Huskers Host Terps on Senior Day

GAME 11: NEBRASKA vs. MARYLAND
NOV. 19, 2016 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 11 a.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ESPNews
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 135, XM 195
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 8-2, 5-2 Big Ten
Last Game: Minnesota, W, 24-17
Rankings: AP-19 Coaches-17
Series: first meeting
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 107-89 (16th Year)/14-9 (2nd Year) 
vs. Maryland: 1-0

TERRAPINS
Record: 5-5, 2-5 Big Ten
Last Game: Ohio State, L, 62-3
Rankings: NR
Coach: DJ Durkin
Career/Maryland Record: 5-5 (1st Year)/Same
vs. Nebraska: first meeting

The Matchup
Nebraska completes its home schedule on Saturday when the Huskers play host to Maryland at Memorial Stadium. The matchup will also mark Senior Day for Nebraska's group of seniors who will play in Lincoln for the final time. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 11 a.m., with the game televised on ESPNews.

Nebraska enters the game with an 8-2 record and a 5-2 mark in Big Ten play, following a 24-17 victory over Minnesota on Saturday night in Lincoln. The Huskers remain in a tie with Wisconsin for the West Division lead with two regular-season games remaining.

The Huskers used a strong second half to defeat Minnesota, outscoring the Gophers 14-0 after intermission. The Blackshirt defense limited Minnesota to less than 100 yards of total offense after halftime, and quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. battled through injuries to engineer to long Husker scoring drives.

Maryland will come to Lincoln with a 5-5 record, including a 2-5 record in Big Ten play. The Terrapins will be facing their third straight ranked opponent, after dropping games against Michigan and Ohio State the past two weeks. Maryland is looking for a victory in one of its final two games to ensure a bowl trip at season's end.

Maryland is coached by DJ Durkin, who is in his first season leading the program, after spending the 2015 season as Michigan's defensive coordinator. Maryland has a high-powered ground game, ranking third in the Big Ten in rushing offense.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 888-370-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 888 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 353 consecutive sellouts.

Nebraska-Maryland Series
Saturday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between Nebraska and Maryland. Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, with Maryland playing its first season in the league in 2014.

• Nebraska has squared off with each of the other 12 schools in the conference in a league game, leaving Maryland as the final Big Ten opponent the Huskers meet in conference play.

• The game marks the first time since a 1960 matchup with Oklahoma State that NU will play its first-ever game against a conference foe.

• This is the first matchup between Nebraska and Maryland, however Head Coach Mike Riley owns a 1-0 record against the Terrapins. Riley's 2007 Oregon State team defeated Maryland in the Emerald Bowl.

• Nebraska cornerbacks coach Brian Stewart served as the defensive coordinator at Maryland from 2012 to 2014.

NU to Honor Senior Class
Nebraska will honor 30 individuals as part of Senior Day festivities on Saturday before kickoff of the Maryland game.

The group includes 28 active members of the roster, as well as Sam Foltz and Charles Jackson who were part of the 2016 senior class. Foltz was killed in an auto accident this summer, while Jackson left the active roster during fall camp.

• The group includes 18 native Nebraskans and players from eight other states.

• The 2016 class includes 25 individuals who are, or would have been, in their fifth year of college and five players who did not redshirt (Banderas, Carter, Gerry, Maurice, Newby).

• Fifth-year seniors in the class have been a part of four bowl teams and a total of 42 victories.

2016 Nebraska Seniors
• Tommy Armstrong Jr., QB, Cibolo, Texas
• Josh Banderas, LB, Lincoln, Neb.
• Ty Betka, WR, Superior, Neb.
• Cethan Carter, TE, New Orleans, La.
• Sam Cotton, TE, Lincoln, Neb.
• Ross Dzuris, DE, Plattsmouth, Neb.
• Sam Foltz, P, Greeley, Neb.
• Trey Foster, TE, Lincoln, Neb.
• Ryker Fyfe, QB, Grand Island, Neb.
• Nathan Gerry, S, Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Sam Hahn, OL, DeWitt, Neb.
• Charles Jackson, DB, Spring, Texas
• Garret Johns, DL, Aurora, Neb.
• Spencer Lindsay, PK, Kearney, Neb.
• Kevin Maurice, DT, Orlando, Fla.
• Mitch McCann, FB, Omaha, Neb.
• Alonzo Moore, WR, Winnfield, La.
• Graham Nabity, RB, Omaha, Neb.
• Jordan Nelson, IB, Omaha, Neb.
• Terrell Newby, IB, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Robby Painter, OL, Centennial, Colo.
• Logan Rath, DT, Giltner, Neb.
• Brandon Reilly, WR, Lincoln, Neb.
• Michael Rose-Ivey, LB, Kansas City, Mo.
• Brad Simpson, LB, Omaha, Neb.
• Jamie Sutcliffe, PK, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
• Dylan Utter, C, Papillion, Neb.
• Jordan Westerkamp, WR, Lombard, Ill.
• Corey Whitaker, OL, Murrieta, Calif.
• Tanner Zlab, DB, Wilber, Neb.

Huskers Remain in National Rankings
Nebraska checks in at No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and No. 17 in the coaches poll.

Nebraska began the season unranked before entering the national polls after starting 3-0. The Huskers have been ranked in each of the past nine polls.

• The No. 7 ranking in the Oct. 23 AP poll was the Huskers' highest since being ranked No. 5 in the country in October of 2010.

• Nebraska moved into the top 10 on Oct. 10 prior to its game at Indiana. The Huskers' top-10 ranking was its first since November of 2011.

• The No. 10 ranking in the College Football Playoff poll on Nov. 1 was Nebraska's highest in the three years of the poll. NU was 13th in the Nov. 4, 2014 poll.

Nebraska Putting Together Turnaround 2016 Season
Nebraska stands at 8-2 heading into the final two games of the regular season. The Huskers have had a strong turnaround in 2016 after going 6-7 in 2015.

• Nebraska has already improved by three wins in the regular season. A win on Saturday over Maryland would give Nebraska a four-win improvement in the regular season for just the sixth time in school history. It would be the largest regular-season jump since Nebraska went from three wins in the 1961 regular season to an 8-2 regular-season record in 1962.

• Nebraska started 7-0 before losing in overtime at Wisconsin. The 7-0 record was NU's best start since opening 11-0 in 2001.

• Nebraska saw an eight-game winning streak end at Wisconsin. That streak was NU's longest win streak since its 13-game win streak spanning the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Nebraska had four six-game winning streaks between 2008 and 2014.

• The Huskers opened Big Ten play with four straight wins, marking Nebraska's best conference start since 2001 when NU opened Big 12 action by winning its first seven games.

• The 7-0 start for Nebraska is the best for Mike Riley in his 16 seasons as a college head coach. The Huskers' eight-game win streak was also the longest of Riley's career.

Huskers Hammering Foes in Fourth Quarter
Nebraska has proven to be a dominant fourth-quarter team in 2016. Nebraska owns a nation-best 95-point advantage in fourth-quarter scoring, and has been very strong in Big Ten play.

• Nebraska scored the decisive touchdown in the final quarter against Minnesota and out-scored the Gophers, 14-0, after half.

• Despite falling in overtime, Nebraska forced the extra session at Wisconsin by having a 10-0 fourth-quarter edge. Nebraska held the ball for 9:41 in the final quarter.

• The Huskers closed out their win over Purdue with a 10-0 fourth-quarter edge. NU out-yarded Purdue, 114-52, in the final quarter.

• In Nebraska's win at Indiana, the Huskers scored 10 fourth-quarter points to secure a victory. NU outgained Indiana 150-80 in the final quarter and held the ball for 11:16.

• Against Illinois, Nebraska had a 149-18 advantage in yards in the final quarter. The Huskers also had a 6-0 advantage in first downs and held the ball for 10:59.

• Nebraska's 115 fourth-quarter points rank fourth nationally in points in the final quarter. The 20 points allowed are first in the nation.

• Nebraska averages an impressive 9:19 in time of possession in the final quarter. The Huskers held the ball for 11:11 in the fourth quarter against Purdue.

• Nebraska has held the edge on the ground in the fourth quarter, averaging 73.3 rushing yards in the fourth quarter to 31.6 for the opposition. Seven of 10 NU foes have rushed for 10 or fewer yards in the fourth quarter.

Big Red Balancing Act
The Nebraska offense has shown good balance in its second season under Head Coach Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf. The 2016 success comes a year after Nebraska ranked second in the Big Ten in total offense and passing offense, while finishing third in scoring offense.

Nebraska made a powerful running game and a balanced offense primary goals for 2016, and have produced solid results.

• Nebraska is averaging 186.7 rushing yards per game to rank sixth in the Big Ten. NU had a season-high 310 rushing yards at Northwestern and has rushed for at least 200 yards four times in 2016.

• Nebraska is among the nation's most balanced offensive attacks. The Huskers average 214.8 passing yards per game and 401.5 total yards per game, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten.

• Nebraska's 14.8 yards per completion ranks 11th in the nation. The Huskers had five passing plays of at least 25 yards against Wyoming and had five of 20 or more vs. Purdue.
• Nebraska's 310 rushing yards at Northwestern marked the Huskers' fifth-highest rushing total in a Big Ten Conference game.

• The 556 yards of total offense at Northwestern marked the second-highest total in a Big Ten game in NU's six seasons in the league, trailing only a 624-yard effort against Illinois in 2014.

• Nebraska has gained at least 400 yards of total offense in eight of its past 12 games.

• Nebraska is averaging 28.3 points per game in 2016 to rank fifth in the Big Ten. The 52 points against Wyoming were the most in two seasons under Mike Riley.

• 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.

• In addition to its 310-yard rushing effort at Northwestern, the Huskers rushed for 292 yards on 51 carries in the win over Fresno State. NU also had 228 rushing yards against Oregon, including 166 after half.

Nebraska Looks to Keep Pounding Ball on Ground
Throughout the 2016 season, Nebraska has shown the ability to control the running game on both sides of the ball.

Nebraska out-gained Northwestern, 310-137, on the ground, marking the third time since the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl that the Huskers have had at least 290 rushing yards. NU 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.

The Blackshirts have been strong against the run for the majority of the year, holding seven opponents to 137 or fewer yards. NU limited Purdue to 24 rushing yards and Fresno State to 31 rushing yards.

• Nebraska is 8-0 under Riley when rushing for 200 yards or more, including 4-0 in 2016. The Huskers are 10-0 under Riley when out-rushing the opposition.

Pound the Rock, Control the Clock
Nebraska has had success this season when it has established an effective running game, allowing the Huskers to control the football.

• Nebraska averages 32:23 of time of possession to rank fifth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally in that category. Nebraska won the TOP battle in its first eight games and has possessed the ball for at least 35:00 three times in 2016.

• The Huskers' ability to control the football has resulted in Nebraska running 42 more plays than the opposition through 10 games.

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