Drew Brown Devotedly Connected with No. 27 Legacy

Sam Foltz Watches Huskers from Above

Tributes to Foltz Highlight Emotional Night

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Nebraska kicker Drew Brown is so devoted to the late Sam Foltz, he still talks to No. 27, his best friend, college roommate and role model, on a daily basis.

“I fall on my back in bed and I just start talking to Sam like he was right there next to me every night,” Brown told me Monday. “I tell him how my day went, how practice or the game went, and fill him in on whatever he might have missed.”

Believe it or not, someone actually asked Brown if he deliberately missed a field goal last Saturday so the Huskers could finish the game with 27 points and honor Sam Foltz again. The missed kick did create a Nebraska milestone. For the first time ever, the Huskers won back-to-back games while scoring 27 points in each game.

Make sure you absorb that magical number 27 in all of its Husker glory at the bottom of this column. Once you zero in on 126 years of Husker football and see how significant 27 was in our rich history, you will understand the sacredness of its impact.

When People You Love Are Gone, Keep Loving, Caring to Help Them Live On

Meanwhile, when people you love are gone, the best way to help them live on is never stop loving or caring about them, especially when Nebraska’s football team made a vow to keep Sam Foltz and his positive outlook as the anchor to the 2016 season.

This weekend, when the 6th and 7th-ranked Huskers travel to Wisconsin, the state in which Foltz was killed in a car wreck as a passenger late last July, Brown has priorities that go beyond beating the No. 11-ranked Badgers in Madison.

One is seeing Gerald and Jill Foltz, Sam’s parents who attend every home game and every road game in this special season dedicated to their highly respected son.

“They’re as much a part of this team as any of us are as players, coaches and administration,” Brown said. “They give us a lot of strength and motivation, that’s for sure. It’s really important for me to see them every weekend, so we can hang out with each other’s family.”

In Madison, Brown will hook up with Rafael Gaglianone, the Wisconsin kicker whose field goal helped the Badgers beat LSU, 16-14, in Green Bay. Rafael dedicated his performance to honor Foltz with a red No. 27 and “SF” wristbands to remember a fallen colleague.

Kickers Will Decide on Something Private to Honor Sam Before B1G Game

Now sidelined with injury, Gaglianone will join Brown Friday night, so they can plan a way to honor Sam on Saturday night. “We’ll go over there and catch up a little bit and hang out for a while,” Brown said. “We’ll do something not too flashy in the tent before the game to honor Sam.”

Once Brown got to know Gaglianone, “it’s been a blessing,” Brown said. “He was able to stay at my house over the summer when he came to Sam’s funeral. He flew out the next day and just chilled out at my house. He’s a nice guy. All the specialists up there at Wisconsin are great guys. In general, we’re a tight-knit group.”

Brown is ultra-proud to play in the Big Ten Conference, which emphasizes integrity and sportsmanship before, during and after game day experiences.

“I’m honored to play in the Big Ten and be part of the camaraderie in this conference,” Brown said. “Every single player knows what it takes to do what we do. Everyone knows the daily grind we go through academically and athletically and why we’re all part of one big family. We’re specialists individually. We have one thing to do as well as we possibly can, and we’re always there to support each other no matter what.

“This is just one big brotherhood in the entire conference for all of us who are specialists,” Brown said. “I’m passionate about who Sam was. He was my best friend and I loved him. One of my main goals is to let people know what kind of a guy Sam was. It’s so easy to talk about him because he was such a great person.”

Return to Wisconsin Will Be Tough; Brown Credits Coach Riley, His Parents 

Going back to Wisconsin, where Brown and Foltz participated in a specialty camp last July, will be tough. “It’s going to be hard for me, but at the same time, we’ve got a huge game in front of us,” Brown said. “If we win, it will take a lot of stress off us. The last time we were up there, they played a great game and embarrassed us. We didn’t come ready to play. We have to be better.”

Brown credits Mike Riley’s influence for “the great way we honor Sam this season,” he said. “Coach Riley has been the rock through this entire thing. He’s been a great father figure for all of us and important throughout this whole process. It would be tough for any coach to go through this, but he’s dealt with it as well as he possibly can.”

Brown credits his parents for helping him through the grief. “My mom lost her brother when he was about my age right now, so she’s helped me get through all of this. She’s been there for every step,” Brown said. “So has my dad. I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without all of the positive things that brought comfort."

For the First Time in 126 Years, Huskers Win Back-to-Back with 27 Points

In Nebraska’s 126th season in college football, the Huskers have scored 27 points 25 times, including a first-ever back-to-back accomplishment with wins over Indiana and Purdue the past two weekends. Husker punter Sam Foltz wore No. 27 before his death in a car accident last summer. This season, Nebraska's team is honoring Foltz, wearing his No. 27 on their helmets while Nebraska coaches wear his number on their game shirts or jackets.

Unbeaten ‘97 Team Won Two Crucial Road Games While Scoring 27 Points

Scoring 27 points in two games was pivotal in Nebraska’s 1997 13-0 national championship season, the last of Tom Osborne's 25 years as head coach. The Huskers beat Washington 27-14, in Seattle in their third 1997 game, then overtook Colorado, 27-24, in their regular season finale in Boulder. Nebraska went on to beat Texas A&M, 54-15, in the Big 12 Championship in San Antonio, then crushed Payton Manning-led Tennessee, 42-17, in the Orange Bowl.

Huskers Scored 27 to Beat Notre Dame Twice, Pave Road to Heisman Trophy

Equally interesting was Nebraska’s back-to-back wins over Notre Dame to launch this century. Remember the Huskers’ 27-24 overtime win over the Fighting Irish in South Bend in 2000? In 2001, Nebraska beat Notre Dame, 27-10, in Lincoln. Many believe that nationally televised game influenced Eric Crouch’s ascent to Heisman Trophy status. Take a trip through history here:

23 Nebraska Football Wins When the Huskers Score 27 Points

1902 Lincoln (Sept. 20):Nebraska 27, Lincoln High 0. Huskers finished season 9-0.

1910 Lincoln (Oct. 22): Nebraska 27, Denver 0. Huskers finished season 7-1.

1911 Lincoln (Nov. 11): Nebraska 27, Doane 0. Huskers finished season 9-0.

1927 Lincoln (Nov. 24): Nebraska 27, New York U. 18. Huskers finished season 6-2.

1945 Lincoln (Nov. 3): Nebraska 27, Kansas 13. Huskers finished season 4-5.

1952 Lincoln (Oct. 11): Nebraska 27, Kansas State 14. Huskers finished season 5-4-1.

1953 Ames, Iowa (Nov. 7): Nebraska 27, Iowa State 19. Huskers finished season 3-6-1.

1954 Lincoln (Oct. 16) Nebraska 27, Oregon State 7. Huskers finished season 6-5.

1964 Lincoln (Nov. 14) Nebraska 27, Oklahoma State 14. Huskers finished season 9-2.

1965 Colorado Springs Co. (Sept. 25) Nebraska 27, Air Force 17. Huskers finished 10-1.

1976 Houston, Texas (Dec. 31) Nebraska 27, Texas Tech 24. Huskers finished 9-3-1.

1986 Columbia, S.C. (Oct. 4) Nebraska 27, South Carolina 24. Huskers finished 10-2.

1993 Stillwater, Ok. (Oct. 7)Nebraska 27, Oklahoma State 13. Huskers finished 11-1.

1997 Seattle, Wa. (Sept. 20) Nebraska 27, Washington 14. Huskers finished season 13-0.

1997 Boulder, Co. (Nov. 28) Nebraska 27, Colorado 24. Huskers finished season 13-0.

2000 South Bend, In. (Sept. 9) Nebraska 27, Notre Dame 24 (OT). Huskers finished 10-2.

2001 Lincoln (Sept. 8) Nebraska 27, Notre Dame 10). Huskers finished season 11-2.

2005 Lincoln (Oct. 1) Nebraska 27, Iowa State 20 (2 OT). Huskers finish season 8-4.

2005 Lincoln (Nov. 12) Nebraska 27, Kansas State 25. Huskers finished season 8-4.

2009 Columbia Mo. (Oct. 8) Nebraska 27, Missouri 12. Huskers finished season 10-4.

2013 Lincoln (Nov. 2) Nebraska 27, Northwestern 24 (Hail Mary). Huskers finish 9-4.

2016 Bloomington In. (Oct. 15) Nebraska 27, Indiana 22. Huskers improve to 6-0.

2016 Lincoln (Oct. 22) Nebraska 27, Purdue 14. Huskers improve record to 7-0.

In 126 Years, Huskers Lost Just Two Games When They Scored 27 Points

1996 St. Louis, Mo. (Dec. 7, Big 12 title game) Texas 37, Nebraska 27. Huskers finish 11-2.

2004 Ames, Iowa (Nov. 6) Iowa State 34, Nebraska 27. Huskers finish season 5-6.

No. 27 Joe Blahak, Two-Time National Champion, Dies

Huskers Head to Wisconsin for Pivotal Top-15 Matchup

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