Huskers Host Badgers in Big Ten Home Opener

GAME 6: NEBRASKA vs. WISCONSIN
OCT. 10, 2015 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 2:30 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ABC (Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer, Olivia Harlan)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 135, XM 195
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 2-3, 0-1 Big Ten
Last Game: Illinois, L, 14-13
Rankings: NR
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 95-83 (15th Year)/2-3 (1st Year) 
vs. Wisconsin: 1-1

BADGERS
Record: 3-2, 0-1 Big Ten 
Last Game: Iowa, L, 10-6
Rankings: NR
Coach: Paul Chryst
Career/Wisconsin Record: 22-21 (4th Year)/3-2 (1st Year)
vs. Nebraska: 0-0

The Matchup
Nebraska opens its Big Ten Conference home slate on Saturday afternoon when the Huskers welcome Wisconsin to Memorial Stadium. Kickoff in front of the 344th consecutive sellout in Lincoln is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT) with the game televised nationally on ABC and ESPN2 in outer markets.

The Huskers enter the game with a 2-3 record following a 14-13 loss at Illinois on Saturday. Nebraska continues to drop heartbreaking losses in 2015, with three losses in the final seconds or overtime on the opponent's final offensvie play.

Wisconsin comes into the game with a 3-2 record after a 10-6 loss to Iowa on Saturday in its Big Ten opener in Madison. The Badgers had won three straight games since losing to Alabama in the season opener. Wisconsin has been especially impressive on defense, allowing just 278 yards per game, and holding its past four opponents to a combined 13 points.

The Freedom Trophy will be on the line in Saturday's game, and the contest figures to play a role in the 2015 Big Ten West race. The two schools have been prominent in the Big Ten race the past several years. Since the inception of the Big Ten Championship Game in 2011, the schools have made a combined four appearances in the contest, including meeting in the 2012 title game.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 876-364-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 876 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 344 consecutive sellouts.

Freedom Trophy at Stake
The winner of Saturday's will take possession of the Freedom Trophy. The Freedom Trophy features a bronze football stadium with an American flag extending from the center. One half of the outside of the stadium depicts the North section of Camp Randall Stadium and the other half the East side of Memorial Stadium. The stadium and flag sculpture sits on top of a wooden base that has dedicated space for future Wisconsin-Nebraska game scores.

The trophy was created in 2014, the first year Nebraska and Wisconsin met annually as members of the Big Ten West division. The Badgers took home the trophy in its inaugural year, defeating the Huskers in Madison.

• Wisconsin holds a 5-4 overall edge in the series, with Nebraska winning all three meetings in Lincoln.

Riley, Chryst Share Long History
Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley and Wisconsin head man Paul Chryst will be familiar and friendly foes on opposing sidelines Saturday.

The duo has a long coaching history together. Chryst worked for Riley on two different occasions at Oregon State, and was also on Riley's staff with the World League's San Antonio Riders.

Chryst served as the Beavers' offensive coordinator in 2003 and 2004 when Riley returned to Corvallis. Chryst was also on the OSU staff in 1997 and 1998 as an assistant coach. The two first worked together in 1991 and 1992 when Chryst was an offensive assistant on Riley's San Antonio staff.

Nebraska, Wisconsin Ties
The ties between Riley and Chryst are far from the only Nebraska-Wisconsin connections.

• Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst was on the Wisconsin athletics staff from 2006 to 2011, including serving as the Badgers' Deputy Athletic Director from 2009 to 2011. Eichorst is a native of Lone Rock, Wis., and a UW-Whitewater graduate.

• Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and a former Blackshirt. Alvarez lettered as a linebacker for Coach Bob Devaney's Huskers from 1965 to 1967.

• Wisconsin assistants Ted Gilmore (2005 to 2010) and Joe Rudolph (2007) both spent time on the Nebraska coaching staff.

NU Strong Against Big Ten Opponents in Lincoln
Nebraska has had good success against conference foes at Memorial Stadium since joining the Big Ten in 2011.

• The Huskers own a 12-4 record against Big Ten opponents at Memorial Stadium since joining the conference.

• Nebraska won the only matchup against Wisconsin in Lincoln since joining the Big Ten. Nebraska rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat Wisconsin 30-27 in Lincoln in 2012. The 17-point rally is tied for the second-largest in school history.

Nebraska Suffers Three Losses in Final Seconds
Nebraska returns to Lincoln for Saturday's game with a 2-3 record after a 14-13 loss at Illinois. The Illini scored with 10 seconds remaining to steal the victory, marking NU's third heartbreaking loss of 2015.

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

• The Huskers 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 one-point win.

• The two final play losses are the first for Nebraska since the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game. Texas kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to beat the Huskers.

• The 2009 team also lost 16-15 at Virginia Tech as the Hokies scored in the final 20 seconds. However, the 2015 season is the only time in at least the past 35 seasons Nebraska has lost a pair of games on the final play.

Huskers Getting Production from Youth on 2015 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 five games non-seniors have produced the following percentages of statistics for Nebraska, showing that the future looks bright.

Non-Senior Production
• Rushing: 82% (791 of 966 yards)
• Passing: 100% (1,404 of 1,404 yards)
• Receiving: 91% (1,282 of 1,404 yards)
• Scoring: 92% (146 of 158 points)
• Total Offense: 93% (2,195 of 2,370 yards)
• All-Purpose Yards: 89% (2,371 of 2,668 yards)
• Tackles: 78% (251 of 321 tackles)
• Tackles for Loss: 88% (36 of 41 TFL)
• Sacks: 92% (11 of 12 sacks)
• Interceptions: 100% (3 of 3 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 five Huskers made their first career starts in week two, and Nebraska has continued to embody the "Next Man Up" philosophy while battling early-season injuries.

First-Time Starters in 2015 (15)
• Chongo Kondolo, RG (5 games)
• Nick Gates, RT (5 games)
• Terrell Newby, IB (5 games)
• Lane Hovey, WR (2 games)
• David Sutton, TE (BYU)
• Dedrick Young, LB (4 games)
• Aaron Williams, S (BYU)
• Stanley Morgan Jr., WR (2 games)
• Freedom Akinmoladun, DE (4 games)
• Chris Weber, LB, (3 games)
• Marcus Newby, LB (2 games)
• Tyson Broekemeier, P (South Alabama)
• Jonathan Rose, CB (2 games)
• Chris Jones, CB (Illinois)
• Kevin Maurice, DT (Illinois)

Huskers Continue to Battle Early-Season Injury Bug
Nebraska battled its share of injuries during fall camp and the first half of the 2015 season.

The receiver position was hit the hardest in August. The bug has spread to several position areas since the start of the season, notably the defensive line and linebacking corps.

Sophomore receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El suffered a foot injury in mid-August that sidelined him for the first four games, before he returned in a limited role at Illinois.

• True freshman receiver Lavan Alston suffered a knee injury that required season-ending surgery.

• Senior tight end David Sutton used a strong fall camp to earn a starting role. However, he suffered a serious ankle sprain against BYU that will keep him out for up to two months.

• Junior tight end Trey Foster sprained an ankle in late August, and has played at less than 100 percent all season.

• Starting linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey (groin) left the Miami game early, and will miss at least four weeks with the injury.

• Starting linebackers Josh Banderas (groin) has missed three of the past four games, while fellow starter Dedrick Young (toe) was unable to play against South Alabama. returned against Miami.

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

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

• Senior defensive tackle Kevin Williams (groin) missed the Illinois game and is likely to remain sidelined this week.

• Punter Sam Foltz sprained his ankle against BYU and missed the South Alabama game, before returning at Miami.

The injuries have forced NU to use 19 different starters on defense alone through five games.

Games Lost By Injury in 2015*
• De'Mornay Pierson-El, WR 4
• David Sutton, TE 4
• Jack Gangwish, DE 3
• Vincent Valentine, DT 3
• Josh Banderas, LB 3
• Michael Rose-Ivey, LB 2
• Kevin Williams, DT 1
• Dedrick Young, LB 1
• Daniel Davie, CB 1
• Sam Foltz, P 1
* Projected starters or key reserves only

Tommy Armstrong Jr. in Third Season Under Center
Junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. is in his third season guiding the NU offense. The Cibolo, Texas, native has an 18-8 record as the starter, including starting the past 19 games.

Armstrong had a strong sophomore season in 2014, and has had a strong start to 2015.

• Armstrong has completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,371 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015.

• Armstrong had his fourth career 300-yard passing game and third of 2015 with 368 yards against Southern Miss (319 vs. BYU, 309 at Miami). Armstrong's other 300-yard game was a career-high 381 yards against USC in the 2014 Holiday Bowl.

• Through five games, Armstrong is first in the Big Ten and 17th nationally by averaging 274.2 passing yards per game.

• Armstrong has 12 200-yard passing games, all since the start of the 2014 season. Armstrong passed for at least 200 yards in seven straight games, before being limited to 105 yards at Illinois.

• Armstrong has 5,032 career passing yards, good for fifth on the NU passing list. He became the fifth 5,000-yard passer in school history at Illinois. Armstrong is just the second to reach that total before his senior season (Taylor Martinez).

• Armstrong had four touchdown passes against Miami, all in the second half. He now has five career games with at least three touchdown passes. Dating back to last season, Armstrong has 18 touchdown passes in his past seven games, including 11 in 2015.

• His 42 career passing touchdowns are fifth on the NU career charts. His 22 passing touchdowns in 2014 were the fourth most in school history.

• Armstrong threw for at least one touchdown in 10 straight games prior to the Illinois game. That streak was one shy of the Nebraska school record.

• Armstrong had a career-high 431 yards of total offense against Southern Miss, bettering his 422 yards against USC in the Holiday Bowl. Armstrong has seven career games of at least 300 yards of total offense.

• Armstrong is averaging 305.4 yards of total offense per game to rank first in the Big Ten and 20th nationally.

• Armstrong ranks ninth in the nation in passes of more than 10 yards (58) and is 12th in passes of 20-plus yards (23).

• Armstrong cracked the 6,000-yard total offense mark against Illinois, and sits No. 3 on the NU career total offense list with 6,095 yards. He was the third player in school history to reach 5,000 yards before their senior season (Martinez, Eric Crouch).
• Against Southern Miss, Armstrong became the 10th Nebraska quarterback to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards. He now has 1,063 rushing yards.

• Armstrong is one of only eight active FBS quarterbacks with 5,000 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards. The other seven QBs on the list are seniors.

• Armstrong is one of only two quarterbacks in school history to start 20 games or more before the end of their sophomore season, joining Taylor Martinez.

• Armstrong is one of only 13 players in the FBS ranks to run, throw and catch a touchdown pass during their career.

• Armstrong set Nebraska bowl records for attempts (51), completions (32), passing yards (381) and total offense yards (422) in the Holiday Bowl against USC.

 

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