What is there to say? Utah defeated Nebraska football 44-22 in the Las Vegas Bowl Wednesday to extend a season-ending Husker losing streak to three, including 37-10 to Penn State and 40-16 to Iowa.
As with last season, Nebraska was 7-6, though 2024 ended with a Pinstripe Bowl victory against Boston College, not a third-consecutive blowout loss.
Last season there was reason for optimism. This season?
“To get over the hump, we have a lot to do,” Matt Rhule said.
That was among the main points of his post-game availability.
The Huskers have “a ton of work to be done,” he said.
The “work” includes the transfer portal, which opens Saturday and remains open for two weeks. Nebraska will lose some players — Dylan Raiola made his intentions known a while ago — and it will be looking to bring in players, including a quarterback to compete with sophomore-to-be TJ Lateef.
That’s not because of Lateef’s performance Wednesday, 15-of-28 passing for 182 yards, with a touchdown to Jacory Barney Jr. and a rushing touchdown. Rather, it’s because there’s no other scholarship quarterback coming back. Marcos Davila is also heading into the transfer portal.
Anyway, whatever is to be said about the Las Vegas Bowl will be quickly dismissed because of the portal. Having acknowledged that, and assuming you haven’t already stopped reading, let’s look back.
Well, the Huskers won the first quarter, 14-7, and the fourth quarter, 8-6, though Utah had things under control after scoring its final touchdown (and missing the extra point) with 8:16 remaining. Devon Dampier hooked up with Dallen Bentley on a 17-yard pass for the score.
The touchdown pass was Dampier’s second out of 19 completions on 31 attempts for 310 yards, without an interception. Oh yes, he carried 19 times for 148 yards and three touchdowns as well. Any questions about who the game’s outstanding player was? He accounted for 458 yards of offense.
Nebraska had 343 yards of offense as a team, including 157 in the first quarter. It appeared the Huskers, 14-point underdogs according to ESPN, were ready for the challenge. With Emmett Johnson opting out to prepare for the NFL draft — though he was at the game, at his own expense, to support his now-former teammates — Nebraska was going to play running back “by committee,” according to offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen.
Mekhi Nelson was first up for the committee, Isaiah Mozee second and Kwinten Ives third. Nelson carried six times for 72 yards, 38 of them on a touchdown run, in the first quarter. But he carried only six times for 16 yards in the final three quarters.
“Coming into the game, that was the least of my worries,” Rhule said of the running backs.
Nebraska’s success in the first quarter quickly faded. The Huskers went three-and-out on their next five possessions going into the third quarter, except for a one-play possession at the end of the half. They didn’t pick up a first down after the first quarter until late in the third quarter.
You can do the math. Utah outscored Nebraska 31-0 in the second and third quarters. The defense, which Rhule helped coach (the line), just couldn’t hold up.
Las Vegas is dubbed “The Entertainment Capitol of the World” and for one quarter it appeared the Huskers’ play against 15th-ranked Utah would reflect that.
But 44-22 is only entertaining for one side of the field. What else can be said?
