The Nebraska Cornhuskers suffered a stunning defeat on Friday night, falling 31-24 in overtime against Illinois.
They had an opportunity to win, but backup kicker John Hohl missed a 39-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. Then, when the Fighting Illini punched it in for a touchdown on their first overtime possession, Nebraska absolutely collapsed, allowing three sacks on quarterback Dylan Raiola, including a fourth-down sack to finish the game.
For the Cornhuskers, the Bo Pelini curse returned to haunt them. They have now been held scoreless in eight straight overtime games.
Nebraska once had an 8-1 record in extra games. Then followed the dismissal of previous head coach Pelini in November 2014, and nothing has gone right since. Not only has the school lost eight consecutive overtime games, but they have yet to record a single first down. They’ve run 27 plays for a net total of -10 yards during that time.
If it is difficult to believe, it gets worse. Throughout the eight-game overtime losing skid, the Cornhuskers have thrown nearly as many interceptions (4) as completions (6). And their ground game has been no better, with the longest carry just three yards. Meanwhile, opposition teams have averaged 4.9 yards per rush during OT.
