Dahrran Diedrick

• 2002 Third-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2002 Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 2001 First-Team All-Big 12 (AP, Dallas Morning News, Kansas City Star, Austin American Statesman)
• 2001 Second-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches, Fort Worth Star Telegram)
• 2001 Big 12 Leading Rusher (1,299 yards)
• 2001 ABC NU Player of the Game vs. Notre Dame (9/8)
• 2001 FSN NU Player of the Game vs. Texas Tech and Kansas

Senior I-back Dahrran Diedrick (pronounced DARE-ren DEED-rick) played a key role in Nebraska's Big 12-leading rushing offense in 2002. Diedrick rushed for 839 yards and six touchdowns in 2002 and provides the Huskers with a powerful inside running threat. His style is the perfect complement to quarterback Jammal Lord and fellow I-back David Horne who are big-play threats for Nebraska.

Diedrick has been a fixture in the Nebraska rushing attack for the past four seasons, including each of the past two years as a starter. He led the Big 12 in rushing as a junior in 2001, churning out 1,299 yards. This season Diedrick made a steady climb up the Husker career rushing list. He now has 2,653 career rushing yards to rank ninth on the NU career list.

The senior capped his Husker home career in strong fashion, rushing 13 times for 96 yards against 13th-ranked Colorado. Earlier in November, Diedrick rushed 12 times for 107 yards, including a career-long 53-yard TD run in the first quarter against Kansas. The KU game was Diedrick's lone 100-yard game in 2002 and the eighth in his career.

Diedrick topped 100 yards once in 2002, but rushed for more than 50 yards in 10 of 13 games this fall. In addition to his 96 yards against Colorado, he also topped 90 yards with 16 carries for 93 yards against Utah State. His relentless running style played a key role in NU's come-from-behind win at Texas A&M on Oct. 26. Diedrick rushed for 85 yards on the night and his total included 78 yards on nine carries after halftime.

Although Diedrick's numbers did not match his 2001 campaign, the league coaches recognized his contributions. The senior was named third-team All-Big 12 according to the coaches, the second straight year he has earned all-league honors.

Diedrick earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season when he was a key figure in Nebraska's run to the 2001 national championship game. He led the conference with 1,299 rushing yards and averaged 118.9 yards per game, leading the Huskers to their 15th NCAA rushing title. His 2001 yardage total was the ninth-best season in NU school history and one of 26 1,000-yard rushing efforts by Husker players. In his first career start in 2001, Diedrick showed a sign of things to come rushing for a career-high 177 yards and three touchdowns against Troy State. He went on to rush for more than 100 yards six additional times last season.

In his first two seasons in the NU lineup, Diedrick served as Nebraska's No. 3 I-back. He rushed for 303 yards and two TDs as a freshman, then 212 yards and three TDs as a sophomore.

The Scarborough, Ontario, native was the first Husker scholarship recruit out of Canada, but followed Husker Canadians Pete Buchanan (Pierrefonds, Quebec, 1988) and Terris Chorney (Ituna, Saskatchewan, 1989-92), who earned scholarships after coming to NU as walk-ons. Two other Canadians have joined Diedrick as Husker scholarship recruits - defensive tackle Patrick Kabongo (Montreal, Quebec) and place-kicker Sandro DeAngelis (Niagara Falls, Ontario).

An excellent student, Diedrick is one of five Huskers who played the 2002 season with degree in hand. Diedrick earned his undergraduate criminal justice degree in December 2001. He finished his undergraduate work with a 3.165 cumulative GPA.

2001: Diedrick led the Big 12 with 1,299 rushing yards as a junior, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and scoring 15 touchdowns in his first year as a starter. He averaged 118.9 yards per carry to rank 14th nationally and his 8.36 points per game ranked second on the team, fifth in the Big 12 and 22nd nationally.

After sitting out against TCU, Diedrick opened the 2001 season with a monster game against Troy State, rushing for 177 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns, which were all career bests. He scored on runs of 1, 11 and 33 yards. He added the second-longest run of his career with a 38-yard gallop in the first quarter. Against No. 17 Notre Dame, Diedrick carried the ball a career-high 32 times, while rushing for 133 yards and two TDs. The bruising I-back turned in another solid performance against Rice, rushing 13 times for 74 yards with a long of 22 yards. Diedrick carried 24 times for 86 yards at Missouri, then broke the 100-yard mark for the third time with 107 yards on 15 carries against Iowa State, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He found the end zone on a two-yard run in the first quarter and became the 51st back in Nebraska history to rush for 1,000 career yards. Diedrick produced the third-highest rushing output of his career, carrying 20 times for 137 yards and a touchdown at Baylor. He was one of four Huskers (also Crouch, Collins and fullback Judd Davies) to rush for 100 yards against the Bears, tying an NCAA record. Diedrick rolled up 157 yards on 20 carries against Texas Tech. It was his third-straight 100-yard rushing game. Diedrick led the Nebraska rushing attack with 90 yards on 23 carries in the Huskers? 20-10 win over No. 2 Oklahoma, scoring in the second quarter with a two-yard run. Diedrick rushed for 136 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns (10, 38 yards) at Kansas. The 38-yard score was his longest TD run of the season and tied his longest run of 2001. With 108 yards against Kansas State, Diedrick recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing game, and his fifth in six games. He also found the end zone on a two-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion. Diedrick managed 94 yards rushing on 16 carries at Colorado. He found the end zone twice, giving him 15 touchdowns on the year. In the Rose Bowl against Miami, Diedrick had 47 yards on 14 carries. He had a long run of 20 yards, but was also sacked for nine yards lost.

2000: Diedrick was Nebraska's fifth-leading rusher in 2000 with 212 yards on 33 carries with three touchdowns, backing up Alexander and Buckhalter. Diedrick had a season-best 69 yards vs. Baylor on a season-high nine carries. His touchdowns came against San Jose State (two yards), Texas Tech (four yards) and Baylor (23 yards). He also had 39 yards on three carries at Iowa State, 53 yards on seven carries at Texas Tech and 33 yards on eight carries vs. Kansas. He caught one pass for 12 yards vs. Kansas and had four tackles on NU's kickoff coverage team, including two at Texas Tech. He was a second-year member of NU's kickoff return team as an upback. Diedrick had one kickoff return for 12 yards vs. Colorado, which came after the Buffaloes had gone ahead, 31-30, on a touchdown and two-point conversion. With 47 seconds remaining, Diedrick took the pooch kick up to the NU 41-yard line and Nebraska scored seven plays later in the 34-32 victory. In the Alamo Bowl vs. Northwestern, Diedrick accounted for 28 of Nebraska's Alamo Bowl-record 476 rushing yards. The third I-back in the game, Diedrick had four carries and scored NU's last touchdown on a nine-yard run.

1999: Diedrick was fourth on the team in rushing with 303 yards on 57 carries, playing in all 12 regular-season games (5.3 ypc, 25.3 ypg). He had one catch for nine yards and tied snapper John Garrison for the team lead for special teams tackles by an offensive player with four (two solo), including one fumble caused vs. Texas A&M. He was also on the kickoff return team as an upback. Diedrick saw limited action in the first five games, but had 2-5 yards at Iowa; 5-29 vs. California, 7-24 at Missouri and 1-3 vs. Oklahoma State. He had a season-high 16 carries for a season-best 99 yards at Iowa State, as the Huskers came within one yard of having three 100-yard rushers (Alexander had 135 and Buckhalter had 127). Diedrick didn't have any carries at Texas, had 3-27 at Kansas, 6-27 against Texas A&M, scoring his first of two season touchdowns on a three-yard run. He had 93 yards on 14 carries vs. No. 5 Kansas State and had a career-long 46-yard TD run. He did not have any carries at Colorado, had three carries for minus four yards vs. Texas in the Big 12 Championship and did not play in the Fiesta Bowl.

1998: A scholarship athlete, Diedrick redshirted in 1998.

At Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute: Diedrick enrolled at Nebraska in January of 1998 after rushing for an Ontario province-record 1,886 yards in nine games as a senior. In his best game, Diedrick rushed for 311 yards on just 11 carries. Diedrick, who also competed in track, wrestling and rugby, was the first scholarship recruit from Canada to sign a letter of intent, but the third to play for the Huskers. Diedrick chose NU over Michigan, Syracuse and Ohio State.

Personal: Born on Jan. 11, 1979, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to Kenneth Diedrick and Karen Moulton, Diedrick majored in criminal justice, graduating in December 2001. He is a three-year member of the Unity Council (2000, 2001, 2002).

Year

G/S

Att.

Gain

Loss

Net

Y/A

Y/G

Long

TDs

1999

12/0

57

314

11

303

5.3

25.3

46 vs. KSU

2

2000

11/0

33

224

12

212

6.4

19.3

30 vs. BU

3

2001

11/11

233

1,319

20

1,299

5.6

118.9

38 vs. TSU

15

2002

14/13

179

980

49

931

5.2

66.5

53 vs. KU

6

2000 Alamo Bowl vs. Northwestern: Rushing, 4-28-1 (nine-yard TD)
2002 Rose Bowl vs. Miami: Rushing, 15-47-0