Aaron Terpening Season 2002

• Three-Time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2000, 2001, 2002)
• Two-Time Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America Nominee (2000, 2001)
• Three-Time Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Academic Honor Roll (1999, 2000, 2001)
• Three-Time Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Academic Honor Roll (1999, 2000, 2001)
• 2000 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week Nominee vs. KSU

Senior Aaron Terpening played a key role on special teams throughout his career and this fall made important contributions in the Husker secondary. Terpening opened the season as the starting rover and held the position through the first five games. He finished the year with 15 tackles and scored his first career touchdown against Kansas. Terpening continued his strong work in the classroom as well, as he earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors for the third straight season. He is on track to graduate in May 2003, with a degree in architectural studies.

2002: Terpening played in all 13 games and started twice at rover. He was also a member of several special teams units. He finished the year with 15 tackles, including two tackles for loss.Terpening had a career-high six tackles against Penn State. A week later he had four tackles at Iowa State and blocked a punt, which Nebraska converted to a touchdown one play later. Terpening scored his first career touchdown against Kansas when he returned a blocked punt 30 yards for a touchdown.

Aaron Terpening has been a key member of Nebraska special teams, including the kickoff return, punt, and kickoff coverage teams. He has also shown steady play in the secondary, gaining three letters, three years of experience and a scholarship in 2002. He enters fall as a contender for the starting rover position, taking the reins from departed senior Dion Booker. An excellent student, Terpening is a six-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors the last two years with a 3.219 cumulative GPA in architectural studies. He is on track to graduate in May 2003.

2001: Terpening saw action in every game as a member of Husker special teams and as a reserve rover behind Booker and Philip Bland. He had 16 tackles, including six solo stops. He also caused a fumble against Baylor. Terpening had a career-best four tackles at Kansas and had two-or-more stops in four different games. He had one solo tackle on special teams in the 2002 Rose Bowl.

2000: Terpening had a solid sophomore season backing up rovers Joe Walker and Clint Finley. Terpening was also on the kickoff coverage team and the punt return team as a corner blocker. His hard work paid off when he blocked Kansas State's Travis Brown's punt after the Wildcats went three-and-out on their first series. Keyuo Craver recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown and Terpening was Nebraska's nominee for Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week. Terpening had six tackles in 11 games. In the Alamo Bowl, Terpening had two solo tackles.

1999: Terpening played in five games and had one solo tackle against Iowa. He also picked off a pass and returned it for two yards against Iowa State. He also played against Cal, Texas and Texas A&M.

1998: A former walk-on, Terpening redshirted in 1998.

At North HS: Playing quarterback, running back and in the secondary, Terpening scored 11 TDs as a senior and was his team's MVP, rushing for 964 yards and passing for 450 more. He earned all-league honors.

Personal: The son of Colby and Betsy Terpening, Aaron was born on Oct. 30, 1979. He is a two-time member of the Unity Council.