Coming into Saturday, there was a ton of hope that the Huskers were finally ready to turn the corner and knock off a Top 25 team. As the Huskers drove down the field on their first drive, it looked indeed like they were ready to show they belonged. And then they were stuffed near the goal line, and NU fans had to start wondering if this was going to be another nightmare game.
It wasn't pretty. It wasn't a lot of fun in the second half after the most fun a team could half right at the end of the first half. And it's not great to once again talk about losing a close game. But the vibes were different on Saturday.
The Nebraska football team is famous for having one mind-bogglingly stupid play that sinks them in games like this. One big mistake that stuns onlookers. That wasn't really the case on Saturday.
Nebraska football nearly stuns Michigan in Big Ten statement game
Indeed, the Huskers could have played better. There's a ton that needs to be fixed on both the offensive and defensive lines. But there wasn't a back-breaking fumble or interception. There wasn't a blocked kick or a fumble at the goal line.
Michigan was simply the better team. They found a glaring weakness in the Huskers' defense and exploited it. That's football. That's going to happen.
There's quite a bit of disappointment around Lincoln tonight after another one-score loss in a game they could have won. Especially after they drove into the red zone on their first two possessions and came away empty.
But the Nebraska football team showed it belonged on the same field with Michigan. They never looked "outclassed." This looked like a team that could make some serious noise as the season goes on. No head hanging after this one.