The fallout from Nebraska’s loss to Michigan and much more

Nebraska football fans are stuck with a familiar feeling on post-Michigan Monday: disappointment.

The Huskers showed some good things in the 30-27 loss to the Wolverines on Saturday. However, close doesn’t count for anything in football.

Nebraska football has lost 28 straight games against ranked teams. Matt Rhule is 2-23 against AP Top-25 teams. He’s 15-14 at Nebraska, and the coach is still searching for that defining win.

Saturday would have been it, if it weren’t for three touchdown runs of longer than 38 yards. One covered 75 yards. Another in the third quarter went for 54.

One of those long touchdown runs is hard to stomach. Three makes you feel sick. Yet, when you have an undersized defensive line and play a defense that relies heavily on disguise, stunts, and blitzes, those things will happen, especially against a team like Michigan.

Michigan was indeed a matchup nightmare for Nebraska. The Wolverines might have the best running back in the Big Ten. Their offensive line is in the upper echelon, too, and it’s perfectly suited to take advantage of one of Nebraska’s biggest weaknesses.

Oregon and Penn State can, too, although Nebraska won’t play like the Ducks, unless it’s for the Big Ten championship. The point is, few teams will hammer the ball as stubbornly as Michigan did.

The run defense needs to be better. It allowed over 200 rushing yards to Cincinnati, remember, and if it’s that leaky all season, the Huskers will struggle to win more games than they did a season ago.

The schedule isn’t terrible. It’s not easy either. Michigan State. Minnesota. Northwestern. Maryland. None of these are gimmes, especially after the line play we saw on Saturday.

Other teams saw it too, and they will take advantage, or at least they will try. Who wouldn’t try to take advantage of Nebraska’s offensive tackles?

Not every team will have a pair of future NFL edge rushers, but the better teams might, and that might be an even bigger concern moving forward than the run defense or the fact that the Blakshirts have six sacks in four games.

That won’t cut it against USC or even Maryland. The next four games are Michigan State, at Maryland, at Minnesota, and home against Northwestern.

Winning three out of four would be good, but if this team has truly taken a leap, you’d like to see a clean sweep. That’s the way to make up for this Michigan loss — run the table in October — then beat USC.

Dylan Raiola isn’t the issue

People calling for TJ Lateef need to get a grip. Raiola completed 30-of-41 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns when he was under pressure 33 times.

Raiola played like a future first-round pick on Saturday. He could have gotten the ball out quicker, maybe, but saying Lateef should have been inserted or that Rhule should be fired is crazy.

Every goal is still on the table. Was the loss crushing?

Yes. With Bud Crawford, the ranked losing streak, the 1995 team, the balloons, and everything else, it felt like Nebraska’s day.

After nearly two decades as a sportswriter, one thing I’ve learned is that good storylines don’t guarantee anything. Winning would have been a great story for Nebraska football. The Huskers will just need to write another narrative — one that starts with better play in the trenches.

This team needs to recruit more difference-makers, too, something else Saturday reinforced.

Nebraska volleyball is unbeaten in non-conference play

Harper Murray had 17 kills and 10 digs in the Huskers’ win over Creighton last Tuesday. It took five sets, yet it was still the fifth win over a ranked team this season for Nebraska and another sign that Nebraska volleyball still owns that state. Virginia Adriano also added 13 kils and hit .320. Andi Jackson was spectacular too with 13 kills (.400) and four blocks.

The Huskers followed it up with a 3-0 sweep on Saturday over Arizona by the scores of 25-19, 25-23, and 25-18. As a team, Nebraska hit .392. Murray had 14 kills (.333). Adriano had nine kills (.438). Bergen Reilly was flat-out awesome, too, getting credited with 40 assists, six digs, and five kills.

Nebraska is 10-0 and will open the Big Ten season on Saturday against Michigan at home (6 PM CST, BTN).

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