Nebraska Football

[Colts And Orioles]

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Nebraska has been my favorite college football team since 1973.



Nebraska Football Earns Its Flowers, Despite Loss to Indiana

(By Eli Rodriguez)

https://www.dailynebraskan.com/sport...1f9718634.html



Many will point fingers at the Cornhuskers' defense on 4-and-1, allowing senior quarterback Josh Hoover to find Nick Marsh for a 44-yard score, but that’s not why the Cornhuskers lost.

The deciding factor came down to coaching ...... one side had Curt Cignetti.

Nebraska football (5-1, 2-1) pushed the Hoosiers to the final minutes in its 20-17 loss to No. 7 Indiana (6-0, 3-0), proving that it deserves a seat at the table and can compete with the best teams in college football.

“Coach and those guys thought that it was a different personnel ...... they put our goal line in, we should have called a timeout,” head coach Matt Rhule said in the postgame press conference. “Obviously, anything that happens in the organization is my fault.”

Despite holding the Hoosiers to 3 first-half points, the fewest in the Cignetti era, Indiana outscored the Cornhuskers 17-7 in the final 30 minutes.

“Our guys took a deep breath and relaxed,” Cignetti said in his postgame interview on FOX, following Indiana’s 22nd consecutive win. “Nebraska played really well ...... it's a great football team ...... it’s a good road win.”

Nyziah Hunter made his presence known. The senior wide receiver punched in his first TD in nearly a year, dating back to October 25th of 2025 in Nebraska’s 28-21 win over Northwestern. It also marked his first career rushing TD. Jacory Barney Jr. had himself a day as well, hauling in 9 catches for 123 yards.

Anthony Colandrea had the game of his life through 3 quarters, doing all that he could both in the air and on the ground, but ultimately fell short. The Cornhusker field general said that he pointed to Will Compton during his 39-yard rushing TD.

“I thought that our offensive line played at a high level, Colandrea said the postgame press conference. “I've got to do a better job of just calming everyone down, calming myself down ...... I just need to stay in the moment, and just go out there and execute at a high level.”

Once Colandrea broke the tackle, the air inside Memorial Stadium changed. It felt like it was going to happen ...... it really did. After all, 85,653 fans walked out of the building feeling down, but with a glimpse of hope.

Of course, the fans believed ...... but this time, the team did as well. From the start, all 3 units sparked energy off of one another, pushing them to reach a game-high 11-point lead.

This wasn’t the norm heading into the game ...... before the contest, Nebraska has been known for its rocky starts, with its last-minute efforts falling short. This time, it was different.

The Huskers believed, and so did everyone else ...... that’s the glimpse of hope ...... hope, for the rest of the season ...... hope, for big games ...... hope that the program has what it needs to return to what it once was.

This team has a chance to win on the road at Oregon, on Halloween night against Washington, at home against Ohio State, and on the road at Iowa. People have to start taking Nebraska to win ...... it's earned its right to be in that conversation. Even legendary Ohio State coach Urban Meyer picked the Cornhuskers to win today.

Saturday’s game had the potential to be one of the greatest wins in the last decade, and it sure looked like it was through the first 3 quarters. Big Noon Kickoff was in town, students showed out, and Memorial Stadium rocked all afternoon ...... so close, yet so far.

“I thought that the crowd was electric,” Rhule said in the postgame press conference. “I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the moral victory ...... we’re furious that we gave up those 2 TD's at the very end. We have a really good team ...... we have to become a great team.”

Coming into the game, Indiana’s 2-headed monster backfield, senior Lee Beebe Jr. and junior Turbo Richard, posted 3 combined 100-plus yard performances. The Blackshirts held the duo to only 41 rushing yards. The Cornhuskers’ rush-defense looked its best all season.

Marsh led the Hoosiers in receiving yards, posting a season-high 187 yards on 6 receptions and 2 TD's.

Senior linebacker Owen Chambliss notched 5 tackles, 1 solo tackle, and a tackle for loss ...... his leadership has led Rob Aurich’s unit since his return.

“That’s what you come to this conference to do ...... play in those big games,” Chambliss said in the postgame press conference. “It was awesome.”

Next up, the Cornhuskers hit the road to Eugene, Oregon to face the Ducks on Saturday, October 17th at Autzen Stadium. The time and broadcast information will be released later today.

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