Honors & Awards
- 2008 ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-American
- 2008 National Football Foundation/College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Semifinalist
- Two-Time Wuerffel Award Finalist (2007, 2008)
- Four-Time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
- Fourth on Nebraska’s All-Time Receptions List and Career Receiving Yardage List
- Two-Time Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2007, 2008)
- Five-Time Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
- Four-Time Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
- 2008 Cletus Fischer Native Son Award Winner
2008 (Senior)
Todd Peterson was a reliable performer in the Husker receiving corps for each of the past four seasons. The Grand Island, Neb., native completed his career among the top five players in school history in receptions and receiving yardage. He also closed out his career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in recent years.
Peterson teamed with fellow senior Nate Swift to give Nebraska one of the top 1-2 receiving tandems in the Big 12 in 2008. Peterson finished with 62 receptions, the third-highest total in school history. Together, the receiving duo helped Nebraska rank among the nation’s top 20 teams in passing, scoring and total offense. Peterson’s 786 receiving yards ranked sixth on the Nebraska season charts. His career totals of 108 receptions and 1,602 receiving yards each rank fourth in Nebraska history.
Peterson caught at least three passes in every game in 2008 and surpassed 50 receiving yards in nine of 13 games. He was at his best in Big 12 play, hauling in 43 of his receptions, including seven for 81 yards against Missouri and a career-high eight catches for 77 yards at Texas Tech, when he caught a 17-yard touchdown in the waning seconds of the game to force overtime. On the game-tying drive, Peterson had three catches for 39 yards. He had five catches each against Baylor, Oklahoma and Kansas, and capped his career with four catches for a career-high 96 yards and a touchdown in the Gator Bowl.
Off the field, Peterson continued to rack up the honors and accolades as a senior. A December graduate, Peterson carried a 3.763 cumulative grade-point average in nutritional science and dietetics. He and fellow senior Tyler Wortman were both chosen as second-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Americans, increasing Nebraska’s nation-leading total in that department. Peterson also earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors for the fourth straight season, becoming just the eighth player in school history to be a four-time first-team academic all-conference honoree.
2007 (Junior)
Peterson played in all 12 games, including starts against USC and Oklahoma State. He finished with 18 receptions for 359 yards and his five touchdowns were second on the team. Peterson’s 19.9-yard per catch average ranked second on the team, with 10 of his 18 catches covering at least 20 yards.
Peterson had a season-high five catches for 74 yards against USC, including fourth-quarter touchdown catches of 20 and 18 yards. He added three catches for 43 yards against Ball State, then had a season-long 44-yard catch vs. Oklahoma State.
Peterson had two catches for 59 yards at Kansas, before hauling in four passes for a career-high 85 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas State. His effort helped NU to a school-record 519 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He closed the year with two catches for 46 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown catch at Colorado. Peterson also played on NU coverage units and had three tackles, including two against Ball State.
2006 (Sophomore)
Peterson played in all 14 games, with starts against Nicholls State and Missouri. He made 19 catches for 307 yards, an average of 16.2 yards per catch and had touchdown catches against Kansas and Texas A&M. Peterson had at least one catch in nine games.
Peterson experienced a career game while helping NU earn a come-from-behind win at Texas A&M. He led the Huskers with season highs of seven receptions for 82 yards. In addition to a second-quarter touchdown against the Aggies, Peterson also recorded two key catches on the game-winning drive, including a crucial 22-yard reception on a 4th-and-3 play. Peterson had two catches for 72 yards against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, including a career-long 48-yard grab.
2005 (Redshirt Freshman)
Peterson played in 10 games with a start at Colorado, and totaled nine catches for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns. After not recording a reception in his first three games, Peterson made his first career catch memorable when he hauled in a 21-yard pass for a touchdown against Baylor, giving Nebraska a 20-7 lead. His second catch came in the following game at Missouri and went for 34 yards and another score. Peterson had three catches for a season-high 65 yards against the Tigers.
Peterson recorded catches in each of NU’s last three games. In his first career start at Colorado, he tied his season high with three receptions for 54 yards, including a season-long 38-yarder that set up a second-quarter touchdown. In the Alamo Bowl, Peterson caught a two-point conversion from Zac Taylor to pull NU within 28-25 in the fourth quarter.
2004 (Redshirt)
Originally a walk-on, Peterson redshirted in his first year at NU.
Before Nebraska (Central Catholic HS)
Peterson was an outstanding three-sport athlete, lettering four times in football, basketball and track. He earned Class C-1 all-state honors in football, and was also a second-team All-Nebraska selection, while claiming all-conference and all-district accolades. He was a three-time member of the Grand Island Independent’s Heartland Super Squad. He set Grand Island Central Catholic career records for receptions and receiving yards, while also setting the single-season receiving yardage mark. He also tied the school mark for career interceptions with 10.
In basketball, Peterson finished as the second-leading scorer in school history. He also qualified in four events for the state track meet his senior year. He set the school record with a high jump of 6-8 1/2, while adding a school-best mark in the 55-meter intermediate hurdles. He was a member of a school-record 4x100-meter relay squad, and set the school mark for career points scored on the track. Grand Island Central Catholic won the Class C-1 state title in 2004. Peterson also excelled in the classroom, earning academic all-state honors in all three sports. He finished his senior year with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and ranked first in his class.
Personal
The son of Ron and Becky Peterson, Todd was born Oct. 26, 1985, in Grand Island. In addition to being a first-team academic All-Big 12 pick each of the past three years, he has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll each of his first eight semesters. Peterson is a two-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and is among Nebraska’s most active players in the community. Among Peterson’s extensive list of community activities are serving as a speaker during School is Cool Week, American Education Week, volunteering with Make-a-Wish, Read to Succeed, Special Olympics and Pacific Pals and being a regular visitor to local hospitals.
Peterson's Career Statistics
Year
G/S
No.
Yds.
Y/R
Y/G
Long
TDs
2004
Redshirted
2005 10/1 9 150 16.7 15.0 38 vs. Colorado 22006
14/2
19
307
16.2
21.9
48 vs. Oklahoma
2
2007
12/2
18
359
19.9
29.9
44 vs. Okla. St.
5
2008 13/12 62 786 12.7 60.5 36 at Oklahoma 4Totals
49/17
108
1,602
14.832.7
48 vs. Oklahoma
13
Single-Game Highs:
Receptions?8 at Texas Tech, 2008
Receiving Yards?96 vs. Clemson, 2009 Gator Bowl
Long Reception?48 yards vs. Oklahoma, 2006
Touchdowns?2 vs. USC, Kansas State, 2007
Rushing Yards-16 at Oklahoma, 2008