Groin Kick Chronicles: 70-61

The game: Ohio State 26-17 – 2021 – Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

What happened? Nebraska lost by two scores for the only time in 2021.

The Buckeyes entered the game with a single loss on their ledger and ranked fifth in the country according to the College Football Playoff committee. Nebraska sat at 3-6, losers of three in a row, and needing that many wins consecutively if they were going to get back to .500 and make a bowl game for the first time in the Scott Frost era.

A scoreless affair through one, the second quarter finished with the two teams combining for 31 of the 43 total points scored, including a 72-yard touchdown pass from Adrian Martinez to Samori Toure with 2:53 left in the first half.

Nebraska trailed 17-14 at the break, playing some of their most inspired football of the season. Two Buckeyes field goals in the third quarter pushed the game to 23-10, before Nebraska scored their final touchdown of the game to make it 23-17 with 15 minutes left.

Early in the fourth, Myles Farmer picked off CJ Stroud and gave Nebraska a chance to pull closer. The Huskers drove 58 yards to the Ohio State red zone, but a 31-yard missed field goal from Chase Contreraz kept the lead at six.

Ohio State would miss a field goal of their own. Nebraska would take over on their next drive for the final time trailing by just a score, but a punt gave the ball back to the Buckeyes yet again.

On their last real drive of the game, Ohio State drove from their own 13 down to the Nebraska 29, banging in a field goal to go up by nine points with 89 seconds left. Adrian Martinez threw an INT on the next drive and that was that. Nebraska had lost their seventh game of the year, including their fourth in a row, eliminating them from bowl contention with two games left.

What did it mean? Debates raged on over the next 48 hours if it was going to be it for Scott Frost as head coach. Would Trev Alberts fire him now after the season? We’d get the news Monday afternoon:

“In my four months at Nebraska, I have closely observed our football team, and had several productive discussions with Coach Frost,” then-AD Trev Albert’ statement began. “Scott has laid out a clear plan and vision for the future of Nebraska Football and has agreed to a restructured contract. I am excited to continue to work together with Scott. We share a love of Nebraska and this football program and want nothing more than Nebraska Football to again compete for championships.”

Two hours later, we’d learn OC Matt Lubick, offensive line coach Greg Austin, running backs coach Ryan Held, and QB coach Mario Verduzco would all be fired. Immediately.

Nebraska would enter their final two games of the season with full knowledge of Scott Frost returning, much to the chagrin of many fans.

Was there an (un)memorable play? You didn’t think we forgot about the CJ Stroud fumble on the last scoring drive, did you?

The ball seemed to bounce and bounce and bounce, before the Buckeyes recovered it. Three plays later, they were up by nine.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Illinois 41-23 – 2020 – Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

What happened? This game will forever live rent-free inside my head. And it couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.

Illinois scored a few plays later.

That was the first of five turnovers on the day for Nebraska, leading to 24 points for the Fighting Illini. Illinois would lead 31-10 at one point in the game, coasting to an 18-point win and one of the most disappointing – if not the most disappointing – losses of the entire Scott Frost era.

What did it mean? Nebraska entered this game as a robust 16.5-point favorite over a bad Illinois team. Not only did the Huskers lose, they were reverse-covered in the process. Suddenly 1-3 on the season with only three games remaining on the schedule (with one to be added after the season-finale), Nebraska was staring down the barrel at another sub-.500 year.

This marked Nebraska’s last loss by double-digits points until a 35-point L to Oklahoma in Mickey Joseph’s first game as interim head coach in the fourth game of 2022, a stretch of 19 games where Nebraska would either win – a rarity – or lose in horrifying fashion. In a way, the Huskers were about to level up in how they lost games. The groin kicks were going to hurt even more, moving forward.

Was there an (un)memorable play? There’s no way you forgot about the fake punt from Illinois, right?

I was listening to this play on the radio as I drove to my radio station and was absolutely flabbergasted. Then I saw the replay and it was somehow even worse than I imagined it.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Purdue 42-28 – 2018 – Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

What happened? After driving the field 75 yards for the first touchdown of the day, Nebraska was outscored 27-7 over the next two quarters, with Purdue gashing Nebraska’s defense.

By the time Nebraska scored their next touchdown to make it 27-14 Purdue, barely 21 minutes remained in the game. The teams traded points in the third and fourth quarters, with Nebraska never getting closer than that 13-point deficit.

Nebraska had 31 first downs to 27, 259 rushing yards to 188, and 582 total yards to 516. But 11 penalties for 136 yards, not to mention losing the turnover battle, helped do the Huskers in.

Somehow, Nebraska was 0-4.

What did it mean? Well, at least you didn’t have to go back further than 1945 to find the “worst start since blank” stat. For the second straight week, a loss did just that. Nebraska was 0-4, tying their worst start since 1945. Things were terrible.

Was there an (un)memorable play? Well, does a quip by a player as he walks off the field fit this? We’ll say yes.

That would be Purdue running back Markell Jones, immortalized by Dan Corey. Following Nebraska’s loss to Michigan the week prior, Frost told reporters, “We get a game that we could win next week.” That, uh, seemed to sit with Purdue, huh?

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Troy 24-19 – 2018 – Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

What happened? With Adrian Martinez still sidelined from the previous week’s loss to Colorado, Nebraska lost in an underrated, disgusting game in game two of the Scott Frost era. The 24-19 defeat marked the second consecutive week where Nebraska put up more yards than their opponent but still found a way to lose. Andrew Bunch, often mentioned in the offseason as someone who could win the job because he wouldn’t make as many mistakes as the true freshman Martinez, threw two picks and only rushed for 23 yards on 10 carries.

Troy dominated from start to finish, with the final score not telling the story of most of the game. It was 17-0 late in the first half before Bunch connected with Stanley Morgan for six. A couple field goals in the third quarter made it 17-13 going into the fourth before Troy went back up 24-13. Only a late score to JD Spielman, and a missed two-point conversion, made the final score “respectable” in Nebraska’s second loss to a G5 team in as many seasons.

What did it mean? The loss dropped Nebraska to 0-2, which hadn’t happened since 1957! And while the offense certainly had a whole host of issues with Adrian Martinez sidelined, their special teams missed a field goal and allowed Troy to return a punt for a touchdown. Plainly, Nebraska looked absolutely pedestrian with Big Ten play set to begin.

Was there an (un)memorable play? There’s something about the missed field goal in the second quarter that sticks with me all these years later.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Illinois 30-22 – 2021 – Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

What happened? Oh no, the 2021 season opener is here.

The most excruciating season of modern Husker football actually began a week earlier, as the Huskers and Fighting Illini played a week zero contest previously scheduled for overseas. Nebraska traveled to Champaign, Illinois for this affair, hoping to put the bad taste of 2020 (and 2019 and 2018 and…) out of their mouth. It was year four under Scott Frost and he entered the season with a 12-20 record as Nebraska’s head coach. There was no way they’d lose this one, right?

Well.

They trailed 2-0 at the end of one, after one of the most mind-numbing safeties in the history of Husker football.

After a 9-0 Cornhusker run to start the second quarter – not 10-0; Nebraska missed an extra point because of course they did – Illinois finished the first half with 14 consecutive points of their own, with the second touchdown on a 41-yard fumble return in the final minute of the first half.

Illinois added two more touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the second half and suddenly led 30-9.

Thus began a slow-motion 13-0 run to end the game for Nebraska. They even had the ball one more time at the end of the game, an unlikely 87-yard drive ahead of them, if they could move the ball down, score, and get a two-point conversion to tie the game.

They wouldn’t and they lost the game 30-22.

What did it mean? Not anything great, that’s for sure! For the second straight season and third time in four years under Scott Frost, Nebraska began 0-1. But the two late scores brought them to within a single touchdown at the end, which was the first of eight losses that year by one score. The talking point to bring Frost back for 2022 started that day.

Was there an (un)memorable play? Seriously, it’s the safety. What else would it be?

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: USC 45-42 – 2014 Holiday Bowl – Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

What happened? In Nebraska’s first game of the post-Bo Pelini era, the Cornhuskers fell to USC by a margin Nebraska fans would become very familiar with in the years to come: three points. The 45-42 loss was the third loss of the 2014 season by one score and the final for Bo Pelini’s Nebraska staff, including interim head coach Barney Cotton.

Nebraska led by a touchdown at the end of the first quarter before giving up 21 consecutive points. The Huskers would trail by 14 points twice in the second half before scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it 45-42 with half the fourth quarter to go. The game ended on a 56-yard Hail Mary attempt that fell short of the goal line.

The loss dropped to Nebraska to 9-4.

What did it mean? Honestly, not a whole lot! None of Nebraska’s 2014 coaching staff were with the Big Red in 2015, and it was just ahead of the bowl games don’t matter anymore era. If anything, this game is symbolic, given Nebraska lost by one-score, a hallmark of what was to come for the program. The one thing it did for sure? Guaranteed a fourth loss. You had to go back to 2003 to find a Husker season that finished with three losses or fewer. That streak is still alive all these years later.

Was there an (un)memorable play? You want to talk about a game that’s been completely memory holed for yours truly? This one. Even watching the last play of the game, I am reminded that I had no recollection of it… and I was in the building! If you have a memory from this game, more power to you. All I can think back on is the National Anthem before the game started and seeing Mike Riley walk up the row I sat next to. A forgettable game in a myriad of ways.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Purdue 43-37 – 2022 – Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

What happened? Against the eventual Big Ten West champs, Nebraska put up a good fight, intercepting Aidan O’Connell on Purdue’s first drive of the game. Trey Palmer set a Nebraska single-game record with 237 receiving yards and added a 60-yard run to boot. 476 yards for Nebraska’s offense would have been enough in a lot of games throughout 2022.

But the Blackshirts again came back to bite Nebraska. Purdue put up over 600 yards from scrimmage, scoring on five of seven possessions in the first half and three of their first five drives in the second half.

The loss ended Nebraska’s two-game winning streak and dropped them to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in league play.

What did it mean? In what was becoming a lost season, this one hurt. Nebraska would finish 2022 4-8 but had three losses by one score or less after the Scott Frost firing, not to mention the two they had while he was still their head coach. The margin of error was thin and they were unable to overcome the ills of the previous four seasons.

Was there an (un)memorable play? Thankfully, the memory from this game will forever be Trey Palmer’s big day.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Tennessee 38-24 – 2016 Music City Bowl – Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

What happened? Nebraska played in their final bowl game in almost a decade. We just didn’t know it at the time.

Tommy Armstrong missed what would have been his final game as a Cornhusker, still injured from the 2016 regular season. After a scoreless first quarter, Tennessee went up 14-0 midway through the second quarter on their way to a 21-7 halftime lead.

Nebraska would trail 24-10 going into the fourth quarter, eventually falling behind by 21. Two TDs made it 31-24 with 10:02 left, but barely a minute later, Tennessee tacked on the final score of the game to go up 38-24.

Nebraska finished the season 9-4.

What did it mean? If the 2014 Holiday Bowl was a sign the times were changing, the mood around bowls had certainly changed two years later. Stars Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette skipped out on their team’s bowl games, the start of a trend we still see in the sport all these years later.

Meanwhile, Nebraska’s bowl practices included many conversations and quotes from the higher ups about recruiting and incoming talent. Nebraska football was looking forward, which helps explain why this loss was barely discussed in the moment. We were on to 2017.

Was there an (un)memorable play? The only thing I remembered about this game was Tennessee’s God-awful uniforms. Another forgettable loss.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Ohio State 36-31 – 2018 – Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

What happened? Nebraska was genuinely playing better football as they entered the Horseshoe, picking up their first two wins of the season over the previous two weeks. Meanwhile, Ohio State was playing some interesting football in what would be Urban Meyer’s last year. Could Nebraska give the Buckeyes a scare? Oh could they!

Nebraska went up 7-0 early, before the oddest onside kick attempt in the history of onside kick attempts.

What on earth?

Ohio State answered that “attempt” with the first of 16 straight points to go up 16-7 as the first quarter came to a close.

But Nebraska game to play. The Blackshirts took the ball away twice in the second quarter and Adrian Martinez punched it in twice, both from the two-yard line. With 30 minutes left in Columbus, Nebraska was up 21-16.

Early in the second half, Nebraska’s defense again took the ball away, when Lamar Jackson picked off Dwayne Haskins. Nebraska moved the ball, but had to punt. Ohio State took the lead after that and was able to stiff arm Nebraska the rest of the game.

What did it mean? As 2018 turned into 2019, this was the one game so many of us held onto as reason to believe in the Scott Frost era. It was the biggest moral victory for the program since the loss to Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship game.

It also dropped Nebraska to 2-7, guaranteeing a second-straight season without a bowl berth.

Was there an (un)memorable play? We already mentioned the onside kick, which will live in the minds of everyone watching until their dying days, but Adrian Martinez’s mind-numbing turnover is the play I think of first from this game all these years later.

Again I ask, what on earth?

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

The game: Illinois 26-9 – 2022 – Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

What happened? The Fighting Illini entered Memorial Stadium 6-1 on the year. Ranked 17th in the AP poll, Illinois was a legit threat to the Big Ten West and would hope to pick up another win to maintain their spot atop the division.

It was a classic Big Ten West matchup midway through the second quarter, with Nebraska clinging to a 9-6 lead. The game, and the rest of Nebraska’s season, changed over the course of one play.

It was the second INT of the game for Casey Thompson and he headed to the locker room. While he’d return for the final two games of the season against Wisconsin and Iowa, he’d miss the next two. Minutes after the injury, Illinois would re-take the lead and never give it back, adding another touchdown to the scoreboard with 23 seconds left in the first half. The Fighting Illini kicked a couple field goals in the second half as they coasted to their seventh win of the season.

What did it mean? Well, Matt Rhule was in town! Trev Alberts had started his process of hiring the future head coach and in the midst of another tough loss, he made his pitch for the Big Red.

What did the loss mean for the rest of 2022? Well, Thompson would miss a one-score loss to Minnesota a week later, so the injury from this one was felt for that game. Nebraska was running out of time to get bowl eligible. 4-4 was one thing, but the 3-5 record, with an undefeated Michigan squad still on the schedule, left absolutely zero margin of error for the stretch run of the season.

Was there an (un)memorable play? The injury, no doubt.

Obligatory Jack Mitchell tweet:

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