Huskers Meet Boilermakers on Halloween

GAME 9: NEBRASKA at PURDUE
OCT. 31, 2015 | ROSS-ADE STADIUM
WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. | 11 a.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ESPNU (Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 135, XM 195
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 3-5, 1-3 Big Ten
Last Game: Northwestern, L, 30-28
Rankings: NR
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 96-85 (15th Year)/3-5 (1st Year) 
vs. Northwestern: First meeting

BOILERMAKERS
Record: 1-6, 0-3 Big Ten 
Last Game: Wisconsin, L, 24-7
Rankings: NR
Coach: Dareel Hazell
Career/Purdue Record: 21-36 (5th Year)/5-26 (3rd Year)
vs. Nebraska: 0-2

The Matchup
Nebraska hits the road for the third time in Big Ten Conference play when the Huskers travel to Purdue. The matchup of Big Ten West foes will kick off at Noon ET on Halloween at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

Nebraska comes into the game with a 3-5 overall record and a 1-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Huskers are coming off a 30-28 loss to Northwestern on Saturday in Lincoln. Nebraska has lost its five games this season by a total of 13 points.

The matchup completes a stretch of five straight games against West Division opponents to open league play. Following Saturday's game at Purdue, Nebraska will play East Division opponents Michigan State and Rutgers before completing regular-season play against West Division rival Iowa on Nov. 27 in Lincoln.

Purdue comes into the game with a 1-6 record, including an 0-3 Big Ten record. The Boilermakers had an extra week to prepare for Nebraska with a bye last Saturday. The Boilermakers have suffered three losses by 10 or fewer points, including a three-point setback at sixth-ranked Michigan State on Oct. 3.

Nebraska's trip to West Lafayette will mark the third meeting between the two schools as Big Ten foes, with the Huskers winning both matchups.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 877-366-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 877 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 345 consecutive sellouts.

Huskers Look to Continue Mastery of Boilermakers
Nebraska has won both matchups with Purdue since joining the Big Ten Conference. The teams did not meet in 2011 and 2012 during NU's first two years in the conference, but will now play each year as Big Ten West foes.

• Nebraska defeated Purdue, 44-7, in West Lafayette in 2013, pitching a shutout for the first 59 minutes of the game.

• Last season, Nebraska defeated Purdue, 35-14, in Lincoln in the first-ever meeting at Memorial Stadium.

• Nebraska holds a 2-1 advantage overall against the Boilermakers, with Purdue winning in 1958.

Nebraska-Purdue Series
Games: 3
Standing: Nebraska leads, 2-1
At West Lafayette: Series tied, 1-1
At Lincoln: Nebraska leads, 1-0
Current win streak (start): NU, 2 games (2013)

Huskers Look to Build on Road Success
Nebraska's trip to Purdue marks its fourth of five road games this season. Nebraska is 1-2 away from Lincoln, winning at Minnesota on Oct. 17, after losing in overtime at Miami and suffering a one-point setback at Illinois.

Nebraska has a solid record on the road in Big Ten play since joining the league in 2011. Nebraska is 11-7 overall in Big Ten road games, including a 2013 win at Purdue.

• Nebraska has had a .500 or better road record in each of its first four seasons in the league, including 3-1 marks in 2012 and 2013.

2015 Huskers Suffer Five Close Losses
Nebraska heads to Purdue following a 30-28 loss to Northwestern in Lincoln. The loss was Nebraska's fifth tough loss of 2015. In Nebraska's five losses have come by a total of 13 points.

Nebraska's first four losses were more heartbreaking than the Northwesternn loss. Each of the first four setbacks occurred with the opponent scoring the winning points on the game's final play or in overtime.

According to Stats, Inc., Nebraska is only the second FBS team since 2006 to lose four games in which the opponent scored the winning points in the final 10 seconds or overtime. (SMU, 2007).

• Nebraska's 33-28 loss to BYU came when the Cougars completed a Hail Mary on the game's final play as time expired.

• NU rallied from a 23-point fourth-quarter deficit at Miami to force overtime. The Hurricanes escaped with a 36-33 win after kicking a walk-off game-winning field goal.
• The third close loss came as Illinois drove 72 yards in the game's final minute and scored with 10 seconds left for a 14-13 win.

• Wisconsin kicked a 46-yard game-winning field goal with four seconds left for a 23-21 win. The Badgers drove 46 yards in six plays in 59 seconds to get into field goal range.

Huskers Continue to Battle Injury Bug
Nebraska has battled an unusually large number of injuries in 2015. The Huskers' injury situation began to improve last week and Coach Mike Riley is hoping for a healthy stretch run.

Those on the injured list as of last week include:

• Senior defensive tackle Kevin Williams (groin) has missed the past four games, but is hopeful of returning this week.

• Junior defensive tackle Kevin Maurice made his first career start at Illinois and had eight tackles, but suffered a foot injury in the game. He has missed the past three games, but could return this week.

• Sophomore linebacker Chris Weber has started four games at middle linebacker this season. He has been sidelined the past two weeks by a neck injury.

• Redshirt freshman linebacker Luke Gifford (hip) has been sidelined the past two games.

Several other defenders have returned to action in recent weeks after missing significant time in 2015.

• Junior defensive tackle Vincent Valentine (ankle) was injured in the second half against South Alabama and missed three games, before returning for the past three outings.

• Redshirt freshman defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun (knee) started four games after other injuries at defensive end. Akinmoladun missed the Wisconsin and Minnesota contests, but returned against Northwestern.

• Starting linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey suffered a groin injury during the Miami game and missed the next four games. He returned in a limited role against Northwestern and is nearing full strength.

• Starting linebacker Josh Banderas (groin) missed four of five games before returning to action against Minnesota and Northwestern.

• Senior cornerback Daniel Davie (groin) missed three games before returning to start against Northwestern. Davie started the first three games of 2015.

• Senior defensive end and captain Jack Gangwish (elbow) was injured against BYU and missed the following three games before returning against Illinois.

• True freshman linebacker Dedrick Young (toe) was unable to play against South Alabama.

Westerkamp is Leader of Strong NU Receiving Corps
Junior receiver Jordan Westerkamp is the leader of an outstanding Husker receiving corps and one of six team captains for 2015. Westerkamp has had great production throughout his career, putting him in a position to make a strong impression on the NU record book.

In 2015, Westerkamp has 40 catches for 535 yards and four touchdowns, an average of 13.4 yards per catch.

• Westerkamp is fifth the Big Ten in receptions per game (5.0) and seventh in receiving yards per game (66.9).

• With 40 catches for 535 yards, Westerkamp continues to move up the NU charts. He is sixth on the NU career receiving yardage list with 1,565 yards, and in good position to move to fourth by season's end.

• Westerkamp had a career-high 11 receptions for 118 yards against Southern Miss. The 11 catches were tied for third on the Nebraska single-game receptions list.

• The 118-yard receiving day was his second 100-yard game of the season (107 vs. BYU) and the fifth of his career. The five career 100-yard games are sixth on the Nebraska 100-yard receiving game list.

• Westerkamp is eighth on the NU career receptions list with 104. He is the ninth player in school history with 100 career receptions.

• Westerkamp caught a touchdown pass in five straight games prior to not having a TD at Illinois. The streak was one shy of the NU school record of six consecutive games with a TD reception set by Johnny Rodgers in 1971.

• Westerkamp (118) and fellow junior Brandon Reilly (112) each topped 100 receiving yards against Southern Miss. That marked only the second time in NU history a pair of wideouts topped 100 receiving yards in the same game. Westerkamp and Kenny Bell combined for the feat against FAU in 2014.

• Westerkamp has caught a pass in 21 straight games, marking the eighth time in school history a player has had a streak of at least 20 consecutive games with a catch.

• Westerkamp caught 44 passes last season, ranking just outside of the Nebraska single-season top 10 in receptions.

• Westerkamp averaged 17.0 yards per catch last season, with 747 receiving yards on his 44 receptions. The 747 yards were the 11th-best season total in school history.

Husker Aerial Attack Strong
Nebraska topped the 300-yard passing mark in each of the first four games this season. The Huskers average 260.6 passing yards per game to rank second in the Big Ten.

Nebraska topped the 300-yard passing mark in five straight games before being held to 105 yards through the air on a blustery day at Illinois. That tied the longest streak of 300-yard passing games in Nebraska history, matching a streak that spanned the final four games of the 2007 season and the 2008 opener.

• Nebraska's passing success is in large part due to excellent protection. The Huskers have allowed 10 sacks this season, and the 1.25 sacks per game allowed is second in the Big Ten and 20th nationally.

NU Offense Continuing Strong 2015 Production
Nebraska ranks third in the Big Ten in total offense at 441.5 yards per game. Nebraska's top output of the season was against Southern Miss when NU gained 610 yards and had 10 plays of at least 20 yards.

• Through eight games, Nebraska has 138 plays from scrimmage of at least 10 yards. That total ranks 13th in the nation, and is the 21st-most among Big Ten teams.

• Nebraska is one of 11 teams in the FBS ranks to rank in the top 40 nationally in rushing and passing offense. The Huskers are the only team in the Big Ten among that group.

• Nebraska scored 48 points at Minnesota, marking its highest scoring output in a Big Ten Conference game. The last time NU scored more points in a conference game was a 51-41 win at Oklahoma State in 2010.

• The offensive output sparked the 23-point win at Minnesota, marking NU's fourth Big Ten road win of 20 points or more since joining the league in 2011.

Newby Leading Running Game
Nebraska has produced three 200-yard rushing games in 2015, and is 3-0 when topping that rushing plateau. The Huskers rank seventh in the Big Ten in rushing offense at 180.9 yards per game.

Junior I-back Terrell Newby has paced the running game, by running for 641 yards and five touchdowns. Newby's season was highlighted by a career night against the South Alabama.

Newby rushed 28 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught an eight-yard touchdown pass, giving him a career-high three touchdowns. Newby was honored for his effort as the co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

• Newby had nine rushes of at least 10 yards against USA, including a 32-yard run. He also caught a 30-yard pass out of the backfield.

• Newby had his second 100-yard game of 2015 at Minnesota with 116 yards on just 13 carries. He had a career-long 69-yard touchdown run to open the scoring for Nebraska.
• Newby ranks sixth in the Big Ten in rushing at 80.1 yards per game.

• Newby joined the 1,000-yard career rushing club at Illinois. He has 1,230 career rushing yards, making him the 63rd Husker with 1,000 career rushing yards.

• With 641 rushing yards, Newby is hopeful of continuing a streak of Husker 1,000-yard rushers.

• With Ameer Abdullah posting 1,611 rushing yards in 2014, Nebraska has had a 1,000-yard rusher for six straight seasons. That is the longest stretch for NU since the Huskers had at least one 1,000-yard rusher in a school-record seven straight seasons from 1979 to 1985.

Six Straight 1,000-yard rushers
Year Player Yards
2014 Ameer Abdullah 1,611
2013 Ameer Abdullah 1,690
2012 Ameer Abdullah 1,137
2011 Rex Burkhead 1,357
2010 Roy Helu Jr. 1,245
2009 Roy Helu Jr. 1,147

A Throwback to the Fullback
Senior fullback Andy Janovich has become a primary option in the offense evoking memories of past NU fullback greats.

Janovich first excelled against Southern Miss with five rushes for 68 yards, including runs of 28 and 25 yards. He also caught a 53-yard pass in the game.

• The 68 rushing yards were the most by a Nebraska fullback since Judd Davies rushed for 119 yards at Baylor in 2001.

• The 53-yard reception was the longest by a Nebraska fullback since at least 1979.

Janovich rushed a team-high 11 times for 43 yards at Illinois. The 11 carries were the most by an NU fullback since Judd Davies had 12 carries at Baylor in 2001.

Against Wisconsin, Janovich tied for the team high with 59 rushing yards. In the fourth quarter, he had a 55-yard touchdown run to give NU a 21-20 advantage.

• The 55-yard TD run was the longest run by a Nebraska fullback since a 57-yard run by Judd Davies against Baylor in 2000. The 55-yard Janovich score was the longest TD run by a Husker fullback since Tom Rathman had an 84-yard touchdown run in 1985.

Janovich had entered the Southern Miss game with six career rushing yards and 29 career receiving yards. Over the past five games, he has accumulated 28 carries for 201 yards and 58 receiving yards.

Blackshirts Stopping Run
The Blackshirt defense has shown the ability to be stingy against the run in 2015. NU opponents are averaging 99.1 rushing yards per game. The Huskers are fourth in the Big Ten and 10th nationally in that category.

Nebraska limited Minnesota to 65 rushing yards on Oct. 17, the third opponent to rush for less than 70 yards. Nebraska held Southern Miss to 11 rushing yards, its best run defense effort since Michigan had -17 rushing yards in 2013. South Alabama had just 19 rushing yards.

• NU opponents are gaining 3.5 yards per rush, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten.

Collins Showing Power, Dominance Up Front
Junior defensive tackle Maliek Collins is regarded as one of the leaders of the Blackshirts in 2015. The Kansas City native is one of six captains and a candidate for conference and national honors this fall.

Collins has stepped up his play since the start of Big Ten action, and had his best game at Illinois. Collins' play is a key reason why Nebraska is among the naiton's best against the run.

• Collins had a career-high nine tackles against Illinois, including a career-high 1.5 sacks for 12 yards.

• Collins also tied his career high with three tackles for loss and added a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage.

• Collins has 23 total tackles in 2015, including five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries.

• Collins had a standout sophomore campaign earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. Collins recorded 14 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last season.

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