If there's one thing Scott Frost's Nebraska specialized in, it was snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. There was the Purdue game last season, where the Huskers out-rushed and out-threw the Boilers but lost 28-23 because of a minus-4 turnover margin. The Iowa game last season, where the Huskers led 21-6 with 20 minutes to play and lost 28-21 -- without allowing an offensive touchdown. The onside kick against Northwestern. We could go on and on.
That's why the Huskers' 14-13 win at Rutgers on Friday night had to be so heartening.
For one, it marked Nebraska's first back-to-back Big Ten wins since Nov. 10-17, 2018. Big Red had lost seven straight games following conference victories, and now sit in a 3-way tie with Purdue and No. 24 Illinois atop the Big Ten West.
But more immediately, that win had to be cathartic and familiar. Nebraska had no business winning that game, yet won anyway.
The Huskers trailed Rutgers, seeking its first Big Ten home win since 2017, 13-0 at the half. They were out-passed, albeit by a solitary yard (233-232). They were out-rushed, 115-72. And still Nebraska won, thanks to a 3-2 turnover margin.
Nebraska's Casey Thompson threw two interceptions, but the Big Red defense turned both picks into Rutgers punts. The Huskers intercepted Rutgers's Evan Simon three times and scored on just one of them, but that one was enough. Myles Farmer's 17-yard interception return gave Nebraska the ball at the Rutgers 27, and one play later Thompson fired a touchdown pass to Trey Palmer, staking the Huskers to a 14-13 lead they would not relinquish.
Malcolm Hartzog picked Simon for the third and final time to close out the win with 48 seconds left.
Obviously if you're Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph, you'd like to play better. You'd like to get out to an early lead and run for more than 2.5 yards a carry. But if you're a Nebraska player or fan, you've learned by now that victory takes many forms, and you'll let her in the door no matter what.
Winning Box Scores, Week 6:
-- Rush for more yards: 41-15
-- Pass for more yards: 27-28
-- Score first: 41-16
-- Lead at halftime: 39-12
-- Win turnovers: 32-8
-- Win all five: 8-0
Year to Date
-- Rush for more yards: 336-95 (.780)
-- Pass for more yards: 276-153 (.643)
-- Score first: 306-126 (.708)
-- Lead at halftime: 341-66 (.838)
-- Win turnovers: 243-81 (.750)
-- Win all five: 83-0 (1.000)
Other notes:
-- TCU and Oklahoma State both won last weekend, setting up one of the biggest games of the weekend. Yet, they went a combined 0-4 in various yardage totals. Oklahoma State was out-gained 527-434 in their 41-34 win over Texas Tech (that they won thanks in large part to a smart onside kick recovery), while TCU was out-gained 540-452 in a 38-31 win at Kansas. Total yardage isn't everything, but neither side can feel confident about their defense facing the counterpart's offense heading into Saturday.
-- Purdue was very fortunate to beat Maryland. The Boilers were credited with 13 total rushing yards and committed three turnovers to Maryland's one. Purdue won the game because it out-scored Maryland 7-0 in points off turnovers.
-- Ball State trailed Central Michigan 10-0 after one quarter, 10-7 at the half, lost passing (210-122), lost rushing (130-114), tied turnovers (2-2), yet won the game, 17-16. This game saw 13 3- or 4-and-outs, two missed field goals, four turnovers on downs, and touchdowns by each team surrendered via fumble. At 1-5, this was a game Central Michigan had to have.
-- Georgia Tech's win over Duke was one of the strangest of the season. The Jackets scored first and led 10-3 at the half. They out-passed and out-rushed the Blue Devils. They acquired one takeaway and surrendered none. Typical games that meet those five criteria result in a 45-10 final score, yet the Jackets needed overtime to win 23-20. In fact, Georgia Tech would've lost the game if not for an 81-yard punt return touchdown.
-- Last year in this space we had a morbid fascination with Arkansas State, particularly the Red Wolves' (lack of) run game and run defense. A-State finished dead last in rushing defense and third-to-last in rushing offense. Saturday's game, a 42-20 loss to James Madison, in which the Red Wolves were out-rushed 204-20, worried me. After looking it up, I'm somewhat relieved to report Arkansas State is a bad-yet-improved 101st in rushing offense, but a perfectly respectable 57th in rushing defense. Here's hoping it continues to improve.