Huskers Hit the Road for First Time in 2015

GAME 3: NEBRASKA at MIAMI
SEPT 19, 2015 | SUN LIFE STADIUM
MIAMI, FLA. | 2:30 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ABC/ESPN2 (Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 81, XM 81
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 1-1, 0-0
Last Game: So. Alabama, W, 48-9
Rankings: RV
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 94-81 (15th Year)/ 1-1 (1st Year) 
vs. Miami: 0-0

HURRICANES
Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Game: FAU, W, 44-20
Rankings: RV
Coach: Al Golden
Career/Miami. Record: 57-56 (10th Year)/30-22 (5th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 0-1

The Matchup
Nebraska hits the road for the first time in 2015, traveling to the Sunshine State for a matchup with the Miami Hurricanes. Kickoff for the game will be shortly after 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. local), with the game televised nationally on either ABC or ESPN2.

The matchup features two of college football's storied programs, with the schools combining for 10 national championships, including eight since 1983. The schools have numerous memorable meetings in the past, most recently a Nebraska win in Lincoln last fall that gave the Huskers a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series between the programs.

Nebraska will bring a 1-1 record into the contest following a 48-9 victory over South Alabama last Saturday night in Lincoln. The Huskers played a complete game on both sides of the ball. Offensively, NU had good balance in rolling up 561 yards of total offense, while the Blackshirts limited the Jaguars to just 19 rushing yards.

Miami is 2-0 after posting a 44-20 victory at FAU on Friday night. The Hurricanes rolled up better than 500 yards of total offense in the win over the Owls, including 287 passing yards by quarterback Brad Kaaya.

The game marks Nebraska's first regular-season game in Florida since a 1951 road contest against Miami. NU has since played 22 bowl games in Florida, including 17 Orange Bowls, with two of those at Sun Life Stadium.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 875-362-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 875 victories.

• Nebraska has won five national titles (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997).

• The Huskers have won 43 conference championships.

• Nebraska’s 51 all-time bowl appearances rank third nationally.

• Three Huskers have won the Heisman Trophy (Rodgers, Rozier, Crouch).

• Nebraska’s 107 football Academic All-Americans lead the nation.

• The Huskers have 110 first-team All-Americans in school history.

• Nebraska football is the only team in any sport in NCAA history to total 100 athletic and academic All-Americans.

• Memorial Stadium has been sold out every game since Nov. 2, 1962, a streak of 343 consecutive sellouts.

Huskers-'Canes Share Memorable Series History
Nebraska and Miami will meet for the 12th time on Saturday. The series has featured many memorable games, including several with a national championship on the line.

• Six of the 11 meetings have been in bowl games, including the five matchups prior to last season. In those last six NU-UM games, the winner was crowned as the national champion four times.

• The first meeting in 1951 (Miami) was a 19-7 Hurricane win. It also marked the first night game in NU history.

• Nebraska's 36-34 win in the 1962 Gotham Bowl in New York was the Huskers' first-ever bowl victory.

• The 1984 Orange Bowl marked the first time the winner was crowned national champion. Miami also completed a title run by defeating NU in the 1992 Orange Bowl and captured the crown with victory in the 2002 Rose Bowl.

• NU rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit for a 24-17 win in the 1995 Orange Bowl. That win secured the first of three national titles in four years under Tom Osborne.

• Overall, Nebraska and Miami combined for seven national titles in 15 seasons from 1983 to 1997, facing each other in four bowl games during that span.

• The Huskers' 41-31 win last season in Lincoln was the first regular-season matchup since 1976. NU rushed for 343 yards in the victory.

• Nebraska and Miami's history also extends off the field. Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst served in the same role at Miami in 2011 and 2012, before moving to Lincoln. Nebraska Executive Associate A.D. Steve Waterfield also served on Eichorst's staff in Coral Gables. Miami Athletic Director Blake James worked in the Nebraska development office in 1997 and 1998.

Huskers are Frequent Visitors to State of Florida
Florida is a regular destination for the Nebraska Football program in the postseason. Nebraska has played 22 bowl games in Florida, including 17 appearances in the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Two of Nebraska's 17 Orange Bowl appearances came at Sun Life Stadium. First a 41-21 victory over Virginia Tech following the 1996 season, and a 42-17 win against Tennessee to clinch the 1997 national title–Nebraska's third national title in four seasons.

• Nebraska's most recent visits to Florida have been a stretch of four bowl games in six years in the Sunshine State. NU played in the 2009 and 2014 Gator Bowls (Jacksonville) and appeared in the 2012 and 2013 Capital One Bowls (Orlando).

• Nebraska is 10-12 in bowl games played in Florida and 10-13 overall in the state.

• The Huskers' only regular-season game in Florida was the 19-7 loss to Miami in 1951.
Nebraska visits NFL Venue
Nebraska will play two road games in stadiums that will serve as home venues for NFL teams this season. In addition to Saturday's game at Sun Life Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins, NU will also visit Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium on Oct. 17. TCF Bank Staidum is the temporary home of the Minnesota Vikings.

• Since 2004, Nebraska has played 12 games in stadiums that are serving as NFL stadiums in 2015. The Huskers are 5-7 in those games.

• Nebraska's games at Minnesota in 2011 and 2013 are the most recent road games in a current NFL stadium.

• The Huskers' last regular-season game in a permanent home of an NFL team came in 2004 against Pitt. NU posted a 24-17 win over the Panthers at Heinz Field–the home of the six-time world champion Steelers.

Huskers vs. ACC
The home-and-home series with Miami marks the third recent two-game series with an ACC opponent. Nebraska had home-and-home series' with Wake Forest (2005 and 2007) and Virginia Tech (2008 and 2009).

Nebraska won both games against Wake Forest, while dropping a pair of close games against Virginia Tech.

• Nebraska owns a 27-38-3 all-time record against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. However, 53 of those games occurred against opponents that were not in the ACC at the time of the game (Miami, Florida State, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia Tech).

• Nebraska is 22-27-3 in regular-season games against current ACC teams.

NU Set for Road Opener
Nebraska will hit the road for the first time in 2015 with its game at Miami. Nebraska has won its past two road openers, posting victories at Purdue in 2013 and at Fresno State last fall. The Huskers have posted a 14-6 record in road openers since 1995.

Nebraska also has a 14-6 record in its past 20 non-conference road games.

Huskers Getting Production From All Parts of Roster
Nebraska has an excellent mix of experience and youth contributing to both the offense and defense in 2015.

The Huskers' two-deep roster includes ample experience, with 15 seniors listed on the current depth chart. However, youth is also being served in Lincoln in 2015.

Through two games, non-seniors have produced the following percentages of statistics for Nebraska.

Non-Senior Production
• Rushing: 89% (343 of 384 yards)
• Passing: 100% (622 of 622 yards)
• Receiving: 93% (580 of 622 yards)
• Scoring: 92% (70 of 76 points)
• Total Offense: 96% (965 of 1,006 yards)
• All-Purpose Yards: 92% (1,011 of 1,094 yards)
• Tackles: 75% (93 of 124 tackles)
• Tackles for Loss: 78% (13 of 17 TFL)
• Sacks: 80% (4 of 5 sacks)
• Interceptions: 100% (2 of 2 INT)

First-Time Starters Continue to Debut for Huskers
Nebraska had seven players make their first career starts in the season opener against BYU on Sept. 5. Another four Huskers made their first career starts in week two, giving Nebraska 12 players who have made their first career starts in 2015.

First-Time Starters in 2015
• Chongo Kondolo, RG (2 games)
• Nick Gates, RT (2 games)
• Terrell Newby, IB (2 games)
• Lane Hovey, WR (BYU)
• David Sutton, TE (BYU)
• Dedrick Young, LB (BYU)
• Aaron Williams, S (BYU)
• Stanley Morgan Jr., WR (South Alabama)
• Freedom Akinmoladun, DE (South Alabama)
• Chris Weber, LB, (South Alabama)
• Marcus Newby, LB (South Alabama)
• Tyson Broekemeier, P (South Alabama)

Williams and Young joined an exclusive group of true freshmen to start in a season opener, becoming just the fourth and fifth true freshmen position players to start a season opener since freshmen regained NCAA eligibility in 1972. Stanley Morgan Jr. became the third true freshman to earn a start in 2015, when he was in the lineup for the opening snap against South Alabama.

True Freshmen to Start a Nebraska Season Opener*
• Dedrick Young, LB (2015)
• Aaron Williams, S (2015)
• Tyler Moore, RT (2011)
• Terrence Nunn, WR (2004)
• Ralph Brown, CB (1996)
*since 1972 when freshmen were made eligible

Husker Offense Starting Fast 

The Nebraska offense has been fast out of the gates this season. The Huskers have scored touchdowns on their opening possession in each of the first two games.

• vs. BYU, 9 plays, 88 yards, 3:47 (17 rush, 71 pass)
• vs. USA, 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:51 (40 rush, 35 pass)

The opening drive success has carried over to the entire first quarter. Nebraska has scored touchdowns on four of its six first-quarter drives this season. NU led BYU 14-7 after the first quarter and held a 14-0 lead after the opening frame against South Alabama.

First Quarter Offensive Stats
• vs. BYU: 21 plays, 180 yards
• vs. South Alabama: 21 plays, 147 yards
• Two Game Avg: 7.8 ypp, 14.0 ppg

Blackshirts Stopping run
The Blackshirt defense has also contributed to quick starts for the Huskers. In two games, Nebraska opponents have combined to rush for two yards in the first quarter.

BYU ran the ball six times for six yards in the first quarter of the opener. Last week, South Alabama had -4 rushing yards on five first-quarter carries.

The strong rush defense has continued for 60 minutes for the Blackshirts. Nebraska held South Alabama to 19 rushing yards, its best run defense effort since Michigan had -17 rushing yards in 2013. NU is allowing 75.5 rushing yards per game to rank 17th in the nation.

* Check out the attached Nebraska Games Notes PDF for more notes