UCLA vs. Nebraska: Score and Reaction for 2015 Foster Farms Bowl

Josh Rosen was great, but Tommy Armstrong Jr. was better.

Armstrong recorded 250 total yards and accounted for two touchdowns as the Nebraska Cornhuskers knocked off the UCLA Bruins 37-29 in the Foster Farms Bowl on Saturday night in Santa Clara, California.

The Cornhuskers put together a dominant display on the ground, racking up 330 rushing yards. Going up against a good and young UCLA squad, Nebraska came into the contest as a 5-7 team that had no business being in a bowl game.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit was in shock, to say the least:

Armstrong was the catalyst, sealing the game with a 23-yard run with less than three minutes left. Hail Varsity took great joy in the play:

On this day, the team that finished the season below .500 received the spoils.

UCLA's freshman quarterback played well, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions—the last coming on fourth down with the Bruins needing a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game.

Ralph Russo of the Associated Press praised Rosen's play.

However, UCLA’s defense was an eyesore. The Bruins allowed 500 total yards of offense, and their defense played like it was stuck in a hole. Ryan Nanni of SB Nation provided a clip of UCLA's defense in action:

Though many considered it ridiculous for a 5-7 team to be playing in a bowl game, Nebraska showed why the game is played. The Cornhuskers can turn their win Saturday into a launching pad for next year, especially if they can put together similar performances on a weekly basis.

Postgame Reaction

Nebraska has made it tough for people to knock on 5-7 teams playing in bowl games.

The Cornhuskers became the second five-win team to secure a bowl victory this winter, and this one was not expected at all. UCLA was the better team, with a better offense, but Nebraska ran right through the Bruins' defense.

"Like I always said, our 5-7 record doesn't speak about this team," Armstrong said, per the Associated Press. "We were just blessed enough to get another opportunity to prove to everybody why we should be in a bowl game."

ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg praised Nebraska for one of the bigger wins, for both the program and for first-year head coach Mike Riley:

"Football goes better generally when you run the ball well and you can physically impose yourself on the other team," Riley said. "I thought our guys did a good job of that tonight."

This game was a clear indication that the Bruins need to do better going forward and stopping the run. A Pac-12 team giving up almost 400 yards rushing is not usually an issue, but UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. is determined to make that a focus during recruiting season, per Joey Kaufman of the Orange County Register:

"Our defense got the ball ran on them 62 times but I feel it's kind of our responsibility as an offense to hold that ball a little bit longer to give them a break," Rosen said. "The stats probably aren't looking too pretty on defense but that's a very, very large responsibility of the offense."

There haven't been many surprises this bowl season, but Nebraska might be the biggest one. UCLA is a team on the rise with a potential Heisman Trophy winner playing quarterback next year. If the Cornhuskers have a breakout season under Riley next year, this game will be the moment that's looked back on.