Nebraska Post-Game Notes

Nebraska vs. Kansas
Nebraska Post-Game Notes
Nebraska 45, Kansas 35 - Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb. - Nov. 8, 2008

• Saturday’s victory improved NU to 89-23-1 all-time against Kansas, including 43-12-2 in Lincoln. NU has now won 20 straight home games against the Jayhawks since 1968.
• The victory gave Nebraska its sixth win of the season, making the Huskers eligible for their 38th bowl appearance in the last 40 years. Nebraska improved to 5-2 at home in 2008, guaranteeing the Huskers a winning home record for the 40th consecutive season.
• Junior nose tackle Ndamukong Suh had a career-high 12 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and four tackles for loss. His previous career best in tackles was seven on three different occasions this season. Suh entered the game leading all Big 12 defensive linemen in tackles with an average of 5.3 per game. Suh also caught the first pass of his career, a 2-yard touchdown reception from Joe Ganz with 3:52 remaining in the fourth quarter to give NU a 38-28 lead.
• I-back Roy Helu Jr. had eight receptions for 61 yards in today’s game. Helu’s eight receptions and 61 receiving yards were career bests, surpassing his four catches for 47 yards against Missouri on Oct. 4.
• Helu also rushed 16 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns in today’s game, reaching the 100-yard plateau for the second straight week. Helu scored on a 10-yard run with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter to give NU a 24-21 lead and added a 52-yard score with 14:01 to play in the fourth to extend the lead to 31-21. Helu is averaging 6.9 yard per carry on 82 attempts this season.
• Quarterback Joe Ganz completed 28-of-37 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns in today’s game. Ganz completed his first seven passes of the afternoon, while the Huskers completed their first eight passes as a team. Today’s game marked the eighth 300-yard passing day for Ganz in 13 career starts. Ganz also threw three touchdowns, marking the sixth time in his career that he has thrown for at least three touchdowns.
• Ganz moved into second place on Nebraska’s season passing list with 2,833 yards in 2008. In today’s game Ganz moved past Zac Taylor’s 2005 total of 2,653 yards. Ganz’s total of 2,833 passing yards trails Taylor’s 2006 school record total of 3,197 yards by 364 yards.
• Ganz remained fifth on Nebraska’s career passing chart. He has 4,390 career passing yards in his career and moved within 91 yards of Eric Crouch’s total of 4,481 career yards, which ranks fourth on the NU list.
• Senior receiver Nate Swift caught seven passes for 111 yards in today’s game. Swift increased his Nebraska record career receptions total to 157. Swift also increased his career receiving yardage total to 2,336, moving him within 143 yards of Johnny Rodgers’ NU record total of 2,479 career receiving yards.
• Swift pushed his season receptions total to 54, good for fourth on the NU single-season list. Swift is within three catches of Maurice Purify’s second-place total of 57 catches last season. Swift has caught five or more passes seven times this season and 13 times in his career. He has at least one catch in 42 of 48 career games. It was Swift’s fourth 100-yard receiving effort of the season and eighth of his career, pulling within two of Johnny Rodgers’ career mark of 10.
• Swift has 801 receiving yards this season, good for fourth place on the NU single-season receiving yardage list and 141 yards behind Rodgers’ season record of 942 receiving yards in 1972.
• Senior receiver Todd Peterson caught five passes for 72 yards in today’s game. Peterson has 50 receptions this season to rank sixth on the Nebraska single-season list. Peterson has 599 receiving yards this season and is 17 yards shy of NU’s top-10 list. Peterson has caught at least three passes in all 10 games this season.
• Peterson pushed his career receptions total to 96 passing Maurice Purify and Matt Davison for fifth on the Nebraska career receptions list.
• Junior receiver Chris Brooks caught his first career touchdown in today’s game, a 25-yarder from Joe Ganz in the second quarter. Brooks had two receptions for six yards entering today’s game; a four-yard catch vs. Nevada in 2007, and a two-yard reception at Oklahoma last week.
• The Nebraska offense was back to its clock-controlling ways in today’s game. The Huskers possessed the ball for a total of 34:46 in today’s game, including 18:15 in the first half. Nebraska has now held the time of possession advantage in 11 of the past 12 halves. The Huskers have had at least 16:30 in time of possession in 10 of the past 11 halves. The Huskers entered the game ranked fourth nationally in time of possession averaging 33:00 per game.
• Senior I-back Marlon Lucky completed a four-yard touchdown pass to Mike McNeill in the first quarter of today’s game. The TD pass was Lucky’s second of the season and his fourth career touchdown pass. Lucky has completed 4-of-6 career passes for 69 yards and four touchdowns, good for a pass efficiency rating of 383.27.
• Sophomore tight end Mike McNeill had four receptions in today’s game, giving him 23 this season. Roy Helu’s eight receptions gave him 20 this season, giving Nebraska six players with 20 or more receptions, a school record bettering the five each in 2005 and 2006.
• Sophomore place-kicker Alex Henery connected on a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter of today’s game, marking his 10th field goal in 13 tries this season. Henery has now hit 19-of-22 field goals in his Nebraska career. Henery also had the first rush of his career, executing a fake field goal for nine yards to keep a touchdown drive alive in the fourth quarter.
• Today’s game marked the 296th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium, dating back to 1962.
• Zach Potter’s fourth-quarter interception was his second of the season and third in his career. He also had an interception against San Jose State.
• Nebraska’s game captains for today’s game were: senior receiver Todd Peterson, senior offensive guard Matt Slauson, senior quarterback Joe Ganz and junior nose tackle Ndamukong Suh.