3 takeaways from a terrible defeat for Nebraska football against Washington

Once again, Nebraska football found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Huskers scored three points in the second half. Anthony Colandrea threw three interceptions, and for the second straight game, a quarterback came off the bench to beat the Huskers.

Whether it was the sack that led to a missed field goal in the fourth quarter or allowing a first down on fourth-and-18, there is no excuse for Nebraska losing that game.

This felt like a must-win game, and Matt Rhule lost it, 17-10. Here are three takeaways.

Matt Rhule can’t sell progress to anyone

It’s year four, and Matt Rhule hasn’t made significant progress. Six or seven wins in the regular season aren’t it. There has been chance after chance to get over the hump. We don’t have to list all the games, because, inevitably, they end in the same result. I’ve defended Matt Rhule a lot this season, but there is no defending him after these last three losses.

Frankly, it feels like this is the beginning of the end. He won’t be fired this season, but this feels like a turning point. Fans were throwing things on the field, for goodness’ sake.

If Rhule can’t be fired, Holgorsen has to be

Nebraska can’t score on offense. That’s not just on Holgorsen, but he’s not helping. Colandrea never seemed comfortable. It felt like he bailed out of the pocket too soon. He wasn’t accurate throwing the ball down the field and was mostly ineffective as a runner.

Holgorsen needs to figure it out. He gave up on the running game too early and still needs to run Colandrea when it gets tough. In the last three games, Nebraska has scored just 38 points. That’s not even 13 points per game.

Washington wasn’t known for having a great defense either. Yet, the Huskies stopped Nebraska football time and time again. Whether it’s the playcalling or the personnel, the offensive production earlier in the season was a mirage.

Unless things drastically improve, Rhule has to change the offense.

A bowl game isn’t guaranteed for Nebraska football

Expectations are back to where they were before the season: reaching six wins.

Nebraska football could win Friday night in Illinois, but it feels like a loss is more likely. Then, there are games against Ohio State, Rutgers and Iowa. None of them feel like wins. They all feel like probable losses.

The Huskers are out of the playoff race before November again. The wheels are coming off, and it’s hard to see how this team or this head coach will recover from this loss.