Maybe the cruelest part of Nebraska’s latest collapse is how familiar it felt.
On Halloween night at a blacked-out Memorial Stadium, Washington hung around long enough to steal a 17-10 win from a Huskers team that once again had control and once again let it slip. The scene fit the mood: darkness on the field, and then more of it for everyone wearing red.
It looked a lot like the Oregon loss from two weeks earlier. Same kind of game.
Same kind of ending. Three quarters of Nebraska doing enough to stay in charge, then one fourth quarter where everything turned sideways.
Against Oregon, the Huskers led 14-6 before falling 17-14. Nebraska had held the Ducks to six points, 91 total yards, and 0-for-9 on third down through 45 minutes.
Then Oregon’s other quarterback, Dylan Raiola, came off the bench and sparked two scoring drives in the final 15 minutes, including a touchdown drive that featured 17 and 20 plays. Oregon finished with 37 snaps in those two drives after running only 40 plays in the first three quarters.
The Ducks converted 3 of 7 third downs and all three of their fourth-down tries after Nebraska had spent most of the night getting off the field.
Washington followed the same script.
The Huskies were limited to three points and 146 total yards through three quarters, while Nebraska’s offense managed just enough to keep leaving the door cracked open. Washington then turned to Demond Williams Jr. in the fourth quarter, and the more talented quarterback compared to Elijah Brown started to tilt the game. He couldn’t finish the first drive, but the second one changed everything.
Williams scrambled for 17 yards on a 3rd-and-15, then delivered the throw that will stick with anyone who saw it: a 4th-and-18 back shoulder completion with the Husker blitz coming hard. Vincent Shavers nearly had an sack-fumble on the play, echoing the near-miss Anthony Jones had on Oregon’s go-ahead touchdown pass.
Two plays later, Washington scored the touchdown that put it ahead. Two plays after that, Anthony Colandrea was intercepted for the third time, and this one was returned for a clinching touchdown.
Nebraska’s offense did not exactly help itself, either. After the first three drives went INT, INT, TD, the Huskers moved the ball to at least their own 37-yard line on the next four possessions, but those drives ended in punts or at halftime. There was enough movement to tease something better, but not enough to actually build the cushion this team needed.
Then came the sequence that really buried it.
Nebraska’s next three drives included the only two three-and-outs of the game, and in between them came the possession that should have sealed things. Nyziah Hunter had a nice catch-and-run that set up first and goal, but a Kwazi Gilmer blindside block penalty wiped it out.
Jacory Barney then caught a pass to the 5-yard line for what became first and goal, only for a delay of game to push the Huskers back five yards. After that: pass, pass, sack, and Kyle Cunanan’s 36-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.
That was the end of that.
The frustration around Nebraska’s offense has now collided with the same late-game breakdowns on repeat, and that’s what makes these losses feel so punishing. The defense has done its job for long stretches.
The offense has not done enough to separate. And when the fourth quarter arrives, the other team keeps finding a way.
Matt Rhule is not getting fired this week. That much is clear.
But the offensive staff question is very much alive, and Dana Holgorsen’s future as play caller is now part of the conversation before Friday night in Champaign. Rhule has made a midseason move at offensive coordinator before, so this is not some abstract debate.
The bigger picture is uglier than any one game. For Nebraska fans, this has become a loop of the same pain, the same near-misses, the same collapse waiting to happen.
It is exhausting. It is maddening.
And right now, it keeps happening.
Still, there is good news.
In Other News...
Nebraskas Fourth Straight Loss Exposed Two Bigger Problems
A promising start in Champaign still ended the same way for Nebraska, which dropped a 24-13 decision to Illinois on Friday night and watched its losing streak reach four games. The defense opened with a scoreless first quarter and gave the Huskers a chance to settle in, while freshman running back Jamal Rule returned from injury and provided a needed spark with 69 yards on 15 carries.
But the longer the game went, the more Illinois found answers, and Nebraska could not keep the Illini from landing the key plays that swung the night. Wide receiver Collin Dixon turned in a record-breaking performance, another reminder that the Huskers are still searching for consistency on both sides of the ball as the season keeps slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Gets A Key Friday Night Boost With One Big Question Left
Nebraska is set to get a needed lift up front Friday night, with Gunnar Gottula expected back on the offensive line against Illinois after working his way through a head injury. The Cornhuskers have been waiting for help in that area, and Gottulas return gives the group a little more stability as it heads into a game with real Big Ten weight.
There is also encouraging news on the back end, where safety Jamir Conn has returned to practice and is listed as probable, though he still needs final clearance before he can suit up. Even with those positives, Nebraska is still managing a short list of absences, including Anthony Jones, so the final availability report will still matter when the Huskers line up Friday night. [Read more 🡒]
Archie Wilson Just Became An Unlikely Nebraska Bright Spot
A season that had already put Nebraskas special teams under a microscope got a lift this week when Archie Wilson landed on the Ray Guy Award Midseason Watch List. The honor, which goes to the nations top punter, is a notable turnaround for a player who had been under fire earlier in the year and has now worked his way back into the conversation with his leg.
Wilsons latest recognition came after a strong showing that earned him Ray Guy Punter of the Week, highlighted by a 49.8 net-yard average, four punts inside the Washington 20-yard line and no returns. For a Nebraska team looking for steadier footing in all phases, Wilson has suddenly become one of the more encouraging developments on the roster. [Read more 🡒]