Nebraska Snatches Defeat from the Jaws of Victory. Again.

Featuring the worst play since the Irish onside kick!

Sunday Morning Quarterback

Nebraska had the lead. Nebraska had a working game plan. Nebraska had the defending national champions on the ropes.

Then…Nebraska pushed the panic button. More like, they stomped on the panic button.

Indiana’s 20–17 victory left Team SMQ considerably less interested in celebrating how close the Huskers came than in asking how they managed to throw this one away. Moral victories are nice, but they’re still losses. We’re tired of moral victories.

Anthony Colandrea’s 39-yard touchdown run put Nebraska ahead 17–6 with 12:01 remaining.

The offense finally found something. Then abandoned it.

For much of the afternoon, Nebraska played the kind of football Team SMQ has been requesting for what feels like several presidential administrations.

Run the ball. Use the tight end. Give the quarterback manageable opportunities. Move the chains. This is how you win when 30-mph winds are blowing at Memorial Stadium.

Jamal Rule supplied the physical running. Luke Lindenmeyer supplied the underneath receiving option. Colandrea supplied the mobility that made Indiana account for one more threat.

It was 17-6 with 12 minutes left! Hope had returned to Lincoln!!

Play two deep safeties against a dangerous passing offense with 12 minutes left in the game? Nah. Boom. One play and it’s 17-13.

For some reason, Nebraska chose this point to no longer dance with the date that brought them to the lead. Instead of time-eating running and passing, our “genius” wanted to call plays that work in the American Conference but get snuffed out in the Big Ten. The result? Quick punt.

Stack the line on 4th and 1 when Indiana is in the shotgun? Sure thing!

Now we’re trailing. Wow.

Fourth-and-nine. Seriously?

The decision to go for fourth-and-nine near midfield, down three with more than four minutes remaining, was downright mystifying.

Nebraska’s defense had spent much of the afternoon stopping Indiana. Punting offered a chance to make the Hoosiers earn their field position and give the Huskers another possession.

Nebraska failed to convert.

Jay immediately reached for the appropriate historical comparison: Scott Frost’s onside kick in Ireland. Jay and George were there for that one. Apparently, Nebraska wanted to give them a domestic version.

To Team SMQ, that was panic dressed up as aggression.

One more bad play to nail down the coffin.

Nebraska’s defense stood tall and held the Hoosiers. But the Huskers had one more panic play up their sleeve.

Nebraska fielded Indiana’s punt…at the 5-yard line. There wasn’t a coach who said “if you’re inside the 10, LET IT GO.”

Game over. Huskers pull defeat from the jaws of victory. Again.

Indiana adjusted. Nebraska panicked.

Up until 17-6, 34% of all offensive plays involved either Rule or Lindenmeyer with their hands on the ball. Bob was happily preparing an apology to Genius Dana Holgorsen.

After 17-6, that shrank to 15%. Including a meaningless Lindenmeyer catch when the clock hit zeroes. Bob then tore up that apology. Some “genius.”

The coaches had a great game plan until they got punched in the face.

Nebraska had the talent to win. The opening game plan gave that talent a chance. The players put the Huskers in position to finish.

The verdict? The coaching staff failed to manage the moment. Again.

Instead, another winnable game became another discussion about progress.

The Huskers showed they could compete with Indiana.They also showed how quickly a working plan can disappear when the coaching staff panics.

Team SMQ has seen that episode.

The ending still stinks.

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