Huskers Fight Hard but Fall Short Against UCLA

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Cornhuskers gave it their all on Saturday, with standout efforts from Dante Dowdell and Isaiah Neyor, but ultimately fell 27-20 to UCLA at Memorial Stadium.

With the loss, Nebraska drops to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play, while UCLA improves to 3-5 and 2-4 in the conference. The Bruins set the pace early, opening with a methodical 14-play, 68-yard drive, capped by a 25-yard field goal from Mateen Bhagdani for a 3-0 lead.

UCLA’s defense quickly forced a Nebraska three-and-out, and the Bruins followed up with another lengthy drive, pushing 85 yards in 11 plays to extend their lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Nebraska responded with a 75-yard drive led by quarterback Dylan Raiola, capped by Dowdell’s four-yard touchdown run, bringing the Huskers within three at 10-7. Dowdell finished the game with 61 yards on 17 carries, leading a Nebraska ground game that totaled 113 yards.

UCLA added another field goal before halftime, taking a 13-7 lead into the locker room.

Nebraska had a chance to shift momentum at the start of the second half, but Raiola’s first pass was intercepted by UCLA’s Kain Medrano, who returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, widening the gap to 20-7.

The Huskers’ struggles continued after a failed 4th-and-3 attempt at UCLA’s 42. UCLA capitalized again, with quarterback Ethan Garbers finding Kwazi Gilmer for a 48-yard touchdown pass, extending UCLA’s lead to 27-7.

Garbers had a strong performance, completing 17-of-25 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, while Gilmer led UCLA’s receiving efforts with 88 yards on three catches.

Raiola responded with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Neyor, pulling Nebraska closer at 27-14 late in the third quarter. In the fourth, Dowdell punched in a one-yard touchdown, but a missed extra point left the score at 27-20.

Nebraska’s defense held strong late in the game, forcing a UCLA three-and-out and giving the Huskers a chance to tie. Heinrich Haarberg, replacing an injured Raiola, drove the Huskers down to UCLA’s 39, but a last-minute interception after a deflected pass ended Nebraska’s hopes.

The Bruins finished with 358 total yards, while Nebraska managed 322, including 209 passing yards. Isaac Gifford led the Blackshirt defense with nine tackles, while UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger led all players with 13 stops and two pass breakups.

Nebraska heads into a bye week, with time to prepare for a Nov. 16 matchup against USC in Los Angeles.

Game Recap

Final Score: UCLA 27, Nebraska 20
Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
Attendance: 87,453

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

• UCLA – Bhagdani 25-yard FG, 3-0

2nd Quarter

• UCLA – Berger 10-yard pass from Garbers (Bhagdani kick), 10-0
• NEB – Dowdell 4-yard run (Hohl kick), 10-7
• UCLA – Bhagdani 26-yard FG, 13-7

3rd Quarter

• UCLA – Medrano 38-yard INT return (Bhagdani kick), 20-7
• UCLA – Gilmer 48-yard pass from Garbers (Bhagdani kick), 27-7
• NEB – Neyor 8-yard pass from Raiola (Hohl kick), 27-14

4th Quarter

• NEB – Dowdell 1-yard run (kick failed), 27-20