Nebraska Offense Stalls in November Approach Following Washington Loss
The path to discernible progress in the Matt Rhule era has gone dark. Just three weeks after the 2026 Cornhuskers came within a couple of plays of defeating defending national champion Indiana, the team’s trajectory hit a steep decline. On Blackout Night in Memorial Stadium, head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen oversaw a performance that left a good share of the 86,000-plus fans wondering if the program remains right where it was a year ago. Reporting on the collapse, Sports Illustrated outlined how a promising season unraveled into familiar sub-.500 territory in the Big Ten following a 17-10 defeat to Washington.
For large stretches of the evening, the Nebraska defense did everything required to win. The unit limited Washington to just three points during the first 58 minutes of regulation, nearly making a single touchdown stand up against a midlevel opposing defense. Yet, when winning time arrived, the offense shrank from the responsibility. Jedd Fisch and his Washington coaching staff watched the contest unfold, waiting for Nebraska to hand over enough opportunities to stay alive. Those opportunities materialized precisely when the Huskers held a 7-3 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, facing a first-and-goal situation on the Washington 5-yard line.
Nebraska Offense Unravels After Costly Fourth-Quarter Delay Penalty
With momentum fully on their side following a 31-yard pass play from Anthony Colandrea to Jacory Barney, the Nebraska offense completely unraveled. Confusion in the huddle and distractions on the sideline led directly to a costly delay-of-game penalty. Rhule opted against calling a timeout to settle his players. Moving back to the 10-yard line, Holgorsen abandoned the run game and called two straight dropback passes. Both fell incomplete as the offensive line began allowing pressure.
On third down, a called run-pass option resulted in Colandrea taking an 8-yard loss after running into traffic and trying to improvise. That sequence set up Kyle Cunanan’s missed 36-yard field goal attempt, marking the exact moment the game slipped away. Nebraska rushed for 78 yards in the first quarter alone, but managed a pathetic 8 rushing yards in the final quarter when protecting a lead was paramount. Freshman Jamal Rule offered a bright spot, gaining 72 yards on 13 carries, but the overall offensive approach failed to lean on a consistent ground attack.
Defensive Valor Undone by Late Surrender
The Blackshirt defense fought valiantly, putting the team on its back until the final moments. Having Washington backed into a fourth-and-18 situation late in regulation, the defense appeared poised to seal the victory. Instead, the secondary allowed an unlikely diving sideline reception that kept the drive alive. Inevitably, the unit gave up the decisive touchdown drive in the final two minutes, cementing a gut-wrenching loss that drops the team into a desperate fight simply to reach bowl eligibility.
Colandrea finished the evening throwing three interceptions, while wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer dropped a potential touchdown in the end zone during the first quarter. These cumulative miscues cast a long shadow over the unit. In his postgame press conference, Rhule offered a cryptic assessment of the trajectory, stating that the team and its coaching staff are learning a lot through the adversity.
The November Climb Ahead
To salvage an eight-win season that looked entirely attainable twelve minutes into the Washington game, the Huskers must now win three of their final four contests in November. The primary burden falls on offensive line coach Geep Wade to rebuild a run-blocking unit that has regressed as the schedule hardened. Holgorsen, once viewed as a major offensive upgrade for the program, faces mounting scrutiny as the offense struggles to clear the 20-point threshold consistently required in the Big Ten.
Matt Rhule Washington Postgame | Nebraska Football Press Conferencehttps://t.co/aWyLWPfTsz
