Huskers Return from Bye, Host Badgers on BTN

NEBRASKA vs WISCONSIN
NOV. 16, 2019 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 11 A.M. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - BTN (Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Rick Pizzo)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin
SATELLITE RADIO - XM 203/Sirius 138
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com, TuneIn.com
APP AUDIO - Official Huskers App, TuneIn App

HUSKERS
2019 Record: 4-5, 2-4 Big Ten
Last Game: Purdue (L, 31-27)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost
Career/NU Record: 27-20 (4th Year)/8-13 (2nd Year) 
vs. Wisconsin: 0-1

BADGERS
2019 Record: 7-2, 4-2 Big Ten
Last Game: Iowa (W, 24-22)
Rankings: AP 15, Coaches 15
Coach: Paul Chryst
Career/UW Record: 68-33 (8th Year)/46-16 (5th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 4-0

The Matchup
Nebraska begins the home stretch of its 2019 season on Saturday when the Huskers take on Wisconsin at Memorial Stadium in a Big Ten West clash. The game is set to kick off shortly after 11 a.m. and will be televised by BTN. The game can be heard on the Husker Sports Network from Learfield-IMG. 

Nebraska will enter the contest with a 4-5 record and a 2-4 mark in Big Ten Conference play.  The Huskers have three remaining games, with Big Ten West matchups against Wisconsin and Iowa sandwiched around a trip to Maryland. Nebraska enters the home stretch needing two victories in its final three games to reach bowl eligibility.

The Huskers are coming off a bye which was preceeded by a 31-27 loss at Purdue on Nov. 2. NU took a lead in the final five minutes in West Lafayette, but Purdue scored a late touchdown to pull out the victory. 

Wisconsin comes into the game with a 7-2 overall record, and a 4-2 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers are in second place in the conferene's West Division and remain in contention for a trip to the the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis. Wisconsin is ranked 15th in both the AP and Coaches polls this week.  

Wisconsin will bring a high-powered rushing attack to Lincoln, averaging 225.7 yards on the ground per game. The Badgers also rank among the nation's top defenses, allowing just 231.4 yards of offense and 12.6 points per game.

Series History
Saturday's meeting will be the 14th all-time matchup between Nebraska and Wisconsin and the ninth game between the school since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011. The schools have met each season since 2014 as members of the Big Ten West Division. 

•     Wisconsin has a 9-4 advantage in the series, with wins in the past six meetings, including the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game. 

•     The Huskers hold a 3-2 lead in series in games played at Memorial Stadium, with its most recent victory a 30-27 win in 2012. 

•     NU will be facing a ranked Wisconsin team for the sixth time in nine matchups as Big Ten foes.

Nebraska Joins 900-Win Club
Nebraska reached a major milestone in the history of its program with its win at Illinois on Sept. 21, becoming the fifth program in the country with 900 all-time victories. Nebraska joined Michigan, Ohio State, Texas and Alabama in the 900-win club. Oklahoma and Notre Dame joined the 900-win list a week later on Sept. 28.

Rk. School (Wins)
1. Michigan (960)
2. Ohio State (920)
3. Texas (914)
4. Alabama (913)
5. Oklahoma (904)
6. Notre Dame (904)
7. Nebraska (901)

Frost Offenses Traditionally Impressive on Opening Drives
One common theme of a Scott Frost-led offense has been a fast start, and that has held true for Frost's tenure in Lincoln. Nebraska has scored points in four of nine games on its opening drive in 2019.

Nebraska received the opening kickoff against South Alabama and drove nine plays and 81 yards for a touchdown to a take a 7-0 lead. At Colorado, NU drove 96 yards in five plays on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead. The Huskers opened with a field goal on the game's first drive against Northern Illinois. Nebraska got back to its fast starts against Indiana, marching five plays and 75 yards on the game's opening drive. The opening-drive success has continued a theme throughout Frost's head coaching tenure. 

• Nebraska scored on its first possession seven times in 12 games in 2018, including six of the final seven games. All seven of NU's opening scoring drives resulted in touchdowns. In Frost's two seasons, Nebraska has scored on its opening possession 11 times in 21 games (10 TD, 1 FG).

• NU received the opening kickoff nine times in 2018 and scored touchdowns on six of those drives while punting only once. The Huskers had a game-opening touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead in five straight games during the Big Ten Conference season.

• The Huskers scored on nearly 60 percent of their opening possessions in 2018, even with a pair of drive-ending turnovers in opponent territory. Nebraska's average touchdown drive covered more than 74 yards, including one 80-yard touchdown march and five 75-yard scoring drives.

• Over the last three seasons - 2018-19 at Nebraska and 2017 at UCF - Frost's offenses have scored a touchdown on their opening possession 19 times in 34 games (56 percent). The average length of the touchdown drive in that span is 74 yards.

• In three-plus years as a head coach, Frost's offenses have scored on their opening drive 24 times in 47 games, with 22 touchdowns and two field goals. In 87 games over six-plus seasons as a play-caller, Frost's offenses have scored on their first possession of the game 45 times, putting points on the board in more than half of their opening possessions.

• Frost's Opening Drive Scoring Percentage: 52% (45 of 87 drives)    
• Frost's Opening Drive Touchdown Percentage: 45% (39 of 87 drives)

Huskers Offense Showing Versatility
The 2019 Nebraska offense has shown the versatility to both strike quickly and drive the length of the field. 
 
• Against Colorado, Nebraska had two touchdown drives of 95 yards or longer (95 and 96). That marked the first time the Huskers have had two 95-yard scoring drives in the same game since the 2000 Fiesta Bowl against Tennessee (97- and 99-yard touchdown drives). 

• Through nine games, Nebraska has 18 scoring drives that have covered 75 yards or more. 

• Nebraska had two long scoring plays at Colorado with touchdown passes of 65 (Martinez-Spielman) and 75 yards (Martinez-Washington). That marked the first time the Huskers had multiple 65-yard pass plays in the same game since 2006 against Kansas. 

• Nebraska flashed its quick-strike ability and explosiveness against Northern Illinois. Nebraska produced nine plays of 20 yards or more against the Huskies, including eight before halftime. The eight first-half chunk plays matched Nebraska's combined total in its first two games. 

• Nebraska had a pair of 60-yard runs against Northern Illinois. That marked the second time since last November that Nebraska produced a pair of 60-yard runs in the same game. 

• The Huskers had a season-high 14 plays of 20 yards or more against Illinois. In the process, Nebraska topped 300 yards in both rushing and passing to mark just the second time in school history the Huskers have reached that milestone. 

• Nebraska's 674 yards of total offense at Illinois was its most against a conference opponent since posting 710 yards against Kansas State in 2007. 

• Nebraska had its best offensive effort in a month against Indiana, totaling 514 yards of offense. The Huskers passed for 294 yards, while rushing for 220, marking the third time this season the Huskers have topped 200 yards both on the ground and through the air.

Offense Ranks Among Nation's Top Big-Play Units
Nebraska's offense has numerous big-play weapons that have helped the Huskers stress opposing defenses. Highlighted by 14 plays of 20 yards or more at Illinois, Nebraska ranks as one of the Big Ten and national leaders in producing chunk plays.

• Nebraska has 52 scrimmage plays of 20-plus yards to rank in a tie for second in the Big Ten. 

• The Huskers rank in the top five in the Big Ten in plays of 40+ (17), 50+ (6) and 60+ (4) yard.

Spielman Continues to Climb Husker Charts
unior wide receiver JD Spielman has made Husker history as the only player in program history to have a 200-yard receiving game. Spielman is also leaving his mark on Nebraska's career record book. He has 156 career catches for 2,337 yards, ranking fifth at Nebraska in career receptions and sixth in career yardage. 

• Spielman reached 2,000 and 1,000 career receiving yards faster than any other Husker. He hit 2,000 yards at Illinois on Sept. 21, breaking the 2,000-yard barrier in 25 games. He reached 1,000 career yards in only 15 games, eclipsing Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers (16 games).
 
• Spielman needs 34 catches and 410 yards to become Nebraska's all-time leader in both categories. He averaged 61 catches and 842 receiving yards per season in his first two years. On a per-game basis in his 30-game career, Spielman averages 5.2 receptions and 77.9 receiving yards. 

• Spielman is the only player in school history to record 100 catches prior to his junior season.

• Spielman owns the only two 200-yard receiving games in Husker history (200 yards vs. Ohio State in 2017 and 209 yards at Wisconsin in 2018).

• Spielman is the only wide receiver in school history to have two career games with double-digit receptions (11 vs. Ohio State in 2017 and 10 vs. Purdue in 2018). Running back Marlon Lucky is the only other Husker to have two career games with double-digit catches.

• Spielman had more than 800 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, joining Johnny Rodgers and Stanley Morgan Jr. as the only Huskers with two 800-yard receiving seasons. No Husker has ever had three 800-yard receiving seasons. With 689 yards in nine games, Spielman is on pace to reach that plateau again in 2019. 

• Spielman had more than 50 catches in each of his first two seasons, joining Johnny Rodgers, Kenny Bell and Stanley Morgan Jr. as the only players in program history with multiple 50-catch seasons. No Husker has ever had three 50-catch seasons. Spielman has 35 catches in 2019. 

• Spielman opened the 2019 season with a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown against South Alabama, marking his second career punt return score. He had a 77-yard punt return touchdown last season against Bethune-Cookman. He also had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in his first career touch against Arkansas State in the 2017 season opener. Spielman is one of only eight players in program history to return both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown.

• Spielman had a 65-yard TD reception at Colorado, his sixth career touchdown of at least 65 yards. The 65-yard catch at Colorado was one of seven Spielman receptions of at least 40 yards in 2019. His seven catches of 40-plus yards ranks fourth nationally.  

• Spielman had seven catches for 160 yards at Illinois, marking his third-highest receiving total at Nebraska. It was his sixth career 100-yard receiving game. 

•     After posting six catches for 123 yards at Purdue, Spielman is averaging 19.7 yards per reception, a mark that ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Spielman's single-season yards per catch average in 2019 ranks third in Nebraska history among players with 30 or more catches in a season. 

• On the ground, Nebraska ranks among the top four in the Big Ten in rushes of 30+ (7), 40+ (7), 50+ (3) and 60+ (2) yards. 

Martinez Brings Dual Threat to Nebraska Offense
Adrian Martinez is again showing in 2019 that he is one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks.  Martinez is averaging 270.1 yards of total offense, including 213.1 passing yards per game and 57.0 rushing yards per contest. Martinez ranks second in the Big Ten in total offense. He returned to action at Purdue after missing the Minnesota and Indiana games with an injury. 

• Martinez produced a career-high 446 yards of total offense at Illinois, the third-highest total offense game in school history. He passed for 328 yards, while rushing for 118 yards to post just the second 300-100 game in Nebraska history. 

• The 400-yard total offense game was the fourth of Martinez's career, more than any other Husker.

• Martinez posted three straight games with more than 300 yards of total offense in games 2-4, including 356 at Colorado, 301 vs. Northern Illinois and the 445-yard effort at Illinois. He had 305 yards of offense at Purdue in his first action in nearly a month. Martinez has 11 career games of 300 yards or more in total offense, the second-most in NU history, and two shy of a school record.

• Martinez has been particularly strong on the road. In his last seven road games, Martinez is averaging 367.5 yards of total offense. In those seven games, he has rushed 112 times for 484 yards (69.1 ypg) with eight touchdowns. He has completed 157-of-247 passes for 2,026 yards (289.4 ypg) and 11 touchdowns. 

• Martinez has moved into the top 10 at Nebraska in career passing (8th, 4,019 yards), and career total offense (9th, 5,137 yards). He has also become one of only 11 quarterbacks in school history with more than 1,000 career rushing yards. 

Robinson Making Big Impact in Freshman Season
Freshman receiver Wan'Dale Robinson provides Nebraska with an explosive receiving, rushing and return threat in 2019.

A true freshman from Frankfort, Ky., Robinson keyed Big Ten wins against Illinois and Northwestern. At Illinois, he was called on as a running back and had 19 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, while also catching eight passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns. His play in the 42-38 win earned him Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week Honors.

Against Northwestern, Robinson again won the Big Ten freshman weekly honor. He totaled 186 all-purpose yards, including seven catches for a career-high 123 yards, the most receiving yards ever by a Husker true freshman. He had a career-long 42-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, a career-long 49-yard catch in the third quarter and a key 32-yard catch on Nebraska's game-winning drive.

Robinson's play nearly earned the Huskers a win against Indiana. He rushed a career-high 22 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. He also caught six passes for 71 yards for 154 all-purpose yards.  

• Robinson ranks second nationally among all freshmen and leads all Power Five Conference freshmen in all-purpose yards per game (112.8 ypg). His all-purpose yardage average is sixth in the Big Ten among all players. 

•     Robinson's 453 receiving yards and 40 receptions are the most ever by a Nebraska true freshman.

•    Robinson has 453 receiving yards and 326 rushing yards in 2019. He is the first Nebraska player to with 400 receiving yards and 300 rushing yards in the same season since Marlon Lucky in 2007.
 
•    With 123 all-purpose yards at Purdue, Robinson pushed his season total to 1,015 all-purpose yards. Robinson is the fourth true freshman at Nebraska to total 1,000 all-purpose yards joining Ahman Green (1,259 in 1995), Ameer Abdullah (1,031 in 2011) and De'Mornay Pierson-El (1,074 in 2014).

•    Robinson is the only true freshman in the country to have 1,000 all-purpose yards through games of Nov. 9.