Same old script, different week for Nebraska.
The Huskers had Washington on the ropes, then let it slip away in the fourth quarter again. A 12-play, 81-yard march by junior backup quarterback Demond Williams Jr. put the Huskies in front for the first time with less than two minutes left, and Nebraska’s last shot at salvaging the night ended in disaster when senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea threw a pick-six.
The final line was a 17-10 loss, but the way Nebraska got there told the bigger story. This was the third straight game the Huskers collapsed late, and once again a second-string quarterback ended up beating them.
Nebraska’s offense never found enough rhythm to separate itself, even though it had chances. After being held to 14 points against Oregon, Dana Holgorsen’s group was stuck at 10 this time. Colandrea and the offense moved the ball some in the first half, but Washington senior punter Hunter Green kept flipping the field and pinning the Huskers deep.
Nebraska’s average drive started at its own 21-yard line, and the offense averaged just six plays per possession. That field position grind mattered all night, especially when the Huskers had a chance to put the game away.
With 10 minutes left and a 7-3 lead, Nebraska marched to the Washington 5-yard line and had an opening to stretch the margin to 11. Instead, a delay-of-game penalty and an 8-yard sack pushed the Huskers backward, and senior kicker Kyle Cunanan missed a 36-yard field goal.
Colandrea’s night was a strange mix of mistakes and aggression. He opened with two interceptions on Nebraska’s first two drives, but he kept firing after that.
On the offense’s third possession, he guided a 10-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 24-yard scoring strike to junior tight end Carter Nelson. On third-and-2 with an empty backfield, Colandrea delivered a ball to the side of the end zone, where the junior tight end from Ainsworth, Nebraska, secured it and kept a foot in.
At halftime, Colandrea was 12-of-23 for 131 yards, and plenty of those misses came on deep throws. That trend carried through the second half. He finished 24-for-44 for 255 yards, but three interceptions wiped out the production.
The atmosphere clearly rattled Washington early. Nebraska’s blackout crowd helped force five false starts from the Huskies in the first half. Washington got as far as the Nebraska 42-yard line, but back-to-back early jumps pushed the Huskies back into their own end and killed the drive.
The Blackshirts also did their part for most of the night. Nebraska forced eight punts and three three-and-outs, and Washington struggled on third down for much of the game. The Huskies averaged 9.2 yards to go on third down, and Nebraska held them to just one third-down conversion in the first half.
Still, the noise and the defensive stops didn’t add up to a win.
The kicking situation remains a problem, too. Cunanan’s missed 36-yarder was another costly swing, and after that kick he dropped below .500 on the season in field goal percentage. What had looked like a strong 2025 stretch, when he went 16-for-19, is now looking shaky.
Senior backup kicker and kickoff specialist John Hohl got a chance late and hit a 42-yarder in the final minute to trim the deficit to seven, but by then the damage was done.
Nebraska now turns to a Friday night road game at Illinois. The Huskers will face the Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT on Fox.
In Other News...
Nebraska Still Has One Late-Game Problem A Former Champion Didn't Ignore
Clester Johnson has seen enough Nebraska football to know when a team is leaving something on the table, and in a recent podcast interview the former wingback and national champion returned to a familiar theme: finishing. Johnson talked about the importance of closing out games and the accountability that comes with it, while also looking back on how Tom Osbornes staffs handled those moments when the pressure tightened and the details mattered most.
Johnson also framed the challenge in a more modern light, noting that todays Nebraska has to navigate a different college football reality with retention and recruiting adding another layer of difficulty. He pointed to quarterback Anthony Colandreas ability, but said the offense still needs more balance around him, a reminder that the late-game issues are rarely about one player alone and usually come back to whether the whole operation can hold up when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Found Another Brutal Way To Waste A Winnable Game
For most of the afternoon, Nebraska and Washington played the kind of tight, low-scoring game that leaves every possession feeling heavier than the last. The Cornhuskers had chances to keep control of it, but quarterback Anthony Colandreas interceptions and a missed field goal from Kyle Cunanan kept turning manageable moments into wasted ones.
Washington finally broke it open late with a touchdown, then slammed the door with a pick-six off Colandrea to seal a 17-10 win. For Nebraska, it was another frustrating reminder that in a game there to be won, the biggest damage often came from self-inflicted mistakes. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Could Get A Huge Boost Before Its Blackout Showdown
Nebraska is getting healthier at just the right time, with defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel expected back for the Washington game after missing recent action because of injury. Running back Isaiah Mozee is also likely to be available, giving the Cornhuskers a little more depth as they prepare for a marquee blackout matchup that should draw plenty of attention.
The injury report still leaves some holes, though, with offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula and safety Jamir Conn ruled out. Washington is dealing with its own uncertainty as quarterback Demond Williams has gone from doubtful to probable, even if the Huskies have not yet announced a starter, so Nebraska may still have to wait until kickoff to see exactly what kind of challenge it is facing. [Read more 🡒]