Four Storylines to Watch as Huskers Take on Washington

After a week off, Nebraska returns to Memorial Stadium for the "Blackout" game on Halloween.

Running back Mekhi Nelson and the rest of the Nebraska rushing attack will be key against the Washington Huskies. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After narrow losses to Indiana and Oregon, the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2 B1G) are coming off a much-needed bye week.

With a week to get refocused and healthy, the Huskers now host the Washington Huskies (4-3, 1-3 B1G) on Halloween for this season's iteration of the Blackout.

Here are four storylines to get you ready for the matchup at Memorial Stadium.

The "Blackout Game" Energy

2026 blackout alternative uniform | Nebraska Athletics

Memorial Stadium will be rocking Saturday night as the second annual Blackout game is here. The Huskers will dress up for Halloween as well, with the crowd donning black.

The Huskers already have an electric atmosphere on fall Saturdays, but the extra energy from the Blackout will be important for the Huskers to take advantage of. Winning on Saturday would give Nebraska much-needed momentum going into the crucial final month of the regular season.

Unknown at Quarterback for Washington

Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. had high expectations this year after a strong 2025 season. However, after he went down with a rib injury against Iowa three weeks ago, the Huskies decided to start Stanford transfer Elijah Brown against Purdue. Brown completed 21 of 27 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Huskies to their first Big Ten win of the season.

This week, Washington head coach Jedd Fisch isn't saying who he'll start at quarterback, which means the Huskers must prepare for multiple QBs for the second straight game.

Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. throws a pass against Iowa. He was injured later in the game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich said during his press conference Tuesday that the Huskers have enough film on both quarterbacks to prepare for what could be coming Saturday.

"I think No. 7 (Brown) has operated pretty quickly," Aurich said. "His completion percentage has been pretty high... Has kind of a good feel for the system."

He went on to say that Williams is similar to Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea when scrambling out of the pocket, but the two Washington quarterbacks are completely different and the offense looks different when they are in.

Regardless of who plays, the Nebraska defense will be tested on Halloween against the Washington offense.

Can Nebraska Get the Run Game Going Again?

Outside of Colandrea, the Huskers have struggled to get the running game going in the past two games. Something that didn't help them was how banged up the running back room has been.

Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said Tuesday that he wants to see more out of the running back room and them getting healthy will help with that.

Nebraska's leading rusher, true freshman Jamal Rule, did not appear on Wednesday's availability report, which is a good thing to see for the Huskers' offense. Sophomore Isaiah Mozee was listed as probable for Saturday, which will open up all three backs to play.

Isaiah Mozee is tackled during the 17-14 loss at Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Holgorsen said he believes the running backs will rebound from the tough past few weeks and will play better, and the bye week certainly helped that.

Nebraska currently ranks as the No. 29 rushing offense in the country with 194.4 yards per game, while Washington's rush defense is ranked No. 52, allowing 131.1 yards a game. This is something the Huskers can take advantage of.

Huskers Need to Fix Second-Half Struggles

In each of the last two games, the Huskers have faded during crunch time. Fourth-quarter leads turned into three-point losses against the Hoosiers and the Ducks.

Struggles on both sides of the ball have been to blame. Against Oregon, Nebraska gave up a 20-play, 82-yard touchdown drive to give the Ducks the win. Nebraska hasn't given up a lot of points in either loss: 20 against Indiana and 17 against Oregon.

The question is, can defensive coordinator Rob Aurich and the Nebraska defense fix these lapses this week against Washington?

Jamari Johnson scores the winning touchdown for Oregon with less than half a minute remaining. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For Dana Holgorsen's offense, the third quarter has been a struggle this season. The offense has scored just 14 points in the third quarter of the last six games combined. The Huskers will get an opportunity to solve that issue against the Huskies.

Nebraska and Washington face off at 7 p.m. CDT Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. The game will air on the Big Ten Network.

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