Darkness Falls on the Nebraska Offense

The path to discernible progress in the Matt Rhule era has gone dark.

I could’ve sworn that the 2026 Cornhuskers were on the right road just three weeks ago. It seemed to be firm and well maintained. Where the devil did that path go? As they head into November, it feels like the Huskers are groping around on a God-forsaken two-track that is degenerating before their very eyes. Must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere.

On Blackout Night in Memorial Stadium, the Nebraska coaching staff — most notably, Matt Rhule and Dana Holgorsen — did its part to obliterate any evidence of where it stood just three weeks ago after coming within a couple of plays of defeating defending national champion Indiana.

What did Rhule and his staff accomplish Saturday night? They convinced a good share of the 86,000-plus fans who showed up dressed in black that the football program is no further ahead than it was a year ago. In fact, some are strongly considering the dark notion that the Husker program is cursed. It’ll take a lot to persuade them otherwise.

Bummed fan — A fan reacts as the Huskers' lead vanishes in the game's final 90 seconds. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s an absolute shame that a program which was on the verge of beating the defending national champions has so quickly degenerated into a program without a running game, one that will have to scratch and claw simply to make a bowl game. That sounds quite familiar indeed.

Rhule and Holgorsen had two weeks to come up with a plan to score points against a midlevel Washington defense, and failed miserably. They brought back strong memories of the Scott Frost program that could move the ball between the 20-yard lines with the best of them, outgaining Washington 387-267, but had a devil of a time scoring touchdowns.

Jedd Fisch and his Washington coaching staff did their homework on the Huskers. They apparently watched enough Iowa-Nebraska footage to know that all you have to do is hang in there and wait for Nebraska to hand you enough opportunities.

When winning time came in a must-win game, Nebraska’s offense shrank from the responsibility. It refused to cooperate with the Blackshirt defense that nearly made a single touchdown stand up, doing all it could to win the game by itself. Inevitably, the Blackshirts gave up a touchdown drive in the final two minutes, after having Washington in a fourth-and-18 situation, only to allow an unlikely diving sideline reception that kept the drive alive. Inevitably, the Huskers lost in gut-wrenching fashion.

Where did the wrong turn occur? At about the same time it hapened against Indiana, with just under 12 minutes left in the game. It came with Nebraska leading 7-3, with the ball on the Washington 5-yard line. This is where a dependable running game gives you a near-insurmountable 14-3 lead. This is where Geep Wade had an opportunity to prove that he has made progress — real, long-overdue progress — in restoring the heart and soul of the Nebraska football program.

Happy Husky — Washington Huskies linebacker Darin Conley celebrates after a teammate made a pick-six during the fourth quarter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is where acquiring a dual-threat quarterback like Anthony Colandrea gives you a clear edge, makes you hard to defend deep in the red zone. If used properly.

Well, with two weeks to prepare, with Nebraska leading 7-3 and coming off a momentum-grabbing 31-yard pass play to Jacory Barney which put with the ball on the Washington 5-yard line early in the fourth quarter, the Huskers committed a delay-of-game penalty. Inexplicably, they couldn’t get set up to deliver a kill shot. Too much confusion in the huddle. Too much distraction on the sideline. It was a borderline call, a call that often doesn’t get made, because the officials usually overlook it when the center snap happens right as the play clock hits zero. But this time, the flag was thrown.

Yes, that really happened. Rhule, who has frittered away timeouts for half a dozen useless reasons over the past month, didn’t call one when his team desperately needed it. That’s the moment the Husker football program drove off the road and into the ditch that led to a 17-10 loss, plunged the Huskers into disarray and frankly, into familiar territory (a sub-.500 record in the Big Ten).

Having been stung by the needless penalty, with first-and-goal from the 10, Holgorsen saw no reason to run a read-option with Colandrea. He saw no reason to even use rollout action to give him a chance to use his legs to clinch the game. Ironically, Washington won partly because Fisch brought his convalescing quarterback, Demond Williams, off the bench for the express purpose of using his legs to give his team a spark. But Holgorsen decided that two straight dropback passes were surely the path to victory. Unfortunately, that was also a time that Nebraska’s offensive line developed some problems with pass blocking. The two passes, both to Barney, fell incomplete.

On third down, Holgorsen called a run-pass option, and Colandrea started to run, found his way blocked straight ahead, was cut off as he veered left, and then, trying to create something out of nothing, made a long, twisting retreat, resulting an an 8-yard loss. That loss set up a devastating car wreck, Kyle Cunanan’s missed 36-yard field goal attempt.

Washington Huskies wide receiver Chris Lawson (8) is tackled by Nebraska Cornhuskers defenders during the third quarter — The Nebraska defense limited Washington to three points during the first 58 minutes. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When winning time arrived, Rhule and Holgorsen didn’t respond, and neither did their offense, and a season has gone off the rails. There’s really no solid evidence to support the theory that Nebraska is making progress in Year 4 of Rhule’s tenure. This Husker team is no better at this point of the season than was last year’s 7-6 unit. Rhule and the Huskers are going to have to win three of four in November to get to the eight-win mark, something that seemed quite likely with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but deeply questionable now.

The single biggest issue on this team is its inability to run the football when it needs to, which points an accusing finger at Wade’s offensive line, which seems to be regressing before our very eyes. It’s not the only problem. It also would’ve helped if Kwazi Gilmer, who was on the road to an all-conference season not that long ago, hadn’t let opportunity slip through his fingers. Gilmer’s first-quarter drop in the end zone came one play before the first of three Anthony Colandrea interceptions which cast a pall on the NU offense all night.

Nebraska rushed for 78 yards in the first quarter, but finished with 132 for the game, including a pathetic 8 rushing yards in the fourth quarter when it needed to protect a lead.

This is a program in dire need of some light. The Huskers will emerge from their quagmire only when Rhule and Holgorsen decide that if there’s one thing they’re going to accompish in November, it will be to pump life into the running game, and that won’t happen until Wade remakes his unit into competent run blockers. Freshman Jamal Rule remains a ray of hope in this season. Rule ran for 72 yards on 13 carries, and seems to be the Big Red running game’s best way forward.

In his postgame press conference, Rhule cryptically insisted that “we’re learning a lot; our team and our coaches are learning a lot.” Maybe on the defensive side, but even in the Big Ten, you’ve got to score at least 20 points to win most games. Holgorsen, who not that long ago seemed like a feather in Nebraska’s cap, is becoming an unexpected liability.

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