NEBRASKA vs NORTHERN ILLINOIS
SEPT. 14, 2019 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 7 P.M. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
RADIO - B103 (103.1 FM)
INTERNET RADIO - b103.fm

HUSKERS
2019 Record: 1-1, 0-0 Big Ten
Last Game: Colorado (L, 34-31 OT)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Scott Frost
Career/NU Record: 24-16 (4th Year)/5-9 (2nd Year) 
vs. Northern Illinois: 0-0

HUSKIES
2019 Record: 1-1, 0-0 MAC
Last Game: Utah (L, 35-17)
Rankings: NR
Coach: Thomas Hammock
Career/NIU Record: 1-1 (1st Year)/Same
vs. Nebraska: 0-0

The Matchup
Nebraska returns home to Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening, as the Huskers will complete non-conference play against Northern Illinois. Kickoff under the lights in Lincoln is set for shortly after 7 p.m. CT, with national television coverage on FS1 and radio coverage available on the Husker Sports Network from Learfield-IMG. 

Nebraska will come into the game against Northern Illinois with a 1-1 record, after a tough 34-31 overtime loss at Colorado last Saturday.  The Huskers jumped to a 17-0 lead in the game, and led by a touchdown in the final moments before a Colorado score forced overtime, where the Buffs prevailed. The Huskers will look to rebound against Northern Illinois and extend their winning streak at Memorial Stadium to six games. 

Northern Illinois will also bring a 1-1 record to Lincoln on Saturday. The Huskies opened the season with a win over Illinois State, before dropping a 35-17 contest at No. 14 Utah last Saturday. Northern Illinois is under the directon of first-year head coach Thomas Hammock, who took over at his alma mater after spending the previous five seasons on the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff. 

Saturday's meeting is the second game in a four-game series with Northern Illinois. The Huskies won in Lincoln in 2017 and have two additional future visits to Memorial Stadium.

Series History
Nebraska and Northern Illinois will meet for the fourth time on Saturday evening, with the Huskers owning a 2-1 edge. All three previous games were played at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska posted victories in 1989 and 1990 while NIU won in Lincoln in 2017. 

•     In addition to Saturday's game, Northern Illinois is scheduled to visit Lincoln in 2021 and 2023. 

•     Nebraska is 5-1 all-time against members of the Mid-American Conference, with the lone loss being the 21-17 setback against NIU in 2017.

•     Including the two future games with NIU, Nebraska has five future games scheduled with members of the Mid-American Conference (NIU-2021, 2023; Central Michigan-2020; Buffalo-2021; Akron-2025).

Huskers Hope to Shine Under Memorial Stadium Lights
The Huskers have a long history of success under the lights in Lincoln. 

•     The Huskers have won 20 of their last 22 home night games at Memorial Stadium. NU is 46-7 all-time in Memorial Stadium night games. 

•     Nebraska's dominance at night in Lincoln has been impressive, as 33 of the home night wins have been by at least 13 points. 

•     The seven losses in home night games have all come against teams that won at least 10 games in that season (Washington, 1991; Texas, 2002; USC, 2007; Virginia Tech and Missouri, 2008; Wisconsin and Ohio State, 2017). 

•     Nebraska will be playing its first home night game since the 2017 season. The Huskers were scheduled to play Akron in a prime-time season opener in Lincoln last fall, but the game was canceled because of inclement weather. The 2018 season marked the first time since 1995 that Nebraska did not host a home night game.

Frost in Second Season with Huskers
Scott Frost is in his second season at Nebraska in 2019. The 2017 consensus national coach of the year, Frost boasts a 24-16 career record as a collegiate head coach.

•     Although Nebraska finished with a 4-8 record in 2018, five of the eight losses came by a combined 21 points. NU lost five games by five or fewer points, including a trio of three-point defeats. Nebraska won four of its final six games, and the two losses were a five-point loss at an Ohio State team that ended the year ranked No. 3 in the nation and a three-point loss at Iowa, when the Hawkeyes kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. Iowa finished with a No. 25 ranking.

• As the head coach at UCF, Frost improved from 6-7 in his first season to 13-0 in year two. A similar turnaround at Nebraska could be historic. A nine-win season by Nebraska in 2019 would tie for the second-largest win improvement from one season to the next in school history (five games), while a 10-win campaign would tie the largest win improvement (six games).

• In 12 seasons as a full-time assistant or head coach, Frost's teams have posted a 127-33 record, averaging nearly 11 wins per season. Frost has been a part of seven conference championship teams and coached in two national championship games in his 12 seasons. 

• Frost's teams have been ranked in the top 15 in 10 of his 12 seasons, including eight final top-10 rankings and six final top-five rankings.

• Each of NU's last five head coaches won at least eight games in their second season, and the four head coaches prior to Frost all produced their best winning percentage at Nebraska in year two.

Frost Offenses Impressive on Opening Drives
One common theme of a Scott Frost-led offense has been a fast start, and that has held true for Frost's tenure in Lincoln. Nebraska has scored on its opening drive in each of the first two games in 2019. NU received the opening kickoff against South Alabama and drove nine plays and 81 yards for a touchdown to a take a 7-0 lead. At Colorado, Nebraska drove 96 yards in five plays on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead. The opening-drive score continued a theme from 2018. 

• Nebraska scored on its first possession seven times in 12 games last season, including six of the final seven games. All seven of NU's opening scoring drives resulted in touchdowns.

• NU received the opening kickoff nine times in 2018 and scored touchdowns on six of those drives while punting only once. The Huskers had a game-opening touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead in five straight games during the Big Ten Conference season.

• The Huskers scored on nearly 60 percent of their opening possessions in 2018, even with a pair of drive-ending turnovers in opponent territory. Nebraska's average touchdown drive covered more than 74 yards, including one 80-yard touchdown march and five 75-yard scoring drives.

• Over the last three seasons - 2018-19 at Nebraska and 2017 at UCF - Frost's offenses have scored a touchdown on their opening possession 18 times in 27 games (67 percent). The average length of the touchdown drive in that span is 74 yards.

• In three-plus years as a head coach, Frost's offenses have scored on their opening drive 22 times in 40 games, with 21 touchdowns and one field goal. In 80 games over six-plus seasons as a play-caller, Frost's offenses have scored on their first possession of the game 43 times, putting points on the board in more than half of their opening possessions.

• Frost's Opening Drive Scoring Percentage: 54% (43 of 80 drives)
• Frost's Opening Drive Touchdown Percentage: 48% (38 of 80 drives)

Huskers Continue Streaks into 2019 Season
Nebraska continues a pair of long team streaks in the 2019 season, while a pair of Huskers are also riding impressive individual streaks.

• Saturday's game against Northern Illinois will mark Nebraska's 370th consecutive sellout. The sellout streak began in 1962 and is in its 57th year in 2019.

• Nebraska has scored in 297 consecutive games. The streak is the longest in school history, the eighth-longest in FBS history and the fifth-longest active streak.

• Junior wide receiver JD Spielman has made at least two catches in each of his 23 career games. His streak of 23 straight games with a reception is tied for the sixth-longest streak in school history.

• Sophomore place-kicker Barret Pickering has made 10 consecutive field goals, 26 consecutive extra points and 36 straight kicks overall. His streak of 10 straight made field goals is the seventh-longest streak in program history. Pickering has not played in the first two games because of injury.

Spielman Continues to Climb Husker Charts
Junior wide receiver JD Spielman has already made Husker history as the only player in program history to have a 200-yard receiving game. In only two-plus seasons and just 23 games, Spielman is also leaving his mark on Nebraska's career record book. He has 128 career catches for 1,796 yards, ranking sixth all-time at Nebraska in receiving yards and eighth in receptions.
 
• Spielman needs 62 receptions and 952 yards to become Nebraska's all-time leader in both categories. He averaged 61 catches and 842 receiving yards per season in his first two years. On a per-game basis in his 23-game career, Spielman averages 5.6 receptions and 78.1 receiving yards. 

• Spielman reached 1,000 career receiving yards in only 15 games. He reached the mark faster than any other Husker, eclipsing Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers (16 games).

• Spielman is the only player in school history to record 100 catches prior to his junior season.

• Spielman owns the only two 200-yard receiving games in Husker history (200 yards vs. Ohio State in 2017 and 209 yards at Wisconsin in 2018).

• Spielman is the only wide receiver in school history to have two career games with double-digit receptions (11 vs. Ohio State in 2017 and 10 vs. Purdue in 2018). Running back Marlon Lucky is the only other Husker to have two career games with double-digit catches.

• Spielman had more than 800 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, joining Johnny Rodgers and Stanley Morgan Jr. as the only Huskers with two 800-yard receiving seasons. No Husker has ever had three 800-yard receiving seasons.

• Spielman had more than 50 catches in each of his first two seasons, joining Johnny Rodgers, Kenny Bell and Stanley Morgan Jr. as the only players in program history with multiple 50-catch seasons. No Husker has ever had three 50-catch seasons.

• Spielman opened the 2019 season with a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown against South Alabama, marking his second career punt return score. He had a 77-yard punt return touchdown last season against Bethune-Cookman. He also had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in his first career touch against Arkansas State in the 2017 season opener. Spielman is one of only eight players in program history to return both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown.

• Against Colorado, Spielman recorded his fifth career 100-yard receiving game with five catches for 112 yards. He opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown reception, marking the sixth touchdown of his career that has covered at least 65 yards. 

Nebraska Full Game Notes Package can be viewed by clicking here

Finishing Name Of Game For Huskers

Everywhere you looked in the hotel lobby, you saw Husker fans.
 
That translated later in the day on Saturday, as the Nebraska support overwhelmed the home crowd, once again creating a Sea of Red in a road venue.
 
Then, the visiting fans, some who traveled so far west, cringed as Nebraska, favored to win, faced late adversity.

The first defeat of a young season appeared inevitable.
 
But Big Red persevered. Players united and executed when needed, and the Huskers returned to Lincoln victorious, still undefeated.
 
Yes, it's true.
 
The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team overcame a 2-1 deficit and played an error-free fifth game to defeat No. 25 San Diego 22-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11, to improve to 4-0.
 
"I saw, when we got to the fifth game, how unified and together they were and how much they were playing for each other," Nebraska coach John Cook said. "It was pretty cool to see this, 'We're going to do this together,' and just how tight they pulled together."
 
Also, USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion welcomed considerably more Husker fans that those for the home team.
 
"I knew we'd have some fans," Cook said. "I didn't know we'd have that many."
 
Cook relived the difficult match to begin Nebraska's weekly volleyball and football news conference Monday at Memorial Stadium. That, of course, prefaced discussion of another difficult battle Nebraska faced Saturday in front of enormous support from Big Red fans who traveled west, hoping to will the Huskers to victory.
 
Oh, so close.
 
Whereas a volleyball team and its veteran coach have been in many a tight quarter, and most often exceled, Nebraska's football team, only in season two of coach Scott Frost's system, is still learning hard lessons.
 
Specifically, in finishing.
 
Nebraska played arguably its most complete half of football under Frost in establishing a 17-0 lead at Colorado. But when the Huskers didn't keep their foot on the pedal, and merely maintained their margin through the third quarter, the home team, suddenly feeling a pulse, responded.
 
"For whatever reason, we throttled down, and that's what happens when you throttle down," Nebraska offensive tackle and team captain Matt Farniok said. "It's been preached to us time and time again that you've always got to go, and we failed to do that.
 
"It's got to be an attack mentality four quarters, regardless of the situation."
 
Nebraska experienced a near identical road loss last season to Northwestern – also in overtime, by the exact same score, after the Wildcats scored a game-tying touchdown in the final minute, just like Colorado did.
 
In both games, Nebraska led 31-21 in the fourth quarter. Also in the fourth quarter, Northwestern produced a 99-yard touchdown drive, and Colorado scored on a 96-yard touchdown pass. Both teams produced more total yards in the fourth quarter than in the first three quarters combined.
 
Frost indirectly mentioned the Northwestern game on Monday when he discussed the importance of staying on the attack. It's one of two games last season Nebraska lost after leading by two scores or fewer in the fourth quarter. The other game, of course, being the season-opener against Colorado.
 
"That's a hurdle you need to get over as a team to make sure you win those games," Frost said. "And again, that's on us as coaches to make sure that we get that mentality."
 
Frost said his team played "three really solid quarters" on offense – good enough to win despite a rough third quarter. Defensively, the Huskers produced what Frost said was as close to three quarters of good football as he's ever had a defense play.
 
"And then," he said, "it fell apart."
 
Frost said playing in mile-high altitude "might have had something" to do with Saturday's fourth-quarter woes, but he wasn't interested in using that as an excuse.
 
Nebraska last season outscored Ohio State and Iowa in the fourth quarter in having to rally in narrow road defeats, and overcame a 6-0 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Michigan State, holding the lead for the final 5:13. Faced with a two-score lead entering the fourth quarter against Minnesota, the Huskers stormed past the Gophers for their first victory. Those games would indicate that physical stamina hasn't been the issue late in games.
 
"I think more than anything, it's a mentality to get over," Frost said. "The expectation to win and desire to go out and make the play that's going to make it happen."
 
Frost told his team at halftime on Saturday that one of two things would happen – they mess around and let Colorado back in the game, or they finish off the Buffaloes. He saw an excited team, and sensed the former would happen.
 
It didn't.

"We gave them a chance to get back in it, and that's exactly what they did," Farniok said. "We failed to come out with the same intensity and focus that we had when we started the game, and we let them back into it, and the results are because of that.
 
"That's on all of us regardless. Like I said earlier, we can't throttle down."
 
Players on Monday discussed Frost's 24-hour rule – win or loss, let your emotions simmer for one day before cleaning the slate and preparing for the next game. Do that, and continue to practice well, which Farniok said the team did Monday.
 
"I would say it was one of the best Mondays we've had," Farniok said, "and maybe that gut punch was what we needed to understand what it takes to dig a little deeper and find more of ourselves."
 
What else does Nebraska need to learn to finish its foe?
 
"There's nothing magical about it," senior linebacker and team captain Mohamed Barry said. "You just have to do it."
 
Nebraska's next opportunity could come Saturday, when Northern Illinois visits Lincoln. Rest assured, the Huskers are focused, ready to atone for last week's loss, and knowing the Huskies won at Memorial Stadium two seasons ago.
 
"Every team we're facing this year, we're going to give them the respect that they deserve like they're the best team," Barry said. "That's how we're preparing for NIU."

- Brian Rosenthal

Williams out for "foreseeable future"

Nebraska defensive back Deontai Williams recently had shoulder surgery. As a result, Williams will be out for the "foreseeable future," according to head coach Scott Frost.

Williams recorded two tackles this season. He was injured during the Huskers' season opener versus South Alabama.

Nebraska-Illinois Kickoff Time Announced

The Big Ten Conference and BTN announced this morning that Nebraska's Sept. 21 football game at Illinois will kick off at 7 p.m. (CT) with television coverage on BTN.