Live from Madison: Game day, Oct. 1

• Box Score: Wisconsin 48, Nebraska 17
• Video Below: See NU coach Bo Pelini and select players at the postgame press conference

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Nebraska got a rude welcome into the Big Ten Saturday night from a player who was just as new to the league as the Huskers.

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 233 first-half yards to start the Badgers on their way to a 48-17 victory over NU before a crowd of 81,384 at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Huskers were making their Big Ten debut after starting the season 4-0 and climbing to No. 8 in both polls.

• Photo showcase: Sights and sounds of Madison
• Photo showcase: Husker fans in Madison
• Video: Click here for the latest

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Read about a pair of die-hard Nebraska fans in Big Red wave swamps Madison.

Sign of the day: Bo Pelini = Lord Voldemort

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BIG TICKET PRICE

So, how much are tickets?

Scalpers and sellers around the stadium are still trying to get up to $300 for a seat, but Pete Bell, a Cornhusker fan from Nebraska City, is confident those prices are coming down.

Bell would know — he says he has come to about two dozen Nebraska road games with no tickets and successfully scalped two in front of the stadium each Saturday.

Bell, still looking for this weekend's tickets outside the stadium at 3 p.m., is guessing he'll be able to buy two seats for $150 a piece by game time, as prices usually drop right before kickoff.

"I dunno, though, the weather is so nice today, maybe they won't," come down that far, Bell said. "You never know." — Matthew Hansen

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NU TAILGATERS OUTNUMBERED

Yes, there are an eye-popping number of Nebraska fans here, but keep in mind that the Wisconsin faithful aren't exactly staying home today, either.

Regent Street, a prime tailgating area, and the parking lots around the Kohl Center (the basketball arena) are packed, and at least 90 percent of the fans seem to be wearing Badger red.

It's just a guess, but the thought here is that this won't be a repeat of the Notre Dame trip in 2000, when Nebraska fans practically took over South Bend and the stadium, turning it into a de facto home game for Eric Crouch's Cornhuskers.

And while Nebraska fans tailgating around the stadium are solely focused on football, many of the Wisconsin fans spent the afternoon transfixed by baseball.

Fans tailgating around the stadium hooked up their radios and listened to Bob Uecker, voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, as he announced Game 1 of the National League playoff series that matched the Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Stadium Bar, aptly named because it's maybe a block from the stadium, also had the baseball game on many of its TVs Saturday afternoon.

While the Husker fans in the bar talked, many Badger faithful stared at the screens. They roared in the 7th inning when Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer that put the Brewers up 4-0, a comfortable lead that Milwaukee turned into a 4-1 win.

A Wisconsin win tonight, and then a Green Bay Packers win tomorrow (they are heavily favored at home against Denver) would turn this into a perfect weekend for the Dairy State sports fan. The Cornhuskers are obviously hoping to mar that weekend tonight. — Matthew Hansen

GAME DAY SPIRIT

The owner of Kabul, an Afghan restaurant on State street, is setting up a big-screen television on his tiny outdoor patio.

To say game day spirit has infected the five block stretch is, well, an understatement.

Across the street, a crush of black-clad husker fans hoot, holler and chant, at points reaching an ear-splitting fervor. Crowds roam the streets, clad almost all in either red, black or some combination of the two.

Groups of Wisconsin fans (and some Huskers, too) gleefully chomp through ears of grilled corn on the cob. The excitement is contagious. — Sarah Baker Hansen

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LINING UP

Nearly four hours before game time and already about 100 Wisconsin students were lined up to get the best student seats in the stadium. — Matthew Hansen

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GAMEDAY SIGNS

Saturday at the GameDay set, there was trash-talking, but not really an attempt to potentially create conflict. At least that was the vibe Saturday. Maybe that will change as kickoff approaches.

We'll see. Until then, here are a few signs in the GameDay crowd that caught my eye:

• Bo Pelini = Lord Voldemort (with photos of both)

• Our AD can beat up your AD (with Barry Alvarez's head edited onto a photo of a muscular body and Tom Osborne's head on a skinny frame)

• Call me when cheese turns into fuel

• Hey Badgers, this is what it looks like (arrows pointing to a well-drawn national championship trophy). W=0. N=5.

• If Tom Osborne tells me to black out, I am blacking out

• And Chris Polenz of Papillion, Neb. needed no words. He supported the Huskers with a badger skin eating corn.

— Jon Nyatawa

For more from the GameDay show from Jon Nyatawa and other World-Herald sports reporters visit the Big Red blog.

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MID-MORNING BLACKOUT

Nebraska fans appear to have embraced the school's blackout campaign for this match-up in Madison. The goal was for Husker nation to stand out. It's working, so far.

Nearly every Nebraska supporter is sporting either a black shirt, pullover or jacket.

On the set of ESPN's "College GameDay" there were a few signs referencing the Husker blackout, including one that regularly popped up in the background of the show's main camera angle, right over Lee Corso's head. (Corso closed out the show by picking Nebraska.)

Friday night, Husker fans took over State Street Brats, a popular restaurant and bar on the main strip in downtown Madison. They may be at it again Saturday. By 10 a.m., there was already a line of about 20 Nebraska fans waiting at the front door. — Jon Nyatawa

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ESPN'S "GAMEDAY"

ESPN's "College GameDay," a popular Saturday preview show, began taping live at 8 a.m. from Bascom Hill on Wisconsin's campus.

There were the usual GameDay signs, but I did chuckle at this one: "Everybody Here Hates Iowa." —Rich Kaipust

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Fans of the Huskers and the Badgers seem to be getting along at the College GameDay set.

I also found a Badger fan with an extra, extra large cheese head. — Jon Nyatawa

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EARLY BIRD PARKING SPOTS

It's already kind of a pain to try to park a car in Madison — even though kickoff is still 10 hours away.

Parking attendents are in full game-day mode, charging $15 or $20 for a spot, despite the fact that most are at least a 15-minute walk from Camp Randall Stadium.

Side streets in the residential neighboors are the best (free!) options at this point, but though those are filling up fast. — Jon Nyatawa

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A BADGER BREAKFAST

From The World-Herald's food writer Sarah Baker Hansen: The loudest sound at Mickies Dairy Barn is the milkshake machine. It hums and shudders and squeals as loads of Wisconsin fans begin their gameday with a chocolate, vanilla or strawberry shake. The place is packed Saturday morning.

If you don't want to begin the day with ice cream, begin it with another dessert: coffee cake. Rich, sweet and hot, the apple cinnamon flavor costs two bucks and is one delicious hunk.

The scrambler, billed as the ultimate hangover cure, is a giant mound of scrambled eggs, meat, potatoes and cheese with a side of white gravy and slices of toast. It's great.

For a full list of restaurants and places to vist in Madison, go to Omaha.com's Guide to Madison hot spots.

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GAME DAY MORNING

It's a cool, crisp morning in Madison. The skies are clear, but the sun is just now peaking over the city's trees.

Those up early enough likely found frosty windows on their cars.

It certainly feels like the first day of October, which means it's a perfect fall day for football. — Jon Nyatawa

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It's finally game day.

It's unclear whether No. 8 Nebraska will be able to hang with favored No. 7 Wisconsin. But it's very clear that Cornhusker fans routed their Badger counterparts at a famous Madison watering hole late Friday night.

Nebraskans simply took over State Street Brats by midnight, jamming the indoor bar area and packing the outdoor patio. Chicago Cubs co-owner Pete Ricketts was there, as was his nephew Pat Ricketts, the former Blackshirt.

It's hard to say how many Husker fans joined them through the night. 750? 1500?

It's safe to say there wasn't a Wisconsin fan in sight by midnight. (They were at one of several dozen other bars in the downtown area.) The Husker fans clapped to the fight song and chanted "husker power" deep into the night.

It felt like Lincoln. — Matthew Hansen

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NEBRASKA AT WISCONSIN
• When: 7 p.m. Saturday
• Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.
• TV: ABC
• Radio: 1110 AM KFAB

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Get the latest on Saturday's Nebraska-Wisconsin matchup as well as a full slate of game day coverage right here, including stories, photos, videos, rosters and more. Join World-Herald staff writer Rich Kaipust at 5 p.m. for "Husker Talk Live" pregame to get the latest news from Madison. Then stick around and chat with other fans during the game. Rich will be back 45 minutes after the game to answer your questions. To get complete Husker football coverage go to Omaha.com's Big Red Today page.

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World-Herald sports writers Jon Nyatawa, Sam McKewon, Rich Kaipust, Tom Shatel and Dirk Chatelain are in Madison this weekend, and they're already tweeting news, tips and pictures. Follow our Big Red Today writers on Twitter for constant updates.

VIDEO * * *

• 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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Game day predictions from Madison

NU Athletic Director Tom Osborne and UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez talk football

Sights and sounds from Madison

Rich Kaipust and Sam McKewon talk about Saturday's game in this week's episode of the Big Red Today Show:

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema talking about the matchup with Nebraska

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