‘We’re Not OK With That,’ ‘Opportunities to Win That Slipped Away’ — Matt Rhule Faces Pushback After Nebraska Lets Late Lead Slip Away in 20-17 Loss to Indiana
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Nebraska led No. 7 Indiana by 11 points with 12 minutes to play Saturday, then gave up two touchdown catches to receiver Nick Marsh in less than five minutes and lost 20-17 in Lincoln.
It was Nebraska’s 31st straight loss to a Top 25 opponent and the 21st in a row against ranked teams for coach Matt Rhule over seven seasons at Baylor and Nebraska, according to The Associated Press.
Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten), the defending national champion, won its 22nd straight game, while Nebraska fell to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Nebraska Loses Fourth-Quarter Lead, Rhule Takes Blame for Confusion
Rhule gave a halftime interview on Fox with Nebraska ahead 10-3, and one fan posted about him during the break. “Matt Rhule always sounds like he’s lying.”
The lead held into the fourth quarter, when quarterback Anthony Colandrea broke a 39-yard touchdown run for a 17-6 edge. Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover answered with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Marsh on the first play of the next possession, then found him wide open for the 44-yard winner on fourth-and-1 with just over seven minutes to play.
When it was over, Nebraska’s official football account posted one word, “Final.”
On that fourth-down play, Indiana lined up with an extra tackle but also three receivers, and Nebraska had its goal-line defense on the field.
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Rhule said there was confusion before the snap and that Nebraska should have called a timeout. “It didn’t happen. The organization is my fault.”
He also said he was angry Nebraska didn’t win but was not embarrassed, and another fan answered that line directly. “‘And that’s the problem’ is the only appropriate response. He should be embarrassed at all the opportunities to win that slipped away.”
Nebraska had 25 first downs to Indiana’s 13, outgained the Hoosiers 391-328 and held the ball for more than 39 minutes. But a 16-play, 52-yard drive late in the first half came up empty when kicker Kyle Cunanan missed a 40-yard field goal.
Narrow losses to ranked teams aren’t new under Rhule. Six of Nebraska’s 10 losses to Top 25 teams under Rhule have been decided by seven points or fewer, according to the AP, and the program hasn’t beaten a top-10 team since upsetting No. 6 Michigan State on Nov. 7, 2015.
Rhule Argues With an Official, Cignetti Explains the Winning Play
Officiating became its own subplot in the first half, when Rhule argued with a game official. One Nebraska fan wanted less of that. “Rhule has got to stop calling TOs to yell at the refs.”
Rhule’s view of officials was already in the news. After a 48-23 win over Maryland a week earlier, in a game with 28 combined penalties and 16 on Nebraska, he said of the officiating, “I thought it was ridiculous.”
The Big Ten later announced that Nebraska’s final point-after kick in that game was incorrectly officiated, and a conference spokesman said neither the crew nor Rhule would be disciplined. The focus on calling penalties surely shifted in this one, however.
Against Indiana, Nebraska was flagged seven times for 59 yards to the Hoosiers’ three for 35.
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Another Nebraska fan looked past the officials to the coaching matchup, also answering Rhule’s comment that he wasn’t embarrassed. “He should be. It came down to coaching, huge advantage Cignetti.”
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said he took the winning play from Kansas five or six years ago and had used it against Northwestern two weeks earlier. He also credited Nebraska for a hard-fought game.
Looking Ahead in Week 7 to Oregon
Nebraska heads to Oregon for next Saturday’s Week 7 game at Autzen Stadium, while Indiana hosts Ohio State.
Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Nebraska a 1.0% chance to make the playoff after Saturday’s loss and a 19.3% chance to win in Eugene. In PFN’s projections, a win would lift those playoff odds to 4.7%, while a loss would drop them to 0.2%.
Rhule said Indiana didn’t sleepwalk through Saturday’s game and Nebraska wasn’t out of its class.
“That was two guys battling. But we’re not OK with that. We’ve got to make a step.”
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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