Nebraska Cornhuskers Football: A Big Ten Scouting Report for the New Rival
When Jim Delany announced that the Big Ten conference was investigating expansion, excitement levels flew through the roof in the Midwest. With Nebraska being chosen as the 12th conference member beginning this autumn, this excitement has hit a fever pitch.
However, how much does the average Big Ten fan know about Nebraska?
To the outside observer, the Cornhusker football program may just look like another traditional football power with a hard-nosed reputation. But Nebraska is so much more than this, which is what makes this marriage of Nebraska and the Big Ten so perfect.
From game-day traditions and program history to traveling to Lincoln and the current team, there is a ton of information for Big Ten fans to absorb when welcoming Nebraska as a member. On the following pages, some of these aspects are covered for any fan traveling to Lincoln, welcoming visiting fans to their town, or just watching the Cornhuskers on the television this season.
Let's jump into Nebraska football:
Program History
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Nebraska football started in 1890 and has amassed over 830 wins in 120 years, which places the program behind only Michigan, Texas and Notre Dame on the all-time wins list (Ohio State and Nebraska have been within a couple total wins of each other recently). Much like Michigan, Nebraska dominated football in their first 30 years and then had a 40-year period of dominance from 1962-2003.
After 20 years of losing football stemming from World War II, Bob Devaney turned Nebraska around immediately in 1962, earning the program's first bowl win that season. In 1962, a streak began of 40 consecutive winning seasons and a home game sellout streak that continues to this day and is the record in college football.
Devaney struggled slightly in the 1967 and 1968 seasons, but a change in offensive philosophy brought by assistant coach Tom Osborne righted the course and caused four conference championships and two national championships in Devaney's final four seasons.
Then Tom Osborne took the program over for the next 25 years and won an astounding 83.6 percent of his games. Just like his predecessor, Osborne went out on top in 1997 after leading the Cornhuskers to a 60-3 record in his final five seasons and three national championships in four years.
In addition to the five national championships under Devaney and Osborne, Nebraska has collected 43 conference titles and 24 bowl wins in 47 bowl games. Nebraska brings multiple Heisman Trophies, multiple national championships, legendary coaches and a rich football history that rivals each of the other traditional powers in the Big Ten.
Major Championships and Awards
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As indicated above, Nebraska has claimed five national championships in 1970 and 1971 under Bob Devaney and in 1994, 1995 and 1997 under Tom Osborne.
The 1970 and 1971 teams featured legendary players such as QB Jerry Tagge, RB Jeff Kinney and WR/PR/RB Johnny Rodgers. The 1971 team played in the "Game of the Century" at hated rival No. 2 Oklahoma and emerged 35-31 to cement their second consecutive national championship.
The 1994-1997 teams were headlined by QB Tommie Frazier (in 1994 and 1995) and RB Ahman Green (in 1995 and 1997), as well as a lockdown defense. The 1995 team is considered one of college football's greatest teams in history, winning every game by 14 or more points while averaging seven yards per carry and allowing zero quarterback sacks the entire season. Unlike other recent college football "dynasties" that have managed only one or two championships, the graduating class in 1997 brought three titles to Lincoln and must be considered the crowning achievement of Nebraska football.
Nebraska has also claimed three Heisman Trophies. Johnny Rodgers won the trophy in 1972 after doing a little bit of everything for the Huskers, including setting the record for all-purpose yards with 5,586 in three seasons. Running back Mike Rozier claimed the honor in 1983 with a blistering senior season including 2,486 total yards, 2,148 rushing yards and a record 7.8 yards per carry. The most recent Heisman Trophy was awarded to QB Eric Crouch in 2001, when the senior led an option offense with 1,510 passing yards and 1,115 rushing yards to lead Nebraska to the BCS championship game.
Nebraska also has 53 consensus All-American players and one AP Player of the Year: defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh in 2009. Although the Nebraska defense may not have any Heisman winners, the Cornhuskers have four players that won both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy in the same season: Suh in 2009, Dean Steinkuhler in 1983, Dave Rimington in 1982 and Rich Glover in 1972.
Lincoln, Nebraska
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Nebraska University is located in Lincoln, the capital of the state located in the southeastern corner of Nebraska. Lincoln joins Columbus, Lansing, Madison and Minneapolis/St. Paul as the fifth state capital college city to join the Big Ten.
Similar to other smaller Big Ten towns such as West Lafayette and Champaign/Urbana, Lincoln does not have many suburbs or outlying areas beyond city limits, but is surrounded by farmland for many miles. However, Lincoln is unique because the city has a large population, roughly 255,000, which ranks 74th among all United States metropolitan areas.
Consequently, Lincoln has the feel of a smaller Midwestern town or city while also having a thriving social life only found in larger metropolitan areas. During the football season, visiting Big Ten fans may find themselves in town on the same weekend as the Sports Car Club of America Solo National Championship, or the Lincoln Calling Music Festival.
Although there are many sights to see in the Lincoln metropolitan area, one "hole in the wall" that cannot be overlooked is the Zoo Bar. The Zoo Bar has hosted live blues music for 37 years and is one of the more memorable live music destinations in Big Ten cities. Lincoln also has a primary nightclub district downtown on O Street, if a visiting fan is looking for a pint with a few thousand Cornhusker fans before or after a game.
Lincoln is a unique addition to the Big Ten cities, but will feel right at home in the conference.
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Travel Possibilities
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Nebraska does have the Lincoln Airport for those wishing to fly into and out of the area. However, the Lincoln Airport only provides minimal flight destinations including Chicago O'Hare, Denver and Minneapolis. A better option may be to fly into Omaha, which is about an hour away from Lincoln. Although gas prices are skyrocketing in 2011, a road trip may be the better option for traveling to Lincoln around Nebraska game weekends.
For the 2011 season, Ohio State, Michigan State, Northwestern and Iowa will travel to Memorial Stadium. Hawkeye fans have the shortest trip, at five hours from Iowa City. Evanston is nine hours from Lincoln for Northwestern fans. Michigan State fans have nearly 12 hours of drive time between East Lansing and Lincoln, while Columbus, Ohio is a 13.5 hour trip.
In 2012, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Penn State and Michigan will need to find their way to Memorial Stadium. Golden Gopher fans have the shortest trip this time with a seven hour car trip from Minneapolis. Wisconsin fans do not have much longer to travel, only being eight hours away in Madison. Michigan fans must travel significantly longer at 12.5 hours, but that is nothing compared to Penn State fans in University Park, a whopping 18.5 hours away. Perhaps Nittany Lions fans should invest in airfare tickets after all.
Farther down the road, Illinois, Indiana and Purdue will also travel to Lincoln. Each of these schools has similar drive times to Lincoln: 8.5 hours from Champaign for Illinois, 11 hours from Bloomington for Indiana and 10 hours from West Lafayette for Purdue.
For all Big Ten teams other than Iowa, this is a significant road trip that will extend into a three-day weekend. However, the trip will be well worth the time invested, especially after 2013 when Nebraska's Memorial Stadium is fully renovated to hold more than 91,000 fans.
Game-Day Traditions
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Once Big Ten fans arrive in Lincoln, there are a handful of traditions to see to fully experience Nebraska football.
The first game-day tradition is respect and cordiality to opposing teams and fans. Nebraska fans always applaud the opposing team as it exits the field, whether the Huskers win or lose. On the whole, Nebraska fans are known as far more welcoming than many in other college football towns. In light of this, Big Ten fans should take it upon themselves to be especially courteous to Nebraska fans when they visit your town.
A more recent game-day tradition is the Tunnel Walk, which began in 1994. The Cornhuskers walk as a team from their locker room into the stadium through a tunnel of fans and supporters. Nebraska players touch a lucky horseshoe on the way into the stadium and walk on a special path of red FieldTurf known as the "Big Red Carpet." The entire walk is simulcast on the HuskerVision video screens inside the stadium so that the Nebraska fans in the stadium can loudly welcome their beloved team to the field.
About two or 2.5 hours before kickoff, the Nebraska football team will arrive at the East Stadium Loop of Memorial Stadium and walk together to the locker room in what is called the Unity Walk. Once again, Cornhusker fans and other visitors can surround the team's path during the Unity Walk and begin to get fired up for the game.
For college band fans, Nebraska features the Cornhusker Marching Band, also known as The Pride of All Nebraska. An hour and a half before kickoff, the band plays a free outdoor concert at Kimball Recital Hall before a traditional march into the stadium. The band also performs a Pregame Spectacular which is not to be missed for fans of college bands.
Of course there are many smaller and crazier game-day traditions, including Der Weiner Schlinger. This mascot-like fan favorite fires foil-wrapped hot dogs into the stands with air-propelled guns, which is a fun change from the normal T-shirt guns at football games. Any long-time Nebraska fans can feel free to add to these must-see traditions in the comments.
Coaching Staff
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Head coach Bo Pelini enters his fourth full season at Nebraska after taking over for Bill Callahan following the 2007 season. Pelini also served under former coach Frank Solich in 2003 and was interim head coach during the 2003 Alamo Bowl. Pelini and his brother Carl (defensive coordinator) are originally from Ohio and are a part of the long Youngstown, Ohio coaching tree. Pelini has led Nebraska to three consecutive division championships and a 30-12 record.
The biggest news of the offseason was Pelini's shaking up of the coaching staff heading into Big Ten play and the 2011 season. These moves were headlined by a new offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who previously coached the running backs. Beck is hoping to bring a more wide-open offense that threatens opposing defenses with more than just the running game, and he will look to recapture the magic he had in 2007 at Kansas as the passing game coordinator. Beck is another Youngstown coach as well.
Pelini also hired four new assistants for 2011, cleaning out the staff from some coaches who remained from the Bill Callahan coaching staff. With these moves, Pelini is truly taking full control of every aspect of the Nebraska football program and will try to take the next step from division championships to conference and national championships.
Current Team
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The Nebraska football team for 2011 has come into a little better focus now that spring practices and the spring game have been completed. Sophomore Taylor Martinez still appears to be a clear opening game starter for Beck's pistol offense, although redshirt freshman Brion Carnes had a fantastic spring and a memorable spring game to move into the top backup position.
As some comments on my last article pointed out, Carnes may play himself into the starting job before the end of 2011, especially if Martinez is injured or struggles at any point during the season. Both Martinez and Carnes are threats throwing and running the ball, which is why both are well-suited to new coordinator Tim Beck's pistol wide-open offense. Quarterback should be a strength for Nebraska in 2011 and going forward.
The rest of the offense is also shaping up nicely with RB Rex Burkhead leading the charge at running back and some major playmakers emerging at receiver. Senior Brandon Kinnie and freshman Jamal Turner each look like elusive speedsters that will burn defenders in the passing game and special teams coverage units during punt and kick returns. WR Kenny Bell may also contribute in the offense and special teams. Even with a whole new set of defensive schemes to prepare for, Nebraska's offense should improve from 2010.
The Blackshirts defense will be anchored by a strong front four, who may be led by converted linebacker Eric Martin if the spring game is any indication. Martin will likely start alongside Jared Crick and Baker Steinkuhler, each of which will be highly disruptive similar to the Wisconsin defensive front from a season ago. The defense may be a little susceptible to strong passing games, but the run-oriented offenses of most Big Ten teams will play right into Nebraska's strength in 2011.
Perhaps the biggest question mark overall for the Cornhuskers in 2011 is special teams. Coverage units struggled to contain returners in 2010, and suspect coverage let a couple big returns happen in the spring game. Kicker and punter Alex Henery needs to be replaced as well, and the three placekickers trying to win field goal and kickoff team duties are not impressing early. Brett Maher is a bit inconsistent in placekicking but should win the punting job. Ethan Davis and Mauro Bondi will continue to compete for starting placekicker, but the edge will go to Bondi coming out of the spring game. Winning the Big Ten requires solid special teams, and this may be the one aspect that holds Nebraska back in the 2011 Big Ten championship chase.
Welcome once again to all Cornhusker fans joining the Big Ten discussion, and I welcome any additions and comments below that help other Big Ten fans get to know Nebraska better. See you on the field in September!
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