2001 Season Outlook

Huskers Return 14 Starters From 10-2 Team
Nebraska returns a total of 14 starters (four on offense, nine on defense and one kicker) from a team that dropped just two games last season-to eventual national champion Oklahoma, and to No. 16 Kansas State. Both losses came on the road. Nebraska will be led by All-America candidates Eric Crouch at quarterback, Tracey Wistrom at tight end, offensive linemen Toniu Fonoti at left guard and Dave Volk at left tackle and left cornerback Keyuo Craver. Nebraska lost seven starters on offense, including both wideouts, split end Matt Davison and wingback Bobby Newcombe, three offensive linemen in Dominic Raiola, Russ Hochstein and Jason Schwab, fullback Willie Miller and I-back Dan Alexander. NU also lost its backup I-back Correll Buckhalter.

On defense, nine starters return, including four linemen. Chris Kelsay and Demoine Adams split time at left rush end last year, Jason Lohr returns at nose tackle and defensive tackle Jeremy Slechta returns after starting four games for NU when senior tackle Loran Kaiser was out with an injury. The line loses academic All-American Kyle Vanden Bosch at right rush end (started every game) and Kaiser, who started seven of 11 regular-season games at defensive tackle. Two of the three linebackers return, including Will linebacker Randy Stella and Sam linebacker Scott Shanle, but NU will have to replace All-American and team captain Carlos Polk at Mike linebacker. In the secondary, three corners with starting experience return, including Keyuo Craver at left corner (started every game) and Erwin Swiney and DeJuan Groce at right corner. Swiney started the first 10 games and Groce the last two and a third when NU opened in the nickel package. Dion Booker returns after starting the first seven games at free safety last season. NU loses rover Joe Walker and Troy Watchorn, who started the last five games at free safety.

Nebraska also returns starting place-kicker Josh Brown, who has scored 163 points for the Huskers the past two years, but looks to replace punter Dan Hadenfeldt and Chace Long who handled kickoffs.

Record Setters and Awards Candidates Return
Several NU individual and team records were set last season, including the following individual Husker record holders who return in 2001.

Junior Place-Kicker Josh Brown...Entering his third season with the Huskers, place-kicker Josh Brown ranks 22nd on the Nebraska all-time scoring chart with 163 points, scoring 88 as a freshman and 75 as a sophomore. He hit on all 60 of his PATs last season, and the last 35 regular-season PATs in 1999 for a streak of 95 straight, not counting the 13 made in two bowl games (108 straight). The school regular-season record for consecutive PATs made is 114 by Kris Brown (1995 to 1998), who is also NU's all-time point scorer with 388 points. An excellent athlete, Josh has practiced at wingback the past two springs.

Senior Left Cornerback Keyuo Craver... was a member of the Jim Thorpe Award watch list for the nation's best defensive back the past two years and earned first-team all-conference honors from the Houston Chronicle last season. Craver ranks second all time at Nebraska in career pass breakups with 28. The school record may be out of his reach however, as All-American Ralph Brown had 50 from 1996 to 1999. Craver also has four interceptions and four blocked kicks as a valuable member of Nebraska's special teams. Craver will contend for All-America honors in 2001.

Senior Quarterback Eric Crouch...A two-time Davey O'Brien Award candidate and Heisman Trophy candidate, Crouch has 2,319 career rushing yards on 445 carries (5.2 ypc) to rank 13th on the NU career rushing charts, first among quarterbacks. His 41 rushing touchdowns rank third all time and first among NU signal callers. Crouch is one of 34 quarterbacks all time in NCAA Division I-A who have rushed for 2,000 yards (ranks 15th all time), and one of 29 quarterbacks all time who have rushed and passed for 2,000 yards. Crouch ranks 13th in the Big 12 in career rushing yards, second in career rushing TDs (41) and 15th all time in rushing among Division I-A quarterbacks. Only 13 players have hit the 2,000-yard rushing plateau since the Big 12 formed in 1996 and among those only Nebraska's Crouch and Missouri's Corby Jones were quarterbacks. Jones rushed for 2,533 from 1995 to 1998. Crouch needs 214 rushing yards to pass Jones as the Big 12's all-time leading quarterback rusher. Crouch (2,319) and I-backs Dan Alexander (2,456) and Correll Buckhalter (2,522) all hit the 2,000 career rushing plateau last season, the first time in NCAA Division I history that three players on one team hit that mark in the same year.

Crouch has 2,971 career passing yards, which ranks sixth on the NU career passing chart. In total offense, Crouch sits second all time at NU with 5,290 yards (fourth in the Big 12) and is just 186 yards behind school-record holder and 1995 Heisman Trophy runner-up Tommie Frazier's 5,476. Crouch's 252 career points rank fifth all time at NU.

Crouch owns several game, season and career records, including: Game Records... Most touchdown passes with five vs. Iowa, 2000; tied for most rushing touchdowns by an NU QB with four vs. Kansas, 2000. Season Records...Most rushing touchdowns by an NU quarterback with 20 in 2000; Career Records ...Most rushing attempts by an NU quarterback with 445; Most rushing yards by an NU QB with 2,319; Most rushing touchdowns by an NU QB with 41.

Crouch was the co-Big 12 offensive player of the year in the Big 12 in 1999 and was a contender for All-America and Heisman honors last season. He will contend for national awards again this year.

Junior Offensive Left Guard Toniu Fonoti...earned first-team All-Big 12 honors from the Dallas Morning News and second-team honors from the league coaches and AP. Fonoti was a member of the initial Outland Trophy Watch list and will contend for national honors this season. Fonoti had double-figure pancakes in all but one of the Huskers' 12 games last year (Kansas State), with a career-best 21 in the Alamo Bowl. He led the team with a school-record 155 pancakes, 15 better than Dominic Raiola's 1999 season record of 140. He also established a school record for pancakes per game at 14.1, bettering Raiola's 1999 average of 11.67. Fonoti has 178 career pancakes, 199 short of Aaron Taylor's school career record of 377 from 1995 to 1997.

Senior Tight End Tracey Wistrom...was a semifinalist for the 2000 John Mackey Award given to the best tight end and was the unanimous first-team tight end in the conference. Wistrom earned conference honors for the second straight year and earned third-team All-America honors from the AP, and will contend for national honors this season. As a sophomore, Wistrom posted the best yards per reception season average with 26.8 yards per catch, breaking Johnny Mitchell's record of 25.64 set in 1990. Wistrom is on school-record pace for best career average per catch at NU averaging 22.4 yards per catch (37 receptions, 827 yards). Wistrom also tied the school record for most touchdowns in a game with three against Iowa and has eight touchdown receptions in his career. He is 24 catches, 218 receiving yards and six reception touchdowns short of the respective NU school records by a tight end. All three records are within his reach after making 19 catches for 314 yards with five touchdowns last year. Wistrom is also a contender for academic All-America honors, earning All-District VII accolades last season with a 3.303 grade-point average in secondary education.

Senior Left Tackle Dave Volk...Starting every game the last two years at right (1999) and left (2000) tackle, Dave Volk returns for his senior season. Volk has 223 career pancakes including 111 in 1999 and 107 last year. He will contend for athletic and academic All-America honors this season, boasting a 3.289 grade-point average in psychology.

Injury Update
Seven projected starters missed all or most of spring ball with injuries, including senior quarterback Eric Crouch (right shoulder scoped after the bowl game); sophomore offensive tackle Chris Loos (left knee ACL/MCL/PCL surgery on Dec. 29); senior center Jon Rutherford (left knee ACL/meniscus surgery on Nov. 4); senior right cornerback DeJuan Groce (shoulder scoped after bowl game); sophomore fullback Judd Davies (back surgery on March 28); senior Mike linebacker Jamie Burrow (hamstring pull); senior left cornerback Keyuo Craver (sprained ankle after first week of spring ball); and senior nose tackle Jason Lohr (back surgery in May).

In addition, a few other Huskers were held out of spring camp after suffering season-ending injuries in the fall, including sophomore nose tackle Ryon Bingham (foot surgery in September), and sophomore I-back Josh Davis (torn left ACL and surgery Oct. 19, scoped in April). Sophomore offensive tackle Tim Green (tore ligaments in his right knee on Aug. 19), was able to participate in most of spring drills. Senior wingback John Gibson, who received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA in late April, tore his left ACL in the bowl game, but should be 100 percent by fall. Middle linebacker Shaun Coleman (nerve problem), sophomore rover Rob Blomeier (patella tendonitis) and rover Taylor Gehman (neck injury) are scholarship players who have ended their football careers due to injury and will be placed on medical scholarship.

Nebraska did not get through spring unscathed, as three Huskers suffered major knee injuries, including junior Mike linebacker Tony Tata (torn left ACL), sophomore right guard Jon Dawson (torn right ACL) and senior Will linebacker Jon Penny (torn right patella tendon). While the rest of the Huskers should be 100 percent by fall, Penny will not return as a player but will be a student assistant coach and Dawson and Tata will be pressed to make it back by Nebraska's opener on Aug. 25.