Nebraska has had two weeks to sit with a pair of three-point losses.
The Huskers led late against both Indiana and Oregon, played excellent defense for long stretches and walked away from both without a win. Now comes a different kind of test against Washington, a 4-3 team with one of the better passing offenses in the Big Ten.
Nebraska used the bye to get healthier and take another look at an offense that slowed against Indiana and Oregon. More importantly, it had two weeks to think about how those games ended.
Add a Halloween blackout at Memorial Stadium and a 7 p.m. kickoff, and there should be plenty of energy. Can Nebraska turn all that energy into a win?
Nebraska vs. Washington
When: Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7 p.m. CT
Where: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: Big Ten Network
TV crew: Wayne Randazzo, Rhett Lewis, Caroline Hendershot
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Radio crew: Kyle Crooks, Jay Moore, Jessica Coody
Records: Nebraska 5-2, 2-2 Big Ten; Washington 4-3, 1-3 Big Ten
Last game: Oregon def. Nebraska, 17-14; Washington def. Purdue, 38-26
Series: Nebraska leads 5-4-1
Last meeting: Nebraska def. Washington, 51-38, in 2011
Weather: Showers in the evening, then cloudy overnight. Low near 55 degrees. Winds southeast at 5-10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Setting the scene
This is Nebraska’s first meeting with Washington as a Big Ten opponent and the first between the programs since 2011. It also comes with a little more visual flair than usual.
Nebraska will wear black alternate uniforms for the second annual Blackout game, while Memorial Stadium will feature black end zones and field logos. It is Nebraska’s first Halloween home game since 1998 and the Huskers are 17-2 all-time on Oct. 31.
As for this season, Nebraska started 5-0 and is still 5-2. The Huskers were good enough to beat Indiana and Oregon but they simply did not finish either game. Washington is the next chance to prove those performances actually led somewhere.
Did Nebraska fix the running game during the bye?
The conventional run game is a good place to start. Nebraska ran effectively through much of the first half of the season, but Indiana and Oregon made things considerably harder. Anthony Colandrea remained dangerous with his legs but Nebraska cannot ask its quarterback to be its most consistent rushing threat every week.
The bye came at a useful time for Jamal Rule, Mekhi Nelson and the rest of the running back room.
“I think we’ve all seen what Jamal can do when he’s rolling,” Rhule said. “This bye week comes at a really good time for Jamal and a really good time for even Mekhi (Nelson).”
Washington has been solid against the run at times, but Iowa ran for 263 yards against the Huskies. Nebraska doesn’t need that kind of number, but it does need Rule, Nelson and company to give Washington something else to worry about besides Colandrea.
If Nebraska can get downhill early, the entire offense gets easier.
Nebraska’s third-down dominance begins earlier than that
The Blackshirts are allowing opponents to convert just 19.3% of their third downs, the best mark in the country. Oregon finished 3-of-17. Indiana went 1-of-10. Maryland was 1-of-14.
Washington coach Jedd Fisch noticed something else while studying the film: Nebraska keeps putting offenses in bad third-down situations because it wins first and second down.
“I was looking at their third downs, I believe I haven’t seen a reel of the amount of 3rd-and-6 to 3rd-and-9’s as I’ve seen this week in preparation,” he said this week.
That is the matchup to watch. Washington’s offense wants options. The Huskies use RPOs, adjust based on defensive looks and have enough skill outside to create explosive plays. Third-and-2 keeps all of that available. Third-and-8 does not.
If Nebraska consistently forces Washington behind schedule, the game starts looking a lot more comfortable for the Blackshirts.
Washington can test Nebraska vertically
Nebraska doesn’t know for certain whether Demond Williams or Elijah Brown will start at quarterback. The larger challenge doesn’t really change.
Washington averages better than 280 passing yards per game and has 29 pass plays of at least 20 yards. Dez Roebuck and Chris Lawson can create after the catch, while the tight ends are heavily involved.
Rhule described Fisch’s offense as a true West Coast system but not one that simply settles for short throws.
“They’re a vertical passing offense,” Rhule said. “This is not like a dink and dunk only, this is a true play action, push the ball down the field offense.”
Nebraska has been excellent defensively overall, allowing just 171.7 passing yards per game. But explosive passes have been one of the few areas where opponents have found success.
The challenge gets even more difficult when the quarterback leaves the pocket.
“You have to be able to plaster receivers when (the QB) gets out,” linebacker Owen Chambliss said.
Nebraska has to make Washington earn long drives instead of allowing one broken coverage to erase several good plays.
The offense needs fewer empty stretches
Nebraska has shown it can move the football against good defenses. The Huskers controlled possession for long stretches against Indiana, have 37 offensive plays of at least 20 yards this season and still convert more than half of their third downs. The problem has been maintaining that rhythm.
There are drives when Nebraska looks completely in control, followed by stretches when the running game disappears, an early-down mistake puts the Huskers behind schedule or a promising possession stalls. Washington should provide opportunities.
Every Big Ten opponent has scored at least 25 points against the Huskies. Washington also has nine interceptions though, and creates pressure with linebackers and defensive backs rather than relying only on its front four.
Nebraska needs to find consistency against Washington.
We have to talk about the fourth quarter
Nebraska has held all seven opponents to 23 points or fewer.
Against Oregon, the Blackshirts allowed 17, recorded a season-high 11 tackles for loss and held the Ducks to 3-of-17 on third down. Nebraska still lost.
Indiana and Oregon both found late touchdowns. Nebraska scored only seven fourth-quarter points total across those two games.
Defensive coordinator Rob Aurich knows exactly where the attention has gone.
“I think the final five minutes of the last two games have probably been the area where I think there’s the most growth,” Aurich said. “You practice those situations a ton.”
That is probably the biggest question Saturday: what happens if Nebraska has another narrow lead with six minutes remaining?
We already know this defense can play well for most of a game. We also know Colandrea can create enough offense to give Nebraska a chance. Now Nebraska needs to finish.
Special teams needs to be boring
A low punt snap against Oregon resulted in Archie Wilson’s knee touching the ground and gifted the Ducks three points. Nebraska has also had field-goal issues and occasional problems with field position in the return game.
Washington kicker Tyler Robles has been reliable, while punter Hunter Green averages nearly 48 yards per kick.
Wilson has improved considerably for Nebraska, too.
The goal Saturday should be simple: clean snaps, good punts, reasonable starting field position and no free points. Sometimes boring is a good thing.
Color our world blackened
Miss a turn and it’s going to take some time to get back to where you needed to turn. Nebraska missed a turn against Oregon. It has time to get back on schedule, or, to dispense with the metaphor, to approach what appears to be this team’s ceiling in 2026.
What the numbers say
7 — Touchdown catches for Kwazi Gilmer, the most by a Husker since 2022.
9 — Statistical categories in which Nebraska’s defense ranks in the national top 20.
15.4 — Points allowed per game by Nebraska.
27 — Sacks allowed by Washington through seven games.
50.5% — Nebraska’s third-down conversion rate offensively.
Odds and ends
Nebraska is 55-12 in night games at Memorial Stadium and 2-0 this season. The Huskers enter Saturday ranked ninth nationally in total defense and 14th in scoring defense.
This is the first Nebraska-Washington matchup since 2011 and the first as Big Ten opponents. Nebraska visits Seattle next season.
Because it is Halloween, costumes are permitted at Memorial Stadium, but costume weapons and weapon-like props are not. Fans purchasing alcohol will also need to remove masks or face coverings for identification.
Nebraska Athletics will have Halloween candy for families at Cornhusker Kickoff in the Hawks Championship Center beginning at 3 p.m.
Nebraska has not been far away the last two times it took the field. That is both encouraging and increasingly frustrating. The Huskers have shown they can defend at an elite level and hang with good teams. What they have not done is make the handful of plays late that turn those performances into wins.
Washington is the next chance.