'Can't Pout About It, Gotta Get Better': Nebraska Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen Turns the Page to Oregon

"One more touchdown, you win the game," said Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen on Tuesday.

He's not wrong. Nebraska wasn't far from winning Saturday's game against No. 7 Indiana, but the Huskers will need to be better at capitalizing on scoring opportunities if they want a different result.

As NU's offensive play caller turns the page, he has his sights set on Saturday night's game at Oregon. Another week, another tough defense awaits. Here's what Holgorsen had to say ahead of Week 7.

Nebraska didn't struggle to move the ball against Indiana on Saturday. In fact, the Huskers did so at a rate few teams, if any, have matched against the Hoosiers since 2024. But moving the ball doesn't guarantee a win, something Holgorsen knows all too well.

“Yeah, I mean, we moved the ball,” he said. “It wasn’t easy, but we moved the ball, controlled the ball, kept a really good offense off the field a lot of the time… Just didn’t end up with enough points… One more touchdown, we win. Those opportunities were there.”

The return of freshman running back Jamal Rule helped, but it still wasn't enough. Nebraska struggled to produce on the ground, ultimately falling short in a three-point loss.

Even so, Holgorsen was encouraged by what he saw from the run game, particularly early in the contest.

“I knew it was going to be hard,” he said. “We didn’t think we’d get 83 plays… That game versus that team, you usually get like 60, but I did think that we’d throw it a good bit… I was happy with how the run game looked early, man. I mean, we were running the ball. With that said, in order to win that game, we were going to have to throw it.”

“We had 130 (rushing) yards,” he continued. “There were some negative plays that made that run total not look as good as it was, in my opinion. We took five sacks. One was on the offensive line; four weren't… That hurts your rushing totals a little bit. For the most part, I thought our run game plan was good; it was solid. Those guys ran hard.”

Another player who impressed Holgorsen was Jacory Barney Jr., who the offensive coordinator believes played his best game as a Husker. Even so, Holgorsen remains committed to spreading the ball around rather than relying on one receiver to carry the load.

“I knew Jacory would bounce back,” said Holgorsen, discussing his return from injury and how the offense didn’t seem to solely rely on Kwazi Gilmer to move the ball down the field. “I thought that was Jacory’s best game since I’ve been here. He looked fast; routes were crisp. He caught the ball well.”

“Luke (Lindenmeyer) just continues to be that security guy, does a lot of checkdown stuff,” Holgorsen continued. “That was good getting Nyziah (Hunter) involved. We obviously did that purposefully earlier in the game to try to figure out how we can get him the ball, and he took advantage of that… Got enough guys for sure to move the ball around.”

Oregon linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei sacks UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Against Oregon, the Huskers will likely need contributions from everyone to leave Autzen Stadium with a win. The Ducks were ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP poll, and their defense, which is loaded with talent, was a big reason why.

Holgorsen had high praise Tuesday for Oregon's defensive front.

"They're really good," he said. "They have a lot of guys back from last year. That front four is as good a front four as I've ever seen... Active linebackers. Good, solid tackling safeties and cover corners. I mean, they're just really good."

"So, here we go. Another tough test," he continued. "I think our guys will be excited about the challenge, the opportunity. We could've won that game last week. Can't pout about it. Got to get better from it; got to move forward. And this is another awesome opportunity to go play at a high-profile place with really, really damn good players and coaches."

Football out west.

🗓️ 10.17.26
⏰ 10:00 PM CT
🏟️ Autzen Stadium vs Oregon
📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/Cy6UNrS913
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) October 12, 2026

A 3-2 record aside, Oregon might be the most talented team Nebraska will face all year. Despite the Ducks' season drawing comparisons to Penn State's struggles a year ago, the Huskers would be wise not to overlook them.

The last time Nebraska appeared to do so, it dropped its final three games of the 2025 season by a combined 73 points. The Huskers can't afford a similar finish this fall, especially with the momentum the program has built through the first half of 2026.

With kickoff set for 10 p.m. CDT, Husker fans will see whether Nebraska is up to stuff. Those unable to attend the Week 7 matchup in Eugene can watch the game on FOX.

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