Nebraska had the game in hand at one point in Eugene. The Huskers led 14-6 entering the fourth quarter at Autzen Stadium and had Oregon on the ropes.
Then it slipped away.
Former Husker quarterback Dylan Raiola, back in the spotlight a week after being benched against UCLA, helped steer the Ducks to a 17-14 comeback win late Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The finish turned what looked like a statement road win for Matt Rhule into another painful loss that left Nebraska staring at another missed chance.
The frustration is easy to understand. Nebraska played well for long stretches, and the defense held up for most of the night.
But when it came time to close things out, the Huskers couldn’t do it. The offense never got the run game going, and the offensive line struggled to protect Colandrea when the game was there to be won.
That’s where this one sits for Nebraska: not on the defense, which was flying around, hitting and making plays, but on a unit that couldn’t finish the job in the biggest moment.
Credit also goes to Oregon, whose defense looked every bit like a national championship caliber group. The Ducks’ loss to UCLA last week may have looked like a sign of weakness, but UCLA’s own profile in the Big Ten suggests otherwise. Oregon’s seven turnovers in that game and a two-point loss don’t tell the whole story.
And for Nebraska, there is at least some perspective in the larger picture. If someone had handed over the first seven games of the season back in July, that would have been accepted in a heartbeat. That doesn’t make Saturday’s loss any less aggravating, and it doesn’t remove the burden on Rhule and this team after coming up short against two preseason top five teams in the last two weeks.
Still, the empty feeling lingers. It’s hard not to be frustrated after another close one got away, and it’s even harder when the game wrapped up at two o’clock in the morning.
Luke Lindenmeyer didn’t hide that feeling afterward. “I’m angry, mad. I want to get back out there and finish the job,” the Husker tight end said after the 17-14 loss to Oregon.
The final sequence belonged to Raiola and Oregon. One week after his benching, he came off the bench and delivered just enough in pieces before landing the play that mattered most - a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson in the back of the end zone with 28 seconds left. That was the crusher, and it turned Nebraska’s near-miss into another night of wondering what might have been.
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 🡒]
Nebraska Let A Familiar Name Rip Away A Late Lead
For much of the afternoon, Nebraska looked like it had done enough to protect a late lead against Oregon before a familiar name changed the shape of the game. Dylan Raiola came off the bench in the fourth quarter and quickly settled in, finding Jamari Johnson on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds left to put the Ducks ahead in a 17-14 comeback win.
The loss left Nebraska having to absorb another close finish, and coach Matt Rhule addressed the performance afterward with the kind of frustration that comes from watching a game slip away at the end. Oregons rally was built on Raiola stepping in for Brock Thomas and giving the Ducks a final surge when the margin was gone, a reminder of how little room there is for error in a one-score game. [Read more 🡒]