Nebraska Feels Further Away than Ever After Loss to UCLA

T.J. Birkel

Nebraska lost 27-20 to UCLA on Saturday, in what amounted to a hugely disappointing performance from the Huskers. The Bruins outplayed and outcoached the Huskers for most of the afternoon, at one point leading 27-7. There’s no other way to say it: in front of a home crowd, with bowl eligibility on the line against a 2-5 team, Nebraska laid a massive egg. Screwed the pooch. Choked the chicken. Dropped the ball. However you want to say it, they didn’t get the job done, and Husker fans are left to wonder how much progress has really been made this season. 

Now let’s get to the topline takeaways. 

CHEERS TO THAT

Common Fan Tailgate. The Common Fan Podcast hosted our first ever tailgate on Saturday before the UCLA game. So many friends, listeners, and supporters showed up and we had a blast (and the rain even held off for us!). Thanks to everyone who has helped us create this community over the last year. We absolutely love doing it and we’re just getting started. 

Special thanks to Certified Pidemontese, Chick-fil-A and owner Charlie Colon, and White Elm Brewing Company for generously donating food and drinks to the effort. We were well stocked and the Common Fan partygoers were well fed!

Comeback Attempt. I don’t know about you, fellow Common Fan, but I’m really tired of the moral victories. At some point Nebraska needs to get over the hump. Come from behind to win a game. Beat a team you’re not supposed to. Beat a team you’re supposed to. Something. Anything. So it feels a little irritating even to write this. BUT, the team did fight on Saturday, and they didn’t give up. After a shaky first half where it felt like the Huskers were lucky only to be down 13-7, things got worse in a hurry. UCLA had a pick-6 on the first play of the 2nd half, and then held Nebraska at mid-field on 4th down and immediately went down and scored again. Suddenly it was 27-7 and it felt like things could get out of hand. The Huskers would claw back to make it 27-20, and they had the ball with a chance to win at the end. 

There was so much that was lacking about this performance, it’s hard to know where to start. But credit to the Big Red for not folding when it looked like things were slipping away. 

DIDN’T LIKE THAT

Organization-Wide Failure. Matt Rhule said the team played with a championship mindset against Ohio State. That game felt like a turning point, something the Huskers could build on for the remainder of the season and beyond. Whatever Nebraska showed in the valiant effort in Columbus, we saw the opposite on Saturday in Lincoln. As things were slipping away against the Bruins, I couldn’t help but think…

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