Huskers Look to Rebound Against Ball State

Nebraska will complete the non-conference portion of its 2007 schedule this Saturday when the Huskers play host to the Ball State Cardinals in the 285th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11:37 a.m. and the contest will be carried on a pay-per-view basis by FSN.

 

The Huskers enter the matchup with a 2-1 record, following a 49-31 loss to top-ranked USC last Saturday evening in Lincoln. Nebraska forged ahead 10-7 in the second quarter, but a powerful Trojan rushing attack proved to be too much to handle. The loss dropped Nebraska in this week’s national polls and the Huskers will enter Saturday’s game ranked 24th in the Associated Press poll and 22nd in the USA Today Coaches poll.

 

Nebraska’s matchup with BallState is the first meeting between the schools and marks just the fourth game in school history against a current Mid-American Conference school, and the first since 1997. The Huskers posted a victory over Akron in 1997 and own victories over Northern Illinois in 1989 and 1990. A victory on Saturday would also allow Nebraska to finish non-conference play with one loss or less for the 26th consecutive season.

 

Ball State will come to Lincoln with a 2-1 record. The Cardinals dropped a one-point decision to Miami (Ohio) in their season opener, but have bounced back with two consecutive victories, including a 34-31 overtime victory at Navy on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals feature a high-powered offense, averaging nearly 450 yards per game.

 

A number of former Husker greats will also be on hand in Lincoln this weekend as part of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame festivities. The newest members of the hall will be officially inducted at a Friday dinner and honored during pre-game ceremonies on Saturday.

 

 

Top-Ranked Trojans Hand Nebraska First Loss of 2007 Season

Nebraska took an early lead over top-ranked USC on Saturday night, but the Trojans’ running game took control from there as USC left Lincoln with a 49-31 victory. The loss dropped Nebraska to 2-1 on the young season and marked just the third loss in 27 home night games for Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.

 

Nebraska fed off the energy of a revved up crowd of 84,959 to take a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. After USC broke ahead 7-0, Nebraska controlled the next 15 minutes of the game.  The Huskers’ punt unit buried the Trojans at their own 4 and after the Blackshirts forced a three-and-out, Nebraska marched 52 yards in 10 plays to tie the game. Cody Glenn plunged in from one yard out with 1:03 left in the first quarter. The Huskers maintained control of the football and the momentum with their first drive of the second quarter, marching 56 yards on 10 plays capped by Alex Henery’s 37-yard field goal to give NU its first lead at 10-7 with 9:04 left in the half.

 

After Nebraska took the lead, USC quickly responded. Following a long kickoff return, the Trojans pounded the ball on five straight rushing plays covering 45 yards capped by Stanley Havili’s two-yard touchdown run with 6:50 remaining in the half. USC then held the Huskers on three plays for the first time, and the Trojans marched 73 yards on nine plays capped by Stafon Johnson’s seven-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left before half to put USC up 21-10.

 

After putting up the last 14 points of the first, the Trojan defense kept the momentum early in the second half, forcing a tipped pass that resulted in an interception on NU’s opening drive to start USC at the Husker 33. Five plays later, John David Booty hit Anthony McCoy on a two-yard touchdown pass to put the Trojans up 28-10 with 11:29 remaining in the third.

 

After another USC interception return to the NU 1, USC scored to take a 35-10 advantage, then pushed the lead to 42-10 late in the third. Nebraska continued to battle in the final frame, putting three touchdowns on the board, while the Trojans added a another score to account for the final margin.

 

NU quarterback Sam Keller finished the night with the fourth-highest passing total in school history with 389 yards on 36 completions and 54 attempts. Keller’s 36 completions tied the school record.

 

USC finished the night with 313 rushing yards on 38 carries for 8.2 yards per carry, the highest per carry rushing average by an NU opponent in school history. USC added 144 yards on 19-of-30 passing to finish with 457 yards of total offense. The Huskers closed the night with 420 yards of total offense on 82 attempts, running 14 more plays than the Trojans.

 

 

Noting Game Three...USC 49, Nebraska 31

►The loss dropped Nebraska to 1-10 all-time against AP top-ranked teams, including 1-4 at Memorial Stadium.

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►USC became just the eighth different school to win in Lincoln since 1986, and just the second non-conference opponent to do so since 1991.

 

►Nebraska dropped to 33-20-3 all-time against Pac-10 opponents, including 0-3-1 against USC.

 

►USC’s 313 rushing yards were the most against Nebraska since Texas ran for 353 yards in a 2003 win over the Huskers in Austin. It marked the first time Nebraska had given up 200 rushing yards in consecutive games since 2005 when the Huskers allowed Kansas (213) and KansasState (248) to top 200 yards in back-to-back weeks.

 

►Senior quarterback Sam Keller completed 36-of-54 passes for 389 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Keller’s 389 yards were the fourth-most in school history, his 36 completions tied the school record and his 54 attempts were one off the school record.

 

►Keller has attempted more than 40 passes each of the past two weeks marking just the second time in school history Nebraska has attempted 40 or more passes in back-to-back weeks. Nebraska also passed more than 40 times in two straight games against Missouri and Oklahoma in 2005.

 

►Senior wide receiver Maurice Purify caught seven passes for 80 yards in the game. Purify’s seven receptions were a career high, bettering his six catches at OklahomaState last season.

 

►Wide receiver Terrence Nunn caught four passes for 57 yards continuing his push in the Husker record books. Nunn has caught a pass in 30 straight games, eight from Johnny Rodgers’ school record. Nunn has 113 career receptions, 30 shy of Rodgers NU record. He also moved into second on the career receiving yardage list against USC and now has 1,486 yards in his four-year career.

 

►Junior I-back Cody Glenn had two rushing touchdowns in the game. He now has 14 career rushing touchdowns.

 

►The four receptions by Glenn were his first career receptions.

 

►I-back Marlon Lucky caught six passes for 41 yards, matching his career receptions high. Lucky has caught three or more passes in seven of the past nine games.

 

►Nebraska freshman place-kicker Alex Henery improved to 3-of-3 on field goal attempts, connecting on a season-long 37-yarder in the second quarter to give the Huskers a 10-7 edge.

 

 

Scouting the BallState Cardinals

Ball State is off to its best start since the 1995 season and brings its 2-1 team to Lincoln for its first-ever match-up with the Huskers this Saturday. Fresh off a 34-31 overtime victory at Navy last weekend, the Cardinals come to No. 24 Nebraska aiming to defeat their first Big 12 opponent in school history.

 

Under fifth-year head coach Brady Hoke, BallState is hoping its strong start will lead the Cardinals to their first winning season and bowl game since 1996. Their playmaker under center - sophomore quarterback Nate Davis - should give BallState that chance after producing impressive numbers during his freshman season in 2006 when he started seven games and threw for 1,975 yards, the fourth-best single-season performance in school history. Additionally, he set the BallState school record for touchdown passes in one season with 18 while splitting quarterback time with then-senior Joey Lynch, who started the remaining five games during the Cardinals’ 5-7 season.

 

Through three games in 2007, Davis has continued his success by completing 53.3 percent of his passes for 781 yards and eight touchdowns. In BallState’s 38-16 win at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 8, Davis had a career-high 306 yards passing and four touchdowns. It was the second four-touchdown performance for the Bellaire, Ohio native, as he also had four at Northern Illinois on Sept. 30, 2006. Dating back to last season’s 20-17 win at Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 28, Davis has thrown for at least one score in seven straight games, including an impressive performance at then-No. 2 Michigan the following week when he was 18-for-34 for 250 yards and one touchdown in the 34-26 loss.

 

Junior receivers Darius Hill and Dante Love have been on the receiving end of Davis’ accomplishments as each had more than 700 yards receiving in 2006. Love has already collected 285 yards on 21 catches this season to rank 23rd nationally in each category. He’s also hauled in four touchdowns, while Hill has contributed a pair of scores on 14 catches for 208 yards to help the Cardinals rank first in the MAC in total offense with 455.33 yards per game.

 

Ball State also holds a key in junior punter Chris Miller, a 2007 Preseason All-American. Miller currently ranks fifth in the nation punting average at 46.8 yards per punt. He has placed five punts inside the 20-yard line this season to continue a stellar career after ranking second nationally at 46.3 yards per punt in 2006.

 

Seniors Bryant Haines and Cortlan Booker head a Cardinal defense that leads the MAC in scoring (20.3 yards ppg) and pass defense (112.3 yards per game). Haines leads all BSU defenders with 33 total tackles, including 17 solo stops at the linebacker position. At defensive end, Booker has had four tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a pair of sacks in 2007.

 

 

Ball State Head Coach Brady Hoke

A four-year letterwinner for the Cardinal football team from 1977-80, Ball State’s Brady Hoke is in his fifth year at the helm of his alma mater after being named head coach on Dec. 18, 2002.

 

Hoke is currently 17-29 at Ball State and attempting to rebuild a program that was 17-39 in the previous five seasons before his arrival. During that time, Hoke was an assistant coach for the University of Michigan, where he was a part of eight straight bowl appearances by the Wolverines, coaching the defensive ends (1995-96) and defensive line (1997-2002). In his final season under Lloyd Carr, Hoke was named an associate head coach before taking the head coaching position at BallState. In his first season with the Cardinals, BallState’s offense threw for a school record 2,730 yards, breaking the 20-year old school record of 2,490 set in 1983.

 

As a player for the Cardinals, Hoke was a member of the 1978 Cardinal MAC championship team that went 10-1 overall and 8-0 in conference play. He was named a team captain as a senior for the 1980 squad and earned All-MAC Second Team honors after collecting seven tackles for loss and two sacks.

 

 

Nebraska-Ball State Series History

Nebraska and BallState have never met on the football field. The last Mid-American Conference opponent the Huskers faced was Akron in the 1997 season opener when NU defeated the Zips, 57-14. The Huskers are 3-0 all time against MAC opponents, also defeating Northern Illinois in 1989 and 1990.

 

 

Nebraska-Ball State Notes

►After this Saturday's game with the Huskers, BallState will have faced every Big 12 North school except Colorado in the past 11 years. The Cardinals are 0-6 against Big 12 opponents since 1996, losing to each Kansas (1996), IowaState (1998) and KansasState (2000) one time, while dropping three contests to Missouri (2002, 2003, 2004). Every match-up except the 2003 Missouri game was a road contest for the Cardinals.

 

►Dating back to the 2005 season, BallState has won seven of its past 10 road games. In 2007, the Cardinals are 2-0 away from Muncie, Ind. It’s only loss this year came at home to Miami (Ohio), a 14-13 nail-biter.

 

►Head Coach Brady Hoke was an assistant coach at the University of Michigan from 1995-2002, including 1997 when the Wolverines and Huskers split the national title.

 

►Memorial Stadium’s capacity of 81,067 will make Saturday’s game the fourth-largest crowd BallState has played in front of in school history. Currently ahead of that mark is Michigan (109,359; 2006), Florida (85,059; 2000) and Auburn (82,376; 2001). In those contests, BallState is 0-3.

 

►Nebraska does not have any Indiana natives on the 2007 roster. BallState’s roster does not include any Nebraska natives.

 

►Following Saturday’s game, BallState will not play another road contest for nearly a month (Oct. 20 at Western Michigan).

 

►Nebraska has not played an opponent from the state of Indiana since Notre Dame in 2001. All time, the Huskers are 15-16-4 against Indiana schools, playing games against Notre Dame and Indiana.

 

 

Huskers to Face Rare Mid-American Conference Foe

Nebraska’s meeting with BallState will be the first between the two schools. In fact, it will mark just the fourth meeting in school history against a current member of the Mid-American Conference. Previously, Nebraska posted victories over Northern Illinois in 1989 and 1990, and a 1997 win over Akron in Lincoln. However, Northern Illinois was an independent at the time it faced the Huskers.

 

►The meeting with BallState is the Huskers’ first against a team from Indiana since playing Notre Dame in 2000 and 2001.

 

►In addition to BallState on this year’s schedule, Nebraska has a Sept. 27, 2008 home date against Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference.

 

 

Huskers Look to Complete Non-League Play in Strong Fashion

Nebraska enters the final game of its non-conference slate with a 2-1 record following its loss to USC. A victory over BallState would allow the Huskers to finish regular-season non-conference play with a winning record for the 26th straight season, dating back to a 2-2 record in 1981.

 

Since posting a 2-2 record against non-league foes in 1981, the Huskers have lost either one (10 times) or zero (15 times) non-conference games. Under Bill Callahan, Nebraska has finished non-conference play with records of 2-1 (2004), 3-0 (2005) and 3-1 (2006). The loss to USC was just the Huskers’ second non-conference home loss since 1991.

 

 

Nebraska in the Midst of Rugged 2007 Schedule

The non-conference schedule is just the start of a difficult 2007 Nebraska schedule. Among Nebraska's 12 regular-season contests, eight will be against teams that participated in a bowl game following last season. That began in the season’s first three weeks with games against Nevada (MPC Computers Bowl), WakeForest (Orange Bowl) and USC (Rose Bowl).

 

In league play, Nebraska will take on five 2006 bowl teams including home games against OklahomaState (Independence), Texas A&M (Holiday) and KansasState (Texas). On the road, Nebraska will face a pair of bowl teams during trips to Missouri (Sun) and Texas (Alamo). The Huskers' home schedule figures to be among the nation's best, and NU faces five 2006 bowl teams in Lincoln, one of just 13 schools to face five or more bowl teams on their home field, including just two Big 12 schools.

 

            Bowl Opponents at Home in 2007

            7?Stanford

            6?LSU, Michigan

            5?Nebraska, Texas, Clemson, Rutgers, PennState, UCLA, Washington, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi

 

 

Newest Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Members to be Honored

All-American Jason Peter, who was a member of three national championship teams for the Huskers between 1994 and 1997, headlines a list of seven former Husker player who will be inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame on Friday night in a reception at the West Stadium. Overall, 10 players will be inducted, including three from the state college ranks.

 

The Nebraska Football Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Nebraska Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The College Football Hall of Fame opened in South Bend, Ind., in 1995.

All 10 members of the induction class will be honored during pregame ceremonies on Tom Osborne Field on Saturday. Also being honored for the first time for their previous induction into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame will be NFL veterans Will Shields and Mike Minter, who both retired prior to the start of the 2007 season.

 

This year’s seven-player class of Huskers includes:

►Lincoln native Eric Anderson, who helped NU to three national titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997.

►Donta Jones who helped Coach Tom Osborne claim his first title in 1994.

►Erik Wiegert who was a captain on NU’s 1991 Big Eight title squad and joins his younger brother Zach (1995) in the Hall of Fame. Peter also joins his older brother Christian (2006) in the Hall.

►Tyrone Legette, Kevin Ramaekers and Pioneer Division selection Adolph Wenke, round out NU’s contingent in the 2007 Hall of Fame class.

 

In addition to the Hall of Fame class, the Nebraska Chapter will present its Clarence Swanson Memorial Award to Joe Silverman of Lincoln and its Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award to former Husker assistant coach George Darlington.

 

 

Memorial Stadium Firepower

Nebraska finished 17th nationally in scoring offense at 30.6 points per game in 2006, thanks primarily to an impressive offensive output at home. NU averaged 50.0 points per game in its first four home games and averaged 41.6 per game at home in 2006. This season, Nebraska is currently 31st in the nation in scoring at 34.3 points per game, including topping 31 points in each of its two home games.

 

Dating back to last season, Nebraska has scored 31 or more points in eight of its last nine home games, and have topped 20 or more points in 13 straight home contests.

 

►Last season Nebraska had a streak of 10 straight quarters at home with 14 or more points, including the final quarter against Louisiana Tech, the Nicholls State and Troy games, and the first quarter against Kansas. NU scored at least one touchdown in 24 of 28 quarters at home last season.

 

►Nebraska scored at least 49 points in three straight home games to open 2006. The last time Nebraska scored 49 or more points in three straight home games was in 1996, when NU defeated Baylor (49-0), Kansas (63-7) and Missouri (51-7). Last season marked only the third time in school history Nebraska has scored 49 or more points in each of its first three home games (1996, 1974).

 

 

Husker Offense Opens 2007 in Impressive Fashion

Nebraska featured one of the nation’s most diverse offensive attacks in 2006, and Nebraska has again shown the potential to have an explosive offensive attack in 2007. A year ago, the Huskers made great improvement on offense and were one of only three teams in the country to rank in the top 25 in all four major offensive statistical categories (Louisville, Oregon).

 

Nebraska opened the 2007 season against Nevada by rolling up its largest rushing total in five years (413 yards), the top rushing total in the country on opening weekend. NU’s 625 total yards were its most since 2001 and the 35 first downs in the game were the most by the Huskers since recording 37 in a 1995 victory over IowaState. Nebraska enters the Ball State game ranked 23rd nationally in total offense at 472.7 yards per game, and currently ranks in the top 40 in all four major offensive statistical categories.

 

The Huskers finished 2006 ranked 14th nationally and third in the Big 12 in total offense at 414.6 yards per game. Those numbers represented a 94.3-yard improvement over the 2005 season, when the Husker offense clicked late in the year. The 2005 Huskers finished the season 96th nationally in total offense at 320.3 yards per game.

 

The Huskers' offensive gain was largely attributed to a much-improved running attack. In 2005, Nebraska finished last in the Big 12 and 110th nationally at 96.0 rushing yards per game. A year ago, Nebraska finished 23rd nationally in rushing offense at 170.5 yards per game, an improvement of 74.5 yards per contest.

 

Nebraska also made strong improvements in scoring offense going from 67th nationally in 2005 to 17th in 2006 at 30.6 points per contest. The Huskers also made a 31-spot jump in passing offense, improving from 54th in 2005 to 23rd in 2006.

 

 

Nebraska Offensive Numbers

   2005 (Rank) 2006 (Rank) Gain 2007Rushing 96.0 ypg (110th) 170.5 ypg (23rd) 74.5 ypg 186.3 ypg (38th)Passing 224.3 ypg (54th) 244.1 ypg (23rd) 19.8 ypg 286.3 ypg (25th)Total 320.3 ypg (96th) 414.6 ypg (14th) 94.3 ypg 472.7 ypg (23rd)Scoring 24.7 ppg (67th) 30.6 ppg (17th) 5.9 ppg 34.3 ppg (31st)

 

Pounding the Rock and Controlling the Clock
The vast improvement in the running game in 2006 allowed Nebraska to lead the nation in total offensive attempts with 965, 83 offensive plays more than the opposition. Nebraska also ranked fifth nationally in time of possession in 2006, controlling the football an average of 32:41 per game. Early in the season, Nebraska has again shown at times the potential to control the clock by effectively running the football.

 

►Nebraska controlled the football for 40:38 against Nevada, including more than 20 minutes in each half. The possession time was the largest by any team in the country in week one, and the most by a Nebraska team since holding the ball for 42:50 in a 1992 win over Colorado. Nebraska held the ball for 11:12 in the first quarter against No. 1 USC. NU ranks seventh nationally in time of possession this week.

 

►The 96 offensive plays by Nebraska against Nevada were its most since running 106 against Pacific in 1995, and the third-most by a Husker team in the past 20 years. Nebraska has snapped the ball 253 times in its first three games, the third-most in the country, trailing Troy (255) and Missouri (254).

 

►Nebraska ran the football 70 times against Nevada, the most since NU rushed the ball 72 times against PennState in 2003. The previous high for number of rushes in Callahan’s four seasons was 51 in a 23-14 win at Baylor in 2005.

 

 

Huskers Lucky to Have Marlon

Nebraska junior I-back Marlon Lucky had a career day in the opener against Nevada, and is the featured back in the Huskers’ 2007 West Coast attack. Lucky toted the ball a career-high 30 times for 233 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He added another 33 yards on three receptions, including a 16-yard TD catch to open the scoring in the first quarter.

 

Lucky’s big day against Nevada earned him National Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He was also named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, the second time in his career he has earned that honor.

 

In the process of running wild through the Wolf Pack defense, Lucky ran his way into the Husker record books.

►His 233 rushing yards shattered his previous career high of 156 yards on 10 carries last season against Troy. The 30 carries were five more than his previous career high of 25 against Auburn in the Cotton Bowl.

 

►Lucky became the 15th Husker player to rush for more than 200 yards in a game (33 games overall). Lucky’s 233 yards marked the 12th-best rushing day in school history, and was just one yard from the single-game top 10.

 

►The last time a Husker topped 200 rushing yards was quarterback Jammal Lord who ran for 234 yards against Texas on Nov. 2, 2002. Lucky’s 233-yard day was the first 200-yard effort by a Nebraska I-back since Dan Alexander rushed for 240 yards in the 2000 Alamo Bowl against Northwestern. The 233 rushing yards were also the most ever by a Husker in a season opener.

 

►Lucky became the 56th Husker to rush for 1,000 career yards against Nevada. He now has 1,213 yards to rank 43rd on the NU career list.

 

►Lucky’s 266 all-purpose yards were the most by a Husker since 1991, when Calvin Jones had a school-record 298 yards against Kansas. The 266 yards tied for the fifth-best total in school history.

 

►His four touchdowns were the most by a Husker since David Horne had four rushing touchdowns at Texas A&M on Oct. 26, 2002.

 

Lucky is a multi-dimensional back for the Huskers. The junior leads the team with 13 receptions, including a career-high six against USC. Lucky has at least three receptions in seven of the past nine games dating back to last season. Entering the BallState game, Lucky ranks 18th nationally in rushing (118.7 ypg), 26th in scoring (10.0 ppg) and 28th in all-purpose running (154.7 ypg)

 

 

Keller at Controls of Husker Offensive Attack

Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan turned the reins of the 2007 offense over to senior Sam Keller. Keller and junior Joe Ganz entered fall camp listed jointly atop the depth chart, but Keller owned a slight edge during the fall to earn the starting nod.

 

Keller is in his second year in the Nebraska program. A year ago, the 6-4, 230-pound Keller sat out as a redshirt after transferring from ArizonaState in August. Keller directed the NU scout team offense and was the Huskers’ Scout Team MVP. Prior to coming to Lincoln, Keller had a standout career at ArizonaState, throwing for 3,018 yards and 26 touchdowns, including more than 2,100 yards in eight games in 2005.

 

Keller is the latest quarterback who will have the opportunity to flourish in Callahan’s West Coast Offense. A year ago, senior Zac Taylor re-wrote the Nebraska record book and was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Of course, Callahan also enjoyed successful quarterback play in the NFL, as Rich Gannon was named the 2002 NFL MVP, while guiding the Raiders to the Super Bowl in Callahan’s first season as head coach.

 

The 6-4, 230-pound Keller had an efficient start to his Husker career, connecting on 14-of-25 passes for 191 yards and a 16-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Lucky against Nevada. Keller managed an NU offense that produced 625 yards of total offense, the best offensive output for Nebraska in six seasons.

 

Keller passed for 258 yards in Nebraska’s win at WakeForest, then threw for 389 yards and two touchdowns against USC. The 389-yard effort against the Trojans was the fourth-highest passing total in school history, and his 36 completions against USC tied Zac Taylor’s school record. Keller is averaging 280.0 passing yards per game and has completed 62 percent of his pass attempts.

 

 

Nunn Closing Fast on Receiving Records

Nebraska's switch to a balanced offensive attack three seasons ago has allowed Husker passers and receivers to re-write the Nebraska record book. Last season, quarterback Zac Taylor was the beneficiary of the Husker offense, becoming Nebraska's career leader in passing yards and touchdowns.  NU receivers have also put their names in a prominent position in the record book. The entire corps of wideouts returned for 2007, along with three of four tight ends who saw extensive action last season.

 

Leading the way is senior Terrence Nunn, who has his sights on the Nebraska career receptions record. The Houston native has been a steady performer in the Nebraska offense since starting the season opener as a true freshman in 2004.

Nunn has joined Johnny Rodgers as the only Huskers to record two 40-reception seasons in a career after Nunn posted 43 and 42 catches, respectively, the past two seasons. Nunn's career receptions total of 113 ranks second only to Rodgers on the Husker charts, 30 catches behind the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner. Nunn has also caught a pass in 30 straight games, nine games behind Rodgers' record 38-game streak and the fourth-longest streak in the nation. In addition to his receptions total, Nunn ranks second in school history in yardage at 1,486 yards.

 

Nunn had one of his finest games as a Husker against WakeForest, catching six passes for 83 yards in a 20-17 win. The six catches were the second-highest output of Nunn’s career. Nunn has 16 career games with four or more catches, including two this season.

 

 

Teammates Giving Nunn Company in Receiving Record Books

Junior Nate Swift is not far behind Nunn in terms of production in Coach Bill Callahan’s offense. Swift has 11 receptions this season to give him 78 career catches, fifth on the NU chart. Swift is 15 receptions from third on the list. He recently moved into the top 10 on the career receiving yardage list and is just 52 yards from fifth place on the chart. Swift set a Nebraska freshman record with 45 receptions in 2005, the third-best receptions total in school history regardless of class. His 641 receiving yards that season ranked fifth on the season chart.

 

Senior Maurice Purify had an outstanding first season at Nebraska, catching 34 passes for a team-leading 630 yards. Purify also led the team with seven receiving touchdowns and averaged 18.5 yards per catch. Purify's 630 receiving yards marked the sixth-best season total in school history, while his seven touchdowns tied for fifth place on the season list. After sitting out the first game, Purify has made 10 catches in the past two games, including a career-high seven receptions for 80 yards against USC.

 

Senior Frantz Hardy does not possess the same volume of catches, but boasts two of the most explosive receiving games in NU history. His 152 receiving yards against Maine in his Nebraska debut in 2005 rank as the fifth-best single-game total in school history. Last season, Hardy had three catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas, the No. 4 game on the single-season receiving yards list.

 

Junior Todd Peterson and senior Dan Erickson also had extensive game experience entering 2007.

 

 

Imposing Offensive Line to Set Tone for Husker Offense        

Most offseason discussion about the Nebraska offense centered on Keller, Nebraska’s veteran receiving corps or its stable of running backs. However, one should not forget a veteran group of offensive linemen who entered the year with extensive starting experience.

 

Nebraska has primarily employed a six-man rotation this season, however others have gained valuable playing time. All six of Nebraska’s top linemen entered the season with extensive starting experience. Center Brett Byford, guards Mike Huff, Andy Christensen and Matt Slauson, along with tackles Lydon Murtha and Carl Nicks made a combined 48 starts last season and form the nucleus of the group. In addition to game experience, the NU offensive line has another main feature--size. The six aforementioned players check in at an average of 6-4 1/2 and 313 pounds. 

 

The offensive line allowed NU to roll up 413 rushing yards, 625 total yards, 35 first downs and more than 40 minutes of possession time against Nevada. The Huskers also got extensive playing time in the fourth quarter for valuable reserves.

 

Against Wake Forest, Nebraska’s O-line provided the push for a 373-yard offensive effort. The big guys up front have provided Keller with oustanding pass protection this fall. Through three games, Nebraska is tied for sixth nationally, having allowed only two sacks in three games.

 

 

Veteran Linebackers Lead NU Defense

The Nebraska Blackshirt defense is anchored by a veteran linebacking corps. The leaders of that unit are a pair of two-year starters in Corey McKeon and Bo Ruud. Both McKeon and Ruud figure to move well up the Nebraska career tackle list this fall.

 

McKeon has 178 career tackles, including 31 tackles for loss and eight sacks. McKeon registered a NU linebacker record 22 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2005 and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors. Last season, he finished third on the team with 69 tackles and had eight tackles for loss. His career tackle total places him 35th at Nebraska. McKeon is 42 tackles from the top 20 on the tackle list and 70 stops from the No. 10. His 31 tackles for loss are just 6.5 stops outside the career top 10 on that list. McKeon also recorded his fifth career interception at WakeForest and had a fumble recovery against USC.

 

Ruud posted similar numbers to McKeon in two seasons as NU's starting WILL linebacker, before moving to the SAM ?backer spot this fall. The Lincoln native finished 2006 with 65 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, while also intercepting two passes and recovering a pair of fumbles to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors. Ruud has 173 total tackles and needs 19 tackles to join his father, Tom, and brother, Barrett, in the top 30 on the NU tackle list. Barrett is the Huskers' all-time leader with 432 tackles.

 

Fellow senior Steve Octavien is playing at an all-conference level early in the season. Octavien is second on the team with 19 tackles, including 15 solo stops. He also leads the Huskers with six tackles for loss and has a team-high three quarterback hurries.

 

 

Three Seniors Chosen as 2007 Captains                                                         

A trio of Husker seniors were elected by their teammates as captains for 2007. Center Brett Byford, linebacker Bo Ruud and cornerback Zack Bowman join the prestigious list of those who have served as captains at Nebraska.

 

Byford started the final 13 games of the 2006 season, anchoring the Husker offensive line. He is a candidate for all-conference honors this fall and is on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s top center. Byford is the first-ever Nebraska captain from the state of Alabama.

 

The 6-2, 200-pound Bowman is Nebraska’s first captain from the state of Alaska. Bowman missed the entire 2006 season with a knee injury and suffered a second knee injury during fall camp. Bowman returned to practice in late August and saw his first action since 2005 against Nevada. Bowman finished with one tackle and a quarterback hurry.

 

Bo Ruud continues a long family history of serving as Husker captains. He joins his brother, Barrett, who served as a captain in 2004, making the Ruud’s the seventh brother combination to serve as Husker captains. In addition, Bo’s father, Tom, was a Husker captain in 1974, making Tom Ruud and his two sons the only father-son combinations to serve as captains. Bo’s great grandfather, Clarence Swanson, was also a Nebraska captain.

 

Typically, Nebraska will elect game captains to serve with the three season-long captains.

 

 

2007 Game Captains

Wake Forest?Todd Peterson

USC?Lance Brandenburgh

 

 

NCAA-Record 285 Consecutive Home Sellouts

Nebraska boasts an incredible NCAA-record 285 consecutive sellouts at Memorial Stadium (including BallState). The sellout streak dates back to Hall of Fame Coach Bob Devaney's first year in 1962 (vs. Missouri on Nov. 3). Notre Dame is second in all-time consecutive sellouts with 192, 93 fewer than Nebraska. Entering Saturday’s game, the Huskers are 249-35 during the 284 sellouts.  The mark includes a 39-23 record against ranked teams. Nebraska is 5-0 in the five milestone sellouts during that period (50th, 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th sellouts), including a 24-7 win over No. 2 Colorado on Oct. 29, 1994 (No. 200) and a 44-13 victory over UtahState on Sept. 7, 2002 (No. 250).

 

The fan support at Memorial Stadium has led to a dominant home advantage for the Huskers. NU has won at least six home games in 18 of the past 20 seasons and is 161-19 at home since 1981. Nine of the losses in the span have come against teams that finished in the top eight of the final AP poll. Nebraska's sellout streak will reach 289 by season's end.

 

 

Nebraska Owns Dominant Edge at Memorial Stadium

Nebraska has rewarded the loyalty of its fans with incredible success at Memorial Stadium through the years. Nebraska finished 6-1 at home in 2006, and has won at least six home games in 18 of the past 20 seasons. Nebraska is 117-12 at home in the last 18 seasons (since 1989), including a pair of losses against teams that went on to win the national championship?Colorado in 1990 and Washington in 1991.

 

Since 1986, only eight schools have left Memorial Stadium with a victory. During Nebraska’s run of success at home in the past 25 years, Nebraska has had three home winning streaks of 20 or more games. Nebraska had a school-record 47-game home winning streak from 1991 to 1998, a 26-game home streak from 1998 to 2002 and a 21-game win streak in the early 1980s.

 

Nebraska has not been shut out at home since a 12-0 loss to KansasState in 1968 (250 games), and has posted 40 unbeaten and untied home seasons. The Huskers are 484-131-20 (.778, 635 games, 118 years) in Lincoln, 359-108-13 (.761, 480 games, 85 years) in Memorial Stadium (since 1923).

Huskers Continue Season-Opening Dominance Against Nevada

 

Nebraska extended the nation’s longest winning streak in season openers with a 52-10 victory over Nevada. The Huskers have been on the winning end in their last 22 season openers, dating back to a 17-13 loss to FloridaState in 1985.

 

The Huskers’ 22-game win streak in season openers is four better than the 18 straight opening wins by Florida. The Huskers have won each of their last 22 season openers by 10 or more points, and own an 87-26-5 all-time record in season openers.  Nebraska has scored 40 or more points in a season opener 15 of the past 22 seasons. In that same period, the Huskers have limited the opposition to 14 points or less 15 times.

 

Since 1973, NU is 30-4-1 in season openers, including 25-2 at Memorial Stadium, with losses only to FloridaState (1985) and WashingtonState (1977). In all-time home openers NU is 96-17-5, including 68-14-3 at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers are 32-2 in their last 34 home openers.

 

 

NU Looks to Continue Success vs. Big 12 North

Nebraska earned a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game in 2006 due largely to its play within the conference’s North Division. The Huskers posted a perfect 5-0 mark within the division and dating back to 2005, NU has won seven straight games against North foes.

 

The seven-game win streak is Nebraska’s longest divisional winning streak since NU won nine straight from 1998 to 2000. The Huskers won their final North game in 1998, all five in 1999 and the first three in 2000.

 

Including 2006, in each of the four seasons Nebraska has represented the North in the Big 12 title game (also 1996, 1997, 1999), the Huskers have posted a 5-0 record in divisional games. In 2006, Nebraska was the first North Division team to complete divisional play undefeated since 2003.

 

 

Huskers Among Leaders in AP National Titles

Notre Dame leads the nation by winning eight Associated Press national titles since 1936, with Oklahoma (7), Alabama (6), Miami (5), USC (5), Nebraska (4) and Minnesota (4) next in line. While the Huskers were awarded the national title by the coaches in 1997, NU finished second to Michigan in the AP poll.

 

In 1970, Nebraska was awarded the AP national title, but not the coaches (Texas was first, OhioState second and NU third) as the final poll was released before the bowl games were played. In the coaches poll (since 1950), Nebraska is tied for fourth with Miami and Texas with four titles, behind Alabama and Oklahoma with six apiece, and USC with five.

 

When Nebraska and USC meet on the field on Sept. 15, it will mark a meeting between the two schools with at least a share of five national titles since 1970.

 

 

Callahan's Huskers Continue to Perform in Classroom

Nebraska has continued its tradition of excellence in the classroom under Head Coach Bill Callahan. In 2006, senior Dane Todd was selected as a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American. Todd completed his career with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in biological sciences.

 

Todd was a first-team selection as a junior. In addition to his academic All-America honors, Todd also received the 2007 Walter Byers Award, the highest honor bestowed on a student-athlete by the NCAA.

 

The selection of Todd as a second-team academic All-American gave the Husker football program 93 all-time CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, a nation-leading total. The Husker athletic program as a whole also leads the nation with 252 academic All-America selections across all teams and all sports.

 

 

Big 12 Leader in First-Team Academic All-Conference Selections

A Big 12-leading 15 Nebraska football players were named first-team academic All-Big 12 in 2006. Overall, 22 Huskers received either first- or second-team recognition by the Big 12. Dane Todd was one of five Huskers who were named first-team academic All-Big 12 for the third time in their careers. Also named to the first team for the third time were 2006 seniors  Kurt Mann, Brandon Rigoni and Andrew Shanle, along with tight end J.B. Phillips. A 2007 senior on the field, Phillips earned his undergraduate degree in 3 1/2 years, finishing last December. He plans to complete his master’s degree in marketing by May of 2008. Phillips has already completed 18 hours toward his MBA.

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Eighteen Seniors on Track to Graduate by December

J.B. Phillips will be in good company by bowl season. A remarkable number of 23 seniors are on track to earn their undergraduate degrees by the completion of the fall semester. 

 

Among Callahan’s first three senior classes, 53 of 64 student-athletes have graduated with several others very near completion of their degrees.

           

 

Husker Freshmen off to Strong Start in the Classroom

The Husker football program had 18 incoming freshmen take courses in the 2007 summer session. Those newcomers quickly made the transition to the college classroom, completing a combined 102 credit hours with an average GPA of 3.720.

 

 

Nebraska Leads Big 12 in Exhausted Eligibility Graduation Rates

The University of Nebraska is the Big 12 leader in exhausted eligibility graduation rates for the fourth consecutive year. Nebraska boasts an impressive 94 percent rate, a percentage point higher than last year’s mark of 93 percent. The exhausted eligibility rate surveys the graduation rate of scholarship student-athletes in 10 incoming freshman classes who complete their eligibility at the University.

 

Nebraska’s exhausted eligibility rate has increased from 87 to 94 percent in the past six years and has improved 22 percentage points since the inception of the rate in 1991-92.

 

The current exhausted eligibility rate includes members of incoming classes from 1990-91 through 1999-2000. During that time, 424 of 453 Nebraska scholarship student-athletes who completed their eligibility earned their undergraduate degree.

 

Nebraska’s 94 percent rate is three points higher than Baylor, which was second in the conference at 91 percent. The national average for exhausted eligibility is 85 percent for Division I schools.

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NU Leads in Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

In addition to leading the league in first-team academic All-Big 12 picks, Nebraska also paced the field in Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selections.

 

During the fall 2006 semester, Nebraska placed 39 players on the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll, including six student-athletes who had perfect 4.0 grade-point averages for the semester. During the spring, 35 Huskers were named to the honor roll, with six players recording 4.0 GPAs for the spring semester. The honor roll recognizes all student-athletes who earned a 3.0 grade-point average or better in the previous semester.

 

 

Nebraska Honored by AFCA for Grad Rate

The Husker football program was one of 34 schools from across the nation honored this spring by the American Football Coaches Association with the 2007 Academic Achievement Award.

 

The 34 schools that were honored achieved a graduation rate of 70 percent or better for the 2000-01 incoming freshman class. This year marked the seventh straight year Nebraska has received the honor and the 11th time since 1994 Nebraska has been recognized.

 

 

Former Huskers Making their Mark in the NFL

Nebraska has a long-standing tradition of placing large numbers of players in the NFL. When final 53-man rosters were determined on Sept. 1, Nebraska had 26 players on active NFL rosters, two players on injured reserve and one on a practice squad.

 

Included in the group of players on NFL rosters are four players who were selected in the 2007 NFL Draft?defensive end Adam Carriker (1st round, St. Louis), running back Brandon Jackson (2nd round, Green Bay), linebacker Stewart Bradley (3rd round, Philadelphia) and defensive end Jay Moore (4th round, San Francisco).

 

Nebraska has two starting punters and two starting place-kickers in the NFL. The combined four kickers are the most of any school in the country.  A full listing of Nebraska’s players in the NFL is included in the left margin.