Huskers Hit the Road for First Time in 2016

GAME 4: NEBRASKA at NORTHWESTERN
SEPT. 24, 2016 | RYAN FIELD
EVANSTON, ILL. | 6:30 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - BTN (Eric Collins, Glen Mason, Michelle McMahon)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 135, XM 195
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 3-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Last Game: Oregon, W, 35-32
Rankings: AP-20; Coaches-20
Series: Nebraska, 6-3
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 102-87 (16th Year)/9-7 (2nd Year) 
vs. Northwestern: 0-1

WILDCATS
Record: 1-2, 0-0 Big Ten
Last Game: Duke, W, 24-13
Rankings: NR
Coach: Pat Fitzgerald
Career/Northwester Record: 71-58 (11th Year)/Same
vs. Nebraska: 2-3

The Matchup
Nebraska heads on the road for the first time in 2016 when the Huskers travel to Evanston, Ill., to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten opener for both schools. Game time at Northwestern's Ryan Field is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) with the matchup televised nationally on BTN.

Nebraska hits the road with a 3-0 record, following a 35-32 victory over 22nd-ranked Oregon on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. Nebraska rallied from 13 points down in the contest on the strength of a strong running game that produced 228 yards, including 166 yards after halftime.

The win allowed Nebraska to complete non-conference play undefeated
for the second time in three seasons and begin the season with a 3-0 record for just the second time in the past five years.

The victory also earned Nebraska a spot in the national rankings for the first time since the 2014 season. The Huskers entered the polls at No. 20 according to both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll.

Northwestern owns a 1-2 record in 2016, and is coming off a 24-13 victory over Duke on Saturday night in Evanston. The Wildcats are led by a strong defense that allows just 14.7 points per game. Northwestern lost its first two games by a total of three points before rebounding for the victory over Duke.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 883-368-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 833 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 350 consecutive sellouts.

Nebraska-Northwestern Series
• Four of five meetings as Big Ten opponents (since 2011) have been decided by three or fewer points.

• Nebraska rallied from fourth-quarter deficits in its wins in 2012 and 2013, including winning on a Hail Mary pass in 2013.

• The schools met just twice between 1931 and 2011, matching up in 1974 in Lincoln and in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.

Huskers to Open Big Ten Play Against Northwestern
Nebraska will begin the Big Ten portion of its 2016 schedule at Northwestern on Saturday night. The game is the first of nine Big Ten Conference games in 2016, marking the first year of a nine-game league schedule.

The 2016 campaign is Nebraska's sixth in the Big Ten and its third in the West Division.

• The Huskers are 3-2 in Big Ten openers since joining the league in 2011.

Nebraska Big Ten Openers
10-1-11 at Wisconsin L, 48-17
10-29-12 Wisconsin W, 30-27
10-5-13 Illinois W, 39-19
9-27-14 Illinois W, 45-14
10-3-15 at Illinois L, 14-13

• Northwestern is just the third different team Nebraska has faced in a Big Ten opener. NU faced Wisconsin in its 2011 and 2012 league openers and matched up with Illinois each of the past three years.

• Nebraska is opening Big Ten play on the road for the second straight season, after beginning conference play at Illinois last season. The Huskers opened conference play on the road three straight years from 2009 to 2011, including two years in the Big 12 and their first year in the Big Ten.

• Nebraska has won 37 of its past 41 conference openers overall, with three of the four losses against top 20 teams.

• Overall, Nebraska is 89-21-2 all-time in conference openers (.804 winning percentage).

• Nebraska is 12-8 overall in Big Ten road games since joining the conference.

Huskers Return to Rankings
Nebraska's 35-32 victory over No. 22 Oregon on Saturday vaulted the Huskers back into the national rankings. The Huskers entered the Associated Press poll at No. 20 and are also ranked 20th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Nebraska had received votes in each of the first three weeks of the polls.

• Nebraska is ranked for the fist time under Mike Riley and for the first time overall since being ranked 25th in the AP Poll heading into the 2014 Holiday Bowl meeting with USC.

Riley Continues Success Against Ranked Opponents
Nebraska's victory over Oregon continued Riley's strong history of knocking off ranked teams during his college coaching career.

• Riley-coached teams have 16 wins over ranked teams in his 16 seasons as a college coach, 14 at Oregon State and wins over Michigan State in 2015 and Oregon in 2016.

• Last year's win over No. 6 Michigan State marked the sixth top-10 opponent a Riley-coached team defeated since 2006.

WINS BY RILEY-COACHED TEAMS vs. TOP 25
1998 No. 16 Oregon W, 44-41 (2ot) 2005 No. 18 California W, 23-20
2006 No. 3 USC W, 33-31
2006 No. 24 Hawaii W, 35-32
2007 No. 2 California W, 31-28
2007 No. 16 Oregon W, 38-31 (2ot)
2008 No. 1 USC W, 27-21
2008 No. 19 Pittsburgh W, 3-0
2009 No. 23 California W, 31-14
2010 No. 9 Arizona W, 29-27
2010 No. 20 USC W, 36-7
2012 No. 13 Wisconsin W, 10-7
2012 No. 19 UCLA W, 27-20
2014 No. 7 Arizona St. W, 35-27
2015 No. 6 Michigan St. W, 39-38
2016 No. 22 Oregon W, 35-32

NU to Unveil Alternate Uniforms vs. Northwestern
Nebraska will wear an alternate adidas white uniform on Saturday night at Northwestern. The new Husker Chrome alternate football uniform, was inspired by the city of Lincoln, also known as the “Star City". The new Husker Chrome alternate uniform blends crisp, modernized design with a tribute to Nebraska’s clean, classic signature look.

The special edition uniform is centered on a pristine white colorway with metallic accents to create a bold alternate look for the Cornhuskers. The modernized style features metallic red numbering with metallic chrome outlining on the jersey and is accented with metallic chrome stripes on both the jersey and the pants. Additional detailing includes an oversized, metallic red bold “N” logo that seamlessly aligns with the pant stripes.

As a tribute to the traditional aesthetic of the Cornhuskers football program, the helmet features a metallic red “N” logo on the sides and is accented with player numbers featured in metallic red and metallic chrome outlining on the back of the helmet, showcasing the Star City’s ability to shine.

NU Celebrates 350th consecutive Sellout in Style
One of the most remarkable streaks in college athletics history reached another milestone last Saturday when Memorial Stadium was sold out for the 350th consecutive game. The streak dates back to Nov. 3, 1962, Nebraska's first season under Hall of Fame Coach Bob Devaney.

• Nebraska owns an impressive 299-51 record during the sellout streak.

• Since the streak began, a total of more than 26.6 million fans have attended the 350 games at Memorial Stadium.

• The unmatched fan support has fueled a Nebraska program that ranks among the nation's best since 1962.

NATIONAL LEADERS SINCE 1962
MOST VICTORIES
1) Nebraska 516
2) Oklahoma 481
3) Ohio State 478
4) Alabama 475
5) Penn State 468

MOST BOWL GAMES
1) Nebraska 50
2) Alabama 48
3) Georgia 44
4) Ohio State 42
5) Texas 42

MOST NATIONAL TITLES
1) Alabama 10
2) USC 6
3) Nebraska 5
Miami 5
5) Oklahoma 4

MOST CONFERENCE TITLES
1) Oklahoma 24
2) Ohio State 23
USC 23
4) Nebraska 22
Michigan 22

Riley Joins 100-Win Club in Season-Opening Victory
Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley earned his 100th win as a collegiate head coach in the 43-10 win over Fresno State in the season opener. Riley won 93 games in 14 seasons at Oregon State and has nine victories at Nebraska.

• Riley is one of 22 active FBS head coaches with 100 career college victories.

• All 102 of Riley's victories have come while coaching in a Power Five Conference. Riley is one of 10 active coaches to win 100 games at a Power Five Conference school.

Active Coaches with 100 Wins at Power Five Conference Schools
Bill Snyder, Kansas State 194
Nick Saban, Alabama 185
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 180
Mark Richt, Miami 148
Les Miles, LSU 142
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa 129
Urban Meyer, Ohio State 118
Tommy Tuberville, Cincinnati 113
Mike Leach, Washington State 106
Mike Riley, Nebraska 102

Note: Win totals reflect only wins at Power Five schools.

NU Offense Shows Signs of Backing Up 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 scored more than 30 points eight times in 2015, including five of the final seven games.

• Nebraska has averaged 43.3 points through three games in 2016. The 52 points against Wyoming were the most in two seasons under Mike Riley.

• Nebraska was second in the Big Ten in total offense in 2015 at 446.9 yards per game. NU is averaging 461.3 yards per game after three games in 2016.

• Nebraska passed for 266.9 yards per game to rank second in the conference in 2015. Nebraska has averaged 242.0 passing yards through the first three games this season.

• Nebraska topped the 300-yard passing mark for the seventh time in two seasons under Mike Riley with 412 passing yards against Wyoming. The yardage total was the fifth highest in school history and most since the 2007 season.

• Nebraska has also shown big-play ability again this season. The Huskers had five passing plays of at least 25 yards against Wyoming. Nebraska's 16.5 yards per completion ranks ninth in the nation. Last season, NU's 78 plays of 20-plus yards ranked second in the Big Ten.

• In addition to its passing explosion against Wyoming, the Huskers also showed the ability to pound the ball on the ground. The Huskers rushed for 292 yards on 51 carries in the win over Fresno State. NU had 228 rushing yards against Oregon, including 166 after half.

Nebraska Looks to Keep Pounding Ball on Ground
Through three games, Nebraska has shown the ability to control the running game on both sides of the ball for success in 2016.

Nebraska churned out 292 rushing yards on 51 carries in its season-opening victory over Fresno State. That rushing effort came on the heels of running for 326 yards in the Foster Farms Bowl win over UCLA to close the 2015 season. NU cranked out 228 rushing yards against Oregon, including 166 after halftime.

The Blackshirt defense was strong against the run in the first two games, limiting Fresno State to just 31 rushing yards, while holding Wyoming to 131 yards on the ground. Oregon did rush for more than 300 yards but Nebraska held the Ducks' high-powered pass game in check with only 146 passing yards.

• Nebraska is 6-0 under Mike Riley when rushing for 200 yards or more, and is 5-0 under Riley when out-rushing the opposition.

Flipping the Turnover Script
Nebraska was -12 in turnover margin in 2015, and has had a positive turnover margin just once in the past 12 seasons (+5 in 2009).

Nebraska is off to a good start in changing its turnover fortunes in 2016. The Huskers are +6 in turnover margin after three games, and ranks fifth in the nation in that category.

• Nebraska did not commit a turnover in the season opener against Fresno State, while intercepting two Bulldog passes. The zero-turnover effort was NU's first since not having a giveaway in a 48-25 win at Minnesota last season.

• Nebraska has had four games with zero turnovers since the start of the 2014 season. In those games, Nebraska's average margin of victory is 31.3 points.

• The Huskers had six takeaways, including five interceptions against Wyoming. Those are the best totals in those categories since also having six takeaways and five picks against Idaho in 2010.

• The Huskers' plus-5 in the turnover margin category against Wyoming was their best since a +8 turnover margin against Texas A&M in 2003.

• Nebraska's performance in the first two games marked the first time the Huskers have been +2 or better in turnover margin in consecutive games since the final two games of the 2003 season (Colorado, Michigan State).

• Nebraska had just two games last season when the Huskers were +2 or better in turnover margin (South Alabama, Minnesota) and won those two games by a combined 62 points.

• Nebraska has won 17 consecutive games when it has a positive turnover margin dating back to a 2011 loss to Northwestern. NU is 5-0 under Mike Riley when it wins the turnover battle.

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