Huskers Hit the Road for First Time in 2014

GAME 3: NEBRASKA at FRESNO STATE
SEPT. 13, 2014 | BULLDOG STADIUM
FRESNO, CALIF. | 9:30 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - CBS Sports Network
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 108, XM 199
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 2-0, 0-0
Rankings: Coaches-21; AP-RV
Last Game: def. McNeese State, 31-24
Coach: Bo Pelini
Career/NU Record: 60-24/7th year 
vs. Fresno St., 1-0

BULLDOGS
Record: 0-2, 0-0
Rankings: Coaches-NR; AP-NR
Last Game: lost to Utah, 59-27
Coach: Tim DeRuyter
Career/FSU Record: 20-8/3rd Season
vs. NU: 0-0

The Matchup
Nebraska takes to the road for the first time in 2014 on Saturday evening when the Huskers travel to Fresno State to take on the Bulldogs. Game time from Fresno’s Bulldog Stadium is set for 9:30 p.m. CT and the game will be available nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

The Huskers head to Fresno with a 2-0 record after escaping with a 31-24 victory over McNeese State last Saturday in Lincoln. Senior I-back Ameer Abdullah supplied the winning margin on a highlight-reel 58-yard catch and run for a touchdown with 20 seconds remaining. The win marked Nebraska’s 10th straight victory in games decided by seven or fewer points dating back to September of 2012.

Nebraska has started 2-0 for the sixth time in Bo Pelini’s seven seasons as head coach, and will be looking for its first 3-0 start to a season since 2011. Nebraska will also be looking for a win in its road opener for the second straight year.

Saturday’s game will be the second all-time matchup between the schools and the second in a three-game series. The Huskers prevailed, 42-29, in the only other meeting in 2011 in Lincoln. The third meeting in the three-game series is scheduled for 2016 in Lincoln.

Fresno State will enter the contest with an 0-2 record, following road losses at USC and Utah to open the season. The Bulldogs have won 13 straight home games entering Saturday’s contest, marking the nation’s longest home winning streak.

The Series
Nebraska defeated Fresno State, 42-29, in Lincoln in 2011 in the only previous meeting. The Huskers were spurred by a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ameer Abdullah, who set a Nebraska record with 211 kickoff return yards in the contest.

The Coaches
Nebraska: Bo Pelini (Ohio State, ‘90) owns a 60-24 record (.714) in his seventh season as head coach. He has guided NU to nine or more wins in each of his first six seasons as head coach, joining Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne in accomplishing that feat at Nebraska. His 60 wins trail only Osborne and Devaney on the NU wins list. Pelini joins Alabama’s Nick Saban as the only head coaches in the nation to win nine or more games each of the past six seasons.

Fresno State: Tim DeRuyter (Air Force, ‘85) is in his third season as head coach and owns a 20-8 record. DeRuyter has guided the Bullogs to a Mountain West title and a bowl game in each of his first two seasons, including an 11-2 record last season. Before taking over as the head coach at Fresno, DeRuyter had assistant stints at Texas A&M, Air Force, Nevada, Ohio and Navy.

Nebraska Football
Nebraska is 867-357-40 all-time, one of just eight schools with 800 all-time victories 
- Nebraska has won five national championships (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997).
- The Cornhuskers have won 43 conference championships.
- NU’s 50 all-time bowl appearances rank third nationally.
- Since 1970, NU has 433 wins, 24 more than any other school.
- Nebraska’s 107 football Academic All-Americans lead the nation.
- The Huskers have 110 All-Americans in school history.

Scouting Fresno State
Fresno State hosts its first home game of the season Saturday when it welcomes No. 21 Nebraska to Bulldog Stadium. Although FSU is 0-2 this season and has been outscored by 71 points, Fresno State has won 13 consecutive home games, the longest home winning streak in the country. The Bulldogs have averaged 46.0 points per game at home during the win streak.

The Bulldogs are averaging 20.0 points through two games this season while averaging 221.5 passing yards per game and 106.0 rushing yards per contest. Marteze Waller is the leading rusher, carrying 31 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns this season. Brandon Connette has added 23 carries for 53 yards while completing 23-of-41 passes for 245 yards. Brian Burrell has completed 19-of-35 passes for 198 yards and two TDs.

Josh Harper is Fresno State’s leading receiver with 12 catches for 139 yards. Josh is the son of Willie Harper, who was a two-time All-America defensive lineman at Nebraska in 1971 and 1972, and he was a member of the Huskers’ 1970 and 1971 national championship teams.

Defensively, Fresno State has surrendered more than 50 points in each of its first two games. In addition to allowing 55.5 points per game, the Bulldogs are allowing an average of 613.5 yards per game. FSU ranks last nationally in scoring defense and next-to-last in total defense. Opponents average 6.6 yards per play against the Bulldogs.

Series History
The only previous meeting between Nebraska and Fresno State came on Sept, 10, 2011 in Lincoln, when the 10th-ranked Huskers held off Fresno State, 42-29. Ameer Abdullah, then a freshman, set a school record with 211 kickoff return yards, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Kenny Bell had his first career reception against Fresno State, a 42-yard grab in the second quarter.

Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini
Bo Pelini is in his seventh season as Nebraska’s head coach and owns a 60-24 record with the Huskers. Pelini has won or shared four divisional titles in his first six seasons as head coach, including the 2012 Big Ten Legends Division crown. He guided NU to three straight Big 12 North Division crowns from 2008 to 2010, becoming the first coach in the history of the Big 12 to win at least a share of a division title in each of his first three years. 

He has guided Nebraska to at least nine wins each of his six seasons, and three 10-win seasons. Pelini is third on the Nebraska career victories list, trailing only Tom Osborne and Bob Devaney. 
Pelini took charge of the Huskers after a highly successful five-year run as a collegiate defensive coordinator, including orchestrating NU’s defensive efforts in 2003. Pelini picked up his first college head coaching victory as NU’s interim coach in the 2003 Alamo Bowl against Michigan State.

Following his one season at Nebraska, Pelini served as the co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2004, helping the Sooners to the Big 12 title and BCS title game. He then followed with three seasons as the defensive coordinator at LSU. With the Tigers, Pelini led three consecutive defenses to No. 3 national rankings in total defense. He culminated his time in Baton Rouge by helping the Tigers to the 2007 national championship.

In addition to his five seasons as an assistant at the collegiate level, Pelini coached in the NFL for nine seasons, serving three years each with the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. Pelini was a team captain and four-year letterman as a safety at Ohio State from 1987 to 1990.

Fresno State Head Coach Tim DeRuyter
Tim DeRuyter is in his third season at Fresno State, where he has guided the Bulldogs to a 20-8 record. DeRuyter inherited an FSU team that went 4-9 in 2011 before he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Mountain West championships in 2012 and 2013. With a pair of conference titles in his first two seasons, DeRuyter ended Fresno State’s 13-year drought without a conference championship. Last fall, Fresno State began the season 10-0 and defeated Utah State in the Mountain West Championship Game. DeRuyter has taken Fresno State to a bowl game in each of his first two seasons.

Fresno State has been especially tough at home in DeRuyter’s first two seasons. FSU is a perfect 12-0 at Bulldog Stadium under DeRuyter. Fresno State has scored at least 37 points in each of its 12 home games under DeRuyter, while averaging 51.9 points per game at Bulldog Stadium the past two seasons. Fresno State has been held under 40 points only twice in 12 home games under DeRuyter.

A graduate of the Air Force Academy in 1985, DeRuyter came to Fresno State after serving as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Texas A&M in 2010 and 2011. He served as defensive coordinator for his alma mater from 2007 to 2009, after coordinating the defenses at Nevada (2005-06), Ohio (2002-04 and 1995-98) and Navy (1999-2000). DeRuyter also coached the Navy secondary in 2001 and was an assistant coach at Air Force from 1989 to 1992.

Huskers Set for Road Opener 
Nebraska hits the road for the first time in 2014, traveling to Fresno State for its road opener. The Huskers will be looking to win their road opener for the second straight season, after winning 42-7 at Purdue in the 2013 road opener. The Huskers’ task in Fresno will not be easy as the Bulldogs own the nation’s longest home winning streak at 13 games.

Last season, Nebraska ended Michigan’s home winning streak at 19 games with a 17-13 November victory.

Nebraska is 3-3 in road openers under Bo Pelini, including a 2-2 mark in road openers against non-conference opponents. Nebraska finished 4-1 away from home in 2013, including a 3-1 record in road games. The Huskers own a 19-9 overall road record under Pelini.

Huskers vs. Mountain West
Nebraska will square off with a member of the Mountain West Conference for the second straight season after defeating Wyoming in the 2013 season opener in Lincoln. Nebraska has had good success against the Mountain West Conference over the years. 

- Nebraska is 33-2 all-time against current members of the Mountain West Conference, including its 2011 victory over Fresno State.

- Nebraska has 2016 home games scheduled against Fresno State and fellow Mountain West Conference member Wyoming. Both of those games complete three-game series against the opponents.

Game-Winning Touchdown Latest Addition to Abdullah's Legacy
Senior I-back Ameer Abdullah has quickly exhibited why he is a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy during the first two weeks of the 2014 season. Abdullah opened the season against Florida Atlantic with 21 carries for a career-high 232 yards and a touchdown in a 55-7 win over Florida Atlantic. His play earned him Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors for the second time in his career. 

While the numbers in the opener were impressive, Abdullah produced a signature moment against McNeese State when the Huskers needed it most. With the game tied 24-24 in the final minute, Abdullah unleashed a highlight-reel 58-yard catch and run for a touchdown that gave Nebraska a 31-24 victory. Abdullah finished the day with 184 all-purpose yards, including a career-high 96 receiving yards on three receptions.

Abdullah entered the year as the active career leader in the FBS ranks in all-purpose yards, while ranking third in career rushing yards. His Big Ten-leading 1,690 rushing yards in 2013 were the most for any returning player in the FBS ranks.

His 232 yards rushing against FAU ranked as the 15th-best rushing effort in school history, and bettered his previous career best of 225 yards against Illinois in 2013. The outing marked his 18th career 100-yard rushing game, the third-most in Nebraska history.

The impressive two-game start to 2014 has the Homewood, Ala., native in rare company in Nebraska history.

- Abdullah has become the eighth player in Nebraska history to top 3,000 career rushing yards and the third NU I-back to join that group since 2010. Abdullah has increased his career rushing total to 3,263 yards to move into the No. 6 spot on the Husker career rushing list. Abdullah is just 66 rushing yards from the top five on the NU career list. He would need 1,518 yards the remainder of the year to surpass Rozier’s school-record total of 4,780 yards.

- Abdullah has topped 1,000 yards on the ground each of the past two seasons, and is one of only nine players in Nebraska history with a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Abdullah is attempting to become the first player in Husker history with three 1,000-yard seasons.

- Abdullah’s 1,690 yards in 2013 were fourth on the NU single-season rushing list. The rushing yardage total was the highest by a Nebraska player since 1997.

- Abdullah was the first Husker to reach 1,000 rushing yards in eight or fewer games since Ahman Green in 1997.

- Abdullah rushed for 100 or more yards in 11 of 13 games in 2013, including a season-high 225 yards against Illinois. His 11 100-yard games tied the school record, also held by Rozier, Green and Lawrence Phillips. Abdullah rushed for 100 yards in eight straight games last season, tying the fourth-longest streak in school history.

- Abdullah has 18 career 100-yard rushing efforts, passing Eric Crouch (17) against FAU for the third-most in school history. The 18 100-yard games, trails only Rozier (26) and Green (20) on the NU career list.

- In addition to his running skills, Abdullah is a receiving threat out of the backfield. He had 26 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns in 2013 and has 55 career receptions. His 96 receiving yards against McNeese State were a career high and the most by a Husker running back since Marlon Lucky had eight catches for 115 yards at Colorado in 2007.

- Abdullah had 1,999 all-purpose yards in 2013, the No. 3 single-season total in school history. With 241 all-purpose yards against Florida Atlantic and 184 against McNeese State, Abdullah has increased his career all-purpose yardage total to 5,339 yards. He has joined Heisman winners Johnny Rodgers and Mike Rozier as the only players to top 5,000 career all-purpose yards and is 247 all-purpose yards from the top spot on the NU career list.

- Abdullah has scored a total of 29 touchdowns during his Nebraska career and has reached the end zone four different ways. He has 21 career rushing touchdowns, including two in 2014, five receiving touchdowns, as well as a punt return touchdown and a touchdown on a kickoff return.

Huskers Bidding for Seventh Straight Nine-Win Season
Nebraska posted a 9-4 record in 2013, capped by a victory over Georgia in the Gator Bowl. The nine-win season in 2013 was Nebraska’s sixth straight under Head Coach Bo Pelini’s leadership and put Nebraska in elite company. 

- Nebraska is one of three schools that has won at least nine games each of the past six seasons, joining Alabama and Oregon.

- Pelini has guided Nebraska to 10-win seasons in three of his six seasons.

- The six straight years with at least nine wins marks the first time NU has accomplished that since its NCAA record streak of 33 straight nine-win seasons from 1969 to 2001.

- Nebraska has 48 nine-win seasons in school history, including 40 since 1969. The Huskers’ 27 all-time 10-win seasons are third-most in college football history.

Click on the "Game Notes" link in the related links section at the top of this page for more notes on this weekend's game.