A week in Husker history
The week of Oct. 30-Nov. 5, looking back in five-year intervals
1891: Nebraska opens the season with a 28-4 win over Doane. The third game in program history was a game of firsts: First home game, first time scored upon, and first time having trailed in a game. Doane suffered several injuries, so the second half was shortened to 15 minutes after the 16-4 first half.
1896: Nebraska defeats Nebraska Wesleyan by a surprisingly narrow 18-8 margin.
1901: Nebraska puts up an admirable effort, but Wisconsin takes over in the second half for an 18-0 win in Milwaukee.
1906: Nebraska has its moments, including a 60-yard run by quarterback Harold Cooke, but Minnesota prevails in Minneapolis, 13-0.
1911: Ernest Frank’s 10-yard pass reception gives the Huskers an early lead, but underdog Iowa State earns a 6-6 tie with two field goals. All the scoring came in the first quarter.
1916: Harold “Tim” Corey’s third-quarter field goal from the 15 yard line lifts NU to a 3-0 win over Iowa State. One widely distributed press report mistakenly called the kick a 50-yarder.
1921: Harold Hartley connects with Clarence Swanson for a 63-yard TD pass on the final play of the first half, and Nebraska goes on to upset Pitt, 10-0. It was the first Husker game to be broadcast on commercial radio, and perhaps the first college game to be aired in its entirety.
1926: Glenn Presnell rushes for two touchdowns, including a 53-yarder, as Nebraska turns away Iowa State, 31-6
1931: A goal-line stand on the game’s final play staves off a frantic Missouri rally and preserves a 10-7 win in Columbia. Meanwhile, Nebraska is invited to play in a postseason charity game in Denver.
1936: The Huskers roll past Missouri, 20-0, aided by Paul Amen’s 36-yard run for a touchdown after he caught a teammate’s fumble in midair.
1941: A surprising 12-6 setback at Kansas State gives Nebraska its first three-game losing streak since the 19th century.
1946: A missed extra point is the difference as NU falls to Missouri, 21-20.
1951: Kansas erupts for three second-quarter touchdowns en route to a 27-7 defeat of the Huskers. Ray Novak was a bright spot for Nebraska with his 99 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Ed Weir, Dana X. Bible and Fielding Yost are elected to the inaugural class of the College Football Hall of Fame.
1956: On fourth-and-16 in the final 2 minutes, Willie Greenlaw hits Frank Nappi with a 25-yard TD pass to give Nebraska a 15-14 upset win over Missouri. Mizzou stormed back but fumbled at the NU 16.
1961: Kansas uses John Hadl’s efficient quarterbacking to hand NU its fourth loss in a row, 28-6.
1966: Nebraska jumps out to an 18-0 lead and coasts to a 24-13 win at Kansas. Bob Churchich completed 11 of his 15 passes.
1971: Nebraska breezes past ninth-ranked Colorado, 31-7, and anticipation builds for the Thanksgiving showdown with Oklahoma.
1976: Solid defense and a balanced offense add up to a 31-3 win for the Huskers at Kansas.
1981: Nebraska overcomes five field goals by Kansas’ Bruce Kallmeyer in a come-from-behind 31-15 win.
1986: Only a second-quarter snowstorm is able to slow down the Huskers in a 38-0 romp over Kansas State.
1991: On a frigid night in Boulder, a pair of blocked kicks – one a PAT, the other a field goal try at the end of the game – force Nebraska to settle for a 19-19 with Colorado.
1996: After a slow start, the Huskers roll for 10 touchdowns in the final 38 minutes and hand Oklahoma its most lopsided loss ever, 73-21.
2001: Dahrran Diedrick rushes for 136 yards as Nebraska crushes Kansas in Lawrence, 51-7.
2006: The Huskers take a big step toward the Big 12 North crown by beating Missouri in Lincoln, 34-20. Nebraska’s first TD came on a pass from Maurice Purify to fellow wide receiver Terrence Nunn.