Huskers Return Home, Host Spartans

GAME 10: NEBRASKA vs MICHIGAN STATE
NOV. 7, 2015 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 6 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ESPN (Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 135, XM 195
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 3-6, 1-4 Big Ten
Last Game: Purdue, L, 55-45
Rankings: NR
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 96-86 (15th Year)/3-6 (1st Year) 
vs. Michigan State: First meeting

SPARTANS
Record: 8-0, 4-0 Big Ten 
Last Game: Indiana, W, 51-26
Rankings: AP-6; Coaches-6
Coach: Mark Dantonio
Career/MSU Record: 101-48 (13th Year)/83-31 (9th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 2-2

The Matchup
Nebraska returns to Lincoln for a prime-time matchup against the unbeaten Michigan State Spartans. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 6 p.m. (CT) with the game televised on ESPN.

The Huskers come into the contest with a 3-6 record, following a 55-45 loss at Purdue. The Huskers continue to be plagued by injuries with quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. out of action at Purdue and several other offensive playmakers sidelined during the game.

Michigan State will arrive at Memorial Stadium with a perfect 8-0 record, including a 4-0 mark in Big Ten Conference action. The Spartans are ranked sixth in both the Associated Press Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll.

The Spartans feature an explosive offense, averaging 413.8 yards per game, including 258.8 passing yards per contest. Overall, Michigan State owns the nation's fourth-longest winning streak at 12 games. The Spartans have also won 12 consecutive Big Ten road games, the nation's second-longest streak of conference road victories.

The unbeaten Spartans will join elite company at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. MSU is just the 10th unbeaten opponent to visit Memorial Stadium in November in the 93-year history of the stadium. Nebraska is 5-3-1 in the previous nine games.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 877-367-40 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 346 consecutive sellouts.

Huskers vs. Ranked Foes
Michigan State comes to Lincoln with an 8-0 record. The Spartans are No. 6 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls this week. The Spartans will test Nebraska's history of success against ranked teams in Lincoln.

• Nebraska has won four of its past six matchups against ranked teams at Memorial Stadium, dating back to 2009.

• The Huskers are 2-1 against ranked Big Ten teams at Memoiral Stadium since 2011, defeating Michigan State in 2011, Michigan in 2012, and losing to Michigan State in 2013.

• Nebraska will be looking to end a three-game overall losing streak against AP ranked teams. The win over No. 22 Georgia in the 2014 Gator Bowl is the Huskers' last win against a ranked foe.

• Michigan State checks in at sixth in this week's polls. Nebraska is 8-21 all-time at Memorial Stadium against opponents ranked sixth or higher in the AP poll.

• The last time Nebraska defeated a top-10 opponent was a 24-3 victory over No. 9 Michigan State in Lincoln in 2011.

• Nebraska is 3-6 against ranked Big Ten opponents since joining the conference, including 1-2 against Michigan State.

Riley Owns History of Success Against Ranked Teams
The Spartans are the first ranked team Mike Riley will face as Nebraska's head coach. Riley had a history of defeating ranked teams in 14 seasons as Oregon State's head coach.

• Riley led Oregon State to 14 wins over ranked teams in his 14 seasons in Corvallis.

• Riley has defeated 12 ranked teams over the past 10 seasons, including 10 wins over top-20 opponents and five wins over top-10 foes.

Nebraska Looks to Upend Unbeaten Spartans
Michigan State is just the 10th opponent to bring an undefeated record into a November matchup with Nebraska in Lincoln since Memorial Stadium opened in 1923. The Huskers could face two unbeatens in Lincoln this month with Iowa currently at 8-0 with a trip to Lincoln on Nov. 27 looming.

The Huskers are 5-3-1 when facing an unbeaten opponent at Memorial Stadium in November. The most recent matchup was a 41-15 victory by No. 7 Nebraska over fifth-ranked Kansas State on Nov. 13, 1999.

NEBRASKA VS. AN UNBEATEN OPPONENT
IN NOVEMBER AT MEMORIAL STADIUM
• Nov. 10, 1923 vs. Notre Dame (6-0) (Won, 14-7)
• Nov. 20, 1926 vs. New York Univ. (2-0) (Won, 15-7)
• Nov. 24, 1927 vs. New York Univ. (7-0-2) (Won, 15-7)
• Nov. 12, 1932 vs. Pittsburgh (6-0-1) (Tied, 0-0)
• Nov. 19, 1955 vs. #1 Oklahoma (9-0) (Lost, 41-0)
• Nov. 23, 1974 vs. #1 Oklahoma (9-0) (Lost, 28-14)
• Nov. 11, 1978 vs. #1 Oklahoma (9-0) (Won, 17-14)
• Nov. 21, 1987 vs. #2 Oklahoma (10-0) (Lost, 17-7)
• Nov. 13, 1999 vs. #5 Kansas State (9-0) (Won, 41-15)

Saturday's game marks the first time an unranked Nebraska team has hosted an undefeated opponent in November since top-ranked Oklahoma visited in 1955.

• The last time an unranked Nebraska team defeated a top-10 opponent at any point in a season was a 31-24 win over No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 17, 1977.

Huskers Look to End MSU Win Streak in Series
Nebraska won each of the first seven meetings between the two schools, including each of the first two matchups at Big Ten foes. Michigan State has won the past two games, including a 27-22 victory in East Lansing in 2014.

• The Huskers won the first seven games in the series by an average of 24.6 points per game.

• At least one of the teams has been ranked in each of the past eight meetings between the schools.

Nebraska-Michigan State Series
Games: 9
Standing: Nebraska leads, 7-2
At Lincoln: Nebraska leads, 4-1
At Memorial Stadium: Nebraska leads, 2-1
At East Lansing Nebraska leads, 2-1
Current win streak (start): MSU, 2 games (2013)

Prime-Time Dominance
Nebraska has been extremely tough at home in night games at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers have won 16 straight home night games in Lincoln. NU is 42-5 all-time in Memorial Stadium night games.

• The Huskers’ dominance at night in Lincoln has been impressive, as 32 of the home night wins have been by at least 13 points.

• Nebraska’s five losses in home night games have all come against teams that won at least 10 games in that season (Washington, 1991; Texas, 2002; USC, 2007; Virginia Tech and Missouri, 2008).

• Nebraska's last victory in a home night game against a ranked opponent was a 10-3 win over No. 20 Oklahoma on Nov. 7, 2009.

2015 Huskers Suffer Series of Close Losses
Nebraska is 3-6 after a 10-point loss at Purdue. The 10-point loss was Nebraska's largest after the first five losses were by a total of 13 points.

Nebraska's first four losses were especially difficult. 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., NU 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.

Injuries Continue to Shuffle Nebraska Lineup
Nebraska has battled an unusually large number of injuries in 2015, forcing the Huskers to use makeshift lineups. The most recent significant injury kept three-year starting quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. out of the Purdue game with a foot injury. Armstrong had made 22 consecutive starts, and is hopeful of returning against Michigan State.

• The injuries have forced NU to use 20 different starters on both offense and defense in 2015.

Those on the injured list as of last week include:

• Armstrong's missed game ended a streak of 22 consecutive starts dating back to 2013.

• Sophomore receiver De'Mornay Pierson-El suffered a leg injury at Purdue and is out. Pierson-El had missed the first four games of 2015 with a foot injury.

• Junior I-back Terrell Newby injured his ankle after a strong start at Purdue with 56 first-half rushing yards. Newby's status for Michigan State is uncertain.

• Junior receiver Alonzo Moore (shoulder) was injured early in the Northwestern game, and did not return. He missed the game at Purdue, and his status for Michigan State is uncertain.

• Senior defensive tackle Kevin Williams (groin) has missed the past five games, but could return this week.

• Junior 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, but aggravated the injury and missed the Purdue contest. He remains doubtful for this week.
• Redshirt freshman linebacker Luke Gifford (hip) has been sidelined the past three games.

• Starting right tackle Nick Gates injured his left ankle against Wisconsin and missed the second half and the last three games. He was available for limited duty against Northwestern and Purdue, but did not play.

• Sophomore linebacker Chris Weber has started four games at middle linebacker. He was sidelined by a neck injury for two games. He made the trip to Purdue, but did not play.

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

• Junior defensive tackle Kevin Maurice made his first career start at Illinois, but suffered a foot injury in the game. He missed the next three games, before returning at Purdue.

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

• Redshirt freshman defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun (knee) started four games at defensive end. Akinmoladun missed the Wisconsin and Minnesota contests, before returning the past two games.

• Starting linebacker Josh Banderas (groin) missed four of five games before returning to action the past three weeks.

• Senior cornerback Daniel Davie (groin) missed three games before returning to start against Northwestern.

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

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

• Senior tight end David Sutton used a strong fall camp to earn a starting role. However, he suffered a serious ankle sprain against BYU which kept him out for six games, before he returned two weeks ago.

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

Games Lost By Injury in 2015* (48)
• David Sutton, TE 6
• Michael Rose-Ivey, LB 5
• Kevin Williams, DT 5
• Josh Banderas, LB 4
• De'Mornay Pierson-El, WR 4
• Jack Gangwish, DE 3
• Vincent Valentine, DT 3
• Daniel Davie, CB 3
• Kevin Maurice, DT 3
• Nick Gates, OT 3
• Chris Weber, LB 3
• Freedom Akinmoladun, DE 2
• Tommy Armstrong Jr., QB 1
• Alonzo Moore, WR 1
• Dedrick Young, LB 1
• Sam Foltz, P 1
* Projected starters or key reserves only

First-Time Starters Abound for 2015 Huskers
Injuries have forced Nebraska to shuffle its lineup throughout the year. Numerous players have had the opportunity to make their first career starts in 2015, in large part because of the injury bug.

Nebraska had seven players make their first career starts in the season opener against BYU. Another five Huskers made their first career starts in week two, and Nebraska has continued to embody the "Next Man Up" philosophy. A total of 43 players have started games in 2015 (20 offense, 20 defense, 3 specialists) including 18 for the first time in their careers.

First-Time Starters in 2015 (18)
• Chongo Kondolo, RG (9 games)
• Nick Gates, RT (6 games)
• Terrell Newby, IB (8 games)
• Lane Hovey, WR (3 games)
• David Sutton, TE (BYU)
• Dedrick Young, LB (8 games)
• Aaron Williams, S (2 games)
• Stanley Morgan Jr., WR (3 games)
• Freedom Akinmoladun, DE (4 games)
• Chris Weber, LB (4 games)
• Marcus Newby, LB (4 games)
• Tyson Broekemeier, P (South Alabama)
• Jonathan Rose, CB (4 games)
• Chris Jones, CB (3 games)
• Kevin Maurice, DT (Illinois)
• Ross Dzuris, DE (4 games)
• Taariq Allen, WR (2 games)
• Ryker Fyfe, QB (Purdue)

Aaron Williams and Dedrick 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, taking the first snap in three games.

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 Youth Hitting field in 2015 Season
In addition to Williams, Young and Morgan who have earned starts as true freshmen, five other true freshmen have seen action in 2015.

• Tyrin Ferguson, LB
• Jordan Ober, LS
• Devine Ozigbo, IB
• Antonio Reed, S
• Jordan Stevenson, IB/KOR

Morgan has 17 receptions, Young has 43 tackles and Williams has made 19 stops, including a season-high seven at Purdue. Ozigbo had a team-high 70 rushing yards at Illinois and has 96 rushing yards on the season.
In addition, 10 redshirt freshmen have seen their first action through seven games, including starting offensive tackle Nick Gates and starting defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun, who leads the team with 4.5 sacks and is second with seven TFL.

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 seniors dotting the current depth chart. However, youth is also being served in Lincoln in 2015.

Non-seniors have produced the following percentages of statistics for Nebraska, showing that the future is solid.

Non-Senior Production
• Rushing: 77% (1,174 of 1,524 yards)
• Passing: 100% (2,492 of 2,492 yards)
• Receiving: 93% (2,323 of 2,492 yards)
• Scoring: 90% (270 of 300 points)
• Total Offense: 91% (3,666 of 4,016 yards)
• All-Purpose Yards: 89% (4,128 of 4,656 yards)
• Tackles for Loss: 85% (52 of 61 TFL)
• Sacks: 92% (16.5 of 18 sacks)
• Interceptions: 100% (5 of 5 INT)

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