Nebraska had a chance to make this one feel different. It didn’t.
A second straight loss unfolded in familiar fashion, with the Huskers giving away an 11-point lead one week after they let an eight-point cushion slip away. Both times, the offense went three-and-out after the opponent tightened the game.
Both times, Nebraska never answered. And both times, the result looked painfully familiar.
The final stretch against Oregon said plenty about where this team is right now. On the decisive sequence, Matt Rhule burned through his timeouts, the Ducks stayed in control of the clock, and Nebraska couldn’t get the stop it needed. Oregon outscored Nebraska 11-0 after Dylan Raiola stepped onto the field, and when the Ducks converted on fourth-and-3, the game swung for good.
That fourth-down call was the line of demarcation. Nebraska had to score, but Oregon had the momentum and enough time to keep leaning on the run game. Rhule’s side never wrestled that control back from Dan Lanning.
That’s been the story of Nebraska under Rhule, at least in these spots. The Huskers have had chances. They just haven’t finished.
Oregon controlled the trenches when it mattered most
The Ducks won because they ran the ball better. On the last drive, their third downs were comfortable, manageable situations, and Lanning trusted his offense to grind out the yards it needed. Oregon even used Dylan Raiola to pick up multiple first downs on the ground.
Nebraska, meanwhile, got almost nothing from its backs. Anthony Colandrea was the team’s only effective runner.
Isaiah Mozee had one good carry. Outside of that, Nebraska’s running backs finished with 17 carries for 36 yards.
That lack of push showed up late, when pressure on the final two drives basically disappeared. Raiola looked comfortable, too, which only made the Huskers’ defensive issues stand out more. Nebraska should know him better than anyone, but the defense didn’t seem ready for what was coming.
The timeouts told the whole story
Rhule’s timeout usage became its own kind of self-inflicted wound. Nebraska burned one on the second-to-last drive, then wasted two more on back-to-back third and fourth downs when the defense couldn’t get off the field.
That kind of sequence kills any rhythm a team might have had. It also fed into the larger problem: Nebraska kept putting itself in situations where every mistake mattered even more.
This was the second straight week the offense came up empty after the opponent cut into the lead. Against Indiana, the Huskers went three-and-out after the margin shrank to four. Against Oregon, the same thing happened after the Ducks got within five.
Special teams made the night worse
Nebraska’s special teams were a mess again.
The Huskers missed a field goal last week and lost by three. This time, special teams handed Oregon three points after a bad snap and a punter who caught the ball with his knee on the ground.
There were more issues, too. Jacory Barney fumbled a punt but was fortunate to recover it. Nyziah Hunter was back returning kicks when he should have been signaling for a fair catch, and that mistake cost Nebraska about 30 yards.
The errors keep piling up in a phase of the game that should be cleaning itself up, not unraveling. Nebraska had steadied things for a bit, but then Mike Ekeler left for USC.
At some point, the pattern stops looking like bad luck and starts looking like a problem that just keeps showing up.
In Other News...
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 🡒]