2025 Nebraska Season Thread

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Greatest Husker to wear 20: Johnny Rodgers, Wingback, 1970-1972

"Rodgers deep for Nebraska."

Those are the opening words of Lyell Bremser's call of the most famous play in Nebraska football's history: Johnny Rodgers's 72-yard punt return touchdown in the "Game of the Century" between Nebraska and Oklahoma, played on Thanksgiving Day 1971.

Bremser, who called Nebraska games for 42 seasons on Omaha's KFAB, was already in his 30th season behind the mic when he painted his masterpiece. Kent Pavelka, who replaced Bremser as the Voice of the Huskers, once described the call as "the national anthem of the program."

Until the 1980s, KFAB did not have exclusive rights to broadcast Husker games. Dick Perry (KFOR) and Bob Zenner (KLIN) also called the 1971 game for their Lincoln audiences. But KFAB's 50,000-watt signal dwarfed the reach of the other broadcasters.

To my knowledge, there is no audio of the other radio calls.

"Here’s Wylie’s kick,"

A couple of pieces of trivia about this play: The punt return touchdown was the first score of the game, happening just 3:32 into the game. The punter - Oklahoma's Joe Wylie - was also the Sooners'  halfback and return specialist. He ran for over 1,600 yards during his Sooner career. In OU's next game - the 1971 Sugar Bowl against Auburn - Wylie would return a punt 71 yards for a touchdown.

Johnny Rodgers was born in Omaha and attended Technical High School, where he excelled in football, baseball, basketball and track.

Coming out of high school, Rodgers was interested in attending Southern Cal, but the Trojans didn't offer a scholarship. Bob Devaney - with help from Omaha players Dick Davis and Mike Green - managed to keep him home. It is one of the greatest recruiting wins in the history of the program.


"It’s high, it holds up there."

Johnny Rodgers is arguably the greatest return specialist who ever lived.

His eight touchdowns on kickoffs and punt returns in a career is still an NCAA record (since tied by nine others).

He holds Nebraska records for career punt return touchdowns (7), career punt return yards (1,515), punt return yards in a game (170) and the longest punt return touchdown in a bowl game (77 yards). He previously held the mark for the longest punt return touchdown in a game (92 yards), but is now third.

In 2002, DeJuan Groce beat Johnny's record for punt return yards in a season, but Rodgers still holds the second-, fourth- and eighth-best punt return seasons in school history.

Rodgers didn't return as many kickoffs as he did punts, but he was still an electric returner. He is one of two Huskers (Joe Walker being the other) to return a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same season. That kickoff return (98 yards) is tied for the ninth longest. For his career, Rodgers left school as the leader in career kickoff return yards (847) and is still in the top 10.

His returns have been described as improvisational jazz. A little scat, a little bebop and a loud crescendo to the goal line.

"Rodgers takes the ball at the 30."

As great as Johnny Rodgers was at returning kicks, he may have been just as good as a receiver.

Let's start with his consistency. Rodgers caught at least one pass in each of the 37 games he played for Nebraska. It is the second-longest streak behind Stanley Morgan Jr. (38), who played in four seasons. Rodgers and JD Spielman are the only Huskers to catch a pass in every game of their career.

Rodgers left Nebraska owning pretty much every career and single-game receiving record. While Tom Osborne's ground-based offenses helped him stay on top for 30 years, the numbers Rodgers put up have held strong against the passing offenses of Bill Callahan, Mike Riley and Scott Frost.

On the career charts, Rodgers still leads with 25 receiving touchdowns, 10 games with 100 or more receiving yards, and is tied for the most receiving touchdowns in a game (3).

The Jet left NU on top in the following categories: career and single-season receiving yards (now fourth in both), career and single-season receptions (now sixth and eighth), and receiving touchdowns in a season (now second, tied for eighth, and tied for 14th).

Rodgers definitely used his speed to become an elite receiver, but he also had soft, sure hands. His diving catch on third down late in the Game of the Century extended the drive that Nebraska used to score the winning touchdown.

"He’s hit and got away."

Johnny Rodgers has made the most of the second chances he's gotten. In May 1970, Rodgers was involved in a gas station robbery. Rodgers was convicted of felony grand larceny in 1971 and received two years' probation. Coach Bob Devaney, who believed in football's power to provide redemption, allowed him to play in 1971. In 2013, he received a pardon from the Nebraska Board of Pardons.

In the mid-1990s Rodgers returned to UNL and graduated with degrees in advertising and broadcasting. Johnny and I had a handful of classes together.

"Back upfield to the 35, to the 40."

I'm not sure where Rodgers picked up "The Jet" as his nickname - or who gave it to him, but Lyell Bremser used it in the 1970 season opener against Wake Forest, the first game of Rodgers' varsity career. Regardless, the name was accurate. In that game, Rodgers scored his first touchdown on a 61-yard bomb from Jerry Tagge. Rodgers was a good five to 10 yards behind the defense when he caught the pass.

In 1970, Rodgers had 884 yards from scrimmage and scored nine touchdowns. He had another 745 yards and two touchdowns on returns. It was one of the greatest debut seasons since Bobby Reynolds in the 1950s. Rodgers earned the first of his three All-Big Eight honors. Nebraska won its first national championship.


"He’s to the 45!"

The 1971 season was one of the greatest in school history. The team was dominating on both sides of the ball and - thanks to Rodgers - on special teams, too. The Jet had 1,225 yards of yards from scrimmage and 988 yards on returns for a total 2,213 all-purpose yards. Rodgers was a first-team All-American.

Rodgers scored 11 receiving touchdowns, five return touchdowns and two rushing TDs to lead the team in scoring. He set at least 15 single-season and career records. Other than the Game of the Century - where Rodgers was one of Nebraska's stars - the 1971 team dominated opponents all year long.

In the 1972 Orange Bowl, Rodgers had a 77-yard punt return touchdown that started a 38-6 avalanche on Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide. The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers are widely regarded as one of the greatest - if not the best - teams in college football history.

"He’s to the 50, to the 45!"

The original plan was that the 1972 season would be Tom Osborne's first as head coach. Devaney was going to retire from coaching and solely focus on being the athletic director.

But Nebraska's back-to-back national championships altered the plan.

With first-team All-Americans Johnny Rodgers, Rich Glover and Willie Harper coming back, Devaney just had to try for the three-peat. Osborne's first year would have to wait.

In theory, Rodgers should have taken a step back in 1972, his senior season. The other weapons that previously surrounded him (notably, quarterback Jerry Tagge and I-back Jeff Kinney) were in the NFL. His reputation as a score-from-anywhere return should have had teams kicking away from him.

Instead, Rodgers put up another phenomenal season. He bettered his own record with 942 receiving yards, 267 rushing yards and 802 on returns, making him the first Husker to gain over 2,000 all-purpose yards in a season. Rodgers scored 16 more touchdowns to become Nebraska's all-time leading scorer (currently ninth).

Rodgers left Nebraska with 41 school records, seven Big Eight records and four NCAA records. He was an All-American for the second straight year.

But we're not done talking about what he accomplished in 1972…


"To the 40, to the 35!"

Back to the punt return.

At the 35-yard line, cornerback Joe Blahak came flying in to make the final block. If your shirt is scarlet, it's an excellent block. If your shirt is crimson, it's an illegal block in the back that should have been called.

When asked about it, Blahak simply stated, "Did the refs call it a clip? No. Then it wasn't a clip, was it?"

That's good enough for me.

"To the 20!"

In 1972, Johnny Rodgers won Nebraska's first Heisman Trophy, beating Oklahoma's Greg Pruitt. Nebraska teammate Rich Glover - a defensive middle guard - finished third. Rodgers also won the Walter Camp Award.

Johnny's #20 was retired the following season. When Johnny's son Terry played for Nebraska in the 1980s, #20 was brought out of retirement for Terry to wear. After Terry left, #20 was went back into a semi-retirement until 1995, when it was in regular circulation for over a decade.

In 2009, Nebraska permanently retired #20. Jase Dean and Adi Kunalic were the last Huskers to wear the #20 jersey in 2008.

"To the 10!"

When I was in college, I made a Huskers mix CD with songs ("Sirius," the Cornhusker Marching Band, "Back in Black," etc.) and a handful of audio clips I found on the old HuskerPedia site. One of those files was the Bremser call of Johnny's punt return in the Game of the Century. It played right after "Hail Varsity."

Over the years, I have heard that track enough to where I can recite the entire call from memory, with Lyell's cadence and inflection.

I know I'm not the only Husker fan who knows that call by heart.


"HE’S ALL THE WAY HOME!"

Fast forward 20-some years. I'm driving my kids to day care the week of a Nebraska season opener. Excited for the coming game, I popped that old Husker CD in the player. To my delight, the kids liked listening to band playing the fight songs. They asked me to play that CD every day for several weeks. I was happy to oblige.

After hearing it a few dozen times, my son (probably three at the time) was able to narrate the punt return along with Lyell, all the way home. Man, woman and child, the video of him sitting in his car seat reciting that call still tears me loose from my shoes.

It's wild to me to consider my kid knew all the words to a touchdown that happened over 50 years ago, scored by a guy who was done playing before I was born.

But that's the beautiful legacy of great players making amazing plays. They are timeless treasures passed from generation to generation.


"HOLY MOLY!"

Johnny Rodgers proved he was worthy of the Heisman Trophy with an epic performance in the 1973 Orange Bowl against Notre Dame. Shifting over from his usual wingback position to I-back, he ran for three scores, took a short pass 50 yards for a touchdown and threw a 52-yard bomb to Frosty Anderson. This made Rodgers the second Husker ever with a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown in the same game.

The Huskers destroyed the Irish 40-6 in Bob Devaney's final game as Nebraska's head coach.

Rodgers turned in his record-setting performance in just three quarters, as he sat out the fourth quarter. This was partly due to Nebraska's lead. Additionally, Rodgers was still recovering from the flu. He lost 10 pounds the week of the game.

"MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD, DID THAT PUT ’EM IN THE AISLES!"

Johnny Rodgers was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. That same year, he was named the Nebraska Player of the Century.

Since 2011, the Jet Award has been honoring the best return specialist in college football. In addition to selecting a current winner, the Jet Award committee also hands out a "Legacy Award" to a return specialist from a previous generation.

The Jet Award Foundation raises scholarship money for students interested in pursuing the trades at two community colleges in the Omaha metro.


"JOHNNY THE JET RODGERS JUST TORE ’EM LOOSE FROM THEIR SHOES!"

The Game of the Century punt return would become the most famous and most watched touchdown in school history. It is easily the most listened-to radio call in Nebraska history.

After scoring this legendary touchdown, Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers went to the Nebraska sideline and threw up.

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Greatest Husker to wear 19: Kyle Larson, Punter, 1999-2003

In 2001, Nebraska played for the national championship.

In 2002, we all thought the sky was falling.

Nebraska - for the first time in my nearly 30-year life - failed to win nine games. Even worse, the Huskers didn't even have a winning record, going 7-7.

For a team with a .500 record, they were less Even Steven and more Jekyll and Hyde. Seven wins by an average score of 38-15. Seven losses by an average of 33-16.* The Huskers were 0-4 against ranked teams.

Yes, I realize how quaint it sounds to freak out about a seven-win season in an era where Nebraska has won seven games twice in the last decade. But in the moment, coming off a 10-year run where Nebraska was 111-15 (.881) with three national championships, it felt like a plague of locusts wasn't far behind.

*Not only did the 2002 Huskers play like garbage at times, they also looked like garbage. Nebraska wore new "modern" uniforms that featured a large red side panel on the pants and jersey - similar to what the Denver Broncos were wearing at the time. It was fine for the Broncos (although not as good as their Orange Crush look), but on Nebraska it looked hideous.

On the road, Nebraska wore white pants with white jerseys. The 2002 team's 1-5 record away from Lincoln did not help the perception of the "surrender whites" look within the fan base.

I maintain that the greatest thing Steve Pederson did as Nebraska's athletic director was sending the 2002 uniforms back to whatever hell where they came from.

After the 2002 season, legendary Osborne-era assistants Milt Tenopir, George Darlington and Dan Young retired. Three other assistants, including defensive coordinator Craig Bohl, were fired. Bo Pelini was hired to replace Bohl, and five other assistants joined the staff. Frank Solich handed over the play-calling duties to new offensive coordinator Barney Cotton.

The 2003 season started out great. Nebraska opened with a conference win over preseason No. 24 Oklahoma State, the first of five straight wins that got Nebraska back into the top 10.

Then came a 17-point loss at unranked Missouri. The Huskers bounced back with wins over Texas A&M and Iowa State, the latter coming on the Blackshirts' second shutout of the season. Next was a trip to No. 16 Texas. Nebraska - ranked 12th - was dominated on both sides of the ball in a 31-7 loss. Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman wrote: "Texas out-physicaled the college football team that invented physical."

Back in Lincoln, fans were growing divided. Solich's Huskers were now 13-12 since the start of the 2001 Colorado game and just 3-9 away from home. A win over Kansas led into Senior Day at Memorial Stadium with unranked Kansas State taking on the No. 18 Cornhuskers.

Tied at 7 coming out of halftime, the Wildcats scored 24 straight points before Nebraska recorded a late safety (KSU's punter intentionally ran out of the end zone). A late Kansas State touchdown prompted Pelini to confront KSU coach Bill Snyder about running up the score. "I don't think I would care to repeat what he called me," Snyder said. Fortunately, the incident was not broadcast nationally on ABC - the network had switched to a more competitive game earlier in the fourth quarter. It was (then) Nebraska's worst home loss in 45 years and K-State's first win in Lincoln in 35 years.

For many, it felt like rock bottom.*

Speculation reached a fever pitch in the days before the Colorado game. Remember: At the time, Nebraska had not fired a head coach since Bill Jennings in 1961. Athletic Director Steve Pederson - in his first year in Lincoln - cited a personal policy of not commenting on coaches during the season.

Meanwhile, the Journal Star published a report from anonymous sources that Pederson decided during the K-State game that he wanted to make a change. One source claimed Pederson walked through the booster skyboxes saying, "We're going to do something; don't get upset." Another source said Pederson's plan was to try to persuade Solich to retire after the Colorado game and take a role in NU athletic department. While a win over the Buffs would reportedly not change Pederson's mind, the anonymous boosters believed that a win would allow Solich to "retire on a high note."*


*We're 80 entries into this series, and I'm not sure I've come across another Huskers-related quote that aged worse than that the notion that Frank would ride off into the sunset after beating Colorado. Solich would be a college coach for another 16 seasons after 2003.

But our anonymous booster did get one thing correct. He predicted that if the perception was that Solich was being unfairly pushed out the door, "things could get ugly."

Nebraska beat Colorado 31-22 on Black Friday 2003 to improve to 9-3. Frank Solich was fired the next day. His record at Nebraska was 58-19. The search for his replacement stretched for 41 long days with (as The Athletic wrote in 2021) numerous failed attempts, strategic blunders and "what if" moments. The search finally resulted in Bill Callahan, who went 27-22 in four seasons. Fans have remained divided on Solich's firing ever since.*

*At the time, I thought firing Frank was the right move and agreed with Pederson's "gravitating toward mediocrity" comment. Maybe, if Pederson had managed to land one of his initial, preferred candidates, things would have worked out differently. It's fun to imagine an alternate reality where Mike Sherman created a Midwestern version of what Pete Carroll would build at USC.

Callahan's failure - and the ultimate failure of every coach to follow him - has done nothing to dissuade the loyal Solich supporters that he and his new staff should have gotten one more year to prove themselves. While I believe Frank's staff would have improved upon Callahan's 5-6 record in 2004, I also believe they would have regressed from 2003's 10-win season.

As we discussed , it was becoming harder and harder for Nebraska to find quality quarterbacks to run the option system Solich knew (and Husker fans preferred). Maybe Solich - like Osborne before him - could have evolved the offense, but big changes were needed to stay at the highest levels.

If you're going to struggle offensively - as Nebraska often did in 2002 and 2003 - make sure you have a good punter. In Kyle Larson, Nebraska had a great one.

The pride of tiny Funk, Nebraska,* Larson was one of the best punters in school history. A three-year starter, Larson had a record 195 kicks, averaging over 43 yards per punt, which puts him third all-time at Nebraska.

*Funk is a town of 175 people near Holdrege in the south-central part of the state. One hundred and seventy-five people. Raise your hand if your graduating class had more people than the town of Funk. I graduated in a class of 61 people, but my hometown of (then) 2,000 people was a metropolis comparatively.

And yet, Funk isn't the smallest town represented in this series. Our honoree at #71, Dean Steinkuhler, is from Burr (population 52 in the 2020 census).

As a senior, Larson set the school record for yards per punt (45.12), was a consensus All-Big 12 pick, an All-American and one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to the nation’s best punter. He owns one of the three punts in school history to travel 80 yards or more.

After a lengthy NFL career, Larson was elected to the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

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Greatest Husker to wear 18: Jon Bostick, Split End, 1988-1991

Jon Bostick's career was all about making the most out of unplanned situations.

After a successful year on the freshman team in 1988, the plan was for Bostick to redshirt in 1989. But with seniors Morgan Gregory and Chip Bahe slowed by injuries, Bostick played in the fourth game of the season against Oregon State. His first catch as a Husker was a 60-yard bomb from Gerry Gdowski. Bostick's touchdown helped put the game away.*

*Fun fact #1: Bostick wore #4 for this catch, as the decision to play him came hours before kickoff.

The next week against Kansas State, Bostick caught three more passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Another two-touchdown day against Oklahoma State followed later in the season. A touchdown against Kansas.* As a sophomore, Bostick averaged 24.08 yards per reception. He was just .07 yards (about 2.5 inches) per reception from tying the school record.

*Fun fact #2: Bostick wore #31 in this game. I'm guessing the change was needed as fellow sophomore George Achola was also assigned #4. Bostick would switch to 18 before his junior season. As the legendary Husker Tapes points out, Bostick is in a rare group of players (if not the only) to catch a touchdown pass in three different uniform numbers.

During the summer before his senior season, Jon Bostick was playing pickup basketball. The athletic 6'2" receiver went up for a dunk… and had his legs taken out from under him. He broke a bone in his right hand on the landing. Receivers coach Ron Brown was understandably not pleased about his best player getting injured.

Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Bostick saw an opportunity. Bostick continued to run routes over the summer. With a cast on his dominant right hand, he focused on his left, making one-hand catches and improving his skills. When he was fully healed, he had his best season as a Husker, with career highs in receptions (24) and yards (419), and earning All-Big Eight honors.


Against Iowa State in 1991, Bostick had an amazing catch for a 55-yard touchdown, leaping over the top of a Cyclone defender to secure the ball. The catch stunned everybody in the stadium - except for his teammates. “He makes those kinds of catches every day in practice,” said tight end William Washington. “It was no big thing to him — just another catch in Jon Bostick’s book.”

Bostick left Nebraska tied for sixth in career receiving yards (1,083). Not too shabby for a player who was told he wouldn't catch any passes if he left the West Coast to play at run-heavy Nebraska.

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Greatest Husker to wear 16: Maurice Purify, Wide Receiver, 2006-2007

In 2001, Nebraska played for the national championship. The Huskers lost 37-14 to Miami in the Rose Bowl. A month earlier, they lost 62-36 to Colorado.

In 2002, Nebraska went 7-7, its first non-winning season since 1961. After the season, some of Frank Solich's assistants were fired, and others retired. In December, longtime Athletic Director Bill Byrne resigned to become the AD at Texas A&M. His replacement - Steve Pederson - was hired just 18 days later. At the time, Pederson was viewed as a can't-miss, home-run hire. His background was impeccable: Nebraska native (North Platte), UNL alumnus, former Husker recruiting coordinator and later the associate AD and director of football operations under Tom Osborne. His résumé at Pittsburgh, where he led a revival in the football and basketball programs, was impressive. When Pederson received Osborne's endorsement, it was a done deal.

In 2003, Nebraska hired several new assistants, including a relatively unknown linebackers coach from the Green Bay Packers named Mark "Bo" Pelini as defensive coordinator. The results were immediate. NU started the 2003 season 5-0, with the Blackshirts allowing just 8 points per game.

Then came a 17-point loss at unranked Missouri. Three weeks later, a 24-point loss at #16 Texas (the Huskers were ranked 12th). On Senior Day, 18th-ranked Nebraska lost by 29 points to unranked Kansas State. Yes, the Wildcats went on to win the Big 12 Conference championship, but at the time it was the worst home loss since 1958. Nebraska beat Colorado to finish the regular season at 9-3.

On the surface, 9-3 looked really good.* But in that moment, it was easy to see the Huskers slipping away from the standard Devaney and Osborne had set. The nine wins came against teams that were a collective 51-61 (.455). The three losses - by an average of 23 points - were to teams that were 28-12 (.700). Solich was 16-12 in his last 28 games. His teams had just one win over a ranked team in their last nine tries.

At the end of the 2003 regular season Steve Pederson fired Frank Solich. Solich was 58-19 (.753) in six seasons as Nebraska's head coach. The decision was divisive then and still remains hotly contested. Solich's record, his time and ties to the program, and giving more time to his revamped staff were all cited as reasons why he should have been retained. Pederson famously said he would "refuse to let Nebraska gravitate to mediocrity. We will not surrender the Big 12 Conference to Oklahoma and Texas."

Had Pederson been able to replace Solich with a better, more successful coach, those words would have been prophetic. Instead, Pederson conducted a disaster of a coaching search. After 41 grueling days, numerous rejections and an embarrassing episode where a booster's private jet sat on an Arkansas runway while Houston Nutt negotiated a raise, Pederson hired Bill Callahan.

Callahan, who took the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl, gave Pederson many of the things he wanted in a coach: a modern, pro-style offense, NFL experience, and a focus on recruiting top-end talent.

He just didn't bring the wins.

Callahan - who never meshed with Nebraska fans or Husker legends - went 27-22 (.551) in four seasons. The transition from Solich's run-based I-formation offense to the West Coast offense was square peg in a round hole rough. Quarterback Joe Dailey did his best but completed just 49.4% of his throws in 2004 with more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (17). The 2004 Huskers went 5-6, their first losing season since 1961, and snapping a streak of bowl games that dated to 1969.

In 2005, Callahan signed one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in school history. ESPN's Tom Lemming (a personal friend of Callahan) said NU's class was "Number 1, without a doubt." Rivals ranked the Huskers class fifth. Ndamukong Suh, Zac Taylor, Marlon Lucky, Phillip Dillard and others were in that class. The 2005 Huskers finished 8-4. After a thrilling win over Michigan in the Alamo Bowl, they ended the year ranked 24th.

The 2006 season was the pinnacle of the Bill Callahan era at Nebraska. Zac Taylor was the quarterback he had been waiting for, and the wide receiver corps was deep and talented. Terrence Nunn, Nate Swift, Todd Peterson and Frantz Hardy all had big-play potential.

But Maurice Purify was clearly the star of the WR room. Big, fast and strong, he was one of the most physically gifted receivers Nebraska has ever had. Purify was great on deep routes, short routes and his specialty: the jump ball. His 9-yard catch of a Zac Taylor throw at Texas A&M capped a huge comeback and helped the Huskers win the Big 12 North Division crown in 2006. Purify was second team All-Big 12 in 2005.*

*Of the five numbers in this countdown without a first-team all-conference pick or NU Hall of Fame player, 16 is the most surprising, given that 62 players have worn it to date.

For what it's worth, the first team All-Big 12 wide receivers in 2006 were Adarius Bowman (Oklahoma State), Joel Filani (Texas Tech) and Limas Sweed (Texas).

In 2007, the Callahan era collapsed. Arizona State transfer Sam Keller couldn't replace Zac Taylor. Keller struggled to move the offense before he was injured and replaced by Joe Ganz. Ganz showed a strong command of the offense. NU averaged 54 points in the three games he started at the end of the season. Mo Purify had 814 receiving yards, then the third most in school history (now out of the top 10). He also added nine touchdown receptions, tied for second all-time (currently fifth).

Unfortunately, Kevin Cosgrove's defense struggled mightily.

The 2007 defense (I cannot in good conscious refer to them as "Blackshirts") allowed 37.9 points per game - still the most in school history. From October 1st to the end of the season, NU allowed 46 points per game, including an embarrassing 45-14 homecoming loss to Oklahoma State (in front of the 1997 championship team), 76 points at Kansas - the most ever allowed - and 65 in a season-ending loss to Colorado. Horrific.

Steve Pederson was fired after the Okie State loss and was replaced on an interim basis by Tom Osborne. Callahan - who once called Osborne a "crusty old [expletive]" - was fired after Colorado game.

In just two seasons in Lincoln, Maurice Purify accumulated the sixth-most receptions in school history (currently 14th) and fourth-most receiving yards (currently 12th). Just imagine what he could have done with another season or two.

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Greatest Husker to wear 15: Tommie Frazier, Quarterback, 1992-1995

Tommie Frazier was almost a Colorado Buffalo.

The Buffs initially recruited him as a quarterback. Frazier called them to discuss a commitment, but there was a snag: They now wanted him to play defensive back. Nope, sorry. Frazier had too many other options - Notre Dame, Florida State, Penn State and more - to settle for being a DB.

Besides, he had already built a strong relationship with Tom Osborne and assistant Kevin Steele. Nebraska would let him play quarterback, and the door would be open to playing early.

Frazier did not redshirt, appearing briefly in the first two games of the 1992 season (Utah and Middle Tennessee State). In the next two games (Washington and Arizona State), Frazier did not see the field, even though Nebraska won the ASU game by three touchdowns. Mike Grant, the starter, played the entire game.

After the Arizona State game, Frazier expressed disappointment with his situation. In his frustration, the word "transfer" was tossed out. With a bye week before the Huskers' next game, Tom Osborne devised a plan. Grant would start and play the first and third quarters. Frazier would - regardless of score or scenario - play the second and fourth quarters. Both quarterbacks played well in a 55-0 win over Oklahoma State.

Before the next game at Missouri, Osborne was noncommittal on who would start, even though Grant was dealing with a sore back. That Saturday, Tommie Frazier became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Nebraska in the post-World War II era. He accounted for 234 of Nebraska's 492 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns.

Frazier's second start would be against Colorado - the team that pulled the rug out on him. He would be just 4-12 passing for 55 yards, but he did throw for two touchdowns. More importantly, Nebraska rolled the co-No. 8 Buffs 52-7. Frazier won all three of his games against Colorado by an average score of 39-15.

To be honest, that's a microcosm of Tommie Frazier's career. Statistically, he was not the greatest quarterback Nebraska has ever had. He surpassed 100 yards rushing in a game just four times. Jammal Lord did it eight times. Frazier's career completion percentage was 49.5%. Tanner Lee completed 57.5% of his throws.

But Tommie Frazier won.

A lot.

While I think "QB Wins" is vastly overrated as a statistic, Frazier's 33-3 record as a starter (31-1 in regular-season games*) is impossible to ignore.

*His lone regular-season loss was a freshman-year, 19-10 loss at Iowa State in the ultimate trap game. Nebraska was coming off back-to-back wins over No. 8 Colorado and No. 14 Kansas. The Huskers' next game was against rival Oklahoma before an international flight to Tokyo. In the loss, Frazier led the team with 92 yards rushing and threw a touchdown pass.

Coincidentally, this loss was the fourth - and final - time under Osborne that the Huskers wore their home white pants with their traditional white road jerseys, creating an all-white monotone ensemble. Nebraska was 1-4 in the look, often referred to as "surrender whites." The lone win? Frazier's first start against Missouri.

Not counting alternate uniforms, Nebraska is 5-15 since 1990 in all white.

Frazier's freshman season was a rousing success. He was the unanimous Big Eight Newcomer/Freshman of the Year and a second-team freshman All-American.

In 1993, Frazier led Nebraska closer to the national championship than any sophomore ever had. He firmly established himself as a star player, leading the Huskers to their third straight Big Eight title. He was the guy who always delivered the big play in the biggest moment, and on the biggest stage. Nebraska had five come-from-behind wins in 1993, winning three one-score games.

Despite being a 17½-point underdog to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl, Frazier was a missed field goal away from leading one of the greatest game-winning drives in college football history.

The disappointment from the FSU loss was a driving force behind the 1994 "unfinished business" season. Frazier entered the season as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Sadly, Frazier would be sidelined with blood clots for eight games. His injury arguably brought the team closer and forced everyone else to elevate their game. Frazier was cleared to play in the Orange Bowl and led Nebraska to 1994 national championship with a dynamic fourth-quarter performance in the Orange Bowl.

That leads us to the 1995 season, Frazier's senior year and the greatest team Nebraska has ever fielded.

For the first time since 1948, Nebraska opened its season with a conference game, at Oklahoma State on a Thursday night. The Huskers set the tone for their season with a 64-21 destruction of the Cowboys. The next week was a 50-10 blowout of Michigan State - led by Nick Saban. But storm clouds were forming over the program.

I-back Lawrence Phillips - like Frazier a likely Heisman finalist - was arrested that night. He would be suspended - but not kicked off the team - and eventually reinstated. Negative press swirled around Osborne, and every player arrest, parking ticket and jaywalking allegation was put under a microscope as proof of the "win at all costs" program Osborne was alleged to be running.

National media members, including CBS's Bernard Goldberg, turned Osborne's press conferences into contentious affairs, looking for the "gotcha!" sound bite or angle for their scathing column. Fans were divided on whether Osborne was doing the right thing.

Meanwhile, the 1995 Huskers just kept on rolling.

Aside from a 35-21 win over Washington State - their "closest" game of the season - Nebraska was an unstoppable juggernaut. The Huskers scored 44 or more points in nine of their 12 games, breaking 60 points four times. Eighteen different players recorded a carry. Twenty-one different players scored a touchdown.

The defense pitched two shutouts and held three other teams to 10 points or less. Almost a third of the 150 points scored allowed by the 1995 team were in the fourth quarter. That wasn't because the Blackshirts wore down easily. No, the Huskers led by an average of 31 points heading into the fourth quarter so the starters rarely played the whole game.

Eleven different players - including Frazier - earned first-team All-Big Eight honors, with nine more making the second team or honorable mention. Frazier, Aaron Graham and Jared Tomich were first-team All-Americans.

Tommie Frazier won the Johnny Unitas and Davey O'Brien awards in 1995.

He should have won the dadgum Heisman (he finished second to Eddie George).

Nebraska has had more polished quarterbacks, with better mechanics and stronger arms. I suspect some of the other quarterbacks were faster.

But if it is fourth-and-nine in a do-or die situation, I want the ball in Tommie Frazier's hands.

Because that is what gives Nebraska the best chance to win.

[FearlessF]

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 14: Jerry Tagge, Quarterback, 1969-1971

Friday, Jan. 1, 1971
7:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Miami, Florida

The third-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers have just run onto the grass turf before their Orange Bowl game against No. 5 Louisiana State. The Huskers are wearing new red jerseys, without the familiar white shoulder stripes, and (possibly for the first time ever) with the players' names on the backs. The Huskers have white pants with red stripes and white helmets with grey facemasks. After wearing an "NU" decal on the side of their helmets in previous seasons, Nebraska now sports a simple sans-serif red "N."


Nebraska is completing its 81st season of college football. To this moment, the Huskers have never finished higher than fifth in the final AP poll (1965) and have finished a season in the top 10 only six times. When this day's New Year's Day bowl games started, Nebraska was likely to remain at No. 3. To move up a spot, they would either need No. 2 Ohio State to lose to 12th-ranked Stanford in the Rose Bowl, or No. 1 Texas to lose to sixth-ranked Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, played less than 200 miles from the UT campus.

Neither team is likely to lose.

Except… the craziest thing happened. Notre Dame shut down the Longhorn wishbone offense and won 24-11. Ohio State - a 10½-point favorite - gave up two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lose 27-13.

The door was now wide open for Nebraska.

Could the Huskers take advantage of the opportunity?


The defense would be up to the task. With players like Larry Jacobson, Willie Harper, Rich Glover, Ed Periard and Jerry Murtaugh, nobody was worried about the Blackshirts.

The problem was the Tiger defense was just as tough. LSU had allowed more than 14 points just twice in 1970 - 20 in a season-opening loss to Texas A&M and 17 in a blowout, empty-the-benches win over Ole Miss.

Despite it being just the second season for Tom Osborne as offensive coordinator, Nebraska's offense had a lot of talent. Jeff Kinney, Joe Orduna, Johnny Rodgers, Guy Ingles, Bob Newton, and starting quarterback* junior Jerry Tagge.

*Actually - Nebraska played two quarterbacks in 1969 and 1970. Van Brownson played in multiple games - starting several - as the coaches often rode the hot hand. The two quarterbacks maintained a friendly competition for the top job, as this exchange from a 1970 Sports Illustrated article shows:

"I guess it's like fighting for a girl," says Tagge. "It's fun, but we both would like to be No. 1."

"Yeah," says Brownson, a man with shaggy good looks, "except I would win the girl every time. On the field, it's different."

Injuries to Brownson in the middle of the 1970 season allowed Tagge to grab firm control on the starting job.

Tagge started spring drills in 1969 fifth on the quarterback depth chart - a spot he shared with Chuck Osberg. Through injuries and his own hard work, he made it onto the field as a sophomore. He had the first game in school history with more than 300 yards of total offense - in his first start. By the time his hometown Green Bay Packers drafted him seventh overall in 1972, Tagge had written his name all over the Nebraska record book. Almost 55 years after his career ended, Tagge is still:

Seventh in career passing yards.
Ninth in total offense.
Tied for 10th in passing touchdowns in a season.
18th in total offense in a season.
In the locker room postgame, Tagge called the 1971 Orange Bowl "one of my poorer games… I made a lot of mistakes." LSU's coach Charles McClendon disagreed, saying Tagge was "extremely strong. He was hard to bring down on the keeper play, and one time, when we did crack through their fine pass protection, he threw the ball 45 yards with one of our guys hanging on his leg."

The game was a back-and-forth affair. Nebraska led 10-0 after the first quarter, but an LSU touchdown at the end of the third quarter made the score 12-10. The fourth quarter began with an LSU kickoff. Nebraska's drive started at its own 33.

Tagge led Nebraska on a 13-play drive that ate up 6:10. Kinney and Orduna combined for 15 yards. Tagge accounted for the rest. It was more methodical than flashy. Running plays up the middle, short passes and rollouts that look a lot like what gets called "RPO" today.

The biggest play of the drive was an 18-yard crossing-route completion to Kinney on third-and-seven. That gave Nebraska a first-and-goal from the five. After two runs came up short, Tagge took a third-down snap at the one. He plowed forward and was met by the Tiger defense. Tagge stuck the ball over his head, reaching it clearly over the goal line. Touchdown Nebraska! Paul Rogers kicked the PAT for a 17-12 Husker lead.

That's it, right? The team carries Devaney off the field as the celebrations begin across the Cornhusker state?

Nope, not even close.

There was still 8:50 to play, and the rollercoaster was just leaving the station.

The Huskers stopped LSU on the Tigers' next possession. Defensive end Willie Harper blocked the Tiger punt, sending the LSU punter to the turf. Harper was ruled to have been blocked into the kicker. Nebraska drove the ball down to the 15, but Orduna lost a fumble.

The Blackshirts recorded back-to-back sacks, but LSU converted a third-and-30 from its own 7. A few plays later, Harper simply takes the ball out of the quarterback's arms.

Three plays after that, Tagge loses a fumble on an option play.

On the very next play, Bob Terrio intercepts LSU's pass. It is the fourth turnover in the last eight minutes.

With just 45 seconds left to go in the game, Tagge kneels twice and Nebraska wins 17-12. Now, the Cornhuskers are national champions, right?

Nope. It would take FOUR DAYS for the final AP ballot to be tabulated. No. 6 Notre Dame, who upset No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl was also making a case for the top spot. Many Husker players and fans were worried that Notre Dame's clout with the national media would be enough for them to jump the Huskers. Sports columnists of the day were calling for a playoff in college football.

After the Orange Bowl, Devaney was asked if he thought his Huskers deserved to be champions. "Hell yes, we should be No. 1. I can't see any other way," Devaney said.

"I couldn't even see how the Pope could vote for Notre Dame."

Finally, the AP vote came in. Nebraska received 39 first-place votes. Notre Dame, who finished second, had only eight votes. In those days, the final coaches poll (organized by United Press International) came out in early December, before the bowls. Nebraska was third.


Jerry Tagge would lead the 1971 Cornhuskers to another national championship, leading another legendary scoring drive in the Game of the Century win over Oklahoma. Tagge would be named a first-team All-Big Eight and finished seventh in the Heisman voting.

His accomplishments may have been overshadowed by those of Tommie Frazier and other famous Husker QBs, but Tagge should be remembered for setting the standard of excellence.

[SFBadger96]

Friday, Jan. 1, 1971

Except… the craziest thing happened. ... Ohio State - a 10½-point favorite - gave up two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lose 27-13.

My parents were at that Rose Bowl--my dad was still a student at Stanford. Jim Plunkett under center.

Also, Fearless, just wanted to drop a note saying that I've enjoyed reading these posts. Thanks for making them.

[847badgerfan]

For sure.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 13: Carlos Polk, Linebacker, 1996-2000

One of the things I've found interesting to see during this process is the evolution of the defense. I'm not talking about schematic changes (which we've covered at 34 and 22).

Instead, I'm referring to where the best player on defense would line up. It has seemed to move and shift over the years.

On the 1970s championship teams, it would be Larry Jacobson and Rich Glover on the defensive line. It bounced around a little in Tom Osborne's first decade, but by the mid- to late 1980s, it was back to defensive tackle (Neil Smith, Danny Noonan and others). In the late '80s through late 1990s, the best Blackshirt was often a defensive end or rush end (Mike Croel, Trev Alberts, Jared Tomich, Grant Wistrom, etc.).

On the 1970s championship teams, it would be Larry Jacobson and Rich Glover on the defensive line. It bounced around a little in Tom Osborne's first decade, but by the mid- to late 1980s, it was back to defensive tackle (Neil Smith, Danny Noonan and others). In the late '80s through late 1990s, the best Blackshirt was often a defensive end or rush end (Mike Croel, Trev Alberts, Jared Tomich, Grant Wistrom, etc.).


But there came a point where Nebraska's rush end pipeline slowed to a trickle. Around that time (the early years of the Frank Solich era), the "best Blackshirt" position* shifted again. The career of Carlos Polk marked a shift, as the best Blackshirt was usually the guy anchoring the middle linebacker position. I’m talking about guys like Polk, Barrett Ruud, Lavonte David, and to a lesser extent Phillip Dillard, Steve Octavien and even another #13 from a defensively challenged era: Corey McKeon.

*This isn't to say that other positions weren't brimming with talent during the periods I've cited. Nebraska had great linebackers in the 1980s and excellent defensive backs in the 1990s. My point is that one position group often feels like it is a head above everybody else.

Let’s focus on Polk, a 250-pound bruiser with deceptive speed and a strong nose for the football. A four-year contributor, he was a two-time All-Big 12 performer and an anchor on one of the finest defenses in school history (1999). In his senior season (2000), Polk was a first team All-America in 2000 and a Butkus Award semifinalist.

In the 2000 Colorado game, Polk had a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown on the second play of the game.*

*A fun fact about Polk's pick: In five of Nebraska's last 10 home games against Colorado, a Blackshirt has had an interception return for a touchdown against Colorado, and all five were returned into the north end zone:


1996: Koy Detmer's pass is tipped by Jeff Ogard. Jay Foreman caught it and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown.
1998: Safety Clint Finley took a Mike Moschetti pass 42 yards for a score.
2000: Polk's 39-yard pick six.
2008: Ndamukong Suh grabbed a tipped pass, steamrolled Cody Hawkins and scores from 30.
2024: Tommi Hill made a leaping grab of a Shedeur Sanders pass and takes it back seven yards for a touchdown.
I feel that Carlos Polk is often forgotten or underrated when we talk about Nebraska's great linebackers. He led the team in tackles in 1999 and 2000, and he left school ranked 14th in career tackles (currently 23rd). His 32 career tackles for loss was the fifth best in school history (now 10th).

Polk was a fourth-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers. After his playing career, he has been a widely respected assistant and special teams coordinator for multiple teams. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 12: Bobby Reynolds, Halfback, 1950-1952

Allow me to describe my happy place:

It is a crisp, yet sunny autumn afternoon. Short sleeves now, maybe a sweatshirt when the sun goes down.

A drumline stands at the middle of a football field and starts to play a cadence.

From the heavens (or, perhaps, the speakers behind me) a voice rings out: "It's showtime, as the Cornhusker Marching Band takes the field to begin another pregame spectacular!"

Hundreds of band members appear from all four corners of the stadium, marching in single file.

"Now is the time for the Marching Red experience! Presenting the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band!"

The band members continue to rush onto the field, forming single-file lines from goal line to goal line. Bright red pants, crisp white uniforms with a golden sash, and an 8-inch-tall plume of red feathers on top of their red and white marching band hats. There must be 300 of them on the field.

"This is the Pride of All Nebraska."

The band plays its first notes and the hairs on my arms stand straight up. The baton twirlers and drum majors are introduced. Color guards on both goal lines start marching toward midfield, their red and white flags twirling in unison.

"It's football Saturday in Memorial Stadium and there is no place like Nebraska!"

A tidal wave of happy memories washes over me. The amazing games, legendary players and championship teams I've watched. The nervous anticipation before a big game. The games I went to with my dad. The games I've been to with my son and daughters. Games spent standing next to my best friends. All of them started with those 13 words.


The band plays "There Is No Place Like Nebraska." Eighty-five thousand people suddenly lose the ability to clap in unison.

Seriously, that moment - and the rest of the "pregame spectacular" (with its salute to fans in all four stadiums) - is one of my favorite parts of a home game.

After "No Place," we welcome our visitors by playing their fight song. I've been to lots of other college football stadiums, and few (if any) play the other team's fight song. It's such a quaint, Nebraska-nice tradition (even if the students and fans sometimes boo the other team). Next comes the national anthem, followed (hopefully) by a flyover of some aircraft.

After the Star-Spangled Banner, we get to the remainder of the band's setlist:


The well-known football classic "Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A."
The majestic strains of "March Grandioso"
Then let's all chant the letters of Nebraska with "March of the Cornhuskers"
And finally, Nebraska's own "Hail Varsity"
I love that the Pregame Spectacular has remained essentially the same for nearly 40 years. Sure, some of the formations have been tweaked, and a couple of songs ("Glory of the Gridiron" and John Philip Sousa's "University of Nebraska March") have been phased out. But a Nebraska fan from 1987 or 2025 would likely say it's the same show.

But let's focus in on one of those songs: "Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A." How did that song become a staple of the band's performance?  That song is a well-known football classic - it was a top-10 hit when it came out - but I've always assumed it was primarily there as peppy, football-related filler until Nebraska's own "Hail Varsity."

It turns out there is a direct connection between that song and the University of Nebraska.

The sheet music cover for Mr. Touchdown, USA. / Paxton Music Inc.
"Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A." was composed by Ruth Roberts and recorded by Hugo Winterhalter in 1950. RCA Records - which released the song - staged a promotion where the college football player who scored the most touchdowns in the in 1950 season would receive a RCA television, the title of "Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A." and a silver-plated copy of the record.

The winner? Bobby Reynolds of Grand Island, Nebraska. The Cornhusker sophomore sensation scored 22 touchdowns in 1950.

The free TV was delivered to his parents' house in Grand Island, but it did not get used for several years. At the time, there was no TV reception in Grand Island.

[ELA]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/45982705/simulating-2025-season-season-using-ea-sports-college-football-26

[FearlessF]

don't look right - not many SEC teams in the playoff