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Husker Losing Streaks *** NEW SCHOOL RECORD ***

saluno22

Defensive Coordinator
Mar 1, 2006
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It dawned on me tonight that overall, we are on a < EDIT > 10-game losing streak (4 games from last season) < /EDIT >. So I did some digging to figure out how often that happens in NU football (< EDIT > losing streaks of 5 games in bold red, 6 games in bold orange, 7 or more games in bold green < /EDIT >)...

LOSING STREAKS (3 or more games)
04 Nov 2018-20 Oct 2019 (Riley [4]/Frost [6]): 10 games
27 Sep-11 Oct 2008 (Pelini): 3 games
06 Oct-03 Nov 2007 (Callahan): 5 games
22 Oct-05 Nov 2005 (Callahan): 3 games
06-26 Nov 2004 (Callahan): 3 games
16 Nov-27 Dec 2002 (Solich): 3 games
14 Oct-04 Nov 1961 (Jennings): 4 games
22 Oct-12 Nov 1960 (Jennings): 4 games
10-24 Oct 1959 (Jennings): 3 games
11 Oct-08 Nov 1958 (Jennings): 5 games
12 Oct-23 Nov 1957 (Jennings): 7 games
17 Nov 1956-28 Sep 1957 (Elliott/Jennings): 4 games
13-27 Oct 1956 (Elliot): 3 games
01 Jan-24 Sep 1955 (Glassford): 3 games
14 Nov 1953-25 Sep 1954 (Glassford): 3 games
15 Nov 1952-19 Sep 1953 (Glassford): 3 games
17-30 Nov 1951 (Glassford): 3 games
13 Oct-03 Nov 1951 (Glassford): 4 games
15 Oct-05 Nov 1949 (Glassford): 4 games
13-27 Nov 1948 (Clark): 3 games
02-30 Oct 1948 (Clark): 5 games
01-29 Nov 1947 (Masterson): 4 games
23 Nov 1946-04 Oct 1947 (Masterson): 4 games
02 Dec 1944-27 Oct 1945 (Clark): 6 games
20 Nov 1943-21 Oct 1944 (Lewandowski): 5 games
07 Nov 1942-16 Oct 1943 (Presnell [4]/Lewandowski [3]): 7 games
18 Oct-15 Nov 1941 (Jones): 5 games
18-30 Nov 1899 (Branch): 3 games
21 Oct-04 Nov 1899 (Branch): 3 games

NON-WINNING STREAKS (3 or more games)
22 Nov 1975-11 Sep 1976 (Osborne): 3 games (LLT)
* 15 Nov 1952-10 Oct 1953 (Glassford): 6 games (LLLTLL)
18 Oct-01 Nov 1952 (Glassford): 3 games (LTL)
01-29 Oct 1938 (Jones): 5 games (LLTLL)
15-27 Nov 1930 (Bible): 3 games (TLL)
28 Nov 1918-01 Nov 1919 (Kline [3]/Schulte [5]): 8 games (LTLLTLTL)
* 06 Oct-04 Nov 1899 (Branch): 5 games (LTLLL)

* Includes a losing streak of three or more games listed above.

This is our 9th losing streak in school history, the second since 1958. WWII was rough on NU football, accounting for 4 of the 9 losing streaks of 3 or more games (all were losing streaks of 5 games or more).

Of note, Tom Osborne had one non-winning streak of 3 or more games across the 1975/1976 seasons, and Bob Devaney never had any losing or non-winning streak greater than 2 games.

Including the current streak, two losing streaks of 3 or more games have occurred across coaching changes (1942/1943 is the other), plus a 8-game non-winning streak in the 1918/1919 coaching transition.

EDITS: Correction to remove a "coaching transition" in 1954/1955 (idk what I was looking at); correction to the 1918/1919 non-winning streak from 7 games to 8 games (lots of cancellations due to WWI); addition of the games in each streak across a coaching change attributed to the outgoing and new coach.
 
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OP edited to highlight losing streaks of 6 games or longer in bold green.

This is our longest losing streak since losing 7 in a row in 1957.

EDIT: 6-game losing streaks revised to bold orange. 7-game losing streaks remain bold green.
 
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Also, this is the first 0-2 start since 1957.

21 Sep 1957: L 12-34 vs. Washington State
28 Sep 1957: L 0-42 at Army
 
Seasons in which we have lost the first 2 games of the season...
1957: L 12-34 vs. Washington State / L 0-42 at Army
1956: L 0-6 vs. Hawaii / L 20-28 at Ohio State
1947: L 0-17 vs. Indiana / L 13-28 vs. Minnesota
1938: L 7-16 at Minnesota / L 7-8 vs. Iowa State

Seasons in which we have lost the first 3 or more games of the season...
1945 (5 games): L 0-20 vs. Okla. / L 7-61 vs. Minn. / L 14-54 at Indiana / L 7-27 at Iowa State . L 0-19 at Missouri
1944 (3 games): L 0-39 at Minn. / L 0-54 at Indiana / L 0-20 at Kansas
1943 (3 games): L 0-54 at Minn. / L 13-54 vs. Indiana / L 6-27 at Iowa State

Other Non-Winning Streaks to open a season...
1953 (4 games): L 12-20 vs. Oregon / T 21-21 at Illinois / L 0-27 at Kansas State / L 6-14 at Pittsburgh
* 1938 (5 games): L 7-16 at Minn. / L 7-8 vs. Iowa State / T 0-0 vs. Indiana / L 0-14 at Okla. / L 20-26 vs. Missouri
1919 (5 games): L 0-18 at Iowa / T 6-6 at Minn. / L 9-14 vs. Notre Dame / T 7-7 vs. Okla. (Neutral) / L 0-3 vs. Iowa State

* Includes a season-opening losing streak of two or more games listed above.
 
Current losing streak extends to 7 games, tying the following marks:
12 Oct-23 Nov 1957 (Jennings): 7 games
07 Nov 1942-16 Oct 1943 (Presnell [4]/Lewandowski [3]): 7 games

The 0-3 start to the season is the first that has not occurred during WWII:
1945 (5 games): L 0-20 vs. Okla. / L 7-61 vs. Minn. / L 14-54 at Indiana / L 7-27 at Iowa State . L 0-19 at Missouri
1944 (3 games): L 0-39 at Minn. / L 0-54 at Indiana / L 0-20 at Kansas
1943 (3 games): L 0-54 at Minn. / L 13-54 vs. Indiana / L 6-27 at Iowa State

Nebraska has never had an 8-game losing streak, but has had an 8-gam non-winning streak:
28 Nov 1918-01 Nov 1919 (Kline [3]/Schulte [5]): 8 games (LTLLTLTL)
 
Nebraska has set a new school record for consecutive losses at 8 and ties the record for consecutive non-wins (28 Nov 1918-01 Nov 1919 (Kline [3]/Schulte [5]): 8 games (LTLLTLTL)).
 
On a "positive" note, our streak of giving up 50+ points to conference opponents has ended at 4 games.
 
This 0-5 start to the season ties the school record for longest losing streak to start a season:

2018 (5 games and counting): L 28-33 vs. Colo. / L 19-24 vs. Troy / L 10-56 at Mich. / L 28-42 vs. Purdue / L 24-41 at Wisc.
1945 (5 games): L 0-20 vs. Okla. / L 7-61 vs. Minn. / L 14-54 at Indiana / L 7-27 at Iowa State / L 0-19 at Missouri

We also have given up at least 41 points in six consecutive conference games:

11 Nov 2017: L 21-54 at Minnesota
18 Nov 2017: L 44-56 at Penn State
24 Nov 2017: L 14-56 vs. Iowa
22 Sep 2018: L 10-56 at Michigan
29 Sep 2018 L 28-42 vs. Purdue
06 Oct 2018: L 24-41 at Wisconsin
 
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The losing streak has now reached 10 games, an ongoing school record.

Our 6-game losing streak to start the season is also a ***new school record***, breaking the previous record of 5 set in 1945.

We have, however, ended our streak of conceding 41 or more points to conference games at 6 consecutive games.
 
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