Peterson: In Loss To Michigan, Huskers Show They're Not Ready To Take The Next Step

Nebraska football isn’t ready yet.

The Cornhuskers fell 30-27 to the now 19th-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, in a game that was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated. In a way, it reminded me of some of those losses the program had in 2021: trailing by multiple scores, they’d pick up a late touchdown (or two) and make the score look better as it scrolled on the bottom line for the remainder of the Saturday. Consider:

The Hail Mary that finished the first half, evening the game at 17-all before the break.
Four drives into the second half, Nebraska had been held to a trio of three-and-outs before going on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that brought Nebraska to within 30-27 with 93 seconds left.

The latter was fresh on the heels of Michigan’s 16-play, 8:46 masterpiece of a clock-chewing drive that put the Wolverines back up by ten.

In the matchup we’d all been looking forward to – a chance to find out if Nebraska was indeed about to take that next step – they answered the question in as definitive a way as possible:

No. No, they are not.

More than 24 hours later, I can’t stop thinking about all the preseason concerns I had with the 2025 Cornhuskers and how so many showed themselves.

The run defense was absolutely not ready for primetime. Michigan rushed for 290 yards on an incredible 9.4 yards per carry. All three ball carriers for the Wolverines – Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall at running back, as well as quarterback Bryce Underwood – scored on the ground. Underwood got the party started on a 37-yard touchdown, Haynes scored right before the half from 75 yards out, and Marshall's 54-yard touchdown in the third quarter made it 27-17.

Meanwhile, Nebraska’s own run game, with a solid lead back in Emmett Johnson but not much else, couldn’t answer back. They were bottled up in the second half in particular, rushing for just 17 yards on six carries. Not counting sacks, Nebraska rushed 24 times for 92 yards; 3.8 YPC.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola is hit by Michigan defensive lineman Enow Etta. — Dylan Raiola faced constant pressure on Saturday, getting sacked seven times. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Speaking of the run game, Nebraska’s offensive line, which was often called a potential strength throughout the offseason, faltered. The run game never got going, and the pass protection was an issue from the start, as the Wolverines got to Dylan Raiola seven times for a combined 49 yards lost. And it could have been worse.

And the in-game management from Matt Rhule was downright perplexing at times. Pushing aside the decision to go for it* on fourth and short on the first drive of the game, the end of half clock management (from both sides) was super odd, even if it worked out in Nebraska’s favor with the Hail Mary. In the second half, Nebraska had to call a timeout on defense due to confusion over how many players were on the field. (There were 11, by the way.)

*I came away from the decision… without a strong feeling either way. You can talk me into going for it; you can talk me into kicking the field goal.

Even the areas that are inarguably better made mistakes at the worst moments.

Raiola put up 308 yards through the air and tossed three touchdowns, but missed on the second-and-three fade pass on Nebraska’s empty opening drive, took seven sacks, and finally threw his first interception of the season. And while the pressure was fast and furious from the Wolverines' defense, his internal clock wasn’t quick enough when it needed to be.

Jacory Barney was a bright spot for Nebraska's offense, finishing with six catches for 120 yards, and two touchdowns. He also fielded a punt inside his own five yard line. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The wide receivers, an upgrade from the inconsistent group in 2024, didn’t have their finest hour. Jacory Barney led the way with 120 yards on six catches, but transfers Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter put up just 70 combined receiving yards on five catches, with Hunter in particular costing Nebraska a touchdown when he stepped out of bounds in the back of the endzone. They'd settle for a field goal on that drive, scoring three instead of seven.

And while special teams is better year-over-year, Nebraska missed a field goal on its second drive of the game, and Barney fielded a punt inside Nebraska’s own five-yard line early in the second half, when momentum was most definitely with the Huskers.

They just weren’t good enough.

So, where do things go from here?

On one hand, I still think Nebraska is a much-improved football team. Dylan Raiola has thrown 11 touchdowns vs. one interception in the first four games, which would correlate to a 33-3 TD-INT ratio over the course of 12 games.

As good as Bryce Underwood was on the ground, he struggled through the air, finishing with just 105 yards on 22 attempts. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The pass defense wasn’t perfect on Saturday – their tackling at times, woof – but Bryce Underwood finished with just 105 yards through the air, on 4.8 yards per attempt, no less.

And Archie Wilson will continue to allow Nebraska to play the field position game well, week after week. He punted four times on Saturday for 197 yards – a 49.3 average – with a long of 56 yards. He never had a chance to pin Michigan, but he flipped the field multiple times.

On the other hand, the run defense is a massive concern.

The depth at running back is a problem.

Any defensive line worth their salt will give Nebraska’s offensive line issues all season long.

They weren’t good enough on Saturday. Will they be in the eight remaining games this season?

Was the performance by Justice Haynes - 17 carries, 149 yards, 1 TD - a sign of things to come for Nebraska's run defense? | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

You’ll have to wait a bit longer than normal to get an answer to the above questions; Nebraska’s first idle week of the season is on the docket. In two weeks, they’ll finish up their four-game homestand with a game against a feisty Michigan State team in year two under Jonathan Smith. It’s a game Nebraska will be favored in. A matchup against an “equal.”

It’ll be that way all month long. Nebraska, a short favorite or short underdog. Four opportunities to show that, while the program isn’t ready to take the big step forward, it can still take smaller steps forward.

Are they ready to take next step forward?

Can they win games they're supposed to win?

We’ll find out soon.

Agree or disagree, if you have a comment for Josh, send him an email: joshpeterson.huskermax@gmail.com.

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