On a beautiful Saturday night in early September, the Nebraska Cornhuskers stormed into halftime with a 28-0 lead and then held the Colorado Buffaloes at bay 28-10 thanks to a commanding defensive performance. The old Big 8 and Big 12 rivals won’t face each other again, but the Huskers earned their first win over the Buffs since 2010 after losing their last three games and their 50th overall win in the series (50-21-2).

After a brilliant first half, the outcome was never really in doubt. Head coach Matt Rhule said the main goal for Nebraska tonight and every game was to set the tone early in the game, and he was happy they did that from the first snap. Colorado’s first five drives, which totaled 12 yards, ended with a punt, turnover-on-downs, pick-six, punt and punt. The Buffaloes totaled minus-2 yards on offense in the first quarter and had just 112 yards at halftime.

Nebraska’s defensive intensity and offensive execution completely overshadowed the undisciplined primetime fiasco in Boulder. The history of the two systems showed that you have to recruit in the trenches and gain experience rather than relying too heavily on the transfer portal. You also have to field a team of at least 22 starters that is cohesive rather than fielding two future NFL players who demand the spotlight and a platform. It was gratifying to see that hard work and dedication can triumph over narcissistic ambition and blaspheming prima donnas.

Then came a second half that featured a very conservative offensive strategy and the worst refereeing in recent memory. The B12 team took over the game and disrupted the flow of both teams. I don’t understand why they don’t use referees from a neutral conference in these overlapping contests. During two of Nebraska’s possessions in the fourth quarter, seven penalties were called on nine plays. In total, the Huskers were penalized 12 times for 105 yards (nine of them in the second half) and the Buffs committed nine violations for 104 yards. The penalties resulted in a 45-yard gain by Jacory Barney and a 71-yard touchdown by Rahmir Johnson. Even more surprising, Colorado mostly got away without holding calls, despite defenders being tackled or having their jerseys stretched by offensive linemen. Both teams were affected by errors (the roughing the passer call against CU was somewhat questionable), but the differing holding decisions raised questions about the referee’s objectivity.

The Huskers’ offensive streak was particularly frustrating in the fourth quarter after the defense forced a turnover at the CU 28-yard line. The Huskers had a great chance to score and effectively beat the Buffs, but two penalties saw them retreat 15 yards before punting (which was blocked) and giving Colorado the ball at their own 42-yard line. Colorado’s ensuing attack was marked by an incorrect targeting call on linebacker Mikai Gbayor, which extended the attack and led to the Buffalos’ only touchdown with 8:45 left. Enough of the tirade.

Defense was the most important part of the matter: Colorado was able to gain 260 yards on offense and just 16 net yards on the run game. This is the 10th time in 14 games under Matt Rhule that the Huskers have limited opponents to fewer than 100 yards, including seven games with 75 or fewer yards. The Blackshirts finished the game with 10 tackles for loss, six sacks and two takeaways (a pick six and a forced fumble recovery). Buff star receiver Travis Hunter got his yards (10 catches for 110 yards), but Jimmy Horn had just 3 catches for 26 yards and their other speedy receivers totaled just 81 yards. Nebraska has held its last six opponents at Memorial Stadium to 14 or fewer points. One of Colorado’s scribes said this is probably the toughest defense the Buffaloes will face all season (and that includes a game against Utah).

Four Huskers had a team-leading total of tackles with six — Isaac Gifford, DeShon Singleton, Tommi Hill and Mikai Gbayor. Linebacker John Bullock (5 tackles) led the team with two tackles for loss. He put together a big performance when Colorado was in Nebraska territory in the fourth quarter. The senior stopped the Buffs on a 4th-and-1. Ty Robinson was a man on a mission, finishing the game with two tackles, including a sack, a TFL, a pass breakup and a QB hurl. Oh, and he also blocked a field goal. Nebraska also had sacks of Nash Hutmacher, Jimari Butler, MJ Sherman, Princewell Umanmielen and Willis McGahee IV. Tommi Hill’s pick six was his fifth career interception and his first interception return for a touchdown. McGahee also forced the fumble that was recovered by Jimari Butler.

On offense, Dylan Raiola drove the Huskers down the field for a first down touchdown for the second straight game and led Nebraska to touchdowns in the Two-Minute Drill to end the first half. Nebraska finished the game with 334 yards of offense, including 185 yards passing and 149 yards running. The offensive line did not allow a sack and the team defended the ball, allowing the Huskers to win the battle to win the ball 2-0. Although they converted 3 of 6 third down attempts in the first half, they were 0 of 6 in the second half and punted five times before going down on their final series. Colorado tried to stop the run after halftime, as the Huskers managed just 62 yards on 18 attempts (9 of 12 yards in the 4th inning). Before Nebraska starts playing in league play in two weeks, there is still a lot of work to be done, because they will probably have to play 60 minutes of productive football, and a zero in the second half is not enough.

Dylan Raiola completed 23 of 30 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown throw. He probably rushed for more yards in the first quarter (12 yards) than he did in his last three years of high school combined. What a difference a year makes. Last year, the Husker QB caused four turnovers and the team lost by 22 points. Granted, Raiola got very lucky on the 18-yard touchdown throw to Rahmir Johnson, as the ball should have been intercepted, but perhaps the old Latin saying is true that “fortune favors the brave.”

Dante Dowdell (17 carries for 74 yards) was the best runner, opening the scoring for the second week in a row with a 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Not only did he punish defenders, but he also held onto the ball. Rahmir Johnson (9 carries for 33 yards) caught an 18-yard touchdown pass to close out the first half scoring. Johnson finished with 82 all-purpose yards, including 49 receiving yards on a career-high 8 catches. Jacory Barney added 28 yards on two carries, but could have had a lot more without the penalties. He also recorded 6 catches for 29 yards. This guy can fly if the Huskers can just get him the ball in open space. Last week’s best receiver, Isaiah Neyor, was only able to catch 31 yards on 4 passes and Jaylen Lloyd caught a great 36-yard pass at the 2-yard line to set up a touchdown in the second quarter. Nate Boerkircher caught a 25-yard pass on a 3rd and 24 play and Thomas Fidone had a solo catch for 13 yards, but he continues to put runners and receivers behind with his good blocking at the edge.

Special teams remain a mix of blessing and curse. Punter Brian Buschini had a 60-yard punt at the Colorado 2-yard line in the second quarter that led to a pick-six for Nebraska on the ensuing play. The 60-yard punt was the fifth of Buschini’s career at Nebraska. Buschini finished the night with a 50.8-yard average on five punts, including three punts inside the 20-yard line. He also kicked three times and scored a solo touchback. Let’s not forget that Dylan Raiola had a 40-yard punt (net 20 as the ball rolled into the end zone). Nebraska blocked a Colorado field goal in the second quarter, which was Nebraska’s fifth blocked kick in the last two seasons, including four field goals and a punt. Unfortunately, Tristan Alvano missed a 32-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. That short distance should be a no-brainer for a second-year starter. The kickoff team also allowed a 61-yard return by Jimmy Horn in the first quarter. With returners like that, we need someone who can consistently kick the ball through the end zone.

The bottom line is that the Huskers are now 2-0, as opposed to an 0-2 start a year ago. That feels a lot better, doesn’t it? The crowd at Memorial was loud and rocking the whole time, and the Huskers have two more night games in the next 13 days. Next week, Northern Iowa comes to Lincoln 2-0 after scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to beat St. Thomas 17-10 on Saturday. That should be a good warmup for the Huskers before they play Illinois on Sept. 20. The Illini beat 19th-ranked Kansas 23-17 on Saturday to move to 2-0 as well. Kansas has a pretty solid offense, and Illinois has shut them out. The dream of being 7-0 ahead of Ohio State means the Huskers will have to keep improving, as there are at least three teams at this stage that can derail that plan. But now let’s enjoy the win and recognize that the Huskers are building something special again. Let’s go, Big Red!!

MORE: Tad Stryker: The Blackshirts have it all