Nebraska was 12 minutes away from ending its 30-game losing streak against top-25 opponents as the Cornhuskers had the defending champions on the ropes. Matt Rhule was on the verge of his first signature victory at Lincoln. Then it happened again: The Huskers let a big win slip away down the stretch. No. 7 Indiana rallied to score 14 points in 4:48 to win the game, 20-17. As a result of that missed opportunity, Nebraska’s losing streak against top-25 opponents has reached 31 games. The Huskers haven’t beaten a top-seven opponent since their win over Michigan State in 2015. Rhule is still searching for that signature win that shows real progress in Lincoln. This would have been the program’s biggest win since defeating Oklahoma in 2001, when the Sooners were the reigning national champions. That’s how long it’s been since Nebraska scored a major victory. An entire generation of Husker fans grew up and graduated from school without having seen one. The Cornhuskers came tantalizingly close to changing that Saturday afternoon, but ended up with a familiar result. Costly mistakes here and there made the difference as the Huskers failed to execute with the game on the line. At the end of the first half, Nebraska received the ball with 6:42 left on the clock. He successfully ran out that clock on a 16-play, 52-yard drive, but stalled on the fringes of the red zone. Kicker Kyle Cunanan missed his 40-yard attempt and the Huskers came up empty. That miss ultimately made the difference on the scoreboard, but the Huskers made a series of errors that produced another heartbreaking loss. Immediately after taking a 17-6 lead, Nebraska’s defense allowed Hoosiers receiver Nick Marsh to follow them for a 75-yard touchdown reception. Moments later, on a critical fourth down play, the Huskers lost Marsh again when he was left wide open for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. Meanwhile, the offense went cold after taking an 11-point lead as Nebraska mustered just 60 yards on 19 plays before its final possession. The Huskers will have to keep hoping for a big win, but those opportunities don’t come around often, and Nebraska never seems to be done when they get one. The decade-long wait continues The last time Nebraska beat a ranked opponent was a little more than 10 years ago, on Sept. 17, 2016. The Huskers beat No. 22 Oregon in a thriller, 35-32, with Tommy Armstrong Jr. playing the hero role. We don’t need to delve into the quality of that particular Ducks team because when you win those games as infrequently as Nebraska, any top-25 win is good. This winless streak against top-25 opponents extends across four coaches, dating back to the end of the Mike Riley era. Scott Frost, the favorite son who was supposed to bring the Huskers back to glory, couldn’t put an end to it. Mickey Joseph couldn’t finish it as interim. Matt Rhule hasn’t been able to put an end to it. At this point, the Huskers’ struggles against top 25 teams seem almost supernatural. It’s as if the program is metaphysically incapable of finishing in the big games. Maybe someone should try burning sage at midfield at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska should have several more chances to end the drought this season. A road trip to Oregon is in the works and the Huskers will face Ohio State and Iowa in the final two weeks of the season. Can Nebraska shake off this ranked monkey or will the losing streak extend into 2027? More heartbreak for Rhule Not only does Nebraska have a long-standing top-25 problem, but so does its coach. Rhule hasn’t had much success against ranked opponents lately, dating back to his time at Baylor. In his 134 games as a coach, Rhule has two wins over top 25 teams. Both occurred while he was at Temple, and the last was 10 years ago against No. 20 Navy. Rhule’s record against top 25 teams Temple: 2-5Baylor: 0-11Nebraska: 0-10Total: 2-26Another problem that has plagued Rhule lately is losing close games, and it reared its ugly head against Indiana. Rhule is now 2-9 in games decided by four points or less at Nebraska, and the Huskers have lost eight straight home games decided by three points or less. For some reason, when the going gets tough in big games, Matt Rhule’s teams come up short more often than not. If the Rhule and Huskers are ever going to reach another level, that has to change sooner rather than later.
