Nebraska Set to Open Big 12 Play Against Cyclones

Nebraska moves into the second phase of its schedule this Saturday when the Huskers open Big 12 Conference play against IowaState in Lincoln. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. in front of the 286th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. There is no television for the contest, but the game can be heard on the Husker Sports Network.

 

The two teams enter Saturday’s game after coming out on the opposite end of one-point games against opponents from the Mid-American Conference last weekend. The Huskers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat BallState, 41-40, while IowaState dropped a 36-35 decision at Toledo on Saturday night.

 

The victory over BallState allowed Nebraska to complete the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 3-1 mark, giving the Huskers a winning non-league record for the 26th straight season. The Huskers will enter Saturday’s game ranked 25th in the Associated Press poll and 22nd in the USA Today Coaches poll.

 

Iowa State comes to Lincoln with a 1-3 record, following its loss at Toledo on Saturday. The Cyclones, under the direction of first-year coach Gene Chizik, also suffered close losses to Kent State and Northern Iowa, while posting an impressive 15-13 victory over in-state rival Iowa on Sept. 15 in Ames.

 

The Huskers have historically dominated IowaState in Lincoln, winning each of the past 14 matchups between the two schools at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska also has a long history of success in conference openers, winning 31 of its last 32 league openers, including 10 of 11 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996.

 

 

Huskers Use Record-Setting Passing Performance to Survive Shootout with BallState

On a record-setting day at Memorial Stadium, the Nebraska offense rolled up 552 yards to power the Huskers to a 41-40 victory over visiting BallState in a game that featured eight lead changes. Senior quarterback Sam Keller completed 29-of-37 passes for three touchdowns and a school-record 438 yards to overcome a high-powered Cardinal offense.

 

Keller threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns in the second half alone, including an 11-yard scoring strike to Maurice Purify with 3:13 to play to account for the final margin. However, the victory was not secure until BallState missed a 55-yard field goal attempt with 17 seconds remaining.

 

Keller’s record-setting day highlighted an offensive explosion, as the two teams combined for 1,162 yards of total offense, including 610 by BallState, keyed by quarterback Nate Davis’ 422 passing yards. The teams combined for 57 points after halftime and the final punt of the afternoon occurred midway through the third quarter.

 

In addition to Keller, several other Huskers had big offensive days. I-back Marlon Lucky set a record of his own by catching an NU running back record 11 passes for 81 yards. His 11 catches were the second-most ever by any Husker and he totaled 183 all-purpose yards with 102 rushing yards on 21 carries. Tight end Sean Hill caught three passes for 129 yards, while wide receiver Maurice Purify had six catches for 122 yards, marking the first time in school history Nebraska had a pair of 100-yard receivers in the same game.

 

The first quarter did not give an indication of the shootout to come. Nebraska took the opening kickoff and marched 63 yards in nine plays, capped by Lucky’s 28-yard touchdown run. BallState tied the score early in the second quarter after a 10-play, 80-yard drive, when the Cardinals converted three third-and-long situations. BallState added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead before Nebraska responded with an impressive 73-yard drive just before halftime to take a 14-10 edge into the locker room.

 

A Nebraska fumble on its first drive of the second half set up a BSU touchdown for a 17-14 lead. Following a pair of punts, Keller hooked up with Hill for a perfect 73-yard touchdown pass on third down. The Cardinals re-took the lead on a 43-yard touchdown by MiQuale Lewis, but the third-quarter explosion was not over. Keller capped Nebraska’s next drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Nate Swift in the corner of the end zone to give the Huskers a 28-24 edge. The see-saw affair continued as Davis hooked up with Dante Love for a 58-yard touchdown with just 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

 

The Cardinals took the largest lead of the game at 37-28 with 12:50 to play following a long touchdown drive, but BallState missed the extra point. Nebraska fumbled deep in BallState territory on its next drive, but senior linebacker Bo Ruud made the biggest defensive play of the day by intercepting a Davis pass and racing 34 yards for a score to pull NU within 37-35 with 9:21 left. Davis marched the Cardinals down the field for a field goal and a 40-35 edge with 7:05 to play, but Keller was again up to the task.

 

Keller was 7-of-7 passing for 78 yards on the ensuing drive, capped by the touchdown pass to Purify. NU’s two-point try failed, but the Huskers led 41-40 with just over three minutes remaining. BallState drove to the Nebraska 38 before stalling and Jake Hogue’s 55-yard field goal try to win the game sailed wide left.

 

Scouting the IowaState Cyclones

The Cyclones enter this week’s game with a 1-3 record under first-year head coach Gene Chizik. IowaState’s lone victory came in dramatic fashion as the Cyclones held off in-state rival Iowa, 15-13, in Ames on Sept. 15. Senior place-kicker Bret Culbertson nailed five field goals, including a 28-yarder with one second left to secure Chizik’s first victory.

 

The Cyclones will be fighting for their first victory away from home this season after falling in their road opener last weekend at Toledo, 36-35. IowaState put up nearly 400 yards of total offense and led the Rockets, 35-24, late in the fourth quarter before Toledo scored 12 straight points on an 82-yard kickoff return with 5:08 remaining and a fumble recovery with 3:22 left when the Cyclones snap on a punt attempt sailed into their own endzone. Quarterback Bret Meyer engineered a final drive that took ISU to the Toledo 21, but Culbertson’s game-winning 38-yard attempt was blocked.

 

Senior wide receiver Todd Blythe caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in the Toledo contest and has 207 yards receiving and two scores on the year. Along with junior R.J. Sumrall, who leads the Cyclones with 221 yards receiving, the duo have been primary targets for Meyer’s offense as the four-year starter has thrown for 811 yards and four touchdowns in 2007. His impressive 67.2 completion percentage ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference. Meyer is the school’s leader in total offense with 8,957 yards during his career.

 

At running back, junior J.J. Bass is averaging nearly 100 yards rushing per game (97.5), the fourth-best average in the conference behind Texas’ Jamaal Charles (117.8), Nebraska’s Marlon Lucky (114.5) and Oklahoma’s Allen Patrick (101.7). Bass has reached the end zone a team-leading four times in 2007.

 

Iowa State ranks 22nd in the nation in total defense, allowing 305 yards per game, while also ranking 17th in pass defense by giving up just 164.5 yards through the air. Alvin Bowen leads the ISU defensive unit as the senior linebacker has 32 tackles (23 solo) in 2007, including four behind the line of scrimmage for -16 yards. He is one of three Cyclones with an interception on the year (also sophomore James Smith and junior Chris Singleton) and has a sack for 12 yards and one forced fumble. Junior defensive lineman Kurtis Taylor is tied for fourth in the Big 12 with three sacks.

 

 

Iowa State Head Coach Gene Chizik

After finding success as the defensive coordinator for Texas’ 2005 national championship team, Gene Chizik is in his first season at IowaState and aiming to lead the Cyclones on a climb up the Big 12 ladder, beginning Saturday at Nebraska.

Chizik is in his 22nd year of collegiate coaching, also serving as an assistant at Auburn (2002-04), Central Florida (1998-2001), Stephen F. Austin (1992-97), Middle Tennessee State (1990-91), Clemson (1988-89) and Seminole (1986-88). A 1985 graduate of the University of Florida, Chizik will be making a quick return to Lincoln after he coached against the Huskers in Texas’ 22-20 win last October, marking the only time he has faced Nebraska.

 

Along with Chizik, the entire coaching staff is new to Ames, as he has nine assistants in their first year with the Cyclones. Among them is former Stephen F. Austin head coach Robert McFarland (offensive coordinator) and former Alabama-Birmingham and Troy defensive coordinator Wayne Bolt (defensive coordinator).

 

Prior to being named the head coach at Iowa State, Chizik was regarded as one of the nation’s top coordinators, earning the 2004 Frank Broyles Award at Auburn, honoring college football’s best assistant coach. Previous winners included USC’s Norm Chow (2002), Miami’s Randy Shannon (2001) and Oklahoma’s Mark Mangino (2000).

 

 

Nebraska-Iowa State Series History

Nebraska and IowaState meet on the football field for the 102nd time in series history this weekend. Nebraska leads the all-time matchup with an 83-16-2 record against ISU, including 14 straight wins in Lincoln. NU has dominated the series since 1961, as the Huskers are 40-5-1 against the Cyclones during that span. IowaState last defeated the Huskers during the 2004 season in Ames, 34-27.

 

 

Nebraska-Iowa State Notes

►In two high-scoring affairs, a combined 152 points were scored in Nebraska and IowaState’s games last weekend against Mid-American Conference opponents. The Huskers defeated BallState, 41-40, while Toledo outscored IowaState, 36-35.

 

►There are six Nebraska natives on the IowaState roster (Phillip Bates, Omaha; Caleb Berg, York; Brandon Johnson, Rushville; Luke Pinkelman, Cozad; Derec Schmidgall, Lincoln; Joel Zitek, Ulysses)

 

►For the second straight season, there are no Iowa natives playing for the Huskers. Mike Stuntz (Council Bluffs) and Blake Tiedtke (Cedar Rapids) were the last Iowans who played for Nebraska, when both were seniors in 2005.

 

►Cyclone quarterback Bret Meyer has thrown for an average of 305 yards per game against the Huskers during his career.

 

►This is the second time in three years that Nebraska opens conference play with IowaState (also 2005). The Huskers have won 32 of their past 33 conference openers. The only defeat was in 2002 at IowaState, 36-14. The Huskers have also won 29 straight conference openers at home. The last two have been overtime thrillers - a 27-20 double-overtime win over IowaState in 2005 and a 39-32 overtime victory over Kansas in 2006.

 

►Under Callahan, the Huskers have totaled an average of 431 yards per game in three contests against the Cyclones. In the 2005 match-up, quarterback Zac Taylor threw for a single-game school record 431 yards, a mark that was broken by Sam Keller in last weekend when he threw for 438 yards against BallState.

 

 

Noting Game Four...Nebraska 41, Ball State 40

►The Huskers improved to 3-1 on the season, marking the 26th consecutive year that Nebraska lost one or zero non-conference contest. 

 

►Nebraska’s 552 yards were the fifth-highest single-game total by a Husker team under Bill Callahan, while the 438 passing yards were a single-game school record, breaking the mark of 431 against Iowa State in 2005.

 

►The nine-point deficit overcome by Nebraska tied the fourth-largest fourth-quarter comeback in school history, and was the largest at Memorial Stadium since overcoming a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit against Colorado in 1966 (trailed 19-7 before winning 21-19). Of the five-largest comebacks in school history, two have happened under Bill Callahan (also 10-point deficit against Michigan in the 2005 Alamo Bowl). The last time NU trailed entering the fourth quarter and won at home was against Colorado in 1998 (trailed 14-13 and won 16-14).

 

►Senior quarterback Sam Keller completed 26-of-37 passes for a school-record 438 yards, breaking the previous mark of 431 yards by Zac Taylor against IowaState on Oct. 1, 2005. Keller’s effort also marked the first time a Nebraska quarterback had topped 300 yards in back-to-back games in school history. Keller threw for 389 yards the previous week against USC. Keller now has three career 400-yard passing days, as he threw for 461 and 409 yards against LSU and Northwestern in back-to-back weeks at ArizonaState in 2005.

 

►Nebraska had two players surpass 100 receiving yards in a game for the first time in school history with Sean Hill’s 129 yards and Maurice Purify’s 122-yard effort. Last season against Kansas, Frantz Hardy had 159 yards receiving and Terrence Nunn had 98 yards.

 

►Keller’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Hill in the third quarter marked the longest reception by a Nebraska tight end since a 77-yard touchdown pass from Jammal Lord to Matt Herian against Troy in 2003.  Hill finished the day with 129 yards receiving, the third-most ever by a Nebraska tight end and the most since Johnny Mitchell set NU’s tight end record with 138 yards against Georgia Tech in the 1991 Citrus Bowl. Hill’s 100-yard day was the first by a Husker tight end since Matt Herian caught three passes for 110 yards against Troy on Oct. 4, 2003.

 

►Purify caught six passes for a career-high 122 yards, bettering his previous high of 91 yards last season against Kansas. Purify had a career-high in receptions with seven catches against USC on Sept. 15.

 

►Junior I-back Marlon Lucky caught an NU running back record 11 passes, breaking the record of nine held by Jeff Kinney (9-94 vs. Kansas on Oct. 18, 1969) and Cory Ross (9-129 at Colorado, Nov. 25, 2005). The 11 receptions are the second-most in NU history by any player, trailing only the school record of 14 by Dennis Richnafsky at KansasState in 1967.

 

►Lucky rushed 21 times for 102 yards and one touchdown, marking his second 100-yard game of the 2007 season and the fourth of his career.

 

►Senior linebacker Bo Ruud intercepted a fourth-quarter BallState pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. The interception was the fourth of Ruud’s career and the touchdown was his second career INT return for a touchdown (Maine, 2005). Ruud has a total of 115 yards on his four career interception returns. The interception return for a touchdown was the first by NU since returning three interceptions for touchdowns against WakeForest in 2005.

 

►Ball State’s 610 yards of total offense were the fourth-most ever against Nebraska and the most by an opponent since Washington had 618 yards in 1991. Nate Davis’ 422-yards passing were the most by an opposing quarterback since Sonny Cumbie of Texas Tech had 436 on Oct. 9, 2004, and the fifth-most ever against Nebraska. Dante Love’s 214 receiving yards was the third-highest by an opponent in NU history and most since Troy Edwards had 405 yards on Aug. 29, 1998.

 

►Nebraska allowed 40 or more points for the second straight week, marking the first time that has happened to a Nebraska team since allowing 45 points in consecutive games against Oklahoma and Georgia Tech to end the 1990 season.

 

 

NU Has History of Success in Conference Openers

 Nebraska has a long-standing tradition of opening conference play on a positive note. The Huskers have won 31 of their past 32 conference openers since 1975, with the only blemish a 2002 loss at IowaState. Last season, Nebraska opened Big 12 play with a 39-32 overtime victory over Kansas in Lincoln. The win marked the second straight year Nebraska has won its Big 12 opener in overtime, joining a 27-20 double OT win over ISU in 2005.

 

In addition, Nebraska has won its last 29 conference home openers since a 24-21 setback against IowaState to begin the 1977 home Big Eight campaign. Nebraska is 91-18-2 all-time in conference openers, including a 41-6-1 mark in Lincoln. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, Nebraska is 10-1 in league openers.

 

 

Huskers Hope to Continue Dominance of ISU in Lincoln

Iowa State has won just six times in 54 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 14 matchups against the Cyclones in Lincoln, and has scored at least 27 points in each of those 14 games. The Huskers have had a victory margin of at least 28 points in 13 of the last 14 matchups with IowaState in Lincoln, with the lone exception a 27-20, double-overtime victory in 2005.

 

Since a 24-21 IowaState win at Memorial Stadium in 1977, the Huskers have outscored ISU 666-155 in 14 matchups in Lincoln, an average score of 47.6-11.1. IowaState scored more than 14 points in Lincoln just once since 1989, and that occurred in the 2005 overtime contest.

 

 

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. Nebraska opens Big 12 play with a pair of North Division games (ISU, Missouri), before a three-week stretch against the South Division. NU then closes the regular season against North Division foes Kansas, Kansas State and Colorado.

 

 

Nebraska in the Midst of Rugged 2007 Schedule

The non-conference schedule that Nebraska has finished 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

 

 

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 27th in the nation in scoring at 36.0 points per game, including reaching at least 31 points in each of its three home games.

 

Dating back to last season, Nebraska has scored 31 or more points in nine of its last 10 home games, and have topped 20 or more points in 14 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).

 

 

Huskers Feature High-Octane 2007 Offense

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. The Huskers’ 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.

 

The past two weeks Nebraska has unleashed the best two-week aerial assault in school history. After throwing for 389 yards in a loss to USC, quarterback Sam Keller threw for a school-record 438 yards in a 41-40 victory over BallState, part of a 552-yard total offensive effort. NU enters the Iowa State contest ranked 14th nationally in total offense at 492.5 yards per game and ranks in the top 30 nationally in three of 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.

 

NU 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.

 

 

Huskers Explode for Record-Setting Passing Day Against BallState

Nebraska opened the season with a strong rushing effort against Nevada, but the past two weeks NU has unleashed a high-powered passing attack directed by senior quarterback Sam Keller.

 

Keller has threw for a school-record 438 yards against BallState on Saturday, one week after throwing for 389 yards against USC. The 389-yard effort ranks as the No. 5 passing day in school history, and the back-to-back 300-yard passing days mark the first time in school history Nebraska has accomplished that feat.

 

In addition to Keller’s 438 yards, several other passing notables occurred in the 41-40 shootout with BallState, including:

 

►Nebraska featured two 100-yard receivers in a game for the first time in school history. Tight end Sean Hill led the way with 129 yards, while receiver Maurice Purify added 122 yards on six receptions.

 

►Hill’s 129 receiving yards were the third-most ever by a Nebraska tight end and the most since 1991.

 

►I-back Marlon Lucky set a Nebraska running back record with 11 receptions for 81 yards. The 11 catches are the second-most in school history regardless of position. Lucky has a team-leading 24 receptions in four games and is well on his way to the Nebraska running back record of 43 receptions in a season, set by Cory Ross in 2005.

 

 

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 has hit his stride the past two weeks, throwing for 389 yards against USC and a school-record 438 yards against BallState. He is the latest quarterback with 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 opened his NU career with 191 passing yards against Nevada, then threw for 258 yards and a touchdown in the Huskers’ 20-17 win at WakeForest. The 389-yard effort against the Trojans was the fifth-highest passing total in school history, and his 36 completions against USC tied Taylor’s school record.

 

Through four games, Keller is averaging 319.5 passing yards per game and has completed 65.6 percent of his pass attempts. Keller has already thrown for 1,278 yards this season and now has 4,296 career passing yards, including his career at ArizonaState.

 

 

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 against the Wolf Pack. 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 1,315 yards to rank 40th 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.

 

Since unleashing his career-high running day in week one, Lucky has proven himself as an all-purpose back in Nebraska’s three subsequent contests. Lucky ran for 90 hard-fought yards against WakeForest, then totaled 183 all-purpose yards against BallState. In the 41-40 victory over the Cardinals, Lucky ran for 102 yards for his fourth career 100-yard rushing day. He also caught a Nebraska running back record 11 passes.

 

Lucky leads the team with 24 receptions, including his record-setting day against BallState and six against USC. Lucky has at least three receptions in eight of the past 10 games dating back to last season. He has 58 career receptions to rank 18th on NU’s career receptions list, just nine outside of the top 10 on the list.

 

Entering the IowaState game, Lucky ranks 22nd nationally in rushing (114.5 ypg), 27th in all-purpose running (161.8 ypg) and 39th in scoring (9.0 ppg).

 

 

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 116 ranks second only to Rodgers on the Husker charts, 27 catches behind the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner. Nunn has also caught a pass in 31 straight games, seven 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 1,511 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 12 receptions this season to give him 79 career catches, fifth on the NU chart. Swift is 14 receptions from third on the list. He recently moved into the top 10 on the career receiving yardage list and is just 34 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 of the 2007 season, Purify has shown why he is considered an All-Big 12 candidate this season. He has made 16 catches for 232 yards the past three weeks. Against USC he caught a career-best seven passes that covered 80 yards. A week later, Purify set a career receiving yardage high with 122 yards on six catches against BallState. His effort was part of a school-record 438 yards passing and he snared his first touchdown of the season, an 11-yarder late in the fourth quarter to provide the winning points in a 41-40 win.

 

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. Hardy has five catches to his credit in 2007.

 

Junior Todd Peterson and senior Dan Erickson also had extensive game experience entering 2007. Peterson has nine catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns this season, while Erickson has three receptions.

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 opened the year by primarily employing a six-man rotation, while others gained valuable playing time. However, the offensive line suffered a blow against USC when junior offensive guard Andy Christensen was lost for the season with a knee injury.

 

Despite the loss of Christensen, Nebraska has an experienced group of players up front to power the offense, all of whom had starting experience before the start of the year. Center Brett Byford, guards Mike Huff and Matt Slauson, along with tackles Lydon Murtha and Carl Nicks made a combined 42 starts last season and form the nucleus of the group. Sophomore guard Jacob Hickman stepped into a starting role against BallState in place of Christensen. 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 2/3 and 310 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, before providing the protection for Keller to throw for 389 and 438 yards in successive weeks against USC and BallState.

 

 

Husker Offense Again Finding Success by 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.

►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. NU ranks seventh nationally in time of possession this week at 33:07 per game.

 

►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 341 times in its first three games, the fifth-most in the country.

 

►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.

 

 

Ruud Continues to Show Knack for Big Plays

Nebraska senior linebacker Bo Ruud continues to show his knack for providing big plays for the Husker defense. Ruud intercepted a Ball State pass in the fourth quarter on Saturday and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown to help fuel Nebraska’s come-from-behind victory.

 

The interception was the fourth of Ruud’s career and his second career interception return for a touchdown. Ruud has made the most of all four of his interceptions, returning them a total of 115 yards and each of them at least 14 yards. In addition to his interception stats, Ruud has also consistently been around ball-carriers during his career. The Lincoln native has forced five fumbles in his career, while recovering four others.

 

Ruud is in his third season as a starter for the defense. He lined up at WILL linebacker the past two seasons before moving to the SAM linebacker spot in 2007. Ruud, a 2006 All-Big 12 pick, has 179 career tackles and needs 13 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.

 

 

Octavien Leading 2007 Husker Defense

Ruud’s fellow senior linebacker, Steve Octavien, is playing at a potential all-conference level early in the 2007 season. Octavien leads the Huskers with 26 tackles, including a team-leading six tackles for loss. Of his team-leading tackle total, 20 of Octavien’s stops have been of the solo variety.

 

The 6-0, 240-pound Octavien also leads the team in quarterback hurries with five and he has a pair of pass breakups on the season. Octavien’s PBU on third down on BallState’s final series of the game helped preserve NU’s lead in a 41-40 victory over the Cardinals.

 

Octavien is making a difference for the Nebraska defense after struggling to stay healthy the past two seasons. Octavien had an outstanding first quarter against Maine in the 2005 opener, but suffered a broken leg and was lost for the season. He went through an injury-plagued 2006 season, but has effective when healthy, finishing the year with 32 tackles, including four tackles for loss.

 

 

NCAA-Record 286 Consecutive Home Sellouts

Nebraska boasts an incredible NCAA-record 286 consecutive sellouts at Memorial Stadium (including IowaState). 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 193, 93 fewer than Nebraska. Entering Saturday’s game, the Huskers are 250-35 during the 285 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 162-19 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 118-12 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 (251 games), and has posted 40 unbeaten and untied home seasons. The Huskers are 485-131-20 (.778, 636 games, 118 years) in Lincoln, 360-108-13 (.762, 481 games, 85 years) in Memorial Stadium (since 1923).

 

 

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.

 

 

Conference Crowns

Nebraska enters 2007 with the goal of returning to the Big 12 title game for the second straight season and the fifth time overall. The game will be played on Dec. 1 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Nebraska’s Big 12 titles in 1997 and 1999 both came in the Alamodome.

 

Nebraska made its first appearance in the contest since 1999 last fall. The Huskers played in three of the first four Big 12 title games. Nebraska is one of three teams to capture two or more Big 12 titles in the first 11 years of the conference, joining Oklahoma with four and Texas with two. Kansas State, Texas A&M and Colorado each captured one Big 12 crown. Oklahoma leads the way with five Big 12 title game appearances, followed by Nebraska, Colorado and Texas with four each.

 

The Huskers have won 43 football conference championships overall, including eight under Coach Bob Devaney and 13 under Coach Tom Osborne. Oklahoma has won 36 conference championships to rank second behind NU among league schools.

 

 

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.



 

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.



 

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.

 

 

Peterson Receives Brook Berringer Memorial Endowed Scholarship

Nebraska junior wide receiver Todd Peterson was this year's recipient of the Brook Berringer Memorial Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship was endowed in the memory of former Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer, who died in a plane crash on April 18, 1996. Peterson received the honor before the BallState game.

 

Criteria for the Brook Berringer Memorial Scholarship includes the following: Must be a football student-athlete; must be involved in community service along with high ideals, excellent character and integrity.

 

A native of Grand Island, Peterson embodies the description of the Berringer Scholarship criteria. He has been a contributor to the Nebraska receiving corps since his freshman season in 2005 and has made 37 career receptions, including six touchdown grabs. Off the field, Peterson is heavily involved in community outreach. He was selected to the 2007 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team, which recognizes Husker football players who take a leading role in Nebraska's community outreach activities. Peterson is also a member of the Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

 

Peterson is majoring in nutrition, exercise and health science and carries a 3.726 cumulative grade-point average. He is a two-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection.

 

 

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.