Nebraska left Eugene with the same bitter feeling it carried out of the Indiana game: a fourth-quarter lead and no win to show for it.
The Cornhuskers, now 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, lost 17-14 to Oregon on Saturday. It was the second straight week Nebraska held a fourth-quarter advantage and still came away empty. For a team that keeps finding ways to put itself in position, the finish keeps slipping through its fingers.
Special teams has become a real problem, and against Oregon it showed up in multiple ways. Nebraska turned the ball over on downs after a bad snap while setting up to punt, muffed a punt return that hurt field position, and kept trying to return kickoffs without getting much out of it. Those issues followed the missed 40-yard field goal against Indiana that could have forced overtime at the end of regulation.
The concern isn’t new, but it’s gotten louder over the last two weeks. Special teams didn’t stand out as a major issue during nonconference play, yet the unit has gone from quiet strength to obvious liability. Nebraska returned the same kicker and punter and added the No. 1-ranked long snapper in the transfer portal, but the third phase has not been a consistent edge this fall.
Running the ball has become another problem area. A week after Nebraska’s running backs managed only 71 yards on 20 carries against Indiana, the Huskers got just 58 yards on 18 attempts against Oregon. Indiana and Oregon are the two best defenses Nebraska has seen, but the lack of a reliable ground game is still hard to ignore.
The numbers from the Indiana game were especially ugly. Of those 71 rushing yards by the running backs, 66 came after contact, which meant nearly 93% of the production was created on their own. The full Week 7 numbers weren’t available yet, but the same struggle showed up on the field against Oregon.
Pro Football Focus had already graded Nebraska’s run blocking against Maryland and Indiana as its two lowest marks of the season, and the Ducks game looked like more of the same. The Huskers had chances in both of the last two games to drain the clock and close things out, but neither time did they get it done.
Injuries are also piling up. Nebraska went into the Oregon game without Jamir Conn, Rex Guthrie, and Riley Van Poppel on defense, then lost more players as the night went on. Matt Rhule said after the game that offensive injuries may have involved Gunnar Gottula, Isaiah Mozee, and Jamal Rule, though the exact extent wasn’t clear.
The bye week arrives at a useful moment, but Nebraska will only feel like it made the most of it if it comes back and beats Washington at home. The Huskers need a jolt, and their Halloween matchup with the Huskies gives them a chance to find one.
In Other News...
Washington Bye Week Has Turned Into A Key Recruiting Test
Washingtons bye week is being used for more than recovery and self-scouting. The Huskies coaches are on the road making recruiting visits, with their attention split between building out the 2028 class and keeping the 2027 commitments intact. That push comes as one of their offensive line pledges, Reis Russell, has put together a strong senior season and shown the kind of versatility programs like Washington covet up front.
The Texas pipeline also remains part of the picture, even with plenty of competition for those prospects. Washington has stayed active in that state while continuing to hunt impact talent, and the latest target is a highly regarded defensive lineman with national attention. For a program trying to turn a quiet week on the calendar into a meaningful roster gain, the next few visits could matter more than most. [Read more 🡒]
Washington May Have Another Running Back Problem After Breakout Ground Game
Washingtons ground game finally looked like a real strength against Purdue, with Trey Cooley and Brian Bonner both giving the Huskies a boost in what stood as their best rushing performance of the season. But the celebration came with another familiar worry for a backfield that has been battered all year, as six of the teams nine running backs have already missed time in some form.
Cooley, a sixth-year back, left the game with a shoulder injury and is set to undergo evaluation that includes x-rays. The timing only adds to the concern for a unit that had just four healthy running backs available against Purdue, with several others already expected to be out for the season, leaving Washington to wonder whether its long-awaited breakthrough on the ground might be followed by another setback. [Read more 🡒]
Washington's Quarterback Decision Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
Elijah Brown got his first start of the season and made it hard for Washington to ignore him, filling in for the injured Demond Williams Jr. and helping the Huskies beat Purdue 38-26. Brown threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, but the outing also came with three interceptions, a reminder of both his upside and the volatility that can come with handing a young quarterback the keys in a critical stretch.
With Nebraska next on the schedule, Jedd Fisch was not ready to settle the discussion. The Huskies still have to sort out whether Brown's breakthrough performance is enough to keep him in the lineup or whether Williams will be back in time to reclaim the job, and the timing is hardly ideal for a team trying to build momentum and stability at the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]