Twenty-eight seconds was all Nebraska had to salvage a night that slipped away in the final minute at Autzen Stadium.
Instead, Oregon finished the job. The Ducks beat Nebraska 17-14, turning Saturday night into Sunday morning for fans back home and handing the Huskers another loss after they couldn’t protect a lead.
Former Husker junior quarterback Dylan Raiola directed Oregon’s decisive 20-play, 82-yard march, a drive that lasted more than five minutes and ended with the go-ahead touchdown. That left senior signal-caller Anthony Colandrea with 28 seconds to try to get Nebraska into field goal range, but he couldn’t do it.
For long stretches, this looked nothing like a normal offensive game. Both teams spent much of the first half stuck in neutral.
Every one of the eight drives in the first quarter ended in a punt, and it took until the sixth possession of the game for anyone to put together a drive longer than two minutes. Through the first 15 minutes, the two sides combined for just four first downs and 74 yards.
The slog continued until Nebraska finally found a jolt. The Huskers were backed up at their own 6-yard line when Colandrea threw an interception on the first play of the drive.
Oregon took over at Nebraska’s 14, but junior safety Caleb Benning immediately ripped the ball loose on the Ducks’ first snap, giving the Huskers the ball back deep in their own end. Then, with 13 punts already in the books, Colandrea found junior receiver Kwazi Gilmer in the back right corner of the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown just before halftime.
The score was reviewed, and the call stood, sending Nebraska into the break with a 7-0 lead.
Even with that finish, it was a rough half for Dana Holgorsen’s team. Nebraska averaged only 3.5 yards per play and never got the ground game moving. The backfield, including Colandrea’s sacks, produced just 21 yards on 12 carries.
For most of the night, Nebraska’s defense held up its end. The Blackshirts spent a lot of the game dealing with Oregon’s steady stream of bubble screens and handled the Ducks well early on. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning started third-string senior quarterback Brock Thomas, a former walk-on, and Nebraska did enough to keep that version of the Ducks in check.
Then Lanning turned to Raiola in the fourth quarter, and the offense changed gears.
Raiola helped Oregon move more smoothly, including a six-yard scramble on third-and-5 from the Ducks’ 17-yard line. Oregon pushed down to the Nebraska 18 before settling for its third field goal of the game.
But after Nebraska went three-and-out in less than two minutes, Raiola led the 20-play drive that ultimately decided everything. By then, the Blackshirts had clearly worn down.
Nebraska finished with five forced three-and-outs and held Oregon to 3.2 yards per play, but the Ducks were still able to convert 3 of 16 on third down and put together the game-winning march when it mattered most.
Up front, Nebraska had its own problems. Oregon’s front seven made life miserable for the Huskers in both phases.
On the ground, 15 different runs gained two yards or fewer. Through the air, Colandrea was under constant pressure and was sacked three times in the first half alone.
Nebraska-native linebacker Teitum Tuioti was a major factor for Oregon, finishing with five tackles, two sacks and a quarterback hurry. Nebraska also dealt with injury concerns on the offensive line, with senior guard Brenden Black playing through a broken hand and senior Gunnar Gottula leaving the game injured.
The Huskers now head into a bye week before returning Oct. 30 against Washington at Memorial Stadium in the highly anticipated black-out game.
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Matt Rhule Sends Clear Message After Nebraskas Painful Oregon Finish
Nebraska came up just short against Oregon, falling 17-14 in a game that turned late when junior quarterback Dylan Raiola entered in the fourth quarter and hit tight end Jamari Johnson for the winning touchdown. Afterward, Matt Rhule made it clear he was not interested in turning the loss into a referendum on his quarterback or his program, instead framing it as the kind of game that can teach a team where it still needs to grow.
Rhule pointed to fatigue and Oregons effective run game as part of the reason the Cornhuskers were unable to close it out, while also brushing aside any notion that the late kickoff was an excuse. For Nebraska, the bigger takeaway may be the standard these matchups provide, since Rhule emphasized the value of lining up against strong programs even when the result stings. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Gets A Clear Opening As Nebraska Brings Real Concerns
Nebraskas latest loss was another frustrating one in a season that keeps slipping at the edges, with the Cornhuskers falling 17-14 to Oregon after letting a fourth-quarter lead get away for the second straight game. The timing only adds to the concern, because the issues have started to look familiar: special teams havent been steady, the rushing attack has faded in recent weeks, and the injury list has made it harder to patch things together.
A bye week now gives Nebraska a little breathing room before Washington comes to Lincoln, but it also leaves a clear set of problems to sort through. The Huskies will see a team that has been competitive late into games and still found a way to lose them, which makes the next stretch feel especially important for a group trying to stop the slide and reset before the home matchup arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Defense Did Enough But One Problem Still Cost Them
Nebraska had every chance to turn a solid defensive effort into one of its biggest wins of the season, but the offense never quite matched what the defense gave it. The Cornhuskers led entering the fourth quarter and kept Oregon within reach for most of the afternoon, yet the Ducks were able to survive a tight, physical game and leave with a 17-14 victory.
The issue for Nebraska was up front, where the offensive line struggled to consistently hold up and let the game slip away despite the way the defense kept battling. Oregon got late help from Dylan Raiola, who came off the bench and sparked the comeback, leaving Nebraska to wonder how different things might have looked with even a little more protection and consistency on offense. [Read more 🡒]