Huskers Tackle KSU on Senior Day

Nebraska (5-4, 2-4)
vs.
Kansas St. (4-5, 1-5)

Saturday, Nov. 12, 1 p.m. 
Lincoln, Neb.
Memorial Stadium
Tom Osborne Field
FieldTurf (2005)
Capacity: 73,918 (275th Consecutive Sellout)
Nebraska Radio: 55-Station Pinnacle Sports Network
Jim Rose?Play-by-Play; Adrian Fiala?Analyst; Randy Lee?Booth; Matt Davison?Sideline
Internet: Live Radio on Huskers.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius, Channel 127
Special Events: Senior Day; Military Salute at Memorial Stadium

Huskers, Kansas State Look to Get Back on Winning Track
Nebraska closes out its home schedule on Saturday afternoon, taking on Big 12 North Division rival Kansas State in the 275th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. The matchup between the Huskers and Kansas State will not be televised and is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

The two teams enter Saturday’s game looking to end losing streaks. Nebraska has dropped its last three games to slip to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play. Like Nebraska, Kansas State completed its non-conference slate undefeated, but has struggled in Big 12 play with a 1-5 record, including losses in each of its past four games.

A victory on Saturday will be key in Nebraska and Kansas State’s hopes of returning to the postseason in 2005. The Huskers need one more win for the necessary six wins to become bowl eligible, while Kansas State needs to win both of its last two games to reach a bowl game this season.

The Huskers will be looking to get back in the win column against the Wildcats. Kansas State has been victorious in each of the past three meetings between the two schools, including a 45-21 victory in Manhattan last season. K-State’s win in Lincoln two years ago marked the Wildcats’ first success in Lincoln since 1968.

Before kickoff on Saturday, Nebraska will honor its senior class, as 22 players will go through Senior Day ceremonies at Memorial Stadium.

Scouting the Kansas State Wildcats
The Kansas State Wildcats enter Saturday’s contest looking to erase a recent tailspin that has left them with a 4-5 overall record after four straight losses. The Wildcats are 1-5 in Big 12 Conference play and sit in last place in the North Division with just two regular-season games remaining. KSU will need to win both games down the stretch to have a shot at advancing to its 12th bowl game in the past 13 years.

After sprinting to a 3-0 start in non-conference play, KSU has shown its inexperience in league action as it averages just 19.7 points per game while producing only 274.2 total offense yards. The Wildcats have been outgained by an average of 130 yards per game against Big 12 teams and have gotten off to a slow start as they have allowed 50 points in the first quarter while scoring just six. To the Wildcats’ credit, they have closed the final margin to within three points in two of their last four losses.

Offensively, the ?Cats have been led by redshirt freshman quarterback Allan Evridge, who has passed for 1,166 yards in league action while tossing six touchdowns against five interceptions. Evridge has already set the Kansas State freshman passing record and looks to move up the single-season chart where he ranks 15th. He has proven a dual threat as he has gained 210 yards on 62 carries but has netted just 33 yards after sacks.

Evridge has found a consistent target in wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who leads the squad with 37 catches for 552 yards. Nelson has found the end zone eight times to lead the Wildcats, including seven times on receptions and once on a recovered fumble on a punt return.

Defensive back Marcus Watts leads the K-State defense as he has posted 63 tackles including 50 solos. Watts is one of four ?Cats with five pass breakups in 2005 and one of four with two forced fumbles. Linebacker Brandon Archer is second on the squad with 57 tackles and has shown the ability to apply pressure on the opponent. Archer leads KSU with 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. Senior linebacker Ted Sims leads the Big 12 with three fumble recoveries this year and over the past two seasons has also added three interceptions, including returning two for touchdowns.

Kansas State has also struggled on special teams. KSU ranks 98th nationally in net punting as punter Tim Reyer has averaged 40.4 yards per kick. The ?Cats average just 10.8 yards per punt return although Jermaine Moreira has shown the ability to break a long return as he has a touchdown return this season. Moreira has averaged a solid 22.7 yards per kickoff return although Yamon Figurs has been more lethal as he has brought back six kickoffs for 35.8 yards per return including a 98-yard touchdown.

Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder
Coach Bill Snyder (William Jewel, 1962) has guided the Wildcats to an amazing turnaround over the past 17 years. Snyder owns a 135-67-1 record since taking over the program in 1989, including a 74-52-1 record in conference play. The 135 wins are more than triple the next closest coach on the KSU all-time coaching wins list (Mike Ahearn, 39 wins). Snyder was the 14th fastest coach in the history of the game to reach 100 career wins.

Snyder has been named national coach of the year three times (1991, 1994 and 1998) and was tabbed the conference coach of the year on five occasions. He entered the 2005 season ranked seventh in career winning percentage and 12th in career victories among active coaches, and in the last 11 seasons has guided KSU to an 89-35 record to rank fifth in the nation.

Under Snyder’s guidance, the Wildcats have reached a bowl game in 11 of the past 12 seasons and won at least 11 games six times between 1997 and 2003. KSU has ended the year in the national ranking 11 times in the past 13 seasons.

Nebraska-Kansas Series...90th All-Time Meeting...Nebraska Leads 72-15-2
Nebraska and Kansas State continue a series that reaches its 90th contest Saturday when the teams face off in Lincoln. The Huskers and Wildcats have met every year since 1923, making this the 84th consecutive year the teams have seen each other on the gridiron.

The Huskers have dominated the series as they own a 72-15-2 advantage. Nebraska leads 39-8 in Lincoln and 33-8 in Memorial Stadium, although the Wildcats won the last contest in Lincoln, 38-9, in 2003 to snap a 17-game home win streak for the Huskers vs. Kansas State.

Husker Winning Streak vs. Kansas Comes to an End
After battling back from a 17-2 second-quarter deficit to cut the lead to 17-15 early in the third quarter, Nebraska saw Kansas score the game’s final 23 points in a 40-15 loss in Lawrence. The loss to Kansas ended Nebraska’s 36-game series winning streak over the Jayhawks and dropped the Huskers to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 action.

Playing in front of a KU Memorial Stadium record crowd of 51,750, Kansas wasted little time in jumping out to an early lead. On KU’s first offensive series, quarterback Jason Swanson hit Mark Simmons on a 40-yard touchdown pass with 10:45 left in the opening quarter to give KU a quick 7-0 lead.

Nebraska’s special teams responded with its first big play of the game, as freshman Marlon Lucky scampered 57 yards on the ensuing kickoff return to give the Huskers excellent field position at the KU 40. Nebraska was forced to punt, but Sam Koch pinned KU at its own 3. Two plays later, linebacker Corey McKeon put Nebraska on the board with a sack of Swanson in the end zone, cutting the lead to 7-2.

The Jayhawks extended their lead with a big special teams play, as Ronnie Amadi blocked a Koch punt that was recovered by Darren Rus who returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to give KU a 14-2 lead at the close of the first quarter. Lucky got loose again on the ensuing kickoff returning it 100 yards for an apparent touchdown, but the return was called back by an illegal block away from the return at the NU 20.

Kansas extended its lead to 17-2 on a 21-yard field goal with 4:46 left in the half, before Nebraska began to get back into the game. On the next drive, the Husker offense showed a spark by zipping 66 yards in just six plays capped by Zac Taylor’s 30-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Terrence Nunn to trim the KU lead to 17-9 at halftime. The touchdown reception was Nunn’s fifth of the season.

Nebraska maintained momentum early in the third quarter with a big defensive play, as senior Adam Ickes forced a fumble after a reception by Simmons that was recovered by defensive end Adam Carriker to start Nebraska’s drive at the KU 16. Senior I-back Cory Ross cashed in for the Huskers with his one-yard touchdown run to cut KU’s lead to 17-15 with 6:19 left in the third quarter. Nebraska’s two-point conversion attempt to tie the score failed.

Kansas quickly responded on its next drive, regaining the momentum in the game. Running back Jon Cornish erupted for a 72-yard touchdown run to give the Jayhawks a 24-15 cushion heading into the fourth quarter. Early in the final quarter, a KU punt pinned Nebraska deep in its own territory and Taylor was sacked in the end zone for a safety, pushing KU’s lead to 26-15. Kansas extended its lead to 33-15 with 8:33 to play, then capped the scoring with a defensive touchdown for the final margin.

On the game, Kansas outgained the Huskers 428-138, and NU managed just seven first downs, while being held to 21 rushing yards and 117 yards passing. Taylor finished the day completing 14-of-26 passes with one touchdown and one interception. Ross led the Huskers on the ground with 30 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, as the Huskers managed just 49 offensive snaps.

Koch provided a highlight for the Huskers by punting nine times with a 47.6 yard per punt average, including four punts of more than 50 yards with a long of 65. He also pinned KU inside its own 20 on four occasions. Defensive tackle Titus Adams led the Blackshirts with a career-high 11 tackles, including nine solos with one tackle for loss, while McKeon contributed nine total stops, including two TFLs, one sack and an interception.

Noting Game Nine..Kansas 40, Nebraska 15

• Nebraska’s loss to Kansas ended the Huskers’ 36-game win streak against the Jayhawks, dating back to a loss in the 1968 game. The 36-game win streak was Nebraska’s longest ever against an opponent and was the second-longest win streak versus an opponent in Division I-A, trailing only Notre Dame’s 41 straight victories over Navy.
• Corey McKeon’s sack of Jason Swanson for a safety in the first quarter marked the first safety by the Huskers since recording a safety against Kansas State in 2003.
• McKeon’s sack was his seventh of the season, marking the second-highest total ever by a Nebraska linebacker, trailing only Demorrio Willliams’ 11 sacks in 2003. McKeon now has 17 tackles for loss this season, the third-most ever by a Nebraska linebacker and four TFL behind Williams’ position record 21 TFL in 2003.
• McKeon picked off a Jayhawk pass in the second quarter, ending a KU scoring threat. The sophomore returned the interception 19 yards. McKeon’s interception was his second of the season, marking the first Husker with two interceptions this season.
• Kansas blocked a Nebraska punt for a touchdown in the first quarter, marking the first blocked punt for a touchdown by an opponent since Kansas State blocked a punt for a touchdown in the Huskers’ loss in Manhattan in 2002.
• Kansas’ fourth-quarter safety against the Huskers marked the first safety Nebraska had allowed since giving up a safety to the Jayhawks in last season’s 14-8 win in Lincoln.
• Husker freshman Marlon Lucky had a Nebraska season-long 57-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. Lucky had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter negated by a penalty.
• Nebraska senior safety Daniel Bullocks had eight tackles in the game, pushing his career tackle total to 206. Bullocks is just the third Husker defensive back to top 200 career tackles, joining Mike Brown (287) and Tyrone Byrd (209).
• Nebraska junior quarterback Zac Taylor completed 14-of-26 passes for 117 yards, pushing his season passing total to 1,874 yards, the fifth-highest single-season total in Nebraska school history.
• Nebraska sophomore wide receiver Terrence Nunn caught a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter, marking his team-leading fifth touchdown reception of the season. Nunn’s five touchdown catches have all occurred in the past five games, and the five touchdown receptions are the most by a Nebraska player since Tracey Wistrom also caught five touchdown passes in 2000. The last time a Nebraska player had more than five touchdowns was in 1992, when tight end Gerald Armstrong had seven touchdown catches in his eight receptions on the year.
• Ray Guy Award semifinalist Sam Koch punted nine times for a 47.6-yard average against Kansas. Koch had four punts downed inside the Jayhawk 20-yard line, including a first-quarter punt that pinned KU at its 3. Nebraska’s defense recorded a safety two plays later. Koch also had a 65-yard punt.