Nebraska Faces Its Biggest Week of Season

In football, the next game always is the most important. It’s like golf — the next shot always is the most important. Don’t dwell on that three-putt when you’re standing on the next tee.

For Nebraska, it doesn’t matter that USC is two weeks away. First up is Northwestern, a 5-2 team that has won four consecutive games, three in the conference. Northwestern needs to be the Huskers’ sole focus this week during practice and preparation.

Especially coming off a 24-6 loss at Minnesota, when Nebraska was a touchdown favorite.

Especially when Nebraska was in the same situation last season — 5-1, then a crushing loss (to Indiana), then three consecutive losses. Each team is different, of course. But you better believe the Huskers can’t and won’t forget what happened in 2024.

They better not.

“This next week is crucial for our program,” Nebraska junior running back Emmett Johnson said after the loss to Minnesota.

“This next week will be extremely crucial, bouncing back and playing against Northwestern. So we just have to focus on learning from this, and then flushing it, and moving on to the next game.”

Huskers still have a lot to play for

Nebraska’s season is not over and that has nothing to do with the calendar. There is plenty left on the table with five games remaining — five games that could provide some juicy victories, or devastating defeats.

Enormous questions and fitful sleep face Nebraska: Are the Huskers any good? If so, how good? Are they worthy of being nationally ranked? Are they a seven-win team, or something more? They have been in the AP Top 25 poll only once this season — last week at No. 25.

After the hurting Minnesota put on Nebraska, these are fair questions — and it’s not just the media asking them.

The Huskers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) must be questioning themselves from top to bottom about every aspect of their program after getting physically dominated by the Golden Gophers.

The Huskers lost badly to a team they expected to defeat. Self-examination should have been the next step in moving forward. Several Huskers players talked about the need to look within after the Minnesota loss.

Last week, Huskers defensive coordinator John Butler said he believed the Golden Gophers would try to run the ball against Nebraska. They did. Did they ever. And the Huskers struggled to stop them, even when they prepared for that strategy from Minnesota.

“I think they’re going to try to run the football on us again and I think you’d be a fool not to try that on us," Butler said.

Minnesota rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns. The Huskers rushed for 36 net yards, after losing 64 yards when Minnesota sacked Dylan Raiola an astounding nine times.

Minnesota running back Darius Taylor carries the ball against Nebraska in second half. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

“Watching the film and learn from it,” Johnson said about how his team moves forward.“Adversity is part of the season. We’re going to go through ups and downs.

“One week you’re going to be on top of the world and the next week people going to be hating on you. Just dealing with adversity and learning from it.

“Just understanding that we got to make everything about us. The outside and the media is going to say all of those things but just focusing on what we got to do to get better and that’s just watching the film.

“Each person watching the film and learning from their mistakes and growing. That’s all it comes down to, honestly.”

Back to the drawing board

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, in his postgame remarks, singled out any number of areas of improvement, or where Minnesota took the game to the Huskers.

Rhule wasn’t handing out many compliments. He was dealing with straight-talk reality.

He made a point to say the Huskers had two red-zone opportunities in the first half and came away with only six points, when it could have been 14 points.

In these physical Big Ten brawls, where so many teams appear to be evenly matched, missed points can be costly.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule reacts after a first-half call against Minnesota. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

“We got the ball down the red zone twice and we don’t score early in the game,” Rhule said. “Those are plays you’d like to get 14-3, or 14-7 [leads] in that first half.

“They absolutely were the better team tonight and we never took advantage of anything the whole night.

“We were just kind of out of whack the whole day,” Rhule said.

Emmett Johnson’s anguish

Johnson had to be devastated about the Minnesota loss. He’s from Minneapolis, played his high school ball there, and he played in front of family and friends on Friday night.

“I’m disappointed,” Johnson said. “I never want to lose a game. But I know we got a special group of guys."

“I’m just going to watch the film tomorrow and get better. When it comes to this team, I know we didn’t execute but I still love all these dudes. I’m going to keep fighting for them and they’re going to keep fighting for me.”

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson says this is an important week for the Huskers to bounce back after losing to Minnesota. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another troubling trend for Nebraska was the way Minnesota pushed around the Huskers. Losing physical battles in the Big Ten is a tried and true way to obtain unwanted results.

“We’re going to be good,” Johnson said. “I’m not concerned at all. By next week we’ll be good.”

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.