The Fallout: Common denominator in defeats; blue-chip RB, more

It’s not hard to figure out what happened to Nebraska football on Saturday night against Penn State.

Penn State rushed for 231 yards. That was the ballgame, along with the fact that TJ Lateef was under duress, even though he was only sacked three times.

The quarterback was affected. Penn State’s got sacked once. Emmett Johnson ran it well, but that was about it. He wasn’t the reason for the loss. Lateef wasn’t either.

The trenches were the culprit again. Nebraska has allowed an average of 226.5 rushing yards in its four losses, with a low of 186 and a high of 286. In those same four losses, Nebraska football has surrendered 21 sacks (5.25 per game).

You can’t allow 231 rushing yards and five sacks and win in the Big Ten. At least not very often. The Huskers are 4-4 in the Big Ten, but the combined record of the four teams they beat is 8-24. Only Northwestern has a .500 record in Big Ten play at 4-4.

That’s an indictment. So is the fact that Matt Rhule has one win over a Big Ten team that finished with a winning record in conference play (2023 Northwestern).

At some point, you have to beat somebody with a pulse. The problem is that Nebraska is so poor up front, on both sides of the ball, it just can’t do it.

Blue-chip RB commitment for Nebraska football

The one bit of good news from this weekend is that Amir Brown, a four-star running back ranked 26th at the position in the 2027 class, committed to the Huskers.

Brown is out of North Carolina. He was committed to the Tar Heels at one point. Brown is ranked No. 332 overall. Nebraska’s class is currently ranked fifth in 2027.

Watch his highlights, and he’ll remind you of Emmett Johnson. He’s quick, decisive, and catches the well.

Nebraska volleyball wins the Big Ten title

The Huskers have swept three matches in a row and have won 10 straight sets. They swept Iowa on Thursday to clinch a share of the conference.

Nebraska volleyball then beat Indiana 3-0 to wrap up the championship outright. Harper Murray had 11 kills and six digs against Iowa. Andi Jackson added 10 kills (.571) and three blocks. Bergen Reilly added 34 assists, seven digs, and four blocks. The setter also had two kills.

The win on Saturday to start 28-0 tied for the third-best start in school history. Murray had 11 kills and six digs. Jackson added nine kills and four blocks, while Virginia Adriano finished with nine kills and six blocks.

Nebraska will play Penn State and Ohio State this week, aiming for a perfect regular season.

Nebraska basketball roundup: Huskers win Hall of Fame Classic

Nebraska basketball beat top-100 teams on back-to-back days in Kansas City, including a one-point win over Kansas State on Friday to win the Hall of Fame Classic. Braden Frager averaged 18 points coming off the bench, shooting over 70 percent from the field to win the MVP award.

Here are some thoughts on what we learned about Fred Hoiberg’s team after a 6-0 start.

The women’s basketball team (5-0) dominated Oral Roberts last Monday; if you missed it, 103-58. Britt Prince led Nebraska with a career-high 30 points.

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