Nebraska had Washington where it wanted it.
Up 7-3 with less than two minutes left, the Huskers were on the verge of closing out a gritty win at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. Instead, they walked off with another gut punch, falling 17-10 as Washington flipped the game late and Nebraska’s October skid grew to three straight losses. In each of those defeats, the Huskers had the lead entering the fourth quarter.
The difference was ugly and simple: turnovers. Nebraska lost that battle 3-0, and the last one was the killer - a game-sealing interception by Washington senior safety Alex McLaughlin. Both teams were flagged eight times.
The passing game never found a real rhythm, and that showed up in the grade. Anthony Colandrea finished 24-for-44 for 255 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, including a pick-six with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter.
Nebraska leaned on deep shots, but the offense spent too much of the night chasing chunk plays that never consistently arrived. Dana Holgorsen’s unit looked far more disjointed than it did early in the season, with two first-half interceptions and too many incompletions breaking up drives.
The receivers didn’t help much, either. Kwazi Gilmer had a rough stretch early, with just two catches on eight targets for 25 yards by the end of the third quarter, though he finished with four grabs for 53 yards.
Still, the tight ends gave Nebraska something to build on. Carter Nelson came through with his second catch of the season, and his first since the leg injury he suffered against North Dakota earlier this season.
Lined up wide, he raced up the sideline for a 24-yard touchdown, the Huskers’ only score of the night.
Luke Lindenmeyer was steady with four catches for 48 yards in the first half and ended with 61 yards. Jacory Barney Jr. led Nebraska with six receptions for 65 yards.
If there was one area Nebraska should have pressed harder, it was the run game. The Huskers got 58 of their 95 yards on the ground during their 10-play touchdown drive in the first quarter, then largely shelved it in the second.
Mekhi Nelson and Jamal Rule combined for just two carries in that quarter, and the offense lost some of its balance. Rule eventually gave the ground game a lift in the second half, finishing with 72 yards on 13 carries and a 20-yard run.
Nelson added 24 yards on six carries, while Isaiah Mozee chipped in six yards on two attempts. Colandrea also ran for 20 yards.
Nebraska totaled 132 rushing yards at 4.6 yards per carry.
Defensively, the Huskers did enough for most of the night to win the game. Washington starting quarterback Elijah Brown was held to 136 passing yards on 63% completions, and Nebraska’s pass rush got home four times.
The problem came in the fourth quarter, where the defense again couldn’t finish the job against a backup quarterback. Demond Williams Jr. came in and led a 12-play, 81-yard drive that included a conversion on 4th-and-18.
He capped it with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lawson.
Lawson was a major problem for Nebraska all night, finishing with 12 catches for 155 yards, with 71 of those yards coming after the catch. Washington ended with 235 passing yards, and Williams went 7-for-13 for 99 yards and a touchdown.
The run defense, though, was dominant. Nebraska held Washington to 32 rushing yards and didn’t let the Huskies get past 50 on the night.
The Blackshirts piled up nine tackles for loss and made Washington one-dimensional. Brian Bonner, who entered averaging just under 50 rushing yards per game, was limited to 13 yards on four carries.
Owen Chambliss led the defense with seven tackles and added half a tackle for loss. Caleb Benning, Donovan Jones and Dwayne McDougle III each finished with six tackles.
Special teams had some bright spots, especially early. Archie Wilson flipped field position with a 60-yard punt in the second quarter that pinned Washington inside its own five-yard line. Jacory Barney Jr. also gave Nebraska useful production in the return game, piling up 46 punt return yards on four returns, including runs of 14 and 22 yards in the first half.
But the kicking game came up short again when it mattered. Kyle Cunanan got his chance to extend Nebraska’s lead in the fourth quarter after the Huskers reached the red zone for the first time, but he missed a 36-yard field goal.
It was his fifth miss of the season, dropping him to four-for-nine. John Hohl later stepped in and hit from 42 yards in the final minute.
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 🡒]