, it seemed as though Nebraska came to dominate on offense against Wisconsin.

Based on the first two drives, it seemed as though Nebraska came to dominate on offense against Wisconsin. But those hopes were soon extinguished on a gutsy fourth-down call by head coach Matt Rhule. Instead of attempting a 50-yard field, the Huskers went for it on fourth and one, only to be halted by the Badgers.

Then everything changed. Wisconsin outscored Nebraska 24-3 from there on out, resulting in a 24-17 overtime win for the Badgers.

Chubba Purdy earned the start for the Huskers and delivered the best showing by a Nebraska quarterback in the last few weeks. Purdy threw for 169 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown. Purdy’s touchdown pass saw him throw a dot to freshman Jaylen Lloyd, who broke a tackle and took off for a score.

But Nebraska never found its way into the endzone after that. Tristan Alvano sent the game into overtime with a 30-yard field goal after missing a 42-yarder earlier, but the inconsistent offensive play resulted in the loss.

Despite surrendering 24 points, the defense made big stops on the night, including back-to-back fourth down stops and holding Braelon Allen to just 62 yards rushing. Allen did score two touchdowns as Wisconsin slowly but surely worked its way into the endzone each time.

Nebraska falls to 5-6 on the season and will return home to host Iowa on Friday afternoon. The Huskers need to win their season finale to become bowl-eligible. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be viewed on CBS.

Nebraska football comes up short against Michigan State

The Huskers traveled to East Lansing, Michigan for a chance to punch their ticket to a bowl game for the first time since 2016.

The Huskers traveled to East Lansing, Michigan, for a chance to punch their ticket to a bowl game for the first time since 2016. This ended up being easier said than done. Nebraska hit the roadblock that was Michigan State. The Huskers battled the Spartans and saw numerous opportunities to win. The options fell by the wayside, resulting in a 20-17 loss for Nebraska.

The Huskers’ offense saw most of these opportunities but struggled to take advantage of them. Their biggest came in the fourth quarter. After scoring a touchdown to cut the deficit to three, Nebraska got the ball back with over two minutes left. The Huskers fumbled, resulting in a Michigan State takeaway. Nebraska got the ball one more time with under a minute left but once again failed to take advantage.

Heinrich Haarberg went 12-of-28 for 129 yards and two interceptions, his worst outing as Nebraska’s starting quarterback this season. Haarberg also rushed for 37 yards off 14 carries and a touchdown. However, they also fumbled twice, one resulting in a turnover and the other on the team’s final drive.

Freshman Emmett Johnson led the charge for the Huskers in rushing, going for 57 yards and a touchdown off 13 carries. This all culminated in just 17 points, an ongoing flaw that finally caught up with Nebraska’s defense. The Blackshirts held the Spartans to just 63 yards rushing but surrendered 232 yards passing and two touchdowns.

The Huskers fall to 5-4 and will face three difficult opponents for its remaining regular-season outings. They will travel back home to host Maryland next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be viewed on Peacock.

Rhule still believes in his freshman kicker

Nebraska’s field goal-kicking has been a roller coaster experience during the 2023 season.

Nebraska’s field goal-kicking has been a roller coaster experience during the 2023 season. Since winning the job during the offseason, freshman Tristan Alvano has gone 3-7 on field goals with a long of 37 yards.

Regardless of the early struggles, head coach Matt Rhule says he’s still very confident in his young kickers.

“The thing I love about Tristan is I don’t really feel like ‘oh man I’ve got be careful here.’ I don’t feel a drop in his confidence because when he does miss it’s just technical. He missed the one kick last week but it was a bobbled snap and hold. For him to get the ball as close as it was, was really a challenge.

In fact, the head coach says he likes it when young players struggle as it allows him to evaluate a player’s reaction to adversity.

I’m happy with where he is. I love the fact that when young players struggle to go through some adversity we see them not cracking but getting stronger. Either you crack this thing or you get cracked. He is at the precipice of something great. He is handling it well.”

Alvano made headlines during his senior year of high school when he went five-for-five on field goals in Omaha Westside’s 43-41 win over Gretna in the NSAA State Championship game. During his senior year, Alvano was 16-20 in field goals with a career-long of 57 yards.

The Nebraska native is highly thought of as a talent. Radio analyst and former Husker I-back Damon Benning has stated that he believes Alavano is a ‘Sunday talent.’ Rhule also believes that the freshman will only get better as he grows into the role.

“He will only get better and better. I have confidence in him and even in that game we put him out there a third time to make it a three-score game. He’s handled it really well and I think he’ll play well.”

Nebraska will take the field again on Saturday against Northwestern when the Wildcats visit Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

Nebraska football takes down Louisiana Tech 28-14

The Nebraska football team hosted its second game of the season on Saturday afternoon.

The Nebraska football team hosted its second game of the season on Saturday afternoon. After taking down Northern Illinois to improve to 1-2, the Huskers welcomed in Louisiana Tech. Though Nebraska snatched win number two for the 2023 season, it was closer than last week’s victory, walking away with a 28-14 win.

Heinrich Haarberg started for Nebraska for the second straight week and led the Huskers both in the pass and ground games. Haarberg went 8-of-17 in the air for 107 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 157 yards and one touchdown off 19 carries. Haarberg’s touchdown run came off a huge 72-yard option, which put Nebraska up 28-7 with over 11 minutes to go in the game.

Anthony Grant and Thomas Fidone II also found their way into the endzone for the second straight week. Grant scored on the ground off a two-yard run, adding to his 135-yard rushing on the day. Fidone had only one catch in the game but made a big one, scoring a 29-yard touchdown.

Billy Kemp IV finished as the top receiver for the Huskers, hauling in five catches for 62 yards. Kemp also scored Nebraska’s first touchdown of the game off a jet sweep, which came after a fake field goal by the Huskers. Louisiana Tech responded quickly to the score, running in for a touchdown on its next drive.

Nebraska’s defense, however, delivered another big showing in the run game, holding the Bulldogs to 46 total yards. The Huskers did surrender 292 passing yards, 146 of them coming in the fourth quarter, which led to Louisiana Tech’s second touchdown. Another significant factor in the game was the Bulldogs’ penalties. Louisiana Tech surrendered 12 penalties for 100 yards, which halted many of its drives and even kept some of Nebraska’s drives alive.

The Huskers improve to 2-2 on the season but face a significant task next week as they welcome in No. 2 Michigan. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be viewed on FOX.

Huskers name starting kicker

Head coach Matt Rhule officially named Nebraska’s starting kicker for their season opener.

Head coach Matt Rhule officially named Nebraska’s starting kicker for their season opener. Freshman Tristan Alvano beat out junior Timmy Bleekrode for the starting job for the season opener in Minnesota.

Rhule told the media at his Tuesday press conference that Alvano’s young age never played a factor in his decision.

“I don’t ever want to use age as an excuse. They don’t. Tristian Alvano is the starting kicker for the University of Nebraska. That means something. There’s a long lineage of elite specialists… if the kick comes down to the end, I’m going to put him out there, and he’s going to make it.”

Alvano made headlines last season this year when he went five-for-five on field goals in Omaha Westside’s 43-41 win over Gretna in the NSAA State Championship game. During his senior year, Alvano was 16-20 in field goals with a career-long of 57 yards.

Rhule did not say if Alvano would also handle kickoff duties. Punter Brian Buschini may be responsible for kickoffs but the head coach did not specify.

Nebraska to announce starting kicker Tuesday

Nebraska has yet to name a starting kicker for the season opener at Minnesota.

Nebraska has yet to name a starting kicker for the season opener at Minnesota. Junior Timmy Bleekrode and freshman Tristan Alvano are battling the top position on the depth chart.

Special teams coach Ed Foley said that head coach Matt Rhule will name the starter on Tuesday.

I have a good idea of who it’s going to be, but I’m going to let coach talk about that position tomorrow from a final standpoint of the decision. We still have one more day, and we’re going to look at a couple of things. We’ve got it down to where we need it to be.

Last season, Bleekrode went 9 of 12 on-field goals while converting 34 of 35 extra-point attempts. Alvano made headlines earlier this year when he went five-for-five on field goals in Omaha Westside’s 43-41 win over Gretna in the NSAA State Championship game.

During his senior year, Alvano was 16-20 in field goals with a career-long of 57 yards. He also received scholarship offers from the Air Force, Army, and Boston College.

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Nebraska’s kicker position still undecided

When Nebraska released their first team depth chart late last week, one of the surprising notes was the kicker position.

When Nebraska released their first team depth chart late last week, one of the surprising notes was the kicker position. That position lists two potential starters.

Junior Timmy Bleekrode and freshman Tristan Alvano are listed on the depth chart.

“I think it’s just over the next couple days. We’ll obviously have Sunday and we’ll be in full pads. We’ll kick again there. As I said, (Brian) Buschini was going with the ones and Tristan (Alvano) was going with the ones. Coming to Sunday we’ll have one more day of competition. Just for me the depth chart is an organism. It’s ever-changing. I’m not a big ‘set it in stone’ kind of guy. We’re going to play guys and the competition is always there and you have the power to change your situation. That’ll kind of be a weekly thing.”

Last season, Bleekrode went 9 of 12 on field goals while converting 34 of 35 extra point attempts. Alvano made headlines earlier this year when he went five-for-five on field goals in Omaha Westside’s 43-41 win over Gretna in the NSAA State Championship game.

During his senior year, Alvano was 16-20 in field goals with a career-long of 57 yards. He also received scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, and Boston College.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinion.

Nebraska offers top in-state kicker

Nebraska offered the top in-state kicker, Tristan Alvano, following his game-winning field goal in the Class A state title game.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have extended a full scholarship offer to kicker Tristan Alvano. They previously offered him as a preferred walk-on.

Kohl’s ranks Alvano as the top in-state kicker and sixth-best kicker in the country. He has received offers from Air Force, Army, and North Dakota State. He attends Omaha Westside High School, and he is coming off an outstanding season. This season, he hit 16 field goals, which broke the state record, including a 57-yarder in October. According to MaxPreps, he also made all 66 of his extra-point attempts.

Alvano’s best single-game performance came in the Class A title game on Monday, in which he made a 45-yard game-winning field goal. Overall, he made five field goals; his longest was from 50 yards.

Below are his highlights from the championship game.