Huskers Host Jayhawks on Saturday Afternoon

Nebraska and Kansas renew the longest continuous series in college football this Saturday in Lincoln. The border rivals will meet for the 103rd consecutive season (since 1906) and for the 115th time overall. The Huskers enter the game with a 5-4 record and a 2-3 mark in Big 12 play, following a 62-28 loss at No. 4 Oklahoma on Saturday night. Kansas sits just in front of the Huskers in the Big 12 North standings with a 3-2 league mark and a 6-3 overall record. The Jayhawks are coming off a 52-21 victory over Kansas State last weekend in Lawrence.

The Series
The game will mark the 115th all-time meeting between the schools, the third-most played game in NCAA Bowl Subdivision history, trailing only Minnesota-Wisconsin (117) and Kansas-Missouri (116). NU holds an 88-23-3 all-time advantage, including a 33-7-2 edge at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers have won 19 straight games against Kansas in Lincoln, dating back to a 23-13 KU win in 1968. Kansas has won two of the last three overall meetings after a 36-game NU win streak from 1969 to 2004.

The Coaches
Nebraska: Bo Pelini (Ohio State, ?90) has a 6-4 record in his first season with the Huskers. In addition to five 2008 wins, Pelini led Nebraska to a victory as interim head coach in the 2003 Alamo Bowl. Pelini has served as defensive coordinator at NU, Oklahoma and most recently LSU over the past five seasons. Previously, he had stints as an NFL assistant with San Francisco, New England and Green Bay.

Kansas: Mark Mangino (Youngstown State, ?87) is in his seventh season as the Jayhawks’ head coach, and owns a 43-39 record at Kansas. Mangino has guided KU to bowl games in three of his first six seasons, including the FedEx Orange Bowl after last season, when Mangino was named National Coach of the Year. Mangino is 2-4 against Nebraska, 0-3 in Lincoln.

Stat of the Week
The Nebraska defense will face another stern test this week when it matches up with the Jayhawk offense. Kansas enters the game ranked 10th nationally in passing offense, 18th in total offense and 24th in scoring offense.

Facing a high-powered offense is nothing new for Nebraska. This will mark the fourth opponent in six Big 12 games that ranks in the top 10 nationally in passing. The Huskers have also faced four of the nation’s top 18 total offensive units and four of the top 24 scoring offenses. Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma each rank in the top 10 nationally in all three of the aforementioned offensive categories.

Nebraska, Jayhawks Meeting for 103rd Straight Season
Nebraska and Kansas renew one of the nation’s oldest rivalries this weekend. Saturday’s meeting will be the 115th all-time between the two schools, and the 60th all-time matchup in Lincoln.

• The 115 meetings between the two schools makes NU-Kansas the third-longest series in Division I-A, trailing only Minnesota-Wisconsin (118th meeting on Nov. 15) and KU-Missouri (117th meeting on Nov. 29).
• Saturday’s game marks the 103rd straight year the two schools have met, making the NU-KU series the longest continuous series in the country. The schools have met every season since 1906.

Huskers Look to Continue Mastery of Kansas in Lincoln
Nebraska will put a 19-game winning streak against Kansas in Lincoln on the line on Saturday. The Huskers have been dominant against the Jayhawks in Lincoln, coming out on top in every meeting since a KU victory in 1968. Overall, Nebraska holds a 42-15-2 edge in the series in Lincoln, including a 33-7-2 record at Memorial Stadium.

• Nebraska has scored 39 or more points in 12 of the past 14 meetings in Lincoln, while Kansas has been limited to single digits in 12 of its past 18 visits.
• In Nebraska’s 19-game win streak in Lincoln, the Huskers have outscored Kansas by an average score of 42.5 to 9.9. Nebraska has won 13 of the 18 games by at least four touchdowns, however Kansas has tested Nebraska in its last two trips to Lincoln. The Jayhawks lost 14-8 in 2004, and 39-32 in overtime in 2006.

Husker Offense Continuing Productive Run
Nebraska has been impressive on offense throughout the 2008 campaign, but has hit its stride over the past few weeks. Nebraska ranks 14th nationally in passing offense at 287.8 yards per game and is 20th in the nation in total offense, averaging 443.0 yards per game. Nebraska also ranks 31st nationally in scoring offense at 32.6 points per game. In Big 12 games only, Nebraska ranks fifth in the conference averaging 460.6 yards per game.

The success of the offense comes on the heels of an explosive offensive campaign in 2007. NU finished last year ranked ninth nationally in total offense at 468.3 yards per game, and seventh in passing at 323.8 yards per game. The passing average was a school record, while the total offensive average was Nebraska’s best in a decade.

Nebraska boasts impressive numbers over the past several games dating back to last season.

• Nebraska has gained 400 total yards or more in 11 of the past 14 games.
• The Huskers have passed for at least 200 yards in the past 14 games, with eight 300-yard games in that stretch.
• The Huskers are averaging 481.9 yards per game over their past 12 games, including 333.1 yards per game through the air. Nebraska is averaging 38.0 points over its past 12 games and has scored at least 30 points in 10 of 12 games dating back to last season.
• Among Nebraska’s offensive explosion to finish last year was a 702-yard day against Kansas State, the 10th-best output in school history and the best since 1995. Nebraska has produced two 500-yard total offense games in 2008.