Nebraska dropped its third straight game of the season after a dreadful Halloween night against Washington. Despite topping the Huskies in many categories, the Huskers failed to find the end zone for most of the night. This, in turn, allowed Washington to get the win.
That's become the main theme for Nebraska during this losing streak. The Huskers’ offense regressed even further, despite a bye week and an arguably less difficult defense than Indiana and Oregon. Though some questionable calls on offense stood out, other aspects of this loss did too.
Here is the report card from Nebraska’s haunting loss to Washington.
Quarterback: D
Anthony Colandrea played his worst game of the season. There’s no other way to say it. Though he had his moments, the mistakes practically
made the game a true nightmare.
He threw three interceptions, each one worse than the last, culminating in a pick-six. Colandrea finished 24-of-44 in passing and took two sacks. Though this isn’t solely on Colandrea, he still tried to do too much, which led to the poor performance. Yet, the run game looked more efficient than in past weeks, making Colandrea’s decision all the more head-scratching.
He attempted multiple deep shots, but many weren't in spots that gave receivers a chance. At times, it looked more like he was hoping for a penalty rather than just a first-down play. Colandrea also made more questionable decisions regarding whether to run or pass.
The most prominent came in the fourth after Nebraska got inside the five-yard line. On a third-down play, he immediately took off on what looked like a pass play, then pulled up and looked for a receiver. Instead, he took a sack. Though the field goal shouldn’t have been missed on the next play, the sack didn’t help.
The playcalling also didn’t help, with questionable choices in certain situations leading to poor outcomes. After all, a quarterback throwing 44 passes in one game isn’t typically the result of a well-called offense. But those calls come from Dana Holgorsen and Matt Rhule. The receivers also struggled at times in man coverage.
Though Colandrea did hit Carter Nelson for a 24-yard touchdown in the first, it ended up being the quarterback's only true highlight of the night. Not every play from the quarterback was awful, but the poor decisions that did occur hurt the team badly on the night.
What makes it worse is how ill-timed all these mistakes were. Coming off a bye week after two straight losses and delivering the worst performance of the season at home in game eight to a team that’s allowed over 20 points in each Big Ten game thus far is baffling.
This offense is a mess right now. But there are signs of opportunity. Even if the playcalling doesn’t improve, Colandrea is still a key factor in the offense's efficiency. He just needs to collect himself, let the big plays come to him, and not put so much on his back.
Running Backs: B
After a few games of poor results, the run game finally looked like the threat it was in the early part of the season. This was evident despite the trio combining for only 21 carries in the loss.
On just 21 carries, Jamal Rule, Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee combined for 102 yards. Rule got the main workload, totaling 72 yards on 13 carries. Nelson only got six carries for 24 yards, but did break out a 19-yard run. Rule also had a big run, going for 20 yards. Mozee finished with just six yards on two carries, but he caught two passes for 13 yards.
This group looked consistent, even when Washington managed to get a stop here and there. Rule and Nelson were just a few broken tackles away from bigger runs. Yet, playcalling limited this group and didn’t allow drives to continue. Even when down in the red zone, the trio didn’t get a touch, which seems baffling considering their performance.
If the group remains limited in their carries, then they need to make the most of them. But if they do get more over the course of these final four games, then Nebraska’s run game may get back on track. The key is staying consistent.
Wide Receivers: C+
Nebraska’s wide receivers struggled Saturday night. Colandrea throwing 44 passes in the game is already problematic, especially when some of those passes were difficult to catch. Even with that in mind, the receiving corps struggled.
Carter Nelson’s touchdown grab was the best catch of the night, as he got a step on his defender and hauled in an over-the-shoulder score. But that was the only real time a Nebraska receiver got separation on the deep ball. Though the playcalling didn’t give receivers much room for error, the Huskers can’t seem to win contested catches.
Many of Nebraska's effective receptions came on yards after the catch. Jacory Barney Jr. totaled 40 yards after the catch, but finished with 65 total receiving yards on six receptions. However, he was also targeted 11 times. Kwazi Gilmer also got 11 targets, but finished with four catches for 53 yards. He also drew a flag for an illegal blindside block.
Nyziah Hunter earned 20 yards after the catch, hauling in six passes for 39 yards. Luke Lindenmeyer seemed to be the cowbell for the Huskers in the runs after the catch. He caught five passes for 61 yards, picked up four first downs, and tallied 29 yards after the catch.
Nebraska’s passing game has hit bumps in the road this season, but this game showed how ugly things can get. The main issue is a lack of separation downfield, blocking and relying solely on the pass. The group needs to create separation and pick up blocks, but that’s only part of the problem.
Offensive Line: B-
After a couple of games with a high sack rate and a low rushing total, the pipeline showed signs of a turnaround against Washington. The running back room totaled over 100 rushing yards on just 21 carries. Colandrea got sacked twice, but one came early in the game, and the other came late on a broken play.
The line played well. But they didn’t play perfectly. The couple of sacks and stuffed runs don’t look good. The line also got a false start and an illegal man downfield penalty. But despite these mistakes, the pipeline didn’t allow anything that was truly disastrous.
The goal now, much like the running back room, is to remain consistent. The offense’s issues are likely here to stay for the remainder of the season. If the pipeline can keep opening holes for the run game and keep Colandrea mostly clean in the backfield, that at least gives the staff room to address the issues.
Defensive Line: B+
Nebraska’s defensive line played exceptionally well. But unfortunately, the group needed to do more for the Huskers to pull out a win. With that said, the line still brought one heck of a fight.
The line totaled 3.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and helped keep Washington to 32 rushing yards on 19 carries. Demond Williams Jr. broke out two 15-plus-yard runs after the line couldn’t get him in the pocket, however. The second one also started the eventual go-ahead drive.
Not much else can really be said about the trenches. They battled, brought pressure to the quarterbacks and limited the run game. Though a few runs and passes got away, this game isn’t on them.
Linebackers: B
The second level also packed a punch on Saturday night. Helping contain Washington’s offense for nearly the entire game. Owen Chambliss led the team in tackles. Vincent Shavers Jr. earned two quarterback hurries and half a sack.
However, the linebacker’s main strength came against the run and not the pass. Chambliss struggled in coverage. Shavers just missed the quarterback on a few plays that led to big passes or runs.
The second level remains firm. But it needs to tighten up its coverage and get to the quarterback if the defense wants to finish games.
Defensive Backs: B-
Of the three position groups on defense that got the short end of the stick, Nebraska’s secondary was the victim for the third game in a row. In the final drive, Chris Lawson made three key catches that kept the Huskies’ go-ahead drive alive.
Lawson's first catch was a short reception for 22 yards. The second catch drew controversy after Nebraska called a timeout before the massive fourth-down conversion on the sideline. The third resulted in a touchdown following a missed tackle.
For this secondary, it’s been frustrating that these last three games came down to a handful of fourth-quarter plays. It’s also frustrating to see two teams switch quarterbacks in the fourth and deliver game-winning drives.
This group’s been fighting and playing physically. The secondary faced 43 passes and held Washington to 26-of-43 for 235 yards. Though Lawson caught 12 passes for 155 yards, 71 of those yards came on the final drive. The secondary also committed three penalties, but only one led to a score for Washington.
Nebraska’s defense is doing a lot, especially with how it’s allowed fewer and fewer points week by week. But if the offense keeps scoring well below the desired amount, the secondary will have to finish the game and play to perfection. In truth, that shouldn’t have to be the requirement to win games. But right now for the secondary, that’s become the reality.
Special Teams: B-
Kyle Cunanan missed another field goal that ended up haunting Nebraska. This led to John Hohl stepping in and making a 42-yard field goal later in the fourth. However, once again, a missed kick was one of many issues for the Huskers that night. Outside the missed kick, special teams didn’t do anything too costly.
Archie Wilson delivered five punts and totaled 249 yards. He booted four punts inside the 20, two beyond 50 yards, and finished with a 60-yarder. This helped Nebraska’s defense keep Washington in check.
Barney did alright in punt returns and kick returns, totaling 83 yards. He got a 37-yard kick return and finished with 46 yards on four punt returns. But he couldn’t wrangle in the onside kick at the end. Granted, the fact that the game came down to an onside kick is another problem in itself.
All in all, the third phase did fine. But, much like the defense, if one mistake is going to become the difference between a win and a loss, special teams need to be cautious.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Report card from Nebraska’s haunting loss to Washington
