Nebraska record in one-score football games takes another beating with Iowa loss
Nebraska did it again. The Huskers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
The Huskers missed a go-ahead field goal after a 10-play, 24-yard drive bled six minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter. Then it left 55 seconds on the clock when it punted back to Iowa after a five-play failure of a drive. Then, after the defense forced a turnover that gave NU the ball at midfield with 31 seconds to play, Nebraska did exactly what Husker fans have come to expect.
Nebraska bottled it. Quarterback Chubba Purdy was picked off on the second play of the drive. Iowa took over with 15 seconds on the clock, picked up 22 yards on the ground on the first play, then kicked a 38-yard walk-off field goal.
The 13-10 defeat was Nebraska’s 17th loss in a one-score game over the last three seasons.
Seventeen.
Nebraska has played in 19 one-score games since 2021 and it has only two wins. Considering the Huskers haven’t played in a bowl game since 2016, that’s 19 one-score games in 36 opportunities. That’s a 53% rate.
No football program since 1900 has lost more games by 8 points or fewer in a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 year span than the #Huskers
— Arbitrary Analytics (@arbitanalytics) November 24, 2023
The collection of games, as a whole, is truly remarkable. Matt Rhule’s predecessor made NU’s close-game catastrophes a national storyline. Rhule has fallen victim to the same comedy of errors in his first season.
Nebraska lost four straight to end the season. It entered November at 5-3, just one win away from a bowl game. Then it lost by three to Michigan State. Then by three to Maryland. Then by seven to Wisconsin in overtime. And now by three to Iowa.
Rhule went 0-5 this season in one-score games.
#Nebraska is now 2-17 since 2021 in games decided by 7 points or less!
And Nebraska is 0-5 this season despite the the coaching change to Matt Rhule!
This is most one-score losses by any team the past 3 seasons. pic.twitter.com/vH43qf81N3
— SportsBook Breakers (@SBBreakers) November 24, 2023
At some point, the rotten luck has to flip. But Nebraska fans have been asking when that flip will come for years now.