Game Week: vs. LA Tech

NEBRASKA vs. LOUISIANA TECH
Sept. 23, 2023 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 2:30 PM CT

HUSKERS
Record: 1-2, 0-1 B1G
Last Game: vs. Northern Illinois (W, 35-11)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Matt Rhule
Career/NU Record: 48-45 (8th Year)/1-2 (1st Year)
vs. Louisiana Tech: 0-0

BULLDOGS
Record: 2-2, 1-0 CUSA
Last Game: vs. North Texas (L, 40-37)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Sonny Cumbie
Career/LA TECH Record: 7-14 (3rd Year)/5-11 (2nd Year)
vs. Nebraska: 0-0

SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads, 2-0
In Lincoln: Nebraska leads, 2-0
Last Game: Nebraska, 49-10 in Lincoln (2006)
Win Streak: Nebraska, 2 Games

BROADCAST INFO
TV – BTN (Mark Followill, Matt Millen, Meghan McKeown
RADIO NETWORK – Huskers Radio Network (Greg Sharpe, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
INTERNET RADIO – Huskers.com
APP AUDIO – Official Huskers App

The Matchup
Nebraska continues a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when the Huskers play host to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers will complete their non-conference schedule with the contest, which will kick off shortly after 2:30 p.m. Central in Lincoln. The game will be televised by Big Ten Network and available on the Fox Sport App. The radio broadcast will be available on the Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com and the official Huskers App. 

The Huskers picked up their first victory of the 2023 season last Saturday with a decisive 35-11 victory over Northern Illinois at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska was paced by a strong defensive effort as the Huskers limited NIU to just 149 total yards, including just 73 yards through three quarters. On the offensive side, quarterback Heinrich Haarberg had a solid outing in his first career start, accounting for 256 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns. The Huskers picked up 244 yards on the ground, including 96 rushing yards in the fourth quarter. 

Nebraska will be playing host to Louisiana Tech for the third time in school history. The Huskers hold a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series, with the Bulldogs, most recent trip to Lincoln coming in 2006.  

Louisiana Tech will bring a 2-2 record to Lincoln, following a 40-37 loss at North Texas on Saturday night. The Bulldogs trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter, before rallying to tie the game in the final three minutes. North Texas kicked the game-winning field goal in the waning seconds. Louisiana Tech's offense will challenge the Huskers, as the Bulldogs' balanced attack averages better than 400 yards and 31.0 points per game.

Series History: Nebraska vs. Louisiana Tech
Saturday's meeting between Nebraska and Louisiana Tech will be the third all-time matchup between the two schools. Nebraska has won both previous meetings with victories at Memorial Stadium in 1998 and 2006.

• The 1998 meeting came in the Eddie Robinson Football Classic and was Nebraska's first game under Frank Solich. In that game, Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards set NCAA records with 21 receptions for 405 yards in a 56-27 Nebraska win.

• The 2006 matchup featured the first crowd of more than 80,000 in Memorial Stadium history.

• Nebraska has a 7-0 all-time record against current members of Conference USA, most recently defeating Western Kentucky in 2010. Nebraska has C-USA member UTEP on its 2024 and 2028 home schedules.

Blackshirts Flexing Muscle Early in Season
Nebraska's defense has performed well in each of the first three games this season, ranking among the nation's best teams in stopping the run and pressuring the passer. Early in the season, Nebraska also boasts one of the nation's most improved defenses under first-year Head Coach Matt Rhule and defensive coordinator Tony White.

• Northern Illinois managed just 149 total yards in the Huskers' 35-11 victory last Saturday. The Huskies had just 87 total yards before the final drive of the game. The 149 total yards were the fewest by a Nebraska opponent since Kansas had 87 yards on Nov. 13, 2010. The last time Nebraska had limited an opponent to fewer than 200 yards was at Illinois in 2017. 

• The Husker defense ranks 29th nationally in total defense, allowing 284.7 yards per game. The average through three games is a 207.3-yard improvement when compared to the first three games of the 2022 season.

• Nebraska ranks 15th nationally in allowing only 4.19 yards per play, including just 1.7 yards per opponent rushing attempt. Opponents have a total of 139 rushing yards on 80 attempts.

Nowhere to Run
The most dominant part of the Blackshirt defense through three games has been stopping the run and pressuring the passer. Nebraska owns the nation's most improved run defense compared to 2022, allowing 142.8 fewer yards per game on the ground.

• Nebraska ranks second in the nation, allowing just 46.3 yards rushing per game.

• Minnesota (55 yards), Colorado (58) and Northern Illinois (26) have all rushed for fewer than 100 yards. It is the longest stretch of holding opponents to 100 yards or fewer rushing since also limiting each of the first three opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in 2019.

• The last time Nebraska held four straight opponents to less than 100 rushing yards was a five-game stretch covering the last two games of 2003 and the first three games in 2004.

• Before the start of this season, Nebraska had not held three straight foes to less than 60 rushing yards since the final three games in 2008. NU has not held four straight opponents under 60 rushing yards since the first four games in 1999.

• Nebraska has allowed just 12 rushing first downs, which is tied for seventh nationally.  

• Nebraska has registered 14 sacks in three games, including a season-high eight at Colorado. The 4.67 sacks per game lead the Big Ten and rank fourth in the nation. The Huskers' 104 sack yards are tied for the national lead. Nebraska's 7.0 tackles for loss per game ranks third in the Big Ten, and Nebraska's 120 TFL yards are 10th nationally.

• The Huskers racked up eight sacks at No. 22 Colorado. The team sack total was Nebraska's best since recording 9.0 sacks against Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game. 

This Week’s Numbers
2 – Nebraska ranks second nationally in rushing defense allowing 46.3 yards per game. NU has held each of its first three opponents to less than 60 rushing yards. The last time Nebraska held three straight opponents under 60 rushing yards was the final three games of the 2008 season (Kansas State, Colorado, Clemson). 

4 – Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg was just the fourth Nebraska native to start a game at quarterback for the Huskers since 2001. The Kearney native joined Noah Vedral (Wahoo, 2019), Ryker Fyfe (Grand Island, 2015 and 2016) and Ron Kellogg III (Omaha, 2013) as native Nebraskans to start since Eric Crouch completed his career in 2001. 

8 - Seven former Huskers and one former Nebraska coach will become the eight newest Huskers in the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame this weekend. The group will be officially inducted on Friday evening and honored on the field before Saturday's game.