NU Looks to Maintain North Lead Against Iowa State

Game 8?No. 14/11 Nebraska (6-1, 2-1) vs. Iowa State (2-5, 0-3)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2003
Time: 11:40 a.m.(CDT)
Site: Lincoln, Neb.
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Field: Tom Osborne Field
Surface: FieldTurf (1999)
Capacity: 73,918 (261st Consecutive Sellout)
Nebraska Radio: (Jim Rose?Play-by-Play; Adrian Fiala?Analyst; Gary Sharp?Sideline; Randy Lee-Booth, Pregame); 57-station Pinnacle Sports Network
Internet: Live Radio on Huskers.com
TV: Fox Sports Pay-per-View (Dave Armstrong-Play-by-Play; Eric Crouch-Color; Bill Doleman, Sideline) - Available through local cable systems and selected digital satellite systems

Huskers Look to Maintain North Division Lead Against Iowa State
Nebraska rebounded from its first loss of 2003 in impressive fashion, dominating Texas A&M 48-12 last Saturday to improve to 6-1 on the season and 2-1 in Big 12 Conference play. The Huskers’ victory was their 35th consecutive Homecoming win dating back to 1968, and kept Nebraska in a tie for first place with Kansas in the Big 12 North Division. Nebraska and the Jayhawks are a game in front of three other teams in the tight division race.

The victory over Texas A&M also earned the Huskers a promotion in this week’s rankings. Nebraska is up three spots to 11th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, while it jumped four places to 14th in the Associated Press poll. The Blackshirt defense keyed the victory over Texas A&M, forcing eight Aggie turnovers to tie an NU school record, and limiting A&M to less than 50 yards of total offense after halftime. The Husker ground game also got cranked up against Texas A&M, rolling up 333 yards on the ground and allowing Nebraska to control the ball for nearly 34 minutes.

The Huskers will look to maintain their momentum this week at home as the Iowa State Cyclones visit Memorial Stadium for a North Division clash. The Cyclones ended a nine-game losing streak against Nebraska with a 36-14 victory last season in Ames, but have not been victorious in Lincoln since 1977. Saturday’s matchup marks the 98th all-time meeting between the two schools. Game time is set for 11:40 a.m. (CDT) on Saturday, with the game available on a pay-per-view basis from Fox Sports Net.

Iowa State enters the game with a 2-5 record, including an 0-3 mark in the Big 12. The Cyclones opened the year with a pair of victories, but have lost five straight games against one of the nation’s most rugged schedules.

Blackshirts Force School-Record Eight Turnovers in Rout of Texas A&M
The Nebraska Blackshirts were back to their ball-hawking ways, forcing a school-record tying eight Texas A&M turnovers that led to 35 points in the Huskers’ 48-12 win at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The defense picked off five passes and recovered three fumbles to propel NU to victory. The eight turnovers tied the school record which has been accomplished several times in school history, most recently against Colorado State in 1991.

After Texas A&M got on the board with a first-quarter field goal, Nebraska erupted for 34 unanswered points, sparked by a Husker defense that put the clamps down on a high-powered Aggie offense. The Blackshirts limited the Aggies to 244 total yards on Saturday, including 49 second-half yards.

Nebraska’s offense got rolling on its second drive of the day, marching 51 yards in seven plays capped by a Jammal Lord 22-yard TD run to give NU a 6-3 lead. It was the first of two rushing touchdowns for Lord, and he carried 15 times for 109 yards, his third 100-yard rushing game of the season.After Nebraska’s first score, the Blackshirts set the tone for the rest of the day. Sophomore free safety Josh Bullocks pulled down his school-record tying seventh interception of the year on A&M’s first play of the next drive to set NU up at the A&M 33-yard line, and the Huskers converted five plays later on David Horne’s one-yard TD run for a 13-3 lead.

On A&M’s next drive, the Blackshirts struck again. Junior linebacker Barrett Ruud grabbed his first-career interception and raced 27 yards for the touchdown, his second score of the year, to give Nebraska a 20-3 cushion with 1:45 left in the first quarter. Demorrio Williams recovered his third fumble on the season later in the second quarter to thwart an Aggie scoring threat, and the Blackshirts picked up their third interception midway through the second quarter on a Lornell McPherson pick.

Five minutes into the second half, the Blackshirts were back at it, with Ruud causing a McNeal fumble, recovered by Le Kevin Smith to set up a Josh Davis 12-yard touchdown run, and a 27-3 NU lead. Lord ran for his second touchdown of the day, going 31 yards and improving the Husker lead to 34-3 with 8:06 remaining in the third quarter to cap a three-play, 55-yard drive. Daniel Bullocks caused the sixth turnover of the day late in the third, when he caused and recovered an Aggie fumble and Fabian Washington’s interception was the seventh turnover of the day and resulted in a 29-yard touchdown pass by Joe Dailey to Isaiah Fluellen. The Blackshirts capped the game with a three-yard interception return for touchdown by Titus Adams with 3:09 remaining. A&M returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards, but Jerrell Pippens blocked the extra point try, giving NU the 48-12 final advantage. Nebraska finished with 384 total yards, including 333 on the ground, led by Lord’s 109-yard effort, 84 yards by Horne and 63 yards rushing from Davis.

Recapping Game Seven...Nebraska 48, Texas A&M 12

• Nebraska won on Homecoming for the 35th straight year and improved to 9-2 all-time against Texas A&M. The win was Frank Solich’s 55th as NU head coach, tying him with Tom Osborne for the most victories in the first six seasons as Nebraska coach.
• The Huskers’ sixth win of 2003 made NU eligible for an NCAA record 35th consecutive bowl appearance.
• Nebraska improved to 5-0 at home this season and 100-5 at Memorial Stadium in the last 16 seasons.
• Nebraska’s eight takeaways tied the school record accomplished several times, most recently against Colorado State on Sept. 14, 1991. The last time Nebraska had forced eight turnovers in a conference game was against Kansas State on Nov. 10, 1979.
• Husker sophomore free safety Josh Bullocks picked off a pass for the fourth straight game and ran his season total to seven interceptions to tie the Nebraska school record. Bullocks joined Larry Wachholtz (1966), Dana Stephenson (1969) and Bill Kosch (1970) as the only Huskers to have seven interceptions in a season. He has eight career picks.
• Junior linebacker Barrett Ruud made a team-high 10 tackles in the game, his fourth double-figure tackle game of the season. Ruud now has 206 career tackles to tie Grant Wistrom for 22nd on the NU career list. In the game, Ruud passed his father, Tom, who finished his NU career from 1972 to 1974 with 202 tackles. Ruud made his first career interception and returned it 27 yards for a score, his second TD of the 2003 season. Ruud also caused his third fumble of the year.
• The Nebraska defense has now forced 29 turnovers this season, eight more than all of last season and the most since NU forced 35 in 1999. The Huskers converted the eight A&M turnovers into 35 points, and have scored 96 points in seven games off opponent turnovers this season, exactly double their 48 points off turnovers in 14 games last season.
• Defensive end Trevor Johnson did not directly share in NU’s turnover parade, but he had a pair of quarterback hurries that caused first-half Aggie interceptions.
• Nebraska’s offense did not committ a turnover in a game for the first time in 2003.
• Punter Kyle Larson averaged a season-high 49.6 yards on nine punts in the game, and had seven of his nine punts travel at least 45 yards, including a 69-yarder.
• Quarterback Jammal Lord posted his second straight 100-yard rushing game and third of 2003 with 109 yards on 15 carries. Lord now has eight 100-yard games in his career and scored two rushing touchdowns to give him eight this season, matching his 2002 14-game total. Lord also moved into the top 20 on Nebraska’s rushing list, as his 2,185 career rushing yards is 20th in school history and second only to Eric Crouch among Husker quarterbacks.
• Sophomore I-back David Horne became the 53rd Nebraska player to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards. He ran for 86 yards on 14 carries in the game and now has 1,054 career rushing yards to rank 49th in school history.
• Tight end Matt Herian did not have a catch, ending a streak of nine straight games with at least one reception. Wide receiver Ross Pilkington was also held catchless, ending his streak at seven consecutive games.
• Wide receiver Isaiah Fluellen made his second and third career catches with two receptions for 42 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown. He now has two TD receptions in three career catches.
• Nebraska rushed for more than 300 yards for the second time this season, piling up 333 yards on the ground, just four yards shy of its 337-yard effort against Penn State. Nebraska rushed for more than 330 yards for the third straight meeting against Texas A&M.
• The Nebraska defense held Texas A&M to an 0-of-12 effort on third-down conversions, and also thwarted a fourth-down conversion attempt on the Aggies’ first possession of the game.
• Nebraska senior I-back Josh Davis scored his first rushing touchdown of the season on a 12-yard third quarter run and had a 43-yard kickoff return to tie his season-long.
• NU’s 48 points were a season-high and its most since also scoring 48 in the 2002 opener vs. Arizona State.

Huskers Dominate Iowa State in Lincoln
Iowa State has won just six times in 52 tries against Nebraska in Lincoln and in recent years, the Huskers have made life at Memorial Stadium miserable for the visitors from the east. Nebraska has won the past 12 matchups against the Cyclones in Lincoln, and has scored at least 31 points in each of those 12 games. The Huskers have had a victory margin of at least 24 points in the last 12 matchups with Iowa State in Lincoln, including a 48-14 victory in 2001.

Since a 24-21 Iowa State win at Memorial Stadium in 1977, the Huskers have outscored ISU 611-135 in 12 matchups in Lincoln, an average score of 50.9-11.3. The Huskers have scored 48 or more points in each of the past five games between the schools at Memorial Stadium, while Iowa State has not scored more than 14 points in Lincoln since 1989.

NU Has History of Huge Offensive Numbers vs. ISU
Iowa State ended Nebraska’s nine-game win streak in the series last season by controlling the Husker offensive attack. ISU limited Nebraska to just 81 yards rushing, one of only three games under Frank Solich that Nebraska has not rushed for at least 100 yards. The Cyclones also held Nebraska to just 273 yards of total offense in the 36-14 win in Ames.

Last year’s Cyclone defensive effort reversed a trend of huge Husker offensive production against Iowa State. In Nebraska’s nine-game series winning streak from 1993 to 2001, the Huskers averaged 412.3 yards rushing and 527.6 yards of total offense against Iowa State, including four games in which the Huskers topped 400 yards on the ground and five matchups when NU totaled more than 500 yards in total offense.

Nebraska Dominates in October Home Games
Nebraska has been nearly unbeatable through the years at home, losing only 12 home games since 1981. Much of the Huskers’ success in that time period has come in the month of October. In the last 24 seasons, including 2003, Nebraska has won 51 of its 52 games at Memorial Stadium in the month of October, including a 2-0 record this fall. Nebraska won all 39 of its home games from 1981 to 1997, and is 12-1 at home in October under Frank Solich with the only loss a 20-16 setback against Texas on Oct. 31, 1998.

Scanning the Polls
Nebraska found itself in an unfamiliar preseason position entering the 2003 season unranked in both major polls. The Huskers were just outside of the top 25 in both polls, marking the first time since 1969 that Nebraska entered a season unranked in the Associated Press poll. The Huskers took care of that unusual situation in just one week. NU’s 17-7 victory over Oklahoma State moved the Huskers into the polls, and they continued to rise until a 41-24 setback at Missouri.

The Huskers are ranked 11th in this week’s ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, up three spots from last week and are 14th in the AP poll, a four-spot promotion. Nebraska is one of four Big 12 teams ranked this week, joining Oklahoma (1 AP/1 Coaches), Texas (19/18) and Oklahoma State (18/19). Meanwhile, Missouri, Texas Tech, Kansas State and Kansas are receiving votes in the polls.

The Huskers’ move back into the national polls came after an absence from the Associated Press weekly polls for 12 straight weeks. Nebraska has now been ranked in 530 of 545 AP polls since 1969 (all but one week in 1977, two weeks in 1981, the final 11 weeks of 2002 and this year’s preseason poll). Nebraska entered the AP top 10 at No. 10 two weeks ago before the loss at Missouri, marking NU’s first visit to the top 10 since before the Penn State game last season. Nebraska has now been ranked in the AP top 10 for at least one week in each of the last 34 seasons and 40 of the last 41 years.

Record Effort Against A&M Adds to NU Turnover Margin
Part of Nebraska’s struggles during a 7-7 campaign in 2002 were a result of finishing the season with a negative turnover margin. The Huskers forced 21 turnovers in 14 games last season, an average of 1.5 per contest. On the flip side, Nebraska committed 24 turnovers and finished the year a minus-three in turnover margin, one of just two seasons in the past 28 years Nebraska has had a negative turnover margin.

This season has been far different. NU has forced 29 turnovers in seven games, an average of 4.1 per game, and is tied for the most turnovers gained and interceptions (16) in the nation with Washington State. The Huskers rank first nationally in turnover margin at +2.0 per game thanks in large part to a record effort against Texas A&M. The Blackshirts forced eight Aggie turnovers in a 48-12 win, while the offense did not commit a turnover in the contest.

• The eight turnovers gained against Texas A&M tied the NU school record, most recently accomplished against Colorado State on Sept. 14, 1991.
• Nebraska converted its eight turnovers into 35 points, including a pair of touchdowns on interception returns by Barrett Ruud (27 yards) and Titus Adams (3 yards). The Husker defense has now scored 21 points of its own this season and converted the opponents 29 turnovers into 96 points, five more than the NU defense has allowed all season. Nebraska scored 48 points off turnovers in 14 games in 2002.
• The eight turnovers against Texas A&M marked the third time the Huskers have forced five or more turnovers in a game this season, and the Blackshirts have forced at least one turnover in all seven games.
• The Texas A&M effort came on the heels of a 41-24 loss at Missouri, a game in which the Huskers committed five turnovers of their own and were a minus-three in the turnover department. The Tigers converted NU’s miscues directly into 21 points in the game. The Nebraska offense has committed 15 turnovers this season, but was turnover-free for the first time in 2003 against Texas A&M.
• Nebraska’s 29 turnovers gained this season are its most since 1999, when the Huskers forced 35 turnovers in a 12-1 season. The school record for turnovers gained in a season is 47 by the 1971 Nebraska defense, helping NU to a 13-0 record and a national championship. Entering the season, Nebraska had not forced five turnovers in a game for a span of 43 games since the 1999 campaign. This season, the Blackshirt defense has accomplished that feat three times in seven games.
• NU has had at least one interception in all seven games this season and two or more INTs in four straight games.

Among the individual stalwarts in the turnover department are...

• Sophomore free safety Josh Bullocks leads the nation with seven interceptions in seven games to tie for the national lead in interceptions per game. Bullocks’ seven interceptions tie the Nebraska school season record, also held by Larry Wachholtz (1966), Dana Stephenson (1969) and Bill Kosch (1970). Last season Fabian Washington and DeJuan Groce tied for the season interception lead with four in 14 games.
• Junior linebacker Barrett Ruud has tied the NU season record for fumble recoveries by a linebacker with three, including a 15-yard return for a touchdown against Oklahoma State. Ruud’s three recoveries tie his father, Tom (1974), for the position record. Ruud has also forced three fumbles this season, including one against Texas A&M and returned his first career interception 27 yards for a touchdown against the Aggies.
• Senior Will linebacker Demorrio Williams has created headaches for opposing offenses all season, including forcing two fumbles and recovering three others. He had his first career interception at Missouri.
• Senior nose tackle Ryon Bingham has also recovered a pair of fumbles, both of which have been converted to touchdowns by the Husker offense.
• Sophomore cornerback Fabian Washington has picked off three passes this season, including one against Texas A&M, and has seven picks in his career. He also recovered a fumble against Troy State.
• Sophomore Titus Adams gives Nebraska four players with at least two fumble recoveries this season and capped Nebraska’s turnover bonanza against Texas A&M with a three-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State enters Saturday’s game in Lincoln with a 2-5 record, including an 0-3 mark in the Big 12 Conference. The Cyclones are coming off a 40-19 loss to Texas on Saturday in Ames, the fifth consecutive loss for Iowa State. The Cylones began the year with wins over Northern Iowa and Ohio, but have dropped each of their last five games, with four of those losses against teams ranked in this week’s Associated Press Poll, and the fifth against a Texas Tech team that is among others receiving votes in the poll.

Iowa State averages just more than 350 yards per game, paced by a passing attack that averages 214 yards per contest. The Cyclones have thrown for more than 250 yards three times this season, most recently with 270 yards in a loss at Texas Tech. Redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Flynn has completed 47.5 percent of his passes for 1,050 yards and five touchdowns. His top receiving threat throughout the 2003 season has been senior Lane Danielsen who averages nearly 19 yards per catch on his 29 receptions and has caught four touchdown passes. The Cyclone running game averages 137.4 yards per game, led by senior running back Michael Wagner who averages 4.6 yards per carry and nearly 60 yards per game on the ground.

Defensively, Iowa State is allowing more than 450 yards per game, including 273 yards per game through the air and 185.4 rushing yards per contest. Texas gained 578 total yards in its victory last Saturday in Ames. The Cyclones are led defensively by senior defensive back JaMaine Billups, who has 68 total tackles, including three tackles for loss, while junior linebacker Brandon Brown has 60 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss. Junior punter Tony Yelk is among the best in the Big 12, averaging 42.4 yards per punt to help the Cyclones to a No. 29 national rank in net punting.

Iowa State Coach Dan McCarney
Dan McCarney is in his ninth season as Iowa State’s head coach and owns a 38-62 record with the Cyclones. McCarney has guided Iowa State to bowl games in each of the last three seasons, and led the Cyclones to 23 victories in those three seasons combined. McCarney is a 1975 graduate of the University of Iowa, who served as an assistant coach at Iowa and Wisconsin before being named the Cyclones’ head coach. He is 1-7 against Nebraska, 0-4 against the Huskers in Lincoln.

Nebraska-Iowa State Series...NU leads, 80-15-2
Nebraska holds a commanding 80-15-2 edge in the all-time series between the two schools, including a 46-6 mark against the Cyclones in Lincoln, 36-4 at Memorial Stadium. Iowa State’s victory last season in Ames ended Nebraska’s nine-game win streak in the series and was just the second Iowa State win in the past 25 meetings between the two schools.

The Huskers have won each of the past 12 meetings between the two schools at Memorial Stadium, and 20 of the last 21 in Lincoln. Iowa State’s lone breakthrough in Lincoln in the past four decades was a 24-21 triumph in 1977. Since that game, NU has scored at least 31 points and won by at least 24 points in each of the past 12 matchups in Lincoln.

Iowa State ended Nebraska’s 10-game win streak in the series by dominating last year’s game in Ames. The Cyclones broke to a 10-0 lead, before Nebraska’s Jammal Lord connected with Ross Pilkington on a 90-yard touchdown pass, the longest pass play for the Huskers in 37 seasons to cut the lead to three points. However, Iowa State added nine points before halftime to take a 19-7 lead into the locker room, and scored early in the third quarter to extend its lead to 26-7. Nebraska countered with a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut the advantage to 26-14, but the Cyclones put the game away with 10 points in the final quarter for the 36-14 margin. Iowa State held a 412-273 advantage in total yards in the game, and limited Nebraska to just 81 rushing yards. The Cyclones held the ball for 37:31 in the game.

NU-Iowa State Series Notes

• Last year’s 36-14 Cyclone victory represented ISU’s largest margin of victory over Nebraska since a 33-0 win in 1899.
• Nebraska scored at least 42 points in each of the seven meetings before last year’s 36-14 loss in Ames. The Huskers averaged 55.3 points in those seven matchups between the schools.
• Nebraska has been ranked entering each of the last 35 meetings between the two schools and has been in the top 10 entering 28 of those matchups.
• Nebraska’s 77 points in 1997 is its most ever against a league opponent and tied the record for most points at Memorial Stadium.
• Nebraska’s 19-10 loss at Iowa State in 1992 marked the only time a Tom Osborne-coached NU team lost a game to a team that finished the season below .500.

NU-ISU, Iowa Connections

• Iowa State wide receivers coach Mike Grant lettered for three seasons at Nebraska (1989, 1990, 1992) as a quarterback and started nine games in his Husker career.
• Nebraska has five players from the state of Iowa on its 2003 roster, including center Jack Limbaugh (Algona), defensive back Dan Burrow (Ames), defensive back Kellen Huston (Ankeny), defensive back Blake Tiedtke (Cedar Rapids) and quarterback Mike Stuntz (Council Bluffs).

Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich
Coach Frank Solich (Nebraska, 1966) is in his sixth season at the helm of the Husker program with a 55-17 school and career record (.764). Solich ranks fifth among active coaches with at least five years of service in winning percentage. Nebraska’s win over Texas A&M moved Solich back in front of Penn State’s Joe Paterno into fifth place on the list.

With a victory over Oklahoma State in the season opener, Solich collected his 50th win in just his 66th game as Nebraska’s head coach, the same amount as his Hall of Fame predecessor Tom Osborne (50-14-2). Solich’s 49 wins in his first five seasons as a head coach tied him for third place on the all-time Division I-A list for most wins in the first five years of a head coaching career.

Solich has piled up a number of notable accomplishments during his Nebraska tenure including...

• Becoming just the third first-year Nebraska head coach to record nine wins in his first season at the helm, joining a pair of Hall of Fame Coaches?Tom Osborne (9-2-1 in 1973) and Bob Devaney (9-2 in 1962).
• He posted the best record of any Husker second-year coach, as his team posted a 12-1 record in 1999, leading NU to a Big 12 championship and No. 2 (coaches poll) and No. 3 (AP poll) final national rankings.
• The Nebraska graduate has set NU records for most wins after two, three, four and five years as head coach, bettering Devaney and Osborne. Nebraska’s 48-12 victory over Texas A&M tied Solich with Osborne for the most wins in the first six seasons. Osborne had 55 wins in 73 games at the conclusion of his sixth season.
• Solich was named the 1999 Big 12 Coach of the Year by his league peers and the AP after winning the league championship, and was named coach of the year by the conference coaches a second time in 2001.
• Solich is the only Husker coach to have won 12 games in either of his first two seasons. In fact, neither Devaney nor Osborne had an 11-win campaign in their first four years, with Devaney posting a pair of 10-win seasons and Osborne hitting 10 wins in his third season.
• Solich tied Devaney by winning his first conference title his second year, while Osborne tied for his first title in his third year at the helm.

Solich has continued Nebraska's winning tradition the Husker way?by identification of athletic talent regardless of position or recruiting rank; with successful recruitment nationwide of the country's best student-athletes; developing local talent and utilizing the envious Husker walk-on program; and by providing the best athletic facilities and support available for the student-athletes.

Solich also recognizes the Husker tradition, which is most evident in his coaching staff. Including Solich, six of Nebraska’s 10 full-time coaches played college ball at Nebraska. Solich is one of 19 current Division I-A football coaches who played for and now coach their alma mater.

Solich was named Nebraska’s 26th head coach on Dec. 10, 1997, after serving as an NU assistant for 19 years. He played fullback for Hall of Fame Coach Bob Devaney, lettering in 1963-64-65. Solich was the first Husker running back to rush for 200 yards in a game and remains the only fullback to accomplish that feat. He also lettered for the NU baseball team in 1965. After serving as a local high school football coach for 14 years, Solich took over the NU freshman program and posted a 19-1 record from 1979 to 1982. He was elevated to NU’s running backs coach after four seasons, a position he held for 15 years (1983-97). He was promoted to assistant head coach in 1991 and head coach following the 1997 season. Solich earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from NU in 1966 and 1972, respectively.

Fresh Faces on Husker Sidelines for 2003 Season
Solich is surrounded by several new faces on his coaching staff for the 2003 season. Six new coaches are on the NU staff, including three assistants on each side of the ball, led by new offensive and defensive coordinators.

The new Husker assistants (previous coaching stop) include...

• Barney Cotton, Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line (Offensive coordinator, New Mexico State)
• Bo Pelini, Defensive Coordinator, (Linebackers, Green Bay Packers)
• Tim Albin, Running Backs/Passing Game Coordinator, (Graduate Assistant, Nebraska)
• Scott Downing, Tight Ends/Kickers & Punters/Recruiting Coordinator (Ass’t. Head Coach, RBs, Purdue)
• Marvin Sanders, Defensive Backs, (Secondary, Colorado State)
• Jimmy Williams, Linebackers (Defensive Line, Toledo)

All of the new assistants had previous Nebraska ties except for Pelini, who came to Nebraska from the NFL coaching ranks and played college football at Ohio State. The newcomers join assistants Ron Brown (17th year), Turner Gill (12th year) and Jeff Jamrog (4th year). Brown continues to coach Nebraska's wide receivers. Gill remains the Huskers' quarterbacks coach and added the title of assistant head coach. Jamrog is again coaching the Husker defensive tackles, and is also tutoring the defensive ends and serves as Nebraska's special teams coordinator.

Blackshirts Back Among Nation’s Best Defenses
Nebraska’s top defensive players had to wait until just a few days before the season opener to learn who would be given Blackshirts?the coveted practice jerseys worn by first-team Husker defenders. First-year coordinator Bo Pelini’s delay in awarding the Blackshirts did not seem to have fazed his players, as Nebraska has played strong defense throughout the season. In addition to forcing turnovers at a record rate, Nebraska ranks among the nation’s best in nearly every statistical category. Here are a few notes regarding the performance of NU’s defense through seven games...

• NU ranks in the top 25 nationally in all major defensive categories and turnover margin, including No. 2 in total defense at 255.9 yards per game (behind Georgia, 249.8) and first in pass efficiency defense with a rating of 80.3 points.
• The Huskers held their first three opponents to 10 points or less for the first time since 1984. In that season, Nebraska finished the year No. 1 in the country in total defense (203.3 ypg) and scoring defense (9.5 ppg).
• NU has forced 29 turnovers in seven games, including a school-record eight against Texas A&M and five each against Oklahoma State and Southern Miss. NU did not force more than three turnovers in a game last season and just 21 total in 14 games in 2002. Nebraska’s +2.0 turnover margin ranks first in the nation.
• Nebraska held each of its first five opponents to 108 or fewer yards on the ground, and the opposition is averaging just 101.4 yards rushing per game to rank first in the Big 12 and 23rd in the nation. NU held Penn State to just 44 yards, after the Nittany Lions rushed for 217 yards against Nebraska in 2002.
• Nebraska’s defense has allowed just six runs of 20 yards or longer this season. Nebraska did not allow a run of longer than 17 yards in the season’s first five games. Only 11 opponent pass plays have covered more than 20 yards.
• Troy State’s 150 yards of total offense were the fewest NU has allowed since Baylor picked up just 84 in a 59-0 NU victory in October of 2000. That game was also NU’s most recent shutout before the 30-0 win over Troy State.
• Nebraska allowed just three points in the third quarter this season (FG by A&M) and the Huskers hold an 88-3 scoring advantage in that period. By comparison, NU opponents outscored the Huskers 110-97 in the third quarter in 2002. The Blackshirts allowed just seven points in the second half through the first five games, before Missouri exploded for 27 fourth-quarter points in last week’s 41-24 NU loss.
• Nebraska has allowed just 14 drives to enter its red zone in seven games, including only five in the season’s first five games. Eight of the five drives that have reached Nebraska’s red zone have started inside the Nebraska 36-yard line, including all five by Missouri (three inside NU 10). Opponents have penetrated the red zone on just six of the other 96 drives against the Husker defense this season. Both Utah State and Troy State failed to reach the red zone against NU’s defense. Southern Miss reached the NU red zone twice in the second half, marking the first second-half red zone trips by opponents this season.
• The Huskers allowed Oklahoma State just 183 yards of total offense, the fewest Nebraska had allowed in 24 games. Nebraska had not allowed fewer yards in a season opener since Iowa picked up just 169 yards of total offense in the 1999 opener in Iowa City (NU, 42-7). The Cowboys are averaging 488.5 yards per game since their loss at Nebraska.
• Nebraska’s defense was nearly flawless after the first quarter in each of the first two games. Oklahoma State picked up 113 yards in the game’s first 18 minutes in the season opener, but managed just 70 yards of offense in the game’s final 42 minutes, including 57 in the second half. Utah State gained 145 yards in the first quarter, but had just 93 the remainder of the game, with 59 of those yards coming on the final possession of the game. Nebraska also stymied Texas A&M in the second half, allowing just 49 yards of total offense to the Aggies after halftime.

Williams Setting Tone for Blackshirts
Nebraska’s defensive effort in 2003 has been truly a team effort. However, it is hard not to notice the play of senior Will linebacker Demorrio Williams. The Beckville, Texas, native is tied for the team lead with 66 tackles, including 43 solo stops. He tied his career high with 13 tackles against Troy State, including seven solo stops, a pair of tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Williams recorded his third consecutive double-figure tackle game, and added a sack and his first career interception against Missouri. In Nebraska’s record-setting turnover day against Texas A&M, Williams recovered his third fumble of the season.

The senior was one of 11 players named Butkus semifinalists last week, Nebraska’s first semifinalist for the award in three seasons. He was also named to a pair of midseason All-America teams, earning recognition from both SI.com and CollegeFootballNews.com

Williams has nine tackles for loss (44 yards) and 6.5 sacks (40 yards) both team-leading totals. Williams has also forced two fumbles, recovered three fumbles, hurried opposing quarterbacks a team-high seven times, broke up a pair of passes and intercepted a pass.

Williams simply dominated the second quarter against Utah State, recording three sacks for 27 yards, forcing fumbles on two of the sacks. Nebraska converted the fumbles Williams caused into nine points in a 31-7 victory. Williams’ play against the Aggies earned him Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors. Williams made another strong statement in front of a national stage on ESPN at Southern Miss, recording 12 tackles, the third-most of his Husker career. He has been Nebraska’s nominee for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after three of NU’s first six games.

Like the Butkus, the Lombardi Award committee has noticed the play of the 6-1, 215-pound senior by adding him to its watch list. Williams’ play has also drawn rave reviews from both Nebraska opponents and the NU coaching staff.

"Whoa, that’s like having a safety at linebacker. He was in the backfield all the time. We had him blocked and he was quick enough to get around us and cause trouble." ?Oklahoma State offensive guard Sam Mayes

"If you really want to know, I can still feel him. He was the best player out there today. I’ve never played against anyone like him before." ?Utah State quarterback Travis Cox

"We don’t have an athlete like him. He’s a difference maker and those two turnovers he caused were a major, major, major difference in this game." ?Utah State Head Coach Mick Dennehy

"He’s a special player. He has special talents. That left guard might be seeing him (Williams) in his sleep for a while."?Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini after Oklahoma State game

Bullocks Nebraska’s Top Pass Thief
Sophomore free safety Josh Bullocks is challenging Williams for headline-grabbing play this season. Bullocks picked off his nation-leading seventh pass of the season in Nebraska’s 48-12 dismantling of Texas A&M, tying him for the Nebraska single-season interception record. Bullocks picked off a pair of passes in Nebraska’s season opener against Oklahoma State, and has since picked off a pass in five of the last six games, including each of the last four contests.

Bullocks is tied for the national lead in interceptions per game at 1.0 per contest, and his interceptions in four consecutive games represents the first time a Husker has accomplished that feat since Troy Watchorn had interceptions in four straight games in the 2000 season (Iowa, Missouri, @ Iowa St., @ Texas Tech). Bullocks now has eight career interceptions, just one pick off the Nebraska career top 10.

The 6-0, 195-pound Bullocks has routinely earned praise from his own coaches this season, and this week he picked up national recognition, joining Williams on SI.com’s Midseason All-America Team. In addition to his seven interceptions, Bullocks has 26 tackles and four pass breakups this fall.

Ruud Less Than Hospitable to Opponents
Junior linebacker Barrett Ruud joined Williams on the Butkus watch list this fall and although he didn’t make the semifinal cut, Ruud’s play has also been at a high level throughout the season. The Lincoln native is tied with Demorrio Williams for the team lead in tackles with 66, including four double-figure tackle games (12 vs. Missouri, 11 vs. Utah State, 10 vs. Southern Miss, 10 vs. Texas A&M).

Ruud has also been a key part of the Nebraska defense ranking first in the nation in turnover margin at +2.0 per game. Ruud has recovered three fumbles this season to tie his father’s Nebraska linebacker record for fumble recoveries in a season, and is tied for the team lead with Demorrio Williams. Ruud’s three fumble recoveries have resulted in 17 points, including a pair of touchdowns and a field goal. Ruud has also caused three fumbles this fall, most recently on a sack of Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal in Nebraska’s 48-12 victory.

Ruud has converted two opponent turnovers directly into touchdowns this season. In the season opener against Oklahoma State, Ruud returned a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskers the go-ahead points in a 17-7 victory. Against Texas A&M, Ruud made the most of his first career interception, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown to give NU a 20-3 first-quarter edge. Ruud is the first Husker defender since Julius Jackson in 1999 to score touchdowns on both fumble and interception returns.

The 6-2, 235-pound Ruud is quickly climbing the Nebraska career tackle chart. With at team-high 10 tackles against Texas A&M, Ruud passed the 200-career tackle mark and now ranks in a tie for 22nd in NU history with 206 tackles. Ruud passed his father on the career list against A&M, as Tom recorded 202 tackles from 1972 to 1974.

Ruud’s performance this fall has not come as a surprise to NU coaches. Head Coach Frank Solich expected big things from the junior and pointed that out after the season opener.?"I thought leading up to this game that Barrett Ruud had a great fall camp. He is a great football player, and I think that showed in a lot of ways today."

Entire Defensive Unit Helping Dominate Opponents
The linebacking duo of Williams and Ruud, and Bullocks’ record-setting interception season have grabbed many of the headlines, but NU’s defensive dominance has been a total team effort. Other top performances include...

Left cornerback Fabian Washington is only a sophomore, but has emerged as a leader in the Nebraska secondary. Washington ranks fourth on the team in tackles with 36 stops, including team-high efforts against Oklahoma State (11) and Penn State (9). Washington was a key in the NU defense that limited Oklahoma State All-America receiver Rashaun Woods to five catches for 47 yards, including two receptions for nine yards in the second half.

Washington had another superior effort against Penn State, finishing with nine tackles, his first interception of the season, a pair of pass breakups and two tackles for loss. Washington broke up two more passes against Southern Miss and now has 19 career pass breakups, tied for seventh on Nebraska’s career list. He added an interception and a fumble recovery in the shutout of Troy State, and picked off his seventh career pass against Texas A&M. Pelini has been impressed with the work of NU’s left corner? "He was all over the place (against Oklahoma State). He’s a good football player, who really steps it up in live competition. It was no surprise to us the way he played. He’s a gamer."

Defensive Backs Coach Marvin Sanders echoed Pelini’s feelings on Washington after his standout performance against Penn State ? "He’s showed he is a very special player. Fabian has been a very consistent player, and he is getting better every week. I think, right now, he’s definitely playing at an All-Big 12 level."

Senior linebacker T.J. Hollowell has teamed with Williams and Ruud to make the Husker linebacking corps a three-man wrecking force. Hollowell has made 43 tackles this season to rank third on the team, including seven each against Utah State, Southern Miss and Missouri, and eight against Texas A&M. The Husker linebackers combined for 29 tackles against Troy State, and as a group have posted 25 or more tackles five times this season.

Senior defensive end Trevor Johnson was slowed with an injury in the preseason, but has stepped his game up in recent weeks. Johnson made six tackles, including a tackle for loss in Nebraska’s victory over Texas A&M. He also broke up a pass against the Aggies and had two quarterback hurries that caused interceptions. Johnson has 31 total tackles this season and ranks third on the team with six tackles for loss (19 yards), including a pair of sacks.

Power Husker Running Game Controlling Football
Nebraska’s offense has not consistently hit on all cylinders, but a powerful ball-control Husker running attack, combined with great defense, has kept opponent offenses off the field this season. Nebraska has snapped the ball a total of 512 times (73.1 per game) in the first seven games, 67 more plays than its opponents have run.

The discrepency in offensive snaps has led to a huge Husker advantage in time of possession. Through seven games, Nebraska has held the ball an average of 33:53 to just 26:07 for the opposition. Against Penn State, Nebraska’s advantage was 19:30 (39:45-20:15). The Huskers’ 8:12 drive to open the third quarter represented more possession time than the Nittany Lions had in the entire second half (7:33). The 19 1/2-minute time of possession advantage against Penn State was Nebraska’s greatest since Nebraska held the ball for 39:47 in a 41-0 shutout against Kansas in 1998. Nebraska is coming off a 7:58 time of possession advantage in its victory over Texas A&M.

Nebraska Looks to Make Most of Red Zone Opportunities
The Husker offense has struggled at times this season to cross the goal line once it has moved inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, scoring 13 touchdowns in 32 red zone opportunities, with another 10 of those drives ending in field goals. While Nebraska’s ability to finish drives with touchdowns has been a concern, the offense’s ability to march into the red zone this season has been a drastic improvement from 2002.

This season, NU is averaging 4.6 trips per game into the red zone, while last year Nebraska moved inside the 20 just 43 times in 14 games, or an average of 3.1 trips per outing. On the flip side, NU opponents have moved inside the Husker 20 just 14 times in the first seven games, after averaging 3.4 red zone opportunities in 2002.

Huskers Winning Field Position Battle
Nebraska’s offense continues to improve in 2003, but Nebraska has leaned on excellent defense and solid special teams throughout the year. While the defense has carried Nebraska by dominating opponents and forcing turnovers, and the offense has controlled the clock, the Husker special teams have quietly done its part to give NU a huge advantage in field position. The tables were turned on Nebraska at Missouri, as the Tigers held a 13-yard advantage in starting field position, but Nebraska quickly returned to form against Texas A&M, forcing eight turnovers to key an 18-yard advantage in starting field position.

• Through seven games, Nebraska holds an 11.6-yard advantage in starting field position, beginning its average drive on its own 41.1, while opponents have started on average at their own 29.5.
• The Huskers’ 17.8-yard starting field position edge against Texas A&M was its most lopsided of the season. NU started eight drives on Texas A&M’s side of the field, while the Aggies began in Nebraska territory just once all day. Nebraska held a 17.4-yard edge in starting position against Troy State, a 15-yard advantage in the season opener against Oklahoma State, a 17-yard edge against Utah State and better than a 14-yard advantage at Southern Miss.
• Nebraska has started seven drives inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, while beginning just 12 inside its own 20. Opponents have started 22 drives inside their own 20 and only 11 in Nebraska territory.
• Nebraska has a 1,001-yard advantage in cumulative starting field position, an average of better than 140 yards per game in field position differential.

Larson Keys Husker Punting Team
Nebraska’s special teams have a tradition of being exactly that?"special". Along with senior kickoff and punt return man Josh Davis, senior punter Kyle Larson headlines the NU special teams this fall. Larson is in his third season as a starter for the Huskers. He has been one of the nation’s top punters each of the past two seasons and his statistics rank near the top of Nebraska’s career charts.

Larson averaged 43.2 yards per punt last season and keyed a Husker punting unit that ranked second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally in net punting. The Funk, Neb., native had 21 punts of 50 yards or longer last season and pinned the opposition inside its own 20 on 23 occasions. Larson was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the league’s coaches last season and was one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award. His 43.06 career punting average ranks second on the Husker career charts, behind only his predecessor Dan Hadenfeldt (1999-2000).

Larson has been strong again in 2003, and is coming off one of the top games of his career against Texas A&M. Larson punted nine times against the Aggies, and averaged 49.6 yards per boot, and pinned A&M inside its own 20 four times. Seven of Larson’s nine punts in the game were 45 yards or longer, while the two that were not were both downed inside the Aggie 20.

For the season, Larson is averaging 43.6 yards to rank 21st nationally, with 46 percent (16-of-35) of his punts leaving the opposition inside its own 20 yard-line. All three of Larson’s punts against Troy State were downed inside the 20, including a 71-yard boot that tied his career long. Larson has uncorked four punts of 63 yards or longer in the past four weeks. Against Southern Mississippi, Larson averaged 47.6 yards on seven punts, including boots of 63 and 67 yards. His effort against the Golden Eagles earned him Big 12 Special Teams Player-of-the-Week honors, marking the third time in his career Larson has captured that award.

Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich lauded Larson’s effort following the Texas A&M contest. "I don’t know if there is a better punter around. There might be in terms of average, but when the pressure is on and you need a kick, he steps up and does it."

Davis Moves to Top of Big 12 Kickoff Return Record Books
Senior Josh Davis is in his third season as Nebraska’s starting kickoff return man and his work has earned him a place in the Nebraska and Big 12 Conference record books. Davis had three kickoff returns for 97 yards at Missouri, pushing his career total to 1,887 yards on kickoff returns, bettering the previous Big 12 career record of 1,798 yards, set by Colorado’s Ben Kelly from 1997 to 1999. Davis also holds the Big 12 career record for kickoff returns (76) and kickoff return yards in a season (994 in 2002).

Davis added 61 yards on three returns against Texas A&M and is now just 52 yards from becoming the first Nebraska and Big 12 player to reach 2,000 career kickoff return yards. He is averaging 27.9 yards per return this season to rank ninth nationally and third in the Big 12 in that category.

Davis should be sleeping well on Saturday nights. In addition to his kickoff return duties, the 5-11, 200-pound Davis has taken over Nebraska’s top punt return duties. Davis has returned 21 punts for 195 yards, an average of 9.3 yards per return.

Davis is also at the top of the depth chart at I-back and is a key part of a Husker rushing attack that ranks fourth nationally in rushing offense. Davis is averaging 69.1 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. Against Penn State, Davis was a workhorse, setting career highs for carries (32) and rushing yards (179), including a career-long 42-yard run in the second quarter. His tough running style has allowed him to be thrown for only 24 yards in losses in 106 carries this season. Davis has also caught four passes out of the backfield.

The running style of Davis reminds many of his father, Tony, who played at Nebraska from 1973 to 1975 and earned the nickname "Tough Tony." Josh’s 179-yard effort against Penn State was the first 100-yard day of his career and made the Davis family the first to have a father-son combination both record 100-yard rushing games at Nebraska. Tony had seven 100-yard games in his Nebraska career.

Josh Davis’ multi-purpose role with the Huskers has put him among the nation’s leaders in all-purpose running. Davis averages 139.9 all-purpose yards per game, good for 21st nationally. Davis had 237 all-purpose yards in the win over Penn State.

Versatile Lord Continuing Move in NU Record Books
Nebraska senior quarterback Jammal Lord made a large dent in the Husker record book a year ago and continues to do so in 2003. The Bayonne, N.J., native set NU game and season records for total offense and rushing yards by a quarterback in 2002. Lord finished the season with 1,412 rushing yards, the third-most ever by a Division I-A quarterback and amassed 2,774 yards of total offense. In the process, he also became one of only 19 Division I-A players to both rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards in the same season. He was the third Husker signal caller in six seasons to reach that plateau, joining Scott Frost (1997) and Eric Crouch (2001).

In addition, Lord was Nebraska’s most consistent big-play threat a year ago. He had a hand in a remarkable 41 plays of 20 yards or more in 2002, including 21 runs and 20 passes. Despite his gaudy numbers last season, the 6-2, 220-pound Lord worked hard in the off-season to become a more efficient quarterback in 2003, most notably through the air. Last season Lord completed just under 47 percent of his passes and threw for 12 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

The off-season work has produced results for Lord, who has completed 55.3 percent of his passes this season. He has thrown for three touchdowns and been picked off four times. His passing percentage improvement of nearly nine points is the most drastic among recent NU quarterbacks in their second year.

Nebraska dominated on the ground against Texas A&M, but in the three previous weeks, Lord was productive through the air.

• At Southern Miss he hit on 6-of-14 passes for 124 yards, including scoring strikes of 44 and 43 yards to Ross Pilkington and Isaiah Fluellen, respectively.
• In Nebraska’s 30-0 win over Troy State, Lord connected on seven of his 12 attempts, including a season-long 77-yard pass to tight end Matt Herian.
• Lord threw for a season-high 146 yards at Missouri by completing 12-of-18 passes in the game, including a 55-yard touchdown pass to Mark LeFlore. His 146 yards passing at Missouri were just five yards short of his career-best 151 yards last season against McNeese State and tied the most accurate passing effort of Lord’s career (also 12-of-18 vs. McNeese State, 2002).

Lord continues to be NU’s leading rusher, despite being keyed on by opposing defenses. Lord has rushed for 560 yards on 124 carries and scored eight touchdowns this season, tying his rushing TD total of 2002. Lord posted his second consecutive 100-yard rushing day with 109 yards and two scores on 15 carries against Texas A&M on Saturday, marking his third 100-yard game of the season and eighth of his career. Lord rushed for a season-high 111 yards on 19 carries at Missouri and had 100 yards in NU’s win over Penn State. Only 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch (17) has more career 100-yard rushing games than Lord from the quarterback position.

Lord passed two milestones in his 257-yard total offense performance at Missouri. He became the ninth Husker to pass 4,000 yards of career total offense early in the first quarter and later in the game became the 22nd Husker and third NU quarterback to reach 2,000 career rushing yards. Lord now has 4,378 yards of total offense to rank eighth in Nebraska history, 256 yards behind his position coach Turner Gill who is seventh at 4,634 yards. Lord is within striking distance of second place on the career list, held by Tommie Frazier at 5,476 career yards. Lord has 2,185 career rushing yards, 20th on the NU career list and second among quarterbacks. Lord recently became Nebraska’s 12th career 2,000-yard passer and now ranks 11th on that list with 2,193 yards.

Recent Nebraska history indicates that Lord could continue to make significant improvement this fall. Husker quarterbacks in their second seasons as starters have enjoyed much greater success in year two at the helm versus their first season as a starter. Most recently, Crouch improved his completion percentage from 48.5 percent as a freshman to 51.9 percent as a sophomore. Crouch also improved his average yards per total offense attempt by nearly a yard. The graphic below examines several Nebraska quarterbacks’ statistics in their first seasons as starters versus their second years.
NU Strives for Offensive Efficiency

Nebraska entered the season with a desire to become a more balanced, efficient offense. Through seven games, Nebraska has primarily relied on its punishing running game to control the clock and keep opponents off the field. As a result, the Huskers have run the ball on 415 of 512 offensive snaps, allowing NU to control the ball for an average of nearly 34 minutes per game.

Solich and offensive coordinator Barney Cotton have regularly talked about increasing the Huskers’ completion rate into the 55 to 60 percent area and through seven games results are good, with NU connecting on 55.7 percent of its pass attemtps. Despite the run-oriented attack early in the season, this year’s Husker offense still has the potential to be one of Nebraska’s more balanced units in recent years and that has shown in recent weeks with NU topping 100 yards through the air in three of the past four games.

Last season Nebraska generated 72 percent of its offense on the ground, and in the first five seasons under Solich the Huskers have accounted for just over 70 percent of their offense via the run. This season, Nebraska has gained 70.5 percent of its yards on the ground. By comparison, Tom Osborne’s last five Husker teams (1993-97) picked up 71.5 percent of their offense via the run.

Solich’s most balanced offensive attack came in his first season in 1998, when NU gained 65.9 percent of its offense on the ground (34.1 percent passing). In fact, that season marks Nebraska’s most pass-oriented offense in the past 26 years. Nebraska has not picked up more than 35 percent of its offensive yardage via the pass since the 1976 season. In that campaign, Vince Ferragamo guided an NU passing attack that led the Big Eight Conference at 188.0 yards per game and accounted for 46.1 percent of Nebraska’s offense. Each of Osborne’s first four NU teams (1973-76) picked up at least 37 percent of their offense by passing.

Horne is Nebraska’s "Mr. October"
Nebraska sophomore I-back David Horne has waited until the month of October to hit full stride in each of the past two seasons. A year ago, Nebraska was looking for a needed spark in its running game and turned to the true freshman before the Oct. 5 game against McNeese State. Horne responded with 81 yards in his career debut and seems to have taken a liking to the month ever since.

• Horne has rushed for at least 80 yards in six of the seven games he has played in the month of October in the past two seasons, with the lone exception against Troy State three weeks ago.
• Three of Horne’s four career 100-yard games have come in October, including 125 yards at Oklahoma State last season, a career-high 128 yards in last year’s win at Texas A&M and a season-high 119 yards on 26 carries on Oct. 11 at Missouri.
• Horne has scored eight of his 11 career touchdowns in the month of October, including four last year against Texas A&M and one in each of the last two games.
• Horne has carried the ball 20 times or more four times in his career, all in October, including a career-high 26 carries Oct. 11 at Missouri.

Youthful Receiving Corps Starting to Make Large Impact
Nebraska graduated all three starters and eight lettermen at its three receiving positions from the 2002 team. Heading into the season, Nebraska coaches knew the receiving corps would be extremely youthful and relatively untested, but also knew that the group possessed a great deal of talent and athleticism. That ability has started to show in recent weeks as NU’s passing attack has opened up.

Among Nebraska’s two-deep at the two receiver positions and tight end, four of the six players are either sophomores or redshirt freshmen, including....

• Sophomore tight end Matt Herian who averaged a remarkable 43.0 yards on seven receptions last season, including four touchdowns. Herian has shown the same big-play ability this season, averaging 19.8 yards on 14 receptions, including a 77-yard catch from Jammal Lord against Troy State. He also caught his first TD pass of the season against the Trojans, a 21-yard reception from freshman Joe Dailey. Herian finished the Troy State game with three receptions for 110 yards, the first NU 100-yard receiving game since Wilson Thomas at Colorado in 2001. It also marked the most receiving yards by an NU tight end since Tracey Wistrom had four catches for 116 yards against Oklahoma State in 1999. Herian and Lord have connected for nine pass plays of 28 yards or longer in the past two seasons, including three this year. Herian did not have a reception against Texas A&M, ending a streak of nine straight games with at least one reception.
• Sophomore receiver Ross Pilkington spent two seasons playing minor league baseball before joining the Nebraska program and plays with the poise of a veteran. Also a physical downfield blocker, Pilkington is tied with Herian for the team lead in receptions with 14 for 210 yards, an average of 15 yards per reception. Pilkington caught a 44-yard TD pass from Lord at Southern Miss. His streak of at least one catch in seven straight games ended against Texas A&M.
• Sophomore wideout Mark LeFlore is Nebraska’s co-No. 1 "Z" receiver and ranks third on the team with 12 catches for 117 yards. He had a breakout game at Missouri two weeks ago, with a career-high six receptions for 76 yards, including his first career touchdown catch, a 55-yarder in the first quarter. LeFlore scored a rushing touchdown on a reverse as a true freshman last season.
• Redshirt freshman Isaiah Fluellen is among the fastest players on the Husker roster and has emerged as a big-play threat in recent weeks. Fluellen has touchdowns on two of his three career catches. He hauled in a 43-yard TD reception on the first catch of his Husker career at Southern Miss and caught a 29-yard scoring strike from Joe Dailey against Texas A&M. Fluellen has three carries on reverse plays this season.

Dyches Heads Newcomers Making Impact for 2003 Huskers
Last season a group of newcomers made a strong impact on the Nebraska football program. Five true freshmen saw action for Coach Frank Solich last fall and all made their presence known. In fact, three of the five scored touchdowns the first time they touched the ball as a Husker. Cornerback Fabian Washington set NU freshman records for pass breakups and interceptions, I-back David Horne finished third on the team in rushing, while split end Ross Pilkington and tight end Matt Herian tied for the Husker rookie receiving yardage record.

Another talented group of newcomers could have a similar impact for Nebraska this fall. Place-kicker David Dyches has been Nebraska’s headline newcomer so far in 2003. Dyches has connected on 11-of-15 field goal attempts this year, including four each against Utah State and Penn State. The Spring, Texas, native ranks 12th nationally in field goals per game (1.8 pg). Dyches is just the third Husker place-kicker (five times) and first freshman to connect on four or more field goals in a game. Dyches’ 11 field goals are just three shy of the Nebraska freshman field goals record of 14, set by Josh Brown in 1999.

Five other true freshman have already seen action this season, including wide receiver Andy Birkel, defensive tackle Brandon Teamer, long snapper Lane Kelly, quarterback Joe Dailey and offensive guard Greg Austin. Dailey has been impressive as Nebraska’s No. 2 quarterback, connecting on 7-of-10 passes for101 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 73 yards. Austin made his NU debut against Troy State, becoming the first true freshman offensive lineman to play for Nebraska since 1999, when Toniu Fonoti saw action as true freshmen.

Personnel, Injury Update
Strong safety Philip Bland missed his third straight game with a foot injury against Texas A&M, but nose tackle Ryon Bingham returned after missing the two previous contests. Senior fullback DeAntae Grixby missed the first five games after suffering an ankle injury during fall camp, but has returned to action the past two weeks.

Nebraska has suffered a pair of season-ending injuries this fall. Senior place-kicker Dale Endorf suffered a severe knee injury in the season opener and is out for the season. Junior linebacker Lannie Hopkins missed much of fall camp while recovering from off-season surgery, played on special teams in the season opener, but returned to to the sidelines before recently undergoing season-ending abdominal surgery. Sixth-year senior defensive lineman Jason Lohr did not play in Nebraska’s first three games, but saw his first action in two seasons at Southern Miss and also played against Troy State and shared a tackle for loss.

Nine Players Competing in 2003 With Degree in Hand
Nine members of the Huskers’ senior class had already completed their undergraduate educations heading into the 2003 season. This season represents the most graduates Nebraska has had entering a season under Head Coach Frank Solich. Included in that group is senior nose tackle Patrick Kabongo, who played his junior season with his degree after graduating in three years in August of 2002. In addition to the nine players who already have their degrees, 11 more players are on track to earn their degrees after the fall semester. Last season, five Huskers played the season with their degree and a total of 16 players had earned their degrees before the Huskers’ appearance in the Independence Bowl.

Nebraska Tops Elite Programs in Consistency
Nebraska ranks third among Division I-A schools in all-time football victories with 777 wins. The Huskers have the nation’s best record since 1962, posting a 411-86-5 record in the last 42 seasons. In that period, Nebraska has easily been the most consistent program in the nation. That is evident when comparing the Huskers’ record to the other nine programs among the top 10 in all-time victories.

The Huskers have had just three seasons (including 2002) since 1962 with eight or fewer victories. Eight of the other nine schools in the top 10 have had at least 15 seasons with eight or fewer wins in that span. Nebraska’s last losing season occurred in 1961. Michigan has not had a losing record since 1967, but the other eight schools on the all-time top 10 wins list have all had losing seasons since 1988, including six programs with losing campaigns in the past seven seasons.

Nebraska is back in the national rankings after opening the season with a 6-1 record and hopes to contend for Big 12 and national honors in 2003. The Huskers need look no further than the top 10 winningest programs for direction. Although each has experienced a downturn of some degree, the group had a strong season in 2002. Eight of the 10 teams won at least nine games and ranked in the top 16 in the final Associated Press poll. This season seven of those teams find themselves ranked in the most recent Associated Press poll.

Against AP Ranked Teams
With its season-opening victory over 24th-ranked Oklahoma State, Nebraska improved to 90-96-3 (.484, 189 games) all time vs. AP ranked opponents, not a bad percentage considering NU started with a 7-35 mark before Coach Bob Devaney arrived in 1962. Over the last 10 seasons, the Huskers have gone 29-14 against ranked foes, with just two of the losses at home. Nebraska has won 14 of its last 19 games against top 10 AP teams (since 1994).

The Huskers were 0-4 last season against AP ranked opponents, and ended a six-game overall losing skid against ranked foes with the victory over Oklahoma State. Nebraska’s previous victory over a ranked opponent was a 20-10 defeat of No. 2 Oklahoma on Oct. 27, 2001.

Over the last 31 years, NU is 72-49-1 (.594, 122 games) vs. ranked teams. In the 1990s, NU was 27-10-1 (counting the Jan. 2, 2000, win over Tennessee). Solich is 11-12 vs. ranked teams (4-5 vs. top 10 AP teams), and has lost just twice at home to a ranked AP team (7-2 home, 1-8 away, 3-2 neutral).

Former Huskers a Fixture on NFL Rosters
Nebraska is consistently among the nation’s leaders in supplying talent to the National Football League and this season is no different. The Huskers had a total of 42 former players on NFL rosters at the start of training camp and 32 players are currently on NFL rosters. In all, 19 teams had at least one former Husker on their opening day rosters, with Kansas City, Houston, St. Louis and Oakland each having three former Huskers on their opening rosters.

All four Huskers selected in the 2003 NFL Draft made opening day rosters, including Chris Kelsay (2nd round, Buffalo), DeJuan Groce (4th, St. Louis), Josh Brown (7th, Seattle) and Scott Shanle (7th, St. Louis). Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro offensive guard Will Shields and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle John Parrella are NU’s most experienced NFL veterans, each in their 11th season in the league.