The Huskers hold the lead but need to allow no more mistakes.
It wasn’t the most crisp effort on the offensive side of the ball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1st half.
The short version is that Anthony Colandrea, fresh off a new deal to return for the 2027 season, quickly recovered from a pair of brutal interceptions to lead a 95-yard drive which he capped by dropping a dime in the right corner of the the end zone to junior Carter Nelson. Nelson managed to separate from his coverage for the 2nd receiving touchdown of his career and the only such score for either team in a first half of punts and, in Nebraska’s case, picks.
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Fortunately, the Blackshirts stiffened up, only allowing a Huskies 50-yard field goal with :41 remaining in the first half. Washington was held to 118 yards, 8 first downs and was only 1/6 on 3rd down attempts against the nation’s leader in that category.
Colandrea’s two picks were far off the mark. The first was thrown into a lone defender’s chest and the second appeared to it a defensive back in stride. He would have had a third but was bailed out by an offsides on the Huskies – however, Washington also received the exact same benefit on their very next drive.
Nebraska won the yardage battle 224-118, but that advantage was mostly negated by the two turnovers. They took multiple shots downfield, however unsuccessfully.
The finest play of the first half may have been made by Donovan Jones as the defense all appeared fooled by a halfback option throwback pass from Demond Williams Jr. coming off the bench and completing it to Dezman Roebuck with a wall of blockers.
However, Jones knifed through keeping it to a 9-yard gain and saving at least 30 more yards.
(Back with the recap following the game)