Huskers Host Arkansas State for 2017 Season Opener

GAME 11: NEBRASKA vs. ARKANSAS STATE
SEPT. 2, 2017 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 7 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - BTN
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 137, XM 195
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Last Year: 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten)
Rankings: RV
Series: 2-0
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 108-91 (17th Year)/15-11 (3rd Year) 
vs. Arkansas State: 0-0

RED WOLVES
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Last Year: 8-5 (7-1 Sun Belt)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Blake Anderson
Career/Ark. State Record: 24-15 (4th Year)/Same
vs. Nebraska: 0-0

The Matchup
Nebraska kicks off its 128th season this Saturday with a matchup against Arkansas State, the defending Sun Belt Conference champion. The Huskers are coming off a 9-4 record in 2016, while Arkansas State posted an 8-5 record last season. Saturday's game is set for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff with the game nationally televised on BTN and available on the IMG Husker Sports Network.

Nebraska heads into Head Coach Mike Riley's third season with game-tested experience on both sides of the ball, while also introducing new faces at several key positions. The game will mark the Husker debut for starting quarterback Tanner Lee, who spent the first three years of his career at Tulane. Defensively, Nebraska returns significant experience in the secondary and talented players at all three levels of the defense, which will feature a 3-4 look under new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.

The Red Wolves ended last year as one of the nation’s hottest teams, winning eight of their final nine games en route to earning their fifth Sun Belt title in six seasons. Arkansas State has played in a bowl game each of the past six seasons.

Saturday night's game is the third meeting between the two schools, all at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska was victorious in 2009 and 2012 matchups with the Red Wolves in Lincoln.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 889-372-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 889 victories.

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

• The Huskers have won 46 conference championships.

• Nebraska’s 53 all-time bowl appearances rank second in NCAA history.

• 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 354 consecutive sellouts.

Nebraska-Arkansas State Series
• Saturday's meeting is the third matchup between the two schools, all at Memorial Stadium.• Saturday's meeting is the third matchup between the two schools, all at Memorial Stadium.

• Nebraska has outscored Arkansas State 52-9 in the first half of the previous two meetings at Memorial Stadium. 

• Nebraska limited Arkansas State to less than 300 yards of total offense in both of the meetings, while topping 490 yards of offense in each game.

Huskers vs. Sun Belt
Nebraska owns a perfect 12-0 record all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, most recently a 2015 victory over South Alabama. 

The Huskers have multiple victories over Arkansas State (2-0), New Mexico State (3-0), Troy (4-0) and single victories over South Alabama, Idaho and Louisiana-Lafayette. 
Nebraska has future games scheduled with Troy (2018) and South Alabama (2019). 

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 19 straight home night games in Lincoln. NU is 45-5 all-time in Memorial Stadium night games. 

• The Huskers’ dominance at night in Lincoln has been impressive, as 33 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 43-10 victory over Fresno State and a 24-17 win over Minnesota. 
• Nebraska's most recent loss in a night game at Memorial Stadium came against No. 4 Missouri in 2008.

Nebraska to Play Attractive Home Schedule
Nebraska posted a perfect 7-0 home record at Memorial Stadium in 2016, just the second undefeated record in Lincoln since 2001. This fall, Nebraska will play host to a strong seven-game home schedule as part of an attractive 2017 slate that includes nine Big Ten games.

The home schedule will be highlighted by matchups against 2016 College Football Playoff participant Ohio State, Big Ten West Division champion Wisconsin and Iowa. Northwestern and Rutgers will also visit during Big Ten play. In addition to this week's game with Arkansas State, Nebraska will host Northern Illinois in non-conference play. 

Nebraska will also complete a home-and-home series with Oregon by visiting Eugene in the season’s second game. The Huskers make Big Ten road trips to Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota and 2016 Big Ten champion Penn State. Nebraska’s 2017 schedule features games against seven teams that played in a bowl game last year.

Huskers Look to Extend Home Win Streak
Nebraska's undefeated home season in 2016 was its 28th all-time at Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1923. The Huskers bring a seven-game home winning streak into the season opener with Arkansas State.

• The Huskers were one of only five FBS teams to go 7-0 or better at home last season, along with Alabama (7-0), Michigan (8-0), Ohio State (7-0) and Penn State (7-0). 
• Overall, Nebraska was one of only 14 FBS teams to go undefeated at home during the 2016 season.
• Nebraska owns a seven-game home winning streak that ranks in a tie for fifth nationally entering the 2017 season.
• Nebraska also has a history of dominating in its season opener, winning 30 of its past 31 season openers. The only setback in that stretch is a loss to BYU in 2015, when the Cougars completed a Hail Mary on the final paly. 

Riley Enters Third Season at Helm of Husker Program
Head Coach Mike Riley enters his third season as the Nebraska head coach in 2017. Riley has guided the Huskers to a 15-11 record in two seasons, including a 9-4 record in 2016. 

• Riley is in his 26th season as a head coach, tying for the second-most experience of any FBS head coach entering the 2017 season.
• Riley is one of eight active FBS head coaches who also has experience as an NFL head coach.
• Riley owns 16 victories over nationally ranked opponents during his college head coaching tenure.

Diaco to Lead New-Look Blackshirt Defense
Nebraska has three new faces on its defensive staff in 2017.  The group is led by new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, while Donté Williams will coach the Husker cornerbacks and Scott Booker will tutor the NU safeties.

• Diaco was the winner of the  2012 Broyles Award as the nation's best assistant coach, while at Notre Dame. He is regarded as one of the top defensive minds in college football and has a proven track record of success at the highest level. Diaco comes to Nebraska after three seasons as the head coach at the University of Connecticut. Diaco has roots in the Big Ten, twice earning All-Big Ten honors as a linebacker at Iowa in the mid-1990s.

• Williams joined the Nebraska staff last December prior to the Music City Bowl and worked with the secondary during bowl preparation. Williams spent the 2016 season at Arizona, helping compile the Wildcats’ top recruiting class in recent years. He previously coached the secondary at San Jose State, where the Spartans ranked among the nation’s best against the pass under Williams’ direction.

• Booker brings 10 years of full-time FBS coaching experience to the Nebraska sideline, including five seasons on the Notre Dame coaching staff. Before being elevated to safeties coach in June, Booker served as a special teams consultant with the Huskers. In addition to his duties with the safeties, Booker will also coach Nebraska's special teams in 2017.

Veterans to Lead 2017 Huskers
The 2017 version of Nebraska football features several players with extensive starting experience heading into the season. Five players head into the season with at least 20 career starts, led by place-kicker Drew Brown. Senior cornerback Chris Jones will be sidelined by a knee injury at the start of the season. Overall, Nebraska has 14 players with at least 10 collegiate starts, including quarterback Tanner Lee, who made 19 starts at Tulane.  

Youth Dominates NU Roster
While Nebraska will feature a modest number of first-time starters, the Husker roster is youthful heading into 2017. 

Nearly two-thirds of the squad is comprised of underclassmen, as 80 of the Huskers’ 127 players are either freshmen or sophomores. 

At quarterback, Nebraska boasts one true freshman, one redshirt freshman, one sophomore and one junior. Tanner Lee is the only member of the group who has seen action at the FBS level, but he has not played in a game since 2015. 

Nebraska does not have a single quarterback on its roster who has taken a snap with the Huskers, a first at Nebraska since 1972. That year, Dave Humm set a school record with 2,259 passing yards and a Big Eight record with 18 touchdown passes.

Kalu to Lead Veteran Secondary
The Nebraska secondary suffered a significant loss this summer when senior cornerback Chris Jones went down with a knee injury. The timetable for his return remains uncertain.

Fellow senior Joshua Kalu is the leader of a tested secondary heading into the season. Kalu has started 28 games the past three seasons at corner, but moved to safety this spring and will hold down one of the starting safety roles. 

Kalu heads into his senior season in position to leave his mark in the Husker record book. 

• Kalu has 168 career tackles heading into 2017. Had he remained at cornerback, Kalu would have been just 24 tackles from the NU cornerback record of 192 tackles. However, despite his move to safety, Kalu is in line to become just the sixth Husker defensive back to post 200 career tackles.

Safeties Aaron Williams, Kieron Williams and Antonio Reed all have extensive experience. At cornerback, sophomores Lamar Jackson and Eric Lee Jr. have moved to the forefront with Jones injured and Kalu's shift to safety.

Young to Anchor Linebacking Corps
Junior Dedrick Young II looks to lead Nebraska’s linebackers this fall as the Huskers transition from a 4-3 defensive scheme to a 3-4 attack.  Young played on the outside the past two seasons, but has moved to an inside linebacker spot, where he and senior Chris Weber give NU a veteran inside linebacker tandem.

Young has totaled 121 tackles in his first two seasons. He ranks second among all 2017 Huskers in career tackles despite his junior status. He is only the third Husker to record 100 tackles prior to his junior season.

Veteran Receiving Duo to Lead Passing Attack
Nebraska will have just its third new full-time starting quarterback since 2010 this fall, with junior Tanner Lee under center. Lee will have the luxury of two veteran and proven pass catchers to lead the receiving corps.

• Senior De’Mornay Pierson-El and junior Stanley Morgan Jr. have extensive playing experience and both appear poised for big roles in the offense in 2017. Pierson-El earned All-America honors as a punt returner in 2014 and has shown flashes of his potential as a receiver. Pierson-El has 55 career catches for 686 yards and six touchdowns.

• Morgan was NU’s second-leading receiver last season with 33 catches for 453 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He enters his junior season with 58 career catches for 757 yards.

• Both players are on track to join the 1,000-yard receiving club this season and both could challenge the top 10 in career yardage and receptions by season’s end. 

Gates Continues to Holddown Left Side of O-line
Junior Nick Gates is the most game-tested of a veteran Nebraska offensive line. The five projected starters for Week One against Arkansas State all have at least four career starts. 

• Gates leads the way with 23 career starts, all at left tackle. His 23 starts are the most of any returning offensive player. 

• Gates has started 17 consecutive games at left tackle entering the 2017 season. The streak is the longest by a Husker at the position since Mike Smith started 20 straight games at left tackle in 2008 and 2009.

Senior Kicker Drew Brown Continues Family Tradition
Place-kicker Drew Brown returns for his senior season after three solid seasons as the Husker starter. One of the nation’s top kickers since 2014, Brown earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition in 2016 and was a second-team all-conference pick in 2015. Brown will be a leading contender for the Lou Groza Award and other conference and national honors in 2017. 

Brown connected on 12-of-14 field goals in 2016, including 9-of-10 over the final six games. Brown had a streak of 13 straight made field goals prior to a miss against Illinois. The 13 straight field goals marked the third-longest streak in Nebraska history. 

• Brown has 47 field goals in his Nebraska career, which ranks third in school history. He is 10 field goals behind his brother, Kris, for second on the NU career field goals list and trails career record holder Alex Henery by 21 field goals. 

• Brown has 282 career points to rank seventh in NU history. He is 18 points from becoming the sixth Husker to crack the 300-point barrier. Brown is on pace to finish third in school history in scoring and could challenge his older brother for second place on the scoring list at 388 points. Alex Henery holds the school record with 397 career points. 

• Brown connected on a career-long 51-yard field goal against Purdue last season and has made 19 field goals of at least 40 yards in his career. He is 17-of-24 in his career from 40-49 yards, including 12-of-14 in 2015.   

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

• Brown’s 21 field goals in 2015 were second on the NU season list. He made each of his last 11 attempts that season.

• Brown made five field goals against Southern Miss in 2015, all in the first half. The five field goals in a half tied an NCAA record. The five field goals were the most ever by a Husker in Lincoln, and tied a Memorial Stadium record held by two opposing kickers.  

Rushing Battle Often Holds the Key to Success
The ability to win the running game battle was a key to victory for the 2016 Huskers, and Nebraska will make a strong running game a focus again this fall.

• Nebraska was a perfect 8-0 in 2016 when holding an advantage in rushing yards. The Huskers are 11-0 under Head Coach Mike Riley when out-rushing the opposition. 

• Stopping the run also keyed Nebraska victories last fall.  The Blackshirts held five opponents to 88 or fewer rushing yards last season, winning each of those five contests.

• In two seasons under Coach Riley, Nebraska is 8-0 when rushing for 200 yards or more, including 4-0 in 2016. 

Five Players Elected as 2017 Team Captains
The Nebraska football program named five team captains on Saturday, Aug. 26, as selected by a vote of their teammates.

The group consists of three seniors and two juniors, and three players on offense and two defensive standouts.  The 2017 captains also include three Nebraska natives and two players who began their Husker career as walk-on student-athletes before earning scholarships.

2017 Nebraska team captains
• Jerald Foster, Jr., OG, Lincoln, Neb.
• Joshua Kalu, Sr., S, Houston, Texas
• Tanner Lee, Jr., QB, Destrehan, La.
• Luke McNitt, Sr., FB, Kearney, Neb.
• Chris Weber, Sr., LB, Elkhorn, Neb. 

Captain Notes
• The three Nebraska natives (Foster, McNitt, Weber) to be named captains is the most in-state captains since Nebraska also had three in-state captains in 2001 (Eric Crouch, Jeremy Slechta, Dave Volk). The Huskers have had at least one Nebraska native as a captain for 12 consecutive seasons.

• Foster is the third captain from Lincoln in four seasons, joining Jake Cotton (2014) and Josh Banderas (2016). 

• A Husker offensive lineman has served as a captain for five straight seasons. Foster joins Spencer Long (2013), Jake Cotton (2014), Alex Lewis (2015) and Dylan Utter (2016). 

• Kalu is the fifth defensive back to be a captain since 2013, joining Ciante Evans (2013), Corey Cooper (2014), Josh Mitchell (2014) and Nathan Gerry (2015, 2016). 

• McNitt and Weber are the fourth and fifth players since 2013 to earn the role of a captain after starting their career as a walk-on. They join Spencer Long (2013), Jack Gangwish (2015) and Dylan Utter (2016) in that group. 

• McNitt is the first fullback to serve as a captain since Judd Davies in 2003.

• Lee’s selection marks the fourth time in six seasons a quarterback has served as a Husker captain, joining Taylor Martinez (2012, 2013) and Tommy Armstrong Jr. (2015).

Nebraska Walk-On Tradition Continues
Mike Riley placed six former walk-ons on scholarship before the start of the season. Five of the six members of the group are fifth-year seniors and four are Nebraska natives.

Walk-ons awarded scholarships
• Brett Classen, WR (Medina, Minn.)
• Cole Conrad, OL (Fremont, Neb.)
• Tyler Hoppes, TE (Lincoln, Neb.)
• Connor Ketter, TE (Norfolk, Neb.)
• Luke McNitt, FB (Kearney, Neb.)
• Gabe Rahn, WR (Le Mars, Iowa)

Nebraska has a long tradition of relying on its walk-on program to help build the foundation of the program. Six walk-ons have gone on to earn first-team All-America honors for Nebraska, while 13 walk-ons have earned first-team academic All-America recognition. 

Five former walk-ons are on the top line of the depth chart heading into the season opener. 

2017 Huskers Feature Prominent Fathers
Husker fans could see some famous faces at Nebraska games this fall, as three freshmen feature prominent fathers.

• Redshirt freshman JD Spielman is the adopted son of Minnesota Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman, and JD's uncle is former Ohio State All-America linebacker and NFL standout Chris Spielman, who now serves as an NFL analyst for Fox Sports.

• Freshman fullback Ben Miles is the son of former national championship head coach Les Miles. Les compiled a 141-55 record in 15 seasons as a head coach at Oklahoma State and LSU. He led the Tigers to the 2007 national title and an appearance in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.

• Freshman wide receiver Kade Warner is the son of former two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner. In addition to a distinguished Arena Football League career, Kurt enjoyed a 12-year NFL career with the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals. He threw for more than 32,000 yards in his career and ranks seventh in NFL history with an average of 260.8 passing yards per game. Kurt was also a four-time Pro Bowler, a two-time NFL MVP (1999 & 2001) and the Super Bowl XXXIV MVP. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.