Huskers Host Buckeyes for Big Ten Home Opener

NEBRASKA vs OHIO STATE
SEPT. 28, 2019 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 6:30 P.M. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 83, XM 83
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com, TuneIn.com
APP AUDIO - Official Huskers App, TuneIn App

HUSKERS
2019 Record: 3-1, 1-0 Big Ten
Last Game: Illinois (W, 42-38)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost
Career/NU Record: 26-16 (4th Year)/7-9 (2nd Year) 
vs. Ohio State: 0-1

BUCKEYES
2019 Record: 4-0, 1-0 Big Ten
Last Game: Miami (Ohio) (W, 76-5)
Rankings: AP-5, Coaches-6
Coach: Ryan Day
Career/OSU Record: 7-0 (1st Full Year)/Same
vs. Nebraska: 0-0

The Matchup
Nebraska returns to Memorial Stadium on Saturday night for a prime-time showdown against the fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.  The game is set to kick off shortly after 6:30 p.m. CT, with ABC carrying the national telecast as part of its Saturday Night Football series. Radio coverage of the game will be available on the Husker Sports Network from Learfield-IMG.  

Nebraska comes into the game with a 3-1 overall record, and a 1-0 Big Ten mark after a come-from-behind 42-38 victory over Illinois last Saturday night in Champaign.  Nebraska trailed by two touchdowns on four occasions in the game, and relied on its offensive firepower to pull out the victory. The Huskers gained nearly 700 yards of total offense and topped 300 yards rushing and passing for just the second time in school history.

Ohio State comes to Lincoln with strong momentum from an impressive 4-0 start. The Buckeyes defeated Miami (Ohio) 76-5 on Saturday and has outscored the opposition by an average of 53.5-9.0 in four contests in 2019. Ohio State's high-powered offensive attack ranks third nationally in scoring and 14th in total offense, averaging better than 525 yards per game. On the defensive side, the Buckeyes are second nationally in total defense, allowing just 222.0 yards per game. 

Nebraska and Ohio State are two of the most successful programs in college football history. The schools have combined for more than 1,800 wins and 11 national championships.

Series History
Ohio State holds a 6-1 all-time edge in the series, including a 4-1 edge since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011. 

•     The schools are meeting for the fourth straight season and will meet each year through the 2021 campaign.  

•     Nebraska won the first matchup between the schools as Big Ten opponents, a 34-27 win at Memorial Stadium in 2011, the Huskers' first-ever Big Ten home game.  Nebraska rallied from a 27-6 deficit in that game, marking the largest comeback in school history. 

•     With Ohio State ranked No. 5 in this week's Associated Press poll, the Buckeyes will have been ranked no lower than 12th in the past five meetings between the schools and in the top 10 in each of the past four matchups. 

Nebraska-Ohio State Matchup Pits Two Traditional Powers
Saturday's matchup features two of the historically dominant programs in college football. With the Huskers' win over Illinois on Saturday, Nebraska became just the fifth school to reach 900 all-time victories. Saturday's matchup between the Huskers and Buckeyes is just the second in college football history pitting two programs with 900 victories. 

•     In looking at the most wins in college football over the past 30, 40, 50 or 60 years, Nebraska and Ohio State each rank in the top five in all of those categories. 

•     The schools have combined to win 11 national championships and 83 conference titles, including five national championships and 46 conference crowns by Nebraska. 

Nebraska Joins 900-Win Club
Nebraska reached a major milestone in the history of its program with Saturday's win at Illinois, becoming the fifth program in the country with 900 all-time victories. Nebraska joined Michigan (955), Ohio State (915), Texas (912), and Alabama (909) in the 900-win club. 

•     Nebraska and Ohio State are meeting in just the second-ever matchup of 900-win teams. The 2018 matchup between Michigan and Ohio State in Columbus was the first meeting of program with 900 victories. 

Huskers Seek Success Against Top-10 Opponent
Nebraska will face its first test of 2019 against a ranked opponent this weekend.  Ohio State enters Saturday's matchup ranked No. 5 by the AP and sixth in the USA Today Coaches Poll. 

Nebraska has games later this season at Memorial Stadium against No. 8 Wisconsin and 14th-ranked Iowa. 

•    Nebraska will be looking for its first win over a ranked opponent since a victory over No. 22 Oregon in Lincoln in 2016. It would also be the highest ranked team Nebraska has defeated since a 20-10 win over No. 2 Oklahoma in 2001.  

•    Nebraska was 0-3 against ranked opponents in 2018, but did not play a home game at Memorial Stadium against a ranked team.  

•    Head Coach Scott Frost led UCF to three consecutive wins against ranked teams to complete the 2017 season, capping the perfect campaign with a win over No. 7 Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Frost was 3-1 against ranked opponents at UCF. 

Huskers Hope to Shine Under Memorial Stadium Lights
The Huskers have a long history of success under the lights in Lincoln. 

•     The Huskers have won 21 of their last 23 home night games at Memorial Stadium. NU is 47-7 all-time in Memorial Stadium night games, including a 44-8 victory over Northern Illinois on Sept. 14. 

•     Nebraska's dominance at night in Lincoln has been impressive, as 34 of the home night wins have been by at least 13 points. 

•     The seven 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; Wisconsin and Ohio State, 2017). Ohio State is the last team to win a night game at Memorial Stadium, defeating the Huskers in 2017.

ESPN College GameDay Returns to Lincoln
Nebraska will serve as the center of the college football world this weekend. In addition to hosting the highest profile game of the weekend, Nebraska will also serve as the host for ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday morning.  

•     The show will be making its first visit to Lincoln since the 2007 season, when Nebraska hosted College GameDay for its matchup with top-ranked USC. 

•     Overall, Nebraska has hosted College GameDay six previous times, including twice in 1994, once in 1998, twice in 2001 and in 2007. 

Blackshirt Defense Marking Noise Early in 2019 Season
The Nebraska defense has focused on taking a step forward in 2019, specifically causing more turnovers and big impact plays. Through four games, Nebraska has done an outstanding job of checking that box, particularly in home wins over South Alabama and Northern Illinois. 

• Nebraska has 10 takeaways through four games to rank first in the Big Ten and fifth nationally in that category. 

• Nebraska had five takeaways against South Alabama, including four in the second half. The five takeaways matched the most in two seasons under Scott Frost (Illinois, 2018) and was only the fourth time since 2010 that a Nebraska defense recorded five or more takeaways.

• Nebraska scored a pair of defensive touchdowns against the Jaguars–a 38-yard interception return by Eric Lee Jr. in the third quarter and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Alex Davis in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.  The two defensive touchdowns marked the first time Nebraska scored a pair of defensive touchdowns since having two interception returns for touchdowns against Southern Miss in 2013. Nebraska is tied for the national lead in defensive touchdowns. 

• Lee's interception return for a touchdown was the first by a Husker since Marcus Newby had an interception for a touchdown against Northwestern in 2017.

• Davis' fumble recovery for a touchdown was the first by the Huskers since Josh Mitchell returned a fumble 57 yards for a touchdown against Miami in 2014. 

• Nebraska also scored on a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown by JD Spielman in the third quarter. The three non-offensive touchdowns were a first for Nebraska since the Huskers had three defensive touchdowns in a 31-3 win over Wake Forest in 2005. 

• Nebraska's effort against South Alabama marked the 16th time in school history the Huskers have scored on offense, defense and special teams in the same game.  It was the first time since 2012 NU had accomplished that feat, and the first instance against an FBS opponent since 2009 at Colorado.

• Nebraska has added five takeaways over the past three games. 

• Nebraska has averaged 2.6 takeaways in its past nine games. Prior to that, Nebraska averaged 1.0 takeaway in its 30 previous games spanning three seasons. 

• The Huskers have forced three or more turnovers in four of their last nine games. Before the current streak, NU had not forced three turnovers in 30 games dating back to game two in 2016.

• Nebraska has forced 16 fumbles in its past nine games. Prior to that, Nebraska had forced just 14 fumbles in its previous 34 games. 

• Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander has a history of producing disruptive defenses. In 42 games as a defensive coordinator (UCF, Nebraska) Chinander's defenses have scored 11 touchdowns.

Read Nebraska's full notes package here