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By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Had anyone asked Rutgers coach Kyle Flood and his players before today's game against Nebraska if they would liked their chances in a one-score game in the third quarter at home against the Cornhuskers, the answer probably would have been a resounding yes.

Despite getting exactly that scenario, and despite the defense producing three interceptions, the Scarlet Knights suffered their fourth straight loss, a 31-14 defeat to Nebraska before a crowd 45,606 at High Point Solutions Stadium.

"We've got things we've got to continue to work on," Flood said. "We had some opportunities in the game. We had it to a one score game in the second half. We certainly had opportunities. But we need more consistency - more consistency of good play, which we didn't have today."

Able to rally from Nebraska's quick 21-0 first-half lead - Rutgers had cut that to 21-7 at halftime - the Scarlet Knights were within 21-14 thanks to two unusual occurrences.

The first was nose guard Kevin Wilkins' first career interception, which gave the Scarlet Knights (3-7 overall, 1-6 Big Ten) the ball at the Nebraska 35 yard line midway through the third quarter.

Quarterback Chris Laviano needed just one play to get it to the shadow of the goal line with a 30-yard completion to Leonte Carroo. A play later, a little trickery had Rutgers within one score.

Running back Robert Martin took the direct snap, flipped the ball to wide receiver Janarion Grant on an end around, with Grant - a lefthander - pulling up to throw a five-yard touchdown pass to Laviano. The third-year sophomore said he'd never caught a touchdown pass before in an organized game.

"It was a big play by our defense, a good little momentum shift," said Laviano. "We just couldn't keep it together on offense. We just didn't make enough plays."

Constant pressure by Nebraska (5-6 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) resulted in six sacks of Laviano and a day in which the offense failed to top 300 yards for the fourth straight game.

The Cornhuskers responded to that Rutgers threat immediately, driving 75 yards in eight plays, with quarterback Tommy Armstrong finding tight end Cethan Carter for an 11-yard touchdown pass and a 28-14 lead with 1:58 left in the third quarter.

Nebraska then added a 44-yard Drew Brown field goal 10 seconds into the fourth quarter.

In the end, because of the sacks, Rutgers' rushing numbers (89 yards on 39 carries) were skewed because of 66 lost yards in sacks and a mishandled direct snap by Justin Goodwin. Laviano, meanwhile, finished 13-of-27 for 165 yards and two interceptions against a Nebraska pass defense that had been the Big Ten's worst coming into the game.

"A weaker pass defense gets better in a hurry when the pass rush is effective," Flood said. "So to me, without looking at the film, if you ask what is the biggest issue we had on offense today it was (their) pass rush. They had six sacks but it was a lot more than that. We didn't do a very good job of protecting the quarterback at all. It just gets really hard."

Armstrong was guilty of three interceptions but also threw three touchdown passes, finishing 14-of-21 for 188 yards. He was especially sharp early, connecting on his first eight attempts, which enabled Nebraska to take early control at 21-0.

Rutgers' defense, led by middle linebacker Kaiwan Lewis' career-high 13 tackles, then provided a lift on free safety Anthony Cioffi's interception and 51-yard return, eventually getting the Scarlet Knights within 21-7 at halftime.

Aided by excellent early field position, the Cornhuskers controlled the first half until Cioffi managed to swing some momentum back to Rutgers. The junior's interception and lengthy return enabled the Scarlet Knights' offense to set up at the Nebraska six yard line 2:40 before halftime.

From there, Martin would score on a one-yard run for his fifth touchdown this season.

But Rutgers' ongoing offensive struggles beyond that made for a lopsided statistical first half, with Nebraska owning a 229 to 81 advantage in total offense.

Nebraska went 78 yards on its first drive for a quick 7-0 lead on Carter's 32-yard run, adding to that advantage two drives later when Armstrong found Jordan Westerkamp in the end zone between three Rutgers defenders for a 15-yard touchdown.

The Cornhuskers' lead grew to 21-0 when Armstrong, rolling right after being flushed from the pocket, found an open Alonzo Moore in the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown.

Rutgers continued battling, though, getting it back to a one score game midway through the third quarter.

"I think everybody in the program is frustrated, sure," said Flood. "We want to perform better. We want to be 1-0. There's no question. We've got real competitors in that locker room. We have really high expectations for ourselves. We're not pleased with how we played tonight. We'll go back to work tomorrow to fix it."