Bryan Carpenter Season 1987

Honors & Awards

Honorable-Mention All-Big Eight (UPI, Coaches, 1989)

Honorable-Mention All-Big Eight (Coaches, 1988)

Nebraska Football Staff (1991-2004)

Nebraska Staff Member on 1994, 1995 & 1997 National Championship Teams

1989 (Senior)
Two-time honorable-mention All-Big Eight fullback Bryan Carpenter starred in Nebraska’s powerful rushing game throughout his Husker career. A three-year letterman and two-year starter, Carpenter ranked fourth on the team with 383 rushing yards on just 58 carries as a senior for an average of 6.6 yards per tote. He added three rushing touchdowns. A versatile threat out of the backfield, Carpenter also caught four passes for 117 yards (29.3 ypc) and two more touchdowns over 11 regular-season games as a starter for the Big Red in 1989. He finished with 500 all-purpose yards his senior season, when he garnered honorable-mention all-conference accolades from both the UPI and Big Eight coaches. He added a pair of tackles. Carpenter, who ranked 13th in the Big Eight in individual rushing at 34.8 yards per game, helped Nebraska claim the NCAA rushing title with 375.3 yards per game. The Big Red also ranked second nationally in scoring offense (44.7 ppg) and third in total offense (513.3 ypg). He made his final start in the 1990 Fiesta Bowl, rushing three times for six yards, while adding two receptions for six more yards. He also had one unassisted tackle in the loss to Florida State in Tempe, Ariz.

Carpenter closed his three-year career with 1,064 rushing yards on 170 carries (6.3 ypc) with seven touchdowns. He added six receptions for 129 yards and two more scores. He played in 33 regular-season games with 19 starts. He also played in three bowl games with two more starts.

1988 (Junior)
An honorable-mention All-Big Eight fullback according to the conference coaches, Carpenter started nine games as a junior, including each of the final eight contests (including the 1989 Orange Bowl against Miami). He finished as Nebraska’s third-leading rusher with 498 yards on 72 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per carry and 41.5 yards per game. He added three rushing touchdowns. He also contributed five carries for 36 yards in the Orange Bowl, while adding one reception. Carpenter played in all 12 regular-season game, including the first three at fullback behind Sam Schmidt before Schmidt suffered a broken leg against UCLA. Carpenter made his first career start against Arizona State, before converted I-back Tyreese Knox started the next game against UNLV. Knox returned to I-back following the UNLV game because of an injury to reserve I-back Terry Rodgers, which made Carpenter the full-time starter at fullback the rest of the season. Carpenter helped pave the way for I-back Ken Clark to rush for 1,497 yards on the season, while Nebraska won the Big Eight championship and finished 11-2 overall. The Big Red also won the NCAA rushing title with an average of 382.3 yards per game, while ranking sixth nationally in scoring (39.5 ppg) and seventh in total offense (477.9 ypg).

In Nebraska’s 26-18 win over Missouri, Carpenter rushed for a career-high 96 yards including a career-long 49-yard touchdown run with 8:24 left in the game.

1987 (Sophomore)
In his first season as a Husker after transferring from Coffeyville (Kan.) Junior College, Carpenter played 10 games as a reserve fullback, rushing for 183 yards on 40 carries (4.6 ypc), including one touchdown. Playing behind Micah Heibel and Sam Schmidt, Carpenter produced a season-high 90 yards on 10 carries in a win over Missouri. He pounded his way for his first career touchdown in a win over Kansas. Carpenter added one carry for two yards in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl.

1986 (Freshman/Coffeyville Junior College)
Carpenter rushed for 467 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season before adding 216 yards in the conference championship game against Butler County for Coach Dick Foster at Coffeyville. One of his teammates at Coffeyville was Tim Jackson, who joined him at Nebraska and became an All-Big Eight safety in 1988.

Olathe North High School
An all-state running back for Coach Gene Weir at Olathe North High School, Carpenter rushed for 1,434 yards and 19 touchdowns as senior. He signed a national letter of intent with Nebraska, after also being recruited by Notre Dame, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Colorado. Carpenter reported to Lincoln for practice in August but left the team for personal reasons before classes started and did not lose a year of eligibility.

Personal
The son of Ed and Linda Linder, Bryan was born in Olathe, Kan. He was a recreation major at Nebraska. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Carpenter was a graduate assistant and a member of Nebraska’s team video staff, including national championship teams in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Bryan’s daughter, Kayma, played soccer at Nebraska beginning in her freshman season in 2023.