Nebraska football comes up short against Michigan State

The Huskers traveled to East Lansing, Michigan, for a chance to punch their ticket to a bowl game for the first time since 2016. This ended up being easier said than done. Nebraska hit the roadblock that was Michigan State. The Huskers battled the Spartans and saw numerous opportunities to win. The options fell by the wayside, resulting in a 20-17 loss for Nebraska.

The Huskers’ offense saw most of these opportunities but struggled to take advantage of them. Their biggest came in the fourth quarter. After scoring a touchdown to cut the deficit to three, Nebraska got the ball back with over two minutes left. The Huskers fumbled, resulting in a Michigan State takeaway. Nebraska got the ball one more time with under a minute left but once again failed to take advantage.

Heinrich Haarberg went 12-of-28 for 129 yards and two interceptions, his worst outing as Nebraska’s starting quarterback this season. Haarberg also rushed for 37 yards off 14 carries and a touchdown. However, they also fumbled twice, one resulting in a turnover and the other on the team’s final drive.

Freshman Emmett Johnson led the charge for the Huskers in rushing, going for 57 yards and a touchdown off 13 carries. This all culminated in just 17 points, an ongoing flaw that finally caught up with Nebraska’s defense. The Blackshirts held the Spartans to just 63 yards rushing but surrendered 232 yards passing and two touchdowns.

The Huskers fall to 5-4 and will face three difficult opponents for its remaining regular-season outings. They will travel back home to host Maryland next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be viewed on Peacock.

Haarberg gets picked off, ending the drive

Haarberg takes it in for the touchdown, 7-3 Nebraska

Michigan State drives downfield for the touchdown, 10-7 Spartans

Spartans score a TD following a review, 20-10 in East Lansang

Johnson gets back within a score with over three minutes left

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Story originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire