Nebraska at Oregon Postgame: The Huskers Led Into the Fourth and Lost 17 to 14

Fifteen minutes from a road win at Autzen. 28 seconds from overtime.

Nebraska carried a 14 to 6 lead into the fourth quarter Saturday night in Eugene. Oregon scored the last 11 points, the final 8 on a 4 yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds left and a two point conversion, and won 17 to 14. The Huskers fall to 5 and 2 overall and 2 and 2 in the Big Ten, one week after losing to Indiana by three.

How the lead got away

Oregon changed quarterbacks for the fourth quarter. Brock Thomas played the first three and went 9 of 20 for 54 yards with an interception. Dylan Raiola took over to open the fourth and went 11 of 18 for 59 yards and the winning touchdown.

Raiola is a former Husker. He started 22 games at quarterback for Nebraska over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, then announced in January that he was transferring to Oregon.

The first fourth quarter drive went 17 plays and 69 yards and ate 7:42 before Gage Hurych hit his third field goal, from 37 yards, to make it 14 to 9. The next one went 20 plays and 82 yards. Raiola found Jamari Johnson from 4 yards out, then hit H. Lewis for the two points.

Oregon held the ball for 12:45 of the fourth quarter. Nebraska had it for 2:15. Oregon went 3 for 3 on fourth down in the game.

A defense that did almost everything

For three quarters, Oregon could not move the chains. The Ducks went 3 of 17 on third down, including 0 of 8 in the first half. Nebraska entered the game leading the nation at 19.7 percent allowed on third down.

The Huskers posted a season high 11 tackles for loss. It is the seventh straight game to open the season Nebraska has allowed 23 or fewer points, the first time NU has done that since 2001. Total yards finished dead even at 242 apiece.

Owen Chambliss had a career high 15 tackles, the first Husker with 15 since Luke Reimer against Northwestern on Aug. 27, 2022. Dwayne McDougle III added a career high 13 tackles and a third quarter interception, his eighth career pick. Caleb Benning had 12 tackles, a career high 2.5 for loss and a forced fumble. Vincent Shavers Jr. had 9 tackles and 2 for loss.

The 14 points

Kwazi Gilmer caught a 17 yard touchdown from Anthony Colandrea with 4 seconds left in the first half, capping a 10 play, 65 yard drive. It was Gilmer’s seventh touchdown catch of the season, the most by a Husker since Trey Palmer had nine in 2022. He finished with 6 catches for 74 yards.

McDougle’s interception set up the second score. Colandrea ran it in from 6 yards out with 7 seconds left in the third quarter. He threw for 164 yards and ran for 38, and he now has 9,112 career passing yards.

Luke Lindenmeyer had 3 catches for 25 yards and now has 56 career catches, top 10 among Husker tight ends. Jacory Barney Jr. caught 2 passes for 37 yards to stretch his streak to 33 straight games with a catch, tied with JD Spielman for third in school history.

What it leaves behind

One week after Nebraska vs Indiana Postgame: The Huskers Won the Stats and Lost 20 to 17, it is the same ache in a different stadium. Two losses by three points. A defense that keeps answering.

Husker Nation, the next one tells us whether this team can finish a fourth quarter the way its defense starts the first three.