Nebraska Football: Winners and Losers from Cornhuskers' Win vs. MSU

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-1, 3-1 in Big Ten) extended their winning streak to three with a decisive 24-3 victory over the Michigan State Spartans (6-2, 3-1 in Big Ten).

It wasn't a smooth operation for either side as the two teams combined for only 457 total yards and 18 penalties.

The individual performances were just as important as the final score considering repercussions they may have in November and beyond. Here's an examination of the notable ones from Saturday's game.

Winner: Nebraska RB Rex Burkhead

Rex Burkhead lengthened his personal streak of 100-yard rushing games by fighting for 130 yards on 35 carries.

He accounted for all three Cornhusker touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.

"The guy is a warrior," Nebraska head football coach Bo Pelini said. "You can't ask for more than he gives this football team."

Burkhead struggled to reach the second level of an elite Michigan State defense that came into Week 9 allowing fewer than 14 points per game.

He managed a productive day by keeping his legs churning towards his opponent ("north-and-south" running).

Burkhead is the Big Ten's third-leading rusher and second only behind Wisconsin's Montee Ball with 12 touchdowns on the ground. He has scored at least once in every game this season.

Loser: Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins

Senior quarterback Kirk Cousins was shockingly bad on Saturday. The magic responsible for last week's hail mary was nowhere to be found.

His awful 40.7 completion percentage, 86 total yards and 60.1 passer rating were single-game worsts for the third-year starter.

Cousins was intercepted once and was nearly picked off on three other occasions. He was sacked four times, twice on plays where he was given solid protection.

Cousins was frustrated after the game. He claimed that Wisconsin's coverage was especially good whenever he had time to throw.

Winner: Nebraska DE Eric Martin

Junior defensive end Eric Martin had a stellar day against the Spartans.

His two timely sacks of Kirk Cousins in the second half were the first two in a career of sporadic playing time.

Martin didn't play every snap, but his speedy outside pass rushing contributed to Cousins' ineffectiveness.

Loser: Nebraska Taylor Martinez (Passing)

Taylor Martinez can't talk much trash to Kirk Cousins after his mediocre performance.

The dual-threat passer wasn't fooling anybody with his arm. He completed only seven passes. About one-third of his yardage came on a 27-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

An ill-advised throw in the second quarter with his team leading 10-0 resulted in an interception. The Spartans scored their three points on the ensuing possession.

Since his freshman season of 2010, Martinez has regressed in most statistically significant passing categories.

Loser: Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez (Rushing)

Martinez established himself as a rushing threat after carrying for 965 yards in 2010.

He had no room to work with against Michigan State and no experiences of getting beyond the front seven. His longest rush was for nine yards.

Overall, Martinez played a small role in the offense. This was his least productive game since the Holiday Bowl last December against the Washington Huskies.

Winner: Nebraska DB Lance Thorell

Lance Thorell set the tone of this matchup very early with a first-quarter interception.

On his second pass attempt of the afternoon, Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins threw in Thorell's direction. Thorell wrestled the ball away from the receiver at midfield, literally on top of the big, red "N" (see discoloration at bottom of picture).

He returned the pick 26 yards to the Spartans' 25-yard line. Nebraska got on the scoreboard three minutes later.

The senior had never forced a turnover before. He also recorded a season-high four tackles.

Loser: Michigan State WR B.J. Cunningham

The victimized receiver of Lance Thorell's interception was Michigan State's most prolific receiver, B.J. Cunningham.

Cunningham entered this game with four 100-yard efforts in seven games and a catch of at least 16 yards in each.

Aside from his vocally-expressed displeasure and return-ending tackle on the aforementioned play, Cunningham was very quiet: zero receptions on Saturday for one of the conference's top receivers!

Winners: Michigan State Special Teams (Returners)

No player on Michigan State can claim to have had a great game, but their returners definitely helped the team.

Kick returner Nick Hill accumulated 119 yards in four opportunities. His highlight was a 62-yard bring-back in the first quarter.

The offense couldn't take advantage of the great field position and missed a long field goal attempt.

Contrary to the typical returner, Hill is listed as a running back.

Keshawn Jones previous handled kicks for the Spartans in 2009 and 2010, but now specializes in punts.

Jones totaled 30 yards on three returns against Nebraska after averaging fewer than five yards per return prior to this game.

Neither Hill nor Jones were outstanding, but Michigan State has to have some good come of this loss, right?

Losers: Michigan State Special Teams (Kickers)

Junior kicker Dan Conroy is mired in a season-long slump.

He was short on a 52-yard field goal try in the first quarter and knocked a 28-yarder through the uprights before halftime.

Conroy is 7-for-11 in 2011 after making 14 of 15 last year.

Freshman punter Mike Sadler had the lowest gross punting average of his career.

Only one of his five punts pinned the Cornhuskers inside the 20-yard line. Another went out of bounds at Nebraska's 40.

Winner: Bo Pelini

Fourth-year head football coach Bo Pelini has had great teams since coming to Lincoln, but this 2011 edition appears to be the best one yet.

Previously, Nebraska was part of the Big 12 conference, which has been as competitive as any in recent years. The program almost defeated Texas in 2009 for a conference title, but couldn't get the offense going.

Enter quarterback Taylor Martinez, who is a great asset despite his poor showing against Michigan State.

With Saturday's win, the 10th-ranked Cornhuskers control their own destiny towards a Big Ten championship and BCS bowl game.

Their schedule poses challenges in November, though. They'll travel to No. 16 Penn State and No. 15 Michigan on November 12 and November 19, respectively.

Winner: Big Ten Conference

I'm sure there are mixed feelings among Big Ten fans about a newcomer like Nebraska dominating their conference from the get-go.

Ultimately, however, the added depth that the Cornhuskers supply should be welcomed.

As the 12th team in the Big Ten—counterintuitive, I know—Nebraska's addition made it possible to create two divisions and hold a conference championship game. That ought to generate quite a bit of revenue.

Also, well-played regular season football is likely to be nationally televised, which means more money and less problems.

Saturday's statement victory is a call for celebration (Spartan fans are understandably exempt).