Huskers Fall in Overtime to Colorado, 34-31

One year after the Huskers suffered heartbreak at Memorial Stadium, Nebraska had their hearts’ ripped out again, this time in Boulder, falling to Colorado 34 to 31 in overtime.

“I’ve only been a part of a few as tough as this one,” Nebraska head coach Scott Frost said after the game.

Nebraska led Colorado 17-0 at halftime. Then, the Husker’s offense stalled out, eventually allowing Colorado to catch up and force overtime, tying the game up at 31 with 46 seconds left in regulation.

CU placekicker James Stefanou hit a 34 yard field goal attempt in the overtime period. Nebraska got a chance to win it outright, but were unable to move the football. On third and long, sophomore QB Adrian Martinez fielded a low snap and then took a sack for a seven yard loss.

Backup place kicker Isaac Armstrong’s trotted out for a 48 yard field goal attempt, but it went wide right, handing the Buffaloes the victory.

“I told the team, I put this on me,” Frost said. “We’ve got to find a way up 17 to nothing to win the game.”

Colorado held Nebraska scoreless in the third quarter, but both teams came alive in the fourth, combing for 31 total points between the two. But more often than not, the Huskers saw a lot of their possessions get cut short on offense in the second half.

“We’ve gotta have a killer instinct about us and finish drives,” Frost said. “… In this offense, we need some big plays too.  We got two really big ones today but not what I’m used to in calling this offense. We’ve got to find ways to get some more chunk plays so we’re not having to grind out 12 play drives.”

Husker quarterback Adrian Martinez looked sharp in the first half. He went a perfect 9-9 for 180 passing yards. However, the sophomore finished the game 16-26 for 290 yards.

The Blackshirts also looked crisp in the first half, shutting out CU, their first shutout in the first half since Nebraska’s game against Maryland in 2016.

In the second though, the Husker’s secondary suffered some breakdowns in coverage, allowing a 96 yard flea flicker towards the start of the fourth quarter which is now Colorado’s longest play from scrimmage in team history.

“We left the defense out there a lot again in the second half because of our misfires on offense and four straight punts or whatever it was,” Frost said. “The defense looked tired on a couple of those drives.”

In other notes from the game:

• Walk-on freshman Dylan Jorgensen switched kick-off duties between himself and William Przystup. It was senior punter Isaac Armstrong, however, who was the place kicker on the day. Armstrong went 1-2, hitting a 26 yard field goal in the first half, but missing the final kick of the game in overtime, a 48 yarder that missed wide right. Sophomore starting place kicker Barret Pickering did not make the trip, as he is still recovering from injury.
• Junior safety Deontai Williams also didn’t make the trip to Boulder. He got injured during Nebraska’s season opener against South Alabama.
• United States Senator Ben Sasse released a statement during the game congratulating Nebraska for “annexing Boulder.” Although there was no official count for the amount of Husker fans that made the pilgrimage, an estimated 20,000 or so fans in red were in Folsom Field’s stands. “I can’t thank Nebraska fans enough,” Frost said. “They were a difference in that game, the people that travelled out here. I promise you guys, this will get better.”
• Frost is still winless on the road as the head coach of the Huskers. Also, Nebraska still hasn’t won a game away from home against a power five opponent since 2010, when NU beat Washington.

(Photo – Kenny Larabee)