There wasn't a single play that doomed Western Michigan.
A drop here, a turnover there and the occasional long pass play from Nebraska combined to plague the Broncos, culminating in a 47-24 defeat.
Braving the coronation of a new head coach at a raucous Memorial Stadium, WMU had its chances to stay close early and make things interesting late.
It didn't take long for the first miscue. Down by a touchdown midway through the first quarter, the Broncos executed a flea-flicker that left quarterback Tim Hiller alone for a long pass attempt downfield.
The junior loaded up for the throw. As he did, the ball slipped out of his hand for a fumble and an 8-yard loss. Two plays later, the Broncos were forced to punt, and it eventually led to another Cornhusker score.
Hiller said he just didn't get a grip on the laces. WMU coach Bill Cubit said it was a deflating play for his already anxious group.
"We probably ran that play 10 times in the last two weeks, and it never happened like that," Cubit said. "It's just one of those things."
On Western Michigan's next possession, running back Brandon West caught a short pass, but NU linebacker Cody Glenn forced him to fumble. It was the visitors' first of two turnovers and turned into another three points for the Huskers.
"We came out with the jitters and for some reason, when that stuff's not clicking, it seems like a lot of stuff doesn't go your way," said WMU senior tight end Branden Ledbetter. "But you got to come out there ready to go from the beginning."
Still, not everything was gloom for the Broncos. Hiller collected 234 of his 342 passing yards in the second half, plaguing Nebraska with a series of short passes that frequently ran for large chunks of yardage.
Midway through the third quarter - with Nebraska leading 37-10 - Hiller hit Ledbetter for a 50-yard strike over the middle. The quarterback completed all four of his passes on the drive, which ended with a one-yard touchdown run from West.
"I think it was just a rhythm," Hiller said. "I think guys settled in. I started getting the ball out of my hand quicker. Receivers did a great job (and) the offensive line did a great job giving us time back there."
Hiller made another mistake in the fourth quarter. Down 44-24 with plenty of time to go, the junior threw an interception when Nebraska blitzed. He blamed himself afterward, saying if his throw was inside for his receiver instead of outside, WMU would have scored again.
Cubit agreed, calling the play a "turning point" in the contest.
All in all, Cubit said, he was impressed with the speed of the Husker linebackers, as well as the play of NU's offensive line and quarterback Joe Ganz. With a young offensive line of his own and freshmen as his punter and kicker, the coach said it was disappointing to turn in a flat performance early on.
West said he wasn't surprised the Nebraska defense geared toward the run, but he couldn't find a groove in collecting just 40 yards on the ground. Western Michigan finished with 8 net rushing yards, compared to 342 through the air.
"I let the crowd get to me and I just got to be composed better," West said. "We fought, it was just Nebraska was the better team."
evanbland@dailynebraskan.com
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