Happy Halloween was not the mood at Memorial Stadium, where Nebraska’s October took another hit in 1998. The seventh-ranked Huskers fell to unranked Texas, 20-16, and saw a 47-game home winning streak come to an end in front of 76,434, the biggest Memorial Stadium crowd of the season.
It was Nebraska’s first home loss since Washington beat the Huskers 36-21 in 1991, and its first home defeat to an unranked opponent since Missouri’s 35-31 upset of No. 2 Nebraska in mid-November 1978.
Offense never quite found its rhythm. Nebraska managed 194 rushing yards on 47 carries and finished with 311 total yards, but the ground game never really took hold.
“Offensively, we really didn’t get anything going in terms of the ground game, to get the option going,” Coach Frank Solich said. “Our inside game was quite a bit of a struggle.”
That was a surprise considering Texas came in ranked 64th nationally in rushing defense and 77th in total defense.
“It was rough going on the ground,” said Solich.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Eric Crouch led Nebraska on the ground with 108 yards on 17 carries, and his 38-yard touchdown run put the Huskers in front 13-10 late in the third quarter. Crouch, coming off a hip-pointer injury, shared quarterback duties with senior walk-on Monte Christo after Bobby Newcombe was sidelined by a posterior cruciate ligament injury.
Christo made his first and only start, completing all four of his passes for 58 yards without an interception before Crouch replaced him with 8:24 left in the first half. Crouch finished 6-for-13 for 59 yards, also without an interception. Both quarterbacks were sacked twice.
Wingback Shevin Wiggins led Nebraska’s receivers with four catches for 59 yards.
Texas put up 398 total yards, with quarterback Major Applewhite completing 14 of 26 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once by cornerback Ralph Brown and sacked three times by defensive tackle Loran Kaiser and linebackers Jay Foreman and Eric Johnson.
On defense, rover Mike Brown piled up 19 tackles, including eight solo stops, the most by a Husker since 1981. Rush end Mike Rucker added 11 tackles, and Foreman had 10.
Texas running back Ricky Williams, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy, ran for 150 yards on 37 carries. Even so, that was well below his average of 210 yards per game.
“We were so off-and-on,” Husker defensive coordinator Charlie McBride said. “One minute we looked good, the next minute we looked awful.”
McBride said the start was especially sluggish.
“We looked a little flat early. I don’t know what it was,” said McBride. “Everybody was watching to see what was going to happen.
“There didn’t seem to be any enthusiasm.”
That lack of energy extended beyond the sideline.
Texas opened by scoring the first 10 points. Applewhite’s 16-yard touchdown pass finished the Longhorns’ first possession, and Kris Stockton added a 36-yard field goal 10 seconds into the second quarter.
Nebraska finally got on the board with Kris Brown’s 27-yard field goal as the first half expired, then tied things up when Brown hit a 47-yarder to start the second half. Crouch’s touchdown run gave the Huskers the lead, and Brown followed later with a 42-yard field goal to put Nebraska ahead 16-13 with 8:33 left.
But Texas answered again. Stockton’s 19-yard field goal, set up after the Longhorns reached first-and-goal at the Nebraska 5, tied it at 16 before Applewhite found the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown pass with 2:47 remaining.
That finished the game at 20-16 and sent Nebraska to a loss that would drop the Huskers to 14th in the Associated Press rankings, their first time outside the top 10 since 1992.
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Dan Lanning Just Put Dylan Raiola Back In Nebraskas Spotlight
Dylan Raiola is back in the spotlight in a way Nebraska fans know all too well, only this time the conversation is coming from Oregon. After the Ducks loss to UCLA, coach Dan Lanning said Raiola will be part of a quarterback competition with Brock Thomas while Dante Moore works his way back from a concussion, giving the former Husker target another public moment in a crowded race. Lanning also singled out Raiolas composure after being pulled from the game, a small but notable nod for a quarterback whose name still carries plenty of weight in Lincoln.
For Nebraska, any update involving Raiola tends to ripple beyond Eugene because his path has remained such a point of curiosity for the fan base. Lannings comments added a little more texture to where things stand, especially with Oregons offense searching for steadier footing and changes reportedly coming in team operations. The details of those changes were left unsaid, but Raiolas presence in the mix was clear enough to make this one worth keeping an eye on. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Showed Real Progress In A Loss Fans Know Too Well
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Indiana answered with two long touchdown receptions by Nick Marsh to turn the night around and escape with a 20-17 win, the kind of finish Nebraska supporters know too well. Even in defeat, though, there was a real sense of progress in how the Cornhuskers competed, and enough promise to leave fans thinking this team may be moving toward something better. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas 2026 Schedule Already Has A Few Early Warning Signs
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What makes the picture more uneasy for Nebraska is that some of those opponents are still working through injury and depth questions, which can change the feel of a matchup long before 2026 arrives. Illinois win came despite losing starting quarterback Katin Houser to a broken hand, a reminder that the teams on Nebraskas schedule may look different by the time the Cornhuskers actually see them. For now, the best takeaway is that the road ahead already has a few warning lights flashing, even if the full shape of the schedule wont come into focus for a while. [Read more 🡒]