Groin Kick Chronicles: 5-1

The game: Northwestern 34-31 (OT) – 2018 – Ryan Field, Evanston, Illinois

What happened? In Nebraska’s sixth game of 2018, they lost for the sixth-straight time, doing so in perhaps the most horrifying fashion yet. The Huskers led 7-0 not even 90 seconds into the game.

They led 20-14 after three quarters. A touchdown and two-point conversion in the early stages of the fourth quarter put Nebraska up 14. This was it. They were finally going to pick up Scott Frost’s first win as a Cornhusker head coach, and with a manageable schedule ahead, push for a bowl berth.

Northwestern answered Nebraska’s two-score lead with a long touchdown of their own, but it wasn’t a big deal. Nebraska drove back down the field and kicked a field goal to go up by 10 points with 5:41 left. A Northwestern field goal with 2:27 left wouldn’t be enough, right?

Wrong.

Nebraska gained three yards on their next possession, before pinning Northwestern at their own one-yard line with two minutes left. A roughing the passer on the first play moved them to their own 16. A few plays later, they were in Nebraska territory. And with 12 seconds left in regulation, Clayton Thorson hit JJ Jefferson on a five-yard touchdown pass.

The extra point tied it up. This game was heading to overtime.

Not horrifying enough? Well, how about this. On fourth and one, a bad snap forced Adrian Martinez into a wild throw that was picked off. Four plays later, Northwestern walked Nebraska off with a field goal.

What did it mean? For the first time in the long, storied history of Nebraska football, the Cornhuskers were 0-6.

Say that again, out loud.

Zero and six.

Also, it was Nebraska’s fourth straight season featuring an overtime loss where Nebraska failed to pick up a first down, let alone score a point.

Was there an (un)memorable play? Nebraska’s last offensive play in OT was a real dandy.

Unreal.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Colorado 33-28 – 2018 – Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

What happened? Oh God, the first game of the Scott Frost era.

One week after the Akron game was cancelled because of a thunderstorm, the Scott Frost regime got off to an inauspicious start. Colorado took a 14-0 lead after two Nebraska turnovers on their first two drives, before Adrian Martinez lived up to the hype over the course of a single play.

It was the first of 21-unanswered points by the Big Red and they took a 21-17 lead into the half. The lead reached as many as eight points for Nebraska, before Colorado made it a one-point game with just over a quarter to go.

With under four minutes left in the game, and Nebraska holding on to a 28-27 lead, Adrian Martinez ran into Colorado’s Jacob Callier, who twisted his leg after the whistle had blown.

It would knock Martinez out of the game.

With about a minute left and Colorado forced into a third and 24, Nebraska was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty on a pass over the middle, delivering the Buffs a fresh set of downs. On the next play, Steven Montez connected with Laviska Shenault for a 40-yard touchdown.

Nebraska’s eight-play drive would end at Colorado’s 20-yard line as the clocks hit zero.

What did it mean? The weirdest, strangest, most infuriating 0-1 start the program had ever had. The excitement and hype of the previous nine months landed with a thud, not to mention an injury to the starting quarterback. Adrian Martinez wouldn’t be out for long, but this was not how fans and media expected the Frost era to begin. To make matters worse, “what if the Akron game had been played” was now a question that would be asked around here for literal years.

Was there an (un)memorable play? The injury to Martinez would hang over things for weeks. Does Nebraska win the game if he’s not taken out? An argument could very much be made in the affirmative.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Iowa 13-10 – 2024 – Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa

What happened? Hahahahahahahahaha.

God, we have reached the last loss of this era.

Let’s go over some particulars.

• Total yards: Nebraska 334, Iowa 164.
• First downs: Nebraska 20, Iowa 5.
• Time of possession: Nebraska 39:01, Iowa 20:59.

But let’s discuss how it happened. Midway through the third, after another quick Iowa drive, the Hawkeyes punted deep into Nebraska territory. And like the loss in 2021, a slow car crash started for the Big Red.

The Blackshirts would actually hold up, allowing Iowa to gain just two yards. A field goal made it a 10-3 Nebraska lead. Entering the final 15 minutes, Nebraska had 267 total yards on offense to just 65 for Iowa.

One play later, Iowa had more than doubled their total output for the evening.

Over the course of the next few drives, the teams traded punts, ultimately leading to Nebraska holding the football 80 yards from the endzone with 1:40 to go. After two plays, Nebraska had picked up a first down. Three plays after that, they had another. With 23 seconds left, Nebraska had the ball near midfield. At the very least, they’d get to overtime, right?

Wrong. Raiola’s fumble gave the ball to Iowa. Iowa gained just a single yard the next two plays, setting up a 53-yarder for Drew Stevens. There’s no way he’d boot it through on such a cold night, right?

Right?!

Un. Real.

What did it mean? The saving grace of the entire end to the season was the win over Wisconsin. Can you imagine if this game had been for bowl eligibility? Nebraska dominated Iowa up and down the field, but four plays did them in. The Huskers moved to 6-6 on the season, another one-score loss on the ledger of Matt Rhule and the program as a whole.

Was there an (un)memorable play? Muffed punt. Kaleb Johnson’s long TD. Dylan Raiola’s fumble. The game-winning field goal. Oh, and don’t forget about Isaiah Neyor’s drop.

Nebraska would have had the ball deep in Hawkeye territory with a chance to take the lead. Instead, they wouldn’t score again.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Michigan State 23-20 (OT) – 2021 – Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan

What happened? If you thought the first two losses of 2021 were bad, this one was some absolute fresh hell in a way we might never see again.

Let’s go through it.

After trailing the 20th-ranked Michigan State Spartans 13-10 at the end of 30 minutes, Connor Culp kicked a field goal early in the second half to tie it up for Nebraska. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Adrian Martinez finished off an 11-play, 80-yard drive, with a three-yard touchdown.

It came in the midst of one of the best halves of football ever by Nebraska’s defense, as Michigan State went three-and-out five times, putting up just 14 yards in the process.

But.

This happened.

Jayden Reed caught Daniel Cerni’s punt with no one in front of him and picked up one of the easiest 62-yard punt return touchdowns in the history of college football.

And still, Nebraska would get the ball with a chance to win in regulation before a drive quickly ended in a punt. Nebraska’s defense held Michigan State without a first down on their next drive, forcing OT and a chance to win late.

But you know what happens when Nebraska goes to overtime.

The INT gave Michigan State the ball, needing only a field goal to win. To make matters worse, Michigan State picked up a first down on their first play, ending Nebraska’s streak of three-and-outs. Two plays later, the game ended.

What did it mean? Oof.

Nebraska’s offense (and special teams) wasted away the best defensive performance in years and not only squandered a potential 3-2 start, but also ridding themselves of demons in the process. They lost another one-score game – they were now 2-3 with the three losses by a combined 18 points – with this one coming on the road, vs. a ranked team.

And to top it off, Adrian Martinez broke his jaw in the game, only for Scott Frost to lie about it in the weeks to follow. This was not Nebraska’s finest hour.

Was there an (un)memorable play? Are you seriously asking? It might be the most infamous play on this entire list.

After the game, Scott Frost told the assembled media, “We have guys at the university specifically for the reason to punt it. And we had a couple of 10-yard punts that almost cost us, and right when we needed it the most we kicked it to the wrong side of the field. Some of the coverage guys didn’t see it and it cost us the game.”

Yikes.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Colorado 34-31 (OT) – 2019 – Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado

What happened? Reasons to doubt that Scott Frost would succeed started coming into focus in the number one game on the entire list.

A week after a lackluster home win over South Alabama, Nebraska traveled west to face off against the Colorado Buffaloes. The loss in the 2018 opener lingered all offseason and Nebraska, fans included, were out for blood.

It was a slow start to the game for both sides, but Nebraska took a 7-0 lead into the second quarter before two more scores made it 17-0 at the break. 

Even after Colorado put up a touchdown in the third, the vibes were still high among Nebraska fans.

Then the fourth quarter happened.

Colorado’s 96-yard flea flicker kicked off the fourth quarter, and was answered right back by Maurice Washington.

Ultimately, 38 combined points were scored in the quarter, culminating in a Buffs touchdown with less than a minute left to force OT.

Nebraska’s futility in overtime continued. Colorado kicked a field goal to go up 34-31 before Nebraska lost six yards on their first three plays. Scott Frost sent Isaac Armstrong out onto the field for a 48-yard field goal and…

That’s all she wrote. Nebraska was 1-1.

What did it mean? If 2018 was filled with excuses and reasons for the 0-6 start and 4-8 overall record, this loss was the first time for many – including yours truly – where people wondered if the Scott Frost era might not go exactly how we thought it would. It was one thing to lose in 2018 with a true freshman at QB and no “warm up” game the week prior. It was another to go to Boulder in front of a stadium that was more than half red and blow a 17-0 halftime lead. I will never forget the feeling I had on air that afternoon, trying to pick up the pieces of Nebraska’s first loss of 2019.

Was there an (un)memorable play? I can still hear the cheers from the flea flicker all these years later. The game changed in that one moment.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet: