Clinton Childs Season 1995

Honors & Awards

• Free-Agent Signee with the New York Jets (1996)
• Member of Two Nebraska National Championship Teams (1994, 1995)

Career

Clinton Childs served as a solid alternate I-back and kick returner for the Huskers, totaling 922 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, 82 yards receiving and 413 yards on kickoff returns. He started one game in 1995, when he rushed for a career-high 143 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona State, before suffering a knee injury.

1995 (Senior)

Childs took over the starting job when Lawrence Phillips was suspended, but Childs strained his knee against Arizona State in his first career start. He missed the next two games, but made a quick recovery and when the MRI showed no damage, returned to action against Missouri. Childs was the Huskers' fourth-leading rusher in eight games, carrying 55 times for 431 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 7.8 yards per carry and 53.9 yards per game. He also caught two passes for 19 yards and paired with Damon Benning, was NU's leading kick returner with 10 for 223 yards. Childs was second in all-purpose yards with 673 and 84.1 yards per game.

In his first start, Childs rushed a career-high 12 times for a career-best 143 yards and a personal-best two TDs. He also had the longest run of his career against the Sun Devils, a 65-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the game. He set the tone as Nebraska went on to rush for 395 yards and seven touchdowns while scoring a season-best 77 points. Childs had eight carries for 83 yards against Michigan State and 70 yards against Iowa State. His other touchdown of the season was an 18-yarder against the Cyclones. Childs had 30 or more yards in kickoff returns every time he got the chance, including a season-best three returns for 56 yards against Kansas State. His 40-yard return against Michigan State was a career long. 

1994 (Junior)

Along with Damon Benning, Childs served as a backup I-back in 1994. Childs took turns alternating with Benning by game to determine who would be the first in to sub for sophomore All-Big Eight back Lawrence Phillips. Childs finished the season as the Huskers' third-leading rusher with 62 carries for 395 yards and five touchdowns. He lost just four yards on the season and averaged 6.4 yards per carry and 32.9 yards per game. He rushed for more than 50 yards in four games: 59 against Texas Tech (one 30-yard TD); a season-best 78 against UCLA (one eight-yard TD); 64 against Pacific (one one-yard TD); and 65 against Missouri. His other touchdowns on the season came against Oklahoma State, when he rushed six times for 45 yards and a seven-yard TD, and against Colorado when his two-yard run gave the Huskers a 17-0 lead just before halftime. He caught five passes for 58 yards, including a career-best 26-yard haul against Pacific. He added two catches for 22 yards against Oklahoma State.

He was also NU's second-leading kickoff returner behind Benning, with nine returns for 190 yards, including a 34-yard return against Colorado. Childs' best return day came with three returns for 77 yards against Wyoming, when he had returns of 27, 29 and 21 yards. As a special teams member, Childs also had three tackles. In the 1995 Orange Bowl vs. Miami, Childs carried three times for 18 yards, including a first-down carry on Nebraska's first scoring drive in the second quarter. 

1993 (Sophomore)

A first-year contributor for the Huskers, Childs joined redshirt freshman Benning, true freshman Phillips and sophomore Jeff Makovicka in a backup role to junior Calvin Jones. Playing in five games, Childs carried 18 times for 96 yards with no yardage lost. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 19.2 yards per game, with his only touchdown coming against Iowa State. He missed the Oklahoma State and Kansas State games with a sprained left ankle. He re-sprained that ankle during Orange Bowl practices in Miami and did not play against Florida State. Had a season-best seven carries for 35 yards in the season opener against North Texas; 2-15 yards against Texas Tech; 3-15 yards against Colorado State; 4-29 yards against Missouri; and 2-1 yard against Iowa State. He also caught one pass for a five-yard touchdown against Colorado State.

1992 (Freshman)

A scholarship athlete, Childs sat out the 1992 season.

Omaha North High School

The leading rusher in Nebraska with 1,428 yards as a junior in 1990, Childs ran for 1,495 yards as a senior for Coach Herman Colvin at Omaha North High School to finish second behind fellow Husker I-back Damon Benning's 1,548. Childs still laid claim to at least part of the rushing title as his 186.9-yard average in eight games topped Benning's 176.0 in nine games. Childs began his senior year with a Metro Conference-record 370 yards against Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, topping the old record of 367 by former Husker Calvin Jones of Omaha Central. Childs was a Blue Chip All-American and earned first-team all-state honors. Childs ran for 3,947 yards in four years, just off Jones' state Class A record of 3,965 in three years. Childs did not make recruiting visits other than to Nebraska. Childs was the state wrestling runner-up as a junior at 171 pounds and the gold medal 189-pound winner as a senior.

Personal

The son of Linda Childs, Clinton was born on May 27, 1974. 

Childs' Career Statistics

Rushing
Year	G/S	Att.	Yds.	Avg.	Y/G	LP	TDs
1993	5/0	18	96	5.3	19.2	12 vs. NTU	1
1994	12/0	62	395	6.4	32.9	30 vs. TT	5
1995	8/1	55	431	7.8	53.9	65 vs. ASU	3
Total	25/1	135	922	6.8	36.9	65 vs. ASU	9

Receiving
Year	G/S	No.	Yds.	Avg.	LP	TDs
1993	5/0	1	5	5.0	5 vs. CSU	1
1994	12/0	5	58	11.6	26 vs. Pacific	0
1995	8/1	2	19	9.5	10 vs. MSU	0
Total	25/1	8	82	10.3	26 vs. Pacific	1

Kickoff Returns
Year	No.	Yds.	Avg.	LP	TDs
1994	9	190	21.1	34 vs. CU	0
1995	10	223	22.3	40 vs. MSU	0
Total	19	413	21.7	40 vs. MSU	0

All-Purpose Yards
Year	Att.	Yds.	Avg.
1993	19	101	20.2
1994	76	643	53.5
1995	67	673	84.1
Total	162	1,417	56.7

Tackles: 1 UT, 2 AT, 3 TT in 1994
Passing: 1-1 for 34 yds vs. ASU, 1995

1995 Orange Bowl vs. Miami: Rushing 3-18
1996 Fiesta Bowl vs. Florida: Rushing 3-14-0, KO Returns, 3-79-0