Nebraska vs Washington Postgame: 15 Seconds, Two Touchdowns and a 17 to 10 Loss

Up 7 to 3 inside the final two minutes. Down 17 to 7 at 1:15.

Nebraska carried a 7 to 3 lead deep into the fourth quarter of the Halloween Blackout Saturday night. Washington scored a touchdown with 1:30 left, then returned an interception for another one at 1:15, and won 17 to 10 at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers fall to 5 and 3 overall and 2 and 3 in the Big Ten. That’s three straight losses by a combined 13 points.

The 15 seconds

Elijah Brown started at quarterback for Washington. Demond Williams Jr. played the fourth quarter, and he changed the night. His last drive started at the Washington 19 with 4:29 left. Near midfield, Riley Van Poppel and Vincent Shavers Jr. split a sack, then Mason Goldman got another one, and it was 4th and 18.

Williams found Chris Lawson for 24 yards. Two plays later he hit Lawson again from 25 yards out. 10 to 7 Washington.

On Nebraska’s second snap of the next drive, Alex McLaughlin picked off Anthony Colandrea and ran it back 48 yards. 17 to 7 with 1:15 to go.

Lawson finished with 12 catches for 155 yards. Williams went 7 of 13 for 99 yards and a score and ran for gains of 19 and 17 yards in the fourth.

The one that got away first

Before any of that, Nebraska had a chance to make it a two score game. A 14 play, 66 yard drive ate 5:50 early in the fourth, and Jacory Barney Jr. hauled in a 31 yard catch down to the Washington 5.

Then a delay of game, two incompletions and an 8 yard sack. Kyle Cunanan missed from 36 yards at the 10:01 mark. Nebraska went 0 for 1 in the red zone on the night.

The turnover battle

Saturday the turnover battle went Washington’s way, 3 to 0, and the Huskies turned those into 7 points. A Caleb Benning interception in the second quarter came off the board on an offside penalty.

Colandrea finished 24 of 44 for 255 yards. His touchdown came in the first quarter, a 24 yard strike to tight end Carter Nelson that capped a 95 yard drive starting from the Nebraska 5.

A defense that held up its end

Washington ran for 32 yards on 19 carries. Nebraska had 4 sacks and 9 tackles for loss, held the Huskies to 5 of 15 on third down and outgained them 387 to 267.

Owen Chambliss led the team with 7 tackles. Kade Pietrzak and Jahsear Whittington each added a sack, and Donovan Jones had 2 tackles for loss. Archie Wilson averaged 49.8 yards on 5 punts and pinned 4 inside the 20.

Jamal Rule ran for 72 yards on 13 carries. Barney piled up 158 all purpose yards, and John Hohl hit a 42 yard field goal with 31 seconds left to make it a one score game before Washington recovered the onside kick.

What it leaves behind

Two weeks after Nebraska at Oregon Postgame: The Huskers Led Into the Fourth and Lost 17 to 14, it happened again at home. Indiana by three. Oregon by three. Washington by seven. A defense that keeps giving the offense a lead to protect.

Husker Nation, Friday night at Illinois tells us whether this team can finally close a fourth quarter.