DUBLIN — Ryan Hilinski says Ireland will always be a special place for his family, and not just because of Northwestern’s 31-28 victory over Nebraska on Saturday.
The Wildcats quarterback was in Ireland a decade ago to watch his older brother, Tyler, play in a youth tournament. Tyler died by suicide in 2018.
“My parents write me a card before every game,” he said. Inside the card was Tyler’s “Ireland 2012” patch from his jersey.
Tyler was a quarterback at Washington State who was expected to start in the 2018 season before he died at age 21. Doctors later revealed that Tyler had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disorder linked to repeated head trauma.
“To open your card and see this fall out, I mean it’s pretty special. As soon as I saw my mom tonight, I was like, ‘The Hilinskis are now 2-0 in Ireland.’ So definitely Ireland has got a special place in my heart, a special place in the Hilinskis’ heart for sure,” Ryan said.
He kept the patch with him during the game, too, under his thigh pad.
“I don’t know, something extra like that can help a little bit. So that was with me the whole game. And yeah, it just felt like Tyler was out there and he got another win, as well as us. It’s something I’ll remember forever.”
Ryan Hilinski threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns to help Northwestern win before 42,699 fans at Aviva Stadium in the Irish capital.
Meanwhile, embattled Nebraska coach Scott Frost made the biggest decision in the game. He ordered an onside kick and it didn’t work. Now, he’s facing even more pressure with Nebraska’s losing streak at seven games.
“You’ve got to win in this business to keep your job,” said Frost, who is in his fifth year at the helm. “That’s the way it is. I love the state of Nebraska. I love these fans that sacrificed to come over here. We’ve got to get this turned around.”
Frost took the blame for a failed onside kick that changed the momentum of the game in the third quarter.
“I made that call so that’s on me,” Frost said of the decision after the Huskers took a 28-17 lead. “At that point in the game, I thought all the momentum was on our side. I thought if we got it, we could end the game.”
The Wildcats finished with 528 yards and gained a measure of revenge after their humiliating 56-7 loss to the Huskers last October. Nebraska hasn’t won since then.
Notes
• Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said the quarterback battle has been settled, kind of. Harbaugh said Cade McNamara will start the first game of the season against Colorado State and J.J. McCarthy will start the second game of the season against Hawaii, and a decision on the permanent starter will be made after week two.
• California defensive lineman Brett Johnson will miss a second straight season after going down with a lower-body injury.