“It'll give the young guys confidence, like, 'Hey, we can do that,’” Pensick said of breaking through.

The seniors certainly carried their share of the load in their final game.

Quincy Enunwa won the bowl game’s MVP award with 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a 99-yard touchdown that turned the game in Nebraska’s favor.

But there also were Ankrah’s two sacks, and Stanley Jean-Baptiste’s two tackles behind the line of scrimmage from his cornerback position, and Thad Randle battling through a cramp in his calf for six tackles.

Safety Andrew Green had five tackles himself and two pass breakups, including one on a fourth down in the Husker red zone in the game’s final five minutes.

“He played his best game, in my opinion,” fellow safety Corey Cooper said of Green. “I didn’t even recognize him out there. I’m proud of him. He moved to safety, this is his first year moving to safety, he did a hell of a job.”

While the focus of seniors was to gain momentum for the younger players, the younger players were in turn trying to give the seniors a memorable exit.