A Look at Nebraska Football’s Disastrous Overtime Possession

After failing to close the deal in regulation, the Nebraska football had a shot in overtime to get a ranked win for the first time since 2016.

Illinois possessed the ball first in the extra period in a 24-24 tie game. The Fighting Illini did not have any problems, needing just two plays to score.

Running back Kaden Feagin broke free on the first play of overtime and ran the ball down to the goal line before stepping out of bounds. On the very next play, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant on a beautifully designed touchdown and the Fighting Illini had put all of the pressure back on the Huskers’ offense.

What happened next can only be desribed as a disaster.

The Huskers started moving backward before the ball was even snapped, as a false start penalty made it 1st and 15 from the 30-yard line. Once the ball was snapped, things got worse. Raiola took the snap and looked around for an open receiver while being stationary in the pocket. That pocket then collapsed quickly as Raiola backed up a few more yards and was sacked. Just like that, it was 2nd and 24.

The 2nd down ended up being even worse. Raiola ran for his life and was chased all the way back to Nebraska’s own 43-yard line. He tried to get rid of the ball at the last second, but his knee was down. It was now 3rd & 42, and the Huskers were facing a near-impossible task. Somehow, they almost got out of it.

On 3rd down, Raiola bought time, rolled out left, and found Jahmal Banks for a short gain of around 12 yards. Then he was pushed out of bounds late by an Illinois defender. The crowd and Husker sideline screamed for a flag, but none came. If the official had made the call, it would have meant a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. Instead, the officials did not throw a flag, seemingly deciding not to bail out the Huskers’ undeserving offense that was nearly 30 yards away from a first down.

It was 4th and 29 with the game on the line. It is hard to tell what the Huskers’ plan was on fourth down since they ended up having no time to execute it. The blitz coverage missed a linebacker and Raiola went down within two seconds of getting the snap, ending the game.

It was an embarrassing way to conclude a hard-fought game. Raiola and the Huskers folded in overtime, raising doubts, or simply confirming multiple year’s worth of concerns, about their ability to win close games going forward. Despite all the hype, the Huskers were not yet ready to take that next step forward and pick up a huge win.

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