Huskers Host Bulldogs for 2016 Opener

GAME 1: NEBRASKA vs. FRESNO STATE
SEPT. 3, 2016 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 7 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - BTN (Joe Beninati, Glen Mason, Damon Benning)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 81, XM 81
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Last Year: 6-7 (3-5 Big Ten)
Rankings: RV
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 99-87 (16th Year)/6-7 (2nd Year) 
vs. Fresno State: 0-1

BULLDOGS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 MWC
Last Year: 3-9 (2-6 MWC)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Tim DeRuyter
Career/FSU Record: 29-23 (5th Year)/Same
vs. Nebraska: 0-1

The Matchup
Nebraska opens the 2016 season on Saturday night with a non-conference matchup against Fresno State at Memorial Stadium. The game is set for national television on BTN, with kickoff set for shortly after 7 p.m. CT.

The game with the Bulldogs opens Nebraska's second season under Head Coach Mike Riley. The Huskers return 16 starters from last year's team that capped the season with a victory over UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.

The Huskers have ample experience on both sides of the ball, returning a four-year starter at quarterback, multiple offensive skill position players and a strong core of experience on defense. While the Huskers are unranked heading into the season, Nebraska did receive votes in both the USA Today and Associated Press preseason polls.

Fresno State posted a 3-9 record last season, including a 2-6 mark in the Mountain West Conference. Coach Tim DeRuyter is in his fifth season as the Bulldogs' head coach and welcomes back 10 returning starters.

The matchup with Fresno State completes a three-game series between the two schools. The Huskers defeated Fresno State in Lincoln in 2011, before winning on the road in Fresno in 2014. The three games in the series are the only meetings in school history between the Huskers and Bulldogs.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 880-368-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 880 victories.

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

• The Huskers have won 46 conference championships.

• Nebraska’s 52 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 347 consecutive sellouts.

Huskers Familiar with Fresno State
Saturday's meeting will complete a three-game series between Nebraska and Fresno State, including two matchups at Memorial Stadium.

• All-American Ameer Abdullah scored his first career touchdown in the 2011 matchup with Fresno State, returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to give NU a nine-point fourth-quarter lead. Abdullah set a single-game record for kickoff return yards in the 42-29 victory.

• Tommy Armstrong Jr. accounted for 325 yards of total offense in the 2014 win at Fresno State, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 65 yards.

• De'Mornay Pierson-El totaled 150 yards on five punt returns at Fresno in 2014, including an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Huskers vs. Mountain West
Nebraska owns an impressive 34-2 all-time record against current members of the Mountain West Conference. Entering this week's game with Fresno State, Nebraska has won its past 29 matchups against Mountain West schools, most recently its 55-19 win at Fresno State in 2014.

Nebraska plays back-to-back games to open the season against Mountain West teams, hosting Wyoming in Lincoln on Sept. 10.

Last 5 Games vs. Mountain West
Date Opponent Result
9-13-14 at Fresno State W, 55-19
8-31-13 Wyoming W, 37-34
9-24-11 at Wyoming W, 38-14
9-10-11 Fresno State W, 42-29
9-6-08 San Jose State W, 35-12

Nebraska Looks to Extend Prime-Time Home Dominance
Memorial Stadium is always a tough environment for visiting teams in Lincoln. That is never more true than in night games at Memorial Stadium.

The Huskers have won 17 straight home night games in Lincoln. NU is 43-5 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 was 2-0 at home in night games last season, incuding a 39-38 victory over No. 6 Michigan State on Nov. 7 in Lincon.

• Nebraska's most recent loss in a night game at Memorial Stadium came against No. 4 Missouri in 2008.

Riley Aims for Win #100
Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley is going for his 100th win as a collegiate head coach in Saturday night's contest. Riley won 93 games in 14 seasons at Oregon State and had six victories in his first year at Nebraska in 2015.

• Riley is looking to become the 22nd active FBS head coach to record his 100th career victory (Note: Virginia's Bronco Mendenhall also has 99 wins.)

• All 99 of Riley's victories have come while coaching in a Power Five Conference. Riley is bidding to become the 10th active coach to win 100 games at a Power Five Conference school.

2016 Huskers Led by Veterans
The 2016 Huskers will be one of the more veteran teams in the Big Ten Conference. Nebraska returns a total of 16 starters from last year’s team, and the 2016 squad features11 players who have double-figure career start totals entering the season. The leaders of that group include four players who have made more than 20 starts in their Nebraska careers.

Most Experienced Husker Starters
Player, Pos. Career Starts
Tommy Armstrong Jr., QB 33
Nathan Gerry, S 29
Drew Brown, PK 26
Cethan Carter, TE 24

First-Time Starters Set to Hit the Field on Saturday
While the Huskers return several players with significant starting experience, the season opener will also mark the starting debuts for several Huskers.

Numerous Huskers could make their first career starts against Fresno State according to the first NU depth chart. That group includes at least two true freshmen.

Potential First-Time Starters
• Sam Hahn, Boe Wilson or Corey Whitaker, LG
• Tanner Farmer, RG
• David Knevel, RT
• Luke McNitt, FB
• Mick Stoltenberg, DT
• Kieron Williams, S
• Antonio Reed, S
• Caleb Lightbourn, P

Wilson Could Join Exclusive Club at Nebraska
True freshman offensive guard Boe Wilson has contended for playing time at guard during fall camp. Coach Riley has indicated the staff would like to redshirt Wilson, but if he were to see action or start a game this fall he would be in rare company.

Since freshmen regained eligibility in 1973, just five true freshman position players have started a season opener for the Huskers. Two of those came last year when linebacker Dedrick Young and safety Aaron Williams were in the lineup for the first snap vs. BYU.

In addition to Wilson, true freshman punter Caleb Lightbourn is expected to earn his first career start on Saturday.

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 1973 when freshmen were made eligible

Offensive linemen seeing action at any point as a true freshman has been a rarity at Nebraska. Wilson could become only the fifth true freshman offensive lineman to start a game at any point during a season if he earns that distinction this fall. He would be just the 11th true freshman offensive lineman to play at Nebraska.

Four True Freshmen Set to Play
Riley said after practice on Saturday, Aug. 27 that four true freshmen will see action this fall. That group includes punter Caleb Lightbourn, I-back Tre Bryant, cornerback Lamar Jackson and safety JoJo Domann.

Wilson leads a group of several other Huskers who are still on alert to play if needed in 2016.

NU Offense Looks to Build On Successful 2015
The Nebraska offense had a productive first season under Head Coach Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, and the unit appears ready for more growth this fall with many key pieces returning.

In 2015, Nebraska ranked second in the Big Ten in total offense and passing offense, while finishing third in scoring offense.

• Nebraska averaged 32.8 points per game and scored more than 30 points eight times, including five of the final seven games.

• The Huskers finished second in total offense at 446.9 yards per game and averaged 6.1 yards per play, the third-best mark in the conference.

• Nebraska passed for 266.9 yards per game to rank second in the conference. The Huskers also allowed just 14 sacks in 13 games to rank second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally.

• NU had 228 plays from scrimmage of at least 10 yards. That total ranked 22nd nationally and second in the Big Ten. Nebraska was also second in the Big Ten in plays of 20-plus yards with 78.

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

• Nebraska topped the 300-yard passing mark six times in 2015, including each of the first four games. NU had a season-high 407 passing yards at Purdue, the fifth most in school history.

Armstrong Poised to Challenge NU Records
Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. heads into his senior season with 33 starts in the past three years, including 25 of 26 games the last two seasons. Armstrong's 22 career victories rank ninth in school history.

Armstrong produced one of the best statistical seasons in the Big Ten in 2015, ranking among the league leaders in passing and total offense. He enters his senior year with several Nebraska career records firmly in his sights.

• Armstrong completed 55 percent of his passes in 2015 and threw for 3,030 yards. The passing total marked the third 3,000-yard passing season in school history.

• Armstrong threw for 2,695 yards in his sophomore season in 2014. He is one of just three players in Nebraska history with two 2,000-yard passing seasons, joining Zac Taylor and Taylor Martinez.

• With another 3,000-yard passing season in 2016, Armstrong would become the first Husker to post two 3,000-yard passing seasons.

• Armstrong has five career 300-yard passing games, including four in 2015 (319 vs. BYU, 309 at Miami, 368 vs. Southern Miss, 320 vs. Michigan State). He had a career-high 381 passing yards against USC in the 2014 Holiday Bowl. Armstrong has topped 250 passing yards 12 times in his career, the most in school history.

• Armstrong finished second in the Big Ten in passing yards per game in 2015, averaging 252.5 passing yards per game.

• Armstrong enters the 2016 season with 6,691 passing yards, second on the NU career list. He is 567 yards from Taylor Martinez’s school record of 7,258 passing yards. Armstrong’s passing yardage is seventh nationally among active FBS players entering the 2016 season.

• Armstrong has 53 career touchdown passes, just three shy of Martinez’s career school record. Armstrong has thrown for at least three touchdowns seven times in his Nebraska career. His 53 career passing touchdowns are fourth among active FBS players entering the 2016 season.

• Armstrong has thrown for 22 touchdowns each of the past two seasons, tied for fourth on the NU season chart.

• Armstrong averaged 285.8 yards of total offense per game in 2015 to rank second in the Big Ten.

• Armstrong has 7,998 career total offense yards, good for second at Nebraska. He is 2,235 yards from the school record held by Martinez.

• Armstrong is the first player in NU history with two 3,000-yard total offense seasons, after posting 3,430 yards in 2015 and 3,400 yards in 2014. Those totals are third and fourth, respectively, on the season total offense list.

• Armstrong had a career-high 431 yards of total offense against Southern Miss in 2015, and he has 10 career games of at least 300 yards of total offense, including at Fresno State in 2014. The 10 300-yard total offense games are the most in school history.

• Armstrong ranked 27th in the nation in passes of more than 10 yards (132) in 2015, and 22nd in passes of 20-plus yards (51).

• Armstrong is one of 10 Nebraska quarterbacks to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards. He enters 2016 with 1,309 rushing yards, eighth-most among NU quarterbacks.

• Armstrong twice earned Big Ten Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors in 2015. He first earned the honor against Southern Miss, then was recognized for his four touchdowns (2 rush, 2 pass) and 320 passing yards in the win over No. 6 Michigan State.

• Armstrong is the only active FBS quarterback with 6,500 career passing yards and 1,000 career rushing yards.

Westerkamp Chasing Nebraska Receiving Records
Senior receiver Jordan Westerkamp will lead a Nebraska receiving corps that has the ability to rank as one of the nation’s best this fall. Westerkamp enters his senior year as one of the top pass catchers in Nebraska history. He is one of four captains for the 2016 season, marking the second straight year he has served as a captain.

A Chicago area product, Westerkamp put together one of the most prolific receiving seasons in school history in 2015. He had 65 catches for 918 yards and seven touchdowns. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for his effort in 2015.
• His 65 catches were second on the NU single-season charts, and were the most receptions ever by a Husker receiver.

• Westerkamp had 918 receiving yards in 2015, the third-most in school history.

• Westerkamp was sixth in the Big Ten in both receptions per game (5.0) and receiving yards per game (70.3).

• Westerkamp continues to move up the NU career charts. He is fourth on the NU career receiving yardage list with 1,948 yards, leaving him less than 750 yards from the No. 1 spot.

• He has 129 career receptions, to rank sixth on Nebraska’s all-time list. He is 52 catches from the top spot on the career list.

• Westerkamp had a career-high 11 receptions for 118 yards against Southern Miss in 2015. The 11 catches were tied for third on the NU single-game receptions list.

• Westerkamp had a season-high 143 receiving yards against Michigan State, one of four 100-yard games in 2015 (107 vs. BYU, 118 vs. Southern Miss, 123 at Purdue). The four 100-yard games tied the Nebraska season record, accomplished five times previously.

• Westerkamp has seven career 100-yard receiving games to rank third on the NU career list in that category.

• Westerkamp’s seven touchdown receptions in 2015 were tied for 10th on the season charts. He has 13 career touchdown receptions to rank in a tie for ninth place on that career list.

• Westerkamp (118) and 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 26 straight games, the fourth-longest streak in school history and just the eighth time in school history a player has had a streak of at least 20 consecutive games with a catch.

Kicker Brown Continues Family Tradition
Place-kicker Drew Brown enters the 2016 season as a leading contender for conference and national honors, including the Lou Groza Award. Brown established himself as one of the nation’s top kickers as a sophomore and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last fall.

Brown made 21-of-27 field goals in 2015, including each of his last 11 field goals. Nine of the 11 field goals in his streak were from at least 40 yards, and the streak of 11 straight made field goals is tied for the fourth-longest streak in NU history.

• Brown connected on 13 field goals of at least 40 yards in 2015. He was 13-of-17 from beyond 40 yards, including 12-of-14 from 40-49 yards.

• Brown’s 13 field goals of at least 40 yards tied for the most nationally among all kickers, matching the total of Joey Slye of Virginia Tech. Only five kickers had at least 10 field goals of 40 yards or more in 2015.

• In Big Ten Conference games, Brown connected on 12-of-14 field goals.

• Brown’s 21 field goals in 2015 were second on the Nebraska season list.

• Brown was second in the Big Ten at 1.62 field goals per game and ranked 16th nationally in the category. He was third in the Big Ten in scoring at 8.2 points per game.

• Brown scored 107 points as as sophomore after posting a Nebraska freshman-record 101 points in 2014. He is the first player in Nebraska history with 100-point seasons as both a freshman and sophomore.

• Brown had multiple field goals in seven games in 2015.

Brown jump-started his 2015 season with a record-setting performance against Southern Miss. Brown made five field goals, all in the first half, in the Huskers’ 36-28 victory.

• Brown’s five field goals in a half tied an NCAA record. He now shares the record with fellow Husker Dale Klein (1985 at Missouri) and New Mexico State’s Dat Ly (1988 at Kansas).

• Brown’s five field goals were the most ever by a Husker in Lincoln, and tied a Memorial Stadium record held by two opposing kickers.

• The five field goals marked the third time in NU history a kicker had five or more field goals. Klein had an NCAA record seven field goals at Missouri in 1985, and Alex Henery had five field goals at Virginia Tech in 2009.

Blackshirts Look to Stuff the Run Again in 2016
The Nebraska Blackshirt defense enters 2016 with a goal of making big improvements in pass defense and pressuring the quarterback. The Huskers also look to duplicate their 2015 success in stopping the opponent run game.

The Huskers allowed opponents to rush for 109.9 yards per game, a mark that ranked second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally.

Nebraska closed the year by shutting down UCLA’s run game in the Foster Farms Bowl, limiting the Bruins to 67 rushing yards. UCLA was the fifth opponent Nebraska held to less than 90 rushing yards in 2015.

• NU was 5-0 in games when opponents rushed for less than 90 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.

• In Big Ten play, Nebraska limited Minnesota to 65 rushing yards, while Rutgers had just 89 yards on the ground.

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