What was your most disappointing loss/hardest-to-take loss as a Huskers fan?
What was your most disappointing loss/hardest-to-take loss as a Huskers fan?
- Thread starter saturdaysarebetter
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Interesting---but hard---thread topic, saturdaysarebetter.
All losses hurt and I don't like to dwell them. But #1 and #2 hurt the most of all of them. The third was, by far, the most embarrassing.
1. Nebraska vs Miami, Orange Bowl, 1984. 30-31.
2. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, 2010. Our last Big XII Championship game, 20-23
3. Nebraska vs. Wisconsin, 2012. Our first B1G Championship game, 31-70.
1984 NU vs MU Orange Bowl. My boss was a Miami alum and when I got into work, my desk was covered with oranges and he sat in his office with a shite eating grin on his face all day long.
2001 NU vs CU regular season. I wasn't sure the sun would rise the next morning.
2001 NU vs CU regular season. I wasn't sure the sun would rise the next morning.
There is only one answer Doc. No reason to list #2 and 3.
Nah, CU in '01 was a real kick in the 'nads (In my case, a kick in the ovaries).
'94 Orange Bowl against FSU was tough as well. But still, nothing compares to the Scoring Explosion of '83 losing to Miami in the Orange Bowl.
These. I want to be disappointed again. In the games over the last 20 or so years, I am mostly disgusted.
That's my vote. Nebraska was the better team, they outplayed Florida State but what still chaps my a^^ and makes this the most bitter defeat? The fact that the fix was in. The referees were bought and paid for to throw as many flags against Nebraska as they needed to to ensure Bobby Bowden and FSU won the game.
FSU's William Floyd clearly fumbled at the 1 yard line. It was recovered by Nebraska and should have been Nebraska's ball at the 20. Instead, it was ruled a TD.
Nebraska's Corey Dixon has a punt return for a TD nullified by a phantom block in the back penalty.
With fair officials, Nebraska wins that game. But nope, we got a crew of corrupt good ole boys who were going to make sure FSU won no matter what.
Agree, agree. Going to throw out the loss to Texas 2009 Big XII Championship game. Put a second back on the clock so Mack Brown could send his kicker out to win the game.
I agree that the '83 Orange was the worst. Regarding the infamous Texas added second, as I sat there in disbelief, what really chapped me was Mack Brown after the game. Instead of saying "Whew! We were really lucky there!' he said that McCoy knew exactly what he was doing all along. Pure BS.
Born the year after the 84 Orange Bowl, I think the first loss that really bugged me for more than a few hours after the game was the Texas game in 1999. The fumble at the goal line, the awful officiating that ruled a clear catch by Matt Davison incomplete to the extent that Brent Musberger was going ballistic at the officials. . .yuck (8-year-old me didn't really pay that close attention to the screw job vs FSU, I was more into messing around with Legos or whatever during football games until the next year, late bloomer or something). But make no mistake, there were games after that which still make me mad thinking about today 
Being that I live in the Austin area any loss to Texas was extremely painful. Prob the worst ones:
1. 1996 Big 12 CCG - a flu ridden Huskers team under Dr. Tom lose to a heavy underdog Texas team, this set the tone for the series.
2. 2009 Big 12 CCG - for obvious reasons
3. 1998 in Lincoln - Texas snaps our 48 game home win streak
4. 1999 in Austin - Our chance for revenge for the loss the prior year. Nebraska outyarded Texas by 429-275 but lost three fumbles while the Longhorns played turnover-free football. Perhaps the most costly fumble came early in the fourth quarter when Correll Buckhalter lost the ball on the Texas 2-yard line on 3rd-and-goal run. We would bounce back to beat them in the CCG but this loss cost us a shot at the NC.
5. 2006 in Lincoln - it looked like we finally broke the streak when Zac hit Nunn for the first down which would have allowed us to run out the clock but Nunn fumbles and Texas is able to hit the go ahead FG with 22 seconds left.
1. 1996 Big 12 CCG - a flu ridden Huskers team under Dr. Tom lose to a heavy underdog Texas team, this set the tone for the series.
2. 2009 Big 12 CCG - for obvious reasons
3. 1998 in Lincoln - Texas snaps our 48 game home win streak
4. 1999 in Austin - Our chance for revenge for the loss the prior year. Nebraska outyarded Texas by 429-275 but lost three fumbles while the Longhorns played turnover-free football. Perhaps the most costly fumble came early in the fourth quarter when Correll Buckhalter lost the ball on the Texas 2-yard line on 3rd-and-goal run. We would bounce back to beat them in the CCG but this loss cost us a shot at the NC.
5. 2006 in Lincoln - it looked like we finally broke the streak when Zac hit Nunn for the first down which would have allowed us to run out the clock but Nunn fumbles and Texas is able to hit the go ahead FG with 22 seconds left.
1. 83 Orange Bowl, cost us Natty
2. Extended or stretched sideline boundary catch by Penn St in 1982 to beat us.
That was our only loss that year, and PSU goes on to win a tainted National Championship that should have been ours.
2. Extended or stretched sideline boundary catch by Penn St in 1982 to beat us.
That was our only loss that year, and PSU goes on to win a tainted National Championship that should have been ours.
Clemson 1982 Orange Bowl
Florida State Orange Bowl
Last year the Minni game drove me crazy
Minnesota defeated Nebraska 24–6 on October 17, 2025, in a dominant home win at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis ESPN.
Game Summary
The Minnesota Golden Gophers controlled the game from start to finish, outgaining Nebraska 339–213 in total yards and holding the Huskers to just 36 rushing yards ESPN. Minnesota’s defense was particularly effective, sacking Nebraska’s quarterback Dylan Raiola nine times — a school-record for the Gophers E
Florida State Orange Bowl
Last year the Minni game drove me crazy
Minnesota defeated Nebraska 24–6 on October 17, 2025, in a dominant home win at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis ESPN.
Game Summary
The Minnesota Golden Gophers controlled the game from start to finish, outgaining Nebraska 339–213 in total yards and holding the Huskers to just 36 rushing yards ESPN. Minnesota’s defense was particularly effective, sacking Nebraska’s quarterback Dylan Raiola nine times — a school-record for the Gophers E
